Interesting comment re the riots in England from a scotish and welsh perspective: why are the riots being reported as UK or British when they relate only to a few cities in ENGLAND
Maybe this sort of sentiment is assumed:
“With gratitude for the past and confidence in the future we range ourselves without fear beside Britain. Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand.”
Meh, my Scottish and Irish mates are laughing their asses off at the English falling apart
đ That’s why I have a problem with Scottish and Irish people – especially the Irish. Schadenfreude is their thing! (My Scottish-descended mother made my English father’s life hell – I used to pray that he would divorce her, when I was a child. Not to mention her constantly rubbing in that she came from a higher social class than he did)
Vicky, I am a Scot; whenever a Scot wins a medal at the Olympics, they are a Brit, when they are English, they are, simply, English.
If Andy Murray ever wins Wimbledon, he’ll be British, but as he continues to flop, he’ll continue to be Scottish.
Whenever England football fans riot, they are British, when they behave they mysteriously become British.
It should also be noted that generally speaking the first ‘cannon fodder’ in both world wars were from where?
Had to laugh my arse off the other day when I read the Labour Party in Scotland (having been trounced in recent Scottish elections for being out of touch and arrogant….jeez, that’s a familiar refrain for Labour Parties that, innit?) was having a go at the SNP for daring to point out that the riots were English. Not Scottish. Not British. Just English. And further, that Scottish society was very different to English society.
As a commentator in one of the Scottish papers pointed out (paraphrasing) the underclass in Scotland …or any class, bar the public school class of whatever year class… would baulk at being seen to be taking directions from English sources.
Hi Pete just a brief summary from the Wiki article on teenage pregnancy.
How about you have a read and then get back on the notion of âresponsibilityâ…
1. Poverty is associated with increased rates of teenage pregnancy
2. Women exposed to abuse, domestic violence, and family strife in childhood are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and the risk of becoming pregnant as a teenager increases with the number of adverse childhood experiences
3. Studies have also found that boys raised in homes with a battered mother, or who experienced physical violence directly, were significantly more likely to impregnate a girl
4. Studies have also found that girls whose fathers left the family early in their lives had the highest rates of early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy. Girls whose fathers left them at a later age had a lower rate of early sexual activity, and the lowest rates are found in girls whose fathers were present throughout their childhood
5. Low educational expectations have been pinpointed as a risk factor.
6. Teenage pregnancy is also attributed the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy to a breakdown of communication between parents and child and also to inadequate parental supervision
7. Foster care youth are more likely than their peers to become pregnant as teenagers.
8. Teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age 20
9. More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended
10. There is little evidence to support the common belief that teenage mothers become pregnant to get benefits, welfare, and council housing. Most knew little about housing or financial aid before they got pregnant and what they thought they knew often turned out to be wrong
11. A UK study found that 70% of women who gave birth in their teens had experienced adolescent domestic violence.
12. Teenage girls who are pregnant or mothers are more likely to commit suicide than girls who aren’t pregnant or mothers
13. One study in 2001 found that women who gave birth during their teens completed secondary-level schooling 10â12% as often as those who didn’t, and pursued post-secondary education 14â29% as often as women who waited until age 30 to have children.
14. Teenage Motherhood may actually make economic sense for young women with less money, some research suggests. For instance, long-term studies by Duke economist V. Joseph Hotz and colleagues, published in 2005, found that by age 35, former teen moms had earned more in income, paid more in taxes, were substantially less likely to live in poverty and collected less in public assistance than similarly poor women who waited until their 20s to have babies
15. What appears crucial to success is that adolescents know where they can go to obtain information and services, can get there easily and are assured of receiving confidential, non-judgmental care, and that these services and contraceptive supplies are free or cost very little. In addressing high rates of unplanned teen pregnancies, scholars agree that the problem must be confronted from both the biological and cultural contexts.
Iâm sure there is plenty more ‘real’ research out there, if you were interested in looking, but I guess your prejudices suit you just fine.
Thanks, Puddlegum. A diverse lot aren’t we? (women who have children while teenagers, that is).
I can’t believe I forgot the one that got me started on the whole ‘responsibility’ thing…
A review of California’s 1990 vital statistics found that men older than high school age fathered 77 percent of all births to high school-aged girls (ages 16â18), and 51 percent of births to junior high school-aged girls (15 and younger). Men over age 25 fathered twice as many children of teenage mothers than boys under age 18, and men over age 20 fathered five times as many children of junior high school-aged girls as did junior high school-aged boys. A 1992 Washington state study of 535 adolescent mothers found that 62 percent of the mothers had a history of being raped or sexual molested by men whose ages averaged 27 years
Anyway, I guess this post has gone in the into PeteG’s ‘do not reply’ bucket.
The best way to mitigate teenage pregnancy is to ensure that those at risk are properly engaged in the school system rather than fall through the cracks.
In addition, it might piss off the god botherers (their way only causes misery and hatred) , but having increased access to contraceptives and abortion on demand can help here as well. Bob McCroskie can jump of a bridge for all I care.
For those that do make mistakes, funding teen parent units in every school, and alternative schools for those unsuited to the mainstream system would be good as well.
The school system needs to play a big part here. IMO they are too busy trying to attract international students and focusing on their top students to give a shit about those at the bottom.
It’s not getting any better for the Murdochs as the reporter jailed for admitting hacking members of the Royal family dobs in the former NOW editor Andy Coulson and leaves the Murdochs’ evidence in Parliament looking weak at best and outright lies at worst.
The whole edifice is rotten. The rotten Murdochs will be called to answer to a rotten parliament. Credibility minus for all parties…..more riots to come in reaction to further rotten powers given to a rotten police force.
Today, from the UK, comes another shining example of what happens when you privatise strategic assets such a power companies.
Note the comment further down the article from RWE npower’s Cheif Commercial Officer Kevin Miles
Miles pointed out that npower’s price increases were significantly below the tariff increases of between 10% and 19% on gas and electricity introduced by its rivals .
Of course, all of it’s so called rivals are also privately owned.
And behind the privatised state assets are the rich, the ma and pa investors and the pension fund owners who live amongst us…all holding shares in our servitude. We rub shoulders with our malefactors daily.
Anybody know what the ‘unnamed bill’ is? http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/82682/parliament-in-urgency
Newstalk ZB this morning: Simon Power’s office refuses to say what it is, other that it is not related to new policy. Newstalk understands it as being ‘sensitive’ and correcting legislation passed by former Labour Govt…
Dame Lesley Max on “Eight Months to Mars”
Afternoons with Jim Mora, Monday August 15, 2011
Take yourself back two and a half years. You’re listening to NewstalkZB, around 11.30 p.m., on Sunday, January 4th, 2009. The internationally condemned Israeli assault on Gaza is at its bloodiest point, and the host Oliver Driver has, unusually for a radio talkback host, been making some intelligent comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Showing what happens if there’s a host with a few clues, the standard of talkback this evening has been of an exceptionally high standard. But at 11:30, the calibre, temper and tone of the discussion plummet catastrophically.
A particularly harsh and adamant woman, identifying herself as “Lesley”, is on the line. She is having none of this namby-pamby so-called sympathy for the victims.
LESLEY: These people are terrorists and they deserve everything that is happening to them. I’ve just come back from Israel, and I can tell you the Arabs are happy. These people in Gaza are terrorists! OLIVER DRIVER: But the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations say the people killed are almost entirely women and children. LESLEY: Nonsense! I’ve just come back from Israel. OLIVER DRIVER: Human Rights Watch and B’tselem have condemned Israel, and they unequivocally call it a massacre. LESLEY: Absolute nonsense! I have just come back from Israel, and I saw NOTHING that suggested there was ANY trouble at all! OLIVER DRIVER: So let me get this right, Lesley. You’re saying that the Red Cross, and all of the the U.N. observers, and Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders, and the doctors and nurses from the hospitals in Gaza, and all those reporters—they’re all wrong? LESLEY: [snarling] Yes they are WRONG! All of them! You see, these people are TERRORISTS….
Cue ten minutes more of uninterrupted hateful ranting. Finally, the host decides enough is enough….
OLIVER DRIVER: Okay. Thank you very much for your call, Lesley.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oliver Driver, clearly shaken and disturbed by that call, gave no indication that he knew the identity of “Lesley”. He would no doubt have been surprised to learn that she was in fact a prominent member of the Auckland social scene, and a recipient of royal honours for her charity work with disadvantaged children.
The caller was none other than Dame Lesley Max, who lives a bizarre double life, balancing out the good work she does—urban tree-planting and running a children’s charity—by obsessively monitoring talkback radio and barking out intolerant rants as in the example above. If you suffer from insomnia some time, tune in to NewstalkZB or Radio Live for a few minutes: chances are pretty good that you’ll hear Dame Lesley shouting her crazed and unconditional support for Israel over the airwaves.
Late-night and early-morning talk radio is not her only outlet, though. In January 2002, during another time of escalated Israeli aggression, this time in the occupied West Bank, Dame Lesley was the guest of Chris Laidlaw on his Sunday morning show. Throughout the interview, she refused to call the victims “Palestinians”, and insisted on calling them “terrorists”—in fact, she managed to use the word “terrorists” no less than TWENTY times. (I counted.) Laidlaw never once pulled her up, or challenged her use of language.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was with considerable interest, therefore, that I learned Monday’s guest for the “Eight Months to Mars” segment on Jim Mora’s programme was to be Dame Lesley Max. “Eight Months to Mars” is supposed to be whimsical and lighthearted, but I just knew that Dame Lesley would not forsake the opportunity to slip in a little pro-Israel propaganda if she could possibly get away with it. And in the affable and indulgent Jim Mora, she had the perfect vehicleâŠ.
JIM MORA: And who, Dame Lesley Max, would you like to accompany you on this voyage to Mars? DAME LESLEY MAX: Oh! There are so MANY! Let me see. I would have Lady Diana Cooper, Bill Clinton (LOVE that Southern accent!), Theodore Dalrymple— MORA: Oh yes! Isn’t he amazing! DAME LESLEY: He’s just lovely! I spent a simply entrancing afternoon with him once. [1] MORA: He’s just a brilliant man! DAME LESLEY: I would also have to have along with me Dr Zoe During, Charles Dickens, Kathryn Ryan! MORA: Oh yes. Ha ha ha ha ha! DAME LESLEY: Boris Johnson, Stephen Fry, and Richard Burton—as long as he doesn’t bring along his cigarettes! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! But what a voice he had! DAME LESLEY: What I like about these people is the breadth of their minds, and the wit of their conversation. Did you see Boris Johnson on Who Do You Think You Are?, Jim? MORA: No.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MORA: Let’s talk about you, now. What makes you such a humanitarian worker? DAME LESLEY: My mother was very empathetic. MORA: You had a happy, idyllic North Shore childhood? DAME LESLEY: I was a voracious reader. So I knew early on that all the world was not like my home in Milford, I was fully aware that children get killed. I guess that desire for protecting the vulnerable is just embedded in me, in my DNA. I dunno. MORA: Interesting you’d take Dalrymple to Mars because he laments the providential role of the state. DAME LESLEY: Mmmmmm. MORA: So you are trying to AWAKEN the human spirit. DAME LESLEY: Mmmmm. Definitely. MORA: And what keepsakes would you take with you? See, these are the little things that fascinate me.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MORA: If an alien asked you to describe the planet Earth, what would you say? DAME LESLEY: Oh, I would say that it was full of plenty, beauty, happiness, starvation, misery, oppression. [2] All of those things. MORA: What would you miss about Earth? DAME LESLEY: Gardens, trees [3], grass, water [4], hills. MORA: What would you be glad to leave behind? DAME LESLEY: News of babies being kicked to death. Distortion and malice arising from journalistic malpractice. I’m thinking here of those poor, defamed Israeli victims of the earthquake. MORA: You’re finding anti-Semitism everywhere, more and more? DAME LESLEY: [carefully] No, I wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism. But there was an unholy glee in the media. It was like a cat bringing a dead mouse into the house and batting it about to see if it can get a bit more out of it. MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s a GREAT analogy! All right, let’s go to your last musical choice. DAME LESLEY: This is Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti singing a duet from Rigoletto. MORA: All the best with your work, Dame Lesley. It’s SO important.
Tell Jim Mora (politely but clearly) what you think of his providing an uninterrupted forum to people like Dame Lesley Max. His email address isâŠ. afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Iâve made a point to email Jim to ask him for more people like Lesley to appear on his show in future.
I have no problem with him talking to anybody, even a canting hypocrite like Dame Lesley Max. What I object to is his failure to challenge or to even demur at some of the outrageous and offensive things people like her say.
In this case, it was Mora himself who made the ridiculous and cranky charge that investigating Israelis is anti-Semitism. Dame Lesley was smart enough to resile from the statement, and make herself seem sensible and restrained.
She must have been very pleased that Mora had done the crude defamatory work for her, and let her, on this occasion, seem to rise above it.
It won’t be a problem Lower standard Joyce will privatize it to so we will hear only what they want us to hear no independent point of view .Fox news i suspect oh no my emails are being hacked as we speak
I sent a short but polite email off to afternoons@radionz.co.nz after Monday’s panel. The complete fabrication of data they discussed regarding the Iowa Straw Poll is a telling portent of our coming Election. Perhaps, just perhaps if the community presents them with requests for the most basic journalistic integrity, then they will at least reduce the fabrication, even if it does not lead to any more balance in the content.
I include the email below
I would sincerely accept criticism or comment as a basis towards understanding viewpoints of National Radio broadcasting standards at this time, especially leading up to is expected to be the most socially radical and economically pivotal election in decades.
” To whom it may concern
I have been increasingly worried by many of the views recently
expressed on the panel. It is a rare day i hear anything attempting to portray a factual, an
honest or even a balanced view of the current political and financial
situation in New Zealand or abroad.
Today though i was simply disgusted by the tragically innacurate
statements made earlier regarding the Iowa Straw Poll. That later
paled with the arrogant and ignorant comments broadcast by a panelist
in regards to food costs. I respectfully ask that you please remind
your panelists 3/4 of New Zealand do not live in Auckland. Not
everyone has access to a farmer’s market.
The elitist attitude being fomented by your panel is progressively
costing you listeners. I have been a listener of the show for many years and I personally
know a dozen people or more who no longer listen and i find myself not
listening more often. More basic research, honest journalism and less
parroting of press releases might go a long way to reversing the
trend.
As a State-owned broadcaster, there are responsiblities aligned
with your privilidged positions, the most demanding must be to
accurately broadcast information.
I posit you are failing your responsibilties
In the meantime, mik e, you should tell Jim Mora (politely but clearly) what you think of his providing a propaganda forum for the likes of Dame Lesley Max. His email address isâŠ. afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Yeah he’s lets his guests waffle on about any thing they like but he also has Bernard Hickey Cris Trotter Bomber Bradbury .But he is a right whinger because soon as they have finished he denigrates them ever so subtlely.
I have stopped listening to Jim Mora these days, he just gets on my nerves more and more!
Well then, you need to tell him that, politely of course. You might like to mention your disgust at the way he encourages people like Dame Lesley Max and Stephen Franks and Dr. Michael Bassett, instead of challenging them…. afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Lesley Max has a chapter all to herself in a book on the New Zealand Jewish community published a few years back. Needless to say, she spends an inordinate amount of space on New Zealanders’ supposed “misconceptions” about “poor old Israel”.
In your RNZ rendition (above), she appears wonderfully ignorant of not only ‘Theodore Dalrymple’s’ strong criticism of Israel (and of Conrad Black’s bias in this regard), but also of Stephen Fry’s membership of the British Independent Jewish Voices – a group, of course, strongly critical of mainstream Jewry’s Israel-Right-Or-Wrong default setting.
…she spends an inordinate amount of space on New Zealandersâ supposed âmisconceptionsâ about âpoor old Israelâ.
She’s a fanatic, and that’s exactly what we would expect of her.
The really disturbing thing about her appearance on Mora’s show was when Mora asked her, in apparent seriousness: “Youâre finding anti-Semitism everywhere, more and more?”
That’s nonsense, of course, and Mora knows it perfectly well. But he still said it. He therefore released Dame Lesley from her fanatic’s duty of saying just that, and allowed her to pose as a moderate: “No, I wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism…”
Of course she wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism—she didn’t have to, because her infinitely obliging and understanding host did it for her.
It’s irresponsible and a betrayal of his listeners.
You, and others who care about decency and standards, should email Jim and tell him what you think of his behaviour…. afternoons@radionz.co.nz
“Finance Minister Bill English said he had not seen the detail of the sale yesterday and it was yet to be seen if the cost to the Government would increase further.
”We have been focused very much on reducing cost to tax-payers through this whole exercise,” he said. ”
quick question Bill, how does one focus on something one has no details of?
I don’t think he’s moved to the right in his own head, but he has grown intellectually flabby. I think he’s like Jim Mora in many ways—in spite of his misgivings, he bends over backwards to be “impartial”. That means he lets right wing callers have their say, and he will usually try to find common ground with them. I noticed on last Sunday night’s show that he was repeating idiotic far right slogans about the London riots, and didn’t seem to have the courage to say what he no doubt really thinks.
A few years ago, crazed callers like “Lesley” (actually Dame Lesley Max) would at least know they were in for an argument with Oliver, but now, sadly, he seems to have been tamed by the NewstalkZB machine.
Thats the only way you can get a job on talk back these days!being a redneck jerk
You mean, I think, “being a bigoted jerk.” Please don’t use the term “redneck” as a substitute for “bigot”. That’s a slur on working people and farmers. The worst, most pitiless bigots in this country are not “rednecks” but pampered, privileged, complacent businessmen (think Alisdair Thompson) and right-wing commentators (Stephen Franks, Garth George, Paul Holmes, Michael Laws, Christine Rankin, Leighton Smith).
The Press has a story on New Zealand’s own Leonardo da Vinci … the artist formerly known as John Key.
You know that guy in your office who has a job title and a suit and a desk, but you find yourself wondering what he does all day? Apparently, “he does a lot of doodles” …
While David Cameron and co. attempt to pin the recent London riots on some slide in morality, they ignore the historical background – as outlined in this highly illuminating article – that this city has been the traditional site for radical protest and rioting by the English poor for centuries:
Â
“The âLondon mobâ has been an object of fear for Londonâs wealthy almost since the city was founded. The size and nature of London made it repeatedly open to radicalization. Large groups of people lived and worked together and developed ideas against authority in a way which there was much less opportunity to do in rural areas or small towns. As a seat of government, London was the natural centre of protest against monarchy and then parliament.
The Peasantsâ Revolt of 1381 ended in London when the citizens opened the gates of the capital and allowed tens of thousands of peasants led by John Ball and Wat Tyler to enter (and ransack) the City. They burnt down John of Gauntâs palace at the Savoy and executed the Lord Chancellor as part of their protest at the poll tax. They broke open the most notorious prisons in the City. Then, as now, some innocents (in this case Flemish cloth traders perceived as commercial rivals) were victims. The peasants forced the King to grant them their freedom until the leaders of the revolt were tricked by Richard II and routed at Smithfield. But the revolt burnt itself into the mind of the aristocracy and the poll tax was effectively abolished….”
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Once again, an item about expensive lambs being killed by hypothermia on NZ farms… The thing is, it happens every year! And every year the news media come over all surprised…. I don’t know why lambing always takes place in winter, and why NZ farmers don’t keep livestock in barns, and afaik never have! When my father came here in 1951, he had been told that NZ was “tropical” – he soon learned different! (It’s got colder every year, yet the farmers pretend surprise as every year their lambs die.)
I’ve recently bough the album ‘Infected’ by The The ($7.99 in the bargain bin at The Warehouse) – my emphasis on notable lines!
Considering this was released in the early 1980’s, how poignant are the lyrics of the song Heartland to the UK riots?
Beneath the old iron bridges, across the victorian parks,
& all the frightened people running home before dark,
Past the Saturday morning cinema–
that lies crumbling to the ground,
& the piss stinking shopping centre in the new side of town.
I’ve come to smell the seasons change, & watch the city,
as the sun goes down again.
CHORUS
Here comes another winter, of long shadows & high hopes,
Here comes another winter, waitin for utopia,
waitin for hell to freeze over.
This is the land, where nothing changes, the land of red buses & blue blooded babies, This is the place, where pensioners are raped,
& the hearts are being cut, from the welfare state, Let the poor drink the milk, while the rich eat the honey, Let the bums count their blessings, while they count the money.
So many people, can’t express what’s on their minds,
Nobody knows them & nobody ever will, Until their backs are broken & their dreams are stolen, & they can’t get what they want, then they’re gonna get angry! Well it ain’t written in the papers, but its written on the walls The way this country is divided to fall,
So the cranes are moving on the skyline–
Trying to knock down–this town
But the stains on the heartland, can never be removed,
from this country, that’s sick, sad, and confused.
CHORUS
The ammunition’s being passed, and the lords been praised,
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained,
All the bankers gettin sweaty, beneath their white collars,
As the pound in our pocket, turns into a dollar.
This is the 51st state–of the U. S. A.
(Repeat and fade.)
the U.S. continues its odd and long history of flowing all economic gains
to corporations and the very rich and basically none to the average hour worked.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that we are facing weak demand. For 30 years to the year 2000, consumers compensated for their lack of progress in hourly wages partly by working harder and longer and in greater numbers (i.e., a higher participation
rate) and partly by borrowing. But in the 10 years after 2000, the participation rate in the workforce has dropped dramatically (see Exhibit 2) and hours worked per person has flattened so that the only way for individuals to grow their consumption more recently was by borrowing even more and, to some extent, by speculating in housing.
…
Today the artifi cial sugar-coating of increasing debt has been removed and we must live with the reality that an average hourâs work has not received a material increase for 40 years (see Exhibit 3). Without increased debt and without gains in hourly wages, how can there be sustained broad gains in consumption? Only Chanel suits, Hermes scarves, BMWs, and their ilk have very strong sales, and these top-end items are just too small a fraction to carry the day.
You might have heard that Hosni Mubarak’s trial is no longer going to be broadcast. He’s being tried for corruption and violence against the protesters in Tahrir Square and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The consequences of justice not being done in this case are significant, but there are bigger implications to what is essentially state control of the media…
Just thought I would mention this; I had morning tea with Tama Iti this morning. What a thoroughly pleasant and respectful bloke.
Â
Listened to a Tuhoe presentation on how they want to improve their community, which was totally clear, whanau focused and thinking long term. I hope many of their people stand for Mana.
A woman who has lived in New Zealand for four years and left her abusive husband has been denied residency because of his convictions for crimes against her.
The plight of Charmain Timmons and her children, who are now illegal immigrants, has outraged Women’s Refuge, which says the Paraparaumu family should not have to suffer twice because of his cruelty.
“It’s wrong in so many ways,” said refuge chief executive Heather Henare. “She is being punished. She is someone who has come over here with the best of intentions to have a better life…and now she’s going to be sent back because she was unfortunate enough to be a victim of domestic violence.”
Timmons, 37, has been granted the rights of a resident by some government departments, as she has had legal aid, a benefit and is enrolled to vote.
and
The couple needed to send in their passports and a $1050 fee but Timmons left her husband before the process was completed. As a result, she and the children were illegal immigrants, and she was told she had to leave the country.
“I decided I had to get out of the relationship because it was becoming violent and abusive and it was psychologically and emotionally very damaging,” she told the Sunday Star-Times.
He left New Zealand for eight months before returning this year on a two-year visitor’s permit.
She said moving back to England would be a huge upheaval for the children, now aged seven and nine, who regarded themselves as New Zealanders.
“They don’t want to be anywhere else. They know of England but their roots are here now. I haven’t done anything wrong. I just want to provide a safe, secure environment for my children.”
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Why has it taken so long to act? A genuine question.
And, why did Wilkinson claim in Parliament that the government would be waiting till after the Commission concluded to act on staffing of mines inspectors but knew at the time that a departmental review was looking into staffing and would report back prior to the Commission announcing its findings?
And, why won’t Wilkinson admit that abolishing the mines inspectorate in the late 90s was a bad idea.
Anybody who gives a damn about the environment should have a read of Idiot/Savant’s latest blog @ NRT. National is purposefully fucking the ETS up by overallocating subsidies. Effectively the public is paying polluters to pollute more, and thus discrediting the scheme entirely. Pisses me right off!
France and Germany Propose Joint Financial Transactions Tax
Surprise surprise high frequency bot traders and big banks don’t like it. I hope Merkel and Sarkozy push it through against the financial sector, and that this is not just a distraction or a feint.
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Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund â When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayersâ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund â and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 âredesign of the welfare stateâ â which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty â various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being âWorking for Familiesâ, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing âon why Melissa is muteâ. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Leeâs ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling â or non-handling â of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealandâs two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
Itâs a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes –Â Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people â the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cassâs review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the âholiday highwayâ into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes –Â Thereâs a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere â mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term âbulk billedâ refers to a GP visit they donât have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss whatâs in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to whatâs been on my mind for a while. Itâs very important. You see weâve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so weâve destroyed valuable coastal habitat â in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he canât stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
MÄori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of MÄori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao MÄori (the MÄori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, âWeâre here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment thatâs thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didnât find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. âI thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, hereâs our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
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Interesting comment re the riots in England from a scotish and welsh perspective: why are the riots being reported as UK or British when they relate only to a few cities in ENGLAND
Maybe this sort of sentiment is assumed:
“With gratitude for the past and confidence in the future we range ourselves without fear beside Britain. Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand.”
Meh, my Scottish and Irish mates are laughing their asses off at the English falling apart. They always knew it would happen.
đ That’s why I have a problem with Scottish and Irish people – especially the Irish. Schadenfreude is their thing! (My Scottish-descended mother made my English father’s life hell – I used to pray that he would divorce her, when I was a child. Not to mention her constantly rubbing in that she came from a higher social class than he did)
Vicky, I am a Scot; whenever a Scot wins a medal at the Olympics, they are a Brit, when they are English, they are, simply, English.
If Andy Murray ever wins Wimbledon, he’ll be British, but as he continues to flop, he’ll continue to be Scottish.
Whenever England football fans riot, they are British, when they behave they mysteriously become British.
It should also be noted that generally speaking the first ‘cannon fodder’ in both world wars were from where?
Had to laugh my arse off the other day when I read the Labour Party in Scotland (having been trounced in recent Scottish elections for being out of touch and arrogant….jeez, that’s a familiar refrain for Labour Parties that, innit?) was having a go at the SNP for daring to point out that the riots were English. Not Scottish. Not British. Just English. And further, that Scottish society was very different to English society.
As a commentator in one of the Scottish papers pointed out (paraphrasing) the underclass in Scotland …or any class, bar the public school class of whatever year class… would baulk at being seen to be taking directions from English sources.
Were they responsible in the first place?
Many teenage girls getting pregnant and relying on a benefit have not exactly excelled in self control, self management and responsibility.
Yes, state welfare has to fork out so they can live.
No, it shouldn’t automatically be a free pass with no responsibilities or requirements.
Morning Pete, two consecutive comments so far today that make no sense. Are you going to go for the trifecta?
I hope so. Although the TAB payout is so minimal I should still earn myself a hot chocolate with the bet.
Hi Pete just a brief summary from the Wiki article on teenage pregnancy.
How about you have a read and then get back on the notion of âresponsibilityâ…
1. Poverty is associated with increased rates of teenage pregnancy
2. Women exposed to abuse, domestic violence, and family strife in childhood are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and the risk of becoming pregnant as a teenager increases with the number of adverse childhood experiences
3. Studies have also found that boys raised in homes with a battered mother, or who experienced physical violence directly, were significantly more likely to impregnate a girl
4. Studies have also found that girls whose fathers left the family early in their lives had the highest rates of early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy. Girls whose fathers left them at a later age had a lower rate of early sexual activity, and the lowest rates are found in girls whose fathers were present throughout their childhood
5. Low educational expectations have been pinpointed as a risk factor.
6. Teenage pregnancy is also attributed the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy to a breakdown of communication between parents and child and also to inadequate parental supervision
7. Foster care youth are more likely than their peers to become pregnant as teenagers.
8. Teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age 20
9. More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended
10. There is little evidence to support the common belief that teenage mothers become pregnant to get benefits, welfare, and council housing. Most knew little about housing or financial aid before they got pregnant and what they thought they knew often turned out to be wrong
11. A UK study found that 70% of women who gave birth in their teens had experienced adolescent domestic violence.
12. Teenage girls who are pregnant or mothers are more likely to commit suicide than girls who aren’t pregnant or mothers
13. One study in 2001 found that women who gave birth during their teens completed secondary-level schooling 10â12% as often as those who didn’t, and pursued post-secondary education 14â29% as often as women who waited until age 30 to have children.
14. Teenage Motherhood may actually make economic sense for young women with less money, some research suggests. For instance, long-term studies by Duke economist V. Joseph Hotz and colleagues, published in 2005, found that by age 35, former teen moms had earned more in income, paid more in taxes, were substantially less likely to live in poverty and collected less in public assistance than similarly poor women who waited until their 20s to have babies
15. What appears crucial to success is that adolescents know where they can go to obtain information and services, can get there easily and are assured of receiving confidential, non-judgmental care, and that these services and contraceptive supplies are free or cost very little. In addressing high rates of unplanned teen pregnancies, scholars agree that the problem must be confronted from both the biological and cultural contexts.
Iâm sure there is plenty more ‘real’ research out there, if you were interested in looking, but I guess your prejudices suit you just fine.
Now that’s the kind of information people need to know.Â
Good stuff rosy!Â
Thanks, Puddlegum. A diverse lot aren’t we? (women who have children while teenagers, that is).
I can’t believe I forgot the one that got me started on the whole ‘responsibility’ thing…
Anyway, I guess this post has gone in the into PeteG’s ‘do not reply’ bucket.
Jeez, Squirrel boy, thats rather nasty of you…
The best way to mitigate teenage pregnancy is to ensure that those at risk are properly engaged in the school system rather than fall through the cracks.
In addition, it might piss off the god botherers (their way only causes misery and hatred) , but having increased access to contraceptives and abortion on demand can help here as well. Bob McCroskie can jump of a bridge for all I care.
For those that do make mistakes, funding teen parent units in every school, and alternative schools for those unsuited to the mainstream system would be good as well.
The school system needs to play a big part here. IMO they are too busy trying to attract international students and focusing on their top students to give a shit about those at the bottom.
An unnecessary sneer. You were doing well up until then, but I presume you couldn’t resist dishing out some hatred yourself.
I dunno, I quite like that expression – how about happy clappies or fish badge on the car people?
It’s not getting any better for the Murdochs as the reporter jailed for admitting hacking members of the Royal family dobs in the former NOW editor Andy Coulson and leaves the Murdochs’ evidence in Parliament looking weak at best and outright lies at worst.
The whole edifice is rotten. The rotten Murdochs will be called to answer to a rotten parliament. Credibility minus for all parties…..more riots to come in reaction to further rotten powers given to a rotten police force.
Yep. Big mistake letting someone go to prison for you and not honouring the dishonourable agreement you made with him. Big, big mistake.
How can all this be? Old man Murdoch’s apology in front of the committee was so sincere and moving. He had truly seen the light.
/sarc
Their lawyers have turned on them too having been released from the client privilege thingy.
Today, from the UK, comes another shining example of what happens when you privatise strategic assets such a power companies.
Note the comment further down the article from RWE npower’s Cheif Commercial Officer Kevin Miles
Of course, all of it’s so called rivals are also privately owned.
And in a privately owned power system, there are ticket clippers galore.
And behind the privatised state assets are the rich, the ma and pa investors and the pension fund owners who live amongst us…all holding shares in our servitude. We rub shoulders with our malefactors daily.
Does anyone have any idea as to when the plague of locusts might be due?
As soon as NACT gets re-elected.
Anybody know what the ‘unnamed bill’ is?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/82682/parliament-in-urgency
Newstalk ZB this morning: Simon Power’s office refuses to say what it is, other that it is not related to new policy. Newstalk understands it as being ‘sensitive’ and correcting legislation passed by former Labour Govt…
Dame Lesley Max on “Eight Months to Mars”
Afternoons with Jim Mora, Monday August 15, 2011
Take yourself back two and a half years. You’re listening to NewstalkZB, around 11.30 p.m., on Sunday, January 4th, 2009. The internationally condemned Israeli assault on Gaza is at its bloodiest point, and the host Oliver Driver has, unusually for a radio talkback host, been making some intelligent comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Showing what happens if there’s a host with a few clues, the standard of talkback this evening has been of an exceptionally high standard. But at 11:30, the calibre, temper and tone of the discussion plummet catastrophically.
A particularly harsh and adamant woman, identifying herself as “Lesley”, is on the line. She is having none of this namby-pamby so-called sympathy for the victims.
LESLEY: These people are terrorists and they deserve everything that is happening to them. I’ve just come back from Israel, and I can tell you the Arabs are happy. These people in Gaza are terrorists!
OLIVER DRIVER: But the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations say the people killed are almost entirely women and children.
LESLEY: Nonsense! I’ve just come back from Israel.
OLIVER DRIVER: Human Rights Watch and B’tselem have condemned Israel, and they unequivocally call it a massacre.
LESLEY: Absolute nonsense! I have just come back from Israel, and I saw NOTHING that suggested there was ANY trouble at all!
OLIVER DRIVER: So let me get this right, Lesley. You’re saying that the Red Cross, and all of the the U.N. observers, and Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders, and the doctors and nurses from the hospitals in Gaza, and all those reporters—they’re all wrong?
LESLEY: [snarling] Yes they are WRONG! All of them! You see, these people are TERRORISTS….
Cue ten minutes more of uninterrupted hateful ranting. Finally, the host decides enough is enough….
OLIVER DRIVER: Okay. Thank you very much for your call, Lesley.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oliver Driver, clearly shaken and disturbed by that call, gave no indication that he knew the identity of “Lesley”. He would no doubt have been surprised to learn that she was in fact a prominent member of the Auckland social scene, and a recipient of royal honours for her charity work with disadvantaged children.
The caller was none other than Dame Lesley Max, who lives a bizarre double life, balancing out the good work she does—urban tree-planting and running a children’s charity—by obsessively monitoring talkback radio and barking out intolerant rants as in the example above. If you suffer from insomnia some time, tune in to NewstalkZB or Radio Live for a few minutes: chances are pretty good that you’ll hear Dame Lesley shouting her crazed and unconditional support for Israel over the airwaves.
Late-night and early-morning talk radio is not her only outlet, though. In January 2002, during another time of escalated Israeli aggression, this time in the occupied West Bank, Dame Lesley was the guest of Chris Laidlaw on his Sunday morning show. Throughout the interview, she refused to call the victims “Palestinians”, and insisted on calling them “terrorists”—in fact, she managed to use the word “terrorists” no less than TWENTY times. (I counted.) Laidlaw never once pulled her up, or challenged her use of language.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was with considerable interest, therefore, that I learned Monday’s guest for the “Eight Months to Mars” segment on Jim Mora’s programme was to be Dame Lesley Max. “Eight Months to Mars” is supposed to be whimsical and lighthearted, but I just knew that Dame Lesley would not forsake the opportunity to slip in a little pro-Israel propaganda if she could possibly get away with it. And in the affable and indulgent Jim Mora, she had the perfect vehicleâŠ.
JIM MORA: And who, Dame Lesley Max, would you like to accompany you on this voyage to Mars?
DAME LESLEY MAX: Oh! There are so MANY! Let me see. I would have Lady Diana Cooper, Bill Clinton (LOVE that Southern accent!), Theodore Dalrymple—
MORA: Oh yes! Isn’t he amazing!
DAME LESLEY: He’s just lovely! I spent a simply entrancing afternoon with him once. [1]
MORA: He’s just a brilliant man!
DAME LESLEY: I would also have to have along with me Dr Zoe During, Charles Dickens, Kathryn Ryan!
MORA: Oh yes. Ha ha ha ha ha!
DAME LESLEY: Boris Johnson, Stephen Fry, and Richard Burton—as long as he doesn’t bring along his cigarettes!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! But what a voice he had!
DAME LESLEY: What I like about these people is the breadth of their minds, and the wit of their conversation. Did you see Boris Johnson on Who Do You Think You Are?, Jim?
MORA: No.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MORA: Let’s talk about you, now. What makes you such a humanitarian worker?
DAME LESLEY: My mother was very empathetic.
MORA: You had a happy, idyllic North Shore childhood?
DAME LESLEY: I was a voracious reader. So I knew early on that all the world was not like my home in Milford, I was fully aware that children get killed. I guess that desire for protecting the vulnerable is just embedded in me, in my DNA. I dunno.
MORA: Interesting you’d take Dalrymple to Mars because he laments the providential role of the state.
DAME LESLEY: Mmmmmm.
MORA: So you are trying to AWAKEN the human spirit.
DAME LESLEY: Mmmmm. Definitely.
MORA: And what keepsakes would you take with you? See, these are the little things that fascinate me.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MORA: If an alien asked you to describe the planet Earth, what would you say?
DAME LESLEY: Oh, I would say that it was full of plenty, beauty, happiness, starvation, misery, oppression. [2] All of those things.
MORA: What would you miss about Earth?
DAME LESLEY: Gardens, trees [3], grass, water [4], hills.
MORA: What would you be glad to leave behind?
DAME LESLEY: News of babies being kicked to death. Distortion and malice arising from journalistic malpractice. I’m thinking here of those poor, defamed Israeli victims of the earthquake.
MORA: You’re finding anti-Semitism everywhere, more and more?
DAME LESLEY: [carefully] No, I wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism. But there was an unholy glee in the media. It was like a cat bringing a dead mouse into the house and batting it about to see if it can get a bit more out of it.
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s a GREAT analogy! All right, let’s go to your last musical choice.
DAME LESLEY: This is Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti singing a duet from Rigoletto.
MORA: All the best with your work, Dame Lesley. It’s SO important.
[1] Obviously Dame Lesley hasn’t actually READ much of DalrympleâŠ.
http://www.democratsdiary.co.uk/2008/02/enlightenment-or-unreason-william.html
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wd_1PEtAF8
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjLGeZ2q6Ac
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qbRSPN3RJg
Tell Jim Mora (politely but clearly) what you think of his providing an uninterrupted forum to people like Dame Lesley Max. His email address isâŠ.
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
I’ve made a point to email Jim to ask him for more people like Lesley to appear on his show in future.
Iâve made a point to email Jim to ask him for more people like Lesley to appear on his show in future.
I have no problem with him talking to anybody, even a canting hypocrite like Dame Lesley Max. What I object to is his failure to challenge or to even demur at some of the outrageous and offensive things people like her say.
In this case, it was Mora himself who made the ridiculous and cranky charge that investigating Israelis is anti-Semitism. Dame Lesley was smart enough to resile from the statement, and make herself seem sensible and restrained.
She must have been very pleased that Mora had done the crude defamatory work for her, and let her, on this occasion, seem to rise above it.
It won’t be a problem Lower standard Joyce will privatize it to so we will hear only what they want us to hear no independent point of view .Fox news i suspect oh no my emails are being hacked as we speak
I sent a short but polite email off to afternoons@radionz.co.nz after Monday’s panel. The complete fabrication of data they discussed regarding the Iowa Straw Poll is a telling portent of our coming Election. Perhaps, just perhaps if the community presents them with requests for the most basic journalistic integrity, then they will at least reduce the fabrication, even if it does not lead to any more balance in the content.
I include the email below
I would sincerely accept criticism or comment as a basis towards understanding viewpoints of National Radio broadcasting standards at this time, especially leading up to is expected to be the most socially radical and economically pivotal election in decades.
” To whom it may concern
I have been increasingly worried by many of the views recently
expressed on the panel. It is a rare day i hear anything attempting to portray a factual, an
honest or even a balanced view of the current political and financial
situation in New Zealand or abroad.
Today though i was simply disgusted by the tragically innacurate
statements made earlier regarding the Iowa Straw Poll. That later
paled with the arrogant and ignorant comments broadcast by a panelist
in regards to food costs. I respectfully ask that you please remind
your panelists 3/4 of New Zealand do not live in Auckland. Not
everyone has access to a farmer’s market.
The elitist attitude being fomented by your panel is progressively
costing you listeners. I have been a listener of the show for many years and I personally
know a dozen people or more who no longer listen and i find myself not
listening more often. More basic research, honest journalism and less
parroting of press releases might go a long way to reversing the
trend.
As a State-owned broadcaster, there are responsiblities aligned
with your privilidged positions, the most demanding must be to
accurately broadcast information.
I posit you are failing your responsibilties
sincerely
(name witheld)”
Well done, freedom! Tell your friends to protest by email as well.
In the meantime, mik e, you should tell Jim Mora (politely but clearly) what you think of his providing a propaganda forum for the likes of Dame Lesley Max. His email address isâŠ.
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Yeah he’s lets his guests waffle on about any thing they like but he also has Bernard Hickey Cris Trotter Bomber Bradbury .But he is a right whinger because soon as they have finished he denigrates them ever so subtlely.
I have stopped listening to Jim Mora these days, he just gets on my nerves more and more!
Just a question – what earthquake was she referring to?
Christchurch, Feb 2011. The Israelis were the suspected Mossad agents.
Oh thanks, I had misunderstood…
I have stopped listening to Jim Mora these days, he just gets on my nerves more and more!
Well then, you need to tell him that, politely of course. You might like to mention your disgust at the way he encourages people like Dame Lesley Max and Stephen Franks and Dr. Michael Bassett, instead of challenging them….
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
Thanks Morrissey, I will!
Lesley Max has a chapter all to herself in a book on the New Zealand Jewish community published a few years back. Needless to say, she spends an inordinate amount of space on New Zealanders’ supposed “misconceptions” about “poor old Israel”.
In your RNZ rendition (above), she appears wonderfully ignorant of not only ‘Theodore Dalrymple’s’ strong criticism of Israel (and of Conrad Black’s bias in this regard), but also of Stephen Fry’s membership of the British Independent Jewish Voices – a group, of course, strongly critical of mainstream Jewry’s Israel-Right-Or-Wrong default setting.
…she spends an inordinate amount of space on New Zealandersâ supposed âmisconceptionsâ about âpoor old Israelâ.
She’s a fanatic, and that’s exactly what we would expect of her.
The really disturbing thing about her appearance on Mora’s show was when Mora asked her, in apparent seriousness: “Youâre finding anti-Semitism everywhere, more and more?”
That’s nonsense, of course, and Mora knows it perfectly well. But he still said it. He therefore released Dame Lesley from her fanatic’s duty of saying just that, and allowed her to pose as a moderate: “No, I wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism…”
Of course she wouldn’t like to call it anti-Semitism—she didn’t have to, because her infinitely obliging and understanding host did it for her.
It’s irresponsible and a betrayal of his listeners.
You, and others who care about decency and standards, should email Jim and tell him what you think of his behaviour….
afternoons@radionz.co.nz
New to me.
https://americathegrimtruth.wordpress.com/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/5455771/Cost-of-SCF-collapse-still-uncertain
“Finance Minister Bill English said he had not seen the detail of the sale yesterday and it was yet to be seen if the cost to the Government would increase further.
”We have been focused very much on reducing cost to tax-payers through this whole exercise,” he said. ”
quick question Bill, how does one focus on something one has no details of?
Shame that Oliver Driver has moved to the right. He was an interesting talk back host a few years ago but now his show is not worth listening to.
I don’t think he’s moved to the right in his own head, but he has grown intellectually flabby. I think he’s like Jim Mora in many ways—in spite of his misgivings, he bends over backwards to be “impartial”. That means he lets right wing callers have their say, and he will usually try to find common ground with them. I noticed on last Sunday night’s show that he was repeating idiotic far right slogans about the London riots, and didn’t seem to have the courage to say what he no doubt really thinks.
A few years ago, crazed callers like “Lesley” (actually Dame Lesley Max) would at least know they were in for an argument with Oliver, but now, sadly, he seems to have been tamed by the NewstalkZB machine.
Thats the only way you can get a job on talk back these days!being a redneck jerk
Thats the only way you can get a job on talk back these days!being a redneck jerk
You mean, I think, “being a bigoted jerk.” Please don’t use the term “redneck” as a substitute for “bigot”. That’s a slur on working people and farmers. The worst, most pitiless bigots in this country are not “rednecks” but pampered, privileged, complacent businessmen (think Alisdair Thompson) and right-wing commentators (Stephen Franks, Garth George, Paul Holmes, Michael Laws, Christine Rankin, Leighton Smith).
The Press has a story on New Zealand’s own Leonardo da Vinci … the artist formerly known as John Key.
You know that guy in your office who has a job title and a suit and a desk, but you find yourself wondering what he does all day? Apparently, “he does a lot of doodles” …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/press-communities/5459157/Spot-the-difference
Enjoy the gallery of Key “originals”.
Obviously, they’re all fakes. If they were genuine they’d have an arrow pointing North with ‘Hawaii this way’ written on it.
While David Cameron and co. attempt to pin the recent London riots on some slide in morality, they ignore the historical background – as outlined in this highly illuminating article – that this city has been the traditional site for radical protest and rioting by the English poor for centuries:
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Is that the same squeaky clean David Cameron as on these links?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/camerons-cronies-the-bullingdon-clubs-class-of-87-436192.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6860668.ece
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/08/10/david_cameron_riot_condemnation_bullingdon_club_irony
http://www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJepgOym09dg&rct=j&q=david%20cameron%20bullingham%20club&ei=RFZLTsDLHcm4rAfey4n9Bg&usg=AFQjCNFvx_SCsdbsmUKhLtNKFhrye-u8HQ&cad=rja
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/may/06/daily-mirror-david-cameron-bullingdon-club
The bloke who was a member of the Bullingham Club, a group of toffs who engaged in riot like pranks? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullingdon_Club
The word hypocrite springs to mind!
Yeah – wonder if he’s ever going to dob himself in for past “misdeeds”. Don’t hold your breath.
Yep and Nick Clegg burnt down a greenhouse or two when he was 16… or did he? Good interview Mr Clifford.
Sympathies, enough said
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10745636
Once again, an item about expensive lambs being killed by hypothermia on NZ farms…
The thing is, it happens every year! And every year the news media come over all surprised…. I don’t know why lambing always takes place in winter, and why NZ farmers don’t keep livestock in barns, and afaik never have! When my father came here in 1951, he had been told that NZ was “tropical” – he soon learned different! (It’s got colder every year, yet the farmers pretend surprise as every year their lambs die.)
I’ve recently bough the album ‘Infected’ by The The ($7.99 in the bargain bin at The Warehouse) – my emphasis on notable lines!
Considering this was released in the early 1980’s, how poignant are the lyrics of the song Heartland to the UK riots?
Jeremy Grantham fund manages over US$100B
And this is what he has to say:
PS this man also gets resource depletion.
http://www.gmo.com/websitecontent/JGLetter_Pt2_DangerChildrenatPlay_2Q11.pdf
Anyone hear Joky Hen in The House today waxing lyrical from his prepared speech about the greatness of our current but retiring Governor General.
Shame he didn’t recognise these qualities in the Gov.Gen. when he played along with Paul Henry’s racism on Breakfast TV last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAEvkNtJ6A
Cue for an Andy Williams 1958 classic here
…Are you sincere, when you say, “I love you?”
Are you sincere, when you say, “I’ll be true?” …
The Trial Will Not Be Televised
You might have heard that Hosni Mubarak’s trial is no longer going to be broadcast. He’s being tried for corruption and violence against the protesters in Tahrir Square and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The consequences of justice not being done in this case are significant, but there are bigger implications to what is essentially state control of the media…
Just thought I would mention this; I had morning tea with Tama Iti this morning. What a thoroughly pleasant and respectful bloke.
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Listened to a Tuhoe presentation on how they want to improve their community, which was totally clear, whanau focused and thinking long term. I hope many of their people stand for Mana.
Respectful bloke he may be, but as far as I’m concerned, hell can freeze over before his lot get the Urerewas.
Remember, public ownership of our national parks is a core left issue.
Anyone seen this?
and
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/5331696/Govt-tries-to-deport-bashed-wife
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-deport-Charmain-Timmons-and-her-children/133369646758117?sk=wall
A messy attempt by Kate Wilkinson to tidy things up before the election.
Why has it taken so long to act? A genuine question.
And, why did Wilkinson claim in Parliament that the government would be waiting till after the Commission concluded to act on staffing of mines inspectors but knew at the time that a departmental review was looking into staffing and would report back prior to the Commission announcing its findings?
And, why won’t Wilkinson admit that abolishing the mines inspectorate in the late 90s was a bad idea.
Have a listen
here
but not for the answers …Â
Anybody who gives a damn about the environment should have a read of Idiot/Savant’s latest blog @ NRT. National is purposefully fucking the ETS up by overallocating subsidies. Effectively the public is paying polluters to pollute more, and thus discrediting the scheme entirely. Pisses me right off!
France and Germany Propose Joint Financial Transactions Tax
Surprise surprise high frequency bot traders and big banks don’t like it. I hope Merkel and Sarkozy push it through against the financial sector, and that this is not just a distraction or a feint.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44163841
what about no rumpty for randy rugby rooters till the a/b’s bring home the bacon.