Reading about resignation of Tory Minister Iain Duncan Smith, and watching BBC interview with Andrew Marr, well I never, could this be a sign that we have reached peak Crosby Textor, greedy elitist politics?
Cannot see any one in National government having the guts to stand against Key…..except maybe Collins, and that would be greed, not guts.
Maybe we have. Don’t forget Crosby was dispatched by the gang to Ottawa late last year to try and save Harper’s sorry old arse and failed miserably in that endeavour.
“Cannot see any one in National government having the guts to stand against Key…..except maybe Collins, and that would be greed, not guts.”
I can not see the old guard permitting Judith Collins to become Leader.
Too much of a liability given the business activities of her husband Mr Wong-Tung i.e Oravida and the murky goings on Milk-Swamp Kauri-Bottled Water, especially Swamp kauri which there has been a reputed $200 million dollars worth of illegal activities. While there is no proof of any wrong doings by Oravida, there has been plenty of noise in the media. Tarred by association I guess one may say.
Anyone can post an image like that without date stamp, co-ordinates, or verifiable attribution. The internet is one huge information bubble. Bubbles have a tendency to pop.
Wikileaks have helped open a window on this matter, PB:
WikiLeaks Reveals How the US Aggressively Pursued Regime Change in Syria, Igniting a Bloodbath
The cables gave the public a recent window into the strategies and motivations of US officials as they expressed them to each other, not as they usually expressed them to the public. In the case of Syria, the cables show that regime change had been a long-standing goal of US policy; that the US promoted sectarianism in support of its regime-change policy, thus helping lay the foundation for the sectarian civil war and massive bloodshed that we see in Syria today; that key components of the Bush administration’s regime-change policy remained in place even as the Obama administration moved publicly toward a policy of engagement; and that the US government was much more interested in the Syrian government’s foreign policy, particularly its relationship with Iran, than in human rights inside Syria.
A December 13, 2006 cable, “Influencing the SARG [Syrian government] in the End of 2006,”1 indicates that, as far back as 2006 – five years before “Arab Spring” protests in Syria – destabilizing the Syrian government was a central motivation of US policy. The author of the cable was William Roebuck, at the time chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Damascus. The cable outlines strategies for destabilizing the Syrian government.
Millions of cables are produced, they are not ‘plans’.
BUt what has that got to do with the warcrimes committed by Assad and Russia? Di they justify it?
Did the US create the protests?
Did the US force Assad to respond as he did?
Did the US force assad to support islamist insurgents during the Iraq occupation?
None of this is relevent. That cable does not justify what Assad has done, and what you support.
the fact you front page on this site with thie crap you do, and your support for war crimes, will make it that much harder for us to oppose NZ involvement on whatever the next US president dreams up.
Your complete failure to condemn war crimes has finally made my mind up to abandon this blog.
I’ve gotta say, that when I wander into central Vienna in the weekends the Syrians standing silently with their flags, banners, leaflets and their stories and photos of horrific war crimes are condemning Assad, not the US.
Assad is willing to destroy his country and his people (and clearly he does believe he owns them).
He is a dictator of the worst order.
Russia is not acting as peacemaker, but to to protect its own strategic interests (Russia’s interests are obviously best served by peace – and that means Assad in control until an acceptable transition is in place). This does not make Assad or Putin the nice guys.
Actually every photo I’ve seen of Putin shaking Assad’s hand, Putin looks as if he wants to vomit.
+100
When the rest of us are getting ourselves tied up in knots, along comes Pb and sorts us out. Not only have we seen some good authors disappear, we are losing our best commenters and Pb was up there near the top with felix. Very sad.
+100 CV..it is quite clear USA and friends ( Israel and Saudi Arabia) want Assad out and Syria destabilised …so they can subdivide it up for themselves
Russia went into the conflict at the behest of Assad the democratically elected leader ( unlike USA and friends)
From the link above, the memo makes it quite clear that the US had made a detailed analysis on how to destroy Syria as a country.
And the intervening years show that at least some of these plans were successfully actioned against the Syrian people.
This cable shows that, in December 2006, the top US diplo mat in Syria believed that the goal of US policy in Syria should be to destabilize the Syrian government by any means available; that the US should work to increase Sunni-Shia sectarianism in Syria, including by aiding the dissemination of false fears about Shia proselytizing and stoking resentment about Iranian business activity and mosque construction; that the US should press Arab allies to give access in the media they control to a former Syrian official calling for the ouster of the Syrian government; that the US should try to strain relations between the Syrian government and other Arab governments, and then blame Syria for the strain; that the US should seek to stoke Syrian government fears of coup plots in order to provoke the Syrian government to overreact; that if the Syrian government reacted to external provocations, it proved that the regime was paranoid; that the US should work to undermine Syrian economic reforms and discourage foreign investment; that the US should seek to foster the belief that the Syrian government was not legitimate; that violent protests in Syria were praiseworthy and exemplary; that if Syria is the victim of terrorism and tries to do something about it, the US should exploit that to say that the Syrian government is weak and unstable, and is experiencing blowback for its foreign policy.
Forgotten the name of the city North of Bagdad which was razed by the Americans during the Iraqi war to bring Democracy to the people. No one was allowed in to witness the devastation wreaked by the brave Americans. I expect it would have looked like Pascal’s photos. (Falluja?)
Images tell us nothing. We need history, actions and reactions.
And, no, I’m not a supporter of Assad/Putin. Although in Assad’s case he is the legitimate ruler of Syria and that’s solely a decision of the Syrians via democracy.
What we see in Syria today seems to be a result of the actions of the US in their attempts to forcefully remove Assad via proxies.
ok, so the general consensus is that y’all need more info.
Google can be your friend on that I guess.
However, how about, just for the sake of argument, we assume that areas of Daraya have been hit as hard as that photo suggests. Would your opinions change re Assad and Russia and the legitimacy of what is happening?
What is depressing me, friends, is the clear double standard being displayed on this blog of late.
If that photo was from Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Yemen, how many of you can hand on heart say you would be reacting to it in the same way, and giving the US the benefit of doubt before having something to say?
‘Saudi forces on the run as Houthis close on Taiz’ .. Saudis commanded by retired Australian generals according to a piece I saw at the same site a while ago.
How does the Foriegn Fighters legislation apply to all those NZ army and Australian army types who are now mercenaries/contractors? Maybe Dame Kitteridge could comment on these ( anti) Jihadists. My guess is that as they are motivated by money then they are regarded by the Nat/SIS as being ideologically pure.
Last weekend we were in Mildura. Walked into the info centre, “What’s it like out there?” asks a pleasant woman behind the desk. “About 36 deg” we tell her. “Oh that’s a relief she says, come right down from 46 deg last week!”
THE HEAT IS ON
Maximum temperature at least 4C above average, from March 1 to 4
Temps 8 to 12C above average for most of southeast Australia
Record 39 straight days over 26C in Sydney
Perth had more 40C days this summer than ever before
Melbourne had hottest March night on record, at peak of 38.6C
Canberra had 10 straight days of 30C or more
Echuca, VIC, and Tocumwal, NSW, sweltered through eight straight days of 38C or more in March, breaking records for any month of the year
Temperature records shattered around the world, with this January and February hotter than any other.
(Source: Climate Council)
Yup those inland areas are frying, how long before its too hot to sustain the crops that drive them like citrus, grapes etc.
I thought the murray down around albury, echuca etc were bad enough 20 years but mates still there are looking at tassie now as its simply too hot now.
It’s the high night time temps that are the killer. When it’s midnight and still > 30 degC for days on end, or it’s still > 26 degC at 6am you just don’t get any respite or proper sleep. After 4 -5 nights I’m definitely starting to lose the plot.
Aircon becomes mandatory. Which of course only makes the root cause worse.
Still it’s amazing how much water they can keep pumping out of the Murray; the place was the most green I’ve seen over here in ages. The big new crop in the past few years is almonds. Endless km of them.
Believe it or not but that sort of temperature in Mildura really isn’t that bad.
The very high temperatures in Victoria are associated with very, very low humidity.
The wind just comes south across Australia, getting hotter and hotter, but drier and drier as it does so.
I am not saying it is pleasant but 46C in Mildura is easier to tolerate than 34C in Singapore or 38+C in Sydney. That is my opinion of course but I have experienced them all. The hard part is 30+C at night. You can’t sleep.
So Nick Smith has made yet another FU with his Kermadec marine reserve. I really can’t think of anything this professional trougher has achieved in his decades on an MPs salary.
Yep Smith is hopeless. Total lack of consultation on the end to fishing rights for Maori in the proposed marine reserve-off to Court they go.
Loved Key on Morning Report this morning saying that the Kermadec’s haven’t been fished for over 10 years. Then the Maori guy comes on and says they fish there every year. Another lie for the Blip list.
When is the Maori Party going to realise that the Gnats are riding roughshod over their rights?
Nats get marine reserve then it’s open slather for commercial (non-maori) vessels to come in and fish the hell out of the area after bypassing maori rights
Yep Smith is hopeless. Total lack of consultation on the end to fishing rights for Maori in the proposed marine reserve-off to Court they go.
Māori didn’t have any fishing rights there as they never settled the Kermadecs and thus it doesn’t come under Ti Tiriti. Can’t be considered traditional.
From admitted limited personal knowledge, I understood that māori land rights were more than the rights of residence.
Particular land rights could be issued for different uses. ie. one tribe might have seasonal fishing rights, while another had the right of residence or agriculture.
There are many tribes that had seasonal visits to particular locations for food gathering, fishing etc.
Just because it was not used as a residence, does not mean that it was not used.
History is that it was used as a stop on journeys by many peoples but no one settled there. If we were now to extend fishing rights to peoples who once fished there before annexation by New Zealand then we’d have to extend them to the entire Pacific. Even the US would have a reasonable claim under those conditions as their whalers once used the place as a stop as well. The sanctuary would never come into being.
Personally, I’m more in favour of the sanctuary than trying to find out if anyone once fished there.
Simple fact of the matter is that no one claimed the Kermadecs in any way until the British did during WWI which was then subsequently transferred over to NZ thus it was not part of the promises made in Ti Tiriti.
Lots of places in NZ had no permanent settlement but were still part of local Iwi and Hapū’s rohe. Many places were lived at seasonally rather than settled. I don’t think lack of settlement is relevant. There is also an issue of what rights Māori have in decision making beyond traditional use.
As always the MSM doesn’t know how to report the complexities of issues that involve Māoridom. To be informed we would need to know what the fisheries trust objections are (they appear to be around lack of consulation), and who the Iwi were that Smith is claming supported the sancturay and what their perspectives are. Is that clear yet? I only read the article linked yesterday.
Lots of places in NZ had no permanent settlement but were still part of local Iwi and Hapū’s rohe.
The Kermadecs weren’t part of NZ until 1918. This is actually important as they’re making a Ti Tiriti claim.
The point is that no one claimed them but many people used them. Usually as a source of food/water on their journeys from A to B. There are no particular rights to any particular people.
And New Zealand didn’t exist until the Crown established that it did. I’m asking what the Māori perspectives are, and those are independent of the State or Eurocentric ideas about claims and entitlement.
Maori were given a decent slice of NZ’s existing commercial fisheries in the 90s through the Treaty. Also the Treaty gives them rights over NZ’s total fishery. I think that gives them the right to be involved in decision making where existing fisheries are to be made into sanctuaries. They may not have used the Kermadecs much in the past, but I think this is more about the present day Maori involvement.
” Even the US would have a reasonable claim under those conditions”
That reminds me of the fate of the kumara in the Waitangi Tribunal claim 262.
Maori claimed intellectual property rights to, among other things, all kumara sold in New Zealand. Unfortunately DNA evidence submitted to the tribunal showed, according to the scientist who did the analysis.
“The modern commercial crop was based on three cultivars: the beauregard, a recent import, the toka toka gold, a 19th-century import, and the owairaka red.
“There is no link between commercial lines and any varieties assumed to have been present in New Zealand pre-contact,” Dr Gould said.”.
Forest and Bird have been intensively lobbying the government for seven years to secure environmental protection in the Kermadec’s.
They say it “will go down in the history of Forest and Bird as one of our greatest
moments, the result of a seven year public campaign that will protect one of the most complex and pristine deep sea habitats left on earth”
“This monumental decision expands the amount of marine protection in New Zealand waters from an insignificant 0.5 percent to 15 percent”
Forest and Bird, issue 358, summer 2015 pg.8.
Maybe best to take it up with Forest and Bird, WWF New Zealand and the Pew charitable trusts, who worked so hard on this campaign that “Nick Smith even said he was getting sick of having Forest and Bird’s postcards coming across his desk, and complimented us on a textbook campaign”
Don’t go all poohie on me because I rang nicky, I was bored sh*tless, I have no friends, you don’t pick up the fu*king phone. Anyway I’m not attracted to nicky, he isn’t my type.
Julie need not worry, I’ve already told them the website will be up in June. I already have my website material – just need to brush it up a bit. Then I will save my pennies all of May. If I say I’m going to do something I will.
All i’m saying is that it doesn’t matter who you vote for (national or labour) you end up with the same 5-10 years down the track (they’re all bought out before the election starts), illuminati anyone?
Is this the same Fonterra that was, to stay competitive requesting from its suppliers to extend the time that they get paid, request discounts or to be paid “normally” to give a prompt payment discount. http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11604140
And now we get this “Forsyth Barr analyst James Bascand expects the co-operative’s normalised earnings before interest and tax to leap 83 per cent from $376 million to $687 million, and for an increased interim dividend to 18.5c from 10c, reflecting lower inputs and a big turnaround in the business.” And for many out their “normalised profits” are what many senior execs have part of their bonus calculated on.
This defies belief, and any resemblance of being a good corporate citizen. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11608977
The short-sightedness of putting your major suppliers or services under cash-flow stress to compensate for your own flawed decision making is just more of the same.
Have they not considered that they may be putting their own business under further stress when those necessary suppliers and service providers go to the wall?
I can’t help but remark on the irony of this stance. By Smith’s own account, the field of economics is experiencing an empirical revolution. Unlike the past, it has become necessary to test theories against reality. That places the field of economics many decades behind the field of evolution and numerous fields in the human social sciences that have been rigorously evidence-based all along. Earth to the economics profession: Welcome to Science 101!
As I’ve noted for sometime now. Economics has become delusional as it’s completely divorced itself from reality.
More trade, more consumption has been the cry of politicians and economists for more than 200 years.
We have a failed economic system because it:
1. Makes being rich the sole goal of economics
2. Dismisses the fact that resources are limited
3. Dismisses the fact that we do actually need the environment in good working order
We need to change this and fast. Unfortunately, National and other greedy bastards are standing in the way of rational action.
Do you actually know anything about economics and have you ever studied the subject?
Your rant here would indicate that you haven’t and are entirely ignorant on the subject.
“allocation of scarce resources”
That is the entire focus of the discipline.
Every economist considers it on every topic.
Just above you claimed “yes I do and yes I have” about learning Economics.
Just 11 minutes later you demonstrate that, even if you may have attended some classes, you failed to learn anything.
“Associate Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett said she was determined to stop a company from using sexually provocative slogans on the sides of its camper vans.”
Now where are the anti-PC crowd calling Nanny State about this overreaction?
What even more hilarious is that it was the front page of the Sunday Herald!! Oh my what a lovely world we must be living in, if this is considered such a scoop by MSM.
Bad signage of the camper vans is front page news, and as well our Paula ‘trougher’ Bennett and climate change minister – is defiantly doing to do something about it!!
Finally an issue she feels she can handle as a minister.
I anxiously await Part 2, of this Herald investigation and government crack down!
Wicked are the more visible end of the sleeper van / freedom camping market that is currently shitting in it’s own nest. The enforcement of freedom camping standards is left to local councils, so ratepayers have to wear it for no return, DOC tries to provide facilities which are overwhelmed and which the campers won’t pay for.
So the operators cream it by socialising their, and their customer’s expenses.
Once again, our brighter future…
Of note from the second link,
“In 2005, the Government established the $11 million tourism demand subsidy scheme, which subsidised water and wastewater projects in popular tourist areas such as Hanmer Springs and Franz Josef.
That’s unacceptable for sure but it is not the role of the government to legislate to protect people from offence surely? The free market will work it’s magic!
nanny state alright
how about some new ones
if you don’t pull up the ladder they will see up your skirt paula
if you don’t have your little firemans helmet on , you’ve got the wrong hat
pullya benefit to please yourself
TPPA to pullya pud away
john key loves nz (cant get much more offensive than that)
fucking national if it was one of their cronies it would be different
“It won’t be a witch hunt. I get the feeling that the current licensing regime works – the majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens who follow the rules – and my concern is not with recreational hunters and sporting folk, but rather the criminal element of society.”
As long as he leaves semi-autos alone it’ll be all good but more importantly Labour could do a lot worse then to look at Stuart Nash after they suffer another embarrassing election loss
@ Puckish Rogue National are so short on talent maybe they should recruit Stuart Nash themselves as future PM? They are a much better fit!
Wasn’t National vowing to do a war on P crimes as part of their government? What tends to follow drugs, are guns. Surprise surprise. More P imports, more Gun imports.
In true neoliberal style it sounds like the police resources were diverted into marijuana seizures so they could seize the owners assets rather than actually cracking down on the criminal activity of P and guns, being bought into the country. (Maybe those MAF layoffs checking imports, were not a good idea after all?)
Another great neoliberal idea, similar to police being used to issue speeding tickets instead of solve burglaries or protect dairy owners?
Or political harassment of Hager rather than police day jobs? Didn’t police even prosecute the messager aka du Plessis-Allan case who showed how easy guns were to get under current laws.
“du Plessis-Allan case who showed how easy guns were to get under current laws.”
She didn’t use a loophole to purchase the rifle, she broke a number of laws to obtain said rifle, all she demonstrated was how easy it is to purchase a rifle if you’re prepared to break a number of laws
How many rifles were found to have been illegally purchased in the way she demonstrated…none, she highlighted a problem that doesn’t exist
She should have been prosecuted because she knowingly broke the law, it wasn’t bringing up a loophole and it all really does is show how feeble our firearms laws are or rather the enforcement of the laws
A good starting point would be the strict enforcement of all laws pertaining to firearms
It just bugs me though that this will be used by those who’re convinced we’re in the USA that the best way to deal with this is ban all weapons or at the very least ban all MSSA weapons even though most crimes are done with normal rifles and shot guns
Well considering we have no ability to track individual firearms in this country, and neither party to the dodgy transaction is going to incriminate themselves, hardly surprising.
Sorry, but it defies logic to think that HDPA and her producer sat down and looked at the form and thought “Oh, we’ll just make it up and she’ll be sweet”. They knew it would go straight through, that’s why they did it.
The question you need to answer is how did they know it was going to work?
Sorry, but it defies logic to think that HDPA and her producer sat down and looked at the form and thought “Oh, we’ll just make it up and she’ll be sweet”. They knew it would go straight through, that’s why they did it
– Actually it doesn’t, it sounds like they had a heads from Greg O’Connor for whatever reason
if they had any brains they would be taking all guns off farmers , the way they have treated them, we wouldn’t want one to lose it and do something crazy(not to himself, the govt of course)
An extremely sad tale and nothing the courts decide will bring the child back but hopefully, if the punishment is harsh enough, it’ll cause some dick smack parents to go to doctor earlier
“It did not jump out at me that he was that seriously ill,” she told court, according to the Lethbridge Herald.
She did suggest, however, that he could have viral meningitis, and told Collet to seek medical help.
“I think you should take him to see a doctor,” Meynders testified, according to CBC.
– First suggestion to see a doctor
“You need to tell the lady to take the child to emergency right away,” the naturopathic doctor, Tracey Tannis, told an employee on the phone with Collet.
“I think you should see a medical doctor,” the employee, Lexie Vataman, relayed to Collet, according to court testimony.
– Second suggestion to see a doctor
By the time the Stephans drove to the naturopath to pick up the tincture a day or two later, however, Ezekiel’s body was so stiff from his illness that he couldn’t sit in his car seat, according to an interview – played in court – the couple gave to Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Instead, the couple put a mattress in the back of their vehicle to take him to the naturopath.
– I’m not a doctor (obviously) but I’d suggest that if your kid is so stiff you have to put him on a mattress then you really should be taking him to hospital
I guess I’m really suggesting that if your child is ill you take them to the doctor, if you’re child is so stiff you can’t sit them down then you take them to the hospital
What you don’t do in a first world country is rely on placebo (homeopathy) when your child is sick
My suggestion is that if you think your child has meningitis, phone your doctor and/or the hospital, don’t take your child to a waiting room full of sick, contagious and immunologically vulnerably people (unless it is an emergency). Meningitis is contagious. If you think it’s bacterial meningitis, you shouldn’t be waiting for a GP appointment, you should be acting immediately.
They didn’t rely on placebo. I’ve read about this case elsewhere and there is a huge amount of misinformation on all sides. And assumptions being made, including ignorant ones like yours regarding homeopathy and the parents’ intentions and motivations.
For every child that dies from this kind of mishandling of a situation (whether from neglect or ignorance) there are children that die from medical misadventure. It’s not as simple as saying take your child to a doctor. Plenty of people successfully use alternative medicine at home. You are conflating use of alternative medicine with ignorance around risk assessment and action.
You go right ahead and assume that. Apparently asking for actual evidence to support your assumptions is some sort of paradigmatic bullying by an epistemological reductionist.
I’m sure the distinction isn’t lost on the dead kids.
have to agree PR (im punching myself in the head as I write)
there are some fucked up parents around(if they were kiwis they would probably vote united)
Just spotted this myself. Part of me wonders if Turnbull hasn’t just done a Muldoon.
With the polling numbers heading south for the Coalition, there was every reason for Turnbull to pull the pin early, but my instinct is that it could backfire badly.
So many question will never be asked. Pity. (Wonder what happens to the $8,000 raised.)
“Bradley Ambrose decided to take Mr Key to court over the Prime Minister’s comments, which included comparing Mr Ambrose’s actions to the discredited News of the World newspaper.
The two parties have now reached a settlement, meaning the case will not go to trial. Mr Key says a payment was made, but won’t reveal how much. Mr Ambrose had sued for $1.25 million.”
So Key relies on “GimmeAsMuchAsFixesThis” from public funds. And it all goes away. Which has it follow that it was an entirely public discussion in the first place. Banana Republic happening please !
Over the weekend I watched this Witness documentary about the flourishing Israeli international arms trade, on Al Jazeera. It was an unsettling watch. A military “philosopher” ( as he was referred to) oozed a fascist blood lust, grinning constantly about the efficiency and skill of the IDF. Arms dealers at a trade fair sold their weapons proudly, stating they had been “tested” and that they were the best on the market – testing, meaning they had used them “successfully” on the Palestinians. The narrative of the dealers and military was purely barbaric.
Then in a surreal parallel with our very own abuser PM, a retired IDF general who became involved in the arms trade for all its lucrative gains, filmed attending the trade show, was standing next to a female soldier, and couldn’t help but give her ponytail a violent yank, enough to pull her head back.
It was a few seconds of footage but demonstrated how these war lords view themselves as untouchable and all powerful, with the god given right to abuse.
The sense of entitlement that those in power can have, to do as one pleases, for their own pleasure and entertainment was quite apparent in those few seconds. While Key hasn’t quite reached the status of war lord, he does share the same level of unaccountability and sense of entitlement as anyone in a position to abuse their power. Pure creepy and sick.
….and the arms dealers are often coexistent with the drugs dealers , the other side of the coin, if not one and the same…and the mafia are involved…and it is even more scary when hidden government agencies are involved
…democracy is a fragile thing when these forces are unleashed
Article on the establishment’s approach new Alternative for Germany party, with reference to the Left Party and the relationship with the Social Democrats (Germany’s Labour Party equivalent):
“The Social Democrats hate the Left Party so much (ostensibly because of its links to the old SED communist party which ruled in East Germany, but also because of personal rivalries as the Left Party grew out of a disgruntled SPD faction) that they have refused to work with it at state or federal levels.
In 2013, this led to a further Grand Coalition at the federal level, even though the SPD-Greens-Left party had a majority in the Bundestag – graphically illustrating the depth of ill-feeling towards the Left Party.”
Turkey appears to be stuffing jihadist gangs as faux refugees in one of its own state-run refugee camps (which no outside agencies have access to) in preparation for sending them to attack the Syrian Kurdish fighters. They also appear to be coercing refugee women into prostitution
That’s my feeling Paul. Richie, Dan, blah blah blah, millionaires probably many times over. No offence to them but what’d ya expect ? Rich, white, Tory boys.
Quite buzzes me though that League…….Kiwis and Warriors down, don’t seem to exhibit that shit. Except Old Sir Peter Mad Butcher who couple of times has sailed with salivated tongue disgracefully close to Key’s nethers……..
No comment at all on the fact/fiction balance here but we really are seeing “celeb’s” lashing back…….Hosking ‘cos someone called him an arse licker…….then we got poor Max…….then this lass……the glassing that wasn’t a glassing and three months later less chance of it ever being a glassing.
Always knew the shallow vainglorious bastards wouldn’t give up without a fight. But the fight is there and it’s being fought out this way…….I don’t watch any 5.30-7.30 pm TV anymore. Replicated my switch-off tens, eventually hundreds of thousands of times ? What’s the advertiser think ?
Good job really. Licking licking licking ended up quite the wrong styles didn’t it Gower, Williams, Ralston et al. I know I’ve missed some worthies but they’ll know who they are.
Current themes in the MSM, trolls aimed at ‘celebrities’ (inlcuding media ‘personalities’) & ‘P houses’ – I wonder if there’s some GOVT announcement coming up. I also noticed both Stuff & Herald love ‘thought dead but coming back alive’ stories, maybe John Banks is going to be making a come back?
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Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
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Reading about resignation of Tory Minister Iain Duncan Smith, and watching BBC interview with Andrew Marr, well I never, could this be a sign that we have reached peak Crosby Textor, greedy elitist politics?
Cannot see any one in National government having the guts to stand against Key…..except maybe Collins, and that would be greed, not guts.
Maybe we have. Don’t forget Crosby was dispatched by the gang to Ottawa late last year to try and save Harper’s sorry old arse and failed miserably in that endeavour.
very true, are we on a roll???
“Cannot see any one in National government having the guts to stand against Key…..except maybe Collins, and that would be greed, not guts.”
I can not see the old guard permitting Judith Collins to become Leader.
Too much of a liability given the business activities of her husband Mr Wong-Tung i.e Oravida and the murky goings on Milk-Swamp Kauri-Bottled Water, especially Swamp kauri which there has been a reputed $200 million dollars worth of illegal activities. While there is no proof of any wrong doings by Oravida, there has been plenty of noise in the media. Tarred by association I guess one may say.
Assad -Putin fans got any comments about the images coming out of Daraya?
eg
https://twitter.com/ward_alyafe/status/711328608665600002#tweet_711328608665600002
If you support that, you sure as shit better not have had anything bad to say about Fallujah.
Anyone can post an image like that without date stamp, co-ordinates, or verifiable attribution. The internet is one huge information bubble. Bubbles have a tendency to pop.
Well he’s right there on the internet if you wish to directly call him a liar. Post the link so we can see how you get on.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-besieges-islamist-stronghold-inside-damascus-map-update/
PB: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – with help from the US – supplied foreign fighters in Syria with both money and heavy and advanced weapons.
As part of a regime change attempt to depose Assad’s secular government and replace it with Islamist/Jihadi rule.
Not going to happen now.
See, doesn’t he sound just like one of those little Pro-Israel propaganda commenters that swarm onto threads when Palestine is discussed?
At least they get paid.
Wikileaks have helped open a window on this matter, PB:
WikiLeaks Reveals How the US Aggressively Pursued Regime Change in Syria, Igniting a Bloodbath
http://www.truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/33180-wikileaks-reveals-how-the-us-aggressively-pursued-regime-change-in-syria-igniting-a-bloodbath
What matter.
Everyone knows about that cable, ffs.
Millions of cables are produced, they are not ‘plans’.
BUt what has that got to do with the warcrimes committed by Assad and Russia? Di they justify it?
Did the US create the protests?
Did the US force Assad to respond as he did?
Did the US force assad to support islamist insurgents during the Iraq occupation?
None of this is relevent. That cable does not justify what Assad has done, and what you support.
the fact you front page on this site with thie crap you do, and your support for war crimes, will make it that much harder for us to oppose NZ involvement on whatever the next US president dreams up.
Your complete failure to condemn war crimes has finally made my mind up to abandon this blog.
I’m out.
Sorry to hear that. Just one of your comments is worth more than some people’s entire output.
+1
+1
Sorry to read that Pb. Please reconsider.
I’ve gotta say, that when I wander into central Vienna in the weekends the Syrians standing silently with their flags, banners, leaflets and their stories and photos of horrific war crimes are condemning Assad, not the US.
Assad is willing to destroy his country and his people (and clearly he does believe he owns them).
He is a dictator of the worst order.
Russia is not acting as peacemaker, but to to protect its own strategic interests (Russia’s interests are obviously best served by peace – and that means Assad in control until an acceptable transition is in place). This does not make Assad or Putin the nice guys.
Actually every photo I’ve seen of Putin shaking Assad’s hand, Putin looks as if he wants to vomit.
+100
When the rest of us are getting ourselves tied up in knots, along comes Pb and sorts us out. Not only have we seen some good authors disappear, we are losing our best commenters and Pb was up there near the top with felix. Very sad.
Yes, agreed Anne.
A mind I completely respect.
And what an inspired pseudonym!
Bugger.
Hope you come back some time.
PB, don’t bail buddy – I have always appreciated your contributions to debate.
Yet another alienated intelligent voice…
That’s all good eh?
If PB doesn’t like what happens here he knows where the door is?
Nothing wrong with the format or policy then?
Nothing worth discussing. Let’s just move into tomorrow with the newly reduced gene pool.
oh. Sarc.
+100 CV..it is quite clear USA and friends ( Israel and Saudi Arabia) want Assad out and Syria destabilised …so they can subdivide it up for themselves
Russia went into the conflict at the behest of Assad the democratically elected leader ( unlike USA and friends)
http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/20/bashar-al-assad-the-democratically-elected-president-of-syria/
http://217.218.67.231/Detail/2015/09/30/431381/Syria-Russia-air-force-President-Assad-
From the link above, the memo makes it quite clear that the US had made a detailed analysis on how to destroy Syria as a country.
And the intervening years show that at least some of these plans were successfully actioned against the Syrian people.
You might want to read Gwen Dyer on the topic. Personally I’ve always found his moral compass pretty reliable:
http://www.lfpress.com/2016/03/16/russias-syrian-strategy-smart-efficient-effective
Cheers RL.
looks like most of the countries America “visits”
Forgotten the name of the city North of Bagdad which was razed by the Americans during the Iraqi war to bring Democracy to the people. No one was allowed in to witness the devastation wreaked by the brave Americans. I expect it would have looked like Pascal’s photos. (Falluja?)
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2004/11/fall-n17.html
Thanks CV. Would have been horrific to see the aftermath. And today …..?
Images tell us nothing. We need history, actions and reactions.
And, no, I’m not a supporter of Assad/Putin. Although in Assad’s case he is the legitimate ruler of Syria and that’s solely a decision of the Syrians via democracy.
What we see in Syria today seems to be a result of the actions of the US in their attempts to forcefully remove Assad via proxies.
+1, would Russia have even been involved without US destabilisation.
ok, so the general consensus is that y’all need more info.
Google can be your friend on that I guess.
However, how about, just for the sake of argument, we assume that areas of Daraya have been hit as hard as that photo suggests. Would your opinions change re Assad and Russia and the legitimacy of what is happening?
What is depressing me, friends, is the clear double standard being displayed on this blog of late.
If that photo was from Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Yemen, how many of you can hand on heart say you would be reacting to it in the same way, and giving the US the benefit of doubt before having something to say?
Really.
I think Sony Bill Williams is more sincere than you by a factor of about 1000 to 1 Pascals …….
truthfully.
Yeah well, I reckon you couldn’t think of anything to say so just blurted out that peice of irrelevant nonsense. So we’ll call it even I guess.
next?
‘Saudi forces on the run as Houthis close on Taiz’ .. Saudis commanded by retired Australian generals according to a piece I saw at the same site a while ago.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/saudi-forces-run-houthis-closes-taiz/ |
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/retired-british-army-officer-killed-in-yemen/
UAE hiring foreign mercernaries including Blackwater to fight against Yemenis
http://www.forbes.com/sites/charlestiefer/2015/11/26/in-yemen-war-mercenaries-launched-by-blackwater-head-were-spotted-today-not-good-news/#57ec4371bae1
How does the Foriegn Fighters legislation apply to all those NZ army and Australian army types who are now mercenaries/contractors? Maybe Dame Kitteridge could comment on these ( anti) Jihadists. My guess is that as they are motivated by money then they are regarded by the Nat/SIS as being ideologically pure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiz
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-14/…australian…saudi…/7087726
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/…australian…yemens…/1535612
http://www.middleeasteye.net/…/mercenaries-charge-uae-forces-fighting-yemen- 764309832
http://www.smh.com.au/…/australian-mercenary-reported-killed-in-yemen- 20151209-glja9s.html
Last weekend we were in Mildura. Walked into the info centre, “What’s it like out there?” asks a pleasant woman behind the desk. “About 36 deg” we tell her. “Oh that’s a relief she says, come right down from 46 deg last week!”
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/record-temperatures-for-march-a-warning-of-whats-to-come-say-experts-20160320-gnmkc9.html#ixzz43TIBkjhx
Follow us: @theage on Twitter | theageAustralia on Facebook
Yup those inland areas are frying, how long before its too hot to sustain the crops that drive them like citrus, grapes etc.
I thought the murray down around albury, echuca etc were bad enough 20 years but mates still there are looking at tassie now as its simply too hot now.
It’s the high night time temps that are the killer. When it’s midnight and still > 30 degC for days on end, or it’s still > 26 degC at 6am you just don’t get any respite or proper sleep. After 4 -5 nights I’m definitely starting to lose the plot.
Aircon becomes mandatory. Which of course only makes the root cause worse.
Still it’s amazing how much water they can keep pumping out of the Murray; the place was the most green I’ve seen over here in ages. The big new crop in the past few years is almonds. Endless km of them.
Got up the other morning and it was still 19 C. Cooler than it has been but still bloody warm for that time even for summer.
And yeah, temperatures made sleeping difficult over the summer months here as well.
Pretty sure the Australians are going to invade NZ within the next 20 years.
In many ways we really like it over here. Not hiding from some of the downsides, but the positives are worth embracing and celebrating.
But this sort of thing does prompt me to keep the Plan B option of coming back home very much alive.
Indeed. Once that wet bulb temp consistently surpasses 38 deg C…
“Pretty sure the Australians are going to invade NZ within the next 20 years.”
Why bother invading when we are willingly selling the country to them, piece by piece?
Because they will object to us repossessing the land and not paying them for it…
Why bother invading when we are willingly selling the country to them, piece by piece?
Don’t like it? Get the law changed.
Better still, change the government.
Those temps are unsustainably insane. Will have put the unwell and elderly at risk of death associated with heat stroke too.
When you have seen the horizon blacked out by bushfire on an annual basis you take climate change seriously.
Believe it or not but that sort of temperature in Mildura really isn’t that bad.
The very high temperatures in Victoria are associated with very, very low humidity.
The wind just comes south across Australia, getting hotter and hotter, but drier and drier as it does so.
I am not saying it is pleasant but 46C in Mildura is easier to tolerate than 34C in Singapore or 38+C in Sydney. That is my opinion of course but I have experienced them all. The hard part is 30+C at night. You can’t sleep.
So Nick Smith has made yet another FU with his Kermadec marine reserve. I really can’t think of anything this professional trougher has achieved in his decades on an MPs salary.
Yep Smith is hopeless. Total lack of consultation on the end to fishing rights for Maori in the proposed marine reserve-off to Court they go.
Loved Key on Morning Report this morning saying that the Kermadec’s haven’t been fished for over 10 years. Then the Maori guy comes on and says they fish there every year. Another lie for the Blip list.
When is the Maori Party going to realise that the Gnats are riding roughshod over their rights?
Nats get marine reserve then it’s open slather for commercial (non-maori) vessels to come in and fish the hell out of the area after bypassing maori rights
Māori didn’t have any fishing rights there as they never settled the Kermadecs and thus it doesn’t come under Ti Tiriti. Can’t be considered traditional.
Thanks Draco-noted.
From admitted limited personal knowledge, I understood that māori land rights were more than the rights of residence.
Particular land rights could be issued for different uses. ie. one tribe might have seasonal fishing rights, while another had the right of residence or agriculture.
There are many tribes that had seasonal visits to particular locations for food gathering, fishing etc.
Just because it was not used as a residence, does not mean that it was not used.
History is that it was used as a stop on journeys by many peoples but no one settled there. If we were now to extend fishing rights to peoples who once fished there before annexation by New Zealand then we’d have to extend them to the entire Pacific. Even the US would have a reasonable claim under those conditions as their whalers once used the place as a stop as well. The sanctuary would never come into being.
Personally, I’m more in favour of the sanctuary than trying to find out if anyone once fished there.
Simple fact of the matter is that no one claimed the Kermadecs in any way until the British did during WWI which was then subsequently transferred over to NZ thus it was not part of the promises made in Ti Tiriti.
I agree a sanctuary is very important.
Lots of places in NZ had no permanent settlement but were still part of local Iwi and Hapū’s rohe. Many places were lived at seasonally rather than settled. I don’t think lack of settlement is relevant. There is also an issue of what rights Māori have in decision making beyond traditional use.
As always the MSM doesn’t know how to report the complexities of issues that involve Māoridom. To be informed we would need to know what the fisheries trust objections are (they appear to be around lack of consulation), and who the Iwi were that Smith is claming supported the sancturay and what their perspectives are. Is that clear yet? I only read the article linked yesterday.
I also don’t trust National on this.
The Kermadecs weren’t part of NZ until 1918. This is actually important as they’re making a Ti Tiriti claim.
The point is that no one claimed them but many people used them. Usually as a source of food/water on their journeys from A to B. There are no particular rights to any particular people.
And New Zealand didn’t exist until the Crown established that it did. I’m asking what the Māori perspectives are, and those are independent of the State or Eurocentric ideas about claims and entitlement.
edited.
I dunno mate.
The relevant thing would be the settlement, no?
If implied or explicit rights to fish there were included in the settlement reached for acknowledged breaches, then there is a right.
The Treaty settlements gave them a quota. They still have that quota.
Maori were given a decent slice of NZ’s existing commercial fisheries in the 90s through the Treaty. Also the Treaty gives them rights over NZ’s total fishery. I think that gives them the right to be involved in decision making where existing fisheries are to be made into sanctuaries. They may not have used the Kermadecs much in the past, but I think this is more about the present day Maori involvement.
I agree the issue seems more about the modern govt/Maori relationship around fisheries governance than about any location-based rights.
Smith’s track record on respecting co-governance is shocking. No surprise whose electorate the whole foreshore and seabed debacle spread from.
Yes
You might find this book interesting – settlers on the Kermadecs in 1878 – it was read to us at school 😉 http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MorCrus.html
” Even the US would have a reasonable claim under those conditions”
That reminds me of the fate of the kumara in the Waitangi Tribunal claim 262.
Maori claimed intellectual property rights to, among other things, all kumara sold in New Zealand. Unfortunately DNA evidence submitted to the tribunal showed, according to the scientist who did the analysis.
“The modern commercial crop was based on three cultivars: the beauregard, a recent import, the toka toka gold, a 19th-century import, and the owairaka red.
“There is no link between commercial lines and any varieties assumed to have been present in New Zealand pre-contact,” Dr Gould said.”.
Royalties should, one imagine be owing to people in South America from whence these came. Funny that the whole thing was rapidly dropped and the subject forgotten.
From.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10422951
Forest and Bird have been intensively lobbying the government for seven years to secure environmental protection in the Kermadec’s.
They say it “will go down in the history of Forest and Bird as one of our greatest
moments, the result of a seven year public campaign that will protect one of the most complex and pristine deep sea habitats left on earth”
“This monumental decision expands the amount of marine protection in New Zealand waters from an insignificant 0.5 percent to 15 percent”
Forest and Bird, issue 358, summer 2015 pg.8.
Maybe best to take it up with Forest and Bird, WWF New Zealand and the Pew charitable trusts, who worked so hard on this campaign that “Nick Smith even said he was getting sick of having Forest and Bird’s postcards coming across his desk, and complimented us on a textbook campaign”
Don’t go all poohie on me because I rang nicky, I was bored sh*tless, I have no friends, you don’t pick up the fu*king phone. Anyway I’m not attracted to nicky, he isn’t my type.
Julie need not worry, I’ve already told them the website will be up in June. I already have my website material – just need to brush it up a bit. Then I will save my pennies all of May. If I say I’m going to do something I will.
Er, WTF???
Eh?
I figure its a bot.
Right on cue
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/78083367/soft-drink-companies-could-sue-over-uk-sugar-tax
Not quite TPPA But!!
So why has our Government ruled out a sugar tax? Is this like the “chilling” effect outlined in the TPPA Disputes Resolution in the future?
Good point Ian
More than likely.
The Health Minister is clueless got his qualifications out of the Weetbix Packet?
Imagine a coin, one side national, other side labour…still the same coin is it not?
Imagine a coin with a fish on one side and a potato on the other. Still the one coin right?
+1
All i’m saying is that it doesn’t matter who you vote for (national or labour) you end up with the same 5-10 years down the track (they’re all bought out before the election starts), illuminati anyone?
Is this the same Fonterra that was, to stay competitive requesting from its suppliers to extend the time that they get paid, request discounts or to be paid “normally” to give a prompt payment discount.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11604140
And now we get this “Forsyth Barr analyst James Bascand expects the co-operative’s normalised earnings before interest and tax to leap 83 per cent from $376 million to $687 million, and for an increased interim dividend to 18.5c from 10c, reflecting lower inputs and a big turnaround in the business.” And for many out their “normalised profits” are what many senior execs have part of their bonus calculated on.
This defies belief, and any resemblance of being a good corporate citizen.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11608977
that was Fonterra when it was wearing a different hat
The short-sightedness of putting your major suppliers or services under cash-flow stress to compensate for your own flawed decision making is just more of the same.
Have they not considered that they may be putting their own business under further stress when those necessary suppliers and service providers go to the wall?
Crooked business practices?
Earth to Economics: Welcome to Science 101
As I’ve noted for sometime now. Economics has become delusional as it’s completely divorced itself from reality.
More trade, more consumption has been the cry of politicians and economists for more than 200 years.
We have a failed economic system because it:
1. Makes being rich the sole goal of economics
2. Dismisses the fact that resources are limited
3. Dismisses the fact that we do actually need the environment in good working order
We need to change this and fast. Unfortunately, National and other greedy bastards are standing in the way of rational action.
+1 Draco
Do you actually know anything about economics and have you ever studied the subject?
Your rant here would indicate that you haven’t and are entirely ignorant on the subject.
You’re not measurably better.
I could ask the first question of you. Care to answer it?
Yes I do and yes I have. The ignorance is all on the part of the economists and politicians who still think that the economy is about money.
I’ve studied economics, and the basic tenet of economics is allocation of scarce resources. I wish politicians remembered that from time to time…
I wish that the economists would remember that.
“allocation of scarce resources”
That is the entire focus of the discipline.
Every economist considers it on every topic.
Just above you claimed “yes I do and yes I have” about learning Economics.
Just 11 minutes later you demonstrate that, even if you may have attended some classes, you failed to learn anything.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/299487/wicked-campers-'overstepped-the-mark‘
“Associate Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett said she was determined to stop a company from using sexually provocative slogans on the sides of its camper vans.”
Now where are the anti-PC crowd calling Nanny State about this overreaction?
@ Arkie
What even more hilarious is that it was the front page of the Sunday Herald!! Oh my what a lovely world we must be living in, if this is considered such a scoop by MSM.
Bad signage of the camper vans is front page news, and as well our Paula ‘trougher’ Bennett and climate change minister – is defiantly doing to do something about it!!
Finally an issue she feels she can handle as a minister.
I anxiously await Part 2, of this Herald investigation and government crack down!
I’m waiting to see how far this goes as well.
Wicked are the more visible end of the sleeper van / freedom camping market that is currently shitting in it’s own nest. The enforcement of freedom camping standards is left to local councils, so ratepayers have to wear it for no return, DOC tries to provide facilities which are overwhelmed and which the campers won’t pay for.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/376833/camp-site-refugee-camp
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/376973/funding-welcome-govt-could-do-more
So the operators cream it by socialising their, and their customer’s expenses.
Once again, our brighter future…
Of note from the second link,
“In 2005, the Government established the $11 million tourism demand subsidy scheme, which subsidised water and wastewater projects in popular tourist areas such as Hanmer Springs and Franz Josef.
The scheme was wound up in 2010.”
I’ll bet you find the following story just as hilarious.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11608971
That’ll put Paula in her place you no doubt think?
That’s unacceptable for sure but it is not the role of the government to legislate to protect people from offence surely? The free market will work it’s magic!
http://pundit.co.nz/content/the-lost-kiwiblog-post-on-wicked-campers
“Zip it sweetie” would be ok on one of these vans maybe? http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8015422/Bennett-tells-Ardern-Zip-it-sweetie
Exactly! I also bristle at the involvement of serial fusspot Bob McCoskrie and his ilk.
nanny state alright
how about some new ones
if you don’t pull up the ladder they will see up your skirt paula
if you don’t have your little firemans helmet on , you’ve got the wrong hat
pullya benefit to please yourself
TPPA to pullya pud away
john key loves nz (cant get much more offensive than that)
fucking national if it was one of their cronies it would be different
http://www.labour.org.nz/growing_gun_use_impetus_for_reforms
“It won’t be a witch hunt. I get the feeling that the current licensing regime works – the majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens who follow the rules – and my concern is not with recreational hunters and sporting folk, but rather the criminal element of society.”
As long as he leaves semi-autos alone it’ll be all good but more importantly Labour could do a lot worse then to look at Stuart Nash after they suffer another embarrassing election loss
@ Puckish Rogue National are so short on talent maybe they should recruit Stuart Nash themselves as future PM? They are a much better fit!
Wasn’t National vowing to do a war on P crimes as part of their government? What tends to follow drugs, are guns. Surprise surprise. More P imports, more Gun imports.
In true neoliberal style it sounds like the police resources were diverted into marijuana seizures so they could seize the owners assets rather than actually cracking down on the criminal activity of P and guns, being bought into the country. (Maybe those MAF layoffs checking imports, were not a good idea after all?)
Another great neoliberal idea, similar to police being used to issue speeding tickets instead of solve burglaries or protect dairy owners?
Or political harassment of Hager rather than police day jobs? Didn’t police even prosecute the messager aka du Plessis-Allan case who showed how easy guns were to get under current laws.
our immigration policy has a lot to do with the P problem, Nazis will never sort that out , so our P problem will never be sorted.
Natzis bringing in triad Asian P Importers as part of its Immigration Policy?
“du Plessis-Allan case who showed how easy guns were to get under current laws.”
She didn’t use a loophole to purchase the rifle, she broke a number of laws to obtain said rifle, all she demonstrated was how easy it is to purchase a rifle if you’re prepared to break a number of laws
How many rifles were found to have been illegally purchased in the way she demonstrated…none, she highlighted a problem that doesn’t exist
She should have been prosecuted because she knowingly broke the law, it wasn’t bringing up a loophole and it all really does is show how feeble our firearms laws are or rather the enforcement of the laws
A good starting point would be the strict enforcement of all laws pertaining to firearms
My god, criminals who break the law to acquire guns? Who would have thought?
Since I’m boycotting TV3 never watched the show.
Heres the thing though she was trying to say it was a loophole, it wasn’t it was breaking the law. To me that’s a big difference.
I don’t blame you: boycotting TV3
Yeah, including proper checking of documentation by dealers.
If they’d checked the documents before they sent the gun out we wouldn’t be having this discussion and HDPA would be looking a bit sad right now.
True that
It just bugs me though that this will be used by those who’re convinced we’re in the USA that the best way to deal with this is ban all weapons or at the very least ban all MSSA weapons even though most crimes are done with normal rifles and shot guns
And I wonder how many times the same stunt had been pulled by those of less honourable intention.
HDPA wouldn’t have been going there with less than 80, probably more like 95% chance of success. I’m picking a pretty well trod path.
Have any firearms found to have been sold illegally by the method she used?
The answer is no
Well considering we have no ability to track individual firearms in this country, and neither party to the dodgy transaction is going to incriminate themselves, hardly surprising.
Sorry, but it defies logic to think that HDPA and her producer sat down and looked at the form and thought “Oh, we’ll just make it up and she’ll be sweet”. They knew it would go straight through, that’s why they did it.
The question you need to answer is how did they know it was going to work?
Sorry, but it defies logic to think that HDPA and her producer sat down and looked at the form and thought “Oh, we’ll just make it up and she’ll be sweet”. They knew it would go straight through, that’s why they did it
– Actually it doesn’t, it sounds like they had a heads from Greg O’Connor for whatever reason
if they had any brains they would be taking all guns off farmers , the way they have treated them, we wouldn’t want one to lose it and do something crazy(not to himself, the govt of course)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/78064003/parents-on-trial-after-death-of-son-whose-meningitis-they-treated-with-home-remedies
An extremely sad tale and nothing the courts decide will bring the child back but hopefully, if the punishment is harsh enough, it’ll cause some dick smack parents to go to doctor earlier
Are you suggesting that if a parent suspects their child has bacterial meningitis they should take it to their GP? Have you thought that through?
“It did not jump out at me that he was that seriously ill,” she told court, according to the Lethbridge Herald.
She did suggest, however, that he could have viral meningitis, and told Collet to seek medical help.
“I think you should take him to see a doctor,” Meynders testified, according to CBC.
– First suggestion to see a doctor
“You need to tell the lady to take the child to emergency right away,” the naturopathic doctor, Tracey Tannis, told an employee on the phone with Collet.
“I think you should see a medical doctor,” the employee, Lexie Vataman, relayed to Collet, according to court testimony.
– Second suggestion to see a doctor
By the time the Stephans drove to the naturopath to pick up the tincture a day or two later, however, Ezekiel’s body was so stiff from his illness that he couldn’t sit in his car seat, according to an interview – played in court – the couple gave to Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Instead, the couple put a mattress in the back of their vehicle to take him to the naturopath.
– I’m not a doctor (obviously) but I’d suggest that if your kid is so stiff you have to put him on a mattress then you really should be taking him to hospital
I guess I’m really suggesting that if your child is ill you take them to the doctor, if you’re child is so stiff you can’t sit them down then you take them to the hospital
What you don’t do in a first world country is rely on placebo (homeopathy) when your child is sick
My suggestion is that if you think your child has meningitis, phone your doctor and/or the hospital, don’t take your child to a waiting room full of sick, contagious and immunologically vulnerably people (unless it is an emergency). Meningitis is contagious. If you think it’s bacterial meningitis, you shouldn’t be waiting for a GP appointment, you should be acting immediately.
They didn’t rely on placebo. I’ve read about this case elsewhere and there is a huge amount of misinformation on all sides. And assumptions being made, including ignorant ones like yours regarding homeopathy and the parents’ intentions and motivations.
For every child that dies from this kind of mishandling of a situation (whether from neglect or ignorance) there are children that die from medical misadventure. It’s not as simple as saying take your child to a doctor. Plenty of people successfully use alternative medicine at home. You are conflating use of alternative medicine with ignorance around risk assessment and action.
When the naturopath says take the child to a doctor, take the child to a doctor.
As for your claimed 1:1 ratio of medical misadventure to medical mishandling, I’m sure you’ve previously linked to a source for that figure…
“When the naturopath says take the child to a doctor, take the child to a doctor.”
Of course (although I still think it’s better not to expose a clinic full of people to meningitis).
It’s not 1:1, it’s far worse. Look it up yourself.
lolright
whatever.
Sweet, I’ll assume you believe that iatrogenesis is equal to or less then parental neglect via healthcare in terms of child deaths.
You go right ahead and assume that. Apparently asking for actual evidence to support your assumptions is some sort of paradigmatic bullying by an epistemological reductionist.
I’m sure the distinction isn’t lost on the dead kids.
have to agree PR (im punching myself in the head as I write)
there are some fucked up parents around(if they were kiwis they would probably vote united)
Aww, FJK missed out on the one mention he desires the most.
How Obama Views the Men and Women Who (Also) Rule the World
A rough guide to the president’s relationships with other leaders
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/03/obama-goldberg-world-leaders/473367/?utm_source=nl__031816
Could be an early election in Australia on 2 July.
Just spotted this myself. Part of me wonders if Turnbull hasn’t just done a Muldoon.
With the polling numbers heading south for the Coalition, there was every reason for Turnbull to pull the pin early, but my instinct is that it could backfire badly.
Still very interesting times over the ditch.
‘Teapot tape’ settlement reached
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/teapot-tape-settlement-reached-2016032113#axzz438VM4zZx
So many question will never be asked. Pity. (Wonder what happens to the $8,000 raised.)
“Bradley Ambrose decided to take Mr Key to court over the Prime Minister’s comments, which included comparing Mr Ambrose’s actions to the discredited News of the World newspaper.
The two parties have now reached a settlement, meaning the case will not go to trial. Mr Key says a payment was made, but won’t reveal how much. Mr Ambrose had sued for $1.25 million.”
Read more: http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/teapot-tape-settlement-reached-2016032113#ixzz43Ukod9Sq
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WT9wONW5UY
Seems appropriate
Tax payers to subsidise electioneering
The Prime Minister’s office confirmed a cash payment would be paid to Ambrose as part of the settlement.
“A small payment towards Mr Ambrose’s costs will be made from the Parliamentary leaders budget.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78103963/prime-minister-and-bradley-ambrose-settle-over-infamous-teapot-tapes
So Key relies on “GimmeAsMuchAsFixesThis” from public funds. And it all goes away. Which has it follow that it was an entirely public discussion in the first place. Banana Republic happening please !
Over the weekend I watched this Witness documentary about the flourishing Israeli international arms trade, on Al Jazeera. It was an unsettling watch. A military “philosopher” ( as he was referred to) oozed a fascist blood lust, grinning constantly about the efficiency and skill of the IDF. Arms dealers at a trade fair sold their weapons proudly, stating they had been “tested” and that they were the best on the market – testing, meaning they had used them “successfully” on the Palestinians. The narrative of the dealers and military was purely barbaric.
Then in a surreal parallel with our very own abuser PM, a retired IDF general who became involved in the arms trade for all its lucrative gains, filmed attending the trade show, was standing next to a female soldier, and couldn’t help but give her ponytail a violent yank, enough to pull her head back.
It was a few seconds of footage but demonstrated how these war lords view themselves as untouchable and all powerful, with the god given right to abuse.
The sense of entitlement that those in power can have, to do as one pleases, for their own pleasure and entertainment was quite apparent in those few seconds. While Key hasn’t quite reached the status of war lord, he does share the same level of unaccountability and sense of entitlement as anyone in a position to abuse their power. Pure creepy and sick.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/
+100 thanks Rosie…will watch
….and the arms dealers are often coexistent with the drugs dealers , the other side of the coin, if not one and the same…and the mafia are involved…and it is even more scary when hidden government agencies are involved
…democracy is a fragile thing when these forces are unleashed
Article on the establishment’s approach new Alternative for Germany party, with reference to the Left Party and the relationship with the Social Democrats (Germany’s Labour Party equivalent):
“The Social Democrats hate the Left Party so much (ostensibly because of its links to the old SED communist party which ruled in East Germany, but also because of personal rivalries as the Left Party grew out of a disgruntled SPD faction) that they have refused to work with it at state or federal levels.
In 2013, this led to a further Grand Coalition at the federal level, even though the SPD-Greens-Left party had a majority in the Bundestag – graphically illustrating the depth of ill-feeling towards the Left Party.”
http://bit.ly/25efMc4
Turkey appears to be stuffing jihadist gangs as faux refugees in one of its own state-run refugee camps (which no outside agencies have access to) in preparation for sending them to attack the Syrian Kurdish fighters. They also appear to be coercing refugee women into prostitution
http://www.kurdishinfo.com/akp-places-jihadist-gangs-tent-camp-suruc
Vodafone prepared to fund a waterfront stadium.
I’d prefer it if they’d pay their taxes.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11609365
AIG sponsor the All Blacks.
I’d prefer it if they spent their money fixing homes in Christchurch.
No wonder so many sports players end up as out and out Tories.
The blood money ends up poisoning them.
That’s my feeling Paul. Richie, Dan, blah blah blah, millionaires probably many times over. No offence to them but what’d ya expect ? Rich, white, Tory boys.
Quite buzzes me though that League…….Kiwis and Warriors down, don’t seem to exhibit that shit. Except Old Sir Peter Mad Butcher who couple of times has sailed with salivated tongue disgracefully close to Key’s nethers……..
N. Korea launches missile towards Sea of Japan – reports
https://www.rt.com/news/336397-north-korea-launches-missile/
excellent
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11609120
No comment at all on the fact/fiction balance here but we really are seeing “celeb’s” lashing back…….Hosking ‘cos someone called him an arse licker…….then we got poor Max…….then this lass……the glassing that wasn’t a glassing and three months later less chance of it ever being a glassing.
Always knew the shallow vainglorious bastards wouldn’t give up without a fight. But the fight is there and it’s being fought out this way…….I don’t watch any 5.30-7.30 pm TV anymore. Replicated my switch-off tens, eventually hundreds of thousands of times ? What’s the advertiser think ?
Good job really. Licking licking licking ended up quite the wrong styles didn’t it Gower, Williams, Ralston et al. I know I’ve missed some worthies but they’ll know who they are.
Current themes in the MSM, trolls aimed at ‘celebrities’ (inlcuding media ‘personalities’) & ‘P houses’ – I wonder if there’s some GOVT announcement coming up. I also noticed both Stuff & Herald love ‘thought dead but coming back alive’ stories, maybe John Banks is going to be making a come back?