Are all police allowed to lie under oath in any hearing?
And are they allowed indemnity from investigation and prosecution if they are caught out?
Or is the power to lie under oath with indemnity only permitted for senior police in exceptional, or politically charged cases?
In a thinly veiled threat, the Police Association have backed Chief Inspector Grant Wormald, demanding that he must not be investigated for committing perjury in the Kim Dotcom hearing.
With this sort of open (and secret) support, it is little wonder that Chief Inspector Grant Wormald has now been proven to be no stranger to giving false testimony under oath in another hearing.
For allowing senior police to exercise this new power to gain convictions in court against those the state have already determined must be found guilty, I would like to grant the new title of Detective Inspector Wormtongue, in honour of Detective Inspector Grant Wormald for openly and boldy pioneering this new police policy.
Police have always felt free to lie under oath, with a compliant judiciary accepting almost anything they say. What’s new about the Red Devils case is that they have made deceiving the courts central to the operation. If this makes a few judges treat their evidence with the cynicism it deserves, that will be a step forward.
And the police spokesperson shows that Key’s “in charge but oblivious” leadership style is trickling down: “Detective Inspector Wormald was the officer in charge of the investigation but was not a decision-maker in regard to the arrest and prosecution of Mr Wilson”.
Happened under his watch, he might have even known about it, but it wasn’t his decision… [spit]
And it is bullshit that politicians do not influence police decisions or have a quiet word on the side which is called interference. e.g. Banks statement being blacked out.
What gets me is when Key says the police are independent.
Ropata … thanks for the Steven Keen lecture. Some of the material is New Zealand specific and you won’t get these details laid out like this elsewhere.
Highly recommended for anyone here who is even remotely interested in economics. Warning he talks pretty fast and it’s likely a dense download.
The crucial point to grasp is that Keen is a real mathematician, and that much of what he is saying here is backed by the kind of language, tools and thinking that engineers understand works in the real world. This might not be clear from the lecture.
welcome.. keen has a fair bit of ego but he’s a very smart dude.. and shows how NZ’s property bubble (private debt vs GDP) is around the worst in the OECD. (although the UK and USA current account deficits are insanely worse than anyone’s)
OK … just finished listening to the whole thing. In some ways better than the Wgtn lecture I was at, especially the Q+A session at the end. Really worthwhile even though it’s close to a couple of hours long.
You’ve got to remember that being a heterodox economist, Keen was considered an outsider, a lone ranger by the wider (Chicago school/Washingon consensus) economics profession. And he still is by in large, but the GFC greatly changed that and he has also found other audiences now.
Frankly you need a bit of inner fortitude and ego when your neoclassical colleagues are used to dumping on your work from a great height.
I’ve watched the first half hour so far. It’s interesting and useful, though I think I’ll only remember a couple of main points. It’ll probably take me a while to get through the whole 1.5 hours. I will remember the quote(or a version of it) from a delusional mainstream economist that went something like this: he descrbed an increase in uneployment as “an increase in American’s leisure time”.
One key point: the level of economic activity in our modern economies is based on the acceleration of debt. When people get into more debt faster, employment improves and economic activity increases.
When the rate of increase in debt slows down, or shock horror, goes negative, both employment and the economy tanks.
The banks and financiers can tell ahead of time when the housing market is going to go up or down, based on how much mortgage debt they can observe themselves issuing.
And by observing the rate of general debt they are issuing, banks can predict ahead of time whether an entire economy is going to improve or decline.
AND of course the banks aren’t just neutral bystanders. By actively choosing to tighten or loosen the flow of credit into an economy, the banks and financiers can deliberately push an entire economy into a boom or a bust.
Yet, for the population getting their news from MSM and the evening “news”, it would appear all’s well this Labour Weekend, notwithstanding the inevitable road carnage. (police reviewing their vehicle fleet; fuel related? respond to assault with a Volt)
Sustento: Raf Manji’s econ blog:
– how the high dollar is hollowing out the real economy
– why nz needs not QE but ‘monetary dialysis’
– selling your soul: the unintended consequences of asset sales
“To be, or not to be, that is the question,
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them.” Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1.
It seems, after nearly 30 years of deregulated markets, that we face a sea of troubles ourselves. An extreme global debt deleveraging is upon us, the numbers too outrageous to even consider. Not only have we consumed beyond our means, we have mortgaged our future. Whereas once credit was difficult to come by and banks conservative in their lending (can you pay this back?), the brave new world brought us access to unlimited treasures, all paid for on a credit system, which had limited restraint.
As financial models became more complex and debt could be packaged, securitised and sold off, all sense of restraint was lost. Who owed whom was lost in a parallel universe of metaphor: swap, hedge, collateral, obligation, repurchase. Repaying principal and interest, in the old fashioned sense was put to one side. Can you afford the interest? Don’t worry about the principal, that will pay itself off as the price rises! Can’t afford the interest? Don’t worry, we’ll lend that to you as well, or have a holiday (from interest that is….keeps charging but pay it some other time). Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Exactly. And the point of the Hamlet quote is that we need politicians with the balls to act, and protect the people of NZ from the global pillagers of currency/resources/labour.
On our behalf, Hamlet ponders the road ahead:
“The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er, with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action..…”
Save the Ross Sea. Avaaz have enlisted Leonardo di Caprio to spearhead a petition to support the creation of an Antarctic Marine Sanctuary. Russia, South Korea ‘and a few other countries’ want to keep on fishing in those waters. NZ thanks to Gerry Brownlee, Steven Joyce and Whatsit Carter have decided we don’t need to sign that treaty, that it’s ok to ruin that pristine environment.
From reading this I get the impression that Labour are in agreement of the lack of importance in this issue. Why don’t we just mix and match the Lab and Nat MP’s just like we use to do at school into 2 teams. With the captains alternating who was to be picked into each team. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10842069
“Our consistent policy has been to make sure we always use the best science,” Ruth Dyson said, as it had done to support the net bans to protect Maui dolphins.
Ruth Dyson said that while Mr Jones was not the party spokesman on the Ross Sea issue, “he also didn’t say anything that any of us would have gone ‘holy moly – he said what?”‘
Indeed, and sadly the masses believe their thoughts to be originals.
Even the few who are capable of understand the mirage, are still somewhat left to shape thoughts, opinions, behaviours, understandings etc, based on this temporal world.
I’m sure TPTB are sharing all the knowledge with us, for the betterment of humanity /sarc
You have got to wonder why they don’t have a user changeable pin.
My guess the infrastructure is too expensive.
They would nee pin terminals in all the offices and secure computer software to run it.
If PINs are too difficult for the IT whizzes in MSD [lol – probably the same team that ok’d the kiosks] what about the other option you get for credit cards: signatures? Not perfect, or accessible to all, but better than writing it on the card.
Oh but wait, it’s on the back of the card, it’s okay. Damn, couldn’t find the scary movie clip with the photos “they’re all blank!” – “turn them over”
Nah, its another card, another number, another link in the chain a servitude for everyone..
The oldest game plan in the book, is start at the bottom and work your way up while the masses are not paying attention, thinking they are “safe” in theor comfort zones, or too busy to pay attention, possibly both.
Proof from red alert today, as if we needed it, that Labour politicians don’t read left-wing blogs.
The sad thing is, Ms Fenton could have celebrated the hard work and valuable contributions, workers in the paid workforce make, without slapping anyone in the face, not stay-at-home parents, not beneficiaries, not the army of volunteers without whom much of our civilised society would come to a grinding halt, not those caring for a sick or disabled relative, nor the sick, injured or disabled, not the tireless activists who give up a good deal to try and fight injustice and inequality, no-one.
I’m certainly glad to read that Labour is aware of the erosions of the rights, working conditions and wages of paid workers and that it intends to make things better when next in government, even though exactly what they intend to do is always left unsaid.
But to use the headline “Thank You to NZs Workers”, and then write that piece in today, in 2012 is to demonstrate culpably negligent ignorance. And a very dangerous attitude.
I kind of predicted that you’d be the first to say bollocks. The difference is, because you read left-wing blogs you immediately knew what I was talking about, whether you think it is rubbish or not. So you’re ahead of Ms Fenton.
I’m hoping the union movement is evolving in its, in some cases, draconian attitudes on this issue too. Just being aware that there is alternative viewpoint to default assumptions is an important first step, and you’ve already made it whether you wanted to or not, TRP.
I read it, and I agree with js – Fenton, like Shearer, clearly thinks that paid work is the be-all and end-all of human existence.
You can see it right there where she says: They are often the forgotten part of the economic equation, but without workers, no business and no public service could get ahead.
And without unpaid stay-at-home parents, our economy would be fucked. Without an available pool of unemployed people, our economy would be fucked. Without volunteers going unpaid providing the kinds of social support which any government with a soul would be backing, our economy and society would be fucked.
I’m pretty sure it’s possible for Darien Fenton and David Shearer to say “yeah, go workers!” without shitting all over people whose unpaid labour is far more frequently ignored and demeaned.
But that might involve a little backpedalling on Labour’s “deserving poor” rhetoric.
It’s a post about labour day, ffs. Fenton does not “shit on” anyone, nor does she “slap” anyone. Is Fenton supposed to telepathically guess what js and you think needs mentioning in a short blog post about the annual celebration of working NZers? Or is this the start of a campaign to change the name of the day to Labour (and anyone else js and QoT think is worth mentioning) Day?
Yes, you’ve definitely spotted out cunning plan there, TRP.
Or it could be that we think experienced politicians could exercise a modicum of thought when making broad sweeping statements which alienate vast swathes of the population who Labour then expects will vote for them.
Disclaimer: the above statement is in no way intended to be any criticism or derogation, implied or explicit, of any person or persons unable for any reason at all to contribute in any way to the thread referred to, with or without interesting comments under any definition of “interesting” defined as “reasonable” under existing case law, inclusive of but not excluding other groups and expecially not stay-at-home parents, not beneficiaries, not the army of volunteers without whom much of our civilised society would come to a grinding halt, not those caring for a sick or disabled relative, nor the sick, injured or disabled, not the tireless activists who give up a good deal to try and fight injustice and inequality, nor unpaid stay-at-home parents, without whom our economy would be fucked, nor an available pool of unemployed people without whom our economy would be fucked, nor volunteers going unpaid providing the kinds of social support which any government with a soul would be backing, without whom our economy and society would be fucked.
TRP, I’m pretty sure I mentioned paid and unpaid work, beneficiaries etc, in my short-ish blog post on Labour Weekend, “Backwards to the future”. It’s not hard. I’m sure Fenton would also have been up to it, maybe in a different way – there are probably many ways it can be done.
In focusing on the things to celebrate about what was achieved when Labour Day was introduced, it’s quite relevant to update the issues for current conditions. If you look at that link in my post, to the Dunedin 1894 Labour Day Parade image, you will find it says this:
…you can see one of the floats has a banner reading ‘Otago Central Railway We Must Have It’. From the beginning Labour Day parades were often used to draw attention to other political or economic issues – in this case urging the government to complete a controversial regional transport project.
Yep, Karol and I’m sure other commentators made the same link, just as I’m sure many didn’t. Your excellent post was longer and more wide ranging than Fenton’s. Yours was written to bring out the wider implications of work, unemployment, underemployment, non paid work and to bring those strands together. Fenton just wrote a short blog on Labour day for those to whom the day is dedicated. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with either blog post and it’s going to be a sad day if people are condemned for what they didn’t write rather than what they did. Bring back the thought police, I say!
Again, what is your point, QoT? Fenton also completely failed to mention meerkats, the late Elvis Presley and the comedic music hall stylings of the even later Arthur Askey. And she outrageously refused to acknowlege the real significance of today’s date. Yes, it’s Kim Kardashian’s birthday, as we all know. Damn her eyes! Damn her, I say!
A brief Labour Day blogbost from Bowalley Road. In which Chris doesn’t insult those who work outside the paid workforce because from the start he’s completely clear about who he’s talking about. And he doesn’t even mention any other category of worker . It’s really not that hard TRP.
It wasn’t long ago that workers were routinely referred to as ‘men’ and many would have screamed (and some still would, but I don’t think you’d be among them) Political-Correctness-gone-Mad!! if a politician who used such a term was called on it.
Fenton doesn’t insult those ‘outside the paid workforce’, js. You are making shit up. She does actually mention workers who have been laid off, so the whole point of your wankery dissolves right there.
… which still reinforces the idea that paid work = only source of “dignity”, per Shearer.
But given your pathetic little “meerkats” comments above I’m just going to assume from this point that you have no actual interest in debating the actual points js and I have been making.
Ah, that explains it. You’ve got some kind of plug-in installed which replaces all of my and js’ comments with “LALALALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”
Let’s be honest, TRP. You think unpaid workers are like meerkats, and as such you see no problem in the Labour Party ignoring their existence and shafting a good proportion of the people who, come election day, Labour will be outraged don’t dutifully show up to vote for them.
TRP, seems like there’s very little faith left to go around.
What happens to a church when the people lose faith in it? Congregations and donations go down. The church becomes less relevant to the every day life of the community.
I wonder what happens when people lose faith in Labour?
Nope, QoT, I was taking the piss, exaggerating for effect. If you want to expound further on why you think the unemployed resemble meerkats, but not Arthur Askey or Elvis, fire away.
Debating ‘what people should have said’ is equally mindless. That’s my complaint about js’s comment, way back up there. Mountain, meet molehill.
Also, gosh, you weren’t literally serious about the meerkats comment? I truly had NO IDEA. I thought you were totally advocating that meerkats’ roles in our economy were equal to unpaid workers’.
You are so right, TRP. In future we can only ever discuss the words people said, and can never, ever infer their meaning, or consider the things they left unsaid, and we can definitely never put their comments into existing context.
So that’s every single post on every single statement ever made by John Key banned by your edict, I suppose. Every suggestion of alternative policies tossed in the bin. Every criticism of every weasel-worded government policy out of line. Wait, no, that’s fucking ridiculous.
Just be honest, TRP – all you really want is for no one to criticise Labour/Darien Fenton, for whatever reason, and you’ll make up blatantly stupid principles of discussion to justify yourself.
I know you aren’t listening TRP, but for anyone else reading this debate please try and imagine this. I could have used any of a wide variety of kinds of examples, but this one is close to my heart.
You are the elderly sole parent and carer of a now adult child with severe disabilities and high needs. You’ve just finished the morning toileting, washing, dressing, and breakfast tasks. It’s taken you just over 3 and a half hours, and you’re already tired though the day has barely begun. Your child is now set for a wee while so you get on the computer with a well-earned cup of tea for a flick around the ‘sphere.
You may not even know it’s Labour day because you don’t get any holidays, your toil is 24/7 and you’re never ever going to have a retirement. You go to Red Alert. God know’s why, it’s not like the Labour Party represents your interests in any way. But hope springs eternal for some.
And the headline says “Thank You to NZ’s Workers”
It’s not like you get much acknowlegment let alone thanks for your valuable contribution to your community so you read on. And what do you find? The morning slog that has worn you out and set your arthritic body throbbing, along with the last forty years of similar toil has not been work. You had thought you would literally work until the moment you drop dead. You’ve probably saved the country millions in the cost of institutional care, but more importantly, you always done your very best for your beloved child. But in fact this is not work because there is no pay cheque (or holidays, sick days, minimum conditions or labour regualtions) it’s actually something else that will drain all your resources until you die :leisure.
A point well made js. I see where you’re coming from now, but I’m sure the labour blog didn’t deliberately exclude carers and volunteers. Love isn’t measured in dollar terms but without it our society has no soul.
ropata, the problem isn’t just Darien Fenton’s blog making unpaid workers invisible. It’s that it comes right after Shearer did a speech which quite clearly spelled out that if you’re not in paid work, you have no dignity and make no contribution to your community.
That’s the context Fenton’s blog post sits in, which is why her however-accidental erasing of people’s unpaid work is seriously problematic to me.
Well yes I’ve read both and I can take something I like from both. And yes if I had to choose I’d pick Chris Trotter’s post for two reasons:
1. Unlike some around here I’ve long admired Chris for the steadfastness of his moral compass. Sure there are some themes and topics he’s definitely not PC on, but I’m prepared to set them aside. And even on a bad day he still writes the arse off anyone else on the left in this country.
2. Chris goes somewhat deeper into the root of the issue; the madness that is the neo-liberal experiment; an experiment that was perhaps implemented more ruthlessly in this country than any other.
But then Darien is a Labour Party MP, the party of union workers, not the ‘non-workers’. And after 30 years of neo-liberalism the interests of unionised workers cannot be decoupled from the interests of the state and business owners. After all no business = no jobs. This equation has always been an achilles heel for labour, creating an incipient fault-line for the right to drive wedges down.
There are far too many low-paid working families, working 80hrs or more a week, broken shifts and a broken family life who look across the back fence to a DPB family who don’t seem to be all that much worse off. Frankly it just does not feel fair and fuels resentment.
Of course the root cause is the miserable wages the working family is getting, yet a National govt will re-frame this unfairness with the welfare family cast as bludgers, whose miserable existence should be made even more dire in order to make things right in the world again.
Let’s try and be a little clearer who the real opponent is here.
Pitting the working class against the underclass would have to be one of the stupidest things we could do at this point in time.
Of course Fenton technically didn’t do anything other than render non-employed workers invisible. If on the rest of the year those workers were acknowledged and respected then it wouldn’t matter that on Labour Day only the paid workers were (and the historical context honoured). But they aren’t, so I have to agree with QoT, it’s a very significant omission.
Other than that, the blogpost is a pretty poor showing from a political party that is meant to be based on workers.
Unite is a union for low paid workers unemployed and beneficiaries. The Waitemata Branch of Unite includes students, mothers, carers, those with illnesses or disabilities, unemployed, full time and casual workers. We are all members of the working class and united we will win!
I’m certainly glad to read that Labour is aware of the erosions of the rights, working conditions and wages of paid workers and that it intends to make things better when next in government, even though exactly what they intend to do is always left unsaid.
That, IMO, is because they don’t actually intend to do anything.
A relaxing change from dealing with topics of great importance to us and the world!! Attendees even doze off during the day’s sessions. The Boring Lectures. Sounded intriguing on Radionz this morning. Blurb:
Labour Day 22/10 – 10:25 James Ward
James Ward is a boredom enthusiast who blogs at I Like Boring Things. He is the founder and organiser of the annual Boring Conference in London. Boring 2012 takes place in November.
On Labour Day the NZ Herald takes the oppurtunity to rip into David Shearer simply for saying that NZ workers should have first dibs on earthquake recovery jobs.
God forbid we should start training up our own workforce, instead of just importing it, as what has been happening for the past 20 years, resulting in mass unemployment and low wages.
Turn the immigration taps off, and youth unemployment will vanish overnight.
A Film 🙂
How Far Is Heaven: a film by Christopher Pryor & Miriam Smith
Official Selection New Zealand International Film Festival 2012
It is about Hiruharama on the Whanganui River.
Did you know, that the Turkish Government attempted to prosecute citizen publishers of Chomsky’s
“Manufacturing Consent” under laws concerning Destabilisation of Society? I wonder how long before freedom of speech becomes circumscribed here; not to say, I do not think Hate Speech is helping the cohesion of our society at all, in fact, I am perpetually perplexed how TPTB allow it to proliferate the way that it has, and is continuing to. As Ellul challenges, “What price freedom?”
Mark Solomon presented the position of Iwi well on the MSM current affairs I thought; he is correct, that individual dividends to all whanau would not stretch very far, and that like the Police, members are as varied in outlook as the people that make up our Nation
And, I think the political labelling “maori mafia” is not very helpful; Do the MSM label the Business Round Tables the “capitalist cartels” ?
I have not heard Darien Fenton utter anything useful in my observations, and Jacinda comes across as “whiny”
I saw an attitude written on a postcard recently; “Oh well, What shall I complain about today?”;
Made me stop and reflect, as I do everytime I read personality labels, narcissist, psychopath, sociopath, etc; I revised on this this morning and the presence of these traits in our society reflect the change in Values we have witnessed in our lifetimes, particularly pertaining to the significance of children, as children remain children for increasingly short time-spans these days..and Personality is a construct that varies within people across contexts and time (thankfully)
Now, having been to the Supermarket, and being the observant chappie that I am, there does appear to be a developing trend for consumers to select more primary whole foods for their trolleys than the sugar and fat laden processed cardboard…round the outside..round the outside
there are different types of flesh, yet, all flesh is grass.
if you will, you can become all flame
-sayings of the desert fathers 103 (that’s where I’m headed, that’s where I belong; sure I do more harm than help occasionally)
same. Only costs $40 to feed me for a week (not counting fish and chips)
protein-beef, lamb or salmon
green and coloured vegetables
1 loaf of wholegrain bread
avocados
butter.cheese
vegemite
changing diet and habits after decades of “modern socialised living” is unsettling though
I read today that prescriptions for anti-depressants are up 40% in our province over last six years, and my previous GP is an apologist for them; I understand his position, yet, much dis-ease is socio-genic in etiology, and it is just so corrupt that investors are profiting off peoples social misery; that is why I started commenting on this blog, as in Hamlet above; Interestingly, despite their detractors, the socially oriented Christian Churches, amongst other faiths, are labouring at the coal face in very real terms to alleviate the suffering brought about by this government in particular.
many Christians are not motivated by “increasing” their congregations size or contribution; It is just the power of the gospels; Imagine the Industrial Revolution, Fordism, Modern War and Modern Economic and Political Ideologies without the handbrakes of Judeo-Christian based Values?
Critics always refer to the “evils” carried out in the name of God; Humans carried out those actions.
Most people I read or hear who are scathing of faith have no depth of background in philosophy, history, theology or science holistically; The proverbs that guide Christian conduct begin with Wisdom is to Fear God. (that’s why I never debate my faith)
and the mystery just increases in a comforting way every day.
God Bless
Sample of the actual religion of our society … “Kraft International, especially in developing markets, should continue to realize solid growth as it leverages the Cadbury acquisition and benefits from continued Cadbury cost synergies. The company is likely to realize $300 million of revenue synergies in 2012 by distributing Kraft’s biscuit products in Cadbury outlets in Mexico (approximately 380,000 outlets), distributing Oreo and Tang products in Cadbury outlets (approximately 380,000 outlets) in India and doubling its distribution in Brazil with this acquisition (from 300,000 to 600,000 outlets).”
– Ashish Sharma, “Kraft Foods: Safe Stock with Upside Potential”, The Motley Fool Blog Network, 13 August 2012
When Kraft bought Cadbury (weep for the Quaker brothers, for they had a vision of a socially just society – eg they championed the emerging working class, and boycotted beans from African slavery plantations),
Kraft was less interested in Cadbury chocolates, but more greedily wanted to grab and control the distribution networks.
Mana’s solution to abolishing GST is to bring in a financial transaction tax – first mooted by a bunch of Social Credit weirdos driving Skodas and now openly advocated by crazies like the president of France. If you want to know how this much-maligned tax, also known as a “Hone Heke tax”, would work, go to an automatic banking machine. Every time you make a transaction you pay a small fee. If you travel overseas and change money, you also pay a financial transaction tax, except that foreign exchange dealers call it commission. When a bank taxes you on a transaction it’s called responsible financial management. When Hone Harawira suggests that the government do the same, it’s crazy Maori radical activism.
A bank ATM has no problem charging you $1 to withdraw $60 in cash. A 1.7% tax by the bank.
Most proposed FTT’s are around 1/20 or 1/50 this sum. And of course, that’s because FTT’s are designed to penalise financial speculators who conduct high frequency financial markets trading.
Yep. Yet the banks will scream at a 0.1% FTT while they are more than happy to charge you and me a 3% difference when changing NZD into Australian dollars.
To be honest I’m a little frustrated that we keep on re-inventing the wheel here. Gareth Morgan has pretty much nailed it … all the essential components of a thorough reform of the tax system are there and he’s done a credible job of crunching the numbers. Why not take it more seriously?
Is it just because Morgan isn’t perceived as a proper leftie?
Damn, now I’m trying to remember if Morgan had an FTT in with his CCT.
The thing about our tax system is that it’s had centuries of build up of little fixes. It really needs to be taken back to basics and redesigned completely then give about a years notice that the old rules and precedents are going out and an entirely new system coming in.
And it’s not just “Hone and Hollande” but that well known Skoda driver and social anarchist Angela Merkel – as well as finance ministers from 11 Euro zone countries: Eleven euro states back ftt
On Tuesday 23 October 2012 – the Government is planning to consider and approve an Order in Council for Cabinet and the Executive Council to remove Mighty river Power from the State Owned Enterprises Act.
Voting machine and results scrutiny in the USA for the 2004 election and others by
blackboxvoting.org definitely show skullduggery. The attitude of all officials involved seems shamelessly casual to me.
Blackbox have a video recording all that they do. One move was to search for records themselves that had been requested under their information act. The dockets they had been supplied had been recently prepared and they had asked for copies of the signed originals.. So a search at the electoral processing facility brought to light rubbish bags with voting figure dockets signed by the clerks at the time of finalising, and these were being thrown out although by law they should have been held for 22 months I think. At least one docket differed by more than 100 votes from the recently issued one presented to them.
Let’s not have electronic voting by anyone. And allowing private companies to run this essential government procedure is criminal. Up against the wall and firing squad criminal. That excuse that required information is commercially sensitive is just one of the reasons for not having a bar of private involvement, even contractor help.
If the idea ever comes up in NZ it needs to be sunk once and for all.
It’s a change that’s going to happen and you can’t stop it. The best idea would be to ensure that we don’t use the same system as the US – in other words, engage with the process.
Make it done by government department rather than private business. Make it OpenSource so that people can actually see it and test it. Make it so that people can check how their vote was recorded and be able to change it if it was recorded incorrectly. Make it a three part entry system using either a security token or the same system that Kiwibank uses. Both systems are nearly impossible to break.
Online voting paves the way for even more democracy and less corruption. Leaving it as is leaves all the power in the hands of the politicians and their owners.
Online voting paves the way for even more democracy and less corruption. Leaving it as is leaves all the power in the hands of the politicians and their owners.
I think you are far too optimistic about the use of technology, all these pins and barriers to make the information safe, don’t make it easier and it would become more burdensome for some people than travelling or walking to what should be a nearby polling booth for most.
And there is the means for computer programmers and companies employing them to make small secret changes that negatively affect the probity of the system and large numbers of voters, and their ability to make decisions as to who is going to assist or constrain their lives. I say again you are too positive. I know programmers who are good people for sure but everybody doesn’t hold to sacred ethics of the highest behaviour. Especially when there is money in it and its hard to uncover.
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
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. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
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Are all police allowed to lie under oath in any hearing?
And are they allowed indemnity from investigation and prosecution if they are caught out?
Or is the power to lie under oath with indemnity only permitted for senior police in exceptional, or politically charged cases?
In a thinly veiled threat, the Police Association have backed Chief Inspector Grant Wormald, demanding that he must not be investigated for committing perjury in the Kim Dotcom hearing.
With this sort of open (and secret) support, it is little wonder that Chief Inspector Grant Wormald has now been proven to be no stranger to giving false testimony under oath in another hearing.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/7845990/Dotcom-raid-officer-headed-bike-gang-probe
For allowing senior police to exercise this new power to gain convictions in court against those the state have already determined must be found guilty, I would like to grant the new title of Detective Inspector Wormtongue, in honour of Detective Inspector Grant Wormald for openly and boldy pioneering this new police policy.
What does this all mean for civil liberties?
Will judges continue to give greater weight to police testimony against conflicting testimony from those who find themselves in the dock?
Will the fact that police are now allowed to lie under oath and not face any indemnity see defence witness testimony given equal weight in court?
Apart from the macro questions of police indemnity from prosecution for perjury…..
Will Officer Wormtongue ever again personally lead an investigation where he will be required to give evidence in court?
What would it mean for the police case if he did?
Would all evidence of previous inconsistent testimony from Officer Wormtongue be disallowed and ruled out of order?
Could this be called justice?
Police have always felt free to lie under oath, with a compliant judiciary accepting almost anything they say. What’s new about the Red Devils case is that they have made deceiving the courts central to the operation. If this makes a few judges treat their evidence with the cynicism it deserves, that will be a step forward.
Police lie in the courts, at an inquiry, to the IPCA and to their employer (when an individual tries to expose them).
Hells Angel fights to get drug charge thrown out
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/gangs/news/article.cfm?c_id=217&objectid=10812623
Police do not up hold the law by breaking it.
Damned straight.
And the police spokesperson shows that Key’s “in charge but oblivious” leadership style is trickling down: “Detective Inspector Wormald was the officer in charge of the investigation but was not a decision-maker in regard to the arrest and prosecution of Mr Wilson”.
Happened under his watch, he might have even known about it, but it wasn’t his decision… [spit]
And it is bullshit that politicians do not influence police decisions or have a quiet word on the side which is called interference. e.g. Banks statement being blacked out.
What gets me is when Key says the police are independent.
Memo to Shearer:
Hire Lynton Crosby ?
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2012/10/pay-whatever-it-takes-hire-lynton-crosby-and-hire-him-now.html
How to survive a political campaign and not lose your integrity, soul .. whatever
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/how-to-survive-a-campaign-and-not-sell-your-soul-20120608-2015d.html
bsprout : hugh fletcher slates laissez faire economics
outlines the worst failures of the past 3 decades of econ policy. CAFCA was right!
canty uni: steve keen public talk in christchurch
shows how the current GFC is twice as bad as the great depression… possibly worse
ropata
Thanks for great links.
Ropata … thanks for the Steven Keen lecture. Some of the material is New Zealand specific and you won’t get these details laid out like this elsewhere.
Highly recommended for anyone here who is even remotely interested in economics. Warning he talks pretty fast and it’s likely a dense download.
The crucial point to grasp is that Keen is a real mathematician, and that much of what he is saying here is backed by the kind of language, tools and thinking that engineers understand works in the real world. This might not be clear from the lecture.
welcome.. keen has a fair bit of ego but he’s a very smart dude.. and shows how NZ’s property bubble (private debt vs GDP) is around the worst in the OECD. (although the UK and USA current account deficits are insanely worse than anyone’s)
keen has a fair bit of ego
Yes that was pretty much my own impression until I met him in person … once he stops ‘lecturing’ he’s quite different.
And even then I admire his drive and commitment to his ideas.
OK … just finished listening to the whole thing. In some ways better than the Wgtn lecture I was at, especially the Q+A session at the end. Really worthwhile even though it’s close to a couple of hours long.
Keen’s intellectual ambit is quite remarkable.
You’ve got to remember that being a heterodox economist, Keen was considered an outsider, a lone ranger by the wider (Chicago school/Washingon consensus) economics profession. And he still is by in large, but the GFC greatly changed that and he has also found other audiences now.
Frankly you need a bit of inner fortitude and ego when your neoclassical colleagues are used to dumping on your work from a great height.
I’ve watched the first half hour so far. It’s interesting and useful, though I think I’ll only remember a couple of main points. It’ll probably take me a while to get through the whole 1.5 hours. I will remember the quote(or a version of it) from a delusional mainstream economist that went something like this: he descrbed an increase in uneployment as “an increase in American’s leisure time”.
This is a slightly more approachable presentation by Steve Keen (its a BBC interview). If you start here you’ll pick the rest up more easily.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01j5h51/Analysis_Steve_Keen_Why_Economics_Is_Bunk/
One key point: the level of economic activity in our modern economies is based on the acceleration of debt. When people get into more debt faster, employment improves and economic activity increases.
When the rate of increase in debt slows down, or shock horror, goes negative, both employment and the economy tanks.
Thanks, CV. Actually, I’ll look at the BBC link later. It might help sme things stick in my mind. I already grasped your “One key point”.
🙂
I’ll follow up with a second order tidbit then:
The banks and financiers can tell ahead of time when the housing market is going to go up or down, based on how much mortgage debt they can observe themselves issuing.
And by observing the rate of general debt they are issuing, banks can predict ahead of time whether an entire economy is going to improve or decline.
AND of course the banks aren’t just neutral bystanders. By actively choosing to tighten or loosen the flow of credit into an economy, the banks and financiers can deliberately push an entire economy into a boom or a bust.
Don’t ya just love the adjective “tanks” TankGirl?
Yet, for the population getting their news from MSM and the evening “news”, it would appear all’s well this Labour Weekend, notwithstanding the inevitable road carnage. (police reviewing their vehicle fleet; fuel related? respond to assault with a Volt)
nobody questions the beer barons or Nat tax policy after another holiday marred by alcohol abuse
Sustento: Raf Manji’s econ blog:
– how the high dollar is hollowing out the real economy
– why nz needs not QE but ‘monetary dialysis’
– selling your soul: the unintended consequences of asset sales
Did Hamlet sound crazy? Other would consider him one of the sane in a crazy society.
Exactly. And the point of the Hamlet quote is that we need politicians with the balls to act, and protect the people of NZ from the global pillagers of currency/resources/labour.
On our behalf, Hamlet ponders the road ahead:
Save the Ross Sea. Avaaz have enlisted Leonardo di Caprio to spearhead a petition to support the creation of an Antarctic Marine Sanctuary. Russia, South Korea ‘and a few other countries’ want to keep on fishing in those waters. NZ thanks to Gerry Brownlee, Steven Joyce and Whatsit Carter have decided we don’t need to sign that treaty, that it’s ok to ruin that pristine environment.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_southern_ocean_5/?cgkRPab
From reading this I get the impression that Labour are in agreement of the lack of importance in this issue. Why don’t we just mix and match the Lab and Nat MP’s just like we use to do at school into 2 teams. With the captains alternating who was to be picked into each team.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10842069
“Our consistent policy has been to make sure we always use the best science,” Ruth Dyson said, as it had done to support the net bans to protect Maui dolphins.
Ruth Dyson said that while Mr Jones was not the party spokesman on the Ross Sea issue, “he also didn’t say anything that any of us would have gone ‘holy moly – he said what?”‘
Yet again, this is one of the very many signs revealing poor Labour leadership and that the Labour Party is not ready to win the government benches.
Reinforcement:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Propaganda_Jacques_Ellul_1973.jpg
Indeed, and sadly the masses believe their thoughts to be originals.
Even the few who are capable of understand the mirage, are still somewhat left to shape thoughts, opinions, behaviours, understandings etc, based on this temporal world.
I’m sure TPTB are sharing all the knowledge with us, for the betterment of humanity /sarc
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7846531/Insecure-benefit-cards-slammed
The Pin for the benefit cards in printed on the back of the card!!!!!
DUH DUH
Sloppy, no Jacinda, that is yet another deliberate “privacy cockup’!
You have got to wonder why they don’t have a user changeable pin.
My guess the infrastructure is too expensive.
They would nee pin terminals in all the offices and secure computer software to run it.
AND isn’t the card supposed to be helping the clients with financial management.
One of the FIRST rule of PIN nos financial management is Don’t share them!!!
If PINs are too difficult for the IT whizzes in MSD [lol – probably the same team that ok’d the kiosks] what about the other option you get for credit cards: signatures? Not perfect, or accessible to all, but better than writing it on the card.
Oh but wait, it’s on the back of the card, it’s okay. Damn, couldn’t find the scary movie clip with the photos “they’re all blank!” – “turn them over”
The privacy and security of poor kids isn’t important.
Nah, its another card, another number, another link in the chain a servitude for everyone..
The oldest game plan in the book, is start at the bottom and work your way up while the masses are not paying attention, thinking they are “safe” in theor comfort zones, or too busy to pay attention, possibly both.
The experiment ploughs on, with little resistence
http://blog.labour.org.nz/2012/10/22/thank-you-to-nzs-workers/
Proof from red alert today, as if we needed it, that Labour politicians don’t read left-wing blogs.
The sad thing is, Ms Fenton could have celebrated the hard work and valuable contributions, workers in the paid workforce make, without slapping anyone in the face, not stay-at-home parents, not beneficiaries, not the army of volunteers without whom much of our civilised society would come to a grinding halt, not those caring for a sick or disabled relative, nor the sick, injured or disabled, not the tireless activists who give up a good deal to try and fight injustice and inequality, no-one.
I’m certainly glad to read that Labour is aware of the erosions of the rights, working conditions and wages of paid workers and that it intends to make things better when next in government, even though exactly what they intend to do is always left unsaid.
But to use the headline “Thank You to NZs Workers”, and then write that piece in today, in 2012 is to demonstrate culpably negligent ignorance. And a very dangerous attitude.
Oh, bollocks. Did you actually read the post, js? Can you point out the bit where the author “slaps” anyone in your list?
Yes I did TRP. Did you?
I kind of predicted that you’d be the first to say bollocks. The difference is, because you read left-wing blogs you immediately knew what I was talking about, whether you think it is rubbish or not. So you’re ahead of Ms Fenton.
I’m hoping the union movement is evolving in its, in some cases, draconian attitudes on this issue too. Just being aware that there is alternative viewpoint to default assumptions is an important first step, and you’ve already made it whether you wanted to or not, TRP.
Top prediction js. Let me guess your thought process:
js: If I write some complete bollocks, I bet TRP will call me on it.
js, 2 minutes later: ‘wow, that complete bollocks strategy really works!’
I read it, and I agree with js – Fenton, like Shearer, clearly thinks that paid work is the be-all and end-all of human existence.
You can see it right there where she says: They are often the forgotten part of the economic equation, but without workers, no business and no public service could get ahead.
And without unpaid stay-at-home parents, our economy would be fucked. Without an available pool of unemployed people, our economy would be fucked. Without volunteers going unpaid providing the kinds of social support which any government with a soul would be backing, our economy and society would be fucked.
I’m pretty sure it’s possible for Darien Fenton and David Shearer to say “yeah, go workers!” without shitting all over people whose unpaid labour is far more frequently ignored and demeaned.
But that might involve a little backpedalling on Labour’s “deserving poor” rhetoric.
It’s a post about labour day, ffs. Fenton does not “shit on” anyone, nor does she “slap” anyone. Is Fenton supposed to telepathically guess what js and you think needs mentioning in a short blog post about the annual celebration of working NZers? Or is this the start of a campaign to change the name of the day to Labour (and anyone else js and QoT think is worth mentioning) Day?
Yes, you’ve definitely spotted out cunning plan there, TRP.
Or it could be that we think experienced politicians could exercise a modicum of thought when making broad sweeping statements which alienate vast swathes of the population who Labour then expects will vote for them.
Or they could write a short blog on Labour Day celebrating NZ workers.
What an interesting thread.
Disclaimer: the above statement is in no way intended to be any criticism or derogation, implied or explicit, of any person or persons unable for any reason at all to contribute in any way to the thread referred to, with or without interesting comments under any definition of “interesting” defined as “reasonable” under existing case law, inclusive of but not excluding other groups and expecially not stay-at-home parents, not beneficiaries, not the army of volunteers without whom much of our civilised society would come to a grinding halt, not those caring for a sick or disabled relative, nor the sick, injured or disabled, not the tireless activists who give up a good deal to try and fight injustice and inequality, nor unpaid stay-at-home parents, without whom our economy would be fucked, nor an available pool of unemployed people without whom our economy would be fucked, nor volunteers going unpaid providing the kinds of social support which any government with a soul would be backing, without whom our economy and society would be fucked.
+1m internets!!
without taxpayers nz would be truly fucked so a big THANK YOU is in order to the nz labour party for remembering their roots on LABOUR day.
how foolish and ungracious are some people …
No-one has denied that paid workers deserve a big thank you. They most certainly do.
Are you being disingenuous, or are you just not paying attention?
just a little bemused by this heinous crime perpetrated by the Red Alert blog …
TRP, I’m pretty sure I mentioned paid and unpaid work, beneficiaries etc, in my short-ish blog post on Labour Weekend, “Backwards to the future”. It’s not hard. I’m sure Fenton would also have been up to it, maybe in a different way – there are probably many ways it can be done.
In focusing on the things to celebrate about what was achieved when Labour Day was introduced, it’s quite relevant to update the issues for current conditions. If you look at that link in my post, to the Dunedin 1894 Labour Day Parade image, you will find it says this:
How ironic given that Central Otago rail is now a bike track.
Yep, Karol and I’m sure other commentators made the same link, just as I’m sure many didn’t. Your excellent post was longer and more wide ranging than Fenton’s. Yours was written to bring out the wider implications of work, unemployment, underemployment, non paid work and to bring those strands together. Fenton just wrote a short blog on Labour day for those to whom the day is dedicated. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with either blog post and it’s going to be a sad day if people are condemned for what they didn’t write rather than what they did. Bring back the thought police, I say!
Darien Fenton is a full-time politician and the Labour Party’s spokesperson on Labour.
Somehow I feel sure she’s capable of doing just a teensy bit more than “a short blog post” on Labour Day.
Again, what is your point, QoT? Fenton also completely failed to mention meerkats, the late Elvis Presley and the comedic music hall stylings of the even later Arthur Askey. And she outrageously refused to acknowlege the real significance of today’s date. Yes, it’s Kim Kardashian’s birthday, as we all know. Damn her eyes! Damn her, I say!
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/
Spot the difference
A brief Labour Day blogbost from Bowalley Road. In which Chris doesn’t insult those who work outside the paid workforce because from the start he’s completely clear about who he’s talking about. And he doesn’t even mention any other category of worker . It’s really not that hard TRP.
It wasn’t long ago that workers were routinely referred to as ‘men’ and many would have screamed (and some still would, but I don’t think you’d be among them) Political-Correctness-gone-Mad!! if a politician who used such a term was called on it.
Fenton doesn’t insult those ‘outside the paid workforce’, js. You are making shit up. She does actually mention workers who have been laid off, so the whole point of your wankery dissolves right there.
… which still reinforces the idea that paid work = only source of “dignity”, per Shearer.
But given your pathetic little “meerkats” comments above I’m just going to assume from this point that you have no actual interest in debating the actual points js and I have been making.
It’s hard to debate what doesn’t exist, QoT. Ask a Christian.
Ah, that explains it. You’ve got some kind of plug-in installed which replaces all of my and js’ comments with “LALALALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”
Let’s be honest, TRP. You think unpaid workers are like meerkats, and as such you see no problem in the Labour Party ignoring their existence and shafting a good proportion of the people who, come election day, Labour will be outraged don’t dutifully show up to vote for them.
TRP, seems like there’s very little faith left to go around.
What happens to a church when the people lose faith in it? Congregations and donations go down. The church becomes less relevant to the every day life of the community.
I wonder what happens when people lose faith in Labour?
Nope, QoT, I was taking the piss, exaggerating for effect. If you want to expound further on why you think the unemployed resemble meerkats, but not Arthur Askey or Elvis, fire away.
Debating ‘what people should have said’ is equally mindless. That’s my complaint about js’s comment, way back up there. Mountain, meet molehill.
Debating ‘what people should have said’ is equally mindless.
Good to know you dismiss a large proportion of the posts on this site and in the blogosphere in general, then.
Also, gosh, you weren’t literally serious about the meerkats comment? I truly had NO IDEA. I thought you were totally advocating that meerkats’ roles in our economy were equal to unpaid workers’.
Yep, I have high standards and debating made up shit doesn’t meet the mark. Why not discuss what Fenton actually said?
You are so right, TRP. In future we can only ever discuss the words people said, and can never, ever infer their meaning, or consider the things they left unsaid, and we can definitely never put their comments into existing context.
So that’s every single post on every single statement ever made by John Key banned by your edict, I suppose. Every suggestion of alternative policies tossed in the bin. Every criticism of every weasel-worded government policy out of line. Wait, no, that’s fucking ridiculous.
Just be honest, TRP – all you really want is for no one to criticise Labour/Darien Fenton, for whatever reason, and you’ll make up blatantly stupid principles of discussion to justify yourself.
I know you aren’t listening TRP, but for anyone else reading this debate please try and imagine this. I could have used any of a wide variety of kinds of examples, but this one is close to my heart.
You are the elderly sole parent and carer of a now adult child with severe disabilities and high needs. You’ve just finished the morning toileting, washing, dressing, and breakfast tasks. It’s taken you just over 3 and a half hours, and you’re already tired though the day has barely begun. Your child is now set for a wee while so you get on the computer with a well-earned cup of tea for a flick around the ‘sphere.
You may not even know it’s Labour day because you don’t get any holidays, your toil is 24/7 and you’re never ever going to have a retirement. You go to Red Alert. God know’s why, it’s not like the Labour Party represents your interests in any way. But hope springs eternal for some.
And the headline says “Thank You to NZ’s Workers”
It’s not like you get much acknowlegment let alone thanks for your valuable contribution to your community so you read on. And what do you find? The morning slog that has worn you out and set your arthritic body throbbing, along with the last forty years of similar toil has not been work. You had thought you would literally work until the moment you drop dead. You’ve probably saved the country millions in the cost of institutional care, but more importantly, you always done your very best for your beloved child. But in fact this is not work because there is no pay cheque (or holidays, sick days, minimum conditions or labour regualtions) it’s actually something else that will drain all your resources until you die :leisure.
A point well made js. I see where you’re coming from now, but I’m sure the labour blog didn’t deliberately exclude carers and volunteers. Love isn’t measured in dollar terms but without it our society has no soul.
ropata, the problem isn’t just Darien Fenton’s blog making unpaid workers invisible. It’s that it comes right after Shearer did a speech which quite clearly spelled out that if you’re not in paid work, you have no dignity and make no contribution to your community.
That’s the context Fenton’s blog post sits in, which is why her however-accidental erasing of people’s unpaid work is seriously problematic to me.
Well yes I’ve read both and I can take something I like from both. And yes if I had to choose I’d pick Chris Trotter’s post for two reasons:
1. Unlike some around here I’ve long admired Chris for the steadfastness of his moral compass. Sure there are some themes and topics he’s definitely not PC on, but I’m prepared to set them aside. And even on a bad day he still writes the arse off anyone else on the left in this country.
2. Chris goes somewhat deeper into the root of the issue; the madness that is the neo-liberal experiment; an experiment that was perhaps implemented more ruthlessly in this country than any other.
But then Darien is a Labour Party MP, the party of union workers, not the ‘non-workers’. And after 30 years of neo-liberalism the interests of unionised workers cannot be decoupled from the interests of the state and business owners. After all no business = no jobs. This equation has always been an achilles heel for labour, creating an incipient fault-line for the right to drive wedges down.
There are far too many low-paid working families, working 80hrs or more a week, broken shifts and a broken family life who look across the back fence to a DPB family who don’t seem to be all that much worse off. Frankly it just does not feel fair and fuels resentment.
Of course the root cause is the miserable wages the working family is getting, yet a National govt will re-frame this unfairness with the welfare family cast as bludgers, whose miserable existence should be made even more dire in order to make things right in the world again.
Let’s try and be a little clearer who the real opponent is here.
+1
I have become highly sensitized to the negation of wirk. Labour should take care that it doesn’t sound more like RedNational on this issue.
I take it you mean this post.
Trotter’s pointed clarity > Fenton’s slightly fluffier piece, but they generally make the same point.
Pitting the working class against the underclass would have to be one of the stupidest things we could do at this point in time.
Of course Fenton technically didn’t do anything other than render non-employed workers invisible. If on the rest of the year those workers were acknowledged and respected then it wouldn’t matter that on Labour Day only the paid workers were (and the historical context honoured). But they aren’t, so I have to agree with QoT, it’s a very significant omission.
Other than that, the blogpost is a pretty poor showing from a political party that is meant to be based on workers.
Pitting the working class against the underclass would have to be one of the stupidest things we could do at this point in time.
But so easy to do because our current tax and redistribution system is so broken. Which is exactly WHY National will keep it broken.
Last union I was a member of had this under its objects : ‘recruit and organise workers (waged or uneaged, free or incarcerated.)’
So, y’know..if a union can recognise all workers, why can’t a bloody politician.
Indeed. eg Waitemata Unite
http://waitemataunite.blogspot.co.nz/
At least there was this admission. Finally.
That, IMO, is because they don’t actually intend to do anything.
This seems to have slipped past the news cycle.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/largest-iron-fertilization-test-blooms-criticism-120719.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/15/pacific-iron-fertilisation-geoengineering
That wasn’t the only one going on.
A relaxing change from dealing with topics of great importance to us and the world!! Attendees even doze off during the day’s sessions. The Boring Lectures. Sounded intriguing on Radionz this morning. Blurb:
Labour Day 22/10 – 10:25 James Ward
James Ward is a boredom enthusiast who blogs at I Like Boring Things. He is the founder and organiser of the annual Boring Conference in London. Boring 2012 takes place in November.
Clearly the US is in no position to lecture Russia about Pussy Riot. Free the Grand Jury Resistors!
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/11/third_northwest_activist_jailed_for_staying_silent/
(For reasons currently unknown Leah-Lynn Plante has since been freed; Matt Duran and Katherine “Kteeo” Olejnik remain in prison).
On Labour Day the NZ Herald takes the oppurtunity to rip into David Shearer simply for saying that NZ workers should have first dibs on earthquake recovery jobs.
God forbid we should start training up our own workforce, instead of just importing it, as what has been happening for the past 20 years, resulting in mass unemployment and low wages.
Turn the immigration taps off, and youth unemployment will vanish overnight.
A Film 🙂
How Far Is Heaven: a film by Christopher Pryor & Miriam Smith
Official Selection New Zealand International Film Festival 2012
It is about Hiruharama on the Whanganui River.
Did you know, that the Turkish Government attempted to prosecute citizen publishers of Chomsky’s
“Manufacturing Consent” under laws concerning Destabilisation of Society? I wonder how long before freedom of speech becomes circumscribed here; not to say, I do not think Hate Speech is helping the cohesion of our society at all, in fact, I am perpetually perplexed how TPTB allow it to proliferate the way that it has, and is continuing to. As Ellul challenges, “What price freedom?”
Mark Solomon presented the position of Iwi well on the MSM current affairs I thought; he is correct, that individual dividends to all whanau would not stretch very far, and that like the Police, members are as varied in outlook as the people that make up our Nation
And, I think the political labelling “maori mafia” is not very helpful; Do the MSM label the Business Round Tables the “capitalist cartels” ?
I have not heard Darien Fenton utter anything useful in my observations, and Jacinda comes across as “whiny”
I saw an attitude written on a postcard recently; “Oh well, What shall I complain about today?”;
Made me stop and reflect, as I do everytime I read personality labels, narcissist, psychopath, sociopath, etc; I revised on this this morning and the presence of these traits in our society reflect the change in Values we have witnessed in our lifetimes, particularly pertaining to the significance of children, as children remain children for increasingly short time-spans these days..and Personality is a construct that varies within people across contexts and time (thankfully)
Now, having been to the Supermarket, and being the observant chappie that I am, there does appear to be a developing trend for consumers to select more primary whole foods for their trolleys than the sugar and fat laden processed cardboard…round the outside..round the outside
there are different types of flesh, yet, all flesh is grass.
if you will, you can become all flame
-sayings of the desert fathers 103 (that’s where I’m headed, that’s where I belong; sure I do more harm than help occasionally)
-James Morrison
there does appear to be a developing trend for consumers to select more primary whole foods for their trolleys
Word is quietly getting around.
Whole rows I never go down anymore.
same. Only costs $40 to feed me for a week (not counting fish and chips)
protein-beef, lamb or salmon
green and coloured vegetables
1 loaf of wholegrain bread
avocados
butter.cheese
vegemite
changing diet and habits after decades of “modern socialised living” is unsettling though
I read today that prescriptions for anti-depressants are up 40% in our province over last six years, and my previous GP is an apologist for them; I understand his position, yet, much dis-ease is socio-genic in etiology, and it is just so corrupt that investors are profiting off peoples social misery; that is why I started commenting on this blog, as in Hamlet above; Interestingly, despite their detractors, the socially oriented Christian Churches, amongst other faiths, are labouring at the coal face in very real terms to alleviate the suffering brought about by this government in particular.
many Christians are not motivated by “increasing” their congregations size or contribution; It is just the power of the gospels; Imagine the Industrial Revolution, Fordism, Modern War and Modern Economic and Political Ideologies without the handbrakes of Judeo-Christian based Values?
Critics always refer to the “evils” carried out in the name of God; Humans carried out those actions.
Most people I read or hear who are scathing of faith have no depth of background in philosophy, history, theology or science holistically; The proverbs that guide Christian conduct begin with Wisdom is to Fear God. (that’s why I never debate my faith)
and the mystery just increases in a comforting way every day.
God Bless
🙂
Sample of the actual religion of our society …
“Kraft International, especially in developing markets, should continue to realize solid growth as it leverages the Cadbury acquisition and benefits from continued Cadbury cost synergies. The company is likely to realize $300 million of revenue synergies in 2012 by distributing Kraft’s biscuit products in Cadbury outlets in Mexico (approximately 380,000 outlets), distributing Oreo and Tang products in Cadbury outlets (approximately 380,000 outlets) in India and doubling its distribution in Brazil with this acquisition (from 300,000 to 600,000 outlets).”
– Ashish Sharma, “Kraft Foods: Safe Stock with Upside Potential”, The Motley Fool Blog Network, 13 August 2012
The High Priests have spoken. Hallelujah.
When Kraft bought Cadbury (weep for the Quaker brothers, for they had a vision of a socially just society – eg they championed the emerging working class, and boycotted beans from African slavery plantations),
Kraft was less interested in Cadbury chocolates, but more greedily wanted to grab and control the distribution networks.
an interesting opinion piece on Stuff:
Exactly.
A bank ATM has no problem charging you $1 to withdraw $60 in cash. A 1.7% tax by the bank.
Most proposed FTT’s are around 1/20 or 1/50 this sum. And of course, that’s because FTT’s are designed to penalise financial speculators who conduct high frequency financial markets trading.
The forgien curreny trade in nz in 2010 averaged 9 billion per day!!
A tax of 0.1% would raise 90m per day or 36 billion per year
Yep. Yet the banks will scream at a 0.1% FTT while they are more than happy to charge you and me a 3% difference when changing NZD into Australian dollars.
Took me a while , but the TOTAL NZ tax take is expected to be in the order of 55 billion
So the FTT raising 36billion on foreign currency transactions would get pretty close to removing GST.
AND if the FTT was applied to all bank transactions, I suspect you MAY be able to remove all direct Tax.
And you woul not need an ird!!
Remember that that is at present levels of transactions which an FTT is likely to decrease.
To be honest I’m a little frustrated that we keep on re-inventing the wheel here. Gareth Morgan has pretty much nailed it … all the essential components of a thorough reform of the tax system are there and he’s done a credible job of crunching the numbers. Why not take it more seriously?
Is it just because Morgan isn’t perceived as a proper leftie?
Damn, now I’m trying to remember if Morgan had an FTT in with his CCT.
The thing about our tax system is that it’s had centuries of build up of little fixes. It really needs to be taken back to basics and redesigned completely then give about a years notice that the old rules and precedents are going out and an entirely new system coming in.
Flash back to Aug 2011
http://thestandard.org.nz/gareth-morgans-big-kahuna/
Although it doesnt really say if Morgan proposed an FTT, the comments were certainly full of the idea.
The currency trade transaction would decrease, but ot the internal transactions.
Does any one know the value of the turnover of money through the banks?
Oops 3.6 Billion
Nice link DTB
And it’s not just “Hone and Hollande” but that well known Skoda driver and social anarchist Angela Merkel – as well as finance ministers from 11 Euro zone countries: Eleven euro states back ftt
Well, she’s a nuclear chemist…
KIWIS! DON’T BUY INTO THE SELLOFF OF OUR PRECIOUS ELECTRICITY ASSETS!
PROTEST OUTSIDE MIGHTY RIVER POWER OFFICE!
ANZ Building 23 -29 Albert St Auckland City
https://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=mighty+river+power+auckland&fb=1&gl=nz&hq=mighty+river+power&hnear=0x6d0d47fb5a9ce6fb%3A0x500ef6143a29917%2CAuckland&cid=0%2C0%2C14661661492653781907&ei=Iu-EUM-0La6higfJyoG4Dg&ved=0CGYQ_BIwAQ
TUESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2012
12 noon – 2pm
On Tuesday 23 October 2012 – the Government is planning to consider and approve an Order in Council for Cabinet and the Executive Council to remove Mighty river Power from the State Owned Enterprises Act.
http://www.johnkey.co.nz/archives/1537-PM-announces-next-steps-for-Mighty-River-sale.html
UNITE AND FIGHT THE PRIVATISATION OF MIGHTY RIVER POWER BY SWITCHING OFF MERCURY ENERGY!
http://switchoffmercuryenergy.org/how-to-switch-off-merucry-energy/
Protest called by Penny Bright, Jax Taylor and James Heremaia from the SWITCH OFF MERCURY ENERGY community group.
Voting machine and results scrutiny in the USA for the 2004 election and others by
blackboxvoting.org definitely show skullduggery. The attitude of all officials involved seems shamelessly casual to me.
Blackbox have a video recording all that they do. One move was to search for records themselves that had been requested under their information act. The dockets they had been supplied had been recently prepared and they had asked for copies of the signed originals.. So a search at the electoral processing facility brought to light rubbish bags with voting figure dockets signed by the clerks at the time of finalising, and these were being thrown out although by law they should have been held for 22 months I think. At least one docket differed by more than 100 votes from the recently issued one presented to them.
Let’s not have electronic voting by anyone. And allowing private companies to run this essential government procedure is criminal. Up against the wall and firing squad criminal. That excuse that required information is commercially sensitive is just one of the reasons for not having a bar of private involvement, even contractor help.
No electronic voting, no internet voting. If the idea ever comes up in NZ it needs to be sunk once and for all.
Seriously, these systems are designed to be shit and easy to compromise. You might as well design ATMs to accept random pin numbers.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/09/new_diebold_vul.html
It’s a change that’s going to happen and you can’t stop it. The best idea would be to ensure that we don’t use the same system as the US – in other words, engage with the process.
Make it done by government department rather than private business. Make it OpenSource so that people can actually see it and test it. Make it so that people can check how their vote was recorded and be able to change it if it was recorded incorrectly. Make it a three part entry system using either a security token or the same system that Kiwibank uses. Both systems are nearly impossible to break.
Online voting paves the way for even more democracy and less corruption. Leaving it as is leaves all the power in the hands of the politicians and their owners.
DTB
I think you are far too optimistic about the use of technology, all these pins and barriers to make the information safe, don’t make it easier and it would become more burdensome for some people than travelling or walking to what should be a nearby polling booth for most.
And there is the means for computer programmers and companies employing them to make small secret changes that negatively affect the probity of the system and large numbers of voters, and their ability to make decisions as to who is going to assist or constrain their lives. I say again you are too positive. I know programmers who are good people for sure but everybody doesn’t hold to sacred ethics of the highest behaviour. Especially when there is money in it and its hard to uncover.