I know that a lot here think that Corbyn winning the Labour election shows that “this is what the people want” and its a “start of a move to the left”.
72% of the population dont think he looks like a prime minister in waiting, and 37% of Labour voters were less likely to support Labour in the next election
Im thinking looking at who he’s adding to his shadow cabinet – its only going to get worse.
I have always argued that the guy would be a disaster – Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong – But Im still thinking its looking good for the Tory’s moving forward.
Edit – Doing my morning reading – here is a good one:
Why destroy Corbyn, when you can use him to destroy Labour:
Wake up James!
This is what really is happening.
Now you either are unaware of the fact that the British establishment,
Including the Tories and their owned media, are determined to destroy Corbyn, which I doubt …..
or you are a repeater of their toxic lies.
I deliberately didnt link to things like that – and I agree there are plenty of them.
But what I did point to were a) a HUGE labour funder who is pushing to drop Corbyn, or he will fund a new party.
Do you really think thats down to “the media” or do you think its a “toxic lie”
and b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.
Again – they are most likely not to be swayed by “right wing media” as they are Labour voters.
But hey – keep your tinfoil hat on and think perhaps, just perhaps the guys viewed as an idiot by a lot of people.
Plenty of other facts like most of his front bench not wanting to serve under him – did they all chose to do this because of “the media” – or perhaps there is a bit of truth outside “your world” that the guys an idiot and most of the voting public can see this?
Also – why is it left wingers that often think they are the only ones who can see thru “the biased media” and everyone else is a sheep / idiot / right winger. Cracks me up.
” b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.”
if true (and hard to confirm and even more difficult to believe) then it merely confirms the accusation that there is little discernible difference between the Blairites and the Tories…fifth column?
“Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories”
Ahhhhh, no, that’s complete and utter bollocks, isn’t it.
20% of Labour supporters say they are “more likely” to vote Conservative as a result of the new leadership. ie more likely than they were before the leadership election, not that it’s more likely than not that they’ll defect (which seems to be what you’re implying).
As a leading figure for pollster, YouGov has said (in a critique of this ORB Poll and the way it’s been reported), “more or less likely is not a particularly high criteria to meet – less likely is a long way short of not going to. So a headline like The Independent’s today saying Corbyn loses fifth of Labour voters based on 20% of Labour voters agreeing with a statement that with Corbyn as leader they are more likely to vote Tory is over-egging it. Those voters aren’t necessarily lost, they may still vote Labour tomorrow, their likelihood of voting Labour has just dropped to some degree.”
Meanwhile, here’s some interesting data from the poll that you “inadvertently” failed to mention …
ORB Poll for The Independent
More likely to vote Labour with Corbyn leading the Party SNP supporters 36% Lib Dem supporters 27% Ukip supporters 20% Tory supporters 8%
Incidentally, 63% of Labour supporters said they were more likely to vote Labour as a result of Corbyn’s election. No doubt many will be core supporters who wouldn’t consider voting any other way and are simply wanting to boost Corbyn’s and Labour’s chances, but it’s also likely that a section of this 63% will genuinely be more likely to turn out at the next election for the Party now that they have a leader offering a real alternative.
I’m not going to pretend the findings overall are pleasant reading, but considering the firestorm of abuse and ridicule and vitriol he’s had to suffer over the last couple of months and especially the last week, it’s not exactly a massive surprise.
Meanwhile, the 4 latest Party Support Polls conducted since Corbyn’s election (compared to previous results from same Pollster)
ICM (11-13 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 9 to 6 points
Com Res (16-17 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 14 to 12 points
Opinium (15-18 Sep)
No other post-Election Opinium Poll to compare this one with but Tories are just 5 points ahead of Labour in this Poll.
YouGov (15-16 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 11 to 8 points
And more of the electoral evidence that really matters….
Labour vote up in all 4 local body by-election seats a couple of days ago.
Up more than 7 points in one of its London council seats and up more than 5 points in a county council seat in Tory rural Yorkshire.
And a few more stats from the latest poll to be released – raising questions about just how comparatively “unpopular” Corbyn is.
This is from the Com Res Poll (16-17 Sep)
And bear in mind that, after making recent changes to its methodology, Com Res tends to show bigger Conservative leads than other Pollsters. So, if anything, these may err towards a slight inflation of Tory support and sentiment (although, impossible to know for sure).
Views of Leading Politicians
…………………Favourable………Unfavourable
Corbyn…………..24%…………………..42%
Cameron……….35%…………………..42%
Osborne………..25%…………………..42%
Clegg…………….18%……………………45%
Farron…………….6%…………………….18%
(Farron = new Lib Dem leader)
So, Corbyn’s no more disliked than PM Cameron or Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne. His ratings are, in fact, almost exactly the same as Osborne (who is being groomed to take the Tory leadership at some time in the future) and the only difference with Cameron is that Corbyn has a higher ‘Don’t Know’ / lower favourability %. Raises serious questions about the depiction of Corbyn as overwhelmingly unpopular.
Only 10% of Labour supporters have an unfavourable view of Corbyn.
More than half of middle-aged respondents and Ukip supporters feel unfavourable towards Tory PM Cameron.
……………………………….Agree…..Disagree…..Don’t Know
Corbyn danger to………35%…………34%…………..31%
National Security
Cameron danger to……25%…………53%…………..22%
National Security
Which is where you and they are wrong again. Their attacks on Corbyn are bolstering support for Labour as the RWNJs, including you, show just how nasty they are.
If he can replace his big funders with many thousands of individuals he might become the leader of a peoples party ,but I expect that’s what the right fear.
Losing your largest financial backers who start offering to fund a ‘break out’ party is positive news for labour and should be viewed as such. The right are correct to fear this.
If I was the AB’s I would be thinking about this result very carefully – I wouldn’t be sending the B Team out against Argentina. Who would have thought of it – there’s going to be some fun and games (excuse the pun) over the next 3 weeks. Good on Japan for their effort and bringing some unpredictability into the rest of the games.
Thanks James for that, now the AB’s just need to pray that some of their prize show ponies don’t limp off in the first 10 minutes of play in the early games like some of them have a habit of doing. Also the young fella who has had his native doctor fix up his leg, let’s hope it doesn’t let him down or Hansen will be rueing he put him in the team in place of Israel Dagg and Cory Jane.
The EU have recognised the pitfalls in the current Investor State Dispute System and has proposed an alternative. The National Party shut down the chance to debate the merits and flaws of ISDS in our Parliament by not even letting Fletcher Tabuteau’s Bill get to a first reading.
The EU have published their proposed new version for discussion. This is how rules and regulations should be made- by common agreement FOLLOWING input from all
interested parties/stakeholders. Tim Groser doesn’t consider the public to be stakeholders.
“Brussels, 16 September 2015
The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System.
The Investment Court System would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).”
What Is This Horrible Feeling Jeremy Corbyn Stirs In Me?
by PADDY McGUFFIN, Morning Star, 19 September 2015
Well, I hope you’re happy now you selfish bastards. You got what you wanted. Thanks to you Labour now has a leader with dignity, honour, compassion and above all honesty and integrity. In a very real sense Labour has become Labour again for the first time in a generation.
Shit.
Oh, it’s alright for you lot, with your demands for social justice and fairness but did any of you once give a thought to those of us who toil at the coalface of savage abuse, misanthropy and satire?
No.
Some of us have spent a large portion of our lives howling at the moon and attacking the New Labour project under first “El Presidente” Tony Blair and then “Dead Ed” Miliband. To borrow a phrase from the late demented Hunter S Thompson, this column beat New Labour like a gong, every chance it got.
He had Nixon and the campaign to re-elect the president, I had Blair and his neoliberal megalomaniacal mendacity.
Multiple illegal wars, anti-trade union legislation, PFI, flogging arms to despots.
I used to have to get up early just to make sure I could fit all the anger and hatred in.
And of course it wasn’t just Blair, there was a whole gallery of grotesques and hypocrites to pick from.
A quick glance at the front benches and you could have been at the Nuremberg trials.
Then of course there was the charisma vacuum of the Miliband years which saw the party not so much bring the fight to the Tories as bleat pathetically on the sidelines that it wasn’t fair.
The sheer spinelessness of Miliband was a thing of wonder, you were amazed he could actually stand up at Prime Minister’s Questions — and then promptly wished he hadn’t.
“The other complaint about his Shadow Cabinet was the low number of women appointed, only 16 out of 31 rather than the half he promised.” & “As he’s been leader for five days now, the press are calming down a bit. By tomorrow headlines will only say things like, “Cor-Bin Laden will force pets to be Muslim”, followed by an interview with 89-year-old Vera, who says: “It’s not fair because my hamster’s scared of burqas. That’s the last time I’ll vote Labour.”” & many more…
Morrisey
Thanks
I like this bit :
“At least with Blair you had to spend a moment working out what he was lying about this time and why. With Miliband you didn’t have to bother”
A schoolgirl’s dream of having her award-winning invention made in New Zealand has been shattered after the foundry making the product demanded a huge price rise.
Ayla Hutchinson, 16, from the tiny Taranaki settlement of Tariki, made headlines around the world for her school science project invention, and recently scored a big contract with a US firm to supply tens of thousands of Kindling Crackers.
But her fledging business is now in limbo, unable to meet offshore orders, because of the dispute with Precision Foundry of Auckland and its investor owners. Millions of dollars are at stake.
Short story: Private Equity firm takes over real industry, promptly destroys it trying to extract monopoly rents. In the process, wrecks promising little export business.
It is, in sum, the story of New Zealand’s manufacturing/industrial sector since the 1980s. Incompetent and greedy rentiers from the finance sector ransack the productive sector searching for short term windfall profits.
Sorry, but in a world of climate change and peak everything, it’s crazy to be making such items from heavy metal in NZ and then shipping them internationally. Such things should be made for local markets eg in the US they should be made there, probably in-state. It makes more sense to them to manufacture in situ.
“Millions of dollars are at stake.”
Which suggestst that this is about making money and that they are at the entry level of the same game the big boys are playing and getting a slap down. Because that’s how the game is played. There are other ways to make a living and do business.
With the way 3d printing is rapidly evolving I would think that the future lies in going into a shop getting them to print you’re kindling splitter or what ever and a fee being played to the holder of the patent. That would mean the raw materials could come from the nearest available point.
I hope it’s not actionable to suggest that I would not like to do business with Mr Ayers. I suspect getting everything in writing wouldn’t help much. He no doubt views this as ‘leverage’.
State Department spokespersons—it’s Jen Psaki in the following clip—often flounder under a wave of questions by reporters like we see here. However, these revealing encounters never make it on to the nightly news. It can’t be because anyone thinks these gruelling encounters are boring; they are anything but. Jen Psaki has obviously undergone extensive media training, but she is unable to maintain her condescending smile to the end here: unwilling to engage and clearly losing her composure, she eventually brushes off further questions: “I’m done.”
So why do we never see these reporters on our TV screens, but are instead forced to suffer the likes of government-friendly “reporters” like Patrick Gower in New Zealand, Jeremy Paxman in the UK and Matt Lauer in the USA?
It’s a long post but contains some important data -in light of the increasing number of people dying as a result of being shot by police.
There have been 3 fatal police shootings between May and September this year – one of those shot was unarmed and none had harmed anyone.
Of the last 7 people shot by police, 6 were Maori. Of the total 31 who have been shot, 13 were Maori.
Disturbingly few were the archetypical violent career criminal we might expect to be most likely to be shot by police; a lot were petty criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated, in the grip of a personal crisis.
In light of the steady move to a general arming of a police force which is almost as big as the defence force – these are huge issues.
This is an excellent post TeWhareWhero, and would make a great guest repost on the Standard.
It gathers together a lot of evidence about the increasing use of weapons by police that confirms a gut feeling I had about the recent spate of police shootings. Thank you.
‘Perhaps we should look at them closer.’
Or we could look closer at why society is producing more people that are in such a state that they end up running in to the sharp end of the law.
+1, we don’t analyse and problem solve what bought the person to be carrying a weapon and a possible risk to the public, instead we ignore all that and look for bandaid solutions like security guards at WINZ offices and police armed with more and more weaponry. Those kind of responses have a good chance of increasing the problem I would say.
@james “And in how many of the shootings have police been FOUND TO HAVE BEEN (my caps) in the wrong? “…. NEVER NOT ONCE. well that does make some of us think! !! others may prefer not to.
I have looked very closely at all of those who died – as much as I can with what is in the public domain. When I started looking into the sort of people the police shoot I thought it would be mostly violent and hardened criminals. I knew of some shootings which gave me concern – Wallace and Bellingham being two cases in particular – but I was shocked by what I found.
Most of those who have been shot are petty and often disorganised criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated and distressed / confused people.
Very few had killed other people – 2 of these were mass murderers.
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
Of course most of the people who died played a part in their death but to say they ’caused’ it is simplistic in the extreme.
The IPCA has never overturned the findings of the internal police enquiries into fatal shootings by police officers. It has found sometimes glaring errors of judgement and procedure but in all 27 cases investigated thus far, the IPCA has found that lethal force was justified.
if it wasn’t justified there would be grounds for a homicide prosecution because the police do not have an automatic right – thankfully – to kill people whether by shooting, or by asphyxiation when restraining them, or by causing fatal crashes when in pursuit.
Police are as bound to uphold the law as we are – well, in theory at least because they investigate themselves and have every expectation that the IPCA will not contradict the findings of that internal enquiry.
There are 8400 sworn police officers, almost of whom already have or soon will have access to firearms and some of whom are equipped to military standards.
We have a defence force of 9200 plus 2000 reservists.
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
For “it is not about oppressing free speech or stifling academic freedom”, Mr Cameron promises of his new regulations. “It is about making sure that radical views and ideas are not given the oxygen they need to flourish.” Stifle, verb: “to kill by depriving of oxygen”.
How long before we see such stifling regulations here in NZ from our present authoritarian, anti-democratic government?
…when many of New Zealand’s brightest university graduates ( straight ‘A’s in some cases in rather more profound subjects than property speculation) can not afford to do honours at New Zealand universities , even when invited to by university academics who regard them as their brightest students!
…and when many, if not most, young New Zealanders can not afford to own property because they are in so much student debt and house prices have gone way beyond their reach… thanks to foreign buy ups of New Zealand housing allowed by jonkey Nactional
You all seem very reticent on the travesty of justice that is taking place on monday. I would have thought that the takeover of our police and justice system by corporate America would be of some concern to thestandard commenters
@ xanthe …you are behind the times ….this was thrashed out on ‘Open Mike’ on the 17th….and for excitement one person was banned for defamation ( smirk)…actually two people were banned but one was banned for a very long time….and he deserved it!
2.) The second reason is what it could cost New Zealand in damages:
$2 Billion dollars…
…”Sony decided not to sign up to the case against Dotcom because they believed there was a chance he would get off these trumped up charges and in turn sue everyone involved in taking him down to the tune of $2billion???
And we had to sign up to this?
So how much exactly are we on the hook for here? If you don’t care that he has been unjustly dealt with and his rights breached, you may be in for one hell of a shock if he wins and we are left paying for this politically motivated prosecution….
never mind the $2 billion will be better spent with kim
he intends to use it (from twitter) to
”
Build a high tech school
Build a children’s hospital
Fund 100yrs of Internet Party
”
If Craig Joubert were a judge, he’d be
pretty much identical to this hapless woman
South Africa’s “non-referee” Craig Joubert became infamous for his refusal to stop the All Blacks’ concerted strategy of cheating in the 2011 RWC final. [1] How many of us were aware that almost exactly two years earlier, Joubert’s failure to do his job was being uncannily foreshadowed in an Arizona courtroom? A shameful, shameful performance indeed…..
Landline only polls are decried but are we forgetting that the people who have landlines are the people who actually vote? Are we forgetting that, as has been pointed out today, under 50% of 18-29 year olds (the mobile-only generation) actually vote?
Commiserations to the family of the deceased but surely this death is just another of the seemingly weekly workplace deaths we read about in John Key’s New Zealand.
He, by dint of ideologically driven health and safety policy, appears to not give a shit about workplace deaths.
Most of these so called journalists (churnalists) seem to think that it is the right thing to do to try to trip up the opposition leaders and show them in a poor light rather than to hold the government to serious account.
I do not understand why these journalists behave in this shoddy manner.
Personally I prefer a Labour led government with the Greens and NZF together for balance and long life, like 2, 3 or 4 terms if all behave well politically within reason.
If that is not possible for any reason, then if numbers work out, then
Just Labour+NZF will be quite fine for a reasonable tenure, like 2 or 3 terms.
or
Just Labour +Greens will be ok, but risky to endure a longer tenure. May be just 1 or 2 terms.
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Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
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I know that a lot here think that Corbyn winning the Labour election shows that “this is what the people want” and its a “start of a move to the left”.
So – hows it actually going?
One of Labours largest doners are saying roll him or he will fund a new party:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11877103/Labour-donor-Assem-Allam-tells-MPs-to-topple-Jeremy-Corbyn.html
72% of the population dont think he looks like a prime minister in waiting, and 37% of Labour voters were less likely to support Labour in the next election
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/19/uk-britain-politics-corbyn-idUKKCN0RJ0AX20150919
Im thinking looking at who he’s adding to his shadow cabinet – its only going to get worse.
I have always argued that the guy would be a disaster – Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong – But Im still thinking its looking good for the Tory’s moving forward.
Edit – Doing my morning reading – here is a good one:
Why destroy Corbyn, when you can use him to destroy Labour:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/jeremy-corbyn-tories-destroy-labour
Tory think Corbyn not a Tory!
Wake up James!
This is what really is happening.
Now you either are unaware of the fact that the British establishment,
Including the Tories and their owned media, are determined to destroy Corbyn, which I doubt …..
or you are a repeater of their toxic lies.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/08/owen-jones-right-are-mocking-jeremy-corbyn-because-secretly-they-fear-him
Paul,
I deliberately didnt link to things like that – and I agree there are plenty of them.
But what I did point to were a) a HUGE labour funder who is pushing to drop Corbyn, or he will fund a new party.
Do you really think thats down to “the media” or do you think its a “toxic lie”
and b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.
Again – they are most likely not to be swayed by “right wing media” as they are Labour voters.
But hey – keep your tinfoil hat on and think perhaps, just perhaps the guys viewed as an idiot by a lot of people.
Plenty of other facts like most of his front bench not wanting to serve under him – did they all chose to do this because of “the media” – or perhaps there is a bit of truth outside “your world” that the guys an idiot and most of the voting public can see this?
Also – why is it left wingers that often think they are the only ones who can see thru “the biased media” and everyone else is a sheep / idiot / right winger. Cracks me up.
” b) Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories – Funnily enough a similar %age to the number of Labour members who didnt vote for him in the leadership race.”
if true (and hard to confirm and even more difficult to believe) then it merely confirms the accusation that there is little discernible difference between the Blairites and the Tories…fifth column?
“Polls showing a HUGE %age of Labour voters are moving to the Tories”
Ahhhhh, no, that’s complete and utter bollocks, isn’t it.
20% of Labour supporters say they are “more likely” to vote Conservative as a result of the new leadership. ie more likely than they were before the leadership election, not that it’s more likely than not that they’ll defect (which seems to be what you’re implying).
As a leading figure for pollster, YouGov has said (in a critique of this ORB Poll and the way it’s been reported), “more or less likely is not a particularly high criteria to meet – less likely is a long way short of not going to. So a headline like The Independent’s today saying Corbyn loses fifth of Labour voters based on 20% of Labour voters agreeing with a statement that with Corbyn as leader they are more likely to vote Tory is over-egging it. Those voters aren’t necessarily lost, they may still vote Labour tomorrow, their likelihood of voting Labour has just dropped to some degree.”
Meanwhile, here’s some interesting data from the poll that you “inadvertently” failed to mention …
ORB Poll for The Independent
More likely to vote Labour with Corbyn leading the Party
SNP supporters 36%
Lib Dem supporters 27%
Ukip supporters 20%
Tory supporters 8%
Incidentally, 63% of Labour supporters said they were more likely to vote Labour as a result of Corbyn’s election. No doubt many will be core supporters who wouldn’t consider voting any other way and are simply wanting to boost Corbyn’s and Labour’s chances, but it’s also likely that a section of this 63% will genuinely be more likely to turn out at the next election for the Party now that they have a leader offering a real alternative.
I’m not going to pretend the findings overall are pleasant reading, but considering the firestorm of abuse and ridicule and vitriol he’s had to suffer over the last couple of months and especially the last week, it’s not exactly a massive surprise.
“Plenty of time for me to be proven wrong”
You’ve never spoken a truer word
Meanwhile, the 4 latest Party Support Polls conducted since Corbyn’s election (compared to previous results from same Pollster)
ICM (11-13 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 9 to 6 points
Com Res (16-17 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 14 to 12 points
Opinium (15-18 Sep)
No other post-Election Opinium Poll to compare this one with but Tories are just 5 points ahead of Labour in this Poll.
YouGov (15-16 Sep)
Labour cuts Tory lead from 11 to 8 points
And more of the electoral evidence that really matters….
Labour vote up in all 4 local body by-election seats a couple of days ago.
Up more than 7 points in one of its London council seats and up more than 5 points in a county council seat in Tory rural Yorkshire.
And a few more stats from the latest poll to be released – raising questions about just how comparatively “unpopular” Corbyn is.
This is from the Com Res Poll (16-17 Sep)
And bear in mind that, after making recent changes to its methodology, Com Res tends to show bigger Conservative leads than other Pollsters. So, if anything, these may err towards a slight inflation of Tory support and sentiment (although, impossible to know for sure).
Views of Leading Politicians
…………………Favourable………Unfavourable
Corbyn…………..24%…………………..42%
Cameron……….35%…………………..42%
Osborne………..25%…………………..42%
Clegg…………….18%……………………45%
Farron…………….6%…………………….18%
(Farron = new Lib Dem leader)
So, Corbyn’s no more disliked than PM Cameron or Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne. His ratings are, in fact, almost exactly the same as Osborne (who is being groomed to take the Tory leadership at some time in the future) and the only difference with Cameron is that Corbyn has a higher ‘Don’t Know’ / lower favourability %. Raises serious questions about the depiction of Corbyn as overwhelmingly unpopular.
Only 10% of Labour supporters have an unfavourable view of Corbyn.
More than half of middle-aged respondents and Ukip supporters feel unfavourable towards Tory PM Cameron.
……………………………….Agree…..Disagree…..Don’t Know
Corbyn danger to………35%…………34%…………..31%
National Security
Cameron danger to……25%…………53%…………..22%
National Security
Corbyn danger to………37%………….31%……………32%
Economic Security
Corbyn should have…..50%………….29%……………21%
sung the National Anthem
Corbyn offers a………….41%………….31%……………28%
positive difference
from other politicians
Corbyn should …………..22%………….54%……………23%
smarten up
his appearance by
shaving off his beard
At 70, Corbyn too……….40%…………..41%……………19%
old to be PM
Corbyn is …………………..37%…………..37%…………..26%
being treated
unfairly by the media
Corbyn is …………………..52%………….22%…………….26%
making more people
interested in politics
Overall, public sentiment regarding Corbyn is rather less clear-cut than James’ arguments might suggest.
Oh – and see my link – they are not trying to destroy Corbyn – they are using him to destroy Labour. 😉
Which is where you and they are wrong again. Their attacks on Corbyn are bolstering support for Labour as the RWNJs, including you, show just how nasty they are.
+ 1 exactly!
If he can replace his big funders with many thousands of individuals he might become the leader of a peoples party ,but I expect that’s what the right fear.
Your’er right.
Losing your largest financial backers who start offering to fund a ‘break out’ party is positive news for labour and should be viewed as such. The right are correct to fear this.
Mean while in the real world JAPAN BEAT South africa in RWC.
And that …. was AWESOME !!!!!
Eddie Jones ,fantastic coach…the same man who showed up AB’s coach John Mitchell for the fraud he was.
If I was the AB’s I would be thinking about this result very carefully – I wouldn’t be sending the B Team out against Argentina. Who would have thought of it – there’s going to be some fun and games (excuse the pun) over the next 3 weeks. Good on Japan for their effort and bringing some unpredictability into the rest of the games.
Barbara – the AB’s have already named their team. It was a full strength one.
Thanks James for that, now the AB’s just need to pray that some of their prize show ponies don’t limp off in the first 10 minutes of play in the early games like some of them have a habit of doing. Also the young fella who has had his native doctor fix up his leg, let’s hope it doesn’t let him down or Hansen will be rueing he put him in the team in place of Israel Dagg and Cory Jane.
Just been to https://howgood.com It takes NZ postcodes and has a drop down list of my local stores. Nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ThLPQhHjk
where are the NZ bits? I can only see the US one.
The EU have recognised the pitfalls in the current Investor State Dispute System and has proposed an alternative. The National Party shut down the chance to debate the merits and flaws of ISDS in our Parliament by not even letting Fletcher Tabuteau’s Bill get to a first reading.
The EU have published their proposed new version for discussion. This is how rules and regulations should be made- by common agreement FOLLOWING input from all
interested parties/stakeholders. Tim Groser doesn’t consider the public to be stakeholders.
“Brussels, 16 September 2015
The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System.
The Investment Court System would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).”
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5651_en.htm
What Is This Horrible Feeling Jeremy Corbyn Stirs In Me?
by PADDY McGUFFIN, Morning Star, 19 September 2015
Well, I hope you’re happy now you selfish bastards. You got what you wanted. Thanks to you Labour now has a leader with dignity, honour, compassion and above all honesty and integrity. In a very real sense Labour has become Labour again for the first time in a generation.
Shit.
Oh, it’s alright for you lot, with your demands for social justice and fairness but did any of you once give a thought to those of us who toil at the coalface of savage abuse, misanthropy and satire?
No.
Some of us have spent a large portion of our lives howling at the moon and attacking the New Labour project under first “El Presidente” Tony Blair and then “Dead Ed” Miliband. To borrow a phrase from the late demented Hunter S Thompson, this column beat New Labour like a gong, every chance it got.
He had Nixon and the campaign to re-elect the president, I had Blair and his neoliberal megalomaniacal mendacity.
Multiple illegal wars, anti-trade union legislation, PFI, flogging arms to despots.
I used to have to get up early just to make sure I could fit all the anger and hatred in.
And of course it wasn’t just Blair, there was a whole gallery of grotesques and hypocrites to pick from.
A quick glance at the front benches and you could have been at the Nuremberg trials.
Then of course there was the charisma vacuum of the Miliband years which saw the party not so much bring the fight to the Tories as bleat pathetically on the sidelines that it wasn’t fair.
The sheer spinelessness of Miliband was a thing of wonder, you were amazed he could actually stand up at Prime Minister’s Questions — and then promptly wished he hadn’t.
Read more
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-8ffe-What-is-this-horrible-feeling-Jeremy-Corbyn-stirs-in-me#.Vf3gTuD7JFR
This is some great stuff here http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-wont-stop-until-everyone-in-britain-is-offended-10506322.html
“The other complaint about his Shadow Cabinet was the low number of women appointed, only 16 out of 31 rather than the half he promised.” & “As he’s been leader for five days now, the press are calming down a bit. By tomorrow headlines will only say things like, “Cor-Bin Laden will force pets to be Muslim”, followed by an interview with 89-year-old Vera, who says: “It’s not fair because my hamster’s scared of burqas. That’s the last time I’ll vote Labour.”” & many more…
Morrisey
Thanks
I like this bit :
“At least with Blair you had to spend a moment working out what he was lying about this time and why. With Miliband you didn’t have to bother”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/72073486/schoolgirl-inventor-forced-to-take-product-offshore
A great invention by a teenager, stymied by the cost of building in NZ and what apears to gaming by the company who were building the device.
A real shame for the sort of innovator NZ needs
Short story: Private Equity firm takes over real industry, promptly destroys it trying to extract monopoly rents. In the process, wrecks promising little export business.
It is, in sum, the story of New Zealand’s manufacturing/industrial sector since the 1980s. Incompetent and greedy rentiers from the finance sector ransack the productive sector searching for short term windfall profits.
Sorry, but in a world of climate change and peak everything, it’s crazy to be making such items from heavy metal in NZ and then shipping them internationally. Such things should be made for local markets eg in the US they should be made there, probably in-state. It makes more sense to them to manufacture in situ.
“Millions of dollars are at stake.”
Which suggestst that this is about making money and that they are at the entry level of the same game the big boys are playing and getting a slap down. Because that’s how the game is played. There are other ways to make a living and do business.
With the way 3d printing is rapidly evolving I would think that the future lies in going into a shop getting them to print you’re kindling splitter or what ever and a fee being played to the holder of the patent. That would mean the raw materials could come from the nearest available point.
I hope it’s not actionable to suggest that I would not like to do business with Mr Ayers. I suspect getting everything in writing wouldn’t help much. He no doubt views this as ‘leverage’.
Why do we never see these decent reporters on TV?
State Department spokespersons—it’s Jen Psaki in the following clip—often flounder under a wave of questions by reporters like we see here. However, these revealing encounters never make it on to the nightly news. It can’t be because anyone thinks these gruelling encounters are boring; they are anything but. Jen Psaki has obviously undergone extensive media training, but she is unable to maintain her condescending smile to the end here: unwilling to engage and clearly losing her composure, she eventually brushes off further questions: “I’m done.”
So why do we never see these reporters on our TV screens, but are instead forced to suffer the likes of government-friendly “reporters” like Patrick Gower in New Zealand, Jeremy Paxman in the UK and Matt Lauer in the USA?
‘This is what you cook for Ukraine?’ State Dept Psaki grilled over leaked tape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW1WDbDX7wE
I doubt if our local media really want the public to see the job done properly. Their expectations might rise.
http://tewharewhero.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/what-sort-of-police-service-do-we-want.html
It’s a long post but contains some important data -in light of the increasing number of people dying as a result of being shot by police.
There have been 3 fatal police shootings between May and September this year – one of those shot was unarmed and none had harmed anyone.
Of the last 7 people shot by police, 6 were Maori. Of the total 31 who have been shot, 13 were Maori.
Disturbingly few were the archetypical violent career criminal we might expect to be most likely to be shot by police; a lot were petty criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated, in the grip of a personal crisis.
In light of the steady move to a general arming of a police force which is almost as big as the defence force – these are huge issues.
This is an excellent post TeWhareWhero, and would make a great guest repost on the Standard.
It gathers together a lot of evidence about the increasing use of weapons by police that confirms a gut feeling I had about the recent spate of police shootings. Thank you.
+2, thanks for highlighting this.
And in how many of the shootings have police been found to have been in the wrong?
The people being shot are the ones to blame for causing the situation in the majority of circumstances.
Perhaps we should look at them closer.
‘Perhaps we should look at them closer.’
Or we could look closer at why society is producing more people that are in such a state that they end up running in to the sharp end of the law.
+1, we don’t analyse and problem solve what bought the person to be carrying a weapon and a possible risk to the public, instead we ignore all that and look for bandaid solutions like security guards at WINZ offices and police armed with more and more weaponry. Those kind of responses have a good chance of increasing the problem I would say.
@james “And in how many of the shootings have police been FOUND TO HAVE BEEN (my caps) in the wrong? “…. NEVER NOT ONCE. well that does make some of us think! !! others may prefer not to.
Did you read the blog post James?
I have looked very closely at all of those who died – as much as I can with what is in the public domain. When I started looking into the sort of people the police shoot I thought it would be mostly violent and hardened criminals. I knew of some shootings which gave me concern – Wallace and Bellingham being two cases in particular – but I was shocked by what I found.
Most of those who have been shot are petty and often disorganised criminals, mentally ill, intoxicated and distressed / confused people.
Very few had killed other people – 2 of these were mass murderers.
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
Of course most of the people who died played a part in their death but to say they ’caused’ it is simplistic in the extreme.
The IPCA has never overturned the findings of the internal police enquiries into fatal shootings by police officers. It has found sometimes glaring errors of judgement and procedure but in all 27 cases investigated thus far, the IPCA has found that lethal force was justified.
if it wasn’t justified there would be grounds for a homicide prosecution because the police do not have an automatic right – thankfully – to kill people whether by shooting, or by asphyxiation when restraining them, or by causing fatal crashes when in pursuit.
Police are as bound to uphold the law as we are – well, in theory at least because they investigate themselves and have every expectation that the IPCA will not contradict the findings of that internal enquiry.
There are 8400 sworn police officers, almost of whom already have or soon will have access to firearms and some of whom are equipped to military standards.
We have a defence force of 9200 plus 2000 reservists.
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
Others might have killed if they had not been shot first – they might equally have been persuaded to give themselves up.
50/50, huh? Given those odds, my vote goes to “Munter gets holes in him.”
Is NZ really such a violent and lawless place that we need an armed police force almost as large as the Defence Force?
This is the wrong way around. Yes, NZ has such extensive natural defences that it needs armed forces not much larger than its police force.
Why free speech is integral to the intellectual life of our universities
How long before we see such stifling regulations here in NZ from our present authoritarian, anti-democratic government?
Too late Draco – NZ got there ages ago!
Another appalling puff piece on Key by the propaganda tabloid rag the Herald.
Key..compared to Kennedy.
Unbelievable.
They have no shame.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11516001
+100 Paul…and this sick making from the Herald…Ironies MUCH!
‘Max Key – I’ll get you into Harvard’
“Max Key has joined a team of graduates helping young Kiwis gain entrance into institutions like Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard…
The Prime Minister’s son is studying commerce and property at the University of Auckland…
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11513568
…Where is a critical msm?
…when many of New Zealand’s brightest university graduates ( straight ‘A’s in some cases in rather more profound subjects than property speculation) can not afford to do honours at New Zealand universities , even when invited to by university academics who regard them as their brightest students!
…and when many, if not most, young New Zealanders can not afford to own property because they are in so much student debt and house prices have gone way beyond their reach… thanks to foreign buy ups of New Zealand housing allowed by jonkey Nactional
Kennedy was shot!!
Goes to a charity event for cancer and gives a speech about changing the flag…
/facepalm
I don’t think Key could show his disconnection from reality any better.
it is all about himself and his ego
You all seem very reticent on the travesty of justice that is taking place on monday. I would have thought that the takeover of our police and justice system by corporate America would be of some concern to thestandard commenters
what?
Kim Dotcom extradition hearing starts.
thanks veuto, I assumed so but prefer people who are being snarky to also be explicit if they want some attention.
@ xanthe …you are behind the times ….this was thrashed out on ‘Open Mike’ on the 17th….and for excitement one person was banned for defamation ( smirk)…actually two people were banned but one was banned for a very long time….and he deserved it!
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17092015/
At the risk of repetition:
‘2 reasons why you as a New Zealander should care about the Kim Dotcom case’
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/17/2-reasons-why-you-as-a-new-zealander-should-care-about-the-kim-dotcom-case/
To summarise:
1.)The first reason is the injustice of the case:
2.) The second reason is what it could cost New Zealand in damages:
$2 Billion dollars…
…”Sony decided not to sign up to the case against Dotcom because they believed there was a chance he would get off these trumped up charges and in turn sue everyone involved in taking him down to the tune of $2billion???
And we had to sign up to this?
So how much exactly are we on the hook for here? If you don’t care that he has been unjustly dealt with and his rights breached, you may be in for one hell of a shock if he wins and we are left paying for this politically motivated prosecution….
never mind the $2 billion will be better spent with kim
he intends to use it (from twitter) to
”
Build a high tech school
Build a children’s hospital
Fund 100yrs of Internet Party
”
Go Kim !
@ xanthe +100….GO Kim!…may he sue and win every cent!
Letter from John Minto and the Left in support of Kim Dotcom
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/09/20/open-letter-to-kim-dotcom/
If Craig Joubert were a judge, he’d be
pretty much identical to this hapless woman
South Africa’s “non-referee” Craig Joubert became infamous for his refusal to stop the All Blacks’ concerted strategy of cheating in the 2011 RWC final. [1] How many of us were aware that almost exactly two years earlier, Joubert’s failure to do his job was being uncannily foreshadowed in an Arizona courtroom? A shameful, shameful performance indeed…..
Deputy Takes Papers From Defense Table
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSMgSriOfIQ
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo
Weird! Wonder what happened next?
He ended up in the slam….
Officer Refuses to Apologize For Taking Paper Goes to Jail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5vU-Fv8UlA
LPrent will probably appreciate this one 😈
[lprent: Indeed ]
On polls.
Landline only polls are decried but are we forgetting that the people who have landlines are the people who actually vote? Are we forgetting that, as has been pointed out today, under 50% of 18-29 year olds (the mobile-only generation) actually vote?
I’m pretty sure that a lot, if not all, polling companies now call mobiles as well. Roy Morgan does.
It was Tiger eat a keeper day today at Hamilton Zoo.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/72226055/tiger-kills-keeper-at-hamilton-zoo
Commiserations to the family of the deceased but surely this death is just another of the seemingly weekly workplace deaths we read about in John Key’s New Zealand.
He, by dint of ideologically driven health and safety policy, appears to not give a shit about workplace deaths.
hi muttonbird,
i echo your commiserations to the kudeweh family.
it is sort of notable that it is a rare death of a female in the workplace.
What a tragedy!!
Just imagine the amount of money this man could have made, fate can be cruel.
https://twitter.com/avancenz/status/645420332715671553
😆 He’s a danger to our shipping.
TV3: 3 News/Reid Research poll today plus the flag poll:
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/political-poll-support-low-for-flag-change-2015092016#disqus_thread
Jaysus. Can you imagine Gower emailing those people for a one word answer? As if that’s the new media.
How embarrassing is this type of journalism from the dropped pie himself?
Patrick Gower = increasingly irrelevant and soon to be totally irrelevant.
Most of these so called journalists (churnalists) seem to think that it is the right thing to do to try to trip up the opposition leaders and show them in a poor light rather than to hold the government to serious account.
I do not understand why these journalists behave in this shoddy manner.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/political-poll-support-low-for-flag-change-2015092016#axzz3mEe9MTaq
New poll out.
Now you have seen the final four flags, do you?
Want to change the flag: 25 percent
Keep the current flag: 69 percent
Don’t know: 6 percent
More than 2/3 of the country want to keep the current flag.
…and here is the political poll:
National: 47.3 percent (up 0.3 percent)
Labour: 33 percent (up 1.9 percent)
Greens: 10 percent (down 1.4 percent)
NZ First: 7.9 percent(down 0.5 percent)
ACT: 0.6 percent (up 0.1 percent)
Maori Party: 0.5 percent (down 0.1 percent)
Conservative: 0.5 percent (down 0.2 percent)
United Future 0 percent (down 0.1 percent)
This is Labour’s first time hitting 33 percent since June 2012, so a 3-year high for Labour. That’s good. But NZF would hold the balance of power.
“But NZF would hold the balance of power’
Personally I prefer a Labour led government with the Greens and NZF together for balance and long life, like 2, 3 or 4 terms if all behave well politically within reason.
If that is not possible for any reason, then if numbers work out, then
Just Labour+NZF will be quite fine for a reasonable tenure, like 2 or 3 terms.
or
Just Labour +Greens will be ok, but risky to endure a longer tenure. May be just 1 or 2 terms.
This is of course MY personal feeling.