The French experience the house of peine. A missed penalty kick in the semi-final here and then some more after extra time in the World Cup football final.
I agree 100% with Caitlin Johnstone on who Elon Musk actually is..however his revelations confirming what most already knew, the collusion to supress the Hunter Biden story six days before the US general election are very important…and we all know that if we flipped this story and it was Trump/Republican’s caught red handed, meddling so obviously with an election, it would have been front page news on all Liberal media still now…even on our own little US/UK hand puppet, RNZ…instead of the almost total silence/obfuscation and whataboutism that we have experienced….not to mention he has also revealed that both the FBI and CIA were deeply embedded in Twiiter (and I am sure still are)….so not a nothing story at all , by any metric of how news stories might be measured..it’s just not news to the Liberal media it exposed as being shit….proving yet again how little they can be trusted in delivering fair and balanced news.
Of course we all knew this about MSM Rightwing media long long ago, which is why that point isn’t worth discussing again here on a Left leaning forum today.
Fairness and Balance in reporting…is there no MSM organization capable of that one simple task left in the English language?…..I can’t think of one, who am I missing?.. there must be at least one.
the collusion to supress the Hunter Biden story six days before the US general election are very important
Should such a story influence an election result? (and it probably would not have because of all the early voting and postal voting in 2020).
And how was it that this story just happened to emerge at such a time anyway? Maybe some in the media were just unwilling to be played.
The decision of Comey to announce an investigation into Clinton in the last month of a campaign in 2016 (ended just before the election) might have influenced close results in the rust belt that decided the election.
Such issues distract from focus on governance policy.
"Maybe some in the media were just unwilling to be played"….the media is there only to report on the news and information in receives, end of story…who are they to decide if or when the public should receive that information?…unless of course that itself same media has skin in the game on a particular story, or worse still has an ideological stake in the information it is blocking the public from being informed about…which of course all US Liberal media, including Twitter and Facebook did in the Hunter Biden story…..which of course is yet another reason why public trust in Fair and Balanced reporting is at all time low's…an almost completely self inflicted wound on their part…they don't deserve out trust…which includes our own media…like RNZ who are one of the worst offenders in the NZ media landscape.
"timing news to influence election results is a corruption of the democratic process."…you do understand that every single political party in the entire world does that exact thing when given the opportunity right?
Do you think MSM is serving the public by being manipulated? A professional and competent media estate would investigate "the source" of the "timed release" before publishing.
God you can't be really as naive as you are making out…are you?
What I think isn't important. what happens in the real world is…and in the real world, indisputably, every single political party (and those acting for them) in the world, including the Democrats and NZ Labour, will and do, release whatever dirt they have on the opposition to the press at a time during the election cycle when they think it would have the most effect…and as long as the information is true (like the Hunter lap top story or Hillary's hack both were), then the media's only job is to inform the public of those facts….and remember both those stories had important, if unsavoury facts, that the public had the right to be informed of before voting.
…if they were neutral players they would do so…but as already established, Liberal MSM is not neutral (as the R/Wing press isn’t either)…more than not, they are active partisan players in the political process now…so in other words, not Fair and Balanced reporting by any stretch of the imagination…and I know many people on this site have powerful imaginations.
In summary you think it is the media's job to be a cipher for manipulation, because they operate in the real world where everyone does it.
If you just accept the real world where everyone does it, why complain about anyone doing anything, such as operating to a partisan bias in reporting and exercise of power in self interest?
The binary bigotry of war vs. peace is polarising and divisive. It causes trench wars between camps that have much more in common than they realise but the real common enemy stays out of sight, mostly, and has successfully weaponised their moral sensibilities to set them up against each other. The Left has no defences against this subversive manipulation, which is why they lose ground and election battles, time after time.
Exactly. They make for the perfect decoy because they always fight back, each and every time. And it is for a just cause, of course. And they hate perceived traitors; Roger Douglas is a case in point but equally some so-called Left pundits or even the Parties on/of the Left when they slip up for not being ‘pure & perfect’ enough. It goes on and on …
When the US military can't account for 21 trillion dollars and your saying war vs. peace is divisive and polarising. Could I suggest if your pro the military machine at this point, your not left wing. Liberal, sure, but left wing – nope.
No, you cannot suggest any of the kind. But what you can do is to re-read my comment and specifically “[t]he binary bigotry of war vs. peace …” [emphasis added]. Besides that, sticking lazy labels with a clear derogatory intent is nothing more than a personal attack. As usual, you’ve added nothing but noise here.
The other night I was having Christmas drinkies (well not me, I cannot anymore) and talking with a guy recently returned from working and travelling in the USA. He is a muso and was relating just how vibrant, pervasive and deeply integrated music culture is in that country. He was clearly energised by the experience and it was fun listening to him talk about it.
Here is a good clip with long time Democrat and anti war activist explaining how the Democratic party and by extension the Liberal class have become captured by the US war machine…..and sadly, as have many good people on this very site…
This explains what happened to sectors of the ‘liberal’left and applies in part to the parts of the left in New Zealand as well.
Some of the most belligerent and bellicose voices can be found on this and the Daily Blog website.
This may explain why so many people are dying suddenly during the Covid epidemic.
Sub clinical Myocarditis ( heart inflammation) without symptoms may be very common, and only identifiable if MRI scanning is used.
Quote:
''Most striking, however, is that only nine of the athletes had symptoms of myocarditis; the vast majority of the group were diagnosed with subclinical myocarditis, based solely on findings from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that detected inflammation in the heart muscle. The researchers say this finding likely means that a significant percentage of those in the general population who were infected with COVID-19 developed subclinical myocarditis but were never diagnosed because they weren’t screened with a cardiac MRI.''
In 2005 myocarditis took out the only Green MP I had respect for- Rod Donald. The gulf between him and current Green Party leadership is stark.
This may explain why so many people are dying suddenly during the Covid epidemic.
can you please provide the evidence that many people are dying suddenly in the past three years (other than known covid deaths)?
Also, as far as I can tell the research is investigating sub clinical carditis in student athletes and the markers for that, with an eye on future problems if undiagnosed.
''Also, as far as I can tell the research is investigating sub clinical in student athletes and the markers for that, with an eye on future problems if undiagnosed.''
From the quote above:
''The researchers say this finding likely means that a significant percentage of those in the general population who were infected with COVID-19 developed subclinical myocarditis but were never diagnosed because they weren’t screened with a cardiac MRI.''
I took that to mean an extrapolation of clinical results with athletes to a guesstimate of myocarditis in the general population.
Not everyone with carditis dies. Equally significant here is undiagnosed sub clinical damage from covid that causes problems in the future. I would guess including because of high intensity training. In other words, they could be causing further damage playing sport while undiagnosed
Quite true. Yes, future damage is possible. I do a HIT workout once a week and I'm stuffed for 2 days afterwards. A pro sports person would be doing such workouts on a daily basis for most of the week. Inflammation would be a problem regardless of Covid.
But could I switch things around. The athletes may have better long term outcomes than the general public because their fitness benefits outweigh the negatives they impose on their bodies by hard training?
But:
Jacko Gill, a NZ sports person became seriously ill at one stage This is his training schedule from Wiki:
''I enjoy weight-lifting, power-lifting mainly, so will lift for around four hours a day, and throw only a couple of times per week. ''
That would kill an average man. It nearly killed Gill.
most people are cavalier about covid. It's basically a lottery at this point. We were very focused in the first year or so on deaths and impacts on the health system. NZ isn't very good at disability and chronic illness. We're most likely in for some wake up calls over the next five years.
Well, Council Boy, it goes back to the late 1990s. One, Lindsay Perigo, had a TB show. During one show a recording was played of Jeanette addressing an audience.
The most important part went something like( this was along time ago):
''Most would consider our policies we want to implement as communist. Therefore a Green vehicle is the best way to introduce such policies to the general public. A Green platform is something most people will understand even if they disagree with our policies.''
My distant remembering. But that was the general jist. I just used quotation marks to highlight my remembering. Since then I have paid no mind to the Greens. When they went crazy over peak oil ( remember that?) I had to smile. I believe they are now big time into Climate Change. I think they should be rebranded ''The Precautionary Principle Party''
BTW- have you heard anything about the new protocols for measuring methane? I'm still searching the internet for them. If confirmed, would that mean our methane reduction targets are redundant?
''We shouldn't then, pay the words you attribute to Jeanette, any heed.''
Of course not. That is your choice ( enjoy democracy while we still have it). But I swear on a sacred mung bean, she said words to that affect.
''Methane? Urea in, methane out; sequestered hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere by ruminants – something has to be done.''
Apparently not according to Dr Tom Sheahan. He appeared on Jamie Mackay's farming show and said Methane isn't a problem. The response to this interview was quite intense. Jamie, I believe, had to invite other scientists onto the show to counter what Sheahan had said. The public had to be told the 'real truth' that is acceptable to consensus scientific, public and political opinion.
They would say that, wouldn’t they? Why else go on the show or listen to it? People tune in and hear what they want to hear. At best, it is infotainment, because it is clearly ‘sponsored’ content.
Not Damien O'Connor. They are mates. But of course you don't listen to the show and wouldn't believe a Tory and Leftie could be mates. To be fair Damien has many views that align with the right.
Correct. And when you have sub clinical myocarditis with an unfit heart or other concurrent pathologies, a healthy person can drop dead. Pity we all can't all have a MRI scan should we catch Covid. I caught Covid a few weeks back. Had it for 3 days.
Nope, you already used too many words that you know very little about stringed together into a hopeless mess of nonsense as with most of your comments here. The addition of one little word doesn’t change this.
Are you now a heart specialist, public health expert, or an expert in epidemiology after you’ve had Covid-19 for 3 days?
Tom is a forklift driver. He is unfit. He's carrying a little extra weight. He has undiagnosed diabetes. He contracts Covid; recovers and feels fine. But he also has undiagnosed sub clinical myocarditis after his bout of Covid. His wife leaves him. His cortisol levels rise with the shock of his wife leaving. That pumps glucose into his blood stream. His heart, unready under stress ( unbeknown to him), stops. People then say '' but he looked fine.''
”Are you now a heart specialist, public health expert, or an expert in epidemiology after you’ve had Covid-19 for 3 days?”
Tom is unfit and generally unhealthy and the signs are there. And he has marital problems too, apparently. Tom’s life is a wreck and Covid is not the cause. Tom died while watching the Soccer World Cup and drinking and smoking too much and sitting in his chair far too long – the clot caused a major stroke – and they found him 2 days later.
''Tom is unfit and generally unhealthy and the signs are there. ''
Yes.
Tom’s life is a wreck and Covid is not the cause.
Possible.
''Tom died while watching the Soccer World Cup and drinking and smoking too much and sitting in his chair far too long – the clot caused a major stroke – and they found him 2 days later.''
Possible…but the link I posted to Weka had this headline:
''There are thousands more UK deaths than usual and we don’t know why''
Bear in mind this is just in the period from April 2022. And is not limited to Britain.
My first link posited a link between athletes and myocarditis during recovery from Covid. So Tom MAY still have be alive if he hadn't contracted Covid as the link also makes hints to Covid recovery and myocarditis in the general population.
Tom’s marital problems were not caused by Covid unless he refused to wear a mask in the bedroom.
How many of the deaths in the UK were student athletes? Given that Tom is not a student athlete by any stretch of the imagination you’re on highly speculative ground here and wasting our good time and sucking up our oxygen. It is déjà vu all over again.
Tom comes into the general population demographic covered in the study.
Nope, he doesn’t, as he is not a student athlete as included in the study. You invented Tom and a colourful narrative that is speculative, as even those US researchers explicitly stated. You’re making up things, as usual, but with some editorial assistance you could become a second-rate fiction writer.
The diesel from Tom's forklift is a red flag for starters.
I'm also leaning toward the possibility that Tom's keen interest in athletes, particularly pole-vaulters, coupled with his viewing habits, were a factor.
"The rate of COVID-associated myocarditis equals or greatly exceeds the rate of vaccine associated myocarditis in most populations. Furthermore, the severity of myocarditis is much worse from an infection…”
Given in NZ we're up to 4 recognized deaths linked to myocarditis from the vaccine. Then what would the "much worse" myocarditis from infection look like??
[Provide a link to support your ambiguous claim “in NZ we’re up to 4 recognized deaths linked to myocarditis from the vaccine” with clarification of what you mean exactly. You’re now in Pre-Mod until you comply – Incognito]
They don't listen to me any longer – I'm their Greatest Disappointment (wouldn't launch into the rabbit hole).
Pedantic edit: tutu – a shrub or a tree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutu_(plant)
FFS on that page it mentions a total of 4 deaths, and as another commenter has shown finding another reference linking 4 deaths is about 2 seconds of work away. Yet here we are…
[It was not without reason for giving you your final warning 6 days ago, as you have repeatedly shown to provide unreliable inaccurate commentary about anything related to Covid-19. I’ve given you another chance today, going against my gut feeling, and you blew it.
Your link to the Medsafe report does not state a total of 4 deaths recognized [by the Coroner] as caused by myocarditis caused by Covid-19.
The link by ‘another commenter’ is entitled “Fourth death possibly linked to COVID-19 vaccine” [emphasis added]. It is even in the URL. Again, it doesn’t state that there have been 4 recognized deaths. It may well turn out to be the case but that link clearly states this:
It’s important to note this case is with the Coroner who is still investigating the cause of death.
I don’t want to waste any of my spare time on you during the summer break. Take 4 recognized weeks off and don’t get Covid if you go anywhere – Incognito]
Given in NZ we're up to 4 recognized deaths linked to myocarditis from the vaccine. Then what would the "much worse" myocarditis from infection look like??
This is a fairly technical paper published in August, looking at 43 million people. Overall they found incidence of myocarditis was about 3.5x higher for vaccinated people following infection with covid, and 7x higher for unvaccinated people following infection with covid, compared to the incidence of mycarditis following vaccination with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine.
Interestingly, the incidence after vaccination was relatively higher in men (especially young men) while the incidence after covid was a bit higher in women. The second dose (and only the second dose) of the moderna vaccine seemed higher risk – comparable to getting covid.
Of course, myocarditis is probably the worst risk from the vaccines, but is just one of many risks from getting the actual disease.
Yep, that is why pFizer recommended their drug was to be aspirated before administering. A step, by the way, when I asked for was acknowledged but then they 'forgot to do'.
To the best of my knowledge, the PTB ignored this stipulation and aspiration was not done unless requested by the individual.
Dr Peter Davis looks at whether the TVNZ/RNZ merger will rebalance our media eco-system – or whether it's just an ideological project.
There is an air of unreality about the debate. While some may decry the proposal as an ideological project or a “marriage made in hell”, there are some very real issues in the media that we need to address, and the current proposal could be seen as a first step in the right direction.
Thankyou Dr Davis providing an explanation on why a merger is desirable. Like 3 Waters there is so much bluster about dealing with a national need that a peasant like me needs a clear understanding of the issues.
You only need to turn on TVNZ to get an argument in favour of a merger. Endless reality dreck, punctured by a similar amount of advertising. MKR, Celeb Treasure Island, etc. I really don't know how those who oppose the merger can have such little ambition for broadcasting in this country.
How will the merger take any of that drivel off our TV screens? And what will replace it that brings in the same level of advertising revenue? Or has the government indicated its intention to deliberately reduce TVNZ's revenue and pump in more taxpayers money to fund the shortfall?
The government plans to give ANZPM a mandate and funding to commission content directly, rather than have to go through NZ on air, which is a flawed model. If I had my way, NZOA would be folded into the merged entity, which would deliver wall to wall docos.
You've missed my point. The government does not intend stopping TVNZ selling advertising, so there is no guarantee at all that the crap that is on TV won't remain on TV.
When TVNZ's charter was implemented, there was an improvement in quality, as they were required to carry out public service objectives. The merged entity would be about the same. Also, there would be no expectation of the dividend by the government, which would free up cash for investment in programming.
According to the government, RNZ is not viable in its current form.
So the government would be receiving little or no dividend anyway.
I cannot see anything in the merger proposal that would drive the programs you and I both detest off the air, unless the government was prepared to foot the bill for the revenue shortfall.
The government plans to take money off NZ on Air, and give it to to the merged media company to commission content. Well that is what I understand anyway.
But even that is just shuffling money. It isn't additional investment in programming. I'm still getting my head around the merger proposal, but I will say Peter Davis' article referenced above was a useful addition to the discussion.
All this "will/won't deal" talk is meaningless. The escape clauses are left wide open.
Not being in government is a very different position from refusing even to consider support on conf/supp, or an abstention which allows a gov't to be formed.
The only question that matters is "Would you prefer an immediate second election to a negotiation?". Nobody has ever said yes to that.
Indeed, politics is the art of compromise, which is something that many binary (and purist) thinkers can’t seem to get their heads around. One could ask them if they’re willing to get a divorce or leave their (meaningful?) relationship each time they don’t get their way.
The other point often missed is that it's not "go with National or Labour". Labour won’t get a majority without the Greens.
The question for TPM should be "Would you vote against the Greens if they – for the first time ever – could be in Cabinet with Labour, no other parties involved?".
Or more bluntly "Would you shaft your best friends in Parliament?".
The chances of TPM doing that and making Luxon/Seymour very happy, are near zero.
I’d go as far as to suggest that TPM and GP are ahead of the other Parties in the art of compromise (and the art of seeking consensus). This has got nothing to do with their relative size (MP seats) but everything with their culture and philosophy that underpins and guides their policies. Again, this is not binary but a spectrum and political pragmatism and opportunism play important roles too, of course.
I’d also suggest that TPM and GP are less influenced and driven by personality politics, particularly of their leaders/leadership. Perhaps this is one reason why they might attract less media attention than, say, the Twerker from Epsom.
Confidence and supply is fine, they don't have to go into a full coalition. On those numbers, would be hard to abstain on confidence and supply (the lowest possible level) as the Nats + ACT would presumably have the balance of 57 seats between them, so after the Speaker was appointed from Labour (most likely), would be 57 "normal" MPs each.
The problem being TPM are saying (at the moment) they won’t coalesce with anybody.
The loose definition of a government in our system is a MP appointed as prime minister being able to win confidence and supply votes in parliament. That is the only criteria that the crown recognises.
No-one or no party actually has to go into a coalition with anyone. Coalitions are just an special case of support on confidence and supply, and in fact is revocable at any point in time.
That is National’s problem, there is a reluctance for other parties to support them on confidence and supply even when they are the party with the largest number of MPs in parliament. Like 2017 when they couldn’t gain the confidence of enough MPs to allow their putative government to form.
That is most likely because of the poor behaviour of previous governments led by National. That pattern of behaviour goes at least back to 1997 where they actively tried to disintegrate the internal coherence of NZ First while in a coalition agreement with them.
There really is no option for TPM to sit on the fence in a hung parliament. Either they give confidence and supply votes to a PM (usually for specific policies or concessions) or they wind up forcing a new election. All of the blame for putting voters through, paying for a new election, and the economic consequences of the interim uncertainty will at TMP’s feet. It’d be unlikely that TMP would survive as a parliamentary party if that happened.
Labour don't like TPM. Even though it would be in it's best interests to keep them onside. Especially since if and when they lose the maori seats to TPM, they will not get them back.
Baseless assumption without any evidence to back it up and posted as an assertion. Labour may not have ‘liked’ NZF either in 2017 but they did form a Government together and held it together for a full term. Do you have any better political debating points or are you scraping the bottom of your barrel?
Seems a reasonable statement, that Labour don’t like TPM (based on history). They used to not like the GP until the point in history when they needed them.
On my phone and can’t be arsed looking or links to support my opinion, which is that Labour for a long time had a FPP mentality and took the position that things would be better if small parties were out of parliament (or out of Labour’s way). That changed at the point Labour realised they need led the GP to form govt and shifted their position of disdain to one of positive working together to change the govt.
in contrast to the GP who had wanted that for a number of years prior.
Then there is the Labour’s F/Seabed act, Turia leaving Labour, the formation of TPM, and TPM later going with Nat.
TPM was founded 18 years ago (has it been really that long ago?). They have undergone quite a few changes since then, I’d imagine, with a new leadership and 2 first-term MPs in 2020.
people need to provide links for quotes, statements of fact, and for controversial opinions relying on an assertion. I don't think comment fits that criteria, others may disagree.
If nothing else, TPM's voting record is quite pro-Labour so far this term. I don't know the exact stats, but when I look in Hansard at 3rd readings, TPM seem to be in favour a lot more often than not. That's not to say they support everything uncritically, but from what I've seen of their voting record, it suggests more alignment with Labour and the Greens than National and ACT.
Labour got 65 seats plus the 10 of the Green Party. TPM was new in 2020, as they didn’t win any seats in 2017, IIRC. Besides the fact that it is irrelevant you only have your reckons as to who ‘likes’ whom, which is no basis for robust debate. Lift your game.
Farmers think they can dictate their own terms, but discerning market's are not interested in their bullshit. And it's not just their non-compliance with climate regulations that will see them shut out of markets, the ever present, every growing cadmium levels are not invisible to their customers either.
“A significant (P < 0.001) relationship between total soil Cd and total P indicated the overriding influence of P fertiliser application history on soil Cd accumulation.”
Did you miss the bit where it says nz farmers are ahead of the rest, and that British farmers can offset there emmisions with things like hedges ,which we are not allowed to do!?
NZ farmers are "allowed" to offset their emissions by planting hedge-rows. They just won't be paid by the taxpayer to do it. What possible reason would the conscious farmer have for not planting hedge-rows? Given the size of the farms here in NZ compared with those in the UK, the potential for NZ farmers to become the Climate Heroes is enormous – why aren't they leaping at the opportunity? They'd be beloved by the NZ townies, especially when they took the initiative without expectation of financial recompense!! This would be heroic stuff!
I mean "offset" as a general term; I can offset my potential green house gas contribution by planting trees around the village – no one has to pay me to do it.
The more the weather turns to extremes, the more our livestock need hedges, and trees, and better management.
How some people can consider themselves world leaders while leaving their stock in the weather 24/7 365 days is beyond me. Just go stand outside for a week with, and then without, tree cover. World leaders – Bloody pulling our legs.
Metrics, DB Brown; it all hinges on how you measure success. Chose your metric, you can be a winner too! Could be that our meth dealers are the best in the world as well – depends on which ruler they apply.
Was supposed to be a reply to Weka…Couple of examples below, there's not really much available on terms of cause but you'd have to think that Covid is playing a role.
Have a neat graph from the health insurance scheme in Germany that shows an increase of about 80 per day from q1 2021 that's stayed fairly steady. Just can't figure out how to post it.
Have a neat graph from the health insurance scheme in Germany that shows an increase of about 80 per day from q1 2021 that’s stayed fairly steady. Just can’t figure out how to post it.
If it is visible somewhere on the net, then comment and press the image button (looks like some small hills) in the editor and give the the URL of the image. Set the width at about 550 and leave the height blank.
Yeah but given you plan ain't gonna happen ,wouldn't it be far better if the Europeans who want freedom from the shit bags running fussing went nuclear? (In the interim while fusion gets finished)
I can see this is attractive if you think high tech civilisation is going to continue in perpetuity. But if climate collapses the global economy, we will have to live within our limits but the transition will be brutal (as opposed to the choices we have now).
And then who will look after and maintain the nuclear power plants?
Lynn has made some compelling arguments recently from a mainstream perspective about why nuclear is not a suitable option. The waste issue hasn't been solved for a start.
But mostly it will just perpetuate all the other problems we are creating by living beyond our means, especially the ecology crises of biodiversity loss, overdevelopment, and water.
Yeah but given you plan ain't gonna happen
It's likely to happen if we don't transition to something sustainable (nuclear isn't). That's not fringe thought, climate scientists have been pointing this out and mainstream orgs.
Besides, we don't have time any more, that ship has sailed. Future generations might be able to scale back up to other high tech forms of energy generation, but it's not in our immediate future, the tech just isn't close to being available at scale).
I was chatting to a buddy in the weekend and he was part way through a submission concerning changes with the Firearms Act changes. Full cost recovery is part of the vibe.
On a set, if there are weapons, an armourer needs to be present. An armourer that is vetted and approved by the police. What is proposed is police to inspect all firearms at a fee of $300. He mentioned some other changes…
What I was left with was yet another example of meddling/changes that aren’t needed and another voting block disinclined to tick for Labour come election time.
The core of the issue is whether you believe in "User Pays", aka "Poor People Can't Use", that slogan that the wealthy classes love to get everyone to buy into.
While there is some truth to that, I think this change is way more dangerous than that. Folk will have to pay $300 to receive training from Police as a first barrier. The neo-liberal way doesn't stop with the gross ticket clipping.
I have recently gone through the vetting process as my SO has applied for a license. This interview was sub-contracted out to a third party. Now we have to trust those that the police trust…
To think for decades, this was administered by the Mountain Safety Council, including training.
Just another example of the f***ed mindset that the powers that be posses.
Don't like the message, rather than dispute the facts of a news story, shoot the messenger, eh Ed.
Spreading distrust of factual verifiable media news reports, something else you share with far right conspiracy theorists and other assorted fascists. (Besides justifying brutal and unjust wars.)
The ugly history of ‘Lügenpresse,’ a Nazi slur shouted at a Trump rally
BERLIN — When a video of two Donald Trump supporters shouting “Lügenpresse” (lying press) started to circulate Sunday, viewers from Germany soon noted its explosive nature…..
….it is a common slogan among those branded as representing the “ugly Germany”: members of xenophobic, right-wing groups….
…Both the Nazi regime and the East German government made use of it, turning it into an anti-democracy slogan.
I haven't called Ed a fascist. When Ed trolled my comment on the death of another Russian oligarch in suspicious circumstances, rather than disputing the facts he attacked the Daily Mail as the Daily Fail. I simply pointed out that this is a tactic he shares with fascists.
It is not as if Ed doesn't have form for this sort of thing. But what offends me most about Ed's continual smearing of the Western media and journalists, is his ignoring of the the terrible oppression suffered by journalists and media outlets in Russia that don't toe the pro-war Kremlin line that Ed adheres to.
Evidence of the imbalance of the justice system. Steal from 5 of your employees in over 70 breaches of the law; get fined and forbidden from running a business for three years. No jail time, not even home detention. I imagine the outcome would have been very different had it been the employees that were stealing.
I'd like to see wage theft criminalised to some extent, but this particular case involved civil breaches of employment law rather than criminal charges for migrant exploitation (which do exist, MBIE has prosecuted successfully before), which suggests to me that MBIE didn't see that bar as being reached in this case.
MBIE need a rocket. The shitheel's photo is not even included in the story, and he has managed to negotiate his wife out of any accountability for her part in this calculated abuse.
Not sure how it's MBIE's fault the story didn't have a photo, nor is it clear what she actually had to do with the exploitation that merited personal liability (which the shitheel would have paid anyway) or banning when, if she does run something, he can't be anywhere near it. If the Labour Inspectorate's case was, essentially, that he was the mastermind who later operated the business using her as the front person (which the judge found), then spending time and effort including her wasn't worth the delays it would have caused.
I read the article and the news release on Employment.govt.nz, but potential liability for breaches being available doesn't automatically mean that it is worth pursuing them. It's not a criminal case so only fines and bans are on the table – what value is there in going to a fully defended trial instead of taking the quicker win and getting what was likely to be the same amount of money into the victims' pockets faster?
Completely agree, employee steals something it's a criminal charge, when an employer steals from an employee via wage or holiday theft it's a civil matter. Criminal charges and subsequent record if found guilty would be a massive deterrent against such awful behavior.
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 ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. 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 ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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The French experience the house of peine. A missed penalty kick in the semi-final here and then some more after extra time in the World Cup football final.
The match itself was an illustration of why football remains the most popular sport in the world.
It's a prety boring sport, if you ask me (which, of course, nobody did, but it warrants mentioning occasionally).
Oh, come now, you can't be serious. Football has everything – skill, athleticism, speed, drama. It truly is the beautiful game.
Elon Much ado about nothing but himself Musk tweets – the woke mind virus is either defeated or nothing else matters.
Caitlin Johnstone takes him at his word, and profiles who he is.
https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/the-ruling-class-promotes-identity
I agree 100% with Caitlin Johnstone on who Elon Musk actually is..however his revelations confirming what most already knew, the collusion to supress the Hunter Biden story six days before the US general election are very important…and we all know that if we flipped this story and it was Trump/Republican’s caught red handed, meddling so obviously with an election, it would have been front page news on all Liberal media still now…even on our own little US/UK hand puppet, RNZ…instead of the almost total silence/obfuscation and whataboutism that we have experienced….not to mention he has also revealed that both the FBI and CIA were deeply embedded in Twiiter (and I am sure still are)….so not a nothing story at all , by any metric of how news stories might be measured..it’s just not news to the Liberal media it exposed as being shit….proving yet again how little they can be trusted in delivering fair and balanced news.
Of course we all knew this about MSM Rightwing media long long ago, which is why that point isn’t worth discussing again here on a Left leaning forum today.
Fairness and Balance in reporting…is there no MSM organization capable of that one simple task left in the English language?…..I can’t think of one, who am I missing?.. there must be at least one.
Should such a story influence an election result? (and it probably would not have because of all the early voting and postal voting in 2020).
And how was it that this story just happened to emerge at such a time anyway? Maybe some in the media were just unwilling to be played.
The decision of Comey to announce an investigation into Clinton in the last month of a campaign in 2016 (ended just before the election) might have influenced close results in the rust belt that decided the election.
Such issues distract from focus on governance policy.
"Maybe some in the media were just unwilling to be played"….the media is there only to report on the news and information in receives, end of story…who are they to decide if or when the public should receive that information?…unless of course that itself same media has skin in the game on a particular story, or worse still has an ideological stake in the information it is blocking the public from being informed about…which of course all US Liberal media, including Twitter and Facebook did in the Hunter Biden story…..which of course is yet another reason why public trust in Fair and Balanced reporting is at all time low's…an almost completely self inflicted wound on their part…they don't deserve out trust…which includes our own media…like RNZ who are one of the worst offenders in the NZ media landscape.
Americans' Trust In Media Remains Near Record Low
The thing is, timing news to influence election results is a corruption of the democratic process.
"timing news to influence election results is a corruption of the democratic process."…you do understand that every single political party in the entire world does that exact thing when given the opportunity right?
Do you think MSM is serving the public by being manipulated? A professional and competent media estate would investigate "the source" of the "timed release" before publishing.
God you can't be really as naive as you are making out…are you?
What I think isn't important. what happens in the real world is…and in the real world, indisputably, every single political party (and those acting for them) in the world, including the Democrats and NZ Labour, will and do, release whatever dirt they have on the opposition to the press at a time during the election cycle when they think it would have the most effect…and as long as the information is true (like the Hunter lap top story or Hillary's hack both were), then the media's only job is to inform the public of those facts….and remember both those stories had important, if unsavoury facts, that the public had the right to be informed of before voting.
…if they were neutral players they would do so…but as already established, Liberal MSM is not neutral (as the R/Wing press isn’t either)…more than not, they are active partisan players in the political process now…so in other words, not Fair and Balanced reporting by any stretch of the imagination…and I know many people on this site have powerful imaginations.
In summary you think it is the media's job to be a cipher for manipulation, because they operate in the real world where everyone does it.
If you just accept the real world where everyone does it, why complain about anyone doing anything, such as operating to a partisan bias in reporting and exercise of power in self interest?
The binary bigotry of war vs. peace is polarising and divisive. It causes trench wars between camps that have much more in common than they realise but the real common enemy stays out of sight, mostly, and has successfully weaponised their moral sensibilities to set them up against each other. The Left has no defences against this subversive manipulation, which is why they lose ground and election battles, time after time.
PS this was intended as a reply to Ed (https://thestandard.org.nz/push-back-against-tyranny-and-win/#comment-1927047) but that likely would have almost zero impact.
Far too easy to get the left fighting amongst ourselves. And listening to distractions.
Exactly. They make for the perfect decoy because they always fight back, each and every time. And it is for a just cause, of course. And they hate perceived traitors; Roger Douglas is a case in point but equally some so-called Left pundits or even the Parties on/of the Left when they slip up for not being ‘pure & perfect’ enough. It goes on and on …
When the US military can't account for 21 trillion dollars and your saying war vs. peace is divisive and polarising. Could I suggest if your pro the military machine at this point, your not left wing. Liberal, sure, but left wing – nope.
No, you cannot suggest any of the kind. But what you can do is to re-read my comment and specifically “[t]he binary bigotry of war vs. peace …” [emphasis added]. Besides that, sticking lazy labels with a clear derogatory intent is nothing more than a personal attack. As usual, you’ve added nothing but noise here.
Divisive?
Hell I can never make up my mind whether it was Pink Floyd's Pulse 94 or Dire Strait's Alchemy concert that was the most epic ever
(A fair bit of noise either way you swing …)
Depends on whether you’re a Sultan or not.
or a wizened sultana
Led Zeppelin, Western Springs, 1971
Jethro Tull, Civic Theatre. 1974
I was there!
July 1972 at the Auckland town hall.
My first stadium concert, February 1972.
We did not know how lucky we were. There is of course a great deal of excellent music – even today. But that era was especially graced.
Because all the really clever kids wanted to be songwriters. Today they want to create start-ups/content/
videoimmersive games.True enough. But the music is far from dead.
The other night I was having Christmas drinkies (well not me, I cannot anymore) and talking with a guy recently returned from working and travelling in the USA. He is a muso and was relating just how vibrant, pervasive and deeply integrated music culture is in that country. He was clearly energised by the experience and it was fun listening to him talk about it.
Huge fan of early 21stC American music with it's roots in the hardscrabble soul/gospel/blues/folk/country/bluegrass of a growing nation.
Can't really say anything else.
Then don’t say nothing. Silence is golden and noise annoys.
Here is a good clip with long time Democrat and anti war activist explaining how the Democratic party and by extension the Liberal class have become captured by the US war machine…..and sadly, as have many good people on this very site…
What a relevant video.
This explains what happened to sectors of the ‘liberal’left and applies in part to the parts of the left in New Zealand as well.
Some of the most belligerent and bellicose voices can be found on this and the Daily Blog website.
Glenn Greenwald
1. Harmon and Pelosi backing illegal spying of Americans after 9/11 (GWB authorised it).
2. the NYT not publishing the story until after the 2004 election
3. Why Snowden did not go to MSM
This may explain why so many people are dying suddenly during the Covid epidemic.
Sub clinical Myocarditis ( heart inflammation) without symptoms may be very common, and only identifiable if MRI scanning is used.
Quote:
''Most striking, however, is that only nine of the athletes had symptoms of myocarditis; the vast majority of the group were diagnosed with subclinical myocarditis, based solely on findings from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that detected inflammation in the heart muscle. The researchers say this finding likely means that a significant percentage of those in the general population who were infected with COVID-19 developed subclinical myocarditis but were never diagnosed because they weren’t screened with a cardiac MRI.''
In 2005 myocarditis took out the only Green MP I had respect for- Rod Donald. The gulf between him and current Green Party leadership is stark.
https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/news/2022/UM-School-of-Medicine-Researchers-Participate-in-Big-Ten-Health-Registry-to-Study-Heart-Inflammation-in-Athletes-Recovering-from-COVID-19.html
can you please provide the evidence that many people are dying suddenly in the past three years (other than known covid deaths)?
Also, as far as I can tell the research is investigating sub clinical carditis in student athletes and the markers for that, with an eye on future problems if undiagnosed.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2335991-there-are-thousands-more-uk-deaths-than-usual-and-we-dont-know-why/
Also look up Dr John Campbell on YT if you want.
''Also, as far as I can tell the research is investigating sub clinical in student athletes and the markers for that, with an eye on future problems if undiagnosed.''
From the quote above:
''The researchers say this finding likely means that a significant percentage of those in the general population who were infected with COVID-19 developed subclinical myocarditis but were never diagnosed because they weren’t screened with a cardiac MRI.''
I took that to mean an extrapolation of clinical results with athletes to a guesstimate of myocarditis in the general population.
Not everyone with carditis dies. Equally significant here is undiagnosed sub clinical damage from covid that causes problems in the future. I would guess including because of high intensity training. In other words, they could be causing further damage playing sport while undiagnosed
Quite true. Yes, future damage is possible. I do a HIT workout once a week and I'm stuffed for 2 days afterwards. A pro sports person would be doing such workouts on a daily basis for most of the week. Inflammation would be a problem regardless of Covid.
But could I switch things around. The athletes may have better long term outcomes than the general public because their fitness benefits outweigh the negatives they impose on their bodies by hard training?
But:
Jacko Gill, a NZ sports person became seriously ill at one stage This is his training schedule from Wiki:
''I enjoy weight-lifting, power-lifting mainly, so will lift for around four hours a day, and throw only a couple of times per week. ''
That would kill an average man. It nearly killed Gill.
Gill developed Myocarditis
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/big-read-jacko-gill-opens-up-on-life-threatening-illness-and-stalled-career/ZL3RI5GJLTXWEPA7BHSQ7AC5ZE/
most people are cavalier about covid. It's basically a lottery at this point. We were very focused in the first year or so on deaths and impacts on the health system. NZ isn't very good at disability and chronic illness. We're most likely in for some wake up calls over the next five years.
You had no respect for Jeanette Fitzsimmons, Once-was-a-sort-of-socialist?
How so?
Well, Council Boy, it goes back to the late 1990s. One, Lindsay Perigo, had a TB show. During one show a recording was played of Jeanette addressing an audience.
The most important part went something like( this was along time ago):
''Most would consider our policies we want to implement as communist. Therefore a Green vehicle is the best way to introduce such policies to the general public. A Green platform is something most people will understand even if they disagree with our policies.''
Is that a quote (it's inside quotation marks) or just your distant remembering?
He can’t even remember if he was a Socialist once or not.
Fan of Perigo. Libertarian.
I'm a fan of his written constitution.
Move to the US of A.
You're a Hobson's Choicer.
My distant remembering. But that was the general jist. I just used quotation marks to highlight my remembering. Since then I have paid no mind to the Greens. When they went crazy over peak oil ( remember that?) I had to smile. I believe they are now big time into Climate Change. I think they should be rebranded ''The Precautionary Principle Party''
BTW- have you heard anything about the new protocols for measuring methane? I'm still searching the internet for them. If confirmed, would that mean our methane reduction targets are redundant?
Yeah, that's not how they work.
Yes, so I've been told.
We shouldn't then, pay the words you attribute to Jeanette, any heed.
Methane? Urea in, methane out; sequestered hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere by ruminants – something has to be done.
''We shouldn't then, pay the words you attribute to Jeanette, any heed.''
Of course not. That is your choice ( enjoy democracy while we still have it). But I swear on a sacred mung bean, she said words to that affect.
''Methane? Urea in, methane out; sequestered hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere by ruminants – something has to be done.''
Apparently not according to Dr Tom Sheahan. He appeared on Jamie Mackay's farming show and said Methane isn't a problem. The response to this interview was quite intense. Jamie, I believe, had to invite other scientists onto the show to counter what Sheahan had said. The public had to be told the 'real truth' that is acceptable to consensus scientific, public and political opinion.
@ 3.58
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/the-country-full-show-thursday-november-24-2022/3K75OE6ROFFJHMBUNSJNJZV5CU/
Everyone who appears on Jamie Mackay's farming show says Methane isn't a problem.
They would say that, wouldn’t they? Why else go on the show or listen to it? People tune in and hear what they want to hear. At best, it is infotainment, because it is clearly ‘sponsored’ content.
Not Damien O'Connor. They are mates. But of course you don't listen to the show and wouldn't believe a Tory and Leftie could be mates. To be fair Damien has many views that align with the right.
Did Damien say "Methane isn't a problem"?
Missed that episode.
You missed all the episodes. Damien is a true believer in CC. On balance, so is Jamie.
I've listened to all I could stomach. Are there really contributors who don't "believe in CC"?
(Sounds like I haven't missed much at all).
Damien, like Stuart Nash, is from the right of Labour's 'broad church'.
Myocarditis is often a response to something else. In Rod Donald's case, a bacterial infection.
Correct. And when you have sub clinical myocarditis with an unfit heart or other concurrent pathologies, a healthy person can drop dead. Pity we all can't all have a MRI scan should we catch Covid. I caught Covid a few weeks back. Had it for 3 days.
The contradictions are like a sore thumb. Lift your game or ship out.
Oh, yes, I forgot the word 'supposedly.'
Nope, you already used too many words that you know very little about stringed together into a hopeless mess of nonsense as with most of your comments here. The addition of one little word doesn’t change this.
Are you now a heart specialist, public health expert, or an expert in epidemiology after you’ve had Covid-19 for 3 days?
Tom is a forklift driver. He is unfit. He's carrying a little extra weight. He has undiagnosed diabetes. He contracts Covid; recovers and feels fine. But he also has undiagnosed sub clinical myocarditis after his bout of Covid. His wife leaves him. His cortisol levels rise with the shock of his wife leaving. That pumps glucose into his blood stream. His heart, unready under stress ( unbeknown to him), stops. People then say '' but he looked fine.''
”Are you now a heart specialist, public health expert, or an expert in epidemiology after you’ve had Covid-19 for 3 days?”
No, so what?
He had undiagnosed sub clinical myocarditis long before he got Covid.
Tom is unfit and generally unhealthy and the signs are there. And he has marital problems too, apparently. Tom’s life is a wreck and Covid is not the cause. Tom died while watching the Soccer World Cup and drinking and smoking too much and sitting in his chair far too long – the clot caused a major stroke – and they found him 2 days later.
"Tom is a forklift driver… he's carrying a little extra weight."
Well, it's his job, innit!
Not if hydraulics are blown.
Robert…… 🙂
''Tom is unfit and generally unhealthy and the signs are there. ''
Yes.
Tom’s life is a wreck and Covid is not the cause.
Possible.
''Tom died while watching the Soccer World Cup and drinking and smoking too much and sitting in his chair far too long – the clot caused a major stroke – and they found him 2 days later.''
Possible…but the link I posted to Weka had this headline:
''There are thousands more UK deaths than usual and we don’t know why''
Bear in mind this is just in the period from April 2022. And is not limited to Britain.
My first link posited a link between athletes and myocarditis during recovery from Covid. So Tom MAY still have be alive if he hadn't contracted Covid as the link also makes hints to Covid recovery and myocarditis in the general population.
Tom’s marital problems were not caused by Covid unless he refused to wear a mask in the bedroom.
How many of the deaths in the UK were student athletes? Given that Tom is not a student athlete by any stretch of the imagination you’re on highly speculative ground here and wasting our good time and sucking up our oxygen. It is déjà vu all over again.
No, its not. Read my last paragraph. Tom comes into the general population demographic covered in the study.
Tom’s martial problems could have been a contribting factor( stress wise) to his death.
Sure some of it's speculative. But until these spikes in deaths are accounted for all things must be considered.
Nope, he doesn’t, as he is not a student athlete as included in the study. You invented Tom and a colourful narrative that is speculative, as even those US researchers explicitly stated. You’re making up things, as usual, but with some editorial assistance you could become a second-rate fiction writer.
All things must be considered.
The diesel from Tom's forklift is a red flag for starters.
I'm also leaning toward the possibility that Tom's keen interest in athletes, particularly pole-vaulters, coupled with his viewing habits, were a factor.
Raises some questions. From the article:
"The rate of COVID-associated myocarditis equals or greatly exceeds the rate of vaccine associated myocarditis in most populations. Furthermore, the severity of myocarditis is much worse from an infection…”
Given in NZ we're up to 4 recognized deaths linked to myocarditis from the vaccine. Then what would the "much worse" myocarditis from infection look like??
[Provide a link to support your ambiguous claim “in NZ we’re up to 4 recognized deaths linked to myocarditis from the vaccine” with clarification of what you mean exactly. You’re now in Pre-Mod until you comply – Incognito]
Mod note
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/fourth-death-possibly-linked-covid-19-vaccine
4?
I was assured, by my freedumb mates, that there'd been thousands!!!
Tell them to stop eating your Tutu vines.
They don't listen to me any longer – I'm their Greatest Disappointment (wouldn't launch into the rabbit hole).
Pedantic edit: tutu – a shrub or a tree.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutu_(plant)
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-46.asp
You want the "Summary of Reported Deaths" section
[Thank you, but you still have some explaining to do, as it states this:
You said it was “4 recognized links”.
Only 6 days ago, you received your final warning about spreading mis- and dis-information about Covid-19 (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-12-2022/#comment-1925743) and yet here we are … – Incognito]
[link edited]
Mod note
FFS on that page it mentions a total of 4 deaths, and as another commenter has shown finding another reference linking 4 deaths is about 2 seconds of work away. Yet here we are…
[It was not without reason for giving you your final warning 6 days ago, as you have repeatedly shown to provide unreliable inaccurate commentary about anything related to Covid-19. I’ve given you another chance today, going against my gut feeling, and you blew it.
Your link to the Medsafe report does not state a total of 4 deaths recognized [by the Coroner] as caused by myocarditis caused by Covid-19.
The link by ‘another commenter’ is entitled “Fourth death possibly linked to COVID-19 vaccine” [emphasis added]. It is even in the URL. Again, it doesn’t state that there have been 4 recognized deaths. It may well turn out to be the case but that link clearly states this:
I don’t want to waste any of my spare time on you during the summer break. Take 4 recognized weeks off and don’t get Covid if you go anywhere – Incognito]
Mod note
Risk of Myocarditis After Sequential Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine and SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Age and Sex
This is a fairly technical paper published in August, looking at 43 million people. Overall they found incidence of myocarditis was about 3.5x higher for vaccinated people following infection with covid, and 7x higher for unvaccinated people following infection with covid, compared to the incidence of mycarditis following vaccination with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine.
Interestingly, the incidence after vaccination was relatively higher in men (especially young men) while the incidence after covid was a bit higher in women. The second dose (and only the second dose) of the moderna vaccine seemed higher risk – comparable to getting covid.
Of course, myocarditis is probably the worst risk from the vaccines, but is just one of many risks from getting the actual disease.
Yep, that is why pFizer recommended their drug was to be aspirated before administering. A step, by the way, when I asked for was acknowledged but then they 'forgot to do'.
To the best of my knowledge, the PTB ignored this stipulation and aspiration was not done unless requested by the individual.
Thankyou Dr Davis providing an explanation on why a merger is desirable. Like 3 Waters there is so much bluster about dealing with a national need that a peasant like me needs a clear understanding of the issues.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/merged-tvnzrnz-a-marriage-made-in-heaven-not-hell?utm_source=Friends+of+the+Newsroom&utm_campaign=c4800a289d-Daily_Briefing+19.12.2022&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-c4800a289d-95522477#comment-container
You only need to turn on TVNZ to get an argument in favour of a merger. Endless reality dreck, punctured by a similar amount of advertising. MKR, Celeb Treasure Island, etc. I really don't know how those who oppose the merger can have such little ambition for broadcasting in this country.
How will the merger take any of that drivel off our TV screens? And what will replace it that brings in the same level of advertising revenue? Or has the government indicated its intention to deliberately reduce TVNZ's revenue and pump in more taxpayers money to fund the shortfall?
The government plans to give ANZPM a mandate and funding to commission content directly, rather than have to go through NZ on air, which is a flawed model. If I had my way, NZOA would be folded into the merged entity, which would deliver wall to wall docos.
You've missed my point. The government does not intend stopping TVNZ selling advertising, so there is no guarantee at all that the crap that is on TV won't remain on TV.
When TVNZ's charter was implemented, there was an improvement in quality, as they were required to carry out public service objectives. The merged entity would be about the same. Also, there would be no expectation of the dividend by the government, which would free up cash for investment in programming.
The last dividend TVNZ paid was only $15m, in August 2021. Prior to that, TVNZ hadn't paid a dividend since 2018.
According to the government, RNZ is not viable in its current form.
So the government would be receiving little or no dividend anyway.
I cannot see anything in the merger proposal that would drive the programs you and I both detest off the air, unless the government was prepared to foot the bill for the revenue shortfall.
The government plans to take money off NZ on Air, and give it to to the merged media company to commission content. Well that is what I understand anyway.
But even that is just shuffling money. It isn't additional investment in programming. I'm still getting my head around the merger proposal, but I will say Peter Davis' article referenced above was a useful addition to the discussion.
Thanks for putting that up ianmac.
Just playing with some numbers, and wild assumptions.
Labour get 38% = 46 seats.
Greens get 10% = 12 seats
TPM win 5 Māori seats = 5
Added up is 63 and a majority.
The problem being TPM are saying (at the moment) they won’t coalesce with anybody.
Fun times!
link please
Here you go…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/481041/te-pati-maori-committed-to-holding-other-parties-to-account-on-a-te-tiriti-centric-aotearoa
All this "will/won't deal" talk is meaningless. The escape clauses are left wide open.
Not being in government is a very different position from refusing even to consider support on conf/supp, or an abstention which allows a gov't to be formed.
The only question that matters is "Would you prefer an immediate second election to a negotiation?". Nobody has ever said yes to that.
Indeed, politics is the art of compromise, which is something that many binary (and purist) thinkers can’t seem to get their heads around. One could ask them if they’re willing to get a divorce or leave their (meaningful?) relationship each time they don’t get their way.
The other point often missed is that it's not "go with National or Labour". Labour won’t get a majority without the Greens.
The question for TPM should be "Would you vote against the Greens if they – for the first time ever – could be in Cabinet with Labour, no other parties involved?".
Or more bluntly "Would you shaft your best friends in Parliament?".
The chances of TPM doing that and making Luxon/Seymour very happy, are near zero.
I’d go as far as to suggest that TPM and GP are ahead of the other Parties in the art of compromise (and the art of seeking consensus). This has got nothing to do with their relative size (MP seats) but everything with their culture and philosophy that underpins and guides their policies. Again, this is not binary but a spectrum and political pragmatism and opportunism play important roles too, of course.
I’d also suggest that TPM and GP are less influenced and driven by personality politics, particularly of their leaders/leadership. Perhaps this is one reason why they might attract less media attention than, say, the Twerker from Epsom.
Confidence and supply is fine, they don't have to go into a full coalition. On those numbers, would be hard to abstain on confidence and supply (the lowest possible level) as the Nats + ACT would presumably have the balance of 57 seats between them, so after the Speaker was appointed from Labour (most likely), would be 57 "normal" MPs each.
Confidence and Supply seems to be the way it’s pointing.
The loose definition of a government in our system is a MP appointed as prime minister being able to win confidence and supply votes in parliament. That is the only criteria that the crown recognises.
No-one or no party actually has to go into a coalition with anyone. Coalitions are just an special case of support on confidence and supply, and in fact is revocable at any point in time.
That is National’s problem, there is a reluctance for other parties to support them on confidence and supply even when they are the party with the largest number of MPs in parliament. Like 2017 when they couldn’t gain the confidence of enough MPs to allow their putative government to form.
That is most likely because of the poor behaviour of previous governments led by National. That pattern of behaviour goes at least back to 1997 where they actively tried to disintegrate the internal coherence of NZ First while in a coalition agreement with them.
There really is no option for TPM to sit on the fence in a hung parliament. Either they give confidence and supply votes to a PM (usually for specific policies or concessions) or they wind up forcing a new election. All of the blame for putting voters through, paying for a new election, and the economic consequences of the interim uncertainty will at TMP’s feet. It’d be unlikely that TMP would survive as a parliamentary party if that happened.
Labour don't like TPM. Even though it would be in it's best interests to keep them onside. Especially since if and when they lose the maori seats to TPM, they will not get them back.
Baseless assumption without any evidence to back it up and posted as an assertion. Labour may not have ‘liked’ NZF either in 2017 but they did form a Government together and held it together for a full term. Do you have any better political debating points or are you scraping the bottom of your barrel?
I dont see any instances where Labour has worked with TPM, or had any cordial discussion.
Happy to be proven wrong though.
Go for it then and give us some evidence for your baseless claim. The onus is on you.
Seems a reasonable statement, that Labour don’t like TPM (based on history). They used to not like the GP until the point in history when they needed them.
It is a simplistic and unsupported assertion.
On my phone and can’t be arsed looking or links to support my opinion, which is that Labour for a long time had a FPP mentality and took the position that things would be better if small parties were out of parliament (or out of Labour’s way). That changed at the point Labour realised they need led the GP to form govt and shifted their position of disdain to one of positive working together to change the govt.
in contrast to the GP who had wanted that for a number of years prior.
Then there is the Labour’s F/Seabed act, Turia leaving Labour, the formation of TPM, and TPM later going with Nat.
No, not your opinion, but millsy’s.
TPM was founded 18 years ago (has it been really that long ago?). They have undergone quite a few changes since then, I’d imagine, with a new leadership and 2 first-term MPs in 2020.
"On my phone and can’t be arsed looking or links to support my opinion,.."
One for the archives 🙂
not the first person to say that ;-p
people need to provide links for quotes, statements of fact, and for controversial opinions relying on an assertion. I don't think comment fits that criteria, others may disagree.
Depends on who makes the comment, e.g., if they have form. And when asked, whether they respond in good faith or not.
I'm a big fan of link-it or leg-it.
totally agree.
If nothing else, TPM's voting record is quite pro-Labour so far this term. I don't know the exact stats, but when I look in Hansard at 3rd readings, TPM seem to be in favour a lot more often than not. That's not to say they support everything uncritically, but from what I've seen of their voting record, it suggests more alignment with Labour and the Greens than National and ACT.
Opinions also have a foundation in reality and millsy is going to wow us with supporting material to back-up his claim of fact. Any moment now …
Jacinda didnt bring TPM into the fold after 2020. She could have easily offered them some sort of arrangement
Labour got 65 seats plus the 10 of the Green Party. TPM was new in 2020, as they didn’t win any seats in 2017, IIRC. Besides the fact that it is irrelevant you only have your reckons as to who ‘likes’ whom, which is no basis for robust debate. Lift your game.
Farmers think they can dictate their own terms, but discerning market's are not interested in their bullshit. And it's not just their non-compliance with climate regulations that will see them shut out of markets, the ever present, every growing cadmium levels are not invisible to their customers either.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/130784599/tescos-warning-to-new-zealand-farmers
“A significant (P < 0.001) relationship between total soil Cd and total P indicated the overriding influence of P fertiliser application history on soil Cd accumulation.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167880917305303
On the button, DB Brown.
Foreign markets, through industry here, will re-shape agriculture into what they want it to be.
Protestations from the pasture-roots are just warm air.
Did you miss the bit where it says nz farmers are ahead of the rest, and that British farmers can offset there emmisions with things like hedges ,which we are not allowed to do!?
NZ farmers are "allowed" to offset their emissions by planting hedge-rows. They just won't be paid by the taxpayer to do it. What possible reason would the conscious farmer have for not planting hedge-rows? Given the size of the farms here in NZ compared with those in the UK, the potential for NZ farmers to become the Climate Heroes is enormous – why aren't they leaping at the opportunity? They'd be beloved by the NZ townies, especially when they took the initiative without expectation of financial recompense!! This would be heroic stuff!
I hope your right ,will try dig up details tonight, but my understanding is that only plantations over a certain size can be used as offset,
I mean "offset" as a general term; I can offset my potential green house gas contribution by planting trees around the village – no one has to pay me to do it.
Oh so not a recognized offset!
A real offset. Best case scenario; set your off-setting systems up, then don't contribute to the ghg load anyway- win-win!
What if there's a bustle in your hedge-row?
I live in hope.
That includes our non-dairy farmers. Also some greenwashing which will be found out when the data is demanded.
The more the weather turns to extremes, the more our livestock need hedges, and trees, and better management.
How some people can consider themselves world leaders while leaving their stock in the weather 24/7 365 days is beyond me. Just go stand outside for a week with, and then without, tree cover. World leaders – Bloody pulling our legs.
Metrics, DB Brown; it all hinges on how you measure success. Chose your metric, you can be a winner too! Could be that our meth dealers are the best in the world as well – depends on which ruler they apply.
That was to encourage keeping hedge rows… as wildlife were impacted where they were removed… saw that on a British farming show.
Was supposed to be a reply to Weka…Couple of examples below, there's not really much available on terms of cause but you'd have to think that Covid is playing a role.
Have a neat graph from the health insurance scheme in Germany that shows an increase of about 80 per day from q1 2021 that's stayed fairly steady. Just can't figure out how to post it.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2022-002019_EN.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/10/21/hbam-o21.html
If it is visible somewhere on the net, then comment and press the image button (looks like some small hills) in the editor and give the the URL of the image. Set the width at about 550 and leave the height blank.
Better option is to live within our means rather that spending up large and expecting reality to suck that up.
Yeah but given you plan ain't gonna happen ,wouldn't it be far better if the Europeans who want freedom from the shit bags running fussing went nuclear? (In the interim while fusion gets finished)
I can see this is attractive if you think high tech civilisation is going to continue in perpetuity. But if climate collapses the global economy, we will have to live within our limits but the transition will be brutal (as opposed to the choices we have now).
And then who will look after and maintain the nuclear power plants?
Lynn has made some compelling arguments recently from a mainstream perspective about why nuclear is not a suitable option. The waste issue hasn't been solved for a start.
But mostly it will just perpetuate all the other problems we are creating by living beyond our means, especially the ecology crises of biodiversity loss, overdevelopment, and water.
It's likely to happen if we don't transition to something sustainable (nuclear isn't). That's not fringe thought, climate scientists have been pointing this out and mainstream orgs.
Besides, we don't have time any more, that ship has sailed. Future generations might be able to scale back up to other high tech forms of energy generation, but it's not in our immediate future, the tech just isn't close to being available at scale).
By all rights, my ban should be over now.
It didn’t stop you on TDB.
I was chatting to a buddy in the weekend and he was part way through a submission concerning changes with the Firearms Act changes. Full cost recovery is part of the vibe.
On a set, if there are weapons, an armourer needs to be present. An armourer that is vetted and approved by the police. What is proposed is police to inspect all firearms at a fee of $300. He mentioned some other changes…
What I was left with was yet another example of meddling/changes that aren’t needed and another voting block disinclined to tick for Labour come election time.
Kinda helps explain ACT’s strong polling of late.
The core of the issue is whether you believe in "User Pays", aka "Poor People Can't Use", that slogan that the wealthy classes love to get everyone to buy into.
While there is some truth to that, I think this change is way more dangerous than that. Folk will have to pay $300 to receive training from Police as a first barrier. The neo-liberal way doesn't stop with the gross ticket clipping.
I have recently gone through the vetting process as my SO has applied for a license. This interview was sub-contracted out to a third party. Now we have to trust those that the police trust…
To think for decades, this was administered by the Mountain Safety Council, including training.
Just another example of the f***ed mindset that the powers that be posses.
In case anyone wants to get involved:
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/programmes-and-initiatives/consultation-arms-regulations-review-fees-2022
Another Russian oligarch dies artistically.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11551217/Another-Russian-oligarch-dies-mysterious-circumstances-falling-stairs-France.html
The Daily Fail……
Geez touchy. Much.
Don't like the message, rather than dispute the facts of a news story, shoot the messenger, eh Ed.
Spreading distrust of factual verifiable media news reports, something else you share with far right conspiracy theorists and other assorted fascists. (Besides justifying brutal and unjust wars.)
An inelegant Godwin, cmon.
You think?
First they came for the media.
The Daily Fail… Fake News…. Lame Stream Media…. Lügenpresse…..
The tactic is clear. Don't challenge the veracity of the News Report directly, attack the media itself.
C'mon you.
I haven't called Ed a fascist. When Ed trolled my comment on the death of another Russian oligarch in suspicious circumstances, rather than disputing the facts he attacked the Daily Mail as the Daily Fail. I simply pointed out that this is a tactic he shares with fascists.
It is not as if Ed doesn't have form for this sort of thing. But what offends me most about Ed's continual smearing of the Western media and journalists, is his ignoring of the the terrible oppression suffered by journalists and media outlets in Russia that don't toe the pro-war Kremlin line that Ed adheres to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia
2022's 22nd Russia connected businessman to bite the bullet in suspicious circumstances. Plus a few family members.
https://www-varmatin-com.translate.goog/faits-divers/mysterieuse-chute-mortelle-d-un-oligarque-russe-a-antibes-815672?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/130782654/modernday-slavery-liquor-boss-gets-record-155m-in-fines-for-migrant-worker-exploitation
A good effort by the Labour Inspectorate, will be interesting to see the other cases in the pipeline as they reach court.
Evidence of the imbalance of the justice system. Steal from 5 of your employees in over 70 breaches of the law; get fined and forbidden from running a business for three years. No jail time, not even home detention. I imagine the outcome would have been very different had it been the employees that were stealing.
I'd like to see wage theft criminalised to some extent, but this particular case involved civil breaches of employment law rather than criminal charges for migrant exploitation (which do exist, MBIE has prosecuted successfully before), which suggests to me that MBIE didn't see that bar as being reached in this case.
MBIE need a rocket. The shitheel's photo is not even included in the story, and he has managed to negotiate his wife out of any accountability for her part in this calculated abuse.
Not sure how it's MBIE's fault the story didn't have a photo, nor is it clear what she actually had to do with the exploitation that merited personal liability (which the shitheel would have paid anyway) or banning when, if she does run something, he can't be anywhere near it. If the Labour Inspectorate's case was, essentially, that he was the mastermind who later operated the business using her as the front person (which the judge found), then spending time and effort including her wasn't worth the delays it would have caused.
Of course media coverage is nothing to do with MBIE. Duh. Noting how few of the usual consequences he has faced.
The story talks about negotiating her out of charges. They were both involved.
I read the article and the news release on Employment.govt.nz, but potential liability for breaches being available doesn't automatically mean that it is worth pursuing them. It's not a criminal case so only fines and bans are on the table – what value is there in going to a fully defended trial instead of taking the quicker win and getting what was likely to be the same amount of money into the victims' pockets faster?
Completely agree, employee steals something it's a criminal charge, when an employer steals from an employee via wage or holiday theft it's a civil matter. Criminal charges and subsequent record if found guilty would be a massive deterrent against such awful behavior.
Anyone able to access this story and paste excerpts?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/co-governance-policy-jim-bolgers-challenge-to-jacinda-ardern/T53SLA5JOFDF3CU6E5SKCVLSYA/