did anyone else go to ‘the spirit level’ lectures in ak this week..?
..takeaways..?
..and i wd urge those in regions south..
..to go and have defined for themselves..
..what actually needs to be done..
..(when they come to your town..1200 in ak is the target to beat..c’mon..!..you know you can see off the jafas..eh..?..
..i’m looking @ you..wellington..)
..as made by the authors..(to 1200 people in ak last nite..)..
..the case could not be clearer..
..(that was my takeaway..)
(..another sub-takeaway was the pointed comment from one of the authors..
..that the evidence clearly shows the last labour govt did virtually nothing to lessen the inequalites engendered by the rightwing-revolution/attack on the welfare state in the 1980’s..
..started by labour..and enthusiastically carried on by national..
..let’s hope they take all that blinding-evidence on board..
Had to have my nearly 20 year old dog put to sleep recently. I miss him so much. Dogs are wonderful companions and such trusting souls. Nice hearing about your dog Phil. Give Lucy a pat from me.
Armstrong praisies Labour & Cunliffe – sort of – as ong as they look like National Lite, and don’t, you know, return to its roots, advocate for the poor and struggling Kiwis. Cause according to Armstrong, there is no problem for those on low incomes.
A bit of a twist from Mr Armstrong. There is a positive mood shift. The announcement of Opposition Policies can now go ahead post-Budget and leaves National less time to counter any positive feedback that comes from those policies.
An old guy at a bus stop recently rambled on to me about the carelessness of young people today (litter in the streets). He then kind of back tracked and said his generation got criticised a lot by older people. then he said something about the hard times that are coming. I thought he was going to say something about an economic crash, and/or climate change. So I said, “Really?”. He then launched into a bit of a rant about the reports he’d read of conflict in an Avondale mosque, and how “those people” shouldn’t bring their fights to NZ.
First of all, do you mean anti-Muslim rhetoric in the sense of al-Qaeda etc, or anti-Muslim rhetoric against Muslim NZ citizens? I doubt they would the latter because there would be nothing to gained from it, and if you had regular contact with the NZ Muslim community you would soon find that, having minds of their own, and depending on whether they are Shia or Sunna, and depending on their country of origin, may very well agree with the newspaper article.
The author of the Daily piece seems to have an axe to grind with the NZMA that goes well beyond this single event.
Also I fail to see how desiring to keep foreign sectarian conflict out of New Zealand is in any way racist, prejudiced or even bad. It would be naive in the extreme to ignore what has happened in countries even more liberal than ours like Sweden and the Netherlands.
Well, it can often be hard to tell whether media beatups about (alleged) Muslim Jihads are motivated by Islamaphobia, but it does feed into fairly widely spread Islamophobia discourse.
The guy I talked to at the bus stop was explicitly anti-Islam.
Yes, that was the story I mentioned before which you had already posted. The author appears to have an agenda against the NZMA.
I doubt xenophobic old coots are indicative of much – they’ve been around forever.
. The present dominant affect of anxiety is also known as precarity. Precarity is a type of insecurity which treats people as disposable so as to impose control. Precarity differs from misery in that the necessities of life are not simply absent. They are available, but withheld conditionally.
For many young job-starters the lack of job security and unclear future careers must contribute to this precarity. Being on contracts where you only work when the manager needs you in the unholy name of “flexibility” must hurt.
Hooton believes that we only work well if scared. Well, that’s of course depends, if we are already wealthy then we do best being over paid. And if anyone says otherwise they are mean, raging, envious, and hate filled. So speaks the pure petulant voice of the right.
Thanks. It’s thought provoking, and I tend to agree with the basic premis: that capitalism stimulates resisistance, then capitalism reacts to neutralise the resistance…. then a new form of resistance forms.
However, I think the periodised labels for each phase of resistance is pretty superficial – and US-based. Bored people in the 60s, tended to be amongst the more middle classes – and white and male. As they also state, there was always anxiety around sexuality – well that would include most women, and anyone who didn’t conform to sexual norms.
Anxiety now, would be more likely to be those in the middle incomes/wealth brackets – the most precarious have lives of daily struggle.
For ages I’ve been trying to put into words what is going wrong with trying to taking any kind of group action – the paralysis of the current age that he describes and the reasons for it. His analysis of this state and how we find ourselves here is an outstanding overview.
The only collective action that I’ve been involved in that hasn’t been seriously infected with it has been something I’ve been doing with a group of very well off middle-class people who are mostly a long way off precarious compared to people like me (though of course they are affected, just not infected). I’ve felt such a sense of frustration at this project powering ahead while just about every other collective action I’ve tried has floundered or limped meekly along without achieving anything much beyond just continuing to exist. Treading water, yet important causes and outstanding people rendered powerless.
edit: Embarrassed by my unthinking sexism in ascribing the article a male writer.
On Kim Hill’s Saturday Morning show today Harriet Sergeant was pontificating about the significance of the UKIP vote in local government elections in Britain. It made me feel ill – the more so because of the sycophantic way Hill treated this rightwing ideologue.
On the RNZ website Sergeant’s self description from her website was reproduced verbatim –
“a journalist, author and Research Fellow of the Centre for Policy Studies, an independent Think Tank…”
Instead of simply repeating Sergeant’s self-description, they should have mentioned that the Centre for Policy Studies is a right wing, neoliberal policy think tank which claims to be non-partisan but which has strong historical links to the British Conservative Party.
Unless, of course, Hill was deliberately trying to present a well known rightwing ideologue as a politically neutral researcher/commentator.
I emailed RNZ about this and it was not read out but Hill did mention the fact that the CPS has historical links to the Tory Party – having been set up by Thatcher.
Acknowledgement of having been caught out on sloppy research at best and political bias at worst would have been good but at least the record was set straight to some extent.
Yes TWW I too thought that the fact that she was from a right wing think tank should have been made clear, though that became obvious when she gave her analysis.
She lumped Milliband in with Cameron and Clegg, where in fact he is not a public school toff like them but went to a comprehensive.
I also hated the way she dished public education in the UK (snotty), and the way she made out Farage, a right-wing populist, was a good guy. Show me the policies Farage.
She also failed to mention that if these poll results were replicated next year Labour would be likely to get elected without the need for a coalition partner. Like the rest of the Tory press she had written her analysis before Labour’s good results in London came in.
Was pleased to see Hammersmith and Fulham won back from the tories, the 11 seats won taking them to a 26 – 20 majority.
Now at least I have something to cheer about Fulham this year.
Cameron’s favourite, so I read. Can Imagine a few being sunk tonight on the broadways.
Enjoy the ride, ours got us a few minutes away from a penalty shoot out for the ueffa cup, and rid of that bizarre MJ statue.
I don’t care too much, just as long as Derby beat QPR. Looking forward to an easy six pointer next term 😉
Its common place to see moderate progressives of the left matched with right-wing revolutionary conservative types who peddle the extremism which their opponents have not the time or language to deconstruct. When growth was assured (cheap energy trending lower) the right got more extreme and stupid. It was easy living for parasites, to argue for more nothing and claim victory when achieved, and so much work kicking the poor, unions, communities.
We will have high taxes on the rich again, since we cannot afford to leave people in precarity where their time is spent getting by rather than growing the economy.
The rebuttal to the surgeon who is dealing with women who are facing ongoing and debilitating issues, was “Associate Professor Malcolm Frazer – The urogynaecology spokesperson for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the immediate past vice chair of the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia.”
No mention of the fact that he derives income from other sources such as:
“Declaration of interest
Malcolm Frazer holds contracts as a preceptor for Johnson & Johnson Gynecare as well as American Medical Systems mesh products for which he receives a fee. He has received financial support from both organisations to attend scientific conferences as an invited lecturer.”
This declaration of interest can be found on one of his articles on the benefits of surgical mesh that he continues to write, and get income from the company that is undergoing a class action suit.
That would provide clarity to the discussion. I haven’t listened to the whole interview, but understand that National Women’s have stopped using this mesh because of the complications, and are keeping on the QT. ACC is continuing to refuse payment and treatment to those who have had complications from these mesh implants.
In reference to the latest sensationalist article in the NZ Herald, no one declared ‘jihad’ at the security guard. What actually happened is that the security guard was smoking inside (which is against the law) and walking in the mosque with shoes on, something that is unacceptable in a mosque (similar to a marae). When someone told him that he shouldn’t be doing that, the security guard made up a story about threats of jihad to take attention away from him disrespecting the mosque
Meanwhile, as the Immigration Service ordered the deportation of all four nannies employed to look after the couple’s five children, dotcon says “”The nannies are crying. They are completely destroyed,”
Why did kim not employ NZ nannies? Maybe hone can help find some kiwi staff for the mega mansion as part of the keep it New Zealand campaign. That would be great move to reduce unemployment and show his coalition partner has a handle on poverty in his adopted (for a little bit longer at least) country.
“Or why not look after their own kids instead of paying someone else to bring them up.”
Indeed, or better still, government makes it an option to pay one parent to stay at home to raise babies while the other works.
“I think that the twins are autistic so they need extra care which is what less wealthy parents of autistic would desperately need and wish for.”
Sad indictment on this country if we don’t have suitably qualified staff to do that good work.
And right, less well off parents could do with the help. Hope the next government will grant the wish.
You don’t know that “local labour is more than capable of doing” the role at all – you just suppose it – for instance we (generally) only know one language (english) here – could it be that they may have wanted a german speaking nanny? I don’t know but i’d allow for the possibility, certainly before adding this tidbit to the stack of ammunition used to attack dotcom, Hone and Mana.
I also think that many kiwi nannies around the world wouldn’t be too fussed with your foreign labour angle.
No, not bitter, more a black comedy observation on the mismatch in interests here. Only nanny I ever knew was Mary Poppins and my nan, who in fact introduced me to her one Saturday movie matinee afternoon back in the early 70s.
As for my status, I don’t know for sure. I’ll cheer anything with a lion or a rose on it, but most of the time I’ve assimilated quite well. I bred with a local woman and got married and had a child born here, who holds a NZ passport in her name, just like her mother, her grandmother and her great grandmother.
Mostly I consider myself, after 13 years on the good waka Aotearoa as one of the crew, but sometimes it’s not just the flow of the ocean lapping at the hull where I find resistance.
Legally, my 10 year passport with my permanent residency silver dollar stickers ran out 4 years ago, I found out I was a shoe in for citizenship, and though a little affronted at not only being asked to pay near 5 hundy membership fee, despite 14 years of A ok service and going 50% in a fantastic little kiwi chick, I’m comfortable in the knowledge I didn’t sink 50 grand into Bank’s campaign fund after hearing from the horses mouth it was to keep it secret and anonymous, or if believed, 200k, I didn’t get it because I needed a little red box audio interface box of magic (though sadly it hasn’t made my cathatic musical musings any easier to listen to).
As for Hone, I mean him no ill, and though I’m no politician, robust debate should come as nothing new to him. He even built his career on it, so no harm done. That’s why I’, not bothered by the bitter thing. I wouldn’t read that much into it.
Happy to concede it could be the delivery and style.
You’re all good, Mars, eh. See, even talking like you lot now, though you’ll have to imagine it coming in a less put on Michael Caine sort of way).
Well I for one am pleased you are here adding your bit to the cause.
I probably am oversensitive with the comedy – my father was english and, well, to be truthful, we didn’t get on very well – coloured me rotten that did, tainted me.
Half lion heart, that’ll account for the being up for it bit 😆
Wrong person to speak to about tainted as I’m quite sure there are a few who’s opinion on my place of birth has altered for the negative through meeting me and not always with justification, but then that could say more about them than I. I’m too busy paddling and keeping one eye on the bailing bucket not the life raft to take it all to heart.
lol perhaps it does account for me being an obnoxious, argumentative bastard sometimes, perhaps not – we are all made up of many strands of whakapapa, many connections and that is common to every single one of us on this planet (not counting aliens of course)
If you really want to know why they didn’t employ NZ nannies, why not send him an email and ask? There could be any number of reasons.
I also don’t think that Hone acting as an employment agency for the mansion would do much at all to reduce unemployment. Did you make this stuff up yourself, or get it from WhaleSpew?
Thought of it myself and sadsack’s opinions have never interested me one bit. If anything I should be accused of envy politics about how money buys hired help while those without have sod all, and that’s hardly wo material.
Like stated, a black comedy observation on the bizarre nature of the political union.
And in an opinion dedicated forum of my peers. How dare I? lol
Hey Phil don’t judge Sue Morony by 5 minutes on the Nation, she is not the enemy my friend.
Compared to most of the LP MP’s, Sue has the lowest income earners firmly in mind. I’ve known her since we were in our early 20’s when she was fighting the fight as a young Union organiser. She has never faultered from that fight, not once. I credit Moroney for unseating Shearer as Leader and fighting to get Labour back Left. First you have to gain power to make the nessasary social changes. Like many I detest the ‘middle vote rhetoric’ however it’s all about mopping up soft votes. There is enough dog whistling to the low income group from Labour to attract the vote. Remember Matt McCarten is ‘monitoring the noise level.’
You sit back and relax as you do, the Red Dragon is steady on a Left course. Let us do the hard work and you reap the rewards of our hard toil.
..i am just expressing my dismay at no clear policies from labour to help the worst off..
..(and i am aware of moroneys’ placement in the ideological-rainbow that is labour..)
..and y’know..’once bitten etc..’..eh..?..( the last labour govt..they promised to end neo-liberalism to get elected..then did nothing..
..so..y’know..!..my concerns do have some grounding in fact/history..eh..?
..and i am just pointing out that there is a vacuum there..
..and with mana/internet party offering concrete-policies to deal to inequality/the gross-poverty-stricken society we have become..since that rightwing-revolution in the 80’s..
.it is to them those missing-million voters will turn..
..which..as a mana voter..suits me..
..but i have my commentary-hat on when i warn you of this..
Pity Brendon Who’s insipid smoking gun used against Winston this week was so lacking in substance ae Phillip, if there was a knotted noose evident anywhere in Brendon Who’s allegations we might have seen a repetition of 2008 for NZFirst which would have clarified ‘options’ greatly,
Specially If as i suspect, an alliance of Mana/Internet would produce a resultant 3–4% of the party vote for that entity…
Fair enough Phil. The problem is many Lefties like yourself and I turned off Labour in disgust, dating back to the treachery of Douglas & Prebble. It allowed the Right within the party to hold sway, reflected in their candidate/MP selections. The bottom straw was Goff taking the leadership, I walked in protest (after 4 years) and only came back after his dismissal. I realise you can only make change from within.
Referring to Mana, I believe they are about to make a huge mistake by aligning with The Inernet Party. Dotcom isstarting to look like the shady character that he is, and lets face it had he not got busted he would probably have been quite happy to be donating to the ACT party.
How do you defend a man who in a recent interview has the opinion that Government needs ‘less regulations.’ Now how can a political party like Mana entertain forming any arrangement with a Party that’s founder his this neo-liberal ideology.
Bradford has understandably balked at any suggestion of joining forces. What the heck is Minto thinking? And you for that matter? Hone having got to know him is a alpha male type fuckwit who I can see getting rolled by Kelvin Davis if the merger happens? Outside of Bradford, Annette Sykes I have a fair bit of time for, however she is weak by not fronting the their alpha ape Leader. Sykes has a great chance of unseating Favell, however Labour look like fucking that up by throat slitting the candidate vote. The Left fail to grasp howto play MMP, or should I say refuse to bend and work as a team.
And I’m with Bradford on being wary of the Internet Party – which is pretty much KDC’s baby. I need more than a few election-focused policies. I would need to see how the party operates if they gets any MPs.
My vote will go to the Greens – I have more of an idea of what I’m getting, and more info about the consistency of their underlying values – such values will inform how any MP operates when they are faced with new situations once in government.
This is my choice, others may make a different choice.
Bradford has string left principles – it’s not about getting votes by compromising on principles.
Bradford has also said that it takes longer to build a movement – as she sees Mana – not just as a party. She has said something about linking to the Internet Party as a short cut that, ultimately will not help build a strong movement.
I am surprised you cannot see the potential problems of being linked with the Internet Party if they don’t support left wing policies once in the House; that you can’t see the concerns about linking with a pretty unknown quantity politically.
But, whatever – I prefer to go with those with a track record that I feel I can trust.
What does that mean? – because it sounds quite offensive to me and if my interpretation is correct then you can get fucked you pretend-insider arsehole but I could have it wrong and if so then all the words after ‘because’ can be disregarded.
Tax cuts would do a fat load of good for those on low incomes. A lot less then a wage hike would be for? Plus it will leave less for things like health and education.
”My major claims are that 10% of those who have or do use tobacco products and have a Lung Cancer at any time is not a reliable statistic which shows cause and effect when 90% of the users of the same product never have a Lung Cancer at any time”,
And,
”IF 50% of those who have ever used tobacco products will die of either Cancer or Heart Disease, SO WHAT, even treated in the most kind manner the statistics show that 49% of people who have never used tobacco products will also die of a Cancer or Heart disease”,
The reply to the Moot:
”As i said, you’ve got no fucken evidence to refute decades of evidence from the actual people who know what they’re talking about”,
Now that is what i call a really compelling argument that 90% of those who have ever used tobacco products WILL NOT develop Lung Cancer therefor using tobacco products is the cause of 10% of such users developing Lung Cancer,
An unsustainable suspect ‘statistic i would suggest, and as for have ‘No evidence’, Pfft, theres this,
”The Welcome Trust Sanger Institutes cancer genome project is lead jointly by Professor Mike Stratton and Dr Peter Campbell”,
”All cancers occur due to abnormalities in the DNA sequence. Cancer affects people at all ages with risks for most cancer types increasing with age”
That to me simply says that the 10% those who develop Lung Cancer and have smoked have a specific genetic anomaly and the 90% who have smoked and never develop a Lung Cancer do not have that same genetic anomaly,
The proof of my little assertion there will be when the studies of the genome become advanced enough where they compare the genome of smokers who did not develop Lung Cancer with those that did,(i have yet to come across such a study but such research is still in its infancy),
Cancers occur when mistakes occur in cell replication at a genetic level, across all cancers, smokers/never smoked there is one point 60–70 years of age that is the commonality,
Contrary views are that as industrialized tobacco production and therefor higher rates of tobacco use occurred in the previous century rates of all cancers increased does not explain the increase in the rates of cancer for those who never smoked whereas the age at which we live to also increased during the latter part of the previous century,
In the future genetic science will identify exactly which gene(s) are at the center of the mistakes in cell reproduction which produce cancers and hopefully find a means of stopping those mistakes occurring…
According to the Dr Tashkin you linked us all to last week Phillip, your dope smoking has you well on the way to developing cancerous growths in your airways,
No need to switch to the ciggies my friend, just roll another spliff…
The Nation on TV3 today had a very good segment on Inequality fronted by the authors of the Spirit level. They are well spoken, fair and intelligent experts on the subject, in contrast to the ‘critic’ in the panel, Hooton, who pretends to be some sort of expert on everything with his pretty useless low level comments. Boring and completely biased commentator. Waste of time trying to listen to his ‘expert’ views!
Indeed. I mean the idea that CEO’s would notice some slashing to their incomes would effect
them, but their employees who could be paid more would not notice, was totally missed on him.
Despite being the whole point of inequality at its heart. Hooton is a very smart moron.
Hooton was totally shown up on the subject, and it showed by his usual ‘selective narrative’ I laughed as the interviewer/host quickly shot poor old ‘snake oil’ salesman Matthew down over his 20% company tax claim.
The highlight was the Hosts introduction of Hooton ‘former National Party staffer’ oh did you see Hooton wince, such pain being described as a ‘has been.’
I bet poor old Matty is currently sitting at a bar alone in Ponsonby Rd, on the sauce half sozzled by now, after making a nuisance of himself drunkenly rambling of better days gone by when he use to be someone within National.
So what does inequality look like? Well the richest
would be able to pay their taxes, who pay more of the
tax base as inequality grows. Housing would become
scarce as the poorest couldn’t afford new houses
(leave for OZ, live more to a home, rent in decaying homes), demand
for decades would fall, and housing prices would rise
further pushing more people out.
Let’s understand The Rich do not pay taxes, not the way trusts are set up in NZ. One of the highest on the Rich List is wont to boast he owns nothing, earns nothing … all safely taken care of by Queen Street accountants in family trusts. I think it is the greatest rort of them all, and should be challenged and changed.
Exactly yeshe! I bet a dollar that in spite of being very rich John Key would pay minimal tax. A wage/salary earner cannot avoid but Trusts of the wealthy hide billions.
crosby textors tactics against an nz milk brand revealled today by a whistleblower. stuff article very clearly states key and national use and have close links with crosby textor.
Edit: BTW, that article says Phillip Morris is one of the corporates that helps pay C-T’s bills. Apparently advising political parties doesn’t bring much money for them.
Edit: BTW, that article says Phillip Morris is one of the corporates that helps pay C-T’s bills. Apparently advising political parties doesn’t bring much money directly for them.
Just for accuracy.
A strong Tory neoliberal government will always lead to a more permissive environment for corporates and the 1% i.e. the CT client base.
Thus CT will be very busy advising corporates on how to effectively lobby government, lobby political parties and lobby MPs. In such activities CT can therefore also truthfully claim that they ‘don’t advise political parties very much.’
hopefully those who feel precious about our diarying, like judith collins (just joking), will see the strategy referred to here and assume they do the same for other clients like key and national. perhaps why fairfax wanted to water down the john key lies, article ahead of this one.
“those who feel precious about our dairying, like judith collins (just joking)”
I laughed on a couple of levels. The oravida politics bit and because Judith, more and more, looks like the hi-de-hi camp comedian’s butt of the joke, silly old cow mother-in-law.
Lighten’s a miserable Saturday afternoon with a two for one special.
At the crux of any prejudice is the idea that “I” am different, separate and, ultimately “superior”. To live with this delusion, we must keep ourselves apart from those we believe “inferior”.
Because it’s at the centre of the divide between rich and poor.
At the same time as the Abbott govt and it’s coalition partner are squabbling about how to dismantle the previous Labour govt intitiatives on climate change:
If Sydney’s balmy late autumn feels unusual, there’s a good reason.
If the mercury reaches at least 23 degrees on Saturday – 25 is forecast – Sydney will post its longest warm spell in records going back to 1910, says Sarah Perkins, a leading heatwave expert at the University of NSW.
Sydney’s 25.1 degrees on Friday matched the previous longest heatwave – defined as at least three consecutive days in the warmest 10 per cent for each date – of seven days set in August 1995. Including Saturday, that burst could stretch to at least 14 days.
”It’s actually quite scary, especially if it lasts for two weeks – that’s incredible,” Dr Perkins said.
”That’s blitzing records.”
Australia’s program to rein in pollution is losing momentum, the latest in a series of setbacks for the international effort to tackle global warming.
With the highest per-capita fossil fuel emissions among industrial countries, Australia’s participation in United Nations-led climate talks is seen as crucial to sway China and India to step up pollution controls even as conditions in developed nations worsen.
Now, Australia’s environmental stance is undergoing an about-face as the country’s new coalition government and its political opponents haggle over the best way to dismantle earlier regulations.
The shift in Australia comes just ahead of a series of global climate talks set for later this year. The UN is aiming to craft an agreement in 2015 that would include 190 nations.
The remarkable thing is how deeply unpopular Abbott has made himself in just 8 short months. It’s almost at the point where the backbench revolt is going to force Joe Hockey into a deeply embarrassing U-turn on some Budget measures.
But Abbott is a soft-target for my anger and despair. The truth is taking effect action against climate change is not the kind of thing democracies are good at imposing on an unenthusiastic population. If we thought telling them not to spank their kiddies was fraught – trying to take their cars off them (even if just symbolically), and all the other changes implied by real action – is going to be way, way harder.
JMG has taken a well-earned break from his series of remarkable essays, but the last two are to my mind the climax of the entire body of work:
We didn’t make that collective choice when it still could have made a difference: when peak oil was still decades in the future, anthropogenic climate change hadn’t yet begun to destabilize the planet’s ice sheets and weather patterns, and the variables that define the crisis of our age—depletion rates, CO2 concentrations, global population, and the rest of them—were a good deal less overwhelming than they’ve now become. As The Limits to Growth pointed out more than four decades ago, any effort to extract industrial civilization from the trap it made for itself had to get under way long before the jaws of that trap began to bite, because the rising economic burden inflicted by the ongoing depletion of nonrenewable resources and the impacts of pollution and ecosystem degradation were eating away at the surplus wealth needed to meet the costs of the transition to sustainability.
That prediction has now become our reality. Grandiose visions of vast renewable-energy buildouts and geoengineering projects on a global scale, of the kind being hawked so ebulliently these days by the prophets of eternal business as usual, fit awkwardly with the reality that a great many industrial nations can no longer afford to maintain basic infrastructures or to keep large and growing fractions of their populations from sliding into desperate poverty. The choice that I discussed in last week’s post, reduced to its hard economic bones, was whether we were going to put what remained of our stock of fossil fuels and other nonrenewable resources into maintaining our current standard of living for a while longer, or whether we were going to put it into building a livable world for our grandchildren.
The great majority of us chose the first option, and insisting at the top of our lungs that of course we could have both did nothing to keep the second from slipping away into the realm of might-have-beens. The political will to make the changes and accept the sacrifices that would be required to do anything else went missing in action in the 1980s and hasn’t been seen since. That’s the trap that was hidden in the crisis of our age: while the costs of transition were still small enough that we could have met them without major sacrifice, the consequences of inaction were still far enough in the future that most people could pretend they weren’t there; by the time the consequences were hard to ignore, the costs of transition had become too great for most people to accept—and not too long after that, they had become too great to be met at all. .
The remarkable thing is how deeply unpopular Abbott has made himself in just 8 short months. It’s almost at the point where the backbench revolt is going to force Joe Hockey into a deeply embarrassing U-turn on some Budget measures.
Sweet F.A. people wanted Abbott as PM, and that’s even including Coalition supporters. But Labour made themselves totally toxic, so that’s what you get.
The truth is taking effect action against climate change is not the kind of thing democracies are good at imposing on an unenthusiastic population
While true in many ways, Labor/Rudd got voted in on a clear carbon trading scheme/climate change action platform. Giving in to corporate and factional pressure fucked Australian Labor in the eyes of the electorate and their polls dived.
The lesson being – electorates are often far more progressive than politicians who sound brave and forward thinking on the campaign trail, but rapidly become risk averse and befuddled when under the sway of lobbyists and factional considerations after taking office.
It is really great to use the net to catch up on programs. This Native Affairs program is awesome and covers really interesting subjects that are important in this election year.
The titford stuff shows the underlying agenda of a few racist, big moneyed men and women. They have an agenda!!!!! It is the same agenda that they use for everything and it is designed to help them gain more influence and money. It is not a coincidence that a lot of them used to be and often still are, ‘in’ political parties. These moneyed people are trying both overtly and covertly to ‘own’ this country, set the agenda and, as I have said, gain influence and money – and with the election coming up they will be and are, up to their usual tricks. They are scum. They create illusion, distrust and division. They are working hard right now to implement their agenda. Be awake and aware – if not, they will trample you, your family and everything/everyone you believe in and hold dear, to make an extra dollar.
We had plenty of feedback about this story both for and against Allan Titford. However it’s the people behind him and their political agendas that have come under scrutiny.
Native Affairs was contacted by several supporters of Alan Titford about our story including Ross Baker from the One NZ Foundation.
When we invited him to appear this evening he declined because he lives in Australia. Muriel Newman, Mickael John Winkel, and Martin Doutre also declined.
Joining Mihingarangi Forbes to discuss this is Treaty gate blogger John Ansell and treaty lawyer and Mana Party President Annette Sykes.
”28.5 teaspoons of sugar in one jar of ”Chicken tonight” sweet and sour simmer sauce”, Source–Herald online,
At a time when we as a country are faced with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes the use of such obscene amounts of sugar in products should not be tolerated,
The world health organization has just lowered its recommended daily sugar intake to 6 teaspoons max and four people dining on a dinner containing the whole jar of the product highlighted by the Herald-online would be already over that recommendation without taking into account anything else any of them had ate during the rest of the day…
and four people dining on a dinner containing the whole jar
I seriously doubt if the whole jar would be used. Certainly not in any meal I make – I only use two desert spoons full in each serving of stir-fry that I make.
At a time when we as a country are faced with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes the use of such obscene amounts of sugar in products should not be tolerated,
Manufacturers use large amounts of salt, sugar and flavour enhancer (MSG) to disguise how poor quality and tasteless the base ingredients in their products are.
National’s policy of looking at whole of life spending is reaping huge benefits for those involved. A 20 year old on a benefit at age 20 currently spends another 20 years on a benefit. National have arranged mentors to assist young people to get off a benefit and into employment or training. This is expensive up front but well worthwhile in the long term. There is less crime and thus less imprisonment thus saving incarceration costs. Area by area the public service is looking at ways to reduce spending in future years. Compare this with the lolly scramble mentality of Labour that splashes money without regard to outcomes.
I haven’t mentioned Green or Mana policies. I don’t read joke books. The scary thing is that such nutbars would be Ministers in a Cunliffe led government. Sadly a collection of losers can trump the first place getter. That’s why first place has to be over 50%.
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
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 ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
Are you deeply passionate about sharing Māori stories? We’re on the hunt for an experienced writer/editor to lead coverage in our Ātea section.Ātea is a deeply valued section of The Spinoff site, offering Māori perspectives and insights across politics, current affairs and culture. We are thrilled to be looking ...
By Aisha Azeemah in Suva With the lights on one of his sneakers blinking as he ran through the gallery, a little boy looked up at several works of art. One of them was a sculpture of his grandfather: the man who changed how we see the Pacific — Epeli ...
WHAT: Uber drivers are holding a rally outside the Court of Appeal in Wellington tomorrow, as the company begins its appeal against 2022’s Employment Court verdict (in a case taken jointly by FIRST Union and E tū) that four drivers were permanent ...
RNZ Pacific The Fiji Meteorological Service has a heavy rain warning still in place for the whole of the country after a weekend of flooding, although some floodwaters have receded. Flood and flash flood warnings and alerts are also in place, including a warning for all flash flood-prone areas, small ...
Responding to Grant Robertson’s recent admission on a Q+A with Jack Tame that his only regret from his time in office was that he didn’t take on more debt, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Alex Murphy, said: “Grant Robertson has now admitted that he ...
Comment: Re-elected Russian President Vladimir President has declared victory ahead of a fifth term in power, after an election that offered no credible alternative candidates. Following the death of his main opponent Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison last month, thousands of Russians followed Navalny’s plea to cast a symbolic ...
Every week that passes seems to tighten the fiscal noose for Christopher Luxon and co – a noose, moreover, of their own making.“Don’t tell me what you value: show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” This phrase, a favourite of US president Joe Biden’s, resonates ...
Analysis by Geoffrey Miller – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Geoffrey Miller. Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are ...
Auckland may be the largest city in Aotearoa, but it’s the small community-led organisations within it that make the city thrive. The Spinoff spoke to two council-funded organisations who are doing their bit.“Torrent.” That’s the word one 40-year resident of Dundale Avenue used to describe what became of the ...
Commenting on the introduction of the living wage for all employees and contractors at Kāpiti Coast District Council, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “The problem with blanket living-wage policies is that they ...
With the upcoming SailGP event in Ōtautahi/Christchurch looming, there is mounting apprehension regarding the safety of Hector's dolphins, an endangered species unique to New Zealand waters. The event, scheduled to take place in an area frequented by ...
did anyone else go to ‘the spirit level’ lectures in ak this week..?
..takeaways..?
..and i wd urge those in regions south..
..to go and have defined for themselves..
..what actually needs to be done..
..(when they come to your town..1200 in ak is the target to beat..c’mon..!..you know you can see off the jafas..eh..?..
..i’m looking @ you..wellington..)
..as made by the authors..(to 1200 people in ak last nite..)..
..the case could not be clearer..
..(that was my takeaway..)
(..another sub-takeaway was the pointed comment from one of the authors..
..that the evidence clearly shows the last labour govt did virtually nothing to lessen the inequalites engendered by the rightwing-revolution/attack on the welfare state in the 1980’s..
..started by labour..and enthusiastically carried on by national..
..let’s hope they take all that blinding-evidence on board..
..and do better next time..
..eh..?..)
apropos of not much..
..my 16 yr old dog..(her name is lucy..)..is lying on her foam squab…just behind me..(within arms’ reach..)..
..she is covered by her ‘banky’..and has her head resting on her pillow..
..and she is wagging her tail..
..as i drop pieces of toast smeared with peanut butter and jam – into her mouth..
..(it’s a thing we do..and that all cheers me no end..)
cheers me too, Phillip ! 🙂
Had to have my nearly 20 year old dog put to sleep recently. I miss him so much. Dogs are wonderful companions and such trusting souls. Nice hearing about your dog Phil. Give Lucy a pat from me.
@ belladonna..
..sorry to hear about yr dog..
..a dread i have to (not) look forward too..
..this is pretty cool..
..and will confirm what you already know..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/dogs-feelings_n_5374334.html
one of mine is in my lap and the other lies beside me with a paw on my thigh. i understand your bond.
Synthetic cannabis fuelling Yemen’s terrorism ? Some revealing stats in this story …
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/23/how-synthetic-weed-fuels-yemen-s-terrorism.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet
Armstrong praisies Labour & Cunliffe – sort of – as ong as they look like National Lite, and don’t, you know, return to its roots, advocate for the poor and struggling Kiwis. Cause according to Armstrong, there is no problem for those on low incomes.
A bit of a twist from Mr Armstrong. There is a positive mood shift. The announcement of Opposition Policies can now go ahead post-Budget and leaves National less time to counter any positive feedback that comes from those policies.
The nats will also be talking up anti-Muslim rhetoric.
An old guy at a bus stop recently rambled on to me about the carelessness of young people today (litter in the streets). He then kind of back tracked and said his generation got criticised a lot by older people. then he said something about the hard times that are coming. I thought he was going to say something about an economic crash, and/or climate change. So I said, “Really?”. He then launched into a bit of a rant about the reports he’d read of conflict in an Avondale mosque, and how “those people” shouldn’t bring their fights to NZ.
First of all, do you mean anti-Muslim rhetoric in the sense of al-Qaeda etc, or anti-Muslim rhetoric against Muslim NZ citizens? I doubt they would the latter because there would be nothing to gained from it, and if you had regular contact with the NZ Muslim community you would soon find that, having minds of their own, and depending on whether they are Shia or Sunna, and depending on their country of origin, may very well agree with the newspaper article.
The author of the Daily piece seems to have an axe to grind with the NZMA that goes well beyond this single event.
Also I fail to see how desiring to keep foreign sectarian conflict out of New Zealand is in any way racist, prejudiced or even bad. It would be naive in the extreme to ignore what has happened in countries even more liberal than ours like Sweden and the Netherlands.
Well, it can often be hard to tell whether media beatups about (alleged) Muslim Jihads are motivated by Islamaphobia, but it does feed into fairly widely spread Islamophobia discourse.
The guy I talked to at the bus stop was explicitly anti-Islam.
Martyn Bradbury also has included in his post today, repsonses from someone else from the Muslim community. It certainly shows that there is a pretty one-sided view being presented in the MSM.
Yes, that was the story I mentioned before which you had already posted. The author appears to have an agenda against the NZMA.
I doubt xenophobic old coots are indicative of much – they’ve been around forever.
Hmm…
. The present dominant affect of anxiety is also known as precarity. Precarity is a type of insecurity which treats people as disposable so as to impose control. Precarity differs from misery in that the necessities of life are not simply absent. They are available, but withheld conditionally.
http://www.weareplanc.org/we-are-all-very-anxious/
For many young job-starters the lack of job security and unclear future careers must contribute to this precarity. Being on contracts where you only work when the manager needs you in the unholy name of “flexibility” must hurt.
Hooton believes that we only work well if scared. Well, that’s of course depends, if we are already wealthy then we do best being over paid. And if anyone says otherwise they are mean, raging, envious, and hate filled. So speaks the pure petulant voice of the right.
+1
The mindset of feudal lords, slave drivers and tyrants
Thanks. It’s thought provoking, and I tend to agree with the basic premis: that capitalism stimulates resisistance, then capitalism reacts to neutralise the resistance…. then a new form of resistance forms.
However, I think the periodised labels for each phase of resistance is pretty superficial – and US-based. Bored people in the 60s, tended to be amongst the more middle classes – and white and male. As they also state, there was always anxiety around sexuality – well that would include most women, and anyone who didn’t conform to sexual norms.
Anxiety now, would be more likely to be those in the middle incomes/wealth brackets – the most precarious have lives of daily struggle.
I agree karol – and thanks joe for the fabulous linky love as always.
I’m off to have a long read of that entire planc site. At first glance it’s the most intriuguing thing I’ve seen in ages.
Thanks Joe90
For ages I’ve been trying to put into words what is going wrong with trying to taking any kind of group action – the paralysis of the current age that he describes and the reasons for it. His analysis of this state and how we find ourselves here is an outstanding overview.
The only collective action that I’ve been involved in that hasn’t been seriously infected with it has been something I’ve been doing with a group of very well off middle-class people who are mostly a long way off precarious compared to people like me (though of course they are affected, just not infected). I’ve felt such a sense of frustration at this project powering ahead while just about every other collective action I’ve tried has floundered or limped meekly along without achieving anything much beyond just continuing to exist. Treading water, yet important causes and outstanding people rendered powerless.
edit: Embarrassed by my unthinking sexism in ascribing the article a male writer.
On Kim Hill’s Saturday Morning show today Harriet Sergeant was pontificating about the significance of the UKIP vote in local government elections in Britain. It made me feel ill – the more so because of the sycophantic way Hill treated this rightwing ideologue.
On the RNZ website Sergeant’s self description from her website was reproduced verbatim –
“a journalist, author and Research Fellow of the Centre for Policy Studies, an independent Think Tank…”
Instead of simply repeating Sergeant’s self-description, they should have mentioned that the Centre for Policy Studies is a right wing, neoliberal policy think tank which claims to be non-partisan but which has strong historical links to the British Conservative Party.
Unless, of course, Hill was deliberately trying to present a well known rightwing ideologue as a politically neutral researcher/commentator.
I emailed RNZ about this and it was not read out but Hill did mention the fact that the CPS has historical links to the Tory Party – having been set up by Thatcher.
Acknowledgement of having been caught out on sloppy research at best and political bias at worst would have been good but at least the record was set straight to some extent.
They do this the whole time.
Farrar is never described as a National Party pollster.
+1 Paul
“Farrar is never described as a National Party pollster.”
I’ll just leave these here…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503459&objectid=11254285
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5069779/Anti-MMP-plan-leaked
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2594442/political-observers-weigh-in-on-williamson-resignation
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8717357/Seriously-happy-to-upset-the-status-quo
(And there are many more, FYI)
Yes TWW I too thought that the fact that she was from a right wing think tank should have been made clear, though that became obvious when she gave her analysis.
She lumped Milliband in with Cameron and Clegg, where in fact he is not a public school toff like them but went to a comprehensive.
I also hated the way she dished public education in the UK (snotty), and the way she made out Farage, a right-wing populist, was a good guy. Show me the policies Farage.
She also failed to mention that if these poll results were replicated next year Labour would be likely to get elected without the need for a coalition partner. Like the rest of the Tory press she had written her analysis before Labour’s good results in London came in.
Was pleased to see Hammersmith and Fulham won back from the tories, the 11 seats won taking them to a 26 – 20 majority.
Now at least I have something to cheer about Fulham this year.
Yes TA great result in H and F-a Tory flagship council.
As a Burnley fan you will appreciate I’m cheering on two counts.
Cameron’s favourite, so I read. Can Imagine a few being sunk tonight on the broadways.
Enjoy the ride, ours got us a few minutes away from a penalty shoot out for the ueffa cup, and rid of that bizarre MJ statue.
I don’t care too much, just as long as Derby beat QPR. Looking forward to an easy six pointer next term 😉
Its common place to see moderate progressives of the left matched with right-wing revolutionary conservative types who peddle the extremism which their opponents have not the time or language to deconstruct. When growth was assured (cheap energy trending lower) the right got more extreme and stupid. It was easy living for parasites, to argue for more nothing and claim victory when achieved, and so much work kicking the poor, unions, communities.
We will have high taxes on the rich again, since we cannot afford to leave people in precarity where their time is spent getting by rather than growing the economy.
Similar story with the discussion on surgical mesh a couple of days ago – on Radio NZ.
The rebuttal to the surgeon who is dealing with women who are facing ongoing and debilitating issues, was “Associate Professor Malcolm Frazer – The urogynaecology spokesperson for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the immediate past vice chair of the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia.”
No mention of the fact that he derives income from other sources such as:
“Declaration of interest
Malcolm Frazer holds contracts as a preceptor for Johnson & Johnson Gynecare as well as American Medical Systems mesh products for which he receives a fee. He has received financial support from both organisations to attend scientific conferences as an invited lecturer.”
This declaration of interest can be found on one of his articles on the benefits of surgical mesh that he continues to write, and get income from the company that is undergoing a class action suit.
That would provide clarity to the discussion. I haven’t listened to the whole interview, but understand that National Women’s have stopped using this mesh because of the complications, and are keeping on the QT. ACC is continuing to refuse payment and treatment to those who have had complications from these mesh implants.
Dammit yes, she should have thrown tea cakes at him and set fire to herself in protest
Seems the NZH only told one side of the story and it appears they even got that wrong http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/05/24/the-truth-behind-the-avondale-mosque-stand-off/
I’m not sure that anti-NZMA screed is all that accurate either
This will be a litmus test of NZ’s clean green credentials.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/animals/news/article.cfm?c_id=500834&objectid=11257720
moroney seems to have just confirmed that labour will be doing nothing for many of the poorest..
..when asked specifically..
..she said that labour would give benificiary-families the $60 p.w tax credit..
..and raise minimum-wage to $15..
..nothing for the poorest/homeless/single unemployed..
..s.f.a…
..and for the very first time.. i had to agree with a part of a sentence from e.t.-impersonter colin craig..
..when he advocated tax cuts for the poorest..
.(.to end the bizarre ritual of taxing the unemployment-benefit..for starters..w.t.f. is the/any logic in that ..?..
..call taxing benefits for what it is..
..cutting benefits..)
..moroney shied away from that idea like a startled-horse..
Meanwhile, as the Immigration Service ordered the deportation of all four nannies employed to look after the couple’s five children, dotcon says “”The nannies are crying. They are completely destroyed,”
Why did kim not employ NZ nannies? Maybe hone can help find some kiwi staff for the mega mansion as part of the keep it New Zealand campaign. That would be great move to reduce unemployment and show his coalition partner has a handle on poverty in his adopted (for a little bit longer at least) country.
Or why not look after their own kids instead of paying someone else to bring them up.
Child neglect is common at both ends of town from the looks of it.
I think that the twins are autistic so they need extra care which is what less wealthy parents of autistic would desperately need and wish for.
“Or why not look after their own kids instead of paying someone else to bring them up.”
Indeed, or better still, government makes it an option to pay one parent to stay at home to raise babies while the other works.
“I think that the twins are autistic so they need extra care which is what less wealthy parents of autistic would desperately need and wish for.”
Sad indictment on this country if we don’t have suitably qualified staff to do that good work.
And right, less well off parents could do with the help. Hope the next government will grant the wish.
They were probably crying because he pays shit
200k offered to Banks, so that proves you get what you pay for.
“Why did kim not employ NZ nannies?”
My gods you sound bitter allen – got your wee jibes into Hone and Mana as well as Kim. How is your status here different to his?
It’s a fair point. Why import foreign labour to do what local labour is more than capable of doing?
You don’t know that “local labour is more than capable of doing” the role at all – you just suppose it – for instance we (generally) only know one language (english) here – could it be that they may have wanted a german speaking nanny? I don’t know but i’d allow for the possibility, certainly before adding this tidbit to the stack of ammunition used to attack dotcom, Hone and Mana.
I also think that many kiwi nannies around the world wouldn’t be too fussed with your foreign labour angle.
Hello Marty
No, not bitter, more a black comedy observation on the mismatch in interests here. Only nanny I ever knew was Mary Poppins and my nan, who in fact introduced me to her one Saturday movie matinee afternoon back in the early 70s.
As for my status, I don’t know for sure. I’ll cheer anything with a lion or a rose on it, but most of the time I’ve assimilated quite well. I bred with a local woman and got married and had a child born here, who holds a NZ passport in her name, just like her mother, her grandmother and her great grandmother.
Mostly I consider myself, after 13 years on the good waka Aotearoa as one of the crew, but sometimes it’s not just the flow of the ocean lapping at the hull where I find resistance.
Legally, my 10 year passport with my permanent residency silver dollar stickers ran out 4 years ago, I found out I was a shoe in for citizenship, and though a little affronted at not only being asked to pay near 5 hundy membership fee, despite 14 years of A ok service and going 50% in a fantastic little kiwi chick, I’m comfortable in the knowledge I didn’t sink 50 grand into Bank’s campaign fund after hearing from the horses mouth it was to keep it secret and anonymous, or if believed, 200k, I didn’t get it because I needed a little red box audio interface box of magic (though sadly it hasn’t made my cathatic musical musings any easier to listen to).
As for Hone, I mean him no ill, and though I’m no politician, robust debate should come as nothing new to him. He even built his career on it, so no harm done. That’s why I’, not bothered by the bitter thing. I wouldn’t read that much into it.
Happy to concede it could be the delivery and style.
You’re all good, Mars, eh. See, even talking like you lot now, though you’ll have to imagine it coming in a less put on Michael Caine sort of way).
Well I for one am pleased you are here adding your bit to the cause.
I probably am oversensitive with the comedy – my father was english and, well, to be truthful, we didn’t get on very well – coloured me rotten that did, tainted me.
Half lion heart, that’ll account for the being up for it bit 😆
Wrong person to speak to about tainted as I’m quite sure there are a few who’s opinion on my place of birth has altered for the negative through meeting me and not always with justification, but then that could say more about them than I. I’m too busy paddling and keeping one eye on the bailing bucket not the life raft to take it all to heart.
lol perhaps it does account for me being an obnoxious, argumentative bastard sometimes, perhaps not – we are all made up of many strands of whakapapa, many connections and that is common to every single one of us on this planet (not counting aliens of course)
Nah, how it works for al1ens too, and all the better for it.
If you really want to know why they didn’t employ NZ nannies, why not send him an email and ask? There could be any number of reasons.
I also don’t think that Hone acting as an employment agency for the mansion would do much at all to reduce unemployment. Did you make this stuff up yourself, or get it from WhaleSpew?
Thought of it myself and sadsack’s opinions have never interested me one bit. If anything I should be accused of envy politics about how money buys hired help while those without have sod all, and that’s hardly wo material.
Like stated, a black comedy observation on the bizarre nature of the political union.
And in an opinion dedicated forum of my peers. How dare I? lol
Hey Phil don’t judge Sue Morony by 5 minutes on the Nation, she is not the enemy my friend.
Compared to most of the LP MP’s, Sue has the lowest income earners firmly in mind. I’ve known her since we were in our early 20’s when she was fighting the fight as a young Union organiser. She has never faultered from that fight, not once. I credit Moroney for unseating Shearer as Leader and fighting to get Labour back Left. First you have to gain power to make the nessasary social changes. Like many I detest the ‘middle vote rhetoric’ however it’s all about mopping up soft votes. There is enough dog whistling to the low income group from Labour to attract the vote. Remember Matt McCarten is ‘monitoring the noise level.’
You sit back and relax as you do, the Red Dragon is steady on a Left course. Let us do the hard work and you reap the rewards of our hard toil.
@ skinny..
..i am not attacking moroney..
..i am just expressing my dismay at no clear policies from labour to help the worst off..
..(and i am aware of moroneys’ placement in the ideological-rainbow that is labour..)
..and y’know..’once bitten etc..’..eh..?..( the last labour govt..they promised to end neo-liberalism to get elected..then did nothing..
..so..y’know..!..my concerns do have some grounding in fact/history..eh..?
..and i am just pointing out that there is a vacuum there..
..and with mana/internet party offering concrete-policies to deal to inequality/the gross-poverty-stricken society we have become..since that rightwing-revolution in the 80’s..
.it is to them those missing-million voters will turn..
..which..as a mana voter..suits me..
..but i have my commentary-hat on when i warn you of this..
Pity Brendon Who’s insipid smoking gun used against Winston this week was so lacking in substance ae Phillip, if there was a knotted noose evident anywhere in Brendon Who’s allegations we might have seen a repetition of 2008 for NZFirst which would have clarified ‘options’ greatly,
Specially If as i suspect, an alliance of Mana/Internet would produce a resultant 3–4% of the party vote for that entity…
Fair enough Phil. The problem is many Lefties like yourself and I turned off Labour in disgust, dating back to the treachery of Douglas & Prebble. It allowed the Right within the party to hold sway, reflected in their candidate/MP selections. The bottom straw was Goff taking the leadership, I walked in protest (after 4 years) and only came back after his dismissal. I realise you can only make change from within.
Referring to Mana, I believe they are about to make a huge mistake by aligning with The Inernet Party. Dotcom isstarting to look like the shady character that he is, and lets face it had he not got busted he would probably have been quite happy to be donating to the ACT party.
How do you defend a man who in a recent interview has the opinion that Government needs ‘less regulations.’ Now how can a political party like Mana entertain forming any arrangement with a Party that’s founder his this neo-liberal ideology.
Bradford has understandably balked at any suggestion of joining forces. What the heck is Minto thinking? And you for that matter? Hone having got to know him is a alpha male type fuckwit who I can see getting rolled by Kelvin Davis if the merger happens? Outside of Bradford, Annette Sykes I have a fair bit of time for, however she is weak by not fronting the their alpha ape Leader. Sykes has a great chance of unseating Favell, however Labour look like fucking that up by throat slitting the candidate vote. The Left fail to grasp howto play MMP, or should I say refuse to bend and work as a team.
working backwards..
“..The Left fail to grasp howto play MMP, or should I say refuse to bend and work as a team..”
i agree..
“..Now how can a political party like Mana entertain forming any arrangement with a Party that’s founder his this neo-liberal ideology..”
..i understand that mana has no problems with the internet party policies..
..so they can’t be that ‘neo-iberal’..
“..Bradford has understandably balked at any suggestion of joining forces..”
an aspect of bradfords’ objections puzzles me..(in fact i have never heard/seen her actual objections detailed..)
..in that she was part of the alliance..a ,mix of 5 parties..including social credit..
..next to that..this hook-up looks simple..
..and i don’t agree with yr ‘mistake’ ..call..
..and i made a prediction this morning..and the reasons for..
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/come-my-revolution-the-apathetic-will-get-their-say-commentwhoar-what-percentage-of-the-vote-will-the-mana-partyinternet-party-get-i-make-a-call-and-for-why/
Interesting read Phil, 10% way out there on that one. 2.5% is a good result 3% outstanding.
skinny..they are getting that result now..
..before the campaigning has even started…
..you can’t see a good..nay..inspirational..campaign..
..(aimed at those non-voters/missing million voters..)
..piling 5% on top of that..?
..i can..
Really, phil? You haven’t looked very far if you haven’t seen/heard Sue Bradford state her objections.
And I’m with Bradford on being wary of the Internet Party – which is pretty much KDC’s baby. I need more than a few election-focused policies. I would need to see how the party operates if they gets any MPs.
My vote will go to the Greens – I have more of an idea of what I’m getting, and more info about the consistency of their underlying values – such values will inform how any MP operates when they are faced with new situations once in government.
This is my choice, others may make a different choice.
@ karol..
..i read yr link..
..and i am still left with the question..
..what are the logical/rational reasons why mana and internet parties should not do an alliance-lite deal to fight this election..?
..all i can see is that he is rich..has a criminal record from when young..
..that he gave banks some money..
..and i am surprised that bradford cannot see the possibilty of the internet party standing alone..getting..say..4.5% of the vote..
..and if that happened..those anti-govt votes would be wasted..
..i am puzzled that bradford cannot see this:..
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/original-whoar-cartoon-why-the-mana-party-and-the-internet-party-should-coalesce/
Bradford has string left principles – it’s not about getting votes by compromising on principles.
Bradford has also said that it takes longer to build a movement – as she sees Mana – not just as a party. She has said something about linking to the Internet Party as a short cut that, ultimately will not help build a strong movement.
I am surprised you cannot see the potential problems of being linked with the Internet Party if they don’t support left wing policies once in the House; that you can’t see the concerns about linking with a pretty unknown quantity politically.
But, whatever – I prefer to go with those with a track record that I feel I can trust.
“..Bradford has also said that it takes longer to build a movement ..”
yes..well..
it’s been how many years..?
..and the /movement’ wasn’t even registering 1% support..
..i feel the urgencies to fix what is broken/get rid of these rightwing bastards..
.. is more important than an individuals niceties about how it ‘should’ be done..
..especially when that way has been so glacial in growth/outcomes..
..we don’t have the luxury of that time to wait..
..seriously..!..i see no rational thought/logic in that argument..
..’tis a nonsense..
..i joined the mana party when it first started..because i saw the mana party as the best vehicle for the changes i want to see..
..i don’t want mana to be one percent..or less..
..i want them in parliament..kicking arse..
“by not fronting the their alpha ape Leader”
What does that mean? – because it sounds quite offensive to me and if my interpretation is correct then you can get fucked you pretend-insider arsehole but I could have it wrong and if so then all the words after ‘because’ can be disregarded.
No, there’s no logic in it but if you take that to it’s logical end then there’s no point in taxing any government employees income.
Tax cuts would do a fat load of good for those on low incomes. A lot less then a wage hike would be for? Plus it will leave less for things like health and education.
And does Craig really favour cutting the MW?
what can you mean..?
..a tax-free threshold of..say..$15-$20,000..as part of a multi-faceted ending-poverty program of legislation..
..will most certainly ‘help those on low incomes’..
..and how to pay for it..?
..for starters..treasury did research that showed that a small financial transaction tax on inter-bank interactions..
..would raise enough money to be able to do away with gst altogether..
..as i said..’for starters’..
..it’s all just a matter of changed/different priorities..
..eh..?
an episode of tv so bad it sets a new benchmark..
..the guy from the civilian..and gower..trying to do a comedy-routine..
..it is gobsmackingly awful…
‘hoots’ hooten sets his own new benchmark..
..after scoffing at/scorning any calls to end inequality..
..he pleads ‘to end the inequality of our companies paying a higher corporate tax than norway’..(!)
..(he seemed quite sincere..quivering lower-lip and all..
..he had me reaching for the tissues..on this/heir behalf..)’
homage to mathew hootON! graham chapman
http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=X0DqEdaVEBg
Armed only with their bodily fluids, members of a rack Public Films commando unit attacked and successfully desecrated a right-wing monument in South Auckland yesterday:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/honouring-obelisk.html
The Moot:
”My major claims are that 10% of those who have or do use tobacco products and have a Lung Cancer at any time is not a reliable statistic which shows cause and effect when 90% of the users of the same product never have a Lung Cancer at any time”,
And,
”IF 50% of those who have ever used tobacco products will die of either Cancer or Heart Disease, SO WHAT, even treated in the most kind manner the statistics show that 49% of people who have never used tobacco products will also die of a Cancer or Heart disease”,
The reply to the Moot:
”As i said, you’ve got no fucken evidence to refute decades of evidence from the actual people who know what they’re talking about”,
Now that is what i call a really compelling argument that 90% of those who have ever used tobacco products WILL NOT develop Lung Cancer therefor using tobacco products is the cause of 10% of such users developing Lung Cancer,
An unsustainable suspect ‘statistic i would suggest, and as for have ‘No evidence’, Pfft, theres this,
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/research/projects/cancergenome/
”The Welcome Trust Sanger Institutes cancer genome project is lead jointly by Professor Mike Stratton and Dr Peter Campbell”,
”All cancers occur due to abnormalities in the DNA sequence. Cancer affects people at all ages with risks for most cancer types increasing with age”
That to me simply says that the 10% those who develop Lung Cancer and have smoked have a specific genetic anomaly and the 90% who have smoked and never develop a Lung Cancer do not have that same genetic anomaly,
The proof of my little assertion there will be when the studies of the genome become advanced enough where they compare the genome of smokers who did not develop Lung Cancer with those that did,(i have yet to come across such a study but such research is still in its infancy),
Cancers occur when mistakes occur in cell replication at a genetic level, across all cancers, smokers/never smoked there is one point 60–70 years of age that is the commonality,
Contrary views are that as industrialized tobacco production and therefor higher rates of tobacco use occurred in the previous century rates of all cancers increased does not explain the increase in the rates of cancer for those who never smoked whereas the age at which we live to also increased during the latter part of the previous century,
In the future genetic science will identify exactly which gene(s) are at the center of the mistakes in cell reproduction which produce cancers and hopefully find a means of stopping those mistakes occurring…
well..that’s me convinced..!
..i’m off to buy a packet of marlboro..and an ashtray..
According to the Dr Tashkin you linked us all to last week Phillip, your dope smoking has you well on the way to developing cancerous growths in your airways,
No need to switch to the ciggies my friend, just roll another spliff…
The Nation on TV3 today had a very good segment on Inequality fronted by the authors of the Spirit level. They are well spoken, fair and intelligent experts on the subject, in contrast to the ‘critic’ in the panel, Hooton, who pretends to be some sort of expert on everything with his pretty useless low level comments. Boring and completely biased commentator. Waste of time trying to listen to his ‘expert’ views!
Indeed. I mean the idea that CEO’s would notice some slashing to their incomes would effect
them, but their employees who could be paid more would not notice, was totally missed on him.
Despite being the whole point of inequality at its heart. Hooton is a very smart moron.
Hooton was totally shown up on the subject, and it showed by his usual ‘selective narrative’ I laughed as the interviewer/host quickly shot poor old ‘snake oil’ salesman Matthew down over his 20% company tax claim.
The highlight was the Hosts introduction of Hooton ‘former National Party staffer’ oh did you see Hooton wince, such pain being described as a ‘has been.’
I bet poor old Matty is currently sitting at a bar alone in Ponsonby Rd, on the sauce half sozzled by now, after making a nuisance of himself drunkenly rambling of better days gone by when he use to be someone within National.
at antoines surely, for pre opening drinkies
Ha ha that sounds about right Tracey.
So what does inequality look like? Well the richest
would be able to pay their taxes, who pay more of the
tax base as inequality grows. Housing would become
scarce as the poorest couldn’t afford new houses
(leave for OZ, live more to a home, rent in decaying homes), demand
for decades would fall, and housing prices would rise
further pushing more people out.
Of course, no inequality in NZ say Key.
Let’s understand The Rich do not pay taxes, not the way trusts are set up in NZ. One of the highest on the Rich List is wont to boast he owns nothing, earns nothing … all safely taken care of by Queen Street accountants in family trusts. I think it is the greatest rort of them all, and should be challenged and changed.
+111
Exactly yeshe! I bet a dollar that in spite of being very rich John Key would pay minimal tax. A wage/salary earner cannot avoid but Trusts of the wealthy hide billions.
crosby textors tactics against an nz milk brand revealled today by a whistleblower. stuff article very clearly states key and national use and have close links with crosby textor.
read online at stuff
Thanks.
The links between Key National and Crosby Textor or have been in the public domain for a long time, and owned by key & National.
Evidence of this particular campaign is new – and it also reveals something of CT’s strategies.
Also written about in Aussie’s The Age.
Edit: BTW, that article says Phillip Morris is one of the corporates that helps pay C-T’s bills. Apparently advising political parties doesn’t bring much money for them.
Karol .. the CT/Phillip Morris link might explain the sudden emergence of those new Nat candidates freshly stinking from the smoking lobby.
Just for accuracy.
A strong Tory neoliberal government will always lead to a more permissive environment for corporates and the 1% i.e. the CT client base.
Thus CT will be very busy advising corporates on how to effectively lobby government, lobby political parties and lobby MPs. In such activities CT can therefore also truthfully claim that they ‘don’t advise political parties very much.’
It’s just more sophistry and spin of course.
didnt a well known professional lobbyist hautily write recently he doesnt work for political parties… as if stating he doesnt influence politics.
It’s like a parallel universe where these people think they are so smart and that the rest of us all came down in the last sun shower.
hopefully those who feel precious about our diarying, like judith collins (just joking), will see the strategy referred to here and assume they do the same for other clients like key and national. perhaps why fairfax wanted to water down the john key lies, article ahead of this one.
“those who feel precious about our dairying, like judith collins (just joking)”
I laughed on a couple of levels. The oravida politics bit and because Judith, more and more, looks like the hi-de-hi camp comedian’s butt of the joke, silly old cow mother-in-law.
Lighten’s a miserable Saturday afternoon with a two for one special.
the Minister for Dairies
And a play on words for the third, Judith’s dairy sells a range of illegal lows
Autism and Human Rights
This is the bit that stood out to me:
Because it’s at the centre of the divide between rich and poor.
And a large part of it is simply a moralistic, self righteous division of self-exaltation.
BTW both the Right and the Left do this.
At the same time as the Abbott govt and it’s coalition partner are squabbling about how to dismantle the previous Labour govt intitiatives on climate change:
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/climate-angst-rises-with-record-temperatures-20140523-38uek.html#ixzz32b0f78j3
Auckland’s autumn has been pretty balmy this year as well. Hardly need any heating at all, except maybe if I’m still up later at night/early hours.
Also, this from Bloomberg News, on Stuff.
The remarkable thing is how deeply unpopular Abbott has made himself in just 8 short months. It’s almost at the point where the backbench revolt is going to force Joe Hockey into a deeply embarrassing U-turn on some Budget measures.
But Abbott is a soft-target for my anger and despair. The truth is taking effect action against climate change is not the kind of thing democracies are good at imposing on an unenthusiastic population. If we thought telling them not to spank their kiddies was fraught – trying to take their cars off them (even if just symbolically), and all the other changes implied by real action – is going to be way, way harder.
JMG has taken a well-earned break from his series of remarkable essays, but the last two are to my mind the climax of the entire body of work:
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/the-time-of-seedbearers.html
Sweet F.A. people wanted Abbott as PM, and that’s even including Coalition supporters. But Labour made themselves totally toxic, so that’s what you get.
While true in many ways, Labor/Rudd got voted in on a clear carbon trading scheme/climate change action platform. Giving in to corporate and factional pressure fucked Australian Labor in the eyes of the electorate and their polls dived.
The lesson being – electorates are often far more progressive than politicians who sound brave and forward thinking on the campaign trail, but rapidly become risk averse and befuddled when under the sway of lobbyists and factional considerations after taking office.
Video of storm moving in across Dunedin Harbour.
Yeah it was quite something
Money creation and the nz economy
A slideshow showing the illogic and irrationality of our monetary system.
It is really great to use the net to catch up on programs. This Native Affairs program is awesome and covers really interesting subjects that are important in this election year.
The titford stuff shows the underlying agenda of a few racist, big moneyed men and women. They have an agenda!!!!! It is the same agenda that they use for everything and it is designed to help them gain more influence and money. It is not a coincidence that a lot of them used to be and often still are, ‘in’ political parties. These moneyed people are trying both overtly and covertly to ‘own’ this country, set the agenda and, as I have said, gain influence and money – and with the election coming up they will be and are, up to their usual tricks. They are scum. They create illusion, distrust and division. They are working hard right now to implement their agenda. Be awake and aware – if not, they will trample you, your family and everything/everyone you believe in and hold dear, to make an extra dollar.
http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/native-affairs/S08E010/native-affairs
and the follow up
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-tall-tales
”28.5 teaspoons of sugar in one jar of ”Chicken tonight” sweet and sour simmer sauce”, Source–Herald online,
At a time when we as a country are faced with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes the use of such obscene amounts of sugar in products should not be tolerated,
The world health organization has just lowered its recommended daily sugar intake to 6 teaspoons max and four people dining on a dinner containing the whole jar of the product highlighted by the Herald-online would be already over that recommendation without taking into account anything else any of them had ate during the rest of the day…
I seriously doubt if the whole jar would be used. Certainly not in any meal I make – I only use two desert spoons full in each serving of stir-fry that I make.
Manufacturers use large amounts of salt, sugar and flavour enhancer (MSG) to disguise how poor quality and tasteless the base ingredients in their products are.
National’s policy of looking at whole of life spending is reaping huge benefits for those involved. A 20 year old on a benefit at age 20 currently spends another 20 years on a benefit. National have arranged mentors to assist young people to get off a benefit and into employment or training. This is expensive up front but well worthwhile in the long term. There is less crime and thus less imprisonment thus saving incarceration costs. Area by area the public service is looking at ways to reduce spending in future years. Compare this with the lolly scramble mentality of Labour that splashes money without regard to outcomes.
Compare this with the lolly scramble mentality of Labour that splashes money without regard to outcomes.
Citations needed.
How about spending more money on health and getting less operations.
That’s not a citation. Try again.
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/record-numbers-elective-surgery
Open to debate. And Annette King adds to the criticism. And was behind recommendations that never got picked up.
And you still haven’t presented any citations about Labour’s policies with respect to getting people into jobs.
Here’s a clue.
And another.
And you haven’t mentioned the Greens or Mana policies, either.
I haven’t mentioned Green or Mana policies. I don’t read joke books. The scary thing is that such nutbars would be Ministers in a Cunliffe led government. Sadly a collection of losers can trump the first place getter. That’s why first place has to be over 50%.
No, you read delusional ones. That’s why a) you have no sense of humour and b) believe everything that National says.
Don’t bother DtB. fisi is a pet troll we keep around because it’s kind of cute how he cares enough to keep pestering us all these years …..