You invite a family to come say with you, your kids grow up like brothers, knowing nothing different, having signed up to nothing, discover that though paying the same taxes, wholely differing punishments lay in wait should you be for guilty of offense. Any civilized society regards its justice system as a product of humanity, concerned that innocents wrongly convicted as happens aren’t harmed irrevocable. What could harm a child more than finding out that not only are they taxed higher but should they fall, or worse become targeted, their whole lives will depend upon the uprightness of their parents. Australia is a shameless nation, its treatment of its first peoples, its voting system that criminalizes, or removed the right to vote, as it effective binds your consent for the most mediocre of candidates, is it no wonder Australian parliaments have no principled backbones, bunch of sponges with thought of being greater than all. I hang my head in shame that I carry a Aussie passport, I won’t live there until the voting system elects fair representatives and representation.
Tetraplegic who had been jailed for self-medicating with painkillers. After 36 years living in Aus and no family or friends over here, was dumped at Auckland airport with $200.
“Paul, who broke his neck in a 2010 accident, said the deportation policy didn’t take into account the severity of someone’s crime.
“I’m not making excuses for what I did, but I didn’t hurt anyone and I wasn’t dealing anything,” he said.
“He was told his visa was being withdrawn by the Australian Government two days before his second jail term was up. He said he then spent an additional four months in a detention centre while his deportation was organised.”
Just what action do you think we should take that would have any effect?
Declare war, perhaps?
I have commented elsewhere on this site recently that we have precisely zero influence on Australian politicians and people, and it has been like that for at least 50 years.
To repeat. What do you think we can do? Complaining about it isn’t going to get us anywhere is it? After all, no Australian politician has ever lost popularity by bashing New Zealanders.
I am more worried out the fact that he was put in jail simply for putting the wrong (probably in the eyes of the Catholic Church) chemicals into his own body.
This is really disgraceful, and the disabled person is just the latest. Interesting that for all John Key’s supposed international charm and schmoozing he doesn’t appear to care about this issue and isn’t doing anything. If he did he could. Or is he waiting for the focus groups? Will they need to remind him that these deported people are also humans.
Here is an excellent article by Dr Vandana Shiva for World Food Day..
“For all the destruction it causes, the industrial food system produces only 30% of the food eaten by people. If we continue, we will soon have a dead planet and no food. There is, however, another road to food security. The road that was abandoned by research institutes and governments under the influence of giant chemical corporations (now seed and Biotechnology Corporations). This is the road of agroecology and small scale farming, which still produce 70% of the food.”
……
Currently 1500 patents on Climate Resilient crops have been taken by corporations like Monsanto. Navdanya Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, has published the list in the report “Biopiracy of Climate Resilient Crops: Gene Giants Steal Farmers Innovation. With these very broad patents, corporations like Monsanto can prevent access to climate resilient seeds in the aftermath of climate disasters through patents. But we must know that climate resilient traits are not created through genetic engineering, but are pirated from seeds farmers who have evolved them. Women farmers have had a key role in seed evolution and breeding.” http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/10/16/big-ag-doesnt-serve-us-reflections-world-food-day
Also read about patenting warning from 2009
““This is a form of biopiracy since the traits that the corporations are patenting have been evolved through centuries of farmers’ breeding. On the basis of this biopiracy, the biotech industry is positioning itself as the “climate saviour,” making governments and the public believe that without them there will be no seeds of climate resilience. By making broad claims on all crops and all traits, the industry is in fact closing future options for adaptation in climate change,” she told journalists.” http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ngo-warns-against-biopiracy-of-climateresilient-crops/article259600.ece
TPPA- the DEAD RAT TREATY, has been influenced by these big AGCHEM firms who financially support US politicians- another reason why the TPPA should not be ratified!
Your elected leaders hold to the economic ideological faith that to regulate is a sin and all the while they regulate TTPs or acts etc. They lie to us, and keep getting voted in, its been happening for the last thirty years. they justify it saying that tax cuts increase revenue, sure when year on year energy prices drop, I.e not the tax cut just basic energy inputs. We live in a worked where media lies, take Arab tv news, the newsreaders are enslaved by the nation, unless they can pay to buy their way out they are screwed. Global malaise of the mediocre.
She seems to define “industrial food system” as non-organic farming, so it’s a partisan piece from the start. Organic farming has lower productivity than non-organic, this despite also using pesticides – just less-effective pesticides, because organic is basically magic-woo farming that equates “natural” with “morally superior.” In fact, what’s “natural” is living a short life as food for other creatures and having as many offspring as you can so that some of them survive to reproductive age. There’s nothing warm and cuddly about “natural.” It’s worth keeping in mind that back when western countries used organic farming on small holdings, any year could be a famine year and for most people the big question was always “Can we survive the next winter?” Fuck that and anyone who wants us to go back there.
“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following an intrepid filmmaker as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today, and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.”
Who’s “we” in this? Most of the propaganda against farming for meat and milk is about countries where they feed human-edible crops to cows. By all means those countries should stop doing that, but it says nothing about whether organic farming is better than the non-woo kind.
Did you watch the film?
Or just come to a prejudged opinion. Emotive language like ‘propaganda’ suggests not.
The film looks at the environmental footprint of eating meat.
Didn’t watch the film, because emotive language like “propaganda” is appropriate for anything involving vegetarian evangelism. They point out that a meat-based diet is bad for the planet, while ignoring the relevant question of what impact on the planet 7 billion people following a soy-based diet would have. Hint: the problem is the number of people, not the type of agriculture – with those numbers, the planet gets a hiding no matter what.
Judging by the trailer, it’s a film made by Americans – their annoyance at the practice of using human-edible crops to feed livestock is understandable, but if they’re trying to spin it into a “meat is bad for the planet” propaganda exercise they can fuck right off.
Our current form of farming is the most inefficient we’ve ever had. 10 units of oil to produce 1 unit of food is good how?
Then there’s the by-products, like the destruction of the island of Nauru from New Zealand mining it to oblivion for fertiliser. Then on home soil there’s the rivers we’ve ruined, the millions of hectares of native vegetation we’ve removed, the soil we’ve degraded. Pretty much any other kind of farming could beat industrial agriculture blindfolded.
I’m not sure what kind of farming you’re imagining that doesn’t involve land cleared of whatever was growing on it before farmers turned up. The fantasy that this planet can feed 7 billion people without fertiliser or cutting down trees is just that. It would be nice if more people over the last hundred years had used a bit of contraception instead of bullshitting themselves that children are a blessing from God, but it’s a bit late for regrets.
When you say “our” current form of farming uses 10 units of oil to produce 1 unit of food, are you referring to NZ farming? Because the word “our” is misleading if you aren’t. “Our” as in NZ farming is doing a lot of damage via over-intensification lately, but that’s an issue of over-intensification, not farming in general. Organic farming also uses oil, and fertiliser, and pesticides, and is overall less productive than regular farming, so it’s not clear why we’d want to go down that path. Do you picture us returning to Third-World-style subsistence agriculture?
it’s also a fantasy that there’s no such thing as peak phosphate or peak soil. It’s a fantasy that you can cut down all the trees and still maintain land over many generations and increasing population. Oil has created a bulge of food production that can’t be sustained, and we’re now coming to the end. Plain old physics, bummer it doesn’t fit the rhetoric.
btw, your description of organics upthread marks you as someone who has no idea what they are talking about. You’ve just trotted out some pretty superficial tropes that have very little to do with sustainable agriculture. They’re also memes used by people with vested interests against sustainable agriculture.
If we really tried 1/4 acre food gardens at home could support most of the food needs for every town/city household. Ok that wouldn’t work for those in a skyscraper, but I think it’s possible otherwise. A little hard to keep cattle in the city, but if people changed their meat diet to chicken then we’re living off urban land and freeing up a lot of rural land for restoration/regeneration. I’m not saying we should retire most rural farmland but it illustrates how much land we could save if we tried other methods like food forests.
My version of organics is no pesticides/herbicides and artificial fertiliser, and minimal fuel use. That means growing food at your home locally. I’m sure organic companies do use all those industrial inputs you listed but I don’t call that organic farming.
The 10:1 ratio relates to industrial agriculture and that’s the practice commonly used in New Zealand. Yes we could well return to a 3rd world lifestyle because the oil and fertiliser taps will turn off eventually, we’re already looking for oil in far flung places and barely viable places. We should be concerned about that.
“It’s a good movie and it shows how we need to change how we eat for the sake of the planet.”
From the reviews I’ve read, it’s a propaganda movie and it tells people how we need to eat from vegan ideology dressed up as the good of the planet, but it doesn’t stack up. References are very poorly done.
I would imagine that farming techniques and agricultural science have moved on since the the times when failed harvests would lead to impoverished and starving communities.
I dont think peasant farmers in 1400’s Somerset would have been able to pop down to the local research station for a seminar.
Im not opposed to GE as such, however it looks to be more about handing our food supply networks over to the likes of Monsanto than anything else.
It will be about handing our food supply networks over to the likes of Monsanto if we continue preventing public-sector researchers’ involvement in it. Leaving GE up to the Americans and Chinese is one of the biggest strategic mistakes we’re making right now. And once the Nats have driven all our scientists overseas and the population consists largely of people who think “natural” is a synonym of “good,” we’ll end up looking more like than those 1400s Somerset peasants than we’d want to.
Insight in Iraq.
Radio New Zealand’s political editor Jane Patterson travels to Taji Camp for a first-hand view of the training operations being undertaken by New Zealand troops.
‘Primarily, the trip was for the Prime Minister to visit the 100 or so New Zealanders serving in a training mission in Taji Camp, north west of Baghdad, to show his personal support.
Taking nothing away from the significance of that visit to the New Zealand defence force personnel, the trip at its core was a PR exercise, designed to show John Key suited and booted in military apparel, travelling to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.’
While I was innocently searching the internet for the title of an arthouse British film about two bus loads of geriatrics …(one bus load of old IRA and the other bus load of old Orangemen)…double booked for their Xmas bash at a lonely country Irish pub and the ensuing hilarious brawl that resulted ( I thought the title of the film was ‘Double Booked’….but it wasnt ) ….I discovered an April 2006 article in ‘The Atlantic’ by Matthew Teague called:
‘Double Blind-The untold story of how British intelligence infiltrated and undermined the IRA’
This is a chilling story needless to say…and one which everyone should read because it has implications for political parties and political movements today ..(whether they be bad or good political parties and/or movements..and I hasten to add I have never been a sympathiser with the IRA. I find it morally repellent)
The crux of the matter is:
“British spies subverted the IRA from within, leaving it in military ruin, and Irish Republicans—who want to end British rule in Northern Ireland and reunite the island—have largely shifted their weight to Sinn Féin and its peaceable, political efforts. And so the Dirty War provides a model for how to dismantle a terrorist organization. The trick is to not mind killing, and to expect dying….
“Kitson rolled into Northern Ireland in the early 1970s with considerable experience battling insurgencies in Kenya, Malaya, and elsewhere. …Kitson’s methods proved so effective that he wrote a now-classic counterinsurgency book, ‘Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency, Peacekeeping’, which laid out principles now being followed by American forces in Iraq. By the time Kitson arrived in Northern Ireland, Low Intensity Operations had become his instruction manual for war there…
‘With Canadians heading to the polls soon, Staff columnist for the Toronto Star Heather Mallick is hoping for a change in government.
She is the author of two books, and her piece on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, The Nixon of the North, appears in the latest issue of Harper’s magazine.
Despite being in power since 2006, Harper seems to have a knack for alienating people , and Mallick describes him as “Nixon, but without the charm”. She is clearly frustrated at the prospect of another Liberal term in government. ”
“I’m so embarrassed. You know what. I want my country to go back to being the nice, dull, kind place it used to be.”
That sounds like how I feel about New Zealand since we got looted and lied to by the neo-liberal clique who have taken over our country.
Any news on Allan or Hubbard or blood or Justice? Don’t know what this is about. Meaningless without context. Why didn’t you send it as a text on your phone?
There are steps that could be pursued. No entitlements for Australians/ dual passport holders to superannuation, no access to student loans, no cover by ACC while living/visiting in NZ. A start.
“No entitlements for Australians/ dual passport holders to superannuation, no access to student loans, no cover by ACC while living/visiting in NZ”
That is an interesting selection you have made.
Do you realise that any New Zealander living in Australia, even if only on the special visa they give us is entitled to all those things?
It might make more sense to suggest things that we cannot get in Australia don’t you think?
In case people can’t get enough of Margaret Attwood’s dystopia’s, here’s an interview of her explaining her hybrid of gated communities and private prisons.
What a joy to watch (through teary eyes) South Auckland kids performing in the Auckland Town Hall, playing violin a la symphonia…….”Sunday”, TV One tonight. A programme now developing beyond South Aux to open worlds by getting kids into symphonic musical instruments.
Some REAL good news in this crass and dirty neo-lib’ NZ where our fascinations are manipulatively steered by MSM/Crosby Textor towards fizzing about the gauche, effetely simpering, bankster PM’s latest idiot ‘quip’.
And we all know a star/stars will emerge of course. Many, many thanks to the wonderful woman leading the programme, the funders, the helpers.
“Some of these allegations have been proved. In the 11 years since he became leader of the country’s Conservatives, the party has been fined for breaking electoral rules, and various members of Team Harper have been caught misleading parliament, gagging civil servants, subverting parliamentary committees, gagging scientists, harassing the supreme court, gagging diplomats, lying to the public, concealing evidence of potential crime, spying on opponents, bullying and smearing. Harper personally has earned himself the rare rebuke of being found to be in contempt of his parliament.”
This interview is another reminder of the similarities.
‘With Canadians heading to the polls soon, Staff columnist for the Toronto Star Heather Mallick is hoping for a change in government.
She is clearly frustrated at the prospect of another Liberal term in government.
“I want my country to go back to the nice, kind, dull place it used to be.”
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Murakami Wood, Professor of Critical Surveillance and Securities Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa The skyline of Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.(Shutterstock) There is a long history of planned city building by both governments ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment of ...
The Boil Up’s Lucinda Bennett considers the oyster – from freshness to pearls to the joy of shucking your own. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. In Carmen Maria Machado’s short story ‘Eight Bites’, a woman begins her last supper before bariatric surgery with “a cavalcade ...
Asia Pacific Report A group of 65 Auckland University academics have written an open letter to vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater criticising the institution’s stance over students protesting in solidarity with Palestine. They have called on her administration to “support” the students who were denied permission to establish an “overnight encampment” by ...
The Student Volunteer Army is on the march, generating approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from roughly 35,000 secondary school students in just five years. For Rebekah Brown, the pathway to volunteering started with her singing coach. With a passion for the arts, the suggestion to volunteer at Acting Antics, ...
Keeping up with online communication can be exhausting, so Fran Barclay enlisted the help of Meta’s new ‘intelligent assistant’ to respond to all her messages. Could her mates tell the difference? For centuries, technology has ruled the ways in which we communicate. From the dawn of written language, to the ...
Jamie Arbuckle, a councillor who has become an member of parliament, says he has settled into having two roles so comfortably he's going to keep both pay cheques. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
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For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
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Why is Kelvin the only MP taking significant action on this?
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/asiapacific/2015/10/17/nz-labour-mp-to-visit-christmas-island.html
(Missing Campbell Live acutely – They would have been there and back by now.)
And where are the MPs condeming the mess in our own prisons? Sam Lotu-Iiga still has his job, and that just simply should not be the case.
You invite a family to come say with you, your kids grow up like brothers, knowing nothing different, having signed up to nothing, discover that though paying the same taxes, wholely differing punishments lay in wait should you be for guilty of offense. Any civilized society regards its justice system as a product of humanity, concerned that innocents wrongly convicted as happens aren’t harmed irrevocable. What could harm a child more than finding out that not only are they taxed higher but should they fall, or worse become targeted, their whole lives will depend upon the uprightness of their parents. Australia is a shameless nation, its treatment of its first peoples, its voting system that criminalizes, or removed the right to vote, as it effective binds your consent for the most mediocre of candidates, is it no wonder Australian parliaments have no principled backbones, bunch of sponges with thought of being greater than all. I hang my head in shame that I carry a Aussie passport, I won’t live there until the voting system elects fair representatives and representation.
One of the so-called “criminals” dumped at the airport:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11530899
Tetraplegic who had been jailed for self-medicating with painkillers. After 36 years living in Aus and no family or friends over here, was dumped at Auckland airport with $200.
“Paul, who broke his neck in a 2010 accident, said the deportation policy didn’t take into account the severity of someone’s crime.
“I’m not making excuses for what I did, but I didn’t hurt anyone and I wasn’t dealing anything,” he said.
“He was told his visa was being withdrawn by the Australian Government two days before his second jail term was up. He said he then spent an additional four months in a detention centre while his deportation was organised.”
Good grief.
Why aren’t we reacting to this?
Is it because John Key is a useless pussy and bends over too easily?
Merrill Lynch gives in to Goldman Sachs
Just what action do you think we should take that would have any effect?
Declare war, perhaps?
I have commented elsewhere on this site recently that we have precisely zero influence on Australian politicians and people, and it has been like that for at least 50 years.
To repeat. What do you think we can do? Complaining about it isn’t going to get us anywhere is it? After all, no Australian politician has ever lost popularity by bashing New Zealanders.
I am more worried out the fact that he was put in jail simply for putting the wrong (probably in the eyes of the Catholic Church) chemicals into his own body.
WTF?
This is really disgraceful, and the disabled person is just the latest. Interesting that for all John Key’s supposed international charm and schmoozing he doesn’t appear to care about this issue and isn’t doing anything. If he did he could. Or is he waiting for the focus groups? Will they need to remind him that these deported people are also humans.
” and isn’t doing anything. If he did he could”
Come, enlighten us. Just what do you think he could do that would have any useful effect at all?
Sydney housing auction market tanks…
http://www.domain.com.au/news/i-am-disappointed-i-cant-deny-that-says-vendor-as-home-fails-to-sell-20151017-gkbln7/
Something to keep an eye on.
Here is an excellent article by Dr Vandana Shiva for World Food Day..
“For all the destruction it causes, the industrial food system produces only 30% of the food eaten by people. If we continue, we will soon have a dead planet and no food. There is, however, another road to food security. The road that was abandoned by research institutes and governments under the influence of giant chemical corporations (now seed and Biotechnology Corporations). This is the road of agroecology and small scale farming, which still produce 70% of the food.”
……
Currently 1500 patents on Climate Resilient crops have been taken by corporations like Monsanto. Navdanya Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, has published the list in the report “Biopiracy of Climate Resilient Crops: Gene Giants Steal Farmers Innovation. With these very broad patents, corporations like Monsanto can prevent access to climate resilient seeds in the aftermath of climate disasters through patents. But we must know that climate resilient traits are not created through genetic engineering, but are pirated from seeds farmers who have evolved them. Women farmers have had a key role in seed evolution and breeding.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/10/16/big-ag-doesnt-serve-us-reflections-world-food-day
Also read about patenting warning from 2009
““This is a form of biopiracy since the traits that the corporations are patenting have been evolved through centuries of farmers’ breeding. On the basis of this biopiracy, the biotech industry is positioning itself as the “climate saviour,” making governments and the public believe that without them there will be no seeds of climate resilience. By making broad claims on all crops and all traits, the industry is in fact closing future options for adaptation in climate change,” she told journalists.”
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ngo-warns-against-biopiracy-of-climateresilient-crops/article259600.ece
TPPA- the DEAD RAT TREATY, has been influenced by these big AGCHEM firms who financially support US politicians- another reason why the TPPA should not be ratified!
Your elected leaders hold to the economic ideological faith that to regulate is a sin and all the while they regulate TTPs or acts etc. They lie to us, and keep getting voted in, its been happening for the last thirty years. they justify it saying that tax cuts increase revenue, sure when year on year energy prices drop, I.e not the tax cut just basic energy inputs. We live in a worked where media lies, take Arab tv news, the newsreaders are enslaved by the nation, unless they can pay to buy their way out they are screwed. Global malaise of the mediocre.
She seems to define “industrial food system” as non-organic farming, so it’s a partisan piece from the start. Organic farming has lower productivity than non-organic, this despite also using pesticides – just less-effective pesticides, because organic is basically magic-woo farming that equates “natural” with “morally superior.” In fact, what’s “natural” is living a short life as food for other creatures and having as many offspring as you can so that some of them survive to reproductive age. There’s nothing warm and cuddly about “natural.” It’s worth keeping in mind that back when western countries used organic farming on small holdings, any year could be a famine year and for most people the big question was always “Can we survive the next winter?” Fuck that and anyone who wants us to go back there.
You should watch this film.
“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following an intrepid filmmaker as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today, and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.”
I should? Is there some reason I should watch it, or were you just recommending it as a good movie?
It’s a good movie and it shows how we need to change how we eat for the sake of the planet.
Who’s “we” in this? Most of the propaganda against farming for meat and milk is about countries where they feed human-edible crops to cows. By all means those countries should stop doing that, but it says nothing about whether organic farming is better than the non-woo kind.
Did you watch the film?
Or just come to a prejudged opinion. Emotive language like ‘propaganda’ suggests not.
The film looks at the environmental footprint of eating meat.
Didn’t watch the film, because emotive language like “propaganda” is appropriate for anything involving vegetarian evangelism. They point out that a meat-based diet is bad for the planet, while ignoring the relevant question of what impact on the planet 7 billion people following a soy-based diet would have. Hint: the problem is the number of people, not the type of agriculture – with those numbers, the planet gets a hiding no matter what.
Judging by the trailer, it’s a film made by Americans – their annoyance at the practice of using human-edible crops to feed livestock is understandable, but if they’re trying to spin it into a “meat is bad for the planet” propaganda exercise they can fuck right off.
Our current form of farming is the most inefficient we’ve ever had. 10 units of oil to produce 1 unit of food is good how?
Then there’s the by-products, like the destruction of the island of Nauru from New Zealand mining it to oblivion for fertiliser. Then on home soil there’s the rivers we’ve ruined, the millions of hectares of native vegetation we’ve removed, the soil we’ve degraded. Pretty much any other kind of farming could beat industrial agriculture blindfolded.
I’m not sure what kind of farming you’re imagining that doesn’t involve land cleared of whatever was growing on it before farmers turned up. The fantasy that this planet can feed 7 billion people without fertiliser or cutting down trees is just that. It would be nice if more people over the last hundred years had used a bit of contraception instead of bullshitting themselves that children are a blessing from God, but it’s a bit late for regrets.
When you say “our” current form of farming uses 10 units of oil to produce 1 unit of food, are you referring to NZ farming? Because the word “our” is misleading if you aren’t. “Our” as in NZ farming is doing a lot of damage via over-intensification lately, but that’s an issue of over-intensification, not farming in general. Organic farming also uses oil, and fertiliser, and pesticides, and is overall less productive than regular farming, so it’s not clear why we’d want to go down that path. Do you picture us returning to Third-World-style subsistence agriculture?
it’s also a fantasy that there’s no such thing as peak phosphate or peak soil. It’s a fantasy that you can cut down all the trees and still maintain land over many generations and increasing population. Oil has created a bulge of food production that can’t be sustained, and we’re now coming to the end. Plain old physics, bummer it doesn’t fit the rhetoric.
btw, your description of organics upthread marks you as someone who has no idea what they are talking about. You’ve just trotted out some pretty superficial tropes that have very little to do with sustainable agriculture. They’re also memes used by people with vested interests against sustainable agriculture.
If we really tried 1/4 acre food gardens at home could support most of the food needs for every town/city household. Ok that wouldn’t work for those in a skyscraper, but I think it’s possible otherwise. A little hard to keep cattle in the city, but if people changed their meat diet to chicken then we’re living off urban land and freeing up a lot of rural land for restoration/regeneration. I’m not saying we should retire most rural farmland but it illustrates how much land we could save if we tried other methods like food forests.
My version of organics is no pesticides/herbicides and artificial fertiliser, and minimal fuel use. That means growing food at your home locally. I’m sure organic companies do use all those industrial inputs you listed but I don’t call that organic farming.
The 10:1 ratio relates to industrial agriculture and that’s the practice commonly used in New Zealand. Yes we could well return to a 3rd world lifestyle because the oil and fertiliser taps will turn off eventually, we’re already looking for oil in far flung places and barely viable places. We should be concerned about that.
“It’s a good movie and it shows how we need to change how we eat for the sake of the planet.”
From the reviews I’ve read, it’s a propaganda movie and it tells people how we need to eat from vegan ideology dressed up as the good of the planet, but it doesn’t stack up. References are very poorly done.
The Utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer is excellent on this area.
I made the regrettable decision to forego red meat recently.
I mourn bacon.
I shall try this.
Peter Singer: “The Ethics of What We Eat”
Now, on the one hand we have the GE and Pesticide Peddlars claiming to want to feed a starving world.
And on the other hand we have a rampant obesity epidemic in the ‘western’ world.
Doh?
I would imagine that farming techniques and agricultural science have moved on since the the times when failed harvests would lead to impoverished and starving communities.
I dont think peasant farmers in 1400’s Somerset would have been able to pop down to the local research station for a seminar.
Im not opposed to GE as such, however it looks to be more about handing our food supply networks over to the likes of Monsanto than anything else.
It will be about handing our food supply networks over to the likes of Monsanto if we continue preventing public-sector researchers’ involvement in it. Leaving GE up to the Americans and Chinese is one of the biggest strategic mistakes we’re making right now. And once the Nats have driven all our scientists overseas and the population consists largely of people who think “natural” is a synonym of “good,” we’ll end up looking more like than those 1400s Somerset peasants than we’d want to.
This is worthy of a post in its own rights.
Insight in Iraq.
Radio New Zealand’s political editor Jane Patterson travels to Taji Camp for a first-hand view of the training operations being undertaken by New Zealand troops.
‘Primarily, the trip was for the Prime Minister to visit the 100 or so New Zealanders serving in a training mission in Taji Camp, north west of Baghdad, to show his personal support.
Taking nothing away from the significance of that visit to the New Zealand defence force personnel, the trip at its core was a PR exercise, designed to show John Key suited and booted in military apparel, travelling to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/201774742/insight-for-18-october-nz's-mission-to-iraq
The joys of the uncensored internet:
While I was innocently searching the internet for the title of an arthouse British film about two bus loads of geriatrics …(one bus load of old IRA and the other bus load of old Orangemen)…double booked for their Xmas bash at a lonely country Irish pub and the ensuing hilarious brawl that resulted ( I thought the title of the film was ‘Double Booked’….but it wasnt ) ….I discovered an April 2006 article in ‘The Atlantic’ by Matthew Teague called:
‘Double Blind-The untold story of how British intelligence infiltrated and undermined the IRA’
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/04/double-blind/304710/
This is a chilling story needless to say…and one which everyone should read because it has implications for political parties and political movements today ..(whether they be bad or good political parties and/or movements..and I hasten to add I have never been a sympathiser with the IRA. I find it morally repellent)
The crux of the matter is:
“British spies subverted the IRA from within, leaving it in military ruin, and Irish Republicans—who want to end British rule in Northern Ireland and reunite the island—have largely shifted their weight to Sinn Féin and its peaceable, political efforts. And so the Dirty War provides a model for how to dismantle a terrorist organization. The trick is to not mind killing, and to expect dying….
“Kitson rolled into Northern Ireland in the early 1970s with considerable experience battling insurgencies in Kenya, Malaya, and elsewhere. …Kitson’s methods proved so effective that he wrote a now-classic counterinsurgency book, ‘Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency, Peacekeeping’, which laid out principles now being followed by American forces in Iraq. By the time Kitson arrived in Northern Ireland, Low Intensity Operations had become his instruction manual for war there…
http://www.amazon.com/Low-Intensity-Operations-Subversion-Peacekeeping/dp/0571271022
Question is are these methods being used elsewhere on more benign political movements?
‘With Canadians heading to the polls soon, Staff columnist for the Toronto Star Heather Mallick is hoping for a change in government.
She is the author of two books, and her piece on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, The Nixon of the North, appears in the latest issue of Harper’s magazine.
Despite being in power since 2006, Harper seems to have a knack for alienating people , and Mallick describes him as “Nixon, but without the charm”. She is clearly frustrated at the prospect of another Liberal term in government. ”
“I’m so embarrassed. You know what. I want my country to go back to being the nice, dull, kind place it used to be.”
That sounds like how I feel about New Zealand since we got looted and lied to by the neo-liberal clique who have taken over our country.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201774091/heather-mallick-stephen-harper-and-canada
Allan Hubbard’s blood cries out from the ground for justice.
link?..photos?
It certainly does Stuart. Thank you for reminding us all. Any news on the progress towards justice?
Any news on Allan or Hubbard or blood or Justice? Don’t know what this is about. Meaningless without context. Why didn’t you send it as a text on your phone?
There are steps that could be pursued. No entitlements for Australians/ dual passport holders to superannuation, no access to student loans, no cover by ACC while living/visiting in NZ. A start.
“No entitlements for Australians/ dual passport holders to superannuation, no access to student loans, no cover by ACC while living/visiting in NZ”
That is an interesting selection you have made.
Do you realise that any New Zealander living in Australia, even if only on the special visa they give us is entitled to all those things?
It might make more sense to suggest things that we cannot get in Australia don’t you think?
In case people can’t get enough of Margaret Attwood’s dystopia’s, here’s an interview of her explaining her hybrid of gated communities and private prisons.
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/17/margaret_atwood_on_our_real_life_dystopia_what_really_worries_me_is_creeping_dictatorship/
She has this great knack of pushing reality out into almost-likely wigginess that puts current reality into stark contrast, or likelihood.
What a joy to watch (through teary eyes) South Auckland kids performing in the Auckland Town Hall, playing violin a la symphonia…….”Sunday”, TV One tonight. A programme now developing beyond South Aux to open worlds by getting kids into symphonic musical instruments.
Some REAL good news in this crass and dirty neo-lib’ NZ where our fascinations are manipulatively steered by MSM/Crosby Textor towards fizzing about the gauche, effetely simpering, bankster PM’s latest idiot ‘quip’.
And we all know a star/stars will emerge of course. Many, many thanks to the wonderful woman leading the programme, the funders, the helpers.
I thought there wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the Town hall house, but the audience they showed looked fairly non-plussed.
“Some of these allegations have been proved. In the 11 years since he became leader of the country’s Conservatives, the party has been fined for breaking electoral rules, and various members of Team Harper have been caught misleading parliament, gagging civil servants, subverting parliamentary committees, gagging scientists, harassing the supreme court, gagging diplomats, lying to the public, concealing evidence of potential crime, spying on opponents, bullying and smearing. Harper personally has earned himself the rare rebuke of being found to be in contempt of his parliament.”
Sound familiar?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/15/stephen-harper-master-manipulator
This interview is another reminder of the similarities.
‘With Canadians heading to the polls soon, Staff columnist for the Toronto Star Heather Mallick is hoping for a change in government.
She is clearly frustrated at the prospect of another Liberal term in government.
“I want my country to go back to the nice, kind, dull place it used to be.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201774091/heather-mallick-stephen-harper-and-canada.
yes, heard that the other day…and felt the same frustration ….and continued incomprehension of the polls
For Chooky, it’s called No Surrender and it is very funny .