To avoid confusion the National Government has announced that the disaster in the Nelson/Tasman district is to be described as State of the Nation….while tomorrow’s Speech from the Throne is to be known as a State of Emergency.
(Apologies and sympathies to the people of the N/T District)
Whoa! What may seem like jest might turn out to be closer to what could eventuate.
One of the Feng Shui Masters with whom I am in contact confirms that Key coming back in power remains strongly inauspicious for the country and Nelson is the pre-Christmas bad news that was seen in the casting done last month: http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-up-in-fairfax-poll/#comment-394178
Another lot of casting just provided shows Key’s jinx giving rise to NZ “taking a hit”, quite a significant one, in the first half of 2012. Should, within 20 months, Key continue to be in the “Emperor’s seat” (ie be in power), his jinx will overshadow not just the country but affect himself in connection with a private matter.
Casting for Stephen Joyce shows a “dagger behind the throne”. The casting done for Bill English is showing a “servant boy” and Hekia Parata’s is a “waxing moon in its first quarter”.
The casting for Shearer is yielding neutral reading.
One of the Feng Shui Masters with whom I am in contact confirms that Key coming back in power remains strongly inauspicious for the country and Nelson is the pre-Christmas bad news that was seen in the casting done last month:
OK, that’s just weird… but it seems all too likely! đ
[lprent: The anti-spam engine (the external one) decided you are spam for some reason. If you don’t have a static IP, then it may pay to turn off the router to get a new IP. ]
Whoa! What may seem like jest might turn out to be closer to what could eventuate.
One of the Feng Shui Masters with whom I am in contact confirms that Key coming back in power remains bleakly inauspicious for the country and Nelson is the pre-Christmas bad news that was seen in the casting done last month: http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-up-in-fairfax-poll/#comment-394178
Another lot of casting just provided shows Key’s jinx giving rise to NZ “taking a hit”, quite a significant one, in the first half of 2012. Should, within 20 months, Key continue to be in the “Emperor’s seat” (ie be in power), his jinx will overshadow not just the country but take root in himself in connection with a private matter.
Casting for Stephen Joyce shows a “dagger behind the throne”. The casting done for Bill English is showing a “servant boy” and Hekia Parata’s is a “waxing moon in its first quarter”.
The casting for Shearer is yielding neutral reading.
How is it that Audrey Young can state as fact who voted for who in the Labour caucus. That was supposed to be a secret caucus vote.
This is really shite and shows that the dirty tricks leaks are continuing.
Only two of Labour’s eight front benchers supported Cunliffe – the man himself and his deputy running mate, Nanaia Mahuta. Only five in the shadow cabinet voted for Cunliffe – Cunliffe himself, Mahuta, Lianne Dalziel, Charles Chauvel and Su’a William Sio.
The decision to shut out Cunliffe’s people from the shadow cabinet says either that Shearer is punishing Cunliffe’s supporters, or that Cunliffe’s supporters aren’t as clever as his, or that he had no supporters.
I had hoped that we were entering a new age for Labour and there are still people in caucus who can’t keep their efing mouths shut.
It astounds me the level of self-promotion(?), vindictiveness(?), bad faith(?), petty tribalism or whatever, that would motivate someone to betray the confidentiality of caucus, the greater good.
Â
Their identity should be exposed and they should be dumped, dumped, dumped!
I haven’t given up hope but I wont sit through another term of Labour shooting themselves in the foot.
“It astounds me the level of self-promotion, vindictiveness, bad faith, petty tribalism or whatever, that would motivate someone to betray the confidentiality of caucus, the greater good.”
Really, I’m never surprised to see any of these traits displayed in politicians.
Honestly, why does this ‘leaking’ matter? This only titillates the beltway and some blog commentators. It has absolutely no impact on the public at large.
So Labour have some internal factions right after a leadership battle – big surprise!
Now if this sort of thing is going on in 6-9 months time, that’s another issue.
Was surprising the leadership battle was done so publicly full-stop, as if the public were making the decision. Allowing the public to see and experience factions within a party makes it all the difficult for the party to re-group and get on with the job. Was a dumb strategy.
The “leaking” has been noticeable for some time, in particular cases (in amongst the usual RW spin slurs, and bullshit), eerily accurate. Sometimes I guess it just happens when people are impassioned and talking a lot amongst themselves. But the leaks from the shadow cabinet and caucus itself – it’s hard not to see the possibility of something underhand and deliberate.
But the leaks from the shadow cabinet and caucus itself â itâs hard not to see the possibility of something underhand and deliberate.
It was underhand and deliberate. In a way it reflects on David Shearer but I’m inclined to believe he didn’t know what was going on. It’s to be hoped he’s since given the tiny group responsible one hell of a bollocking, and there will be no more of it occurring.
The same way the entire front bench line up was known by the Herald a week ago. The Labour Party leaks like a fucking sieve.
And yes, it is obvious that Cunliffe’s supporters were in the main penalised, while Shearer supporters got a boost.
This article confirms that Shane Jones and Clare Curran joined the Shearer camp.
Final list of who voted who:
Shearer:
David Shearer, Grant Robertson, David Parker, Annette King, Maryan Street, Damien O’Connor, Phil Goff, Phil Twyford, Kris Faafoi, Darien Fenton, Clayton Cosgrove, Trevor Mallard, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Clare Curran and Shane Jones.
Cunliffe:
David Cunliffe, Nanaia Mahuta, Moana Mackey, Charles Chauvel, Lianne Dalziel, Parekura Horomia, Louisa Wall, Rino Tirikatene, Su’a William Sio.
Unknown:
David Clark, Iain Lees-Galloway, Andrew Little, Rajen Prasad, Sue Moroney, Ross Robertson, Ruth Dyson, Megan Woods, Raymond Huo.
The fall of Ruth Dyson and Sue Moroney makes it seem likely they voted Cunliffe, and the refusal to elevate Little means he probably did too.
The fall of Ruth Dyson and Sue Moroney makes it seem likely they voted Cunliffe, and the refusal to elevate Little means he probably did too.
I believe Dyson and Moroney(possibly) voted for Cunliffe. I understand Andrew Little went Shearer’s way. I read somewhere that Carmel Sepolini, Rajen Prasad and Megan Woods voted Cunliffe. Based on my knowledge concerning some of the shenanigans beyond the caucus room, I suspect they may have been given a hard time of it these past few weeks. So, good on them for having the fortitude to stick to their guns.
So Professor Anne-Delorus-Umbridge-Tolley, having wreaked havoc at Hogwarts has now been withdrawn and gone back to the Ministry of Magic in shame. Oh, the parallels with the Order of the Phoenix. Now all we needs is for a Harry Potter to overcome the Dark Lord and his sycophantic crew and peace will be restored.
North Korea is a secretive country that covers up the truth about conditions and bad practices and enforces controls with its might. In NZ there is talk about controlling teachers and bringing them under the cloak of secrecy that the government imposes on public servants so it is illegal to reveal unpleasant truths.
Ann Tolley apparently dissed the complaint of an informed School Principal about the Ed Dept making a placement as Advisor to experienced schools, who was known to have an unsatisfactory record. Tolley noted that the Principal was affiliated to Labour, chose to regard it as a political ploy and then that excused her from actually doing some work and checking the facts to ensure that the education system was operating to a high standard. Disgraceful. And another example of the arrogance of some politicians who consider they are superior to teachers, who they treat as semi-skilled workers on an education factory line.
“And another example of the arrogance of some politicians who consider they are superior to teachers, who they treat as semi-skilled workers on an education factory line.”
Have noticed the extreme disrespect given to teachers in NZ (by adults). I am afraid I have felt it necessary to warn friends in Britain who are thinking of coming here to teach about this situation. Am surprised that this country has any teachers left.
Have found my teaching colleagues here to be of the highest standard, and horrified that they are treated with such ignorance and near contempt at times- especially by the Nact party. Disgusting.
@seeker
And the worst of it is that teachers can be deprecated and harrassed by their own management after they have worked really hard and got improvement in learning and tests but not high enough to meet arbitrary goals set at Principal level.
Very demoralising, and many will end up just going through the motions if they gave this sort of treatment, just concentrating on meeting the national standards. No use putting heart and soul into it, you wear yourself out, work long hours and then get abuse from the senior level.
A leader worth noting the passing of⊠Vaclav Havel architect of the velvet revolution.
Havel became the first first post-communist Czechoslovakian president on 29 December 1989; initially reluctant to take up the post, the playwright turned president guided his country to greater freedoms.
One might optimistically hope that these leaks are old news, from the period between the leader selection and seat allocation, as people jockeyed for influence. And that this kind of carry-on has by now been put to one side to a large degree, so as to reunify the party. After all, those who have tried to pull the party to the right (if that is indeed what they were up to) must surely by now be cognisant of the fact that they have given their opponent a moral victory and have exposed their machinations to the party membership and the unions. So while they have won in a sense, the onus is on them to re-establish the trust you need to foster if you are to prove electable. Hence they have very good reason to knuckle down, shut up and get on with it.
So Key wants to forge a long term relationship with The Greens by making a deal with them for this term to abstain on confidence and Supply. This is NOT why I gave my party vote to the Greens this election, and I will see it as a betrayal of my vote. If the Greens abstain on Confidence and Supply, that’s my support for them totally gone… never again!
And if Labour looks like becoming National lite, then that just leaves Mana for me, or… for the first time in my life, a non-vote. Will a REAL left wing party please stand up!!!?
There’s not enough REAL left wingers to support a REAL left wing party – especially when REAL left wingers have a variety of perceptions of what is REAL.
26% of the population didn’t vote. Chances are, the majority of them are the real left-wingers. The people who no longer have a party to represent them.
I suspect that if the 27% had good reason they would have voted. They might have believed in “aspiration” in which case Shonkey would have got their vote. Quite obviously they did not feel motivated to vote for whatever Nact were putting up. Equally they could not see anything in Labour or the Greens that was going to motivate them either. Personally I suspect that the 27% represent an increasing alienation from the current democratic process, they did not vote because they think it will make no difference.
Yes well it is this 27% that the Vote Them Out party hopes to capture. If someone can’t be bothered with any of the noobs on offer and would rather they weren’t there at all then that person can actively vote them out.
We would instantly be more popular than the greens.
PG’s statement above is just dribble.
“especially when REAL left wingers have a variety of perceptions of what is REAL.”
Do only left wingers have this variation in perception of REAL?
Can right wingers suffer the same condition?
Or are all right wingers exactly the same in their perception of REALity?
Is there not a huge variety in humans and their personal perception of REALity?
Maybe PG and his right wing buddies have been programmed or cloned since they are united in their perception of REAL.
Merry Xmas anyways Pete…you been getting stuck into the turkey early with your gobbledygook.
And have made a similar comment about this on the Frog Blog General Debate for today. Also will be watching the swearing in starting now, to see how Hone deals with it. Swearing an oath of allegiance to the Queen is just wrong for 21st century NZ.
As someone who made a similar pledge for the grant of New Zealand citizenship earlier this year, I found it a bit odd saying that I would affirm my allegiance to a grandma in a country I have never been to. Of course I read the card (I likely would have affirmed allegiance to the noodley tentacles of the flying spaghetti monster if that what was written on the card), but the whole royal thingie seems weird to me.
My brother who is a staunch Nat voter would like to see the Greens bolstering National’s majority to protect the government in the event of a Richard Worth and Pansy Wong being uncovered this electoral term..
Of course the Nat supporters would. A poster on Frog Blog says the Green Party leaders can’t decide on a Confidence and Supply abstention – it has to go to the membership for approval.
Remember, the Greens, – “Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”
Today’s politics in New Zealand. Whilst the Greens should not do it – expediency says they will do a deal. Labour should keep note for 2014. These are the partners to form the next Government. Neither Labour nor Greens individually can win but together they will, but the tail will wag the dog.
“And if Labour looks like becoming National lite ……..”
Think Labour might be more than ‘national lite’ which is the way I initially viewed David Shearer et al.
Now I think the front bench ‘mirrors’ the govt. quite well and generation mirrors generation quite well too.My son brought home to me how this may be important; for generations each have their own perceptions and viewpoints and ‘language’ gleaned from their experiences and these can effect their communications and knowledge of .’where they are coming from’. Even body language may be different. Thus thinking about this factor I had a look at generation ‘mirroring’ as well as suitability.
Shearer and Key- similar age,very good at what they did previously -but one of them more ‘life’ worthy than the other.One far less cowardly than the other and one with much better diction than the other!
Robinson and Parker versus Brownlee and English- similar, but Robinson and Parker(I glean from witnesssing their previous actions and articulated thinking skills)would appear to have higher intelligence and integrity and I believe have better qualifications. Let us hope this intelligence works to Labour’s advantage in this arena.
Likewise Jacinda Ardern who comes to her important portfolio new, as a ‘bright young thing” as did Paula Bennett three years ago.Both fresh from Breakfast TV. Jacinda has also done much work for our youth which is really important for this portfolio. Both are young generation x so will ‘know’each other , and I’m hoping Jacinda will out ‘know’ Bennett. Again she certainly has more integrity and I believe intelligence, but Bennett’s apparent ‘streetwise’ mongrel type intelligence may be a help or hinderance.
I am just very glad David Cunliffe is there to take on Stephen ‘head of the hydra’ Joyce.
I hope that it is one of David Cs destinies to decapitate (metaphorically speaking) that ‘hydra’, before we are all turned into Joyce’s ‘hard as stone’ image, or in the case of the vulnerable, ‘starved ‘or ‘petrified’ into submission by his and his collegial craftiness. My security is restored.
Finally, my other huge relief is Nanaia getting education. Someone of her intelligence, integrity and stature is needed to take on an intelligent ‘chancer’ like Parata. I feel that Nanaia has the ability and the wit to take on this less than principled (judging by my intuition and a little of her history)
female johnkey clone, who’s main aim is social climbing, celebrity and power, albeit educated unlike Tolley. At least our school children have someone to fight for their eduction and future now, in both Maori and English.Yay.
However, i appreciate that Sue Moroney has done a fantastic job in such a short time and I hope this is recognised soon.
Think the other choices will be fine and mirror their counterparts well. Clayton Cosgrove, will,I imagine, be hungry to win after his electorate defeat when he had worked so hard and Maryan Street,who is already ‘streets ‘ ahead because she is experienced and knowledgeable,like Ryall,only without his terrible taste in shirts and ties.
Jones will do because he has good oratory skills ( so I’ve read), but I don’t like his attitude over assets. Know he’s intelligent and bi-lingual though which is all good.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Feel like I’m back on boardish with Labour. For three reasons:
1. What they are trying to do I think is more clear now that we see this fresh plan of the ‘mirroring’ of the National frontbench (unless I have it wrong.). Seems like ‘marking’ a team in sport.
2. David C’s portfolio and his brilliant and inspiring (to me anyway) answer to aTV3 reporter. When asked if he was happy with his position and what deal had he done to get position 5 (something like that any hoo).
He looked at the reporter and said, “Look we are adults and you know as well as I do the dynamics of the situation”.
Sensible and respectful answer to usual silly and disrespectful question, which put a firm end to such baiting and cynical questioning.from a lazy journalist. Wonderful.
With David C. on the front bench with an attitude and answers like that, I feel there is still hope.(Am trying to be ‘adult’ like him and ‘understand the dynamics of the situation’. It’s working,I think.)
(Note:- David C. pronounced ‘dynamic’ correctly, and used it in the more direct and less ‘convoluted’ context.)
3. Shearer’s ‘clean,green,clever’ meme and his asking all of us for ideas for the future, which made me fell that I could be included in ‘making the meme come true’.
Well, the front bench for Labour isn’t as bad as I expected. But I still am not certain where Shearer is at policy-wise and in terms of an underlying political philosophy. At the moment his approach doesn’t seem much different from the neoliberal managerial approach that has infected Labour in recent decades – an approach that ultimately favours the middleclasses, and aims to compromise with, or placate, the largely right-leaning/neoliberal dominated MSM.
I’ve never really warmed to Parker so far – another managerial type. But I’m glad Mahuta and Cunliffe are there. It will be interesting to watch Ardern’s development. Street is a solid, down-to-earth MP with committment to social inequalities. Robertson is a very smart and able MP, but I’m also not sure what his current political approach and philosophy are.
Shane Jones is a worry. Today he’s been talking about mining in rural areas.
Sprout, in terms of politics, and Labour parties in places like NZ & the UK trying to placate the neoliberal-dominated MSM, IMO the result is that such parties cater more to the interests of middleclasses than they do for people on the lower incomes. So it’s kind of like a knock-on effect that influences the policies of centre-left parties.
Sure that’s true, but in the end the middle classes get screwed by neo-liberalism too. In real terms and over time only the very wealthy benefit from neo-liberal policies
You make some good points seeker. Too busy to read it properly before…
Feel like Iâm back on boardish with Labour.
I’m half way there, but won’t commit again until I’m certain the ABC club has been tossed on the fire and burned to a cinder. It’s all very well to say “time to move on etc.” but you still have to see that justice is done. Shearer has gone some way to righting the wrongs, but more needs to be done before I’m convinced it’s genuine. Someone on this site pointed out that a few of Cunliffe’s supporters were either demoted or at least passed over for promotion. I refer in particular to Charles Chauvel who, in my view, should be on the front bench.
So here’s an interesting article – especially good reading for those who
1) Think the relationship between poverty and well-being doesn’t exist
2) Are fans of the Sensible Sentencing Trust
3) Think NZ is a crime ridden and violent society http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/19/karyn-mccluskey-glasgow-gangs
Â
Famine causes people to work together and build stores of food.
Elites then privatise the stores of food and store lower quality food (a cost saving).
After a while of ‘cost savings’ the taxes on the people for a store still exist yet the food has been virtualized into a world trading system.
Then the private owner of the store wants a bail out for all their hard work in running growth past the ability of the people to produce growth.
More taxes are seized, people lose their homes, and the wealth all runs into the hands of fewer and fewer.
Then one day the famine comes. And the people eat the rich while they save crops for storage.
The rich become the stores of food when they fail to keep food in the store.
Eat the rich.
Woodwork must be fun until you find out Brownlie is the woodwork teacher.
Could just see him confiscating the lunch off the naughty kids.
Had to laugh when Simon Power told how he and Brownlie went to fish & chip shop to order tea for the team (of plonkers) Gerry ordered 20 fish etc etc then turned to Power and said so what do you want?
It appears that the IAEA is biased and all too willing to help a corrupt industry that is more concerned with protecting their interests than the well being of people around the world…
Occupy Dunedin is pulling up pegs in the Octagon. I hope they have a good break, and then maybe can look at how to continue next year. Unoccupied but issues remain.
This is presumably also why in the immediate wake of great disasters – a flood, a blackout, or an economic collapse – people tend to behave the same way, reverting to a rough and ready communism, However briefly, hierarchies and markets and the like become luxuries taht no one can afford. Anyone who has lived through such a moment can speak to their peculiar qualities, the way that strangers become sisters and brothers and human society tends to be reborn. This is important, because it shows that we are not talking simply about cooperation. In fact, communism is the foundation of all human sociability.
The paragraph before that actually explains just how inefficient capitalism and the inherent hierarchies is but the interesting point is his last sentence where he tells us that capitalism cannot exist without the bedrock of communism that is inherent within all societies.
It confounds me how some people can express a common idea in a way that makes it sound more important and somehow like they have stumbled, or through unique intellectual application fallen, onto one of life’s many secrets. And this is a perfect example … “In fact, communism is the foundation of all human sociability.”. All that says is that humans need to live together. Thaqt we are all interdependent. Whoop de doo – I would imagine even the most hardened libertarianal individualistic captialismist would agree and note that that is nothing new. In fact it is as old as the hills. Acshully, older than most NZ hills even.
I don’t mean to be smart or cynical Mr Draco, it’s just a wee rant. I have a mate who does the same. And people like Brian Edwards and Chris Trotter have the same ability, or desire. I guess what they do is better explain a particularity in terms which elevate its importance to its rightful place in the Scheme of Thing.
It’s a point that I realised some time ago – cooperation is far better and more efficient than competition. I was more sticking it to the RWNJs who keep trying to tell us that competition and greed are normal when all the real social sciences (ie, not economics) tell us that they aren’t.
DTB Michael Cullen is the only MP to have a doctorate in economic history you can bet your bottom Dollar that Bills English hasn’t done past adam smith yet.
Thanks. Another very good piece of analysis from Monbiot.
The neoliberals co-opted the very popular notion of “freedom” from the youth and other related rebellions of the 60s and early 70s. For such protest movements, “freedom” meant freedom from the tyranny of the powerful, the dominant groups in society at the time.
Big call by the Prime Minister when endorsing Lockwood Smith as speaker for the new term. He likened the speaker to the outstanding referring of Joubert in the RWC final. Well Joky, this one is not one of your better calls. If you have time in your exceptionally busy schedule, you might like to watch the experts commenting on that referring job, along with the supporting video.
Looks like akismet has problems. It does the external moderation. When it fails stuff winds up moderating. Doesn’t get clear until one of us gets away from the damn Xmas parties.
WELL, he kens noo. I hope that the deceased, unbelieving English man of letters Christopher Hitchens has discovered that God is not only great but merciful too.
I had taken a self-denying ordinance over his demise at the weekend from osophageal cancer on the grounds that one should not speak ill of the recently dead and there would be nothing good to say about him considering the circumstances.
Two things forced me to shorten my purdah. The first was the way in which almost every one of the eulogies and profiles, in which I had declined to be represented on grounds of taste, nonetheless managed to attack me in the process of praising him.
The second was the sight of his friend Tony Blair, his voice catching with emotion in the “death of Diana way”, telling us what a great man he was.
This canonisation of the departed by some of the worst hypocrites operating in the English language must be halted before it slithers any further.
Hitchens was the only-known case of a butterfly changing back into a slug.
He wrote like an angel but placed himself in the service of the devils.
He was a drink-soaked former Trotskyite popinjay, the Englishman in New York who discovered there were large bundles of right-wing dollars available for apostates like him. If they were prepared to betray their friends, their principles and sell the soul he didn’t believe he had in the first place.
Easy. As Groucho Marx once put it: “These are my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.”
Thus, the man who once praised Saddam Hussein in adoration and opposed the first Gulf War when the Iraqi tyrant was still occupying Kuwait, was transformed into the main literary cheerleader for the second war.
And he was still blowing the weapons of mass destruction trumpet long after its tinny notes were discredited.
The man who once championed the Palestinian cause became a little echo for Benjamin Netanyahu, denouncing the 10 Turkish dead on the ship Mavi Marmara as “Hamas-sympathisers” who got what they asked for.
Sure his ditties were witty, his parsing precise and, if you like your men drunk, slurred and slobbering, he could be charming no doubt.
But when you’re slobbering in support of the re-election of George W Bush for his catastrophic second term, or backing Bush’s handling of the clean-up operation after Hurricane Katrina (where he was the only man in the country other than Bush who thought the Federal Emergency Agency was doing a “heck of a job”) and you have written the script for the most disastrous massacre since Vietnam, I’m afraid literary pretence must be put in its proper place. Down the lavatory.
Hitchens and I shared the ring in an epic “Grapple in the Apple” back in 2005 in Manhattan.
Thousands of people queued around the block for ringside seats paying top dollar for the privilege. You can watch it on YouTube or wait for the DVD, with commentary and my updates, which I will produce shortly.
Ultimately, the real reason for the tear-stained eulogies from the British media commentariat for the late Mr Hitchens is that, by and large, the writers and editors are weeping for themselves.
They share his guilt over the Iraq War and deep inside they know it.
But all the salty tears in the world will not out that damned spot. The next reason is class.
Hitchens was a toff, a Lord. And the English-speaking world, it seems, still likes to love a Lord.
These charts show, for every year from 2001 to 2010, private sector surpluses matched by public sector deficits. This means the private sector (firms and households together) are net savers (ie net lenders), meaning they attempt fewer goods and services than their incomes entitle them to. (These private surpluses accumulate to create a “global savings glut”.) For the private sector to succeed in its attempts to run large surpluses, the public sector must comply by running large deficits. By definition, the combined surpluses of the private sector must equal the combined deficits of the world’s governments. The reality is that, in most years, households and businesses lend to governments because there are limited “investment opportunities” in the private sector.emphasis mine
So, the reason why we have governments in deficit is because of the private sector not spending enough, specifically, a few people accumulating a huge amount of cash which then requires the governments to borrow it back so that it can be re-injected back into the economy. This leads to a single conclusion – the reason for the GFC is because a few people accumulated too much money. Best way to get that money back into circulation is actually taxes.
The reason for those three is the accumulation of working capital into a few hands. Once that happens then you need a way to get money back into circulation. This is done by:-
1.) Loans: The people with the money loan it back out at interest (usually to governments as loaning money to governments carries no risk (IMO, this is one reason why this government went so far into debt so fast – they were protecting their and their rich mates accumulated wealth))
2.) Fractional Reserve Banking: As the people with the money aren’t about to release all the money they have then more money needs to be created hence the Fractional Reserve Banking system but, due to the fact that interest is charged on the printed money, this just accelerates the accumulation of money by the few
3.) As more and more capital is accumulated with nowhere to go the finance system invents more and more exotic “investment” vehicles usually advertised as having little or no risk (sub-prime loans bundled with AAA loans and given AAA rating). As with the other two these carry interest charges which again accelerates accumulation of money by the few.
Eventually you get to the point where the amount of debt cannot be carried by the economy at which point it should all fall down. Unfortunately, our governments decided that they needed to protect the wealth of the few and bailed the bastards out with our money. Not that it’ll make any difference in the medium term as the whole lot is going to collapse anyway – it’s the natural result of the selfish accumulation that is the heart of capitalism.
The accumulation of working capital into fewer and fewer hands doesn’t fully explain quite a few of the negative effects however, IMO. The separation of investment banking and saving banking (as per Glass Stegal) would have prevented the GFC, even with high levels of wealth concentration.
Another for instance: why is “more and more capital (is) accumulated with nowhere to go” The latest archdruid report is instructive.
This whole sack the staff then hire consultants has a bad smell.
Be interesting to see if theres any network of cronys associated with the companies that rake in the cash from the governments decision to use consultants. I don’t like it at all, despite the fact we are always touted as being so corruption free.
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague â whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak â has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Ministerâs ...
This article with minor differences was published by The Law Associationâs Law News on 15 March 2024   Gary Judd KC writes – Provoked by the Supreme Courtâs decision in Smith v Fonterra and others [2024] NZSC 5, Professor James Allan, Garrick Professor of Law at the ...
Grant Robertson (seen here at the Labour campaign launch last year) used his valedictory speech to repeat his belief that a wealth or capital gains tax is needed, on the same day the IMF also called for capital and/or land taxes. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s the six ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesnât act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellingtonâs Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservationâs biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the planâs treatment of Auckland passed through the councilâs transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealandâs Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was âimproperâ ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasnât showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. âWhen I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, weâre seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
To avoid confusion the National Government has announced that the disaster in the Nelson/Tasman district is to be described as State of the Nation….while tomorrow’s Speech from the Throne is to be known as a State of Emergency.
(Apologies and sympathies to the people of the N/T District)
Whoa! What may seem like jest might turn out to be closer to what could eventuate.
One of the Feng Shui Masters with whom I am in contact confirms that Key coming back in power remains strongly inauspicious for the country and Nelson is the pre-Christmas bad news that was seen in the casting done last month:
http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-up-in-fairfax-poll/#comment-394178
Another lot of casting just provided shows Key’s jinx giving rise to NZ “taking a hit”, quite a significant one, in the first half of 2012. Should, within 20 months, Key continue to be in the “Emperor’s seat” (ie be in power), his jinx will overshadow not just the country but affect himself in connection with a private matter.
Casting for Stephen Joyce shows a “dagger behind the throne”. The casting done for Bill English is showing a “servant boy” and Hekia Parata’s is a “waxing moon in its first quarter”.
The casting for Shearer is yielding neutral reading.
OK, that’s just weird… but it seems all too likely! đ
test
[lprent: The anti-spam engine (the external one) decided you are spam for some reason. If you don’t have a static IP, then it may pay to turn off the router to get a new IP. ]
Cheers, lprent. Either one of the two similar posts eg the 9:19am can be removed.
[lprent: already done. That one went through without intervention. ]
Whoa! What may seem like jest might turn out to be closer to what could eventuate.
One of the Feng Shui Masters with whom I am in contact confirms that Key coming back in power remains bleakly inauspicious for the country and Nelson is the pre-Christmas bad news that was seen in the casting done last month:
http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-up-in-fairfax-poll/#comment-394178
Another lot of casting just provided shows Key’s jinx giving rise to NZ “taking a hit”, quite a significant one, in the first half of 2012. Should, within 20 months, Key continue to be in the “Emperor’s seat” (ie be in power), his jinx will overshadow not just the country but take root in himself in connection with a private matter.
Casting for Stephen Joyce shows a “dagger behind the throne”. The casting done for Bill English is showing a “servant boy” and Hekia Parata’s is a “waxing moon in its first quarter”.
The casting for Shearer is yielding neutral reading.
OMG. The photo that will haunt your dreams
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10774202
Double yuk.
How is it that Audrey Young can state as fact who voted for who in the Labour caucus. That was supposed to be a secret caucus vote.
This is really shite and shows that the dirty tricks leaks are continuing.
Also, John Hartevelt seems to know who supported Cunliffe: e.g. Sue Moroney, who lost her portfolio (a sad loss, IMO), and Charles Chauvel.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6164303/Cunliffe-has-front-bench-spot-as-consolation
I had hoped that we were entering a new age for Labour and there are still people in caucus who can’t keep their efing mouths shut.
It astounds me the level of self-promotion(?), vindictiveness(?), bad faith(?), petty tribalism or whatever, that would motivate someone to betray the confidentiality of caucus, the greater good.
Â
Their identity should be exposed and they should be dumped, dumped, dumped!
I haven’t given up hope but I wont sit through another term of Labour shooting themselves in the foot.
“It astounds me the level of self-promotion, vindictiveness, bad faith, petty tribalism or whatever, that would motivate someone to betray the confidentiality of caucus, the greater good.”
Really, I’m never surprised to see any of these traits displayed in politicians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZcFwzzJOkc
Honestly, why does this ‘leaking’ matter? This only titillates the beltway and some blog commentators. It has absolutely no impact on the public at large.
So Labour have some internal factions right after a leadership battle – big surprise!
Now if this sort of thing is going on in 6-9 months time, that’s another issue.
Was surprising the leadership battle was done so publicly full-stop, as if the public were making the decision. Allowing the public to see and experience factions within a party makes it all the difficult for the party to re-group and get on with the job. Was a dumb strategy.
The “leaking” has been noticeable for some time, in particular cases (in amongst the usual RW spin slurs, and bullshit), eerily accurate. Sometimes I guess it just happens when people are impassioned and talking a lot amongst themselves. But the leaks from the shadow cabinet and caucus itself – it’s hard not to see the possibility of something underhand and deliberate.
But the leaks from the shadow cabinet and caucus itself â itâs hard not to see the possibility of something underhand and deliberate.
It was underhand and deliberate. In a way it reflects on David Shearer but I’m inclined to believe he didn’t know what was going on. It’s to be hoped he’s since given the tiny group responsible one hell of a bollocking, and there will be no more of it occurring.
Yeah… well, one can live in hope. đ
The same way the entire front bench line up was known by the Herald a week ago. The Labour Party leaks like a fucking sieve.
And yes, it is obvious that Cunliffe’s supporters were in the main penalised, while Shearer supporters got a boost.
This article confirms that Shane Jones and Clare Curran joined the Shearer camp.
Final list of who voted who:
Shearer:
David Shearer, Grant Robertson, David Parker, Annette King, Maryan Street, Damien O’Connor, Phil Goff, Phil Twyford, Kris Faafoi, Darien Fenton, Clayton Cosgrove, Trevor Mallard, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Clare Curran and Shane Jones.
Cunliffe:
David Cunliffe, Nanaia Mahuta, Moana Mackey, Charles Chauvel, Lianne Dalziel, Parekura Horomia, Louisa Wall, Rino Tirikatene, Su’a William Sio.
Unknown:
David Clark, Iain Lees-Galloway, Andrew Little, Rajen Prasad, Sue Moroney, Ross Robertson, Ruth Dyson, Megan Woods, Raymond Huo.
The fall of Ruth Dyson and Sue Moroney makes it seem likely they voted Cunliffe, and the refusal to elevate Little means he probably did too.
The fall of Ruth Dyson and Sue Moroney makes it seem likely they voted Cunliffe, and the refusal to elevate Little means he probably did too.
I believe Dyson and Moroney(possibly) voted for Cunliffe. I understand Andrew Little went Shearer’s way. I read somewhere that Carmel Sepolini, Rajen Prasad and Megan Woods voted Cunliffe. Based on my knowledge concerning some of the shenanigans beyond the caucus room, I suspect they may have been given a hard time of it these past few weeks. So, good on them for having the fortitude to stick to their guns.
Don’t worry fullas and fullesses nobody out here is even remotely interested in it, so keep it internal and your voters won’t notice.
So Professor Anne-Delorus-Umbridge-Tolley, having wreaked havoc at Hogwarts has now been withdrawn and gone back to the Ministry of Magic in shame. Oh, the parallels with the Order of the Phoenix. Now all we needs is for a Harry Potter to overcome the Dark Lord and his sycophantic crew and peace will be restored.
LMFAO!
North Korea is a secretive country that covers up the truth about conditions and bad practices and enforces controls with its might. In NZ there is talk about controlling teachers and bringing them under the cloak of secrecy that the government imposes on public servants so it is illegal to reveal unpleasant truths.
Ann Tolley apparently dissed the complaint of an informed School Principal about the Ed Dept making a placement as Advisor to experienced schools, who was known to have an unsatisfactory record. Tolley noted that the Principal was affiliated to Labour, chose to regard it as a political ploy and then that excused her from actually doing some work and checking the facts to ensure that the education system was operating to a high standard. Disgraceful. And another example of the arrogance of some politicians who consider they are superior to teachers, who they treat as semi-skilled workers on an education factory line.
@Prism
“And another example of the arrogance of some politicians who consider they are superior to teachers, who they treat as semi-skilled workers on an education factory line.”
Have noticed the extreme disrespect given to teachers in NZ (by adults). I am afraid I have felt it necessary to warn friends in Britain who are thinking of coming here to teach about this situation. Am surprised that this country has any teachers left.
Have found my teaching colleagues here to be of the highest standard, and horrified that they are treated with such ignorance and near contempt at times- especially by the Nact party. Disgusting.
@seeker
And the worst of it is that teachers can be deprecated and harrassed by their own management after they have worked really hard and got improvement in learning and tests but not high enough to meet arbitrary goals set at Principal level.
Very demoralising, and many will end up just going through the motions if they gave this sort of treatment, just concentrating on meeting the national standards. No use putting heart and soul into it, you wear yourself out, work long hours and then get abuse from the senior level.
A leader worth noting the passing of⊠Vaclav Havel architect of the velvet revolution.
One might optimistically hope that these leaks are old news, from the period between the leader selection and seat allocation, as people jockeyed for influence. And that this kind of carry-on has by now been put to one side to a large degree, so as to reunify the party. After all, those who have tried to pull the party to the right (if that is indeed what they were up to) must surely by now be cognisant of the fact that they have given their opponent a moral victory and have exposed their machinations to the party membership and the unions. So while they have won in a sense, the onus is on them to re-establish the trust you need to foster if you are to prove electable. Hence they have very good reason to knuckle down, shut up and get on with it.
It looks like Labour is aiming to be National-Lite.
If things keep going in this direction, we’ll be back to the good old days reminiscent of Douglas, Prebble, et al. đ
So Key wants to forge a long term relationship with The Greens by making a deal with them for this term to abstain on confidence and Supply. This is NOT why I gave my party vote to the Greens this election, and I will see it as a betrayal of my vote. If the Greens abstain on Confidence and Supply, that’s my support for them totally gone… never again!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6166315/National-kicks-off-talks-with-Greens
And if Labour looks like becoming National lite, then that just leaves Mana for me, or… for the first time in my life, a non-vote. Will a REAL left wing party please stand up!!!?
There’s not enough REAL left wingers to support a REAL left wing party – especially when REAL left wingers have a variety of perceptions of what is REAL.
26% of the population didn’t vote. Chances are, the majority of them are the real left-wingers. The people who no longer have a party to represent them.
No chances are, the majority of them couldn’t be fagged..
hs – you stated the symptom, DTB stated the cause.
If you think that’s the cause for 27% of the voting population not bothering you’re as delusional as wee draco.
I suspect that if the 27% had good reason they would have voted. They might have believed in “aspiration” in which case Shonkey would have got their vote. Quite obviously they did not feel motivated to vote for whatever Nact were putting up. Equally they could not see anything in Labour or the Greens that was going to motivate them either. Personally I suspect that the 27% represent an increasing alienation from the current democratic process, they did not vote because they think it will make no difference.
Yes well it is this 27% that the Vote Them Out party hopes to capture. If someone can’t be bothered with any of the noobs on offer and would rather they weren’t there at all then that person can actively vote them out.
We would instantly be more popular than the greens.
No KFC or McDonalds on offer this year……….
Here we go again, Mr 0.6% decrying the lack of support for anyone else’s point of view.
Pompous git and you have no perception of what is real.
because you can’t make up your mind who you are.
Unbalanced
Folliesculls
0.6% and going down
Pete George- the second man in UF
PG’s statement above is just dribble.
“especially when REAL left wingers have a variety of perceptions of what is REAL.”
Do only left wingers have this variation in perception of REAL?
Can right wingers suffer the same condition?
Or are all right wingers exactly the same in their perception of REALity?
Is there not a huge variety in humans and their personal perception of REALity?
Maybe PG and his right wing buddies have been programmed or cloned since they are united in their perception of REAL.
Merry Xmas anyways Pete…you been getting stuck into the turkey early with your gobbledygook.
Carol
+1
And have made a similar comment about this on the Frog Blog General Debate for today. Also will be watching the swearing in starting now, to see how Hone deals with it. Swearing an oath of allegiance to the Queen is just wrong for 21st century NZ.
As someone who made a similar pledge for the grant of New Zealand citizenship earlier this year, I found it a bit odd saying that I would affirm my allegiance to a grandma in a country I have never been to. Of course I read the card (I likely would have affirmed allegiance to the noodley tentacles of the flying spaghetti monster if that what was written on the card), but the whole royal thingie seems weird to me.
I do think a lot of hour parliamentary rituals need updating. Wigs and gowns? Christian prayers?
Yeah. Increase the entertainment value of parliament. I’d suggest naked MP’s in body paint
Why stop there lprent… âunder benchâ cam, âPimpâ your MP, chicken wire the newly licensed complimentary Margarita pitcher, public gallery.
…chicken wire the newly licensed public gallery.
To stop the groupies?
FOAM PARTY!!!!!!!!!
That vision of Gerry Brownlie just spoiled my afternoon tea
My brother who is a staunch Nat voter would like to see the Greens bolstering National’s majority to protect the government in the event of a Richard Worth and Pansy Wong being uncovered this electoral term..
Of course the Nat supporters would. A poster on Frog Blog says the Green Party leaders can’t decide on a Confidence and Supply abstention – it has to go to the membership for approval.
Remember, the Greens, – “Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”
Today’s politics in New Zealand. Whilst the Greens should not do it – expediency says they will do a deal. Labour should keep note for 2014. These are the partners to form the next Government. Neither Labour nor Greens individually can win but together they will, but the tail will wag the dog.
This is why I didn’t give my party vote to the Greens this year, for the first time. They are not what they were… đ
@ Carol 10.35am
“And if Labour looks like becoming National lite ……..”
Think Labour might be more than ‘national lite’ which is the way I initially viewed David Shearer et al.
Now I think the front bench ‘mirrors’ the govt. quite well and generation mirrors generation quite well too.My son brought home to me how this may be important; for generations each have their own perceptions and viewpoints and ‘language’ gleaned from their experiences and these can effect their communications and knowledge of .’where they are coming from’. Even body language may be different. Thus thinking about this factor I had a look at generation ‘mirroring’ as well as suitability.
Shearer and Key- similar age,very good at what they did previously -but one of them more ‘life’ worthy than the other.One far less cowardly than the other and one with much better diction than the other!
Robinson and Parker versus Brownlee and English- similar, but Robinson and Parker(I glean from witnesssing their previous actions and articulated thinking skills)would appear to have higher intelligence and integrity and I believe have better qualifications. Let us hope this intelligence works to Labour’s advantage in this arena.
Likewise Jacinda Ardern who comes to her important portfolio new, as a ‘bright young thing” as did Paula Bennett three years ago.Both fresh from Breakfast TV. Jacinda has also done much work for our youth which is really important for this portfolio. Both are young generation x so will ‘know’each other , and I’m hoping Jacinda will out ‘know’ Bennett. Again she certainly has more integrity and I believe intelligence, but Bennett’s apparent ‘streetwise’ mongrel type intelligence may be a help or hinderance.
I am just very glad David Cunliffe is there to take on Stephen ‘head of the hydra’ Joyce.
I hope that it is one of David Cs destinies to decapitate (metaphorically speaking) that ‘hydra’, before we are all turned into Joyce’s ‘hard as stone’ image, or in the case of the vulnerable, ‘starved ‘or ‘petrified’ into submission by his and his collegial craftiness. My security is restored.
Finally, my other huge relief is Nanaia getting education. Someone of her intelligence, integrity and stature is needed to take on an intelligent ‘chancer’ like Parata. I feel that Nanaia has the ability and the wit to take on this less than principled (judging by my intuition and a little of her history)
female johnkey clone, who’s main aim is social climbing, celebrity and power, albeit educated unlike Tolley. At least our school children have someone to fight for their eduction and future now, in both Maori and English.Yay.
However, i appreciate that Sue Moroney has done a fantastic job in such a short time and I hope this is recognised soon.
Think the other choices will be fine and mirror their counterparts well. Clayton Cosgrove, will,I imagine, be hungry to win after his electorate defeat when he had worked so hard and Maryan Street,who is already ‘streets ‘ ahead because she is experienced and knowledgeable,like Ryall,only without his terrible taste in shirts and ties.
Jones will do because he has good oratory skills ( so I’ve read), but I don’t like his attitude over assets. Know he’s intelligent and bi-lingual though which is all good.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Feel like I’m back on boardish with Labour. For three reasons:
1. What they are trying to do I think is more clear now that we see this fresh plan of the ‘mirroring’ of the National frontbench (unless I have it wrong.). Seems like ‘marking’ a team in sport.
2. David C’s portfolio and his brilliant and inspiring (to me anyway) answer to aTV3 reporter. When asked if he was happy with his position and what deal had he done to get position 5 (something like that any hoo).
He looked at the reporter and said, “Look we are adults and you know as well as I do the dynamics of the situation”.
Sensible and respectful answer to usual silly and disrespectful question, which put a firm end to such baiting and cynical questioning.from a lazy journalist. Wonderful.
With David C. on the front bench with an attitude and answers like that, I feel there is still hope.(Am trying to be ‘adult’ like him and ‘understand the dynamics of the situation’. It’s working,I think.)
(Note:- David C. pronounced ‘dynamic’ correctly, and used it in the more direct and less ‘convoluted’ context.)
3. Shearer’s ‘clean,green,clever’ meme and his asking all of us for ideas for the future, which made me fell that I could be included in ‘making the meme come true’.
*And in spite of Lew.
Well, the front bench for Labour isn’t as bad as I expected. But I still am not certain where Shearer is at policy-wise and in terms of an underlying political philosophy. At the moment his approach doesn’t seem much different from the neoliberal managerial approach that has infected Labour in recent decades – an approach that ultimately favours the middleclasses, and aims to compromise with, or placate, the largely right-leaning/neoliberal dominated MSM.
I’ve never really warmed to Parker so far – another managerial type. But I’m glad Mahuta and Cunliffe are there. It will be interesting to watch Ardern’s development. Street is a solid, down-to-earth MP with committment to social inequalities. Robertson is a very smart and able MP, but I’m also not sure what his current political approach and philosophy are.
Shane Jones is a worry. Today he’s been talking about mining in rural areas.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6165525/Jones-back-and-planning-to-shake-things-up
I’m sorry some good MPs who supported Cunliffe have been demoted – eg Sue Moroney.
I’m really in wait-and-see mode.
Agree with your synopsis Carol.
Agree with all of that, except the idea that neo-liberalism benefits the middle classes
Sprout, in terms of politics, and Labour parties in places like NZ & the UK trying to placate the neoliberal-dominated MSM, IMO the result is that such parties cater more to the interests of middleclasses than they do for people on the lower incomes. So it’s kind of like a knock-on effect that influences the policies of centre-left parties.
Sure that’s true, but in the end the middle classes get screwed by neo-liberalism too. In real terms and over time only the very wealthy benefit from neo-liberal policies
You make some good points seeker. Too busy to read it properly before…
Feel like Iâm back on boardish with Labour.
I’m half way there, but won’t commit again until I’m certain the ABC club has been tossed on the fire and burned to a cinder. It’s all very well to say “time to move on etc.” but you still have to see that justice is done. Shearer has gone some way to righting the wrongs, but more needs to be done before I’m convinced it’s genuine. Someone on this site pointed out that a few of Cunliffe’s supporters were either demoted or at least passed over for promotion. I refer in particular to Charles Chauvel who, in my view, should be on the front bench.
So here’s an interesting article – especially good reading for those who
1) Think the relationship between poverty and well-being doesn’t exist
2) Are fans of the Sensible Sentencing Trust
3) Think NZ is a crime ridden and violent society
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/19/karyn-mccluskey-glasgow-gangs
Â
Famine causes people to work together and build stores of food.
Elites then privatise the stores of food and store lower quality food (a cost saving).
After a while of ‘cost savings’ the taxes on the people for a store still exist yet the food has been virtualized into a world trading system.
Then the private owner of the store wants a bail out for all their hard work in running growth past the ability of the people to produce growth.
More taxes are seized, people lose their homes, and the wealth all runs into the hands of fewer and fewer.
Then one day the famine comes. And the people eat the rich while they save crops for storage.
The rich become the stores of food when they fail to keep food in the store.
Eat the rich.
“Eat the rich”
I am still getting these unpleasant images of Gerry Brownlie.
Please desist folks
Eat a pie. Should help.
Woodwork must be fun until you find out Brownlie is the woodwork teacher.
Could just see him confiscating the lunch off the naughty kids.
Had to laugh when Simon Power told how he and Brownlie went to fish & chip shop to order tea for the team (of plonkers) Gerry ordered 20 fish etc etc then turned to Power and said so what do you want?
Tolley getting told off? (Ooh, Key giving her a spanking – another awful picture)
Â
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10774360
Fukushima highlights industry failures
It appears that the IAEA is biased and all too willing to help a corrupt industry that is more concerned with protecting their interests than the well being of people around the world…
Yep, large shareholders, industry and regulators in a far too cosy relationship.
Arnie Gunderson’s latest update on Fukushima.
Occupy Dunedin is pulling up pegs in the Octagon. I hope they have a good break, and then maybe can look at how to continue next year. Unoccupied but issues remain.
Don’t think dear leader Dunne would approve of your lip-service-support for a group challenging the 1% whose alter he worships at.
Debt: The First 5000 Years page 92.
The paragraph before that actually explains just how inefficient capitalism and the inherent hierarchies is but the interesting point is his last sentence where he tells us that capitalism cannot exist without the bedrock of communism that is inherent within all societies.
It confounds me how some people can express a common idea in a way that makes it sound more important and somehow like they have stumbled, or through unique intellectual application fallen, onto one of life’s many secrets. And this is a perfect example … “In fact, communism is the foundation of all human sociability.”. All that says is that humans need to live together. Thaqt we are all interdependent. Whoop de doo – I would imagine even the most hardened libertarianal individualistic captialismist would agree and note that that is nothing new. In fact it is as old as the hills. Acshully, older than most NZ hills even.
I don’t mean to be smart or cynical Mr Draco, it’s just a wee rant. I have a mate who does the same. And people like Brian Edwards and Chris Trotter have the same ability, or desire. I guess what they do is better explain a particularity in terms which elevate its importance to its rightful place in the Scheme of Thing.
btw, he’s right too.
It’s a point that I realised some time ago – cooperation is far better and more efficient than competition. I was more sticking it to the RWNJs who keep trying to tell us that competition and greed are normal when all the real social sciences (ie, not economics) tell us that they aren’t.
DTB Michael Cullen is the only MP to have a doctorate in economic history you can bet your bottom Dollar that Bills English hasn’t done past adam smith yet.
Very good article by Mr Monbiot on corruption of language and ideals (well, one ideal)
http://www.monbiot.com/2011/12/19/how-freedom-became-tyranny/
Thanks. Another very good piece of analysis from Monbiot.
The neoliberals co-opted the very popular notion of “freedom” from the youth and other related rebellions of the 60s and early 70s. For such protest movements, “freedom” meant freedom from the tyranny of the powerful, the dominant groups in society at the time.
I have heard it defined as the “freedom of the sociopath”
Big call by the Prime Minister when endorsing Lockwood Smith as speaker for the new term. He likened the speaker to the outstanding referring of Joubert in the RWC final. Well Joky, this one is not one of your better calls. If you have time in your exceptionally busy schedule, you might like to watch the experts commenting on that referring job, along with the supporting video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C6bTHyC0U
I want to know why I am in moderation? I see from an email notification that someone else is also, and his post is not here! What gives?
Looks like akismet has problems. It does the external moderation. When it fails stuff winds up moderating. Doesn’t get clear until one of us gets away from the damn Xmas parties.
Let’s just hope God is merciful, Chris
by GEORGE GALLOWAY on Dec 19, 11 08:21 AM
http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/georgegalloway/2011/12/lets-just-hope-god-is-merciful-chris.html
WELL, he kens noo. I hope that the deceased, unbelieving English man of letters Christopher Hitchens has discovered that God is not only great but merciful too.
I had taken a self-denying ordinance over his demise at the weekend from osophageal cancer on the grounds that one should not speak ill of the recently dead and there would be nothing good to say about him considering the circumstances.
Two things forced me to shorten my purdah. The first was the way in which almost every one of the eulogies and profiles, in which I had declined to be represented on grounds of taste, nonetheless managed to attack me in the process of praising him.
The second was the sight of his friend Tony Blair, his voice catching with emotion in the “death of Diana way”, telling us what a great man he was.
This canonisation of the departed by some of the worst hypocrites operating in the English language must be halted before it slithers any further.
Hitchens was the only-known case of a butterfly changing back into a slug.
He wrote like an angel but placed himself in the service of the devils.
He was a drink-soaked former Trotskyite popinjay, the Englishman in New York who discovered there were large bundles of right-wing dollars available for apostates like him. If they were prepared to betray their friends, their principles and sell the soul he didn’t believe he had in the first place.
Easy. As Groucho Marx once put it: “These are my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.”
Thus, the man who once praised Saddam Hussein in adoration and opposed the first Gulf War when the Iraqi tyrant was still occupying Kuwait, was transformed into the main literary cheerleader for the second war.
And he was still blowing the weapons of mass destruction trumpet long after its tinny notes were discredited.
The man who once championed the Palestinian cause became a little echo for Benjamin Netanyahu, denouncing the 10 Turkish dead on the ship Mavi Marmara as “Hamas-sympathisers” who got what they asked for.
Sure his ditties were witty, his parsing precise and, if you like your men drunk, slurred and slobbering, he could be charming no doubt.
But when you’re slobbering in support of the re-election of George W Bush for his catastrophic second term, or backing Bush’s handling of the clean-up operation after Hurricane Katrina (where he was the only man in the country other than Bush who thought the Federal Emergency Agency was doing a “heck of a job”) and you have written the script for the most disastrous massacre since Vietnam, I’m afraid literary pretence must be put in its proper place. Down the lavatory.
Hitchens and I shared the ring in an epic “Grapple in the Apple” back in 2005 in Manhattan.
Thousands of people queued around the block for ringside seats paying top dollar for the privilege. You can watch it on YouTube or wait for the DVD, with commentary and my updates, which I will produce shortly.
Ultimately, the real reason for the tear-stained eulogies from the British media commentariat for the late Mr Hitchens is that, by and large, the writers and editors are weeping for themselves.
They share his guilt over the Iraq War and deep inside they know it.
But all the salty tears in the world will not out that damned spot. The next reason is class.
Hitchens was a toff, a Lord. And the English-speaking world, it seems, still likes to love a Lord.
http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/georgegalloway/2011/12/lets-just-hope-god-is-merciful-chris.html
Keith Rankin: The Global Debt Crisis
So, the reason why we have governments in deficit is because of the private sector not spending enough, specifically, a few people accumulating a huge amount of cash which then requires the governments to borrow it back so that it can be re-injected back into the economy. This leads to a single conclusion – the reason for the GFC is because a few people accumulated too much money. Best way to get that money back into circulation is actually taxes.
Richard John Seddon was the first to break up large land holdings we need to do something similar today to spread some money and oportunity around
Yep. Asset and land taxes, estate taxes. And the creation of debt free money by the sovereign power of the Crown.
I’d disagree in part. IMO the reason for the GFC was
1) A monetary system based on the creation of credit (money) through interest bearing and hence exponentially increasing debt.
2) The use of highly excessive leverage by financial institutions.
3) The use of large pools of capital to finance ponzi investment schemes which in turn generated massive amounts of toxic false assets.
The reason for those three is the accumulation of working capital into a few hands. Once that happens then you need a way to get money back into circulation. This is done by:-
1.) Loans: The people with the money loan it back out at interest (usually to governments as loaning money to governments carries no risk (IMO, this is one reason why this government went so far into debt so fast – they were protecting their and their rich mates accumulated wealth))
2.) Fractional Reserve Banking: As the people with the money aren’t about to release all the money they have then more money needs to be created hence the Fractional Reserve Banking system but, due to the fact that interest is charged on the printed money, this just accelerates the accumulation of money by the few
3.) As more and more capital is accumulated with nowhere to go the finance system invents more and more exotic “investment” vehicles usually advertised as having little or no risk (sub-prime loans bundled with AAA loans and given AAA rating). As with the other two these carry interest charges which again accelerates accumulation of money by the few.
Eventually you get to the point where the amount of debt cannot be carried by the economy at which point it should all fall down. Unfortunately, our governments decided that they needed to protect the wealth of the few and bailed the bastards out with our money. Not that it’ll make any difference in the medium term as the whole lot is going to collapse anyway – it’s the natural result of the selfish accumulation that is the heart of capitalism.
The accumulation of working capital into fewer and fewer hands doesn’t fully explain quite a few of the negative effects however, IMO. The separation of investment banking and saving banking (as per Glass Stegal) would have prevented the GFC, even with high levels of wealth concentration.
Another for instance: why is “more and more capital (is) accumulated with nowhere to go” The latest archdruid report is instructive.
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2011/12/future-cant-pay-its-bills.html
Secret statistics
WTF! $2500 a day for something Statistics NZ should be doing anyway… and for a website that’s a bloody disgrace!
It does have a system for attaining information without going through the Official Information Act 1982 though… let’s see how that’s working…
This whole sack the staff then hire consultants has a bad smell.
Be interesting to see if theres any network of cronys associated with the companies that rake in the cash from the governments decision to use consultants. I don’t like it at all, despite the fact we are always touted as being so corruption free.