Awesome, I’ll be checking it out too, not tonight though but when they upload it onto the Country Calendar website. Much more interesting than the shows on standard farming.
The Archdruid explaining why the Left has been losing to the Right.
‘
There are at least two reasons why a strategy of pure reaction, without any coherent attempt to advance an agenda of its own or even a clear idea of what that agenda might be, has been a fruitful source of humiliation and defeat for the American left. The first is that this approach violates one of the most basic rules of strategy: you win when you seize the initiative and force the other side to respond to your actions, and you lose by passively responding to whatever the other side comes up with. In any contest, without exception, if you surrender the initiative and let the other side set the terms of the conflict, you’re begging to be beaten, and will normally get your wish in short order.
That in itself is bad enough. A movement that defines itself in purely negative terms, though, and attempts solely to prevent someone else’s agenda from being enacted rather than pursuing a concrete agenda of its own, suffers from another massive problem: the best such a movement can hope for is a continuation of the status quo, because the only choice it offers is the one between business as usual and something worse. That’s fine if most people are satisfied with the way things are, and are willing to fling themselves into the struggle for the sake of a set of political, economic, and social arrangements that they consider worth fighting for.
From the same article.
What a perfect description of many compromised Labour MPs in the UK and NZ.
‘I’m not sure why so many people on the leftward end of American politics haven’t noticed that this is not the case today. One hypothesis that comes to mind is that by and large, the leftward end of the American political landscape is dominated by middle class and upper middle class white people from the comparatively prosperous coastal states. Many of them belong to the upper 20% by income of the American population, and the rest aren’t far below that threshold. The grand bargain of the Reagan years, by which the middle classes bought a guarantee of their wealth and privilege by letting their former allies in the working classes get thrown under the bus, has profited them hugely, and holding onto what they gained by that maneuver doubtless ranks high on their unstated list of motives—much higher, certainly, than pushing for a different future that might put their privileges in jeopardy.’
He is just so wrong.
The monolithic left failed in the 1980s, and won. It won because “the left” split into a series of highly successful liberative movements in the late 1960s, which continued and established themselves throughout the media, academia, and education systems.
It failed because conservative governments could smash the post-WW11 Labour-capital-consumerism world while the Soviet empire remained the boogeyman of strong-state redistributive economies.
we forget the continuing successes of the former too easily, as if we are in a world of perpetual progressive regret. we are not.
Yet the basic premise of the the Archdruid Report’s latest post rings true: the Left has been losing to the Right for several decades now, and continues to lose.
It continues to lose because the Right sets the agenda and the Left reacts to it, all in an environment where the Right now has massively more institutional power than the Left.
On this, Greer, the Archdruid is spot on.
The monolithic left failed in the 1980s, and won. It won because “the left” split into a series of highly successful liberative movements in the late 1960s,
Please clarify. Where in the world did the political economic left win.
The political economic left didn’t always win.
But the importance of the economic can be overstated.
The political left found ways to recapture power elsewhere than electoral politics.
In most big-state countries, the social welfare state hasn’t been dismantled – hell even National hasn’t touched Working for Families, Kiwisaver, the unemployment benefit, or NZSuper.
Also, even National was perfectly happy to push through Gay Marriage, not repeal the Anti-Smacking Law, pushed on with Waitangi settlements, and can’t even pull someone’s hair without a smackdown. NZ is far more socially liberal than it ever used to be – and that’s a set of victories caused by the left.
Not defending this government. Just pointing out that many of the left’s victories have been banked, even built on, by National.
That particular Druid is a misanthrope.
A really simple way to keep any movement alive, or indeed any patient, is to tell them what is working, and do more of it. That writer is just a cheerleader for the Global Movement Of Told You So’s.
I posted this last night Paul. I think this will help you understand that the left is very much alive. I’ve been saying on here that labour is not the left. I know the activist who write here think it is, but they need to realise they have a real problem with hard right wing members in the labour party, who distort and twist a strong social democratic message.
And if that sounds like the manifesto of your average political party, then you’re right on the money. The endless pursuit of the Centrist voter has reduced our politicians to the equivalent of those journalistic low-lifes who go scavenging through the garbage of the rich and famous. In much the same way, the carelessly discarded detritus of the men and women “in the middle” gets picked over by political rubbish men, cleaned up, and re-cycled into party policy.
I think the Chairman is one who demands a citation when presented with a commenters’ opinion here, so it is only right to request details of a criticism from him about a media event.
can’t understand why citations should be asked for on opinions. Perhaps the question response should be – why do you think that?
I felt exactly the same, the loss of David Cunliffe’s ability to front the hard issues on television in his calm, cool and articulate way, is very apparent these days in my opinion. The Labour caucus have a lot to be ashamed of, they gave David Cunliffe a very short amount of time to establish himself before the election and then forced him out . He won every debate on television and would have been so good right now, with everything turning to custard on the economic front. Thanks Phil Goff, David Shearer, Clayton Cosgrove, Annette King, Grant Robertson, Jacinda Adern, Phil Twyford, etc etc etc.
The business of tossing out a new leader after a loss in the polls is uncannily like what happens in the sporting community. Cunliffe lost so out he goes like an unsuccessful coach.
This backs up an idea I have that politics today is not being addressed as an idealistic and practical way of attempting better conditions, fair and peaceful actions that produce good for individuals and the whole population. It is a competitive game like a sport, with great commitment to one’s team to see them win. In sport, winning is the name of the game (s.d that business about losing honourably). And these days money and perks will follow, and overseas travel. Sounds like many modern politicians’ dream wouldn’t you say.
So in politics the leader is a servant of the caucus and needs to help them win or else, and the caucus are servants of whom?
Who is behind caucus though? If the defining object for the membership is not to serve the people’s good, and they are not operating on cultural and social ethical ideas, then who and what presses their buttons, pulls their strings.
Is it now the ideology of wealthy people advancing their profit through efficiency and global opportunities. Are politicians seduced by views of them striding the world stage and talking up our importance in the financial and political world. In NZ I guess is it the 1-10% as seen behind the NZ Initiative. the Concentric Table?
CV
I think you have hit the target. That would explain their risk aversion in pursuing meaningful policies. They want to ensure that they offer enough to attract punters and keep Labour MPs in their jobs in caucus, but not ones that might be right but the voters are not ready to receive. What to do? Cut the career line to the placenta of goodies? How? I think we would get less monkeys wanting more peanuts.
And thanks for the disingenuous Matthew Hooton for doing his shapeshifter thing and derailing the thought line.
It’s Hotel California stuff.
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
“Relax, ” said the night man,
“We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! ”
+ 1000 C V – I’m still a party member but my energy levels have waned somewhat since DC was replaced. He’s keeping a very low profile – not sure whether it’s self imposed (I do know his mother is most unwell and in hospital) or forced upon him.
I feel his low profile may be imposed by caucus wanting the likes of Grant Robertson etc to “shine” – good luck with that one! Who in the caucus is actually making a huge impact lately? Jacinda? Dream on! David Cunliffe doesn’t even seem to be allowed to ask a question in Question Time these days. I miss his articulate manner, grasp of the big picture and the curly questions he might pose if given the chance!
I really miss David Cunliffe’s intellect and his ability to communicate complex issues clearly.
Little started well, but really hasn’t impressed fora number of months now.It seems to me that he is so busy trying to appease everybody that nobody knows what he stands for any more. On radio he sounds offhand and unconvincing. His main achievement is that the caucus do look more united, but IMO Little really needs to inject a bit of passion into his performance.
They run a tight ship because they have money and positions to move their deadwood and unwanted MPs on to when their due time comes, nice and smooth like.
I realize that but from what I’m aware of in you’re case is that you have been on the inside and now you are on the outs a bit so I just see you’re behaviour as sour grapes.
I caught most of the nation this am and apart from a lack of clarity around the ninety day he did OK with as clemgeopin says some poor gotcha attempts.
That’s jumping to conclusions bwaghorn. Presumably CV knows more about caucus and the interior view of Labour than you and therefore has something real to critique. Whereas you know how you feel at any given moment. So your opinion is interesting, whereas CV’s may be enlightening.
But please forget about Cunliffe as leader-he will make a fine minister if Labour wins the election, but going on about his demise gets us nowhere. (I will never forget John Armstrong’s disgusting article calling for him to resign over the 10 year old pro-forma letter.)
In the meantime Little will lead Labour to the next election so he needs constructive criticism to keep improving his performance. I think Labour have been performing well recently-Twyford, Parker and King especially.
Little goes off track, barely answers to the question about Serco, misses an opportunity to deride the concept of private prisons; seems like Little wouldn’t have Serco do state housing because Serco did a bad job at Mt Eden. (So if Serco improves at Mt Eden, Little would be open to them being involved in state housing?). Overall, mediocre to poor.
Then up to 5:00:
Average to mediocre on health and safety. Started off well, and then declined as he got bogged down in detail and not principles. Ended up sounding like a health and safety consultant, not the Leader of the Opposition. Even praised some National Party MPs. Didn’t effectively push back against Owen’s claim that Labour was advocating for more red tape for small businesses.
Up to 7:45:
Mediocre to poor on the claim that Labour has changed its position on the right to fire legislation. This resulted from Little not being clear who he was addressing – workers, Labour supporters or business owners. So the message was very mixed sounding.
Little should have said – Labour will definitely abolish the right to fire legislation as we have always said – but we will also ensure that employers have the right to use trial periods for staff where there are safeguards of fairness to all.
Up to 9:00
OK on the TPPA but he could have landed some better hits on the Government’s broken promises on its negotiations. At this point Little seems to not be able to pull out the short sharp meaningful one liner which has a big impact.
Up to 11:30
OK to mediocre on Climate Change, but Little didn’t really give a concise coherent explanation of why he thinks Climate Change is such a big moral issue of this century – yet Labour is still going to support coal mining and oil drilling. Most people against climate change won’t find the position sensible; most people who don’t care about climate change will wonder if Labour is just all talk.
to the finish:
Not good. Little seemed to give some disingenuous answers with regards to NZF as a coalition partner, and then the clip ends at an awkward moment where Little seems a bit frustrated with Lisa Own.
Your ‘put the boot into Andrew and Labour’ at every opportunity you get is just like Hooton’s ‘analysis’.
Did it occur to you that apart from the H& S, ‘most’ questions were
hypothetical ‘gotcha’ type of questions that could not be answered definitively with certainty without the yet to be known details and were designed to trip him up for possible sensational headlines?
Corbyn isn’t the leader of a political party YET. Did you forget that?
Once he becomes the leader, he will HAVE to reconsider some or many of his policies and bluster that happens during an internal party leadership campaign, and give more seriously measured responses in media interviews with the responsibility of knowing that he is the potential Prime Minister who will need to make sensible, workable and pragmatic decisions which will not only have the support of most of the voters but will also be good for the people and the country.
There is a big difference in pitching oneself to the faithful for party leadership and actually being the leader and potential PM for the entire country.
Of course he has worked to do. He is yet to gain more experience in the job and has to tread with care and caution. That is elementary Dr Watson. Do you remember the sweet talking Key in his early days as the opposition leader and the PM in his early days?
But some of us have been very impatient and too harsh on Little and parroting the RW statements and agenda, when he has been in the job for just about nine months, while the Labour party policies are under review and the election is still more than two years away.
Sure, criticise him, but do so constructively and not in a way to demean and harm him and the Labour party. Only enemies of the left do that.
Also, it would be useful to email him or the party with ideas and suggestions if they are useful and made with good intentions.
Fuck off a centrist establishmentarian like you Clemgeopin having the audacity to call me an enemy of the left; further Little ran out of grace period with me when he signed off on the Chinese house buyers gambit.
He wanted Cunliffe’s job now he better start doing a better job. Or shall we give Little another 6 months to get it together.
“Fuck off a centrist establishmentarian like you Clemgeopin”
You are funny!
I am not a centrist establishmentarian, nor an anti centre-right-disestablishmentarian.
What I am is a pragmatic socialist democrat for the modern times and I take the pragmatic ‘electable’ view that a modern socialist party such as Labour should be a party (1) of the left, (2) of the left-of-centre and (3) the centre, (and not foolishly be just the party of the left and die a permanent death).
That is exactly the positions that Sanders has taken if you watch many of his speech videos. He advocates for the sick, the poor, the students and primarily for the care of the middle classes. I do too!
Not sure if Corbyn says the same thing about the vast majority of the middle classes. Probably does.
If you loved Cunliffe’s delivery so much why did your people oust him?
I know you’re going to say “they’re not my people”, but the truth is CV, you are so all over the place that an observer has no idea what you actually stand for.
Actually I think CV has given some good examples of how Little could have done better. It is far more constructive criticism than “putting the boot in.”
Pretending that Little is performing really well in media interviews (when it is obvious that he is not) is not helpful if you want Labour to win the next election. My big worry is that Little isn’t getting any better at communication, and he really does need to.
wot??? YOU support coal mining and oil drilling? say it ain’t so – you will dig it up at great cost to many areas including the environment, emissions and so on, and then not burn it or sell it??? Wot you gonna do with it? Why not just not dig it up or suck it out? bloody/facedesk
so you and draco want to continue to dig, drill and suck – just like the gnats as it happens, and you want to use the high grade coal dug out through your eyesore, destructive, open cast mines, to make carbon fibre. Perchance why??? It doesn’t really matter what fancy you come up with be it space ships or alien cricket bats btw.
Well guess what – I oppose that. I don’t want you the gnats to dig any more shit up
No more exploitation of Papatūānuku for bullshit western lavish lifestyles and fake futures.
so now I’ve answered my own question I’ll go beddy byes.
so we don’t have to dig it, drill it or suck it after all – certainly not if we want carbon fibre for use in the ” aerospace, construction, and electronics industry” (from Grey’s post below)
this is the beauty of the net
problem – marty don’t want holes dug, draco do want them dug because he and adam want the carbon fibre to build stuff
solution – create operation to get carbon out of atmosphere thus reducing it in the atmosphere and making it (by turning it into carbon fibre) available to build spaceships and toasters.
result – less carbon in atmosphere, spaceships built of carbon fibre, and the process is likely, after development and testing to be potentially less expensive than existing methods – ahem yay!
They have even tested this new method and they were able to “generate the large amount of heat needed to run the desired reaction.” – okay yay again to that I think
problem – marty don’t want holes dug, draco do want them dug because he and adam want the carbon fibre to build stuff
I want more than the carbon fibre. I want the life saving drugs that come from the use of the hydro carbons. I want the advanced recyclable plastics that can be made from them. And hundreds if not thousands of other products that are essential to a good and healthy living.
Now, here’s a thing: Digging holes in the ground isn’t really a problem – Papatūānuku will just fill them again and often with a marvellous new ecosystem. The problem comes if we poison that hole so we don’t do that. That is going to need strong regulation and you’ll get lots of whinging from the capitalists saying that it will cost too much to keep clean but we should have learned by now that we simply shouldn’t be listening to the capitalists.
result – less carbon in atmosphere, spaceships built of carbon fibre, and the process is likely, after development and testing to be potentially less expensive than existing methods – ahem yay!
Have you considered the problem with that? To give you a hint, it’s the exact opposite of the one we have now.
How many fossil fuels are needed to create that industry? To keep it running?
None. Again, you misunderstand the nature of fossil fuels and their use and how they’re simply not needed.
@Reality +1 Little did just fine in this interview. He is smart and the Nats are having trouble knocking his solid, common-sense image after the pathetic Angry-Andy smear failed.
Reading Audrey Young’s column in Granny Herald today was a fairly interesting read about Michael Woodhouse’s absolutely pathetic handling of the Health and Safety legislation. I thought she was being fairly reasonable in her criticism of the Government, but then at the end, the boot went into Andrew Little for demanding that several Ministers should have been stood down/resigned over several botch ups. It’s all his fault/Labour did it too/it’s Labour’s fault etc etc. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11500944
Hats off to Neil Miller.*
Not many people would be so magnanimous after being made to look so foolish. The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 21 August 2015
Jim Mora, Andrew “Dire” Clay, Neil Miller
Should the police be armed or not? Neil Miller opined that New Zealand is an “out-lier” on this issue, but that nothing will change until not only policemen, but members of the public start getting shot. Of course, members of the public are getting shot—by the police. Sadly, however, neither Jim Mora nor Andrew “Dire” Clay had the presence of mind to remind him of this.
Miller then announced how much of a fan he is of police using tasers. Clay, who often refers to himself as a “liberal”, endorsed Miller’s view, burbling: “I’m a big fan of tasers.”
To introduce some informed comment on to the program, the producers had arranged for Mora to cross to Deakin University Associate Professor in Criminology Dr Darren Palmer, who quickly and eloquently showed that neither Clay nor Miller had a clue what they were talking about. Politely but devastatingly, he showed that every single point that they had made was fallacious.
Neil Miller had nothing at all to offer by way of counter-argument. However, once Dr Palmer had departed, Miller said sportingly: “Very sensible comments from an academic, I must say.”
If only Neil Miller’s sportsmanship and honour could be emulated by the likes of Cameron Slater or Jordan Williams or David Farrar or Barry Corbett or Stephen Franks or Michelle Boag or Denise L’Estrange-Corbet or Nevil “Breivik” Gibson.
* Yesterday this writer, i.e., moi, misheard Neil Miller’s generous comment and posted that he had called Dr Palmer’s comments “cynical”. Thanks to our vigilant friend Gabby for pointing out my grievous error. Here’s the original post…. http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21082015/#comment-1061375
Here is an interesting article on policing in USA.
“More than one thousand people are killed by police every year in America,” the group states on its website. “Nearly sixty percent of victims did not have a gun or were involved in activities that should not require police intervention such as harmless ‘quality of life’ behaviors or mental health crises.”http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/Interim_TF_Report.pdf http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/08/21/campaign-zero-blueprint-ending-police-violence
The article refers to an Interim report from the task force on policing in USA and this paragraph caught my attention.
“In 2012, we began asking the question, “Why are we training police officers like
soldiers?” Although police officers wear uniforms and carry weapons, the similarity
ends there. The missions and rules of engagement are completely different. The
soldier’s mission is that of a warrior: to conquer. The rules of engagement are decided before the battle. The police officer’s mission is that of a guardian: to protect. The rules of engagement evolve as the incident unfolds. Soldiers must follow orders. Police officers must make independent decisions. Soldiers come into communities as an outside, occupying force. Guardians are members of the community, protecting from within.”
This makes sense to me and I wonder what path Greg O’Connor is wanting to take our police down?
Thanks for that, my friend. I share your concerns about Greg O’Connor. Whenever he appears on television or radio, his views seem poorly thought out and reflexively right wing.
It just goes to show that not every union rep is of the calibre of Helen Kelly or Richard Wagstaff. O’Connor is a union rep more in the mould of Tau Henare, who sneered at cleaning women at a select committee hearing and reduced them to tears.
I see John Pilger is being interviewed on RNZ in the morning about Assange. Whatever other interesting and useful things he has to say, I’ll also be listening to see if he has learnt how not to support rape culture in his support for Assange.
Your answer was confusing too, but I assumed you meant I was lying about something (calling Pilger a rape apologist?). So if a govt attacks Corbyn and people defending Corbyn use rape culture in their defense in the way that Pilger has, I will name that. But it won’t be a lie because it’s just happened and I’m just making an observation about it.
Of course I am guessing because you were obscure. How about you write in plain English?
but I assumed you meant I was lying about something (calling Pilger a rape apologist?).
Good. You do understand that I was calling you on your absurd lie.
…..use rape culture in their defense in the way that Pilger has
Could you expand on this bizarre claim, please? I suspect you’re already way out of your depth, but I’m willing for you to show us otherwise.
I’m just making an observation about it
You’re not making an “observation” about anything. You are simply reiterating one of the most brutal lies about a human rights activist that has been propagated in living memory. The viciousness of your mindless activity is not mitigated by the fact you write so poorly.
There’s nothing vicious in what I said, unless you are suggesting that a feminist having a political analysis of rape culture is vicious. Which is not an uncommon assertion, but that doesn’t make it any less absurd.
If you want the detail, search ts for weka +pilger, I’ve commented on it before. That Pilger is so good in other ways is precisely the point that feminists have been making for a long time now. Left wing men still have large blind spots when it comes to the oppressions they take part in.
Interestingly, if you want an example of how to write about Assange without promoting rape culture, look at CV’s post from the other day. He got his points across without using rape myths or undermining women who routinely get caught up in the politics of rape. That’s a very good sign.
unless you are suggesting that a feminist having a political analysis of rape culture is vicious.
There is not a shred of analysis in what you have said. You have merely recycled the black propaganda of the British and U.S. regimes. You might see such behaviour as virtuous, I see it as the very opposite.
I have read what you said about Pilger, and it is as vacuous now as when it was first published on this mostly excellent forum.
“There is not a shred of analysis in what you have said”
Not on this page, because all I did was name something.
“You have merely recycled the black propaganda of the British and U.S. regimes.”
Please link to where the British and US regimes have named Pilger as promoting rape culture. A couple of examples will suffice.
“You might see such behaviour as virtuous, I see it as the very opposite.”
I’d be very surprised if the British and US regimes had even considered the idea.
“I have read what you said about Pilger, and it is as vacuous now as when it was first published on this mostly excellent forum.”
That doesn’t match what you said before when you asked me to explain. I’m getting the sense of disingenuous here. I notice that you haven’t put up a single thing to refute my claim other than that Pilger is Great.
Every one of the ridiculous, completely discredited accusations made against this dangerous, truth-telling, dissenting journalist is the result of deliberate lies orchestrated by the British secret services.
You need to seriously do some reading. Your naiveté is alarming, to say the least.
You might like to start by listening to someone else who was targeted in the same way as Assange, except the agents of his intended destruction were a little more ham-fisted and vulnerable than the likes of the odious Marianne Ny….
oh right, silly little feminists couldn’t come up with an argument of their own, they’re just parrotting the evil British SS.
You have failed to provide any evidence that the US or Brits have named Pilger as a rape apologist. Get a grip Morrisey, and put up an actual proper argument or fuck off. I can’t be bothered with a Pilger fanboy who just wants to spout florid rhetoric and move goal posts instead of discussing actual issues.
“silly little feminists couldn’t come up with an argument of their own, they’re just parrotting the evil British SS.”
You’re trying to argue that the persecution of this dissenter is being organized by feminists? That’s about as foolish a thing as you’ve written here. And that’s saying something.
I note that Women Against Rape almost immediately denounced this ridiculous campaign, as did the young women who had been bullied and manipulated into complying with this obscene business.
Everything you have said about Pilger lacks even a hint of credibility.
the only thing I’ve said about Pilger is that I hope he’s changed and doesn’t talking about Assange tomorrow in ways that promote rape culture. If you don’t understand what I mean by that, it’s up to you to ask.
All the other stuff about persecution by the state etc is what you’ve brought up, nothing to do with my point.
there is no contest. Morrissey went off on a mission of his own making that had nothing to do with my comment. Last time I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Please don’t make his mistake. I wasn’t talking about Assange.
Objectives To identify published clinical trials in which an FDA inspection found significant evidence of objectionable conditions or practices, to describe violations, and to determine whether the violations are mentioned in the peer-reviewed literature
Conclusions and Relevance When the FDA finds significant departures from good clinical practice, those findings are seldom reflected in the peer-reviewed literature, even when there is evidence of data fabrication or other forms of research misconduct.
The Blairites that dominate the Labour Party and the media are running scared of this bloke. He’s the MP for Islington North. His majority at the last election was 21,194, but Blair’s cronies insist on calling him “unelectable”….
Clearly not, as his 21,194 majority demonstrates only too clearly.
What real “Labour” voters and the wider public believe are worlds apart.
So the huge majority of Labour voters who back Corbyn, and the majority of the British population that agree with his views, are not real voters. Got it.
Perez’s conservative administration has spent much of this year mired in public protests and scandals over corruption allegations against senior officials, several of whom the retired general fired during a cabinet purge in May.
I remember when conservatives actually had some moral fortitude…
1: Im not religious
2: I believe in the right to Protest and Counter Protest.
3: I Like America.
4: I have no idea if the TPPA will be good or not.
5: Told ya Hoverboards will be invented.
So walking down the street in Nelson today, I heard a lone protester screaming “The TPPA is awful” he looked really angry, his eyes were popping out his head, his fists were clenched, he looked like he wanted to punch someone.
He then yelled “Jesus Hates the TPPA, even Jesus hates the TPPA”
he walked straight past me, I said “Seriously even Jesus hates it?”
He got in my face yelled rather loudly said “Yes, everybody hates it” and walked off.
He is my friendly advice to future protesters.
1: Just because your angry, that doesnt make you right.
2: I can be turned around on any issue, if you provided facts/data/stats and are very analytical in how you present them.
3: If you attend a lot of protests where you burn the American flag, I will believe that your more about political ideology than whether a certain law is good or not.
4: Please dont scream in my face or poke your finger in my eye.
5: You may believe if New Zealand was a socialist country, we will all be on seven figure salaries, I dont believe this.
6: The people who make the most noise, don’t come across as Rhode Scholars or people I would trust with any economic law.
7: Please know that there are people who are just as passionate about a issue and may be on the Opposite side of that issue.
Again, I think you will get a lot further with your protests if you take this advice.
and yes I was expecting you back – you said when hoverboards happen you will return and apparently they are happening but for me I’m still not convinced yet.
I thank you Brett Dale for your detailed exposition on behalf of all protesters, who are all individuals not a collective of yellow-eyed children into groupthink as in Wyndhams book The Midwich Cuckoos,
The politics of TPPA are enough to drive sensitive people nutty. Thank goodness you are not sensitive, nutty or shy of advising everyone on how to avoid such states.
yep the absurd asking for the impossible – “Male gnats often assemble in large mating swarms or ghosts, particularly at dusk.” We’ve all seen them milling around in the late afternoon light – bet they don’t have to crawl to the doctor.
Still, others said they had plenty of advice for the man they regularly identified in conversation as “Mr. Trump.”
“Hopefully, he’s going to sit there and say, ‘When I become elected president, what we’re going to do is we’re going to make the border a vacation spot, it’s going to cost you $25 for a permit, and then you get $50 for every confirmed kill,’ ” said Jim Sherota, 53, who works for a landscaping company. “That’d be one nice thing.”
Thanks for the links. The article on Corbyn and the dirty politics was very intertesting. Fascinating elections coming up with Corbyn on IK and Sanders in USA!
“Maybe sometime in the past the British establishment could succeed in destroying an alternative voice, as they did with Labour’s Michael Foot and Tony Benn during the 1980s. But, today, the public no longer rely on the media mouthpieces of the establishment. They can make their own minds up with abundant alternative information sources.
The surging popular support for Corbyn is proof of that. The British people have had it with the rich getting richer and the vast majority getting poorer. They have had it with war, state-sponsored lawlessness and “professional” politician-puppets like Tony Blair and his New Labour ilk.
Corbyn is showing that socialism is a real alternative, no matter what the establishment says’
A new method for taking carbon dioxide directly from the air and converting it to oxygen and nanoscale fibers made of carbon could lead to an inexpensive way to make a valuable building material—and may even serve as a weapon against climate change.
Licht says his group’s newly demonstrated technology, which both captures the carbon dioxide from the air and employs an electrochemical process to convert it to carbon nanofibers and oxygen, is more efficient and potentially a lot cheaper than existing methods
But it’s more than just a simpler, less expensive way of making a high value product. It’s also a “means of storing and sequestering carbon dioxide in a useful manner, a stable manner, and in a compact manner,” says Licht. He points out that if the process is powered by renewable energy, the result is a net removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In a recent demonstration, his group used a unique concentrated solar power system, which makes use of infrared sunlight as well as visible light to generate the large amount of heat needed to run the desired reaction..
Our own Rdion is up to dte with this. Plese note – I hve spilt some wter on my keybord, now the left side keys including the first lphbet letter don’t work. In the opinion of people who know, will it dry out nd the function return?
9:21 AM. Researchers invent a process that turns polluting carbon dioxide into carbon nanofibers, a highly sought-after manufacturing material with the potential to be used in the aerospace, construction, and electronics industry. Stuart Licht, Professor of Chemistry at George Washington University.
Thanks I lifted and angled keyboard overnight. More keys down. Have a spare and the old one was due to move on. Maybe my head is a bit wet – will use the hairdryer on that.
I thought the article was really good too, it’s hard to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when you’re already small but we must try.
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
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 arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
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 ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
https://www.facebook.com/CountryCalendar/videos/vb.320771647948378/1208219955870205/?type=2&theater
Tonight at 7:00, heritage apples and forest-gardens.
Excellent! I heard the fascinating report about your place on Radio New Zealand a year or so ago. Look forward to seeing this one.
Awesome, I’ll be checking it out too, not tonight though but when they upload it onto the Country Calendar website. Much more interesting than the shows on standard farming.
Thanks – both for letting us know and for the great work you’re doing. Was definitely worth catching.
The Archdruid explaining why the Left has been losing to the Right.
‘
There are at least two reasons why a strategy of pure reaction, without any coherent attempt to advance an agenda of its own or even a clear idea of what that agenda might be, has been a fruitful source of humiliation and defeat for the American left. The first is that this approach violates one of the most basic rules of strategy: you win when you seize the initiative and force the other side to respond to your actions, and you lose by passively responding to whatever the other side comes up with. In any contest, without exception, if you surrender the initiative and let the other side set the terms of the conflict, you’re begging to be beaten, and will normally get your wish in short order.
That in itself is bad enough. A movement that defines itself in purely negative terms, though, and attempts solely to prevent someone else’s agenda from being enacted rather than pursuing a concrete agenda of its own, suffers from another massive problem: the best such a movement can hope for is a continuation of the status quo, because the only choice it offers is the one between business as usual and something worse. That’s fine if most people are satisfied with the way things are, and are willing to fling themselves into the struggle for the sake of a set of political, economic, and social arrangements that they consider worth fighting for.
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/the-suicide-of-american-left.html?m=1
‘
From the same article.
What a perfect description of many compromised Labour MPs in the UK and NZ.
‘I’m not sure why so many people on the leftward end of American politics haven’t noticed that this is not the case today. One hypothesis that comes to mind is that by and large, the leftward end of the American political landscape is dominated by middle class and upper middle class white people from the comparatively prosperous coastal states. Many of them belong to the upper 20% by income of the American population, and the rest aren’t far below that threshold. The grand bargain of the Reagan years, by which the middle classes bought a guarantee of their wealth and privilege by letting their former allies in the working classes get thrown under the bus, has profited them hugely, and holding onto what they gained by that maneuver doubtless ranks high on their unstated list of motives—much higher, certainly, than pushing for a different future that might put their privileges in jeopardy.’
He is just so wrong.
The monolithic left failed in the 1980s, and won. It won because “the left” split into a series of highly successful liberative movements in the late 1960s, which continued and established themselves throughout the media, academia, and education systems.
It failed because conservative governments could smash the post-WW11 Labour-capital-consumerism world while the Soviet empire remained the boogeyman of strong-state redistributive economies.
we forget the continuing successes of the former too easily, as if we are in a world of perpetual progressive regret. we are not.
Yet the basic premise of the the Archdruid Report’s latest post rings true: the Left has been losing to the Right for several decades now, and continues to lose.
It continues to lose because the Right sets the agenda and the Left reacts to it, all in an environment where the Right now has massively more institutional power than the Left.
On this, Greer, the Archdruid is spot on.
Please clarify. Where in the world did the political economic left win.
The political economic left didn’t always win.
But the importance of the economic can be overstated.
The political left found ways to recapture power elsewhere than electoral politics.
In most big-state countries, the social welfare state hasn’t been dismantled – hell even National hasn’t touched Working for Families, Kiwisaver, the unemployment benefit, or NZSuper.
Also, even National was perfectly happy to push through Gay Marriage, not repeal the Anti-Smacking Law, pushed on with Waitangi settlements, and can’t even pull someone’s hair without a smackdown. NZ is far more socially liberal than it ever used to be – and that’s a set of victories caused by the left.
Not defending this government. Just pointing out that many of the left’s victories have been banked, even built on, by National.
Plus, Archdruid is at base a misanthropist.
He can’t see the point of people existing anymore – it’s life through a glass, half darkly.
Druids aren’t misanthropes. But they can see when the seasons are changing.
That particular Druid is a misanthrope.
A really simple way to keep any movement alive, or indeed any patient, is to tell them what is working, and do more of it. That writer is just a cheerleader for the Global Movement Of Told You So’s.
I posted this last night Paul. I think this will help you understand that the left is very much alive. I’ve been saying on here that labour is not the left. I know the activist who write here think it is, but they need to realise they have a real problem with hard right wing members in the labour party, who distort and twist a strong social democratic message.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/08/19/bernie-sanders-gives-wall-street-journal-reporter-the-best-tongue-lashing-youve-ever-seen-video/
The Left is very much alive, but it lacks institutional power and it lacks funding and resources.
And is undermined by hard right wing members in the labour party.
“undermined by hard right wing members in the labour party”
What are you talking about?
This may be more accurate:
Labour isn’t truly working as a Left wing party.
Yes, to quote Clemgeopin, what are you talking about?
Try following the conversation.
Another poor performance from Little on the Nation today.
More detail please.
I think the Chairman is one who demands a citation when presented with a commenters’ opinion here, so it is only right to request details of a criticism from him about a media event.
can’t understand why citations should be asked for on opinions. Perhaps the question response should be – why do you think that?
I felt exactly the same, the loss of David Cunliffe’s ability to front the hard issues on television in his calm, cool and articulate way, is very apparent these days in my opinion. The Labour caucus have a lot to be ashamed of, they gave David Cunliffe a very short amount of time to establish himself before the election and then forced him out . He won every debate on television and would have been so good right now, with everything turning to custard on the economic front. Thanks Phil Goff, David Shearer, Clayton Cosgrove, Annette King, Grant Robertson, Jacinda Adern, Phil Twyford, etc etc etc.
In reality, Little is a relatively new backbencher and certainly has had no Ministerial experience.
Cunliffe certainly had room to improve but also had the potential to be the outstanding Labour Leader of our era, given a little bit more time.
Which was exactly what many in his caucus did not want to give him.
The business of tossing out a new leader after a loss in the polls is uncannily like what happens in the sporting community. Cunliffe lost so out he goes like an unsuccessful coach.
This backs up an idea I have that politics today is not being addressed as an idealistic and practical way of attempting better conditions, fair and peaceful actions that produce good for individuals and the whole population. It is a competitive game like a sport, with great commitment to one’s team to see them win. In sport, winning is the name of the game (s.d that business about losing honourably). And these days money and perks will follow, and overseas travel. Sounds like many modern politicians’ dream wouldn’t you say.
So in politics the leader is a servant of the caucus and needs to help them win or else, and the caucus are servants of whom?
Caucus serves itself, and despite what is said is effectively accountable to no one else.
Who is behind caucus though? If the defining object for the membership is not to serve the people’s good, and they are not operating on cultural and social ethical ideas, then who and what presses their buttons, pulls their strings.
Is it now the ideology of wealthy people advancing their profit through efficiency and global opportunities. Are politicians seduced by views of them striding the world stage and talking up our importance in the financial and political world. In NZ I guess is it the 1-10% as seen behind the NZ Initiative. the Concentric Table?
Not so much, who, but what.
Careerism is the driving force. The details of how this is expressed varies according to the personality and ability of the individual.
CV
I think you have hit the target. That would explain their risk aversion in pursuing meaningful policies. They want to ensure that they offer enough to attract punters and keep Labour MPs in their jobs in caucus, but not ones that might be right but the voters are not ready to receive. What to do? Cut the career line to the placenta of goodies? How? I think we would get less monkeys wanting more peanuts.
And thanks for the disingenuous Matthew Hooton for doing his shapeshifter thing and derailing the thought line.
It’s Hotel California stuff.
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
“Relax, ” said the night man,
“We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! ”
The whole song is quite apt for the scenario we are thinking of.
AZ Lyrics present the lines well.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/hotelcalifornia.html
and for those who love the music.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyy4yaVwsv0)
Sir Graham Henry was kept on as All Blacks coach after the 2007 Rugby World Cup debacle.
“Debacle”? They were beaten by France. Did you think it was going to be a gimme?
+ 1000 C V – I’m still a party member but my energy levels have waned somewhat since DC was replaced. He’s keeping a very low profile – not sure whether it’s self imposed (I do know his mother is most unwell and in hospital) or forced upon him.
I feel his low profile may be imposed by caucus wanting the likes of Grant Robertson etc to “shine” – good luck with that one! Who in the caucus is actually making a huge impact lately? Jacinda? Dream on! David Cunliffe doesn’t even seem to be allowed to ask a question in Question Time these days. I miss his articulate manner, grasp of the big picture and the curly questions he might pose if given the chance!
+1 Hami
I really miss David Cunliffe’s intellect and his ability to communicate complex issues clearly.
Little started well, but really hasn’t impressed fora number of months now.It seems to me that he is so busy trying to appease everybody that nobody knows what he stands for any more. On radio he sounds offhand and unconvincing. His main achievement is that the caucus do look more united, but IMO Little really needs to inject a bit of passion into his performance.
Putting some more boots in? Do you even realise what the hell you are actually ending up doing?
Exactly the left is its own worst enemy as much as I despise national I have to admire the tight ship they run.
They run a tight ship because they have money and positions to move their deadwood and unwanted MPs on to when their due time comes, nice and smooth like.
I realize that but from what I’m aware of in you’re case is that you have been on the inside and now you are on the outs a bit so I just see you’re behaviour as sour grapes.
I caught most of the nation this am and apart from a lack of clarity around the ninety day he did OK with as clemgeopin says some poor gotcha attempts.
That’s jumping to conclusions bwaghorn. Presumably CV knows more about caucus and the interior view of Labour than you and therefore has something real to critique. Whereas you know how you feel at any given moment. So your opinion is interesting, whereas CV’s may be enlightening.
Sour grapes, yes indeed: the exact feeling when you realise that you have been sold a false bill of goods.
@Karen Agree about the the passion.
But please forget about Cunliffe as leader-he will make a fine minister if Labour wins the election, but going on about his demise gets us nowhere. (I will never forget John Armstrong’s disgusting article calling for him to resign over the 10 year old pro-forma letter.)
In the meantime Little will lead Labour to the next election so he needs constructive criticism to keep improving his performance. I think Labour have been performing well recently-Twyford, Parker and King especially.
AH the voice of reason.
Nothing to inspire – just keep calm, trust us – we have not done working folk any harm (Of late).
Look we will just cut you off at the knees, is that not better than being cut off at the hip.
Why are working class people so bloody demanding!!!
My sarcasm is a bit lame tonight. How about this
The Radical Peasant: We’ve got to get rid of this Feudal system, it’s killing us! Are you with us?
The Liberal Peasant: No, no, just wait till we get a new Lord. I hear his son has some good views on crop rotation.
I was going to post a link (to let commentators judge for themselves) but its not up yet.
Use your words then.
His position on the 90 day trial law was far from clear.
In fact, clear answers weren’t forthcoming. Too much waffle.
Little reaffirmed Nationals rowing boat campaign, with the opposition rowing in all different directions.
See for yourself:
http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/interview-labour-leader-andrew-little-2015082210#axzz3jUXymhOn
Andrew Little’s responses were perfectly fine. He talks sense and rightly highlighted the worm farm and lavender growing nonsense.
First 90s:
Little goes off track, barely answers to the question about Serco, misses an opportunity to deride the concept of private prisons; seems like Little wouldn’t have Serco do state housing because Serco did a bad job at Mt Eden. (So if Serco improves at Mt Eden, Little would be open to them being involved in state housing?). Overall, mediocre to poor.
Then up to 5:00:
Average to mediocre on health and safety. Started off well, and then declined as he got bogged down in detail and not principles. Ended up sounding like a health and safety consultant, not the Leader of the Opposition. Even praised some National Party MPs. Didn’t effectively push back against Owen’s claim that Labour was advocating for more red tape for small businesses.
Up to 7:45:
Mediocre to poor on the claim that Labour has changed its position on the right to fire legislation. This resulted from Little not being clear who he was addressing – workers, Labour supporters or business owners. So the message was very mixed sounding.
Little should have said – Labour will definitely abolish the right to fire legislation as we have always said – but we will also ensure that employers have the right to use trial periods for staff where there are safeguards of fairness to all.
Up to 9:00
OK on the TPPA but he could have landed some better hits on the Government’s broken promises on its negotiations. At this point Little seems to not be able to pull out the short sharp meaningful one liner which has a big impact.
Up to 11:30
OK to mediocre on Climate Change, but Little didn’t really give a concise coherent explanation of why he thinks Climate Change is such a big moral issue of this century – yet Labour is still going to support coal mining and oil drilling. Most people against climate change won’t find the position sensible; most people who don’t care about climate change will wonder if Labour is just all talk.
to the finish:
Not good. Little seemed to give some disingenuous answers with regards to NZF as a coalition partner, and then the clip ends at an awkward moment where Little seems a bit frustrated with Lisa Own.
Your ‘put the boot into Andrew and Labour’ at every opportunity you get is just like Hooton’s ‘analysis’.
Did it occur to you that apart from the H& S, ‘most’ questions were
hypothetical ‘gotcha’ type of questions that could not be answered definitively with certainty without the yet to be known details and were designed to trip him up for possible sensational headlines?
Not good enough, I’m afraid. Cunliffe, Peters, Clark, Key would have all pushed back more effectively.
Andrew is a different person and a different type of leader. He is not the ‘usual’ type of politician that you are looking/longing for.
Among the four names you mentioned, Peters and Key are still there for you to choose between.
yeah well Corbyn is not the usual smoothy politician type either and he seems to do just fine in tough interviews.
Corbyn isn’t the leader of a political party YET. Did you forget that?
Once he becomes the leader, he will HAVE to reconsider some or many of his policies and bluster that happens during an internal party leadership campaign, and give more seriously measured responses in media interviews with the responsibility of knowing that he is the potential Prime Minister who will need to make sensible, workable and pragmatic decisions which will not only have the support of most of the voters but will also be good for the people and the country.
There is a big difference in pitching oneself to the faithful for party leadership and actually being the leader and potential PM for the entire country.
All I know is that Little has work to do.
Of course he has worked to do. He is yet to gain more experience in the job and has to tread with care and caution. That is elementary Dr Watson. Do you remember the sweet talking Key in his early days as the opposition leader and the PM in his early days?
Would you prefer a thoughtful honest leader who tries to give honest answers or a leader who smiles, easy going but seems quite untrustworthy?
Take a look at this clip:
http://www.3news.co.nz/politics/highlights-from-keys-2008-no-job-cuts-speech-2012031418#axzz3jV9pfRhh
But some of us have been very impatient and too harsh on Little and parroting the RW statements and agenda, when he has been in the job for just about nine months, while the Labour party policies are under review and the election is still more than two years away.
Sure, criticise him, but do so constructively and not in a way to demean and harm him and the Labour party. Only enemies of the left do that.
Also, it would be useful to email him or the party with ideas and suggestions if they are useful and made with good intentions.
Fuck off a centrist establishmentarian like you Clemgeopin having the audacity to call me an enemy of the left; further Little ran out of grace period with me when he signed off on the Chinese house buyers gambit.
He wanted Cunliffe’s job now he better start doing a better job. Or shall we give Little another 6 months to get it together.
“Fuck off a centrist establishmentarian like you Clemgeopin”
You are funny!
I am not a centrist establishmentarian, nor an anti centre-right-disestablishmentarian.
What I am is a pragmatic socialist democrat for the modern times and I take the pragmatic ‘electable’ view that a modern socialist party such as Labour should be a party (1) of the left, (2) of the left-of-centre and (3) the centre, (and not foolishly be just the party of the left and die a permanent death).
That is exactly the positions that Sanders has taken if you watch many of his speech videos. He advocates for the sick, the poor, the students and primarily for the care of the middle classes. I do too!
Not sure if Corbyn says the same thing about the vast majority of the middle classes. Probably does.
Labour will be electable when it stands in solidarity with the bottom 80% in society. Currently it is too concerned with what the top 5% think of it.
“Labour will be electable when it stands in solidarity with the bottom 80% in society”
I certainly think they do!
“Currently it is too concerned with what the top 5% think of it”
I doubt that and hope not.
Now go to bed and have happy peaceful dreams. 晚安
If you loved Cunliffe’s delivery so much why did your people oust him?
I know you’re going to say “they’re not my people”, but the truth is CV, you are so all over the place that an observer has no idea what you actually stand for.
Actually I think CV has given some good examples of how Little could have done better. It is far more constructive criticism than “putting the boot in.”
Pretending that Little is performing really well in media interviews (when it is obvious that he is not) is not helpful if you want Labour to win the next election. My big worry is that Little isn’t getting any better at communication, and he really does need to.
Indeed, Karen.
So do I. I just say that we should ban burning it or selling it to people who are going to burn it.
wot??? YOU support coal mining and oil drilling? say it ain’t so – you will dig it up at great cost to many areas including the environment, emissions and so on, and then not burn it or sell it??? Wot you gonna do with it? Why not just not dig it up or suck it out? bloody/facedesk
As per usual, your ignorance is showing. You can do more with the hydrocarbons than just burn them.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/plastic5.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrochemical
answer the questions
I did.
Please show where you answered this question – why not just not dig it up or suck it out?
I thought Draco T Bastard gave a couple of great introduction links – you can expand from there marty mars – try google.
Here’s a heads up.
NZ has quite a substantial reserve of high grade coal – which should not be burnt as it is awesome for many other things – ever heard of carbon fibre?
that’s nice adam
I did read the links.
so you and draco want to continue to dig, drill and suck – just like the gnats as it happens, and you want to use the high grade coal dug out through your eyesore, destructive, open cast mines, to make carbon fibre. Perchance why??? It doesn’t really matter what fancy you come up with be it space ships or alien cricket bats btw.
Well guess what – I oppose that. I don’t want you the gnats to dig any more shit up
No more exploitation of Papatūānuku for bullshit western lavish lifestyles and fake futures.
so now I’ve answered my own question I’ll go beddy byes.
Carbon is a very useful element.
We just been stupid enough to burn it.
Not sure what you expect to use if not carbon for quite a few things – please if you have a solution, I’m all for reading about it.
can you give some examples of the things you think are important?
further down this page a solution!!!
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22082015/#comment-1061769
so we don’t have to dig it, drill it or suck it after all – certainly not if we want carbon fibre for use in the ” aerospace, construction, and electronics industry” (from Grey’s post below)
this is the beauty of the net
problem – marty don’t want holes dug, draco do want them dug because he and adam want the carbon fibre to build stuff
solution – create operation to get carbon out of atmosphere thus reducing it in the atmosphere and making it (by turning it into carbon fibre) available to build spaceships and toasters.
result – less carbon in atmosphere, spaceships built of carbon fibre, and the process is likely, after development and testing to be potentially less expensive than existing methods – ahem yay!
They have even tested this new method and they were able to “generate the large amount of heat needed to run the desired reaction.” – okay yay again to that I think
What are the potential pollution problems arising from that? Manufacture, disposal at end of life, etc.
How many fossil fuels are needed to create that industry? To keep it running?
I want more than the carbon fibre. I want the life saving drugs that come from the use of the hydro carbons. I want the advanced recyclable plastics that can be made from them. And hundreds if not thousands of other products that are essential to a good and healthy living.
Now, here’s a thing: Digging holes in the ground isn’t really a problem – Papatūānuku will just fill them again and often with a marvellous new ecosystem. The problem comes if we poison that hole so we don’t do that. That is going to need strong regulation and you’ll get lots of whinging from the capitalists saying that it will cost too much to keep clean but we should have learned by now that we simply shouldn’t be listening to the capitalists.
Have you considered the problem with that? To give you a hint, it’s the exact opposite of the one we have now.
None. Again, you misunderstand the nature of fossil fuels and their use and how they’re simply not needed.
It will require more mining though.
@Reality +1 Little did just fine in this interview. He is smart and the Nats are having trouble knocking his solid, common-sense image after the pathetic Angry-Andy smear failed.
Reading Audrey Young’s column in Granny Herald today was a fairly interesting read about Michael Woodhouse’s absolutely pathetic handling of the Health and Safety legislation. I thought she was being fairly reasonable in her criticism of the Government, but then at the end, the boot went into Andrew Little for demanding that several Ministers should have been stood down/resigned over several botch ups. It’s all his fault/Labour did it too/it’s Labour’s fault etc etc. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11500944
Hats off to Neil Miller.*
Not many people would be so magnanimous after being made to look so foolish.
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 21 August 2015
Jim Mora, Andrew “Dire” Clay, Neil Miller
Should the police be armed or not? Neil Miller opined that New Zealand is an “out-lier” on this issue, but that nothing will change until not only policemen, but members of the public start getting shot. Of course, members of the public are getting shot—by the police. Sadly, however, neither Jim Mora nor Andrew “Dire” Clay had the presence of mind to remind him of this.
Miller then announced how much of a fan he is of police using tasers. Clay, who often refers to himself as a “liberal”, endorsed Miller’s view, burbling: “I’m a big fan of tasers.”
To introduce some informed comment on to the program, the producers had arranged for Mora to cross to Deakin University Associate Professor in Criminology Dr Darren Palmer, who quickly and eloquently showed that neither Clay nor Miller had a clue what they were talking about. Politely but devastatingly, he showed that every single point that they had made was fallacious.
Neil Miller had nothing at all to offer by way of counter-argument. However, once Dr Palmer had departed, Miller said sportingly: “Very sensible comments from an academic, I must say.”
If only Neil Miller’s sportsmanship and honour could be emulated by the likes of Cameron Slater or Jordan Williams or David Farrar or Barry Corbett or Stephen Franks or Michelle Boag or Denise L’Estrange-Corbet or Nevil “Breivik” Gibson.
* Yesterday this writer, i.e., moi, misheard Neil Miller’s generous comment and posted that he had called Dr Palmer’s comments “cynical”. Thanks to our vigilant friend Gabby for pointing out my grievous error. Here’s the original post….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21082015/#comment-1061375
Here is an interesting article on policing in USA.
“More than one thousand people are killed by police every year in America,” the group states on its website. “Nearly sixty percent of victims did not have a gun or were involved in activities that should not require police intervention such as harmless ‘quality of life’ behaviors or mental health crises.”http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/Interim_TF_Report.pdf
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/08/21/campaign-zero-blueprint-ending-police-violence
The article refers to an Interim report from the task force on policing in USA and this paragraph caught my attention.
“In 2012, we began asking the question, “Why are we training police officers like
soldiers?” Although police officers wear uniforms and carry weapons, the similarity
ends there. The missions and rules of engagement are completely different. The
soldier’s mission is that of a warrior: to conquer. The rules of engagement are decided before the battle. The police officer’s mission is that of a guardian: to protect. The rules of engagement evolve as the incident unfolds. Soldiers must follow orders. Police officers must make independent decisions. Soldiers come into communities as an outside, occupying force. Guardians are members of the community, protecting from within.”
This makes sense to me and I wonder what path Greg O’Connor is wanting to take our police down?
Thanks for that, my friend. I share your concerns about Greg O’Connor. Whenever he appears on television or radio, his views seem poorly thought out and reflexively right wing.
It just goes to show that not every union rep is of the calibre of Helen Kelly or Richard Wagstaff. O’Connor is a union rep more in the mould of Tau Henare, who sneered at cleaning women at a select committee hearing and reduced them to tears.
This looks like an interesting movie about this topic:
http://www.peaceofficerfilm.com
I see John Pilger is being interviewed on RNZ in the morning about Assange. Whatever other interesting and useful things he has to say, I’ll also be listening to see if he has learnt how not to support rape culture in his support for Assange.
9.30 Sunday http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/20150823
He’s also going to be talking about Corbyn.
If someone in the British secret services concocts a fantastic case against Jeremy Corbyn, you’ll no doubt be repeating those lies enthusiastically.
Only if the person who writes about it misuses rape culture as part of their argument. In which case it won’t be lie, will it.
Your answer is totally confusing. Could you write in plain English please?
Your answer was confusing too, but I assumed you meant I was lying about something (calling Pilger a rape apologist?). So if a govt attacks Corbyn and people defending Corbyn use rape culture in their defense in the way that Pilger has, I will name that. But it won’t be a lie because it’s just happened and I’m just making an observation about it.
Of course I am guessing because you were obscure. How about you write in plain English?
Your answer was confusing too,
No it was not. You know exactly what I meant.
but I assumed you meant I was lying about something (calling Pilger a rape apologist?).
Good. You do understand that I was calling you on your absurd lie.
…..use rape culture in their defense in the way that Pilger has
Could you expand on this bizarre claim, please? I suspect you’re already way out of your depth, but I’m willing for you to show us otherwise.
I’m just making an observation about it
You’re not making an “observation” about anything. You are simply reiterating one of the most brutal lies about a human rights activist that has been propagated in living memory. The viciousness of your mindless activity is not mitigated by the fact you write so poorly.
There’s nothing vicious in what I said, unless you are suggesting that a feminist having a political analysis of rape culture is vicious. Which is not an uncommon assertion, but that doesn’t make it any less absurd.
If you want the detail, search ts for weka +pilger, I’ve commented on it before. That Pilger is so good in other ways is precisely the point that feminists have been making for a long time now. Left wing men still have large blind spots when it comes to the oppressions they take part in.
Interestingly, if you want an example of how to write about Assange without promoting rape culture, look at CV’s post from the other day. He got his points across without using rape myths or undermining women who routinely get caught up in the politics of rape. That’s a very good sign.
unless you are suggesting that a feminist having a political analysis of rape culture is vicious.
There is not a shred of analysis in what you have said. You have merely recycled the black propaganda of the British and U.S. regimes. You might see such behaviour as virtuous, I see it as the very opposite.
I have read what you said about Pilger, and it is as vacuous now as when it was first published on this mostly excellent forum.
“There is not a shred of analysis in what you have said”
Not on this page, because all I did was name something.
“You have merely recycled the black propaganda of the British and U.S. regimes.”
Please link to where the British and US regimes have named Pilger as promoting rape culture. A couple of examples will suffice.
“You might see such behaviour as virtuous, I see it as the very opposite.”
I’d be very surprised if the British and US regimes had even considered the idea.
“I have read what you said about Pilger, and it is as vacuous now as when it was first published on this mostly excellent forum.”
That doesn’t match what you said before when you asked me to explain. I’m getting the sense of disingenuous here. I notice that you haven’t put up a single thing to refute my claim other than that Pilger is Great.
Every one of the ridiculous, completely discredited accusations made against this dangerous, truth-telling, dissenting journalist is the result of deliberate lies orchestrated by the British secret services.
You need to seriously do some reading. Your naiveté is alarming, to say the least.
You might like to start by listening to someone else who was targeted in the same way as Assange, except the agents of his intended destruction were a little more ham-fisted and vulnerable than the likes of the odious Marianne Ny….
oh right, silly little feminists couldn’t come up with an argument of their own, they’re just parrotting the evil British SS.
You have failed to provide any evidence that the US or Brits have named Pilger as a rape apologist. Get a grip Morrisey, and put up an actual proper argument or fuck off. I can’t be bothered with a Pilger fanboy who just wants to spout florid rhetoric and move goal posts instead of discussing actual issues.
“silly little feminists couldn’t come up with an argument of their own, they’re just parrotting the evil British SS.”
You’re trying to argue that the persecution of this dissenter is being organized by feminists? That’s about as foolish a thing as you’ve written here. And that’s saying something.
I note that Women Against Rape almost immediately denounced this ridiculous campaign, as did the young women who had been bullied and manipulated into complying with this obscene business.
Everything you have said about Pilger lacks even a hint of credibility.
I can’t tell if you are being extremely thick or just trying to wind me up. I think I’ll go for the latter.
To be clear, what I have said today has nothing to do with the persecution of Assange (or Pilger) by the US or UK.
You seem to think I am talking about the rape charges against Assange. I’m not.
Then why are you making these nutty allegations about Pilger?
the only thing I’ve said about Pilger is that I hope he’s changed and doesn’t talking about Assange tomorrow in ways that promote rape culture. If you don’t understand what I mean by that, it’s up to you to ask.
All the other stuff about persecution by the state etc is what you’ve brought up, nothing to do with my point.
Weka – Morrissey on Assange. Can anyone give me the result of the contest without me having to read it. I am guessing its nil all.
there is no contest. Morrissey went off on a mission of his own making that had nothing to do with my comment. Last time I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Please don’t make his mistake. I wasn’t talking about Assange.
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2109855
Objectives To identify published clinical trials in which an FDA inspection found significant evidence of objectionable conditions or practices, to describe violations, and to determine whether the violations are mentioned in the peer-reviewed literature
Conclusions and Relevance When the FDA finds significant departures from good clinical practice, those findings are seldom reflected in the peer-reviewed literature, even when there is evidence of data fabrication or other forms of research misconduct.
http://charlesseife.com/fdadocuments.html
Andrew Little’s well considered answers for difficult questions, in spite of cachya type of questions in this morning’s The Nation’s interview.
http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/interview-labour-leader-andrew-little-2015082210#axzz3jV9pfRhh
Meet the next British prime minister
The Blairites that dominate the Labour Party and the media are running scared of this bloke. He’s the MP for Islington North. His majority at the last election was 21,194, but Blair’s cronies insist on calling him “unelectable”….
Jeremy Corbyn – Leeds 8th August 2015
Corbyn will never be Prime Minister.
I believe that the guy is unelectable. What real “Labour” voters and the wider public believe are worlds apart.
Someone who must be an ACT voter writes….
I believe that the guy is unelectable.
Clearly not, as his 21,194 majority demonstrates only too clearly.
What real “Labour” voters and the wider public believe are worlds apart.
So the huge majority of Labour voters who back Corbyn, and the majority of the British population that agree with his views, are not real voters. Got it.
Yes Morrissey I too believe that James is an ACT voter. He regularly comes over as a RW twit.
I notice the young people in the meeting. Few grey older people to be seen. Very responsive meeting for Corbyn.
Guatemala prosecutors seek to impeach president after ex-VP’s arrest
I remember when conservatives actually had some moral fortitude…
Oh, wait, no I don’t.
Why Corbynomics could be a good idea.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ftalphaville.ft.com/2015/08/06/2136475/corbyns-peoples-qe-could-actually-be-a-decent-idea/
First off.
1: Im not religious
2: I believe in the right to Protest and Counter Protest.
3: I Like America.
4: I have no idea if the TPPA will be good or not.
5: Told ya Hoverboards will be invented.
So walking down the street in Nelson today, I heard a lone protester screaming “The TPPA is awful” he looked really angry, his eyes were popping out his head, his fists were clenched, he looked like he wanted to punch someone.
He then yelled “Jesus Hates the TPPA, even Jesus hates the TPPA”
he walked straight past me, I said “Seriously even Jesus hates it?”
He got in my face yelled rather loudly said “Yes, everybody hates it” and walked off.
He is my friendly advice to future protesters.
1: Just because your angry, that doesnt make you right.
2: I can be turned around on any issue, if you provided facts/data/stats and are very analytical in how you present them.
3: If you attend a lot of protests where you burn the American flag, I will believe that your more about political ideology than whether a certain law is good or not.
4: Please dont scream in my face or poke your finger in my eye.
5: You may believe if New Zealand was a socialist country, we will all be on seven figure salaries, I dont believe this.
6: The people who make the most noise, don’t come across as Rhode Scholars or people I would trust with any economic law.
7: Please know that there are people who are just as passionate about a issue and may be on the Opposite side of that issue.
Again, I think you will get a lot further with your protests if you take this advice.
I cannot understand why you didn’t outline your 7 step plan to the ACTUAL protester you wrote the plan for.
indeed, hard to see what that advice has to do with anyone here.
It all happened to quickly, I guess I can now, if someone else starts screaming in my face.
Did you outline to this person—assuming he exists and you’re not fantasizing—your carefully thought out view on the plight of the Palestinians?
(i,e. “They deserve everything that happens to them.”)
and yes I was expecting you back – you said when hoverboards happen you will return and apparently they are happening but for me I’m still not convinced yet.
I believe they will. In October. Maybe really expensive, but theres two companies that have working prototypes.
I thank you Brett Dale for your detailed exposition on behalf of all protesters, who are all individuals not a collective of yellow-eyed children into groupthink as in Wyndhams book The Midwich Cuckoos,
The politics of TPPA are enough to drive sensitive people nutty. Thank goodness you are not sensitive, nutty or shy of advising everyone on how to avoid such states.
Cool story bro.
With National your ‘Brighter Future’ involves:
Yeah, crawling up driveways because you can no longer walk to get the treatment that would allow you to walk.
yep, they cooked the booked for a shiter future, as we knew they would
yep the absurd asking for the impossible – “Male gnats often assemble in large mating swarms or ghosts, particularly at dusk.” We’ve all seen them milling around in the late afternoon light – bet they don’t have to crawl to the doctor.
The little guy from the embarrassing MasterCard ads…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CM9hxiMUkAAFYgT.png
Thanks Weepus beard – great wee giggle.
M’urica
https://twitter.com/julito77/status/634932196776759296/photo/1
edit: the source
Still, others said they had plenty of advice for the man they regularly identified in conversation as “Mr. Trump.”
“Hopefully, he’s going to sit there and say, ‘When I become elected president, what we’re going to do is we’re going to make the border a vacation spot, it’s going to cost you $25 for a permit, and then you get $50 for every confirmed kill,’ ” said Jim Sherota, 53, who works for a landscaping company. “That’d be one nice thing.”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/22/us/donald-trump-fails-to-fill-alabama-stadium-but-fans-zeal-is-undiminished.html
Good news on workers solidarity from.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Brazil-Hundreds-of-Thousands-Protest-Against-Coup-Attempts-20150820-0033.html
And some bad news from the Ukraine. It seem to getting worse not better there. Worth watching the vice video if you have not yet.
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150820/1025986430/ukraine-right-sector-child-soldiers.html
One more piece – depressing – when they go so hard after social democrat’s.
http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20150821/1026006091.html
Dutch blogger Dajey Petros tells a rather different story.
http://ukraineatwar.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/nazis-are-core-of-russias-hybrid-army.html
I think there are neo-nazis on both sides. That said, right-sector is a ultra right wing group who are fubar.
Thanks for the links. The article on Corbyn and the dirty politics was very intertesting. Fascinating elections coming up with Corbyn on IK and Sanders in USA!
“Maybe sometime in the past the British establishment could succeed in destroying an alternative voice, as they did with Labour’s Michael Foot and Tony Benn during the 1980s. But, today, the public no longer rely on the media mouthpieces of the establishment. They can make their own minds up with abundant alternative information sources.
The surging popular support for Corbyn is proof of that. The British people have had it with the rich getting richer and the vast majority getting poorer. They have had it with war, state-sponsored lawlessness and “professional” politician-puppets like Tony Blair and his New Labour ilk.
Corbyn is showing that socialism is a real alternative, no matter what the establishment says’
Great to hear that! Fingers crossed.
This is an interesting development
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/540706/researcher-demonstrates-how-to-suck-carbon-from-the-air-make-stuff-from-it/
Our own Rdion is up to dte with this. Plese note – I hve spilt some wter on my keybord, now the left side keys including the first lphbet letter don’t work. In the opinion of people who know, will it dry out nd the function return?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201767441
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201767441/a-groundbreaking-co2-strategy-that-pays-for-itself
9:21 AM. Researchers invent a process that turns polluting carbon dioxide into carbon nanofibers, a highly sought-after manufacturing material with the potential to be used in the aerospace, construction, and electronics industry. Stuart Licht, Professor of Chemistry at George Washington University.
Yes I had heard it on the radio, but I couldn’t recall where, so I went hunting for the “original” article.
It sound really interesting.
Aha rdion = radionz!!!
May be a hairdryer might help?
Thanks I lifted and angled keyboard overnight. More keys down. Have a spare and the old one was due to move on. Maybe my head is a bit wet – will use the hairdryer on that.
I thought the article was really good too, it’s hard to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when you’re already small but we must try.