Shades of “the emperor with no clothes” from John Key……….Parata is a top communicator and hugely talented apparently. Nothing of the fiasco in the Ministry of Education has much to do with her apparently.
Oh, please bring back Tolley!! All is forgiven! She did the will of Key as obligingly as Parata, but Parata is even more effectively putting across his anti-education wishes!
No thank you, Off Your Trolley(Tolley) was the one that wiped out a long tradition in NZ by cutting the night classes. A start off point for many a successful business.
Just because there is one incompetent it does not fair well to replace it with an equal incompetent.
The answer is, get rid of Smile and Wave Shonkey and all his pack of incompetent prats
Did someone just avail the Slippery one of the latest results from National’s internal polling???, (snigger), now there’s a read to put anyone off their dinner…
Unfortunately i cannot help but remember yesterdays news from Social Development Minister Paula Benefit,
Paula has managed to give 12,000 the kick off of various benefits while in the news this morning the Council of Trade Unions has quoted the unemployment benefit figures as remaining the same,
While i KNOW that a number of those ‘moved off benefits’ are now reliant on the charity of various Inner City Ministries for their daily bread having no income whatsoever, i cannot in all honesty raise 1 iota of sympathy for the Slippery little Shyster we have as Prime Minister choking on His Pasta which in all likelihood was paid for by the tax-payer…
Melatonin pills are sold over the counter as a treatment for jet lag in North America, one possible side effect is dizzy-spells and in some cases fainting, Key just returned from Hawaii, so I would probably guess it is related to that with nothing more sinister going on.
I concur. Nevertheless the National Party backers and electoral organisation will be running through lists of alternative names while he is away in their minds, perhaps on paper, not online.
Key has reprised his starring role as the salesman who brought in the deals at Merrill for this government. Love him or hate him, he has been the public face of this administration with memorable lines such as “Beckham is as thick as batshit”.
Without him we are left with English, Brownlee, Joyce, Collins, Ryall, Parata, Bennett, Carter, McCully ..
Not very good. Hopefully just a one off. Might be the record heat we are having, and him all trussed up in a suit in a stuffy restaurant — by ‘stuffy’ I mean really hot/humid with bugger all ventilation.The Antarctic chill will be a welcome change for him.
The restaurant manager says it wasn’t stuffy, and that she had commented earlier in the evening that Key looked tired, unwell and was sweating noticeably.
The Antarctic NZ spokesperson put it down to jet lag, and also said Key looked exhausted.
Key obviously passed the “Work Capacity Test” by three doctors (truly “independent” ones I trust), so surely sick and disabled WINZ beneficiaries better “toughen up” and pass the future UK designed – and Dr Bratt (MSD) approved – “work ability tests” as well with pride, and sign up as “jobseekers” ready for work the day after.
The PM is “leading” by example, yet again, I presume.
One of the few reason I read the stuff website in the morning is for any sign that something terrible has befallen the Nat Govt. Maybe the country awakes of its collective coma overnight and says “ENOUGH Key must go!”. Nat calls a snap election and then get booted out. Its my fantasy and I’m sticking with it.
However after reading that article this am I did feel slightly guilty for wishing disaster upon Key in general and a bit sorry for JK having a fainting turn. Like Pete says below, it’s scary experience, and you wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. He has been having some difficulty coping for some time now. I also wonder in all seriousness that as well as the long work hours the strain of your personality not being a good fit for the job : ie, he’s a taker, not a giver, (and certainly not a leader) and that doesn’t fit with the requirements of being of service to a nation, is a source of constant stress to him.
Yes, oh horror, this happening to the adorable PM, just before leaving for Antarctica, that is of course of “national concern”.
With all respect, I do not wish John Key any harm, and I trust it may just be “chronic fatigue syndrome” or the likes, but do hundreds or even more of other people not “faint” somehow every day???
I am sure, it will be at the top of the MSM TV news tonight.
Never mind any debate about unemployment figures, welfare slashing, the state of the economy, Parata’s bungles and what else is happening.
Thank goodness he was able to get attention instantly from so many specialists in such a short time. I hope they were all male specialists. How many ORDINARY people had to wait while his little faint was attended to?
I imagine coming back from holiday to a high profile high stress job that everyone knows you don’t want to do anymore would knock you for six. And stress kills.
For his and his family’s sake, hopefully he was just ‘tired and emotional’ and nothing more serious. For the country’s sake he should sort his shit out and decide whether he’s up for this gig anymore.
Despite generally being a fan of UK TV comedy, there is some TV coming out of the US that is worth watching. One of these is Portlandia, a show about the city of Portland, Oregon. The show consists of sometimes related skits and reoccurring characters which examines our social norms, and critiques our ideologies, morals and ethics.
The first clip on the latest show was called one party at a time which considered the challenges and problems associated with contemporary protest movements.
The ‘protest’ begins with a vague discussion of the problem, and the participants don’t really know what they are protesting against.
The protest repeatedly descends into a self obsessed party where the original concern gets lost and individualism takes over.
Firstly they attempt to redefine the protest as more political, then more simple, then finally based on hippy ideals…but they all fail. Challenges to the protest include sexualisation, short attention span, glitter and glamour, and image over substance.
The end of the clip shows how easy it is for those in power to end the protest, and silence the protesters.
This 2 min clip is funny, but it is also depressing….its a powerful critique of protests today, but also shows how protest has been rendered ineffective against the seduction of hyper-capitalism.
This Portlandia clip reminds me of Zizek’s call to do less activism and more thinking. Less doie, more Hui. Unfocused resistance can often end up making our current situation seem the best option.
It seems to me that a broad left wing discourse* is just getting started again, after years in the wilderness. A few small groups suvived, and there have always been friends talking amongst themselves, but getting alternative world views heard, far and wide, to counter the TINA which has stifled dissent for so long, must be a big priority. One of the biggest barriers seems to be concern for how we are perceived – as if it is necessary to win others over with the first hearings. Most people take a lot longer to change their minds – points of view tend to evolve. But repeated exposure is the key. Something the marketing/focus-group, approach to politics has completely failed to grasp, if indeed their proponents actually care about anything beyond winning and market share.
But I don’t think we can just defer action while we sort out our thinking. Things are not static and there must be some responsibility to act as the jack boot of the elites comes down on more faces more often, and the environment is used and abused.
*When did I start routinely using terms like “discourse” and “meme”? Certainly not before I started spending time here. I really hope the particular language we use doesn’t create barriers, like some kind of exclsuive club..
But I don’t think we can just defer action while we sort out our thinking. Things are not static and there must be some responsibility to act as the jack boot of the elites comes down on more faces more often, and the environment is used and abused.
True…there has to be a balance. The Gap Filler project in Christchurch is an example of a grassroots movement that is focused on action, and appears to encourage not thinking too much.
Its interesting that you refer to things not being ‘static’ as one of the representatives from Gap Filler Ryan Reynolds suggests here that we should embrace the temporary…after all, what is permanent these days?
However, in saying that, Gap Filler’s call for action sits upon their already well defined ideology which requires action now, and is suitable to the socio-political environment of Christchurch.
Hi Fatty. We’re forever on the look out for funny and smart viewing. Sure as hell you can’t get it on NZ TV.
Came across Portlandia awhile ago and downloaded it. We’ve been enjoying it for several reasons. One aspect that struck me was the way the show demonstrated some of the pompousness, hypocrisy, exclusivity and naivety that you can come across within some movements. These attributes can really kill an otherwise useful and energetic movement. It’s one of the main reasons I stay on the outside of activism these days. I can’t be bothered dealing with the ego’s.
On an entertainment note the show is just plain funny. Those two main actors are good at playing a real variety of characters. Kyle McLaughlin (sp?) plays a good role as Mayor of the town too.
Yeah, the Mayor off Portlandia is very funny.
A few other comedies that I enjoy and make me think:
Louie (US comedian Louis CK struggling through life) Curb Your Enthusiasm (Larry David, ex Seinfeld creator getting pissed off at life) Nathan Barley (Chris Morris / Charlie Brooker also pissed off at dickheads) Snuff Box (weird shit) Veep (the US version of ‘the thick of it’…not as good as the US version, but still written by Armando Iannucci) The Armando Iannucci Shows (prob my favourite TV show ever, from the creator of ‘the thicl of it’) Time Trumpet (more Armando Innucci) Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker drama/thriller/comedy – amazing. New Ep. soon!..that link is episode 1 of 3 in first season) A Touch of Cloth (Charlie Brooker, very dry comedy, piss take of UK police dramas) Them From That Thing (skit show, Charlie Brooker is one of the writers, only 2 episodes)
Some of these are quite old and can be hard to find, some are on youtube
Hey Fatty thanks heaps for those links. I just had a quick peek at the Armando Iannucci shows and I did actually laugh out loud. Am looking forward to watching all the others.(I like the sound of a touch of cloth). Thanks for doing all the leg work!
Have seen all the Nathan Barleys. Liked that. Was interesting to see thingie Barrett who played Howard Moon in the Mighty Boosh, play a character in Nathan Barley.
One thing we’ve got planned to watch is the box set of This is England ’86. It’s drama, certainly not comedy. The first movie This is England was set in Thatchers Britain in the early 80’s. Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0jkv2bRFgQ. We got This is England ’88 out on DVD without realising there was a four part series set in ’86. The ’88 movie was very real and gritty and really woke you up. When you see movies like that it reminds how insipid most movies are. Anyway, you might have seen it already and I’m waffling on like this is Weekend Social, not Open Mike.
Big ups for the links.
no worries…and thanks for info about This is England ’86. I’ve been meaning to watch the movie, but didn’t realise there was a TV show too, I’ll check it out
Is the Maori Party headed for the scrap heap of minor Government support Party’s in the Parliament, the news item on OneNews last night,(if anywhere near the truth), would have current co-Leader Sharples proclaiming ‘hell no He won’t go’ as far as relinquishing His leadership position is concerned, (Pita might be hanging in there sweating on ‘the knighthood),
While OneNews didn’t interview Flavell, they quoted ‘a rumor’ that Flavell has indicated He may not stand for the Maori Party again unless He is given a Leadership position after the departure of Tariana Turia,
It’s AGM time for the Maori Party and an elegant solution would be to simply drop the requirement to have both a male and female Leader of the Party in the Parliament, (which would be quite an intelligent option considering there is no guarantee that the Party will have a female MP in the Parliament after the 2014 election),
It’s all a bit of a ‘snigger’ really as it’s looking ever more likely that the Maori Party won’t have any MP’s after the next election, i doubt that after 6 years of National Auckland Maori are going to vote for someone who has sat there as a Government Minister and paid ‘lip service’ to those who put Him into the Parliament while the National Government has taken to their very means of existence with a Patu,
Flavell holding His seat is the Maori Party’s best chance of survival but Annette Sykes this far out from 2014 is 50/50 to take it off of Him this time being aided with Flavell having been tarred for the past 6 years by the same brush wielded by Tariana and Pita…
The advert placed on the Australian Seek website in late December calls for “expressions of interest” for 80 construction carpenters for a “major construction project in New Zealand to commence in early 2013”.
Placed by Perth recruiting company TR7, it seeks carpenters with formwork and roofing experience. It says they will be employed on a fly-in, fly-out basis from West Australia, working three weeks then a week off.
If the project goes ahead….
So what big projects in Auckland are in a planning phase at the moment?
Possible answer= i believe the figure for construction workers having left New Zealand for Australia since this National Government took office is in the realm of 27,000,
Perhaps ‘Seek’ has been given the task of trying to lure some of them back again…
Key’s fainting could be attributed to High Blood Pressure or his Heart,that’s right he
hasn’t got one,(only for the top 1-2%), he certainly hasn’t got one for those kicked
off welfare for various reasons,kicked out of stable HNZ houses to allow the top
1-2% to further increase their portfolio’s,he certainly doesn’t care for the children
in NZ that are facing starvation every day, He certainly doesn’t care for the sick
and disabled,insisting they can find work,there is no excuses accepted,go forth
and find a job,or else you will have to beg,steal or borrow, he could not give a
damn.
Perhaps the god’s are sending him a message, ‘you eat well on behalf of all of
those women,men and children, who in one way or another feed you, take that,
you poor excuse for a human being’
Gareth Morgan explains why the Antarctic is important to Key, and why Key is ken to reinforce NZ’s rights there:
Certainly his visit matters a lot more than the mindless platitudes of green groups. It is great that he has gone down there….
But the main reason for going is that Antarctica is vital to our national security, climate and much of our unique wildlife. And there are many issues facing the region, including climate change and the race for resources, not just fish and whales but possibly a renewed interest in the minerals locked under Antarctica’s ice cap.
I don’t go with Morgan’s lip service to climate change and environment, while slamming “greenies” and his talking up of Key’s approach.
Yes Maui, thought of something similar. In the meantime Key waxes lyrical about the beautiful unspoilt continent while in his mind he’s thinking oil, minerals, digging, drilling…
Remember in the 90’s when Morgan was the evil lisping right wing economist of the nation? And now he’s like NZ’s version of Joseph Stiglitz. He’s having a go (not sure why) at ‘the greenies’ now, but maybe given another 20 years he’ll catch up a bit further. In the meantime he’s got a soccer team to run into the ground…
I’m surprised that Key did not realise that a life-style involving Honolulu-Auckland-Wellington-Scott Base-[SouthPole ?]-Wellington commuting would not involve potential health consequences such as deep vein thrombosis or jet lag, impairing prime ministerial judgment.
But is it jet lag ? It seems to be a very politically convenient explanation.
I am sure it can easily appear homophobic on a quick shallow reading. But a closer such reading will reveal that the opinion is about a place in the world for a group who want to do their own thing on their own. It is a view that is positive to that group, not negative to any other group. Subtle but real. By way of comparison, people who advocate for some separate institution for, say, just women are not automatically man-haters are they? Or are they? Many say they are, but those people are also shallow readers.
Bullshite. That is not evidence of “an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people” and I have explained that. You are ignoring that explanation and that points to a deficiency in your approach to this mini-thread.
Just because one group wants to play in their own sandpit away from the other kiddies it does not mean they have “an extreme and irrational aversion” to those other kiddies.
What is so hard to understand about that simple proposition?
Your postion is akin to a Kiwiblog type ranter who claims those who want, as per previous example, to set-up some institution for women are man-haters.
Just because one group wants to play in their own sandpit away from the other kiddies it does not mean they have “an extreme and irrational aversion” to those other kiddies.
“away from the other kiddies” = “aversion“.
No logical reason for their desire = “irrational“.
We’re not talking about just not inviting someone to play poker of an evening. Marriage is a legal construct that, most of the time when it is applied, you personally have no idea about it. Two people in a car? No idea if they’re married. Both wearing wedding rings? Are they married to each other, or just LOTR geeks? But it can make legal procedures in extremis a whole lot easier.
Denying people legal recognition and rights (even if you personally might never know whether someone you encounter has used those rights) for no reason other than an irrational aversion is pretty “extreme“.
“away from the other kiddies” = “aversion“.
No logical reason for their desire = “irrational“.
McFlock, seriously? That does not equate to aversion. Did you wonder perhaps that outside of that short period of time playing in the sandpit they all might enjoy playing together and be friends? There is an abundance of shallow short thinking going on.
Or maybe when a couple of friends of mine go and have a catch up without me that means they have an aversion to me. That is just plain dumb.
And as for irrational, ffs. People right across humanity like keeping similar company. People of like kinds congregate. Be it religious, sporting, racial, financial, cultural, genderal. People enjoy hanging out with their own types. It is not irrational, it is exactly human behaviour.
Definitely averse to sharing the sandpit. The example isn’t “oo, happy to play without you there”. The situation is “we do not want you in the sandpit with us. If you try and play even in part of the sandpit we aren’t using, we will stop you”.
That’s not even “separate but equal”.
“like” is “irrational”. Not rational. No logical basis. By your definition of “irrational”, no hatred, loathing, aversion or fear will be “irrational”, because humans across the world have them. So beating someone to death because you thought they walked like a gay man is not “irrational”, because people across the world attack and kill those who are different.
Edit: so muzz, what’s an acceptable number of homophobes in a forum, according to you?
“They” (you and the other bigots) want to do “things” (get married) “on their own” (alone together, or something), and this is not affected by anything that anyone else (including gay people) want to do, in any way whatsoever, except that perhaps I might be driving past, and yell “fuck you, you homophobic assholes” just as you were about to kiss the other bigot, which might put a damper on proceedings.
But I can’t see what gay people wanting to get married has to do with this sad spectacle.
vto: why should a tiny minority (of bigots) get to dictate to the rest of us, and force us to accept their (your) definition of marriage?
So what if you are offended (or outraged, or undermined, or saddened, or driven to insanity) by gay marriage? Gay marriage is not the pain in your mind: your sad prejudice is.
vto, you don’t get to decide whether the label of bigot sticks to you:
“Off topic” – the topic is your hateful homophobia, and what a tiny minority you belong to, and the contempt which accrues as a result. I’m neither poking nor prodding, I’m just rubbing your nose in it.
If Pops inference was along those lines, then perhaps he might validate that his original comment was aimed at VTO, otherwise its a throw away remark, which can be as arbitrary, as substituting in, *too many […….] on this site*!
In which case, one McFlock could be seen as too many eh!
We covered this earlier: “So what if you are offended (or outraged, or undermined, or saddened, or driven to insanity) by gay marriage?”
What a hypocrite you are to whine about rudeness while maintaining your ill-mannered prejudice, and insistence that your minority opinion be treated with anything other than contempt.
Yes rude. Why don’t you re-read the thread. The accusation was homophobia. No evidence has been provided to fit the definition (but feel free to point which of the posts above has done this, if you can) and prove the kiwiblog type knee-jerk over reaction of both you and Pop.
The rudeness is the personal. You have called me sad, hateful, ill-mannered, contemptful, bigoted and in addition you continue to call me homophobic without substance, and prejudiced. It is all ther in black and white.
Nothing you have posted has established anything except that typical left wing arrogance and ignorance that anything that does not accord with your world view is somehow extreme and hateful. This drives people away from the left in exactly the same manner as right wing extremism drives people away from them.
You make baseless accusations that you cannot back-up. You are weak.
You are clearly incapable of understanding how your desire to interfere in other people’s relationships constitutes homophobia, but don’t worry: no-one else will have any trouble working it out.
You cannot point to which of the posts above of yours or anyone elses has shown how the view expressed fits the definition of homophobia. You have failed. You should apologise for your mindless knee-jerk accusation.
Ever heard of that saying about a hole and digging?
Imo gay people who want to tie a knot in it should get their own institution and leave those straight people alone ffs instead of gate-crashing someone else’s party.
The institution of marriage doesn’t belong to you. To use your stupid metaphor, it isn’t your party, and gay people are invited. So fuck off, bigot.
Political journalists and commenters are interested in a number of more or less petty things, it seems, but have evidently LITTLE or NO interested in people on welfare facing the most radical and draconian reforms in at least a generation here in NZ.
So I was having to learn once again, when reading Bryce Edward’s “political roundup” today, for the summer period now nearing the end when Parliament slowly returns to business late this month.
It is astonishing that debate about drones, about a PM fainting, about personality politics, apart from admittedly some important issues, but otherwise lots of side-show matters, dominate the tabloids, the online media, the newsmedia in general here in NZ.
NO mention of the most substantial welfare reforms at all. That tells me, I belong to a group of people that have no right to exist, as whatever I and others face is NOT relevant at all.
Mabe bring in a system now to do away with us – for good, so we do not “stain” the social and political environment with our blemished, useless, “bludger-like” existence?
Xtasy you hit on an interesting train of thought here…
The strategy appears to be long and , to convince an entire nation, that there is no more important issues/messages than what the MSM chose to convey, creating an environment of perceived safety, actual complacency, and total apathy! It looks like the strategy has been well bedded in NZ, and elsewhere.
Also, while convincing the, *entire nation* (those wasting energy following MSM), that there is no threat to them, while at the same time exposing the threat (to those such as yourself), by simply ignoring the issues which the *threats* consists of. Additionally the disenfranchising of huge numbers of people that *switch off* from MSM and politics altogether, but simultaneously keeping just enough people engaged with the dros served up, to maintain some, *order*
There’s an ever growing number of *groups*, which are, effectively deemed irrelevant, and there is an ever growing number of *groups*, who are yet to realise that they were deemed *irrelevant* years back also. Many are busy putting the boot into beneficiaries, and other vulnerable groups, as they can’t see the threat to *their group*, and thus act out accordingly!
Strategically, one has to *admire* the *techniques*, but equally, when as blatant as the tactics employed have been, one has to accept that a turn around in NZ, is unlikely to eventuate!
But what is being presented to us as the supposed “reality”, perceived “security”, and as the “convention of the presence”, that will inevitably get “boring” to the majority, so there may be hope that they stumble across any such not noticed “groups” and “re-discover” that there is another world around them out there. They may then actually take an interest and start opening their mind.
I admit though, it is a slim chance of that happening. Meeting homeless, beggars, scruffily clothed and neglected poor will possibly in most cases have the opposite effect. People will appreciate their own security, in the best case make a little donation to a welfare agency, but then move on back home to their safe suburban home.
In reality it is not so much media communication of a sense of “security”, it is a communication of well-selected “threats” that are presented to the wider public and media consumer, this being CRIME.
Look at the APN and Fairfax websites, look at the TV news, listen to radio (even increasingly also National Radio). Crime, accidents, disaster news, that is always at the beginning and top of the news in most news presentations now. So the public are conditioned to be extra sensitive to crime and disaster, which again feeds feelings for a need of “security”, which again misleads most to support the status quo system, as any change will be associated with insecurity and risks.
That is also, what keeps this present government pretty safely in place.
Pop, your attitude that anyone who has a view on gay-straight issues that is opposed to your own is homophobic is the attitude to be expected from the right, just switched around like looking in a mirror. See my last reply to oth.
It is intersting to look back a few years on how David Shearer and Phil Goff were perceived by the right before David became Leader.
The link above to David Farrar’s research in April ’09, six months after Phil took over from Helen is quite chilling.
“Phil Goff has been shifting Labour more towards the centre, with the departure of Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. He is attacking National for not sticking with tax cuts, he let Clayton Cosgrove attack over Maori prison units and he is refusing to back Maori seats on the Auckland Council. Plus Labour are backing most of the RMA changes and voted to repeal the EFA.
But the extent to which Goff wants to pull Labour away from the left astonishes even me. As we all know, David Shearer is his hand picked candidate for Mt Albert – his former school friend and Ministerial advisor.”
……..and these quotes are from David Farrar!
“Now I agree with Shearer, but I can imagine it is going to be very uncomfortable for Labour when he is an MP. Everytime Goff or King gets up to accuse the Government of having a privatisation agenda, the Nats will laugh and remind them that they have an MP who supports privatising the army. And when you consider Labour’s entire strategy is to basically label everything National does is as privatisation, well Naional can’t wait until Shearer is an MP. Hell, they are probably tempted to endorse him themselves.” http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/04/privatising_protection.html
As we all know, David Shearer is his hand picked candidate for Mt Albert – his former school friend…
‘School friend’ was a MSM created myth. They went to the same high school but at different times. They didn’t know each other until years later. My understanding at the time is that it was Phil Twyford (who was a close friend forged at a time both were linked to the UN) who persuaded Shearer to return to NZ and stand for Mt. Albert. That is not to say Goff didn’t fully support the nomination, but these things are never quite as simple as has been suggested.
It’ true, Goff was at the Right end of the Labour Party but, to be fair to him, he did shift further to the Left during the 2011 campaign. But it was too late! Everything was “too late” and God knows how many members (including me) tried to tell them. This is where the BIG DISCONNECT first came in to the picture – at least in recent times.
Can’t wait for the party to spin that one away. What happened to trends and momentum and other such bullshit?
I asked on red alert for predictions of where Shearer’s Labour should be sitting in the polls if they are to mount a successful challenge in 2014
No one answered.
I’m guessing it’s something to do with the top table being held to account if they are way off, like I suspect they will be in 2015
Of course they all deserve a rest but … I mean God I’d had enough “resting” with my in-laws after week 1!
January is the time to seize back and hold the political agenda for the year ahead.
Journalists are begging for stories. Especially stories about the year ahead. Predictions.
So far Labour have put Shearer up to comment just once, so we now have to endure a further week of stories about the Antarctic for God’s sake.
Shearer has made a massive strategic mistake.Nothing against Chippie being night-watchiman per se, but it really needed that apparent impending game-changer speech to be this week or last, not in late January.
Last week someone with some nous and the capability to do good political stunts needed to to blow the housing story out of the water. Like set fire to a derelict state house and call the cameras and then help put it out talking about housing stock, or live a week with a homeless family, or promise to hand over this years’ salary to a housing trust and then go help them build a house in a weekend, or hijack the Hobsonville ferry opening coming up with a pointed speech to camera, or go to a house auction with a couple and pay their house deposit to the bank out of their own MPs pocket or indeed out of an LEC’s and do it with cameras rolling, God it’s not hard to think of something beyond sending another press release out. Paul Holmes was a master of the stunt, as was Bob Harvey in his prime. Sigh.
With Aucklands Unitary Plan hearings, and the Christchurch rebuilt accelerating, this is the year for housing as a gamechanger, and Labour has the policy to do it.
After all the best way to predict the future, is to make it happen. Instead these polls.
So we’ll end up next election about 50-50 as a bunch. I should just relax. Sigh. Relax.
the standard definition of stupidity being to do the same thing over and over again, expecting something different to happen. whatever Labour have been doing since 2009, this January it was time to do something different. Shearer is not culpable for the era prior to him, of course, but he is responsible for the results now. He had a fallow January field for media and is so far reaping the rewards of doing the same thing over and over again.
The dude gained 4% over the previous year’s january dip, reversing 4 years of steady decline at that point. In his first year as leader.
31.5% sucks, but it’s better than 27.5%.
Now, there’s many a slip ‘twixt dress and drawers, and I’m still looking to see some 35% threshold breakers, but performance-wise it’s not a major tragedy unless key calls a chardonnay-snap election.
So when do you hope to see those 35% threshold breakers?
And using those figures and logic, Shearer is less popular than Goff in his first months as leader. Not really a win, aye.
Maybe I should ask when do you expect Shearer to hit 33% ?
Actually I think I wrote something about one or two RM polls 35% by feb leadership vote waiting before beginning to think it looks like Labour’s back in the doldrums. Shearer personally? probably not until next year. opposition bias and all. Haven’t really looked at party vs leader stats though.
Today, Labour =31.5%.
2 months ago November 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
7 months ago June 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
12 months ago Feb 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
19 months ago July 2011, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
22 months ago April 2011, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
There’s definitely consistency here for Labour, not so sure that it’s an upward trending one though.
Just demonstrating natural variability about a mean, McFlock. A student t-test will show that to you. Nothing unfair there. If you want me to give you more data points sitting right on top of 31.5% I can, but they are sitting there for you to see.
The point being that you don’t know whether there is actual improvement. Especially given 2011 Labour was going down, so to stay in approximately (for a given value of approximate) the same place labour actually needs to have improved in the last 12 months.
It’s called “regaining lost ground”. And shearer didn’t lose the ground.
The average of the 24 Roy Morgan polls since Jan 2012 is 46% for National and 31% for Labour.
No F@c&ing change. Shearer has to fire Mallard immediately. The strategy is F@c&ed!
We are not winning this way.
We are loosing this way.
Does Shearer not see that he is surrounded by the same twits who lost in 2011?
Please change something. This is the most painful disaster to watch.
Key’s idiot crew screw up everything and we can’t take a single percentage point off them!’
Change
Change
Change
You may like to know that on the Concert program pm 24 January there is a program of American protest song ,Trade Union songs and old socialist songs . Should be worth a listen .
I’ve always thought it more a video medium, but you’re right, I should.
I just bought some half decent studio headphones today and half deaf as I am, I can hear again.
Not looking forward to rectifying all those tracks when all I want to do is write, but if I win lotto tomorrow I’ll not hire the guy that did kim.com’s records to do it for me.
You may like to know that on the Concert program 7. pm 24 January there is a program of American protest song ,Trade Union songs and old socialist songs . Should be worth a listen .
Excellent. We spend some lots of time in a part of the country where these things are still regularly sung and strummed. It’s like stepping back in time. Reaching back to feel the times. Tis quite something. Woody Guthrie and the like. Mining songs. Old ones.
Well old smile and wave is back. Already the photos are appearing in the press. Nothing escapes this man He got into the act regarding the accident involving the Bethlehem School.
However surely the most outrageous photo is the one on page 3 of to-day’s Herald . What a buffoon what has Aotearoa done to deserve this clown. .
I think RNZ is the only public service broadcaster we now have. I like the Charter, and think RNZ does fulfil a lot of it, but not as much as I would like.
Charter –
(1) The functions of the public radio company shall be to provide innovative, comprehensive, and independent broadcasting services of a high standard and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide –
(a) Programmes which contribute toward intellectual, scientific, cultural, spiritual, and ethical development, promote informed debate, and stimulate critical thought; and
(b) A range of New Zealand programmes, including information, special interest, and entertainment programmes, and programmes which reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity, including Maori language and culture; and
(c) Programmes which provide for varied interests and a full range of age groups within the community, including information, educational, special interest, and entertainment programmes; and …
f) Comprehensive, independent, impartial, and balanced national news services and current affairs, including items with a regional perspective; and…
(g) Comprehensive, independent, impartial, and balanced ….
It isn’t always as critical and in-depth as I would like these days. Impartiality is an impossibility to achieve, but a PBS should aim for a diversity of perspectives, but also to follow the evidence. RNZ could do better on that IMO, and also more to cater to the interests of younger listeners.
I don’t see the point in such tactics. If it’s an issue of interest, people continuing discussing a topic long after other topics have been added below, on Open Mike.
I don’t believe it’s anything of the sort AV. PP has been around The Standard for a few years now and he (‘he’ note) is an elderly Labour supporter (had his 80th last year from memory) who nearly always posts on subjects he’s interested in regardless of whether they are under discussion or not. He is a Londoner (I think) from way back and has stayed true to the Labour cause all his life. Don’t always agree with him, but he’s an honest, retired working man and I doubt he would know what you’re talking about.
Geez. Sydney’s hottest day on record (by a fraction of a degree over a 1939 temp). I sympathise. I almost passed out one day at work, in western Sydney once – no air conditioning, had to sit down for a while. Temperatures getting into the 40s are getting beyond what I can take. And feeling like I was about to pass out is no fun either.
New Zealand needs a decent left wing radio station, especially since Radio NZ became radio National, and since state tv was taken over totally by neo liberals. Is the standard and left blogs the only truly free and honest media left in New Zealand?
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — 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 taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — 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 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s 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 ‘serious populist discontent’. 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 ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s 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 ‘serious populist discontent’. 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 ‘hard-working people’. 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 “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ 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 ...
It’s 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 media’s 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 – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s 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 “holiday highway” 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 – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – 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 media’s 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 ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s 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. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s 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. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s 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. “The 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. “My 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 Singapore’s 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 counterpart’s 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 today’s 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 ...
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Shades of “the emperor with no clothes” from John Key……….Parata is a top communicator and hugely talented apparently. Nothing of the fiasco in the Ministry of Education has much to do with her apparently.
What ???
Nobody else wanted the job.
I thought the master communicator tag was bizarre.
Anne Tolley must be thinking fuck for that for a laugh.
Oh, please bring back Tolley!! All is forgiven! She did the will of Key as obligingly as Parata, but Parata is even more effectively putting across his anti-education wishes!
No thank you, Off Your Trolley(Tolley) was the one that wiped out a long tradition in NZ by cutting the night classes. A start off point for many a successful business.
Just because there is one incompetent it does not fair well to replace it with an equal incompetent.
The answer is, get rid of Smile and Wave Shonkey and all his pack of incompetent prats
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8194265/Key-faints-ahead-of-Antarctic-trip
Key faints ahead of Antarctic trip
Prime Minister John Key fainted and collapsed while out for dinner last night.
He was at dinner at the Italian restaurant Tutto Bene in Merivale, Christchurch.
He was taken to Christchurch hospital in a police car and assessed by three specialists. He was there for two and half hours before being released.
Key is in Christchurch to fly to Antarctica and has been cleared to leave this morning.
Doctors do not know what caused him to faint.
I hope it’s not serious. I mean, I don’t like him but I don’t wish him ill. I’ve fainted on several occasions and it is quite a scary experience.
I will probably get spanked if i revealed my true feelings on hearing news that Slippery took a little ‘turn’ last night,
Get well soon Slippery, we haven’t finished with your education yet…
Did someone just avail the Slippery one of the latest results from National’s internal polling???, (snigger), now there’s a read to put anyone off their dinner…
Fainting is a freaky experience for anyone, and fortunately it sounds like Key is in good health.
According to Hilary Barry on Twitter,
Bomber tweeted:
Unfortunately i cannot help but remember yesterdays news from Social Development Minister Paula Benefit,
Paula has managed to give 12,000 the kick off of various benefits while in the news this morning the Council of Trade Unions has quoted the unemployment benefit figures as remaining the same,
While i KNOW that a number of those ‘moved off benefits’ are now reliant on the charity of various Inner City Ministries for their daily bread having no income whatsoever, i cannot in all honesty raise 1 iota of sympathy for the Slippery little Shyster we have as Prime Minister choking on His Pasta which in all likelihood was paid for by the tax-payer…
Did he have to wait in line with all the other punters with less than life-threatening problems who have been triaged?
the ones who might have to wait 2.5 hours before they get let through the doors and put on a bed?
Triage is for plebs.
I’d happily accept 2 years of inpatient observation. The health of the great man should be our foremost concern.
Apparently someone remarked that the Pole was way south of 20….
Apparently jetlag
BUT hawaii is only 1 hr different
Flights themselves are draining experiences. I felt fucked after coming back from Samoa and that is only an 1 hour difference
He should get a bigger private jet. Apparently the G550 has nice beds.
Or the yanks are replacing Airforce One – might get a deal on the old one.
If you travel as much as our leader, you should do so in comfort.
Melatonin pills are sold over the counter as a treatment for jet lag in North America, one possible side effect is dizzy-spells and in some cases fainting, Key just returned from Hawaii, so I would probably guess it is related to that with nothing more sinister going on.
+1 Pete. Well said.
I concur. Nevertheless the National Party backers and electoral organisation will be running through lists of alternative names while he is away in their minds, perhaps on paper, not online.
Key has reprised his starring role as the salesman who brought in the deals at Merrill for this government. Love him or hate him, he has been the public face of this administration with memorable lines such as “Beckham is as thick as batshit”.
Without him we are left with English, Brownlee, Joyce, Collins, Ryall, Parata, Bennett, Carter, McCully ..
Is anyone still awake ?
Maurice Willianson as the head of the English faction???…
Maybe he forgot to breathe.
The transition from ‘Planet Key’ to little old Noo Zealand could be said to have encountered an atmospheric anomaly…
Not very good. Hopefully just a one off. Might be the record heat we are having, and him all trussed up in a suit in a stuffy restaurant — by ‘stuffy’ I mean really hot/humid with bugger all ventilation.The Antarctic chill will be a welcome change for him.
The restaurant manager says it wasn’t stuffy, and that she had commented earlier in the evening that Key looked tired, unwell and was sweating noticeably.
The Antarctic NZ spokesperson put it down to jet lag, and also said Key looked exhausted.
Key obviously passed the “Work Capacity Test” by three doctors (truly “independent” ones I trust), so surely sick and disabled WINZ beneficiaries better “toughen up” and pass the future UK designed – and Dr Bratt (MSD) approved – “work ability tests” as well with pride, and sign up as “jobseekers” ready for work the day after.
The PM is “leading” by example, yet again, I presume.
Key is unwell, that much is obvious, its written all over his face.
Akshully my parner commented the other night that key was looking puffy faced and unwell when he saw him on tv.
Restaurant probably didn’t stock his wine.
Probably just got told by those who manage His investment portfolio that He is down another 5 million…
he fell over last year as well, after playing golf with tim groser, so maybe not a 1 off?
One of the few reason I read the stuff website in the morning is for any sign that something terrible has befallen the Nat Govt. Maybe the country awakes of its collective coma overnight and says “ENOUGH Key must go!”. Nat calls a snap election and then get booted out. Its my fantasy and I’m sticking with it.
However after reading that article this am I did feel slightly guilty for wishing disaster upon Key in general and a bit sorry for JK having a fainting turn. Like Pete says below, it’s scary experience, and you wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. He has been having some difficulty coping for some time now. I also wonder in all seriousness that as well as the long work hours the strain of your personality not being a good fit for the job : ie, he’s a taker, not a giver, (and certainly not a leader) and that doesn’t fit with the requirements of being of service to a nation, is a source of constant stress to him.
Dv:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859905
Yes, oh horror, this happening to the adorable PM, just before leaving for Antarctica, that is of course of “national concern”.
With all respect, I do not wish John Key any harm, and I trust it may just be “chronic fatigue syndrome” or the likes, but do hundreds or even more of other people not “faint” somehow every day???
I am sure, it will be at the top of the MSM TV news tonight.
Never mind any debate about unemployment figures, welfare slashing, the state of the economy, Parata’s bungles and what else is happening.
Give him a drug test…last time it was a broken arm, now this. Some people are a burden on our health system
Thank goodness he was able to get attention instantly from so many specialists in such a short time. I hope they were all male specialists. How many ORDINARY people had to wait while his little faint was attended to?
I imagine coming back from holiday to a high profile high stress job that everyone knows you don’t want to do anymore would knock you for six. And stress kills.
For his and his family’s sake, hopefully he was just ‘tired and emotional’ and nothing more serious. For the country’s sake he should sort his shit out and decide whether he’s up for this gig anymore.
Despite generally being a fan of UK TV comedy, there is some TV coming out of the US that is worth watching. One of these is Portlandia, a show about the city of Portland, Oregon. The show consists of sometimes related skits and reoccurring characters which examines our social norms, and critiques our ideologies, morals and ethics.
The first clip on the latest show was called one party at a time which considered the challenges and problems associated with contemporary protest movements.
The ‘protest’ begins with a vague discussion of the problem, and the participants don’t really know what they are protesting against.
The protest repeatedly descends into a self obsessed party where the original concern gets lost and individualism takes over.
Firstly they attempt to redefine the protest as more political, then more simple, then finally based on hippy ideals…but they all fail. Challenges to the protest include sexualisation, short attention span, glitter and glamour, and image over substance.
The end of the clip shows how easy it is for those in power to end the protest, and silence the protesters.
This 2 min clip is funny, but it is also depressing….its a powerful critique of protests today, but also shows how protest has been rendered ineffective against the seduction of hyper-capitalism.
This Portlandia clip reminds me of Zizek’s call to do less activism and more thinking. Less doie, more Hui. Unfocused resistance can often end up making our current situation seem the best option.
Interesting.
It seems to me that a broad left wing discourse* is just getting started again, after years in the wilderness. A few small groups suvived, and there have always been friends talking amongst themselves, but getting alternative world views heard, far and wide, to counter the TINA which has stifled dissent for so long, must be a big priority. One of the biggest barriers seems to be concern for how we are perceived – as if it is necessary to win others over with the first hearings. Most people take a lot longer to change their minds – points of view tend to evolve. But repeated exposure is the key. Something the marketing/focus-group, approach to politics has completely failed to grasp, if indeed their proponents actually care about anything beyond winning and market share.
But I don’t think we can just defer action while we sort out our thinking. Things are not static and there must be some responsibility to act as the jack boot of the elites comes down on more faces more often, and the environment is used and abused.
*When did I start routinely using terms like “discourse” and “meme”? Certainly not before I started spending time here. I really hope the particular language we use doesn’t create barriers, like some kind of exclsuive club..
But I don’t think we can just defer action while we sort out our thinking. Things are not static and there must be some responsibility to act as the jack boot of the elites comes down on more faces more often, and the environment is used and abused.
True…there has to be a balance. The Gap Filler project in Christchurch is an example of a grassroots movement that is focused on action, and appears to encourage not thinking too much.
Its interesting that you refer to things not being ‘static’ as one of the representatives from Gap Filler Ryan Reynolds suggests here that we should embrace the temporary…after all, what is permanent these days?
However, in saying that, Gap Filler’s call for action sits upon their already well defined ideology which requires action now, and is suitable to the socio-political environment of Christchurch.
Hi Fatty. We’re forever on the look out for funny and smart viewing. Sure as hell you can’t get it on NZ TV.
Came across Portlandia awhile ago and downloaded it. We’ve been enjoying it for several reasons. One aspect that struck me was the way the show demonstrated some of the pompousness, hypocrisy, exclusivity and naivety that you can come across within some movements. These attributes can really kill an otherwise useful and energetic movement. It’s one of the main reasons I stay on the outside of activism these days. I can’t be bothered dealing with the ego’s.
On an entertainment note the show is just plain funny. Those two main actors are good at playing a real variety of characters. Kyle McLaughlin (sp?) plays a good role as Mayor of the town too.
Yeah, the Mayor off Portlandia is very funny.
A few other comedies that I enjoy and make me think:
Louie (US comedian Louis CK struggling through life)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Larry David, ex Seinfeld creator getting pissed off at life)
Nathan Barley (Chris Morris / Charlie Brooker also pissed off at dickheads)
Snuff Box (weird shit)
Veep (the US version of ‘the thick of it’…not as good as the US version, but still written by Armando Iannucci)
The Armando Iannucci Shows (prob my favourite TV show ever, from the creator of ‘the thicl of it’)
Time Trumpet (more Armando Innucci)
Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker drama/thriller/comedy – amazing. New Ep. soon!..that link is episode 1 of 3 in first season)
A Touch of Cloth (Charlie Brooker, very dry comedy, piss take of UK police dramas)
Them From That Thing (skit show, Charlie Brooker is one of the writers, only 2 episodes)
Some of these are quite old and can be hard to find, some are on youtube
Hey Fatty thanks heaps for those links. I just had a quick peek at the Armando Iannucci shows and I did actually laugh out loud. Am looking forward to watching all the others.(I like the sound of a touch of cloth). Thanks for doing all the leg work!
Have seen all the Nathan Barleys. Liked that. Was interesting to see thingie Barrett who played Howard Moon in the Mighty Boosh, play a character in Nathan Barley.
One thing we’ve got planned to watch is the box set of This is England ’86. It’s drama, certainly not comedy. The first movie This is England was set in Thatchers Britain in the early 80’s. Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0jkv2bRFgQ. We got This is England ’88 out on DVD without realising there was a four part series set in ’86. The ’88 movie was very real and gritty and really woke you up. When you see movies like that it reminds how insipid most movies are. Anyway, you might have seen it already and I’m waffling on like this is Weekend Social, not Open Mike.
Big ups for the links.
no worries…and thanks for info about This is England ’86. I’ve been meaning to watch the movie, but didn’t realise there was a TV show too, I’ll check it out
Is the Maori Party headed for the scrap heap of minor Government support Party’s in the Parliament, the news item on OneNews last night,(if anywhere near the truth), would have current co-Leader Sharples proclaiming ‘hell no He won’t go’ as far as relinquishing His leadership position is concerned, (Pita might be hanging in there sweating on ‘the knighthood),
While OneNews didn’t interview Flavell, they quoted ‘a rumor’ that Flavell has indicated He may not stand for the Maori Party again unless He is given a Leadership position after the departure of Tariana Turia,
It’s AGM time for the Maori Party and an elegant solution would be to simply drop the requirement to have both a male and female Leader of the Party in the Parliament, (which would be quite an intelligent option considering there is no guarantee that the Party will have a female MP in the Parliament after the 2014 election),
It’s all a bit of a ‘snigger’ really as it’s looking ever more likely that the Maori Party won’t have any MP’s after the next election, i doubt that after 6 years of National Auckland Maori are going to vote for someone who has sat there as a Government Minister and paid ‘lip service’ to those who put Him into the Parliament while the National Government has taken to their very means of existence with a Patu,
Flavell holding His seat is the Maori Party’s best chance of survival but Annette Sykes this far out from 2014 is 50/50 to take it off of Him this time being aided with Flavell having been tarred for the past 6 years by the same brush wielded by Tariana and Pita…
I’m very interested to know what building project in Auckland requires the hiring of Australian builders.
If the project goes ahead….
So what big projects in Auckland are in a planning phase at the moment?
Sky City?
Yeah, that was my first thought – the convention centre with 900-odd construction jobs for New Zealanders.
But because I don’t live in Auckland I thought there might be something else on the go that I’ve not heard of…. maybe…
Hope so – but wrong builder
What’s more why hire Australian builders who are higher paid no doubt in Oz and why would they want to come here?
Possible answer= i believe the figure for construction workers having left New Zealand for Australia since this National Government took office is in the realm of 27,000,
Perhaps ‘Seek’ has been given the task of trying to lure some of them back again…
Key’s fainting could be attributed to High Blood Pressure or his Heart,that’s right he
hasn’t got one,(only for the top 1-2%), he certainly hasn’t got one for those kicked
off welfare for various reasons,kicked out of stable HNZ houses to allow the top
1-2% to further increase their portfolio’s,he certainly doesn’t care for the children
in NZ that are facing starvation every day, He certainly doesn’t care for the sick
and disabled,insisting they can find work,there is no excuses accepted,go forth
and find a job,or else you will have to beg,steal or borrow, he could not give a
damn.
Perhaps the god’s are sending him a message, ‘you eat well on behalf of all of
those women,men and children, who in one way or another feed you, take that,
you poor excuse for a human being’
Gareth Morgan explains why the Antarctic is important to Key, and why Key is ken to reinforce NZ’s rights there:
I don’t go with Morgan’s lip service to climate change and environment, while slamming “greenies” and his talking up of Key’s approach.
Vital to our national security? That’s an interesting inclusion as to why the Antarctica is vital to NZ.
I smell wee rat? Just a little one.
The ‘wee rat’ could be access to oil and mineral resources as global warming proceeds.
It is entirely predictable that a former Merrill trader and a self-employed economist would be interested in potential developments.
The rest of us will probably be fighting the encroaching seas ..
Yes Maui, thought of something similar. In the meantime Key waxes lyrical about the beautiful unspoilt continent while in his mind he’s thinking oil, minerals, digging, drilling…
Remember in the 90’s when Morgan was the evil lisping right wing economist of the nation? And now he’s like NZ’s version of Joseph Stiglitz. He’s having a go (not sure why) at ‘the greenies’ now, but maybe given another 20 years he’ll catch up a bit further. In the meantime he’s got a soccer team to run into the ground…
I’m surprised that Key did not realise that a life-style involving Honolulu-Auckland-Wellington-Scott Base-[SouthPole ?]-Wellington commuting would not involve potential health consequences such as deep vein thrombosis or jet lag, impairing prime ministerial judgment.
But is it jet lag ? It seems to be a very politically convenient explanation.
There are way too many homophobes on this site, left and right.
“in society”.
Such as? Evidence?
Forgot your own little diatribe about marriage and separate institutions already?
Here, let me help:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17012013/#comment-574935
There is no evidence of homophobia there but feel free to try pointing some out. Particulars and details lest your waning credibility drain further.
You might try offering a cogent excuse why you don’t want straight and gay people sharing the same institution of marriage for starters.
The reasons for a view along those broad lines have already been outlined.
Now, back to your accusation that I am homophobic. Provide some detailed particulars and evidence or shut the fuck up. Bigot.
vto: Imo gay people who want to tie a knot in it should get their own institution and leave those straight people alone Open Mike 17/01/2013
Gay marriage does nothing to straight people, so there is nothing to “leave alone”. Your “reason” doesn’t stack up.
Oh, and it sure as hell looks like homophobia to me 🙂
I am sure it can easily appear homophobic on a quick shallow reading. But a closer such reading will reveal that the opinion is about a place in the world for a group who want to do their own thing on their own. It is a view that is positive to that group, not negative to any other group. Subtle but real. By way of comparison, people who advocate for some separate institution for, say, just women are not automatically man-haters are they? Or are they? Many say they are, but those people are also shallow readers.
Try substituting “Maori” or “women” for “gay” and then try again.
I thought you said you knew the meaning of relevance.
edit: still waiting for your particular and detailed evidence
“…a group who want to do their own thing on their own…”
Yes, gay people who want to get married, for example, without interfering homophobes ruining their special day.
Or did you mean some other group? If so, please provide a citation so I can be sure they really exist.
Do we really need to regurgitate the entire marriage issue again? That’s not what this min-thread is about.
This is about Pop’s accusation. An accusation without evidence. There is still no evidence.
Yes, there is: your statements are evidence of your homophobia, which is the subject of this mini-thread
Now, who are this “group who want to do things on their own”? You mean yourself and some other bigots, yes?
Bullshite. That is not evidence of “an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people” and I have explained that. You are ignoring that explanation and that points to a deficiency in your approach to this mini-thread.
Just because one group wants to play in their own sandpit away from the other kiddies it does not mean they have “an extreme and irrational aversion” to those other kiddies.
What is so hard to understand about that simple proposition?
Your postion is akin to a Kiwiblog type ranter who claims those who want, as per previous example, to set-up some institution for women are man-haters.
“away from the other kiddies” = “aversion“.
No logical reason for their desire = “irrational“.
We’re not talking about just not inviting someone to play poker of an evening. Marriage is a legal construct that, most of the time when it is applied, you personally have no idea about it. Two people in a car? No idea if they’re married. Both wearing wedding rings? Are they married to each other, or just LOTR geeks? But it can make legal procedures in extremis a whole lot easier.
Denying people legal recognition and rights (even if you personally might never know whether someone you encounter has used those rights) for no reason other than an irrational aversion is pretty “extreme“.
“away from the other kiddies” = “aversion“.
No logical reason for their desire = “irrational“.
McFlock, seriously? That does not equate to aversion. Did you wonder perhaps that outside of that short period of time playing in the sandpit they all might enjoy playing together and be friends? There is an abundance of shallow short thinking going on.
Or maybe when a couple of friends of mine go and have a catch up without me that means they have an aversion to me. That is just plain dumb.
And as for irrational, ffs. People right across humanity like keeping similar company. People of like kinds congregate. Be it religious, sporting, racial, financial, cultural, genderal. People enjoy hanging out with their own types. It is not irrational, it is exactly human behaviour.
Fail on both counts.
vto, please don’t “fail” to answer the question: who, specifically, in this context, are the “people who want to do things on their own”?
Off topic as previously explained. Where is the evidence of an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people?
What happened to, *way too many*… Which was the accusation from Pop!
Go on then Pop, get cracking!
Definitely averse to sharing the sandpit. The example isn’t “oo, happy to play without you there”. The situation is “we do not want you in the sandpit with us. If you try and play even in part of the sandpit we aren’t using, we will stop you”.
That’s not even “separate but equal”.
“like” is “irrational”. Not rational. No logical basis. By your definition of “irrational”, no hatred, loathing, aversion or fear will be “irrational”, because humans across the world have them. So beating someone to death because you thought they walked like a gay man is not “irrational”, because people across the world attack and kill those who are different.
Edit: so muzz, what’s an acceptable number of homophobes in a forum, according to you?
“They” (you and the other bigots) want to do “things” (get married) “on their own” (alone together, or something), and this is not affected by anything that anyone else (including gay people) want to do, in any way whatsoever, except that perhaps I might be driving past, and yell “fuck you, you homophobic assholes” just as you were about to kiss the other bigot, which might put a damper on proceedings.
But I can’t see what gay people wanting to get married has to do with this sad spectacle.
Kids who want to play together on their own have an extreme and irrational aversion to all other kids.
Where is the evidence of an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people?
The evidence is that you want to interfere in their (homosexuals) right to marry, for no reason other than your membership of a tiny minority group.
McFlock – Pop made the accusation of, *too many*, let’s hear him back it up!
Stop diverting !
You are trying very hard OTH, I’ll give you that. But you are still failing. Doesn’t meet the definition.
And fwiw they can have all the rights in the world. The other group just want their own space. Doesnt equate to …(insert definition again).
And I look forward to applying your approach and reasoning to this issue to other issues in the future.
vto: why should a tiny minority (of bigots) get to dictate to the rest of us, and force us to accept their (your) definition of marriage?
So what if you are offended (or outraged, or undermined, or saddened, or driven to insanity) by gay marriage? Gay marriage is not the pain in your mind: your sad prejudice is.
Keep trying to poke and prod one tane huna but I aint biting at your off-topic accusations and personal attacks.
The accusation of homophobia has demonstrably failed to be established and now I’m off.
Later
vto, you don’t get to decide whether the label of bigot sticks to you:
“Off topic” – the topic is your hateful homophobia, and what a tiny minority you belong to, and the contempt which accrues as a result. I’m neither poking nor prodding, I’m just rubbing your nose in it.
only if you insist that marriage is exactly like a sand pit.
Bye!
Oh, and muzz, for there not to be “far too many”, there needs to be a “too many”. Do you think that number exists in relation to homophobes?
If Pops inference was along those lines, then perhaps he might validate that his original comment was aimed at VTO, otherwise its a throw away remark, which can be as arbitrary, as substituting in, *too many […….] on this site*!
In which case, one McFlock could be seen as too many eh!
“could be”?
But yes. And because “far too many” is a relative and subjective (not absolute or nominal) term, who is any of us to say pop it wrong?
BTW, what’s the purpose and scope of your current research project here? I just like to know when I’m being “experimented” on.
We’re all being *experimented* on McFlock, in various ways, which can be considered both purpose, and scope!
Really? Normally some manner of ethical approval and indeed sanity is required to experiment on people.
OTH, that is pathetic. And rude. You have really let yourself down.
vto: “rude”
We covered this earlier: “So what if you are offended (or outraged, or undermined, or saddened, or driven to insanity) by gay marriage?”
What a hypocrite you are to whine about rudeness while maintaining your ill-mannered prejudice, and insistence that your minority opinion be treated with anything other than contempt.
Yes rude. Why don’t you re-read the thread. The accusation was homophobia. No evidence has been provided to fit the definition (but feel free to point which of the posts above has done this, if you can) and prove the kiwiblog type knee-jerk over reaction of both you and Pop.
The rudeness is the personal. You have called me sad, hateful, ill-mannered, contemptful, bigoted and in addition you continue to call me homophobic without substance, and prejudiced. It is all ther in black and white.
Nothing you have posted has established anything except that typical left wing arrogance and ignorance that anything that does not accord with your world view is somehow extreme and hateful. This drives people away from the left in exactly the same manner as right wing extremism drives people away from them.
You make baseless accusations that you cannot back-up. You are weak.
You are clearly incapable of understanding how your desire to interfere in other people’s relationships constitutes homophobia, but don’t worry: no-one else will have any trouble working it out.
You are now becoming boring and repetitive.
You cannot point to which of the posts above of yours or anyone elses has shown how the view expressed fits the definition of homophobia. You have failed. You should apologise for your mindless knee-jerk accusation.
Ever heard of that saying about a hole and digging?
Imo gay people who want to tie a knot in it should get their own institution and leave those straight people alone ffs instead of gate-crashing someone else’s party.
The institution of marriage doesn’t belong to you. To use your stupid metaphor, it isn’t your party, and gay people are invited. So fuck off, bigot.
wooooooooo – first knee-jerk mindless extremism and now anger. You have now successfully completed the entire route to failuredom.
Sad.
Yeah whatever. Got a certificate that says you own the institution of marriage? Didn’t think so.
And of course the likes of Kiwi_Prometheus. And have we already forgotten the shenanigans surrounding Q— C—-gate?
Nope again. See 10.2.1.1 above.
Can’t speak for others like kiwi-prometheus
Political journalists and commenters are interested in a number of more or less petty things, it seems, but have evidently LITTLE or NO interested in people on welfare facing the most radical and draconian reforms in at least a generation here in NZ.
So I was having to learn once again, when reading Bryce Edward’s “political roundup” today, for the summer period now nearing the end when Parliament slowly returns to business late this month.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10859967
It is astonishing that debate about drones, about a PM fainting, about personality politics, apart from admittedly some important issues, but otherwise lots of side-show matters, dominate the tabloids, the online media, the newsmedia in general here in NZ.
NO mention of the most substantial welfare reforms at all. That tells me, I belong to a group of people that have no right to exist, as whatever I and others face is NOT relevant at all.
Mabe bring in a system now to do away with us – for good, so we do not “stain” the social and political environment with our blemished, useless, “bludger-like” existence?
Xtasy you hit on an interesting train of thought here…
The strategy appears to be long and , to convince an entire nation, that there is no more important issues/messages than what the MSM chose to convey, creating an environment of perceived safety, actual complacency, and total apathy! It looks like the strategy has been well bedded in NZ, and elsewhere.
Also, while convincing the, *entire nation* (those wasting energy following MSM), that there is no threat to them, while at the same time exposing the threat (to those such as yourself), by simply ignoring the issues which the *threats* consists of. Additionally the disenfranchising of huge numbers of people that *switch off* from MSM and politics altogether, but simultaneously keeping just enough people engaged with the dros served up, to maintain some, *order*
There’s an ever growing number of *groups*, which are, effectively deemed irrelevant, and there is an ever growing number of *groups*, who are yet to realise that they were deemed *irrelevant* years back also. Many are busy putting the boot into beneficiaries, and other vulnerable groups, as they can’t see the threat to *their group*, and thus act out accordingly!
Strategically, one has to *admire* the *techniques*, but equally, when as blatant as the tactics employed have been, one has to accept that a turn around in NZ, is unlikely to eventuate!
muzza –
Yes, depressing that is.
But what is being presented to us as the supposed “reality”, perceived “security”, and as the “convention of the presence”, that will inevitably get “boring” to the majority, so there may be hope that they stumble across any such not noticed “groups” and “re-discover” that there is another world around them out there. They may then actually take an interest and start opening their mind.
I admit though, it is a slim chance of that happening. Meeting homeless, beggars, scruffily clothed and neglected poor will possibly in most cases have the opposite effect. People will appreciate their own security, in the best case make a little donation to a welfare agency, but then move on back home to their safe suburban home.
In reality it is not so much media communication of a sense of “security”, it is a communication of well-selected “threats” that are presented to the wider public and media consumer, this being CRIME.
Look at the APN and Fairfax websites, look at the TV news, listen to radio (even increasingly also National Radio). Crime, accidents, disaster news, that is always at the beginning and top of the news in most news presentations now. So the public are conditioned to be extra sensitive to crime and disaster, which again feeds feelings for a need of “security”, which again misleads most to support the status quo system, as any change will be associated with insecurity and risks.
That is also, what keeps this present government pretty safely in place.
It’s the sort of attitude I expect from the right, but theoretically one would hope that the left was a tad more progressive.
Pop, your attitude that anyone who has a view on gay-straight issues that is opposed to your own is homophobic is the attitude to be expected from the right, just switched around like looking in a mirror. See my last reply to oth.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/04/david_shearer_on_mercenaries.html
It is intersting to look back a few years on how David Shearer and Phil Goff were perceived by the right before David became Leader.
The link above to David Farrar’s research in April ’09, six months after Phil took over from Helen is quite chilling.
“Phil Goff has been shifting Labour more towards the centre, with the departure of Helen Clark and Michael Cullen. He is attacking National for not sticking with tax cuts, he let Clayton Cosgrove attack over Maori prison units and he is refusing to back Maori seats on the Auckland Council. Plus Labour are backing most of the RMA changes and voted to repeal the EFA.
But the extent to which Goff wants to pull Labour away from the left astonishes even me. As we all know, David Shearer is his hand picked candidate for Mt Albert – his former school friend and Ministerial advisor.”
……..and these quotes are from David Farrar!
“Now I agree with Shearer, but I can imagine it is going to be very uncomfortable for Labour when he is an MP. Everytime Goff or King gets up to accuse the Government of having a privatisation agenda, the Nats will laugh and remind them that they have an MP who supports privatising the army. And when you consider Labour’s entire strategy is to basically label everything National does is as privatisation, well Naional can’t wait until Shearer is an MP. Hell, they are probably tempted to endorse him themselves.”
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/04/privatising_protection.html
As we all know, David Shearer is his hand picked candidate for Mt Albert – his former school friend…
‘School friend’ was a MSM created myth. They went to the same high school but at different times. They didn’t know each other until years later. My understanding at the time is that it was Phil Twyford (who was a close friend forged at a time both were linked to the UN) who persuaded Shearer to return to NZ and stand for Mt. Albert. That is not to say Goff didn’t fully support the nomination, but these things are never quite as simple as has been suggested.
It’ true, Goff was at the Right end of the Labour Party but, to be fair to him, he did shift further to the Left during the 2011 campaign. But it was too late! Everything was “too late” and God knows how many members (including me) tried to tell them. This is where the BIG DISCONNECT first came in to the picture – at least in recent times.
Or was it a Farrar created myth? Doesn’t really matter – they live in each others’ pockets.
Another Roy Morgan. 4% higher than the same period last year…. [hunkers down] 😉
Shit.
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2013/4856/
National back up a little bit, Labour back down to 31.5%
Can’t wait for the party to spin that one away. What happened to trends and momentum and other such bullshit?
I asked on red alert for predictions of where Shearer’s Labour should be sitting in the polls if they are to mount a successful challenge in 2014
No one answered.
I’m guessing it’s something to do with the top table being held to account if they are way off, like I suspect they will be in 2015
Of course they all deserve a rest but … I mean God I’d had enough “resting” with my in-laws after week 1!
January is the time to seize back and hold the political agenda for the year ahead.
Journalists are begging for stories. Especially stories about the year ahead. Predictions.
So far Labour have put Shearer up to comment just once, so we now have to endure a further week of stories about the Antarctic for God’s sake.
Shearer has made a massive strategic mistake.Nothing against Chippie being night-watchiman per se, but it really needed that apparent impending game-changer speech to be this week or last, not in late January.
Last week someone with some nous and the capability to do good political stunts needed to to blow the housing story out of the water. Like set fire to a derelict state house and call the cameras and then help put it out talking about housing stock, or live a week with a homeless family, or promise to hand over this years’ salary to a housing trust and then go help them build a house in a weekend, or hijack the Hobsonville ferry opening coming up with a pointed speech to camera, or go to a house auction with a couple and pay their house deposit to the bank out of their own MPs pocket or indeed out of an LEC’s and do it with cameras rolling, God it’s not hard to think of something beyond sending another press release out. Paul Holmes was a master of the stunt, as was Bob Harvey in his prime. Sigh.
With Aucklands Unitary Plan hearings, and the Christchurch rebuilt accelerating, this is the year for housing as a gamechanger, and Labour has the policy to do it.
After all the best way to predict the future, is to make it happen. Instead these polls.
So we’ll end up next election about 50-50 as a bunch. I should just relax. Sigh. Relax.
jan 2013: 31.5%
jan 2012: 27.5
jan 2011: 29
jan 2010: 30
jan 2009: 33
When did Shearer start again?
January usually drops for opposition, mostly because (IMO) the government gets junkets to antarctica while opposition mps: not so much.
the standard definition of stupidity being to do the same thing over and over again, expecting something different to happen. whatever Labour have been doing since 2009, this January it was time to do something different. Shearer is not culpable for the era prior to him, of course, but he is responsible for the results now. He had a fallow January field for media and is so far reaping the rewards of doing the same thing over and over again.
The dude gained 4% over the previous year’s january dip, reversing 4 years of steady decline at that point. In his first year as leader.
31.5% sucks, but it’s better than 27.5%.
Now, there’s many a slip ‘twixt dress and drawers, and I’m still looking to see some 35% threshold breakers, but performance-wise it’s not a major tragedy unless key calls a chardonnay-snap election.
So when do you hope to see those 35% threshold breakers?
And using those figures and logic, Shearer is less popular than Goff in his first months as leader. Not really a win, aye.
Maybe I should ask when do you expect Shearer to hit 33% ?
Actually I think I wrote something about one or two RM polls 35% by feb leadership vote waiting before beginning to think it looks like Labour’s back in the doldrums. Shearer personally? probably not until next year. opposition bias and all. Haven’t really looked at party vs leader stats though.
Today, Labour =31.5%.
2 months ago November 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
7 months ago June 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
12 months ago Feb 2012, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
19 months ago July 2011, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
22 months ago April 2011, Labour = 31.5% (+/- 0.5%)
There’s definitely consistency here for Labour, not so sure that it’s an upward trending one though.
interesting sample intervals there: 2, 5, 5,7,3…
Nice methodology for cherry picking, not so much for looking at trends.
Just demonstrating natural variability about a mean, McFlock. A student t-test will show that to you. Nothing unfair there. If you want me to give you more data points sitting right on top of 31.5% I can, but they are sitting there for you to see.
The point being that you don’t know whether there is actual improvement. Especially given 2011 Labour was going down, so to stay in approximately (for a given value of approximate) the same place labour actually needs to have improved in the last 12 months.
It’s called “regaining lost ground”. And shearer didn’t lose the ground.
Hehe an optimist would notice that.
A pessimist, or is that a realist, would look at Labour at 31.5% and say “what the … “
The average of the 24 Roy Morgan polls since Jan 2012 is 46% for National and 31% for Labour.
No F@c&ing change. Shearer has to fire Mallard immediately. The strategy is F@c&ed!
We are not winning this way.
We are loosing this way.
Does Shearer not see that he is surrounded by the same twits who lost in 2011?
Please change something. This is the most painful disaster to watch.
Key’s idiot crew screw up everything and we can’t take a single percentage point off them!’
Change
Change
Change
+1
Meh, not a bad poll if the goal is to hang on by the skin of your teeth. If the goal is to win an election though, nothing to write home about.
You may like to know that on the Concert program pm 24 January there is a program of American protest song ,Trade Union songs and old socialist songs . Should be worth a listen .
Will probably get more listeners than mine did 😉
You should put your song on youtube….
I’ve always thought it more a video medium, but you’re right, I should.
I just bought some half decent studio headphones today and half deaf as I am, I can hear again.
Not looking forward to rectifying all those tracks when all I want to do is write, but if I win lotto tomorrow I’ll not hire the guy that did kim.com’s records to do it for me.
People put audio only stuff up on it all the time, including myself.
I’ll give it a go, ta.
You may like to know that on the Concert program 7. pm 24 January there is a program of American protest song ,Trade Union songs and old socialist songs . Should be worth a listen .
Excellent. We spend some lots of time in a part of the country where these things are still regularly sung and strummed. It’s like stepping back in time. Reaching back to feel the times. Tis quite something. Woody Guthrie and the like. Mining songs. Old ones.
Meanwhile this is a bit of a funny version of one of me fave’s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPQVvQfblzY
The most famous – and haunting – of them all?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N43Cm6ra0hY
Well old smile and wave is back. Already the photos are appearing in the press. Nothing escapes this man He got into the act regarding the accident involving the Bethlehem School.
However surely the most outrageous photo is the one on page 3 of to-day’s Herald . What a buffoon what has Aotearoa done to deserve this clown. .
RNZ Press Release, just up – process started to search for a new CEO. Richard Griffin takes the opportunity to talk up RNZ’s success. There’s also a link to RNZ’s page on the CEO role. And that page links to the RNZ Charter.
I think RNZ is the only public service broadcaster we now have. I like the Charter, and think RNZ does fulfil a lot of it, but not as much as I would like.
It isn’t always as critical and in-depth as I would like these days. Impartiality is an impossibility to achieve, but a PBS should aim for a diversity of perspectives, but also to follow the evidence. RNZ could do better on that IMO, and also more to cater to the interests of younger listeners.
Karol
The Pink Postman is only trying to draw debate awsy from the setback in the polls.
Watch the pattern.
It repeats itself.
She/he works around the same hours as TRP….
I don’t see the point in such tactics. If it’s an issue of interest, people continuing discussing a topic long after other topics have been added below, on Open Mike.
I don’t believe it’s anything of the sort AV. PP has been around The Standard for a few years now and he (‘he’ note) is an elderly Labour supporter (had his 80th last year from memory) who nearly always posts on subjects he’s interested in regardless of whether they are under discussion or not. He is a Londoner (I think) from way back and has stayed true to the Labour cause all his life. Don’t always agree with him, but he’s an honest, retired working man and I doubt he would know what you’re talking about.
Sorry for being a grump, Karol and Anne.
And sorry Pink Postmam for my comment.
There is no excuse for my behaviour. It will not happen again.
Fair enough AV. 🙂
(h) Under no circumstances should Matthew Hooton be allowed air-time
Geez. Sydney’s hottest day on record (by a fraction of a degree over a 1939 temp). I sympathise. I almost passed out one day at work, in western Sydney once – no air conditioning, had to sit down for a while. Temperatures getting into the 40s are getting beyond what I can take. And feeling like I was about to pass out is no fun either.
“Mr Smuggles” was GCSB FBI Kim dotcom link ?
http://youtu.be/gKAexsaeBZI
New Zealand needs a decent left wing radio station, especially since Radio NZ became radio National, and since state tv was taken over totally by neo liberals. Is the standard and left blogs the only truly free and honest media left in New Zealand?
Apparently Radio NZ is left-leaning, so there you go.
Yeah left leaning. That’ll be why Matthew Hooton is their goto political-economy guy…
Help Blue eye, help, otherwise I can’t help you.