NZ$45 ANNUAL RETURN FILING FEE HAS BEEN REINTRODUCED: Fee changes came into effect on 1 August 2012 including a fee of NZ$45 payable when you file your company annual return.
The sign of a desperate government? Is the filing fee justified when for the most part it is automated?
Surely one of the problems with the economy is people assume there is only one reason for a decision. When I pay hard cash for something I expect a better quality of service, I expect consumer rights, etc. So sure its a extra cost but it also means the expectation about the handling of information rises. Oh, wait, no, my expectation of government protecting provacy is abysmal….
…yeah, no, you’re right, it is just a tax grab that targets small businesses who have started up more entities because the cost was lower, and I would not be surprised to see a contraction in business entities…. …so classic National, make changes that make them look ineffective.
An underfunded government department, on the other hand, would find it very useful.
So the government underfunds all departments, so they introduce or increase costs like this one. Birth certificates, passports, land information, any official data, fire and ambulance fees, expect them all to rise if they haven’t already, as department heads try to make income equal expenditure.
National’s brighter future: fucking you over in a thousand little ways and a few dozen big ways since 2008.
paid $48 for a new Driver’s Licence last week and was a little stunned to be honest.
but at least i discovered that the NZTA and the DL folk don’t share info. The DL folk had an address from six years ago, now a carpark, whilst I updated my NZTA info just last year when i suspended reg on the truck.
That is monopoly power abuse. The Commerce Commission should investigate.
Exactl;y like EQC in Christchurch. The Serious Fraud Office should be investigating EQC over its conduct. Fraud is “misrepresentation for the purpose of pecuniary gain”. You will read in this article here about EQC’s historic privacy breach that, with one example client, the EQC file indicated repairs of $59,000 yet EQC told the client it was only $30,000, so $30,000 was the sum of the payout. That is simple and outright dishonesty.
Dishonesty and misrepresentation for the purpose of financial gain. Simple.
The Serious Fraud Office must investigate
(and as soon as our repair is complete a complaint will be made. The approach and ‘mistakes’ have been so bizarre that it could have nothing but intentional)
Perhaps now people outside of Chch East will understand why no EQC offices have outside signs and instead have security guards and razor wire. It is absolutely unbelievable.
A ‘bullshit’ company will be used and abused within a year. Also, if you don’t trade, but just hold names, like a lot do, then you don’t need your accounts done.
This is an invitation to a submission writing workshop to assist with writing submissions on Glencoal’s proposed Mangatangi mine, which is located in Mangatawhiri. It is also open to people who need more information.
Material available at the meeting will be Glencoal’s resource consent applications and information on concerns about this mine.
Time:
You can turn up any time from 3pm onwards today, Tuesday, 26/3/13
Venue: Mangatawhiri Community Hall, Just Past the famous (though now closed) Ice Cream Castle on the old SH2. (now by passed by the new diversion)
Directions Coming from Auckland:
At the Pokeno interchange at the bottom of the Bombay Hill get on to SH2 heading East. Continue on SH2 till you see the Mangatawhiri off ramp.
Take this exit to remain on the old road.
The workshop will be led by members of The Mangatawhiri Mine Action Group and Auckland Coal Action.
Why now?
The US Intelligence in the Wellington Embassy would have know of overseas bank account held by a senior UN official who had become the leader of the Labour Party and the non disclosure under pecuniary intetest rules.
Others would have know about the Shearer bank account and the non disclosure under pecuniary intetest rules.
So why now?
When it comes to corruption and lying, I agree that Shearer is not on the same planet as Banks. However, Banks’s failings are widely known and he’s unlikely to be put in a position where he can do much harm. Shearer is going for a position as leader of our government, without any of us really knowing what he stands for. He doesn’t have to be corrupt or dishonest to do a lot of damage – just supporting a corrupt and dishonest system and giving us more of the same is sufficient.
So yeah, he behaves better than Banks but he is still far more danger to us. Being well behaved is hardly comforting.
And Shearer says he disclosed the income from the overseas account to the NZ IRD.
If he has an overseas income he is assessable for tax overseas. That status will cause credits to be available or debits to be payable at certain points in the year. These, depending on timing, should be declated under the rules for all MPs.
lol
true enough – but surely only if the tax credits are above $50k? i.e. if the tax paid on the interest in the account was above $50k, then it needs to be declared (at a rough guess that would be a few mill in the account at 30% tax on interest)? Or are tax credits under different criteria in the rules?
A test series victory against England (and a comprehensive one), would really give me a spring in my step today. Make all the other problems go away, for the moment anyway.
Backs against the wall, bulldog spirit to the front, and fight it out for an against the odds draw.
Won’t make all the other problems go away, but will give me a laugh all the same.
You always bring up Craig Joubert yet never bring up Wayne Barnes – why is that? Either way is just as pathetic.
Apologies if this is the first time you have mentioned him but I’ve noticed it a few times on this site and assume if you are bringing him up this long after the world cup it is not the first time.
You always bring up Craig Joubert yet never bring up Wayne Barnes – why is that?
That is because there is no valid or credible comparison between the two. Barnes missed a forward pass in the first half and the All Blacks scored a try from that. Then he missed a forward pass in the second half and the Tricolors scored a try from that. In other words: Barnes made a couple of honest mistakes, which cancelled each other out. Joubert on the other hand steadfastly refused to penalise the blatant cheating by the All Blacks, even though the home team was fouling flagrantly and systematically.
Either way is just as pathetic.
It was and is pathetic and stupid to complain about Barnes’s honest mistakes. And in fact nobody respected and knowledgeable did complain. “Sir” Graham was cajoled by silly old Bob Howitt to insert into in his dull co-written autobiography a ridiculous chapter full of fantastical complaints about Barnes. It is worth noting that nobody—i.e. NOBODY—who knows anything about rugby took Sir Graham’s book seriously.
The disgraceful display by non-referee Craig Joubert is an entirely different matter, of course.
He missed a forward pass and didn’t award the all blacks a single penalty in the second half. Which had never happened before in the history of rugby. But yeah obviously no comparison between the two.
He missed TWO forward passes. One directly led to a try for New Zealand, one directly led to a try for France. In other words, they cancelled one another out. Why are you choosing to say he missed ONE forward pass?
…and didn’t award the all blacks a single penalty in the second half.
The Tricolors did not offend in the second half. Please view a tape of the match some time when you are sober.
But yeah obviously no comparison between the two.
We’ll ignore your desperate resort to sarcasm, and reiterate what you already know to be the truth: there is no credible case to be made that Barnes’s refereeing “robbed” the All Blacks of victory over France.
There is ample evidence that Craig Joubert’s egregious display of partiality in the 2011 final was THE crucial factor in the All Blacks’ win….
To clarify I don’t blame Barnes for the All Blacks losing, the whole thing was ridiculous. Just as claiming Joubert is the reason the French lost is ridiculous.
You’re right he wasn’t blowing up the All Blacks, but he also wasn’t penalising the French. The penalty count ended up being 7-10 in favour of the All Blacks (for reference 2007 was 7-2 to France). That’s hardly evidence of a huge bias.
However, now you seem to have moved onto some peoples favourite conspiracy theory that somehow the IRB (which is mainly comprised of Northern hemisphere nations) convinced a South African ref to intentionally gift the game that is meant to be the sports show piece to the All Blacks. Sounds reasonable.
If that is your belief have fun with that. Meanwhile the rugby loving people in NZ will console themselves with the fact that whatever you believe it still says NZ on the trophy. No matter what you say the fact that you are still bringing up Joubert 18 or so months later shows that that really pisses you off.
To clarify I don’t blame Barnes for the All Blacks losing, the whole thing was ridiculous.
Good. You are a rational human being. That’s good.
Just as claiming Joubert is the reason the French lost is ridiculous.
Sorry, but your logic is grossly flawed. There is simply not a case that can be made that equates Barnes’s two honest errors in 2007, one affecting each team, with Joubert’s systematic refusal to penalise the flagrant cheating of the home team in 2011.
You’re right he wasn’t blowing up the All Blacks, but he also wasn’t penalising the French. The penalty count ended up being 7-10 in favour of the All Blacks (for reference 2007 was 7-2 to France). That’s hardly evidence of a huge bias.
Abusing statistics like that is misleading at best, utterly spurious at worst. The fact that the final penalty count was roughly even completely obscures the fact that the All Blacks were not penalized, despite the most flagrant fouling, ALL of it committed right in front of the (non-) referee.
However, now you seem to have moved onto some peoples favourite conspiracy theory that somehow the IRB (which is mainly comprised of Northern hemisphere nations) convinced a South African ref to intentionally gift the game that is meant to be the sports show piece to the All Blacks.
You are attempting to trivialize this argument by casting me as a conspiracy theorist. I’m not. There is no evidence that Joubert conspired to destroy the final. Whether his failure to do his job was deliberate or due to stage-fright is something that has not yet been, and may never be, determined for sure. What IS certain is that he repeatedly ignored the most outrageously flagrant and systematic cheating ever seen on Eden Park, or any other stadium for that matter.
Sounds reasonable.
No it doesn’t. There is no evidence to suggest Joubert colluded, although you can understand why so many French fans are convinced of it.
If that is your belief have fun with that.
Again, you are trivializing this issue. It’s not a case of my “belief”; it is an objective fact that Joubert failed grievously to do his job and referee fairly and impartially in the final of the 2011 RWC. That’s not my “belief”; it’s a gruesome truth. Here, see (again) for yourself….
Meanwhile the rugby loving people in NZ will console themselves with the fact that whatever you believe it still says NZ on the trophy.
Actually, most rugby fans in this country try not to talk about that final. It’s very much a guilty open secret. They know—as you know—that the All Blacks probably would have been beaten in a fair contest, just as they were in 2007, and 1999.
No matter what you say the fact that you are still bringing up Joubert 18 or so months later shows that that really pisses you off.
I don’t like to see the game I love being trashed by the incompetence or corruption of a non-referee. Yes, it does kind of “piss me off”.
And it’s a good thing it’s only back office staff that have been cut in the public sector eh? What use are they anyway? The constant parade of fuck ups and privacy snafus are just the new normal, totally unrelated.
on TV3 news it was also mentioned that Fonterra are looking to buy DOC silence on our poisoned waterways with a measely $20 million. Of course they framed the situation a little differently.
and (from Stuff) Nick Smith , “the cuts would include work protecting endangered species deep in the conservation estate. ” I’m only on coffee #2, but is that not what the DOC is actually for ?
I mean doesn’t the name kinda give a big hint ?
Its worse than that. Joyce is anti-science, by choice, when he ignores the obvious global heating, of increase floods and droughts that would indicate that increasing water intense milk production and cartage costs, is a economically and environmentally unviable. Environment S.Canterbury was inhibiting diary growth…
…get with the plan, National hate the idea of considering the medium to long term outcomes.
A lot of DOC resources spent on pest eradication targets areas around farm land, sometimes exclusively. They call the areas “priority sites”. The purpose is to prevent bovine tuberculosis. No doubt they also target other sites to actually protect native flora and fauna, those ones we see on TV for example.
A cynic could look at the shift in government resources as being from one area of farm support to another, including in name. It might enable DOC to focus on other areas. Somehow I doubt that it will happen like that, though..
In many ways libertarianism reads like the first third of Marxism: the area which explores methodological questions and the nature of man. Both libertarianism and Marxism are generally fairly agreeable – and in agreement – in this area, but the former never really fleshes out its arguments satisfactorily. Often I find libertarians, after describing some basic principles (non coercion etc.), make the jump to property rights and capitalism being the bestest thing ever, without fully explaining it.
I bet most libertarians don’t realise that their economic theory is even close to what Marx theorised.
I bet most Marxists don’t realise how close their economic theory is to Libertarianism.
Though interesting as the History of Philosophy, they are failed theories fixated with 19th Century conceived utopias.
Of course most Marxists hide their true colours behind intellectually faddish and obscurantist pedantry such as “Post Modernism”, “Social Constructivism”, “Post Structuralism” as can be seen on this site.
[lprent: The only person I see using most of these terms around here is you. And even then you mostly use them incorrectly. I guess you prefer to assign your own meanings to labels instead of finding out what other people have actually said. Overall you give a distinct impression of being pig-ignorant and rather stupid to boot.
However that isn’t why I’m noting here. You lack a basic ability to judge the situation or where the bounds are. So I’ll make it easy for you. If I see you ever attack or even mildly criticize my authors again then you will be kicked off this site with no chance of ever returning. To that end, all of your comments will require my personal release out of moderation until I’m sure that you can control yourself. ]
Actually they do for the most part. The Teabaggers are not particularly representative of most Libertarians I know. Quite a few of them identify more with Anarchism than they do with Ayn Rand, some of them are even quite principled (but admittedly have an unrealistic consequence-free understanding of human nature and the world which leads me to suspect most of them are on the Autism spectrum somewhere – ie, they are not neccissarily illogical but they don’t quite grasp that most human beings are not perfect moral beings and are often driven by sentiment).
Oh, please, like empathic people are incapable of using faith to get what they want. People are not perfect is core to the whole growth of cults and the sentimentality industry. Teabangers are overwhelmingly faith based, and I have no idea how a Christian would square that with anarchism.
The tea party is a media construct, find some extreme group, give them publicity as their beliefs support right wing extremism, so that your pliant viewers will be motivated to off their couches.
Yes, well you’ve just demonstrated a fairly dramatic lack of understanding of Libertarianism, Randian Objectivism, Anarchism, Christianity, American politics, Teabagger appeal to the American Revolution, and anything I was in fact saying.
Libertarians actually for the most part seem to be motivated by a genuine belief in thier philosophy, despite it being completely contrary to most people’s experience of the world – this is because they can’t quite understand how normal people actually think or are genuinely in denial about themselves – which is actuall fairly close to the psychology of religious fundementalism. Protestantism and Anarchism are in fact very closely related. Also you should compare the US Bill of Rights and Constitution with a few Anarchist manifestos – the similarities are startling. And I think you’ll find that the Tea Party is the tip of the iceberg as far as US conservative politics go – they are merely the most extreme bit. Behold the popularity of mingbats like Palin and Bachmann. I’m not even sure how to categorise a psycho like Rand Paul.
None of the ones I’ve met have. When you mention Marx they point to the USSR and scream force completely ignoring that Marx would never have endorsed either of the political systems in the USSR or China.
As the article I linked to points out, Libertarians have a tendency to ignore the human relations that are part and parcel of interacting with other humans and thus ignore human rights in favour of property rights. I’ve even had one, Tribeless whom you may remember, tell me that democracy was bad because it prevented him doing whatever he wanted. He even kept that notion after agreeing that people had the right not to be affected by anyone else without their permission.
And seeing the report on the Sultan of Brunei visiting I would like to know why is the PM having dinner tomorrow with a super rich prick who has no belief in Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy, oh hang on I think I just answered my own question
Do I think the PM, while in South America to build NZ trading relationships, should turn up at the biggest event on that continent knowing it will be attended by every leader of every nation on the continent?
Therefore you shouldn’t have a problem with the PM having one dinner with the head of state of one of the riches nations in the region given the trade potential and following on from last year’s drive to promote trade with Indonesia… Or did I just imagine all that? Seeing as you’re not morally squeamish about authoritarian and opaque regimes with questionable records for Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy, when there’s trade involved.
Please show where I’ve expressed a lack of squeamishness “about authoritarian and opaque regimes with questionable records for Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy”
I see you are still doggedly repeating official U.S. regime black propaganda. This time the target you are obediently attacking is Hugo Chávez; if you’d been around fifty years ago, you would have been telling lies about Jawarhalal Nehru.
No doubt a generation ago you were spouting such inane crap against Nelson Mandela.
“No doubt a generation ago you were spouting such inane crap against Nelson Mandela.”
So as long as you have a cause you have reason to commit murder? You have reason to plant bombs in trash cans in busy malls? You have reason to mame, rape and destroy lives and families.
From someone who was caught in the cross fire and lost family and friends ……
NACT fanboy armstrong runs the line in Granny today that Blinglish and Ryall were stymied by process and SOE structure over SE, the ‘it’s not their fault whine’ completed with a swipe at the opposition.
When the F has due process and structure ever stopped these clown stomping in and doing what they please Johnny fanboy ? ECAN, ChCh, SkyCity convention centre etc etc
Armstrong is a foolish, scared old man clinging to the bastian of self importance,
He likely has no concept of the damage he is playing a part in, or perhaps he does, but is told by his editor what is *acceptable*, and needs the pay cheque!
Either way, the likes of roughman, armstrong et al, are liars, spinning yarns , getting paid to commentate on the destruction for our country!
Armstrong made a fool of himself last year when he unwisely attacked the far brighter and sharper Gordon Campbell. Not a good idea, as Graham Bell and Richard Griffin, among many others, will attest.
They should be nervous anyway, the whole Global Financial System is a swirling cesspool of fraud, lawlessness and 100s of trillions in paper/electronic “securities” etc while the rest of us are steadily corralled into debt serfdom.
Well, well, well, looks like the social constructivist pro gay marriage propaganda machine is losing traction – with any luck the wheels will pop right off!:
So much for the pro camp chortling about having the overwhelming backing of NZ society. They simply don’t.
And a couple of lesbians make some bizzare statement about “burning red faces” with a photoshopped posy pic issued by their publicist with fake painted faces, smiles and way way too much lip gloss.
If those ladies want to marry each other, then a) they should be allowed to and b) it really is none of your business, your probably just jealous because they wont have a threesome with you.
I suppose you want them thrown in jail for their abhorrent and filthy lifestyle.
They probably will be when Micheal Laws becomes PM with Bob MCroskie as minister for families and Garth McVicar as justice minister, all hauled off to the death camps.
20-30 redundnacies? How can Devoy possibly do her job now? Are there enough left over to bring her up to speed or is this the HRC version of training your replacement with the replacement being on four to seven times your salary?
I feel no satisfaction in being able to say I told you so. The system is collapsing and in order to keep it going they have to steal beg and borrow to keep it going. Such is the nature of the fiat currency beast. What is the evil part if that all of the proceeds do not go into making the life of the ordinary man easier. The proceeds go into the pockets of the the hidden 0,01 % who own the federal reserve system and that includes the New Zealand Reserve Bank.
For those of you who did not watch the Creature of Jekyll Island about how this usurious and evil system came into existence here is Edward G Griffin’s excellent presentation again about how the New York Federal Reserve came to be exactly 100 years ago.
L, You’re either funny, stupid or a shill. None of these options makes me laugh.
For those of you interested to keep up with the day to day progression of the global financial collapse here is but one of the many excellent alternative news sources on exactly what is happening around the globe in the international financial world and here are some figures you might find compelling even if against all hope you thing the financial system will survive the mathematical certainty of collapse.
Or someone with critical thinking skills who is sick of henny penny (and for what it is worth, I do believe the sky is falling in many ways, but I also believe it’s reasonable for people to be given actual evidence).
I have to agree with Lanthanide here, your claim that “the system is collapsing” travellerev just looks like baseless fear mongering, especially when you supply such weak corroborative evidence to back up your assertion.
It’s true that many economies continue to languish, but that’s not a recent occurrence… The causes of a decline in growth have been in place for a very long time, in fact the cycle of boom and bust is inherent within the capitalist system, with the recent global recession (that ended in september 2009) simply being worse than usual.
Holding up Cypris as some sort of example of worldwide economic disaster is akin to saying you’re unhappy so the rest of the world must be as well. Comparatively speaking, 91% of the world’s economies continue to grow… So how does that percentage fit with your predictions of doom?
“L, You’re either funny, stupid or a shill. None of these options makes me laugh.”
No, I’m asking why you posted this today, and therefore why you didn’t post it yesterday. Or why you didn’t post it last week. Or last month. What is it that has changed that makes you post this today and not those other days?
Either something has changed, in which case please inform me of this. Or nothing has changed, and you’re just stirring.
Which is it?
Also, I don’t really buy into anything ZeroHedge says, because it’s always basically talking about conspiracy theories and “what’s really going on”, yet there’s no evidence anything it’s ever talked about has come true. Also according to them, the world financial system has crashed the last 4 Octobers in a row, and yet here we are…
ROFL! Yep your typical shill (stupid, funny) behavior. Confusing issues and tarring the messenger and of course the biggy: Calling everybody and their dog “conspiracy theorists”!
For those of you interested in where Zero hedge is coming from. Zero hedge are a group of Finance guys working in the field and totally up and running with what is happening not unlike Max Keiser. Max Keiser and his wife Stacey Herbert where nominated the most dangerous journalists in international finance while Zero Hedge made it to the second place. Their articles come from their own writers as well as from the most prominent finance, trading and gold traders. Follow them for a while and see if their predictions and revelations about the inner workings of the international finance world match up to what is happening in the real world. I did as from about 5 years ago and so far I have not been able to fault them.
Oh, and I almost forgot, you will find link to every high profile financial website and blog there too in case you want to start making money in this scary market.
Yep, Your typical shill, obfuscating and manipulative and not reading up on links given because those are “not reliable”.
Good thing I wasn’t targeting you because who was it again oh, yep Tomas Paine who said that “trying to argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead”.
But even a guy like you has his uses in that out there are people who do check out the links I give and you know what I reckon some of them helped along by those links will make up their own mind and maybe even think I actually did respond to your question.
Cyprus is an example of what is being done so that the system doesn’t collapse.
They’re making the depositors take a haircut, rather than the bond-holders, because if the bond-holders take a haircut on Cyprus, it’s a signal that the next dominos to fall (Spain, Italy) will also force the bond-holders to take a cut. This in turn will push up the price of borrowing for Spain and Italy and precipitate the very thing that the EU doesn’t want to happen. If Spain and/or Italy fall over, there’s a very big chance that the system truly will collapse. So the EU are doing everything they can to avoid that outcome.
“Cyprus is an example of what is being done so that the system doesn’t collapse.”
Are you serious? You are putting the egg before the cart young fulla. It is collapsing, that is why it needs rescuing. Sheesh….that is out there that one
Did you read the rest of my post? If bond-holders took the hit in Cyprus, which is the other alternative to the depositors taking the hit, then it’d put Italy and Spain in much more precarious position.
Please quote where I said no collapse was happening.
I think you’ll find I have said no such thing. I simply asked ev for evidence, which she hasn’t yet provided.
You provided an example perhaps of how “in order to keep it going they have to steal beg and borrow to keep it going”.
But really it depends how you define “collapse”. Personally I think functioning global market in which commodities such as oil and food are freely traded shows that the system has not “collapsed”. Similarly in Cyprus you’ll still be able to go down to the local market and buy imported goods as well as food.
But this is what you said “Where’s your evidence that “the system is collapsing”?” which indicates you were looking for evidence that the system is collapsing, not that it had collapsed.
There is ample evidence of the system collapsing, including the situation in Cyprus.
Cyprus can fall over without being a symptom of systemic collapse. We won’t really know except in hindsight. Just as everyone was saying 2008-2010 was the end of the system, it’s still going now, and although the troubles are not completely gone they have subsided.
Unfortunately gotta fly. Lets agree to disagree. Imo the system is playing out its end-game.
Think about it – the world banking system is a clear cut ponzi scheme due to the existence of interest. Have you ever known a ponzi scheme to last forever?
I think there’s quite an easy way to understand Lanth’s perspective. He believes that the airbags going off to protect Cyprus (well, in reality protecting the international creditors) is evidence that the car isn’t crashing.
Clearly he is correct in one point, the system has NOT catastophically collapsed (unless you live in Cyprus please note), and you can expect that it will do no such thing. Humans are great at propping systems up and keeping the walking wounded on their feet.
A bit like running a car into a wall at 20km/h probably won’t completely destroy the car. It just fucks the transmission and the steering, but it might still “go”. With a lot of grinding of machinery.
And so we all get used to a general, gradual deterioration in system expectation and performance…the new normal, in other words.
Welcome to Peak Debt, Peak Climate Change and Peak Energy. All rolled into one.
By stealing from the depositors? Guess that will make the depositors in Italy (Which has already been earmarked for the next round of looting) want to keep their savings in the bank. Yeah right!
Oh ,and the Dutch finance minister and head of Group of European finance ministers has announced that stealing from the depositors is the new normal
Nope this is the last round of trying to steal as much as they can before the shit truly hits the fan!
Lanth you are being a complete fool, you need to spend some more time on financial sites laddy!
Try zerohedge with Ev links to.
Weka, below – Seriously you are contesting that the explanation of the forming of the Reserve Bank (as it currntly is) vis the Reserve Bank Act 1913, is not a good enough starting point
Your support of Lanthanide makes you look rather ill-informed, and frankly appears you are taking a pot shot at Ev, just for the sake of it.
Leave that sort of nonsense for those here with little else to offer!
The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!
“Weka, below – Seriously you are contesting that the explanation of the forming of the Reserve Bank (as it currntly is) vis the Reserve Bank Act 1913, is not a good enough starting point”
No, I’m not contesting that. I’m saying that it’s reasonable for people to ask for evidence when such claims are made and not be ridiculed for asking.
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
The problem is that people have been saying this for a while now and it still hasn’t happened. Please reread my comment above, where I say that I do believe that the sky is falling. I also believe that there is alot of opinion presented as fact, which obscures reality. This works against the cause IMO.
There are very large, complex systems changing at the moment, some of them over long time frames. As soon as someone starts putting predictive timeframes on change that is by its very nature not predictable, I raise my eyebrows (same goes for CC and PO).
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
And thinking more about what you have just said, of course more evidence is required. Otherwise we would have a general consensus on what is going on. Or are you suggesting that we should just believe you or Ev and not engage our own thinking processes? Take it on faith?
Weka “The problem is that people have been saying this for a while now and it still hasn’t happened”
Sure they have been saying it since the early 2000s, that is right. And it has happenned.
Evidence example no. 1: the GFC in 2008.
Evidence example no. 2: sub-prime implosion in 2007.
Evidence example no. 3: appointment by the EU of Italy’s nominated Prime Minister (only one of the biggest most pwerful countries in the world, no less).
Evidence example no. 4: Bank runs in Spain over the last 12-18 months.
Evidence example no 5: Cyprus theft of people’s property.
There are plenty plenty more.
Do you mean evidence of the financial collapse being completely done and over and the only way left is up again? Or do you mean evidence that the financial collapse is underway and we are mid-stream now?
Methinks you are bit lost at sea on this one matey
“Do you mean evidence of the financial collapse being completely done and over and the only way left is up again?”
No, because after the collapse would be self-evident.
“Or do you mean evidence that the financial collapse is underway and we are mid-stream now?”
Maybe. If you read what I am actually saying you will understand that I agree that a financial collapse is underway. What I don’t agree with is people like muzza saying that it’s happening quickly now. That’s the kind of prediction that we’ve heard repeatedly (and which Lanth refers to), and when it doesn’t come true, people turn off (sick of the boy crying wolf).
Thus, my response to
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
is to ask, does that mean that by the end of 2013 the banks in NZ won’t be operating any more, we will have all lost our savings (those that have any), and we will be experiencing all the flow on effects like not being able to buy petrol or food regularly? Or does muzza mean next week? Or in the next five years?
The question is whether the “new normal” is the economic system collapsing?
Although a further recession was predicted in 2012, actual indications are that there’s no worldwide financial collapse, which makes travellerev’s statement incorrect.
Furthermore, I’m pretty sure people were fully aware of what was happening during the Great Depression for instance Colonial Viper. Having low expectations because of economic decline is clearly different to a total global economic collapse.
I subscribe to Greer’s synthesis: a gradual, grinding, stepwise deterioration of the real economy. It’s been going on for a while now. The GFC was just another stage.
Add to that the collapse of MS Global and the theft of $ 2 billion US. The rising price of gold only kept down by the manipulation of gold prices. The wish of many countries to repatriate its gold and the Dutch Central Bank announcing just today it wont deliver gold to people who actually bought the stuff anymore but will keep it save in their safes! Rofl!
Next by the way is Slovenie! But don’t worry Slovenians. Your President will have a visit of a couple of Jackals by the name of LaGarde, Borrosa, Darghi and Rompuy and over dinner they will give him the conditions for a bailout! And you don’t have to worry about those pesky democratic voting thingamajigs because we’ll call it a restructuring!
This shit is over 100 years old. Bankers in the mid west used to lend farmers way too much during good seasons. The inevitable drought or price down turn would come, mortgage payments would be missed, and the bank would foreclose, taking entire farming counties for cents on the dollar.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Weka, generally speaking you make sense with your comments here, and I respect your points of view, which are usually pragmatic.
My opinion of the financial systems are broadly these points.
1: The financial systems have already collapsed – They are being propped up in an artificial way, which means they have failed, this is not conjecture!
2: Unless there is a debt jubilee or similar, or countries decide they are going to repudiate their debt, then we will all continue to be asphyxiated, as the pile of crumbs dwindles away – Thats private monetary supply, in short!
3: Banking reform – Where/what/when – Nothing has happened which is going to alter the deterioration of living standards. Stealing money from bank accounts is one of the final steps in the process of relieving the plebs of their ability to support themselves. Once account raids are green lighted (and they have been), what is stopping the grab until the accounts are empty, nothing! And empty they will be, because the interest payments, and the casinos the banks operate inside of, are set to continue, and the bill being paid by the 99.9%.
There is not enough *money* in the system, to cover the interest payments, or to support the capital requirements, as long as banks are still operating/running casino style derivative markets, which are used to corner the worlds commodities, among other nefarious activity. Why do you think banks continue to register improved profits and the like, they are stealing the lives of other people.
4: Timeline – It’s been happening for 100 years already, I’m not one to make predictions, they serve little purpose. What I will say is that because there has been no structural changes which alter the direction of the breakdown, and with ever accelerating levels of debt at individual, household, company, town, city, country etc level, something has to break, and recently we have seen, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and now Cyprus go to the wall. The artificial life support of the centrally controlled monetary systems, which in turn control, the commodities, equities, insurance, health at al markets, is not a long term solution, it has to break, it can’t/won’t be supported perpetually, I won’t say when, it’s pointless.
I understand why people put their heads in the sand on such issues, because they feel helpless to control what is going on, which is by and large the reality of the financial systems.
Presenting the topic in a user friendly way is long since over, there is no shortage of information about what’s going on, how to protect yourself, align your finances etc, it’s an individual choice on how educated they want to become, and thus how they are able to decide what.
Ev is actually doing people a favour, she does not have to do any such thing, and she will be proven to have been correct on most of what she posts here. I would prefer it all to be BS, fabricated/fantastical conspiracy , as would Ev I’m sure, but the events in the world, which both her and I, do little more than observe closely and comment on, are unfolding, and negatively influencing billions of people, while destroying the planet which underpins the man made structure/systems, we are using to kill ourselves off with.
What I find odd, is that people continue to discuss other topics, and seek to understand why institutions and so on are broken, some even offer their ideas forward with solutions. The problem is that no solution is workable (regardless of the topic), until the monetary/financial situation is addressed.
For myself, I don’t believe that NZ will rise up and make radical changes. So, many of us are working to create what will be needed once it all falls over (or as it falls over). In this instance I’m thinking two things. CV refers to Greer, I’ll refer to Orlov: put your resources into things that will offer future security: tools, land, sustainable/resilient food and energy systems, skills for survival and trade, building relationships and communities and systems that will survive the outside chaos. Fuck the banks and the bankers. Trust people you actually know.
The other things is support alternative currencies and trading systems. If these get set up now, outside of control of the authorities, then they will be more resilient than later when it will be much harder to be creative.
In this sense, I’m not sure of the value in scaring people about the financial systems. What is it you are wanting to have happen? Most people cannot cope with the bald reality and will instead retreat into whatever holds comfort for them. If instead you can give them tangible solutions alongside reality, they will be much better placed to take it on board.
I’ll refer to Orlov: put your resources into things that will offer future security: tools, land, sustainable/resilient food and energy systems, skills for survival and trade, building relationships and communities and systems that will survive the outside chaos.
Spot on. The other thing both Orlov and Greer agree on – the mindset and the attitude is one of the most crucial things to prepare.
put your resources into things that will offer future security: tools, land, sustainable/resilient food and energy systems, skills for survival and trade, building relationships and communities and systems that will survive the outside chaos. Fuck the banks and the bankers. Trust people you actually know
Agree with that 100%, Weka!
Its not about scaring people, its about informing them, in the hope that they might head in a direction, such as what it reads like you’re heading in.
It’s not fiat currency that’s the problem – it’s the private banks being able to print it, essentially without limit, and then charge interest on it. That combined with capitalism’s inherent propensity to accumulate wealth in the hands of the few and the end result must be financial collapse.
All money is fiat – even gold has to be declared as money by, get this, the bloody government. As I said, there’s nothing wrong with it. What’s wrong is the way it’s created which only benefits the already rich and helps cause the collapse of the economy by bringing about the collapse of the financial system.
DON’T MENTION THE HOOKERS OR THE COCAINE!!!!
Cleansing the TV3 News
TV3 Firstline, Tuesday 26 March 2013
7:00 a.m. News….
RACHEL SMALLEY:Prince Harry will travel to the United States to help promote rehabilitation for American and British troops. [significant pause] Just last year, on a private visit to Las Vegas, the Prince triggered headlines around the world when he was photographed NAKED in his hotel room. [meaningful silence of several seconds.]
Was it simply that Prince Harry was “photographed naked in his hotel room” that “triggered headlines around the world”? Surely there was more to it than that?
I seem to recall that there were several other people naked in the room with him. I think most of those naked people were prostitutes. Surely that was significant? Why did Rachel Smalley not mention that? Obviously she wanted to say more, but someone higher up than her would not allow it.
Why would they want to protect the reputation of the “Big H” like this?
Kind of a thing I’d expect a discksmack like you to say. Go away, read up on warfare and come back when you have something to say that doesn’t sound like it comes straight from 4th form social studies.
Your evidence that these women were sex workers? Your rush to demean them as human beings speaks volumes about your misogyny, Morrissey. And in any case, who cares if he has a good time? I certainly don’t. As for your assertion that he is “perfectly safe” – bollocks, he’s prize target number for one for any Talibani and Al Qaeda insurget with a rocket launcher because of his Royal status.
And yet he still made it out unscathed to have a Charlie Sheen celebration, guess its just ‘near perfect safety’ then, considering he was the prize target but the bleeding nose was just from self inflicted snorting exercises.
Having been out on the town with some of our boys posted to Afganistan (sans Bolivian booger sugar or ladies of negotiable virtue) – given the shit they see and the risks they are exposed to, I would indulge in some generous hedonism in my downtime too. It’s all very well to sneer and pass judgment if you’ve never actually been in that situation.
“You think civilian casualties have only ever happened in this war?”
Damnm you’re right. Here we are, fully supporting the killing of civilians in almost every instance, and only when it’s a prince doing it we get all upset about it.
Given chris73 acualy is Dolan has said elsewhere he was in Timor, assuming of course that’s true, he would definitely know more about it than you. I only know from the changes I’ve seen in friends and family who have seved in Kuwait, the Balkans, and Afganistan.
(1) you have no evidence for cocaine.
(2) the drugs are entirely a side issue as I would think most of us would favour decriminalisation of many anyway.
(3) You have absolutely no knowkedge of how or where Harry was deployed, nor do you seem to have any understanding of military culture.
They don’t NEED him, he’s a SPARE. They need him even less now that Kate is up the duff. I know about as much about his deployment as you do, but unless he was tucked away in Kabul in the embassy bunker, nowhere in Afganistan is entirely safe. You’re sure about a lot of stuff you can’t possibly know because it suits your confirmation bias.
The military wouldn’t have given Harry special treatment in the field anyway – it would be bad for morale, military culture doesn’t operate that way, the Royals generally speaking don’t work like that, (especially after the flak from Harry being prevented from going to Iraq)and it would be completely contrary to established precedent – Prince Andrew as a pilot in the Falklands for example, the Queen driving at the age of 19 while serving with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WW2.
Harry is no Willie Apiata, and I’m sure the Palace INSISTED he return unharmed.
The Royals are damn serious about their military service. Are additional precautions taken? No doubt. But Royals in the service have been under enemy fire, exposed to IEDs, survived hostile missile attack, carried out out routine patrols and combat SARs. They get on with serving Queen and Country.
Is it an excuse for anything else? Who knows, but they’ll surely have days where they want to simply let off steam with the rest of the lads.
Let’s see… a Las Vegas hotel room, a room full of naked young women cavorting with Dionysian abandon, naked young men cavorting in like manner, enough alcohol to keep Brendan Horan going for a month, bowls full of cocaine, and most importantly (this one is the clincher) the august presence of one Prince Harry.
So you don’t think liberated young American women might me intrigued enough by the glamour of royalty to engage of their own free will, in Vegas? They have to be sex workers (or whores and hookers as you insist on denegrating them)? And even if they were, so long as they’re not being coerced against their will, who actually gives a flying fuck?
They have to be sex workers (or whores and hookers as you insist on denegrating them)?
Ha! This is kinda funny! An exacting lesson in sensitive terminology from someone who has just spent several hours advocating for and defending the reputations of people who drop bombs on civilians.
You have defended, indeed championed the “right” of creeps like Big H and his bomber pals to use those women as they see fit, and you have the nerve to upbraid me for not using your P.C. terminology to refer to the women. (Or were they girls? Or is that another word that transgresses against your byzantine code of appropriate terminology?)
And even if they were, so long as they’re not being coerced against their will, who actually gives a flying fuck?
Suddenly the sensitivity vanishes! The show of concern for these young women—we have to watch the very words used to refer to them—is abandoned.
“Who actually gives a flying fuck?” Well, the “Big H” obviously does not, and neither do you. That’s useful for the rest of us to know.
I too have no problem with Prince Harry partying, but unlike our good friend “Pop”, I object to his participation in the destruction of Afghanistan, and the way he is lionized by the establishment media for this.
I also object to the sanctimonious lecture about terminology from someone who “doesn’t give a fuck” about what brutes like the “Big H” do to these young women.
Yes I think you’re correct, my friend. There was an recently a barrage of adulatory articles about “Big H” after he had scored his first kill in Afghanistan. He did kill someone, but not with a bomb.
I haven’t got the stomach to crawl into the archives to look it up right now.
And what about the invasion of privacy of Prince Harry and his companions. I bet that wasn’t mentioned on the news item. Did those at the party take the photos themselves? And were they naked actually? That word seems to be used carelessly to spice up items about people who are actually down to their undies. If they are caught with their undies down on photo what a bunch of exhibitionists and voyeurs we are to want to see this stuff.
I
that is funny Pop (reminds me of a scene from the written version of King’s The Stand, which in turn reminds me of the NZ Right Wing Resistance on Seven Sharp last night; some very sad individuals huddling together there in there pseudo-Waffen SS uniforms; some of them looked like THEY should get out of the gene pool; which reminds me, if the Joker is a pseudo-intellectual, as you claim, does that make you a pseudo-arch-critic? 😉
The Standard has policies about posters making guesses about the identities of other posters – even with little winking smileys. And I wouldn’t piss on a National Front member if they were on fire.
Trying to get a straight answer from Key is not easy
TV3, Firstline, Tuesday 26 March 2013
Every Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister comes in to be interviewed by Rachel Smalley on TV3’s “Firstline” program. He’s a pretty slippery character, and although she did have a go, it’s obviously hard to pin him down to an honest answer to any question…
RACHEL SMALLEY: Under National, we’ve had massive leaks with Novopay, the EQC and WINZ. It looks to be systemic.
JOHN KEY: Oh, I think it’s pretty much under control.
RACHEL SMALLEY: But they keep happening!
[Smalley could have—should have—confronted Key by reminding him of other, nastier leaks of private information by two of his own ministers. Unlike Novopay, EQC and WINZ, there was nothing accidental about the deliberate, vindictive leaks by Hekia Parata or Paula Bennett. Again, the question has to be asked: Why would Rachel Smalley NOT confront the Prime Minister with these embarrassing facts?]
JOHN KEY:[speaking slowly to indicate seriousness] I think that now we live in a very different world. [brightening suddenly] To show you what I mean, we got an e-mail from a journalist that we should never have got, but we have a constructive working relationship with that journalist so we deleted it! [smiles magnanimously]
RACHEL SMALLEY:[beaming smile] Oh now I’m intrigued! Who was it?
JOHN KEY: Ha ha ha ha ha!
RACHEL SMALLEY: Okay, to the Department of Conservation cuts. You are cutting frontline staff, aren’t you.
JOHN KEY: Oh, we expect these agencies to operate in a more efficient way.
[He rambles on for an extended time, while the camera cuts to RACHEL SMALLEY, frowning, clearly unconvinced.] …
JOHN KEY: ….so we will have more doctors and nurses and teachers, and less administrators.
RACHEL SMALLEY:[clearly annoyed] Okay, we’re going to have to leave it there.
JOHN KEY: Okay, sure!
RACHEL SMALLEY: And now it’s sports news with Huw Beynon.
HUW BEYNON Firstly I’d like to apologize to the Prime Minister for those texts I sent!
‘Open Letter/ OIA request to Minister of Housing Nick Smith, from 2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright
1) Please provide the information which confirms why all this ‘growth’ has to come to the Auckland region.
ie: Which sectional groups are promoting Auckland ‘growth’ and why.
2) Please provide the information which confirms that this National /Act Government has a ‘national growth strategy’, which extends south of the Bombay Hills.
3) Please provide the information which confirms how ordinary New Zealanders benefit from Auckland ‘growth’, as opposed to property developers, speculators and overseas investors.
4) Please provide a copy of National/ACT Government’s national ‘immigration’ strategy, which outlines planning for total numbers of future immigrants to New Zealand over the next 30 years.
5) Please provide a copy of National/ACT Government’s national ‘immigration’ strategy, outlining how new migrants to New Zealand are/ will be encouraged to settle in parts of New Zealand, south of the Bombay Hills.
6) Please provide a copy of the information upon which predictions of naturally-occurring population growth, both New Zealand-wide, and Auckland region-wide are based.
So misconduct where a person reasonably could believe
leads to the death of others is not a criminal offense????
China, Turkey, had earthquates that exposed bad building
practices and people were held account. But in NZ nothing!
Key says he can’t do anything, its with the Police.
Government can do something, pay for lawyers to
start a civil case, against the developer, builder, council
and engineer, wrongful death – civil damages.
Professional groups need to know that the civil damages
will be very high, so high that it pays their membership to
get in early to manage negligence of their members.
from the tele;
while many of the Filipino workers attracted to the CHCH rebuild are extorted for up-front “agency” fees to secure work, they are returning a proportion of re-insurers funds back offshore to support their families. Excellent! (having worked with tradesman from S.E Asia, I found them to be, generally, very hardworking, efficient and conscientious; similarly, tradesmen from Samoa, while rudimentary in their approach at times, were very versatile and able to improvise as required.)
Ha! EQC leaked the data to one of their worst critics.
“We do not do what we want, and yet we are responsible for what we are that is the fact.”
-Jean-Paul Sartre
(sure is a great writer that Mark Story; a man after my own beating heart.)
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is RNA with two complementary strands, similar to the DNA found in all cells. dsRNA forms the genetic material of some viruses (double-stranded RNA viruses). Double-stranded RNA such as viral RNA or siRNA can trigger RNA interference in eukaryotes, as well as interferon response in vertebrates.
It has just been approved by ‘responsible’ food authorities in Oz and of course NZ, now dinghy NZ bobs along in its wake. It is cleared to be in soybeans that will be used for human food though there isn’t sufficient research to understand what effect this will have on our functions.
Good read on journalism and how it dehumanises people.
Most grandmothers in NewZealand are highly likely to be superannuitants, which is to say beneficiaries, but you wouldn’t call them that. There is politics, too, in such decisions, which however for the professional soon cease to be decisions and become automatic reflexes. Mother, grandmother, immigrant, beneficiary, Maori youth, unemployed: these isn’t who we are, but who we become when reality needs to be described in dispassionate shorthand. As if it were that simple. As if that human taxonomy didn’t contain, in highly compressed form, an entire ideology. As if the function of those common nouns weren’t to ensure that all of those stories – from the most trivial to the most tragic – taken together will reproduce, in mosaic form, the society we have come to believe in.
excellent analysis from BBB; some of the freakin’ people who pass themselves off as journalists in this country should be “shot with a ball of their own crap” (and that includes you Rachel Wise; LIVE)
anyway, from QT
English-taking economy at “face value”; “lets just see how it unfolds” (must have taken a spare hand from his gambling colleague John).
Smith, on DoC- “not happy to have DoC “advocating on behalf of land-scape values when jobs may be at stake.”
yet,
a small country like NZ has “2800 threatened species”-Sage. (excluding the poor, of course).
-the push for “volunteerism” in DoC as well is just another systemic signal; intention is to reduce the number of Conservancy Boards.
-Amy Adams-“Minister who wants to lower environmental standards.”-Guy Salmon
meanwhile,
Tolley cannot help bringing her thumb to her mouth, anticipating a chewing of her own quick; suggesting…
Parata appears to be a lame duck now, just a matter of time.
watched (Northern) “Territory Cops” (kinda like the old Australian Post / People magazines).How primal can humanity get, yet they discriminate against the “black fellas”.Interestingly, coppers defer to the Angels, even associates; it’s an Angels World. 😉
Thank you for the alert Karol. I’ve been watching.
I may be a wildly overoptimistic fool, but I believe the Standard is having a small positive effect on some of our parliamentarians. I know the LP caucus loathe us on the whole, but I feel we may be stirring long dormant consciences in some members, and reminding those members what and who they they got into politics to support and foster. I think they too may have been affected by the almost complete loss of the left-wing narrative and may be affected by exposure, even despite themselves.
Nothing radical, just little things.
Callout to Xtasy, did you see Ardern finally taking Dr David Bratt’s nasty bullshit to task? I know you sent her the ammunition, and were beginning to despair of her ever using it.
I don’t think she mentioned Bratt by name, but referred to the dodgy way people are selected to make assessments of people on invalid/sickness benefits.
:). The immaculate conception memo re- women beneficiaries seem to have given birth without the contribution of a man.
She also delivered quite a passionate speech for part 1.
PS; listening again – yes she does mention Bratt by name.
meanwhile the big guy’s story carries on, largely ignored and they slip this through hoping no-one will notice, well of course no-one will notice when the story is buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters. (apologies to mr adams)
What action do those who gain enlightenment from youtube and know things that the rest of us don’t suggest we take to head off the impending doom? Apart from watching more youtube videos of dubious accuracy and proclaiming that we subsequently know some deep truths, I have never seen any practical suggestions.
All I have seen is “Don’t vote Green because Mugabe”, which could equally have come from Roger Douglas or Milton Friedman, and without any suggestion as to positive and useful actions, is just laughable.
(this started over at QOT’s piece but I didn’t want to go off topic so much, so moved it here)
said with all the love in the world:
if the kids aren’t yours, you are a foster parent, blood no blood,
it is semantics like that which got us all into this mess
let me jump straight to the most extreme example i can think of
‘stop violence against women’ this is wrong, it should read
‘stop violence’
maybe a bit more simple direct unambiguous communication would show up the solutions we are all cowering from? Don’t ask me why this particular post is tweaking a nerve but probably just a small stress fracture from recent events. Like many, I am sick to the back teeth I barely have with all the softshoe bs of this grand and expansive hunt for solutions the world is meandering from when the reality on the ground has the suave disregard of a drunk on a bulldozer loose in a theme park
we know the banks are corrupt
we know the system is rigged
we know civil rights are dissapearing
we know poverty can be fixed tomorrow
we know we have poisoned the waters and the skies and the earth between
we know greed has replaced gravity as the principal law of action on earth
in short we all allow it to continue
and unless we all decide to lose something that we each hold dear then nothing will change
what that is? differs for us all
but we all know one thing in our individual lives that we can forfeit
for the betterment of others
Well written Freedom, you are on the correct path.
but we all know one thing in our individual lives that we can forfeit
for the betterment of others
This I am not so sure about, as to me it feels like people have lost their way, or more accurately had their compass buried under all the crap, which passes for modern life!
I do not believe that people have it in them to accept they are going to have to give up some things now, in order that there is a future, its just not registering on any level which will reveal an opportunity for change.
It matters not in the greater scheme of things, because the systems need to blow out, they need to break completely, and those same people who have had their compass buried, will be forced to give something up. Sadly for those who understand this, they too will get similar treatment, but its ok because it now has to be that way for people to learn and understand, what was lost by them being complacent, apathetic, and lazy!
Looks like that ranting, violent halfwit Curtis Sliwa is spawning more hate groups. I wouldn’t be surprised if Herr McVicar is working on something like this….
Since Chris73 lacks the moral fibre to give an honest answer, I will answer for him.
millsy: What is your opinion on the My Lai massacre?
chris73 acualy is Dolan: Shit happens. It’s war. I’d be cool if the Vietnamese had sent troops into, say, the unprepossessing little town of Gig Harbor, Washington and machine-gunned and bludgeoned nearly every one of its citizens to death, then thrown their corpses into ditches, as well as burning down every building in the town. That’s because shit happens.
millsy: Would you do the same? If you knew you would get away with it.
chris73 acualy is Dolan:[long pause, indicating serious thought] Yes.
….[millsy is silent for several seconds, to emphasize how appalled he is.]….
Consider models of international trade in which capital goods are produced, not given as an unproduced endowment. A positive interest rate, in such a model, acts as a price distortion. Consequently, the gains of trade, when comparing stationary states with and without trade, can be negative. Previous authors have drawn this result in models with production depicted as a circular process, even though their point does not depend on this modeling choice. The principle contributions of this paper are to provide a demonstration of the possibility of such a loss from trade in a simplified model with “a one-way avenue … lead[ing] from ‘Factors of production’ to ‘Consumption goods'” and to illustrate the model with a concrete numerical example. The theory of comparative advantage is not sufficient to justify the advocacy of free trade in consumer goods, even under textbook assumptions.
And yet another support of neo-liberalism collapses.
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Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Williams Veazey, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of Sydney DavideAngelini/Shutterstock In the 2007 film The Bucket List Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Tanja Esser/Shutterstock Australia’s vital agriculture sector will be hit hard by steadily rising global temperatures. Our climate is already ...
The Acumen Edelman Trust barometer reported that New Zealand’s political trust score now sits below the global average, a topic explored in a recent discussion paper by Maxim Institute. ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The Fast-Track Bill is the most damaging piece of environmental legislation any Government has introduced in living memory. People are angry, and it’s time to march." ...
The school lunches programme has been retained – and will be extended to some preschoolers. So how is it going to cost $107 million less? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The minister with many hats David Seymour wears a number of hats, but this week ...
“Show us the bird,” I found myself muttering at times while reading Hard by the Cloud House by Peter Walker, a deeply thoughtful, often hilarious, at times rambling – but somehow delightfully so – search for the story of a big bird. But not just any bird: the bird. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition DPVUE .images/Shutterstock Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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NZ$45 ANNUAL RETURN FILING FEE HAS BEEN REINTRODUCED: Fee changes came into effect on 1 August 2012 including a fee of NZ$45 payable when you file your company annual return.
The sign of a desperate government? Is the filing fee justified when for the most part it is automated?
Yet another tax rise under a National/ACT govt.
Increasing the costs and complexity of doing business in NZ.
Only for the *little guy* though…
Surely one of the problems with the economy is people assume there is only one reason for a decision. When I pay hard cash for something I expect a better quality of service, I expect consumer rights, etc. So sure its a extra cost but it also means the expectation about the handling of information rises. Oh, wait, no, my expectation of government protecting provacy is abysmal….
…yeah, no, you’re right, it is just a tax grab that targets small businesses who have started up more entities because the cost was lower, and I would not be surprised to see a contraction in business entities…. …so classic National, make changes that make them look ineffective.
$27mil is a bit light for a tax grab.
An underfunded government department, on the other hand, would find it very useful.
So the government underfunds all departments, so they introduce or increase costs like this one. Birth certificates, passports, land information, any official data, fire and ambulance fees, expect them all to rise if they haven’t already, as department heads try to make income equal expenditure.
National’s brighter future: fucking you over in a thousand little ways and a few dozen big ways since 2008.
paid $48 for a new Driver’s Licence last week and was a little stunned to be honest.
but at least i discovered that the NZTA and the DL folk don’t share info. The DL folk had an address from six years ago, now a carpark, whilst I updated my NZTA info just last year when i suspended reg on the truck.
Well this is a government who thought that a -$27M parking tax was a good idea.
That is monopoly power abuse. The Commerce Commission should investigate.
Exactl;y like EQC in Christchurch. The Serious Fraud Office should be investigating EQC over its conduct. Fraud is “misrepresentation for the purpose of pecuniary gain”. You will read in this article here about EQC’s historic privacy breach that, with one example client, the EQC file indicated repairs of $59,000 yet EQC told the client it was only $30,000, so $30,000 was the sum of the payout. That is simple and outright dishonesty.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/8470970/EQC-needs-to-be-more-transparent
Doing such is outright fraud.
Dishonesty and misrepresentation for the purpose of financial gain. Simple.
The Serious Fraud Office must investigate
(and as soon as our repair is complete a complaint will be made. The approach and ‘mistakes’ have been so bizarre that it could have nothing but intentional)
Perhaps now people outside of Chch East will understand why no EQC offices have outside signs and instead have security guards and razor wire. It is absolutely unbelievable.
yes, vto, EQC budgeted more, yet offered less, than what was required in that instance.hmmmm
It’s actually to stop all these bullshit companies being registered.
how much does it cost to get company accounts done?
What does that have to do with anything?
A ‘bullshit’ company will be used and abused within a year. Also, if you don’t trade, but just hold names, like a lot do, then you don’t need your accounts done.
Then you don’t need to pay the filing fee.
National. The party for business. LOL.
Public Notice:
This is an invitation to a submission writing workshop to assist with writing submissions on Glencoal’s proposed Mangatangi mine, which is located in Mangatawhiri. It is also open to people who need more information.
Material available at the meeting will be Glencoal’s resource consent applications and information on concerns about this mine.
Time:
You can turn up any time from 3pm onwards today, Tuesday, 26/3/13
Venue: Mangatawhiri Community Hall, Just Past the famous (though now closed) Ice Cream Castle on the old SH2. (now by passed by the new diversion)
Directions Coming from Auckland:
At the Pokeno interchange at the bottom of the Bombay Hill get on to SH2 heading East. Continue on SH2 till you see the Mangatawhiri off ramp.
Take this exit to remain on the old road.
The workshop will be led by members of The Mangatawhiri Mine Action Group and Auckland Coal Action.
Submitters with all points of view are welcome.
Great work, all those who are putting this together….
Why now?
The US Intelligence in the Wellington Embassy would have know of overseas bank account held by a senior UN official who had become the leader of the Labour Party and the non disclosure under pecuniary intetest rules.
Others would have know about the Shearer bank account and the non disclosure under pecuniary intetest rules.
So why now?
Always the best question to ask..
Its not a random release of information, there is always a purpose to the timing.
awayanbileyerheid the pair of you.
We all make mistakes.
Shearer is not on teh same planet as Banks when it comes to bad behaviour.
KV – We all make mistakes, Shearer is not as bad, blah, blah, nonsense!
Time to grow up son, we are being taken for an outrageous ride.
What is it with people who refuse to understand the danger their futures have been put in!
When it comes to corruption and lying, I agree that Shearer is not on the same planet as Banks. However, Banks’s failings are widely known and he’s unlikely to be put in a position where he can do much harm. Shearer is going for a position as leader of our government, without any of us really knowing what he stands for. He doesn’t have to be corrupt or dishonest to do a lot of damage – just supporting a corrupt and dishonest system and giving us more of the same is sufficient.
So yeah, he behaves better than Banks but he is still far more danger to us. Being well behaved is hardly comforting.
The question you need to ask is:
Who has most to gain from the information being made public
or who loses least making it public as quickly as possible upon finding it.
Ref 3.1.2.1 McFlock
…that, hopes Shearer, is Shearer.
And Shearer says he disclosed the income from the overseas account to the NZ IRD.
If he has an overseas income he is assessable for tax overseas. That status will cause credits to be available or debits to be payable at certain points in the year. These, depending on timing, should be declated under the rules for all MPs.
lol
true enough – but surely only if the tax credits are above $50k? i.e. if the tax paid on the interest in the account was above $50k, then it needs to be declared (at a rough guess that would be a few mill in the account at 30% tax on interest)? Or are tax credits under different criteria in the rules?
The EQC email leak seems like it’s going to be juicy…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/131280/eqc-files-contained-many-details,-says-recipient
Yep, see my post just above. EQC are committing fraud on a widespread scale.
Good luck to the Black Caps.
A test series victory against England (and a comprehensive one), would really give me a spring in my step today. Make all the other problems go away, for the moment anyway.
6 wickets to go….
Good luck to England.
Backs against the wall, bulldog spirit to the front, and fight it out for an against the odds draw.
Won’t make all the other problems go away, but will give me a laugh all the same.
Three sessions to battle for…
Snigger
Delicately poised, a win would paper over the cracks in NZ Cricket till we lose to Zimbabwe or similar.
Now if only we could GUARANTEE the victory by installing Craig Joubert as (non-) umpire for the day…
You always bring up Craig Joubert yet never bring up Wayne Barnes – why is that? Either way is just as pathetic.
Apologies if this is the first time you have mentioned him but I’ve noticed it a few times on this site and assume if you are bringing him up this long after the world cup it is not the first time.
You always bring up Craig Joubert yet never bring up Wayne Barnes – why is that?
That is because there is no valid or credible comparison between the two. Barnes missed a forward pass in the first half and the All Blacks scored a try from that. Then he missed a forward pass in the second half and the Tricolors scored a try from that. In other words: Barnes made a couple of honest mistakes, which cancelled each other out. Joubert on the other hand steadfastly refused to penalise the blatant cheating by the All Blacks, even though the home team was fouling flagrantly and systematically.
Either way is just as pathetic.
It was and is pathetic and stupid to complain about Barnes’s honest mistakes. And in fact nobody respected and knowledgeable did complain. “Sir” Graham was cajoled by silly old Bob Howitt to insert into in his dull co-written autobiography a ridiculous chapter full of fantastical complaints about Barnes. It is worth noting that nobody—i.e. NOBODY—who knows anything about rugby took Sir Graham’s book seriously.
The disgraceful display by non-referee Craig Joubert is an entirely different matter, of course.
He missed a forward pass and didn’t award the all blacks a single penalty in the second half. Which had never happened before in the history of rugby. But yeah obviously no comparison between the two.
He missed a forward pass…
He missed TWO forward passes. One directly led to a try for New Zealand, one directly led to a try for France. In other words, they cancelled one another out. Why are you choosing to say he missed ONE forward pass?
…and didn’t award the all blacks a single penalty in the second half.
The Tricolors did not offend in the second half. Please view a tape of the match some time when you are sober.
But yeah obviously no comparison between the two.
We’ll ignore your desperate resort to sarcasm, and reiterate what you already know to be the truth: there is no credible case to be made that Barnes’s refereeing “robbed” the All Blacks of victory over France.
There is ample evidence that Craig Joubert’s egregious display of partiality in the 2011 final was THE crucial factor in the All Blacks’ win….
To clarify I don’t blame Barnes for the All Blacks losing, the whole thing was ridiculous. Just as claiming Joubert is the reason the French lost is ridiculous.
You’re right he wasn’t blowing up the All Blacks, but he also wasn’t penalising the French. The penalty count ended up being 7-10 in favour of the All Blacks (for reference 2007 was 7-2 to France). That’s hardly evidence of a huge bias.
However, now you seem to have moved onto some peoples favourite conspiracy theory that somehow the IRB (which is mainly comprised of Northern hemisphere nations) convinced a South African ref to intentionally gift the game that is meant to be the sports show piece to the All Blacks. Sounds reasonable.
If that is your belief have fun with that. Meanwhile the rugby loving people in NZ will console themselves with the fact that whatever you believe it still says NZ on the trophy. No matter what you say the fact that you are still bringing up Joubert 18 or so months later shows that that really pisses you off.
To clarify I don’t blame Barnes for the All Blacks losing, the whole thing was ridiculous.
Good. You are a rational human being. That’s good.
Just as claiming Joubert is the reason the French lost is ridiculous.
Sorry, but your logic is grossly flawed. There is simply not a case that can be made that equates Barnes’s two honest errors in 2007, one affecting each team, with Joubert’s systematic refusal to penalise the flagrant cheating of the home team in 2011.
You’re right he wasn’t blowing up the All Blacks, but he also wasn’t penalising the French. The penalty count ended up being 7-10 in favour of the All Blacks (for reference 2007 was 7-2 to France). That’s hardly evidence of a huge bias.
Abusing statistics like that is misleading at best, utterly spurious at worst. The fact that the final penalty count was roughly even completely obscures the fact that the All Blacks were not penalized, despite the most flagrant fouling, ALL of it committed right in front of the (non-) referee.
However, now you seem to have moved onto some peoples favourite conspiracy theory that somehow the IRB (which is mainly comprised of Northern hemisphere nations) convinced a South African ref to intentionally gift the game that is meant to be the sports show piece to the All Blacks.
You are attempting to trivialize this argument by casting me as a conspiracy theorist. I’m not. There is no evidence that Joubert conspired to destroy the final. Whether his failure to do his job was deliberate or due to stage-fright is something that has not yet been, and may never be, determined for sure. What IS certain is that he repeatedly ignored the most outrageously flagrant and systematic cheating ever seen on Eden Park, or any other stadium for that matter.
Sounds reasonable.
No it doesn’t. There is no evidence to suggest Joubert colluded, although you can understand why so many French fans are convinced of it.
If that is your belief have fun with that.
Again, you are trivializing this issue. It’s not a case of my “belief”; it is an objective fact that Joubert failed grievously to do his job and referee fairly and impartially in the final of the 2011 RWC. That’s not my “belief”; it’s a gruesome truth. Here, see (again) for yourself….
Meanwhile the rugby loving people in NZ will console themselves with the fact that whatever you believe it still says NZ on the trophy.
Actually, most rugby fans in this country try not to talk about that final. It’s very much a guilty open secret. They know—as you know—that the All Blacks probably would have been beaten in a fair contest, just as they were in 2007, and 1999.
No matter what you say the fact that you are still bringing up Joubert 18 or so months later shows that that really pisses you off.
I don’t like to see the game I love being trashed by the incompetence or corruption of a non-referee. Yes, it does kind of “piss me off”.
.
Massive increase in government resources for farming irrigation.
Massive decrease in government resources for protecting the environment.
The place is going to shit.
Sums it up.
And it’s a good thing it’s only back office staff that have been cut in the public sector eh? What use are they anyway? The constant parade of fuck ups and privacy snafus are just the new normal, totally unrelated.
on TV3 news it was also mentioned that Fonterra are looking to buy DOC silence on our poisoned waterways with a measely $20 million. Of course they framed the situation a little differently.
and (from Stuff) Nick Smith , “the cuts would include work protecting endangered species deep in the conservation estate. ” I’m only on coffee #2, but is that not what the DOC is actually for ?
I mean doesn’t the name kinda give a big hint ?
Its worse than that. Joyce is anti-science, by choice, when he ignores the obvious global heating, of increase floods and droughts that would indicate that increasing water intense milk production and cartage costs, is a economically and environmentally unviable. Environment S.Canterbury was inhibiting diary growth…
…get with the plan, National hate the idea of considering the medium to long term outcomes.
A lot of DOC resources spent on pest eradication targets areas around farm land, sometimes exclusively. They call the areas “priority sites”. The purpose is to prevent bovine tuberculosis. No doubt they also target other sites to actually protect native flora and fauna, those ones we see on TV for example.
A cynic could look at the shift in government resources as being from one area of farm support to another, including in name. It might enable DOC to focus on other areas. Somehow I doubt that it will happen like that, though..
Now this should piss off libertarians:
I bet most libertarians don’t realise that their economic theory is even close to what Marx theorised.
I bet most Marxists don’t realise how close their economic theory is to Libertarianism.
Though interesting as the History of Philosophy, they are failed theories fixated with 19th Century conceived utopias.
Of course most Marxists hide their true colours behind intellectually faddish and obscurantist pedantry such as “Post Modernism”, “Social Constructivism”, “Post Structuralism” as can be seen on this site.
[lprent: The only person I see using most of these terms around here is you. And even then you mostly use them incorrectly. I guess you prefer to assign your own meanings to labels instead of finding out what other people have actually said. Overall you give a distinct impression of being pig-ignorant and rather stupid to boot.
However that isn’t why I’m noting here. You lack a basic ability to judge the situation or where the bounds are. So I’ll make it easy for you. If I see you ever attack or even mildly criticize my authors again then you will be kicked off this site with no chance of ever returning. To that end, all of your comments will require my personal release out of moderation until I’m sure that you can control yourself. ]
Yes, lest we forget the Christian Anarchist…(at least some people are on the “way”) 🙂
what say you pop? the weasel. 🙂
I suggest you go read the article – it’ll help cure that large chunk of ignorance that you’ve got.
Praises be upon lprent.
+ many, many praises.
Yawn yawn yawn. Lets fetch the popcorn.
Actually they do for the most part. The Teabaggers are not particularly representative of most Libertarians I know. Quite a few of them identify more with Anarchism than they do with Ayn Rand, some of them are even quite principled (but admittedly have an unrealistic consequence-free understanding of human nature and the world which leads me to suspect most of them are on the Autism spectrum somewhere – ie, they are not neccissarily illogical but they don’t quite grasp that most human beings are not perfect moral beings and are often driven by sentiment).
Oh, please, like empathic people are incapable of using faith to get what they want. People are not perfect is core to the whole growth of cults and the sentimentality industry. Teabangers are overwhelmingly faith based, and I have no idea how a Christian would square that with anarchism.
The tea party is a media construct, find some extreme group, give them publicity as their beliefs support right wing extremism, so that your pliant viewers will be motivated to off their couches.
Yes, well you’ve just demonstrated a fairly dramatic lack of understanding of Libertarianism, Randian Objectivism, Anarchism, Christianity, American politics, Teabagger appeal to the American Revolution, and anything I was in fact saying.
Libertarians actually for the most part seem to be motivated by a genuine belief in thier philosophy, despite it being completely contrary to most people’s experience of the world – this is because they can’t quite understand how normal people actually think or are genuinely in denial about themselves – which is actuall fairly close to the psychology of religious fundementalism. Protestantism and Anarchism are in fact very closely related. Also you should compare the US Bill of Rights and Constitution with a few Anarchist manifestos – the similarities are startling. And I think you’ll find that the Tea Party is the tip of the iceberg as far as US conservative politics go – they are merely the most extreme bit. Behold the popularity of mingbats like Palin and Bachmann. I’m not even sure how to categorise a psycho like Rand Paul.
which reminds me of a particularly clever “post-modern” episode of “Community” last night; very clever!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_%28TV_series%29
(Abed, the “messiah”) 🙂
None of the ones I’ve met have. When you mention Marx they point to the USSR and scream force completely ignoring that Marx would never have endorsed either of the political systems in the USSR or China.
As the article I linked to points out, Libertarians have a tendency to ignore the human relations that are part and parcel of interacting with other humans and thus ignore human rights in favour of property rights. I’ve even had one, Tribeless whom you may remember, tell me that democracy was bad because it prevented him doing whatever he wanted. He even kept that notion after agreeing that people had the right not to be affected by anyone else without their permission.
To be faire they point at any kind of government and scream force. The smart ones recognise the Anarchist connection.
Surely you mean that libertarians don’t understand that most human beings are not perfect amoral beings?
And seeing the report on the Sultan of Brunei visiting I would like to know why is the PM having dinner tomorrow with a super rich prick who has no belief in Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy, oh hang on I think I just answered my own question
Probably because he’s the head of state of one of our wealthiest neighbours, but hey.
…who has no belief in Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy. But hey.
And yet you think he should have gone to Chavez’ funeral…. Hmmm.
Do I think the PM, while in South America to build NZ trading relationships, should turn up at the biggest event on that continent knowing it will be attended by every leader of every nation on the continent?
Hmm, tough one.
Therefore you shouldn’t have a problem with the PM having one dinner with the head of state of one of the riches nations in the region given the trade potential and following on from last year’s drive to promote trade with Indonesia… Or did I just imagine all that? Seeing as you’re not morally squeamish about authoritarian and opaque regimes with questionable records for Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy, when there’s trade involved.
Please show where I’ve expressed a lack of squeamishness “about authoritarian and opaque regimes with questionable records for Civil Rights, Free Speech, or Democracy”
By attending the funeral of such a leader in order to try and secure face time for trade deals. Hey, that’s even tackier than having dinner with one.
Sorry, I don’t follow. What are you on about?
Don’t ask that….he hasn’t a clue.
pops liked the kool aid
Someone remind P1 that Venezuela is a mature constitutional democracy please, one which voted Chavez back in last year with a massive turnout.
Nothing is too tacky for Key, he would happily use the coffin lid as a desk if it meant signing the deal.
If Bainimarama was as rich as Bolkiah he would be welcome too.
“Nothing is too tacky for Key, he would happily use the coffin lid as a desk if it meant signing the deal.”
just like this prick http://b.asset.soup.io/asset/3246/1307_b3e8.jpeg
I see you are still doggedly repeating official U.S. regime black propaganda. This time the target you are obediently attacking is Hugo Chávez; if you’d been around fifty years ago, you would have been telling lies about Jawarhalal Nehru.
No doubt a generation ago you were spouting such inane crap against Nelson Mandela.
“No doubt a generation ago you were spouting such inane crap against Nelson Mandela.”
So as long as you have a cause you have reason to commit murder? You have reason to plant bombs in trash cans in busy malls? You have reason to mame, rape and destroy lives and families.
From someone who was caught in the cross fire and lost family and friends ……
FUCK YOU with a captial F.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v439zTOJVho
And I really mean it, man. 😆
Sorry to piss on your parade but doesn’t affect me coz I’m British.
‘God Save The Queen (and the fascist regime…)”
The bit about having no sense of humour shouldn’t be applicable, but oddly enough it is?
“coz I’m British.”
Are you sure? Though, you do sound aggressively miserable enough to be Scottish.
NACT fanboy armstrong runs the line in Granny today that Blinglish and Ryall were stymied by process and SOE structure over SE, the ‘it’s not their fault whine’ completed with a swipe at the opposition.
When the F has due process and structure ever stopped these clown stomping in and doing what they please Johnny fanboy ? ECAN, ChCh, SkyCity convention centre etc etc
Armstrong is a foolish, scared old man clinging to the bastian of self importance,
He likely has no concept of the damage he is playing a part in, or perhaps he does, but is told by his editor what is *acceptable*, and needs the pay cheque!
Either way, the likes of roughman, armstrong et al, are liars, spinning yarns , getting paid to commentate on the destruction for our country!
Armstrong made a fool of himself last year when he unwisely attacked the far brighter and sharper Gordon Campbell. Not a good idea, as Graham Bell and Richard Griffin, among many others, will attest.
Armstrong also has no skin the the game right now , being elderly he is clear of the damage his writings support!
He will get his turn experiencing the results of his work, next time round!
what has happened in cyprus will be making very many people very nervous..
..the broken-bank-bailout-model seems to have changed from taxpayer-funded..
..to depositor-funded..
..which will be of much alarm/concern to large depositors..anywhere…
..and could well lead to runs on banks..
..both now and in the future..
..phillip ure..
The Max Keiser report sums it up – his “Jamie Dimon [ ceo of JP Morgan ] the Tape Worm” rant is hilarious:
[lprent: see my note. ]
They should be nervous anyway, the whole Global Financial System is a swirling cesspool of fraud, lawlessness and 100s of trillions in paper/electronic “securities” etc while the rest of us are steadily corralled into debt serfdom.
[lprent: see my note. ]
Well, well, well, looks like the social constructivist pro gay marriage propaganda machine is losing traction – with any luck the wheels will pop right off!:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10873630
Virtually neck and neck for and against.
So much for the pro camp chortling about having the overwhelming backing of NZ society. They simply don’t.
And a couple of lesbians make some bizzare statement about “burning red faces” with a photoshopped posy pic issued by their publicist with fake painted faces, smiles and way way too much lip gloss.
What a circus act.
[lprent: see my note. ]
* Source: Herald DigiPoll survey of 750 people, March 11-17. Margin of error 3.6 per cent.
But CW, the Digipoll is totally accurate. It predicted the neck-and-neck battle between John Banks and Len Brown, you know.
If those ladies want to marry each other, then a) they should be allowed to and b) it really is none of your business, your probably just jealous because they wont have a threesome with you.
I suppose you want them thrown in jail for their abhorrent and filthy lifestyle.
They probably will be when Micheal Laws becomes PM with Bob MCroskie as minister for families and Garth McVicar as justice minister, all hauled off to the death camps.
Watched Bomber + Marama Davidsonon Native Affairs last night
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/03/16/native-affairs-tv-review/
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/03/25/in-the-wake-of-the-devoy-appointment-hrc-to-see-20-30-redundancies/
20-30 redundnacies? How can Devoy possibly do her job now? Are there enough left over to bring her up to speed or is this the HRC version of training your replacement with the replacement being on four to seven times your salary?
I feel no satisfaction in being able to say I told you so. The system is collapsing and in order to keep it going they have to steal beg and borrow to keep it going. Such is the nature of the fiat currency beast. What is the evil part if that all of the proceeds do not go into making the life of the ordinary man easier. The proceeds go into the pockets of the the hidden 0,01 % who own the federal reserve system and that includes the New Zealand Reserve Bank.
For those of you who did not watch the Creature of Jekyll Island about how this usurious and evil system came into existence here is Edward G Griffin’s excellent presentation again about how the New York Federal Reserve came to be exactly 100 years ago.
Where’s your evidence that “the system is collapsing”?
L, You’re either funny, stupid or a shill. None of these options makes me laugh.
For those of you interested to keep up with the day to day progression of the global financial collapse here is but one of the many excellent alternative news sources on exactly what is happening around the globe in the international financial world and here are some figures you might find compelling even if against all hope you thing the financial system will survive the mathematical certainty of collapse.
“You’re either funny, stupid or a shill”
Or someone with critical thinking skills who is sick of henny penny (and for what it is worth, I do believe the sky is falling in many ways, but I also believe it’s reasonable for people to be given actual evidence).
Suit yourself CW,
I took my money out of the bank a long time ago! And so did this lady but the Orthodox church on Cyprus didn’t. I know which I’d rather be.
Oh, and check the second link in my previous comment. You might find some figures you might find compelling and leaning towards my assertions.
Have a nice day!
I have to agree with Lanthanide here, your claim that “the system is collapsing” travellerev just looks like baseless fear mongering, especially when you supply such weak corroborative evidence to back up your assertion.
It’s true that many economies continue to languish, but that’s not a recent occurrence… The causes of a decline in growth have been in place for a very long time, in fact the cycle of boom and bust is inherent within the capitalist system, with the recent global recession (that ended in september 2009) simply being worse than usual.
Holding up Cypris as some sort of example of worldwide economic disaster is akin to saying you’re unhappy so the rest of the world must be as well. Comparatively speaking, 91% of the world’s economies continue to grow… So how does that percentage fit with your predictions of doom?
“L, You’re either funny, stupid or a shill. None of these options makes me laugh.”
No, I’m asking why you posted this today, and therefore why you didn’t post it yesterday. Or why you didn’t post it last week. Or last month. What is it that has changed that makes you post this today and not those other days?
Either something has changed, in which case please inform me of this. Or nothing has changed, and you’re just stirring.
Which is it?
Also, I don’t really buy into anything ZeroHedge says, because it’s always basically talking about conspiracy theories and “what’s really going on”, yet there’s no evidence anything it’s ever talked about has come true. Also according to them, the world financial system has crashed the last 4 Octobers in a row, and yet here we are…
ROFL! Yep your typical shill (stupid, funny) behavior. Confusing issues and tarring the messenger and of course the biggy: Calling everybody and their dog “conspiracy theorists”!
For those of you interested in where Zero hedge is coming from. Zero hedge are a group of Finance guys working in the field and totally up and running with what is happening not unlike Max Keiser. Max Keiser and his wife Stacey Herbert where nominated the most dangerous journalists in international finance while Zero Hedge made it to the second place. Their articles come from their own writers as well as from the most prominent finance, trading and gold traders. Follow them for a while and see if their predictions and revelations about the inner workings of the international finance world match up to what is happening in the real world. I did as from about 5 years ago and so far I have not been able to fault them.
Oh, and I almost forgot, you will find link to every high profile financial website and blog there too in case you want to start making money in this scary market.
So you chose not to answer the question. How surprising.
Yep, Your typical shill, obfuscating and manipulative and not reading up on links given because those are “not reliable”.
Good thing I wasn’t targeting you because who was it again oh, yep Tomas Paine who said that “trying to argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead”.
But even a guy like you has his uses in that out there are people who do check out the links I give and you know what I reckon some of them helped along by those links will make up their own mind and maybe even think I actually did respond to your question.
Have a nice day!
What planet have you been living on the last 4 or 5 years?
[lprent: see my note. ]
Lanthanide
Cyprus, for just one small example.
Cyprus is an example of what is being done so that the system doesn’t collapse.
They’re making the depositors take a haircut, rather than the bond-holders, because if the bond-holders take a haircut on Cyprus, it’s a signal that the next dominos to fall (Spain, Italy) will also force the bond-holders to take a cut. This in turn will push up the price of borrowing for Spain and Italy and precipitate the very thing that the EU doesn’t want to happen. If Spain and/or Italy fall over, there’s a very big chance that the system truly will collapse. So the EU are doing everything they can to avoid that outcome.
“Cyprus is an example of what is being done so that the system doesn’t collapse.”
Are you serious? You are putting the egg before the cart young fulla. It is collapsing, that is why it needs rescuing. Sheesh….that is out there that one
Did you read the rest of my post? If bond-holders took the hit in Cyprus, which is the other alternative to the depositors taking the hit, then it’d put Italy and Spain in much more precarious position.
Yes that is right, and that is more evidence that the collapse, which began in 2007, is now well underway (and gaining momentum I would suggest).
The argument you are using is akin to saying, during an earthquake, that there is no earthquake because our house isn’t falling down. Backwards.
If the system wasn’t collapsing then clearly all this rescue shit wouldn’t be needed.
You baffle me with your logic here lanthanide
Please quote where I said no collapse was happening.
I think you’ll find I have said no such thing. I simply asked ev for evidence, which she hasn’t yet provided.
You provided an example perhaps of how “in order to keep it going they have to steal beg and borrow to keep it going”.
But really it depends how you define “collapse”. Personally I think functioning global market in which commodities such as oil and food are freely traded shows that the system has not “collapsed”. Similarly in Cyprus you’ll still be able to go down to the local market and buy imported goods as well as food.
But this is what you said “Where’s your evidence that “the system is collapsing”?” which indicates you were looking for evidence that the system is collapsing, not that it had collapsed.
There is ample evidence of the system collapsing, including the situation in Cyprus.
Right, as I said, I think the continued existence of a global market to freely trade in commodities is evidence against the system having collapsed.
There have been meltdowns of national economies in the past and yet the global economy didn’t collapse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_economic_crisis_(1999%E2%80%932002)
Cyprus can fall over without being a symptom of systemic collapse. We won’t really know except in hindsight. Just as everyone was saying 2008-2010 was the end of the system, it’s still going now, and although the troubles are not completely gone they have subsided.
Unfortunately gotta fly. Lets agree to disagree. Imo the system is playing out its end-game.
Think about it – the world banking system is a clear cut ponzi scheme due to the existence of interest. Have you ever known a ponzi scheme to last forever?
Out (for now…)
“Imo the system is playing out its end-game.”
I tend to agree. But I can’t provide evidence that that is true, only evidence that it might be true or is likely to be true.
I think there’s quite an easy way to understand Lanth’s perspective. He believes that the airbags going off to protect Cyprus (well, in reality protecting the international creditors) is evidence that the car isn’t crashing.
Clearly he is correct in one point, the system has NOT catastophically collapsed (unless you live in Cyprus please note), and you can expect that it will do no such thing. Humans are great at propping systems up and keeping the walking wounded on their feet.
A bit like running a car into a wall at 20km/h probably won’t completely destroy the car. It just fucks the transmission and the steering, but it might still “go”. With a lot of grinding of machinery.
And so we all get used to a general, gradual deterioration in system expectation and performance…the new normal, in other words.
Welcome to Peak Debt, Peak Climate Change and Peak Energy. All rolled into one.
By stealing from the depositors? Guess that will make the depositors in Italy (Which has already been earmarked for the next round of looting) want to keep their savings in the bank. Yeah right!
Oh ,and the Dutch finance minister and head of Group of European finance ministers has announced that stealing from the depositors is the new normal
Nope this is the last round of trying to steal as much as they can before the shit truly hits the fan!
Lanth you are being a complete fool, you need to spend some more time on financial sites laddy!
Try zerohedge with Ev links to.
Weka, below – Seriously you are contesting that the explanation of the forming of the Reserve Bank (as it currntly is) vis the Reserve Bank Act 1913, is not a good enough starting point
Your support of Lanthanide makes you look rather ill-informed, and frankly appears you are taking a pot shot at Ev, just for the sake of it.
Leave that sort of nonsense for those here with little else to offer!
The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!
“Weka, below – Seriously you are contesting that the explanation of the forming of the Reserve Bank (as it currntly is) vis the Reserve Bank Act 1913, is not a good enough starting point”
No, I’m not contesting that. I’m saying that it’s reasonable for people to ask for evidence when such claims are made and not be ridiculed for asking.
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
The problem is that people have been saying this for a while now and it still hasn’t happened. Please reread my comment above, where I say that I do believe that the sky is falling. I also believe that there is alot of opinion presented as fact, which obscures reality. This works against the cause IMO.
There are very large, complex systems changing at the moment, some of them over long time frames. As soon as someone starts putting predictive timeframes on change that is by its very nature not predictable, I raise my eyebrows (same goes for CC and PO).
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
And thinking more about what you have just said, of course more evidence is required. Otherwise we would have a general consensus on what is going on. Or are you suggesting that we should just believe you or Ev and not engage our own thinking processes? Take it on faith?
If you feel frustration at how people respond to your ideas and beliefs, perhaps you might to look at how you present them.
Weka “The problem is that people have been saying this for a while now and it still hasn’t happened”
Sure they have been saying it since the early 2000s, that is right. And it has happenned.
Evidence example no. 1: the GFC in 2008.
Evidence example no. 2: sub-prime implosion in 2007.
Evidence example no. 3: appointment by the EU of Italy’s nominated Prime Minister (only one of the biggest most pwerful countries in the world, no less).
Evidence example no. 4: Bank runs in Spain over the last 12-18 months.
Evidence example no 5: Cyprus theft of people’s property.
There are plenty plenty more.
Do you mean evidence of the financial collapse being completely done and over and the only way left is up again? Or do you mean evidence that the financial collapse is underway and we are mid-stream now?
Methinks you are bit lost at sea on this one matey
“Do you mean evidence of the financial collapse being completely done and over and the only way left is up again?”
No, because after the collapse would be self-evident.
“Or do you mean evidence that the financial collapse is underway and we are mid-stream now?”
Maybe. If you read what I am actually saying you will understand that I agree that a financial collapse is underway. What I don’t agree with is people like muzza saying that it’s happening quickly now. That’s the kind of prediction that we’ve heard repeatedly (and which Lanth refers to), and when it doesn’t come true, people turn off (sick of the boy crying wolf).
Thus, my response to
“The financial systems are collapsing, quickly, no more evidence is required, its a done deal!”
is to ask, does that mean that by the end of 2013 the banks in NZ won’t be operating any more, we will have all lost our savings (those that have any), and we will be experiencing all the flow on effects like not being able to buy petrol or food regularly? Or does muzza mean next week? Or in the next five years?
Sometimes many years afterwards. During, not necessarily so. People have phases in their lives like this too.
Also, a slow grinding deterioration resets peoples expectations lower on the way. Things become the ‘new normal’.
The question is whether the “new normal” is the economic system collapsing?
Although a further recession was predicted in 2012, actual indications are that there’s no worldwide financial collapse, which makes travellerev’s statement incorrect.
Furthermore, I’m pretty sure people were fully aware of what was happening during the Great Depression for instance Colonial Viper. Having low expectations because of economic decline is clearly different to a total global economic collapse.
I subscribe to Greer’s synthesis: a gradual, grinding, stepwise deterioration of the real economy. It’s been going on for a while now. The GFC was just another stage.
Add to that the collapse of MS Global and the theft of $ 2 billion US. The rising price of gold only kept down by the manipulation of gold prices. The wish of many countries to repatriate its gold and the Dutch Central Bank announcing just today it wont deliver gold to people who actually bought the stuff anymore but will keep it save in their safes! Rofl!
Next by the way is Slovenie! But don’t worry Slovenians. Your President will have a visit of a couple of Jackals by the name of LaGarde, Borrosa, Darghi and Rompuy and over dinner they will give him the conditions for a bailout! And you don’t have to worry about those pesky democratic voting thingamajigs because we’ll call it a restructuring!
This shit is over 100 years old. Bankers in the mid west used to lend farmers way too much during good seasons. The inevitable drought or price down turn would come, mortgage payments would be missed, and the bank would foreclose, taking entire farming counties for cents on the dollar.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Weka, generally speaking you make sense with your comments here, and I respect your points of view, which are usually pragmatic.
My opinion of the financial systems are broadly these points.
1: The financial systems have already collapsed – They are being propped up in an artificial way, which means they have failed, this is not conjecture!
2: Unless there is a debt jubilee or similar, or countries decide they are going to repudiate their debt, then we will all continue to be asphyxiated, as the pile of crumbs dwindles away – Thats private monetary supply, in short!
3: Banking reform – Where/what/when – Nothing has happened which is going to alter the deterioration of living standards. Stealing money from bank accounts is one of the final steps in the process of relieving the plebs of their ability to support themselves. Once account raids are green lighted (and they have been), what is stopping the grab until the accounts are empty, nothing! And empty they will be, because the interest payments, and the casinos the banks operate inside of, are set to continue, and the bill being paid by the 99.9%.
There is not enough *money* in the system, to cover the interest payments, or to support the capital requirements, as long as banks are still operating/running casino style derivative markets, which are used to corner the worlds commodities, among other nefarious activity. Why do you think banks continue to register improved profits and the like, they are stealing the lives of other people.
4: Timeline – It’s been happening for 100 years already, I’m not one to make predictions, they serve little purpose. What I will say is that because there has been no structural changes which alter the direction of the breakdown, and with ever accelerating levels of debt at individual, household, company, town, city, country etc level, something has to break, and recently we have seen, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and now Cyprus go to the wall. The artificial life support of the centrally controlled monetary systems, which in turn control, the commodities, equities, insurance, health at al markets, is not a long term solution, it has to break, it can’t/won’t be supported perpetually, I won’t say when, it’s pointless.
I understand why people put their heads in the sand on such issues, because they feel helpless to control what is going on, which is by and large the reality of the financial systems.
Presenting the topic in a user friendly way is long since over, there is no shortage of information about what’s going on, how to protect yourself, align your finances etc, it’s an individual choice on how educated they want to become, and thus how they are able to decide what.
Ev is actually doing people a favour, she does not have to do any such thing, and she will be proven to have been correct on most of what she posts here. I would prefer it all to be BS, fabricated/fantastical conspiracy , as would Ev I’m sure, but the events in the world, which both her and I, do little more than observe closely and comment on, are unfolding, and negatively influencing billions of people, while destroying the planet which underpins the man made structure/systems, we are using to kill ourselves off with.
What I find odd, is that people continue to discuss other topics, and seek to understand why institutions and so on are broken, some even offer their ideas forward with solutions. The problem is that no solution is workable (regardless of the topic), until the monetary/financial situation is addressed.
Fair enough muzza 🙂
For myself, I don’t believe that NZ will rise up and make radical changes. So, many of us are working to create what will be needed once it all falls over (or as it falls over). In this instance I’m thinking two things. CV refers to Greer, I’ll refer to Orlov: put your resources into things that will offer future security: tools, land, sustainable/resilient food and energy systems, skills for survival and trade, building relationships and communities and systems that will survive the outside chaos. Fuck the banks and the bankers. Trust people you actually know.
The other things is support alternative currencies and trading systems. If these get set up now, outside of control of the authorities, then they will be more resilient than later when it will be much harder to be creative.
In this sense, I’m not sure of the value in scaring people about the financial systems. What is it you are wanting to have happen? Most people cannot cope with the bald reality and will instead retreat into whatever holds comfort for them. If instead you can give them tangible solutions alongside reality, they will be much better placed to take it on board.
Spot on. The other thing both Orlov and Greer agree on – the mindset and the attitude is one of the most crucial things to prepare.
Agree with that 100%, Weka!
Its not about scaring people, its about informing them, in the hope that they might head in a direction, such as what it reads like you’re heading in.
Excellent work, if so!
It’s not fiat currency that’s the problem – it’s the private banks being able to print it, essentially without limit, and then charge interest on it. That combined with capitalism’s inherent propensity to accumulate wealth in the hands of the few and the end result must be financial collapse.
Read up on the reasons for the French revolution and their adventures with Fiat money or better still watch Max Keiser and James Turk on the subject
All money is fiat – even gold has to be declared as money by, get this, the bloody government. As I said, there’s nothing wrong with it. What’s wrong is the way it’s created which only benefits the already rich and helps cause the collapse of the economy by bringing about the collapse of the financial system.
“All money is fiat”
Not quite. Just been reading about bitcoin. Plus timebanks and greendollar currencies are not govt controlled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin
DON’T MENTION THE HOOKERS OR THE COCAINE!!!!
Cleansing the TV3 News
TV3 Firstline, Tuesday 26 March 2013
7:00 a.m. News….
RACHEL SMALLEY:Prince Harry will travel to the United States to help promote rehabilitation for American and British troops. [significant pause] Just last year, on a private visit to Las Vegas, the Prince triggered headlines around the world when he was photographed NAKED in his hotel room. [meaningful silence of several seconds.]
Was it simply that Prince Harry was “photographed naked in his hotel room” that “triggered headlines around the world”? Surely there was more to it than that?
I seem to recall that there were several other people naked in the room with him. I think most of those naked people were prostitutes. Surely that was significant? Why did Rachel Smalley not mention that? Obviously she wanted to say more, but someone higher up than her would not allow it.
Why would they want to protect the reputation of the “Big H” like this?
Prince Harrys great
Fights battles, parties with chicks…like the english kings of old! Rule Britannia!
He doesn’t fight battles, moron. He drops bombs on civilians from a position of perfect safety.
Kind of a thing I’d expect a discksmack like you to say. Go away, read up on warfare and come back when you have something to say that doesn’t sound like it comes straight from 4th form social studies.
Your evidence that these women were sex workers? Your rush to demean them as human beings speaks volumes about your misogyny, Morrissey. And in any case, who cares if he has a good time? I certainly don’t. As for your assertion that he is “perfectly safe” – bollocks, he’s prize target number for one for any Talibani and Al Qaeda insurget with a rocket launcher because of his Royal status.
And yet he still made it out unscathed to have a Charlie Sheen celebration, guess its just ‘near perfect safety’ then, considering he was the prize target but the bleeding nose was just from self inflicted snorting exercises.
Having been out on the town with some of our boys posted to Afganistan (sans Bolivian booger sugar or ladies of negotiable virtue) – given the shit they see and the risks they are exposed to, I would indulge in some generous hedonism in my downtime too. It’s all very well to sneer and pass judgment if you’ve never actually been in that situation.
Dude.
It was a suite in a ritzy hotel in Vegas, not a tent on a base in Kabul.
Drop the “war-hero r&r” bullshit.
Something about walking a mile in their shoes springs to mind
Something about running 10 miles without shoes while evading helicopters overhead springs to mind.
Not to sound cold hearted but so what. You think civilian casualties have only ever happened in this war?
Maybe you think Afghanistan should be left to its own devices? Yeah you probably do.
Well, we leave the USA to its own devices and look at the shit they pull.
Can’t be any worse than leaving the Afghanis alone.
“You think civilian casualties have only ever happened in this war?”
Damnm you’re right. Here we are, fully supporting the killing of civilians in almost every instance, and only when it’s a prince doing it we get all upset about it.
Totally got me there dude.
Still sounds cold hearted no matter how much you fart over it.
Just like Iraq, Afghanistan will soon be left to it’s ‘own devices’.
Given chris73 acualy is Dolan has said elsewhere he was in Timor, assuming of course that’s true, he would definitely know more about it than you. I only know from the changes I’ve seen in friends and family who have seved in Kuwait, the Balkans, and Afganistan.
You’re so lost, Pop.
What exactly would Dolan know about hookers and coke from visiting Timor?
Easy left-wing pseudo-intellectual tactic two, blame or otherwise disrespect the military and/or police.
Where I do that, Pop? Be specific.
Talk about “pseudo-intellectual”.
Pretty sure I wasn’t in a tent in Kabul either.
So what? What the fuck has that got to do with you trying to paint Harry as some war-weary victim in desperate need of hedonism?
Fuck off with your meaningless irrelevant anecdote.
Why don’t you fuck off with your ad hominem and need for the last word first.
Please point to the ad hom.
And yet others get a date with the Judge for drug use.
Harry wouldn’t have faced the same dangers ‘our boys’ were exposed to.
(1) you have no evidence for cocaine.
(2) the drugs are entirely a side issue as I would think most of us would favour decriminalisation of many anyway.
(3) You have absolutely no knowkedge of how or where Harry was deployed, nor do you seem to have any understanding of military culture.
With you being privy to information about Harrys deployment why don’t you share these facts?
Harry is no Willie Apiata, and I’m sure the Palace INSISTED he return unharmed.
They don’t NEED him, he’s a SPARE. They need him even less now that Kate is up the duff. I know about as much about his deployment as you do, but unless he was tucked away in Kabul in the embassy bunker, nowhere in Afganistan is entirely safe. You’re sure about a lot of stuff you can’t possibly know because it suits your confirmation bias.
The military wouldn’t have given Harry special treatment in the field anyway – it would be bad for morale, military culture doesn’t operate that way, the Royals generally speaking don’t work like that, (especially after the flak from Harry being prevented from going to Iraq)and it would be completely contrary to established precedent – Prince Andrew as a pilot in the Falklands for example, the Queen driving at the age of 19 while serving with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WW2.
So that will explain why there is now no security for Harry /sarc, he’s ‘spare’ and ‘unneeded’, that’s ridiculously funny.
Half of these people probably believe the Palace killed Diana, so they’re unlikely to accept that the Palace would insist on Harry’s safety.
The Royals are damn serious about their military service. Are additional precautions taken? No doubt. But Royals in the service have been under enemy fire, exposed to IEDs, survived hostile missile attack, carried out out routine patrols and combat SARs. They get on with serving Queen and Country.
Is it an excuse for anything else? Who knows, but they’ll surely have days where they want to simply let off steam with the rest of the lads.
Your evidence that these women were sex workers?
Let’s see… a Las Vegas hotel room, a room full of naked young women cavorting with Dionysian abandon, naked young men cavorting in like manner, enough alcohol to keep Brendan Horan going for a month, bowls full of cocaine, and most importantly (this one is the clincher) the august presence of one Prince Harry.
One need not be a Leonhard Euler to do the math….
So you don’t think liberated young American women might me intrigued enough by the glamour of royalty to engage of their own free will, in Vegas? They have to be sex workers (or whores and hookers as you insist on denegrating them)? And even if they were, so long as they’re not being coerced against their will, who actually gives a flying fuck?
They have to be sex workers (or whores and hookers as you insist on denegrating them)?
Ha! This is kinda funny! An exacting lesson in sensitive terminology from someone who has just spent several hours advocating for and defending the reputations of people who drop bombs on civilians.
You have defended, indeed championed the “right” of creeps like Big H and his bomber pals to use those women as they see fit, and you have the nerve to upbraid me for not using your P.C. terminology to refer to the women. (Or were they girls? Or is that another word that transgresses against your byzantine code of appropriate terminology?)
And even if they were, so long as they’re not being coerced against their will, who actually gives a flying fuck?
Suddenly the sensitivity vanishes! The show of concern for these young women—we have to watch the very words used to refer to them—is abandoned.
“Who actually gives a flying fuck?” Well, the “Big H” obviously does not, and neither do you. That’s useful for the rest of us to know.
Pop makes a fair point though: Who does actually give a fuck that Harry likes to party?
Pop is an offensive tool when he suggests that Harry parties because he’s a war hero with PTSD, but that aside, what’s the problem?
I too have no problem with Prince Harry partying, but unlike our good friend “Pop”, I object to his participation in the destruction of Afghanistan, and the way he is lionized by the establishment media for this.
I also object to the sanctimonious lecture about terminology from someone who “doesn’t give a fuck” about what brutes like the “Big H” do to these young women.
Consenting adults.
Drops bombs ? I’m not too sure bombs are included in the weapon systems of his machine.
Yes I think you’re correct, my friend. There was an recently a barrage of adulatory articles about “Big H” after he had scored his first kill in Afghanistan. He did kill someone, but not with a bomb.
I haven’t got the stomach to crawl into the archives to look it up right now.
And what about the invasion of privacy of Prince Harry and his companions. I bet that wasn’t mentioned on the news item. Did those at the party take the photos themselves? And were they naked actually? That word seems to be used carelessly to spice up items about people who are actually down to their undies. If they are caught with their undies down on photo what a bunch of exhibitionists and voyeurs we are to want to see this stuff.
I
So we are suppose to go along with the Palace pr machine of squeaky clean royals, their ‘good works’ and fairytale weddings?
Give us the dirt!
[lprent: see my note. ]
Did those at the party take the photos themselves?
They were taken by one of Big H’s “mates”. I think it was one of those heroes who bombs Afghan peasants when he’s not chasing whores in Vegas.
And were they naked actually?
I think so. Hookers generally are at orgies, I believe.
Maybe you should try it – it might loosten up the stick in your arse.
lol
doubtful.
that is funny Pop (reminds me of a scene from the written version of King’s The Stand, which in turn reminds me of the NZ Right Wing Resistance on Seven Sharp last night; some very sad individuals huddling together there in there pseudo-Waffen SS uniforms; some of them looked like THEY should get out of the gene pool; which reminds me, if the Joker is a pseudo-intellectual, as you claim, does that make you a pseudo-arch-critic? 😉
The Standard has policies about posters making guesses about the identities of other posters – even with little winking smileys. And I wouldn’t piss on a National Front member if they were on fire.
JB
Trying to get a straight answer from Key is not easy
TV3, Firstline, Tuesday 26 March 2013
Every Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister comes in to be interviewed by Rachel Smalley on TV3’s “Firstline” program. He’s a pretty slippery character, and although she did have a go, it’s obviously hard to pin him down to an honest answer to any question…
RACHEL SMALLEY: Under National, we’ve had massive leaks with Novopay, the EQC and WINZ. It looks to be systemic.
JOHN KEY: Oh, I think it’s pretty much under control.
RACHEL SMALLEY: But they keep happening!
[Smalley could have—should have—confronted Key by reminding him of other, nastier leaks of private information by two of his own ministers. Unlike Novopay, EQC and WINZ, there was nothing accidental about the deliberate, vindictive leaks by Hekia Parata or Paula Bennett. Again, the question has to be asked: Why would Rachel Smalley NOT confront the Prime Minister with these embarrassing facts?]
JOHN KEY: [speaking slowly to indicate seriousness] I think that now we live in a very different world. [brightening suddenly] To show you what I mean, we got an e-mail from a journalist that we should never have got, but we have a constructive working relationship with that journalist so we deleted it! [smiles magnanimously]
RACHEL SMALLEY: [beaming smile] Oh now I’m intrigued! Who was it?
JOHN KEY: Ha ha ha ha ha!
RACHEL SMALLEY: Okay, to the Department of Conservation cuts. You are cutting frontline staff, aren’t you.
JOHN KEY: Oh, we expect these agencies to operate in a more efficient way.
[He rambles on for an extended time, while the camera cuts to RACHEL SMALLEY, frowning, clearly unconvinced.] …
JOHN KEY: ….so we will have more doctors and nurses and teachers, and less administrators.
RACHEL SMALLEY: [clearly annoyed] Okay, we’re going to have to leave it there.
JOHN KEY: Okay, sure!
RACHEL SMALLEY: And now it’s sports news with Huw Beynon.
HUW BEYNON Firstly I’d like to apologize to the Prime Minister for those texts I sent!
RACHEL SMALLEY: Oh! Ha ha ha ha ha!
its so close to those parodies where the slice and dice the responses to make it look absurd, that its hard to tell that its not.
Getting an article to proof read before its publication is hardly the same thing ShonKey boy.
“Why does all this ‘growth’ have to come to Auckland Minister?”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2550212/government-and-auckland-council-at-odds-on-housing-land.asx
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/131212/mayor,-minister-still-not-one-on-auckland-housing
‘Open Letter/ OIA request to Minister of Housing Nick Smith, from 2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright
1) Please provide the information which confirms why all this ‘growth’ has to come to the Auckland region.
ie: Which sectional groups are promoting Auckland ‘growth’ and why.
2) Please provide the information which confirms that this National /Act Government has a ‘national growth strategy’, which extends south of the Bombay Hills.
3) Please provide the information which confirms how ordinary New Zealanders benefit from Auckland ‘growth’, as opposed to property developers, speculators and overseas investors.
4) Please provide a copy of National/ACT Government’s national ‘immigration’ strategy, which outlines planning for total numbers of future immigrants to New Zealand over the next 30 years.
5) Please provide a copy of National/ACT Government’s national ‘immigration’ strategy, outlining how new migrants to New Zealand are/ will be encouraged to settle in parts of New Zealand, south of the Bombay Hills.
6) Please provide a copy of the information upon which predictions of naturally-occurring population growth, both New Zealand-wide, and Auckland region-wide are based.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright
Anti-corruption campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral Candidate
So misconduct where a person reasonably could believe
leads to the death of others is not a criminal offense????
China, Turkey, had earthquates that exposed bad building
practices and people were held account. But in NZ nothing!
Key says he can’t do anything, its with the Police.
Government can do something, pay for lawyers to
start a civil case, against the developer, builder, council
and engineer, wrongful death – civil damages.
Professional groups need to know that the civil damages
will be very high, so high that it pays their membership to
get in early to manage negligence of their members.
from the tele;
while many of the Filipino workers attracted to the CHCH rebuild are extorted for up-front “agency” fees to secure work, they are returning a proportion of re-insurers funds back offshore to support their families. Excellent! (having worked with tradesman from S.E Asia, I found them to be, generally, very hardworking, efficient and conscientious; similarly, tradesmen from Samoa, while rudimentary in their approach at times, were very versatile and able to improvise as required.)
Ha! EQC leaked the data to one of their worst critics.
“An ageing population will hit us all in the pocket”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8470727/Ageing-population-will-drive-up-wages-report
(more “haircuts”)
“We do not do what we want, and yet we are responsible for what we are that is the fact.”
-Jean-Paul Sartre
(sure is a great writer that Mark Story; a man after my own beating heart.)
Another acronym that’s going to be important to know. DSRNA. Heard radionz 12.15pm.
wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNADouble-stranded RNA
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is RNA with two complementary strands, similar to the DNA found in all cells. dsRNA forms the genetic material of some viruses (double-stranded RNA viruses). Double-stranded RNA such as viral RNA or siRNA can trigger RNA interference in eukaryotes, as well as interferon response in vertebrates.
It has just been approved by ‘responsible’ food authorities in Oz and of course NZ, now dinghy NZ bobs along in its wake. It is cleared to be in soybeans that will be used for human food though there isn’t sufficient research to understand what effect this will have on our functions.
More to ignore.
http://skepticalscience.com/new-research-confirms-global-warming-has-accelerated.html
Good read on journalism and how it dehumanises people.
excellent analysis from BBB; some of the freakin’ people who pass themselves off as journalists in this country should be “shot with a ball of their own crap” (and that includes you Rachel Wise; LIVE)
sorry Draco. That should read “shot with a ball of their own “self-important, middle-class, bourgeois, life-style, block, crap.”
anyway, from QT
English-taking economy at “face value”; “lets just see how it unfolds” (must have taken a spare hand from his gambling colleague John).
Smith, on DoC- “not happy to have DoC “advocating on behalf of land-scape values when jobs may be at stake.”
yet,
a small country like NZ has “2800 threatened species”-Sage. (excluding the poor, of course).
-the push for “volunteerism” in DoC as well is just another systemic signal; intention is to reduce the number of Conservancy Boards.
-Amy Adams-“Minister who wants to lower environmental standards.”-Guy Salmon
meanwhile,
Tolley cannot help bringing her thumb to her mouth, anticipating a chewing of her own quick; suggesting…
Parata appears to be a lame duck now, just a matter of time.
watched (Northern) “Territory Cops” (kinda like the old Australian Post / People magazines).How primal can humanity get, yet they discriminate against the “black fellas”.Interestingly, coppers defer to the Angels, even associates; it’s an Angels World. 😉
http://www.hells-angels.com/ Red and White Forever
speaking of Heckyeah;
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10873729
Ombudsmans Investigation
Watching committee stage of the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill.
Tell me again why the Labour caucus switched from Goff to Shearer? Sharp and passionate speech, Phil.
Thank you for the alert Karol. I’ve been watching.
I may be a wildly overoptimistic fool, but I believe the Standard is having a small positive effect on some of our parliamentarians. I know the LP caucus loathe us on the whole, but I feel we may be stirring long dormant consciences in some members, and reminding those members what and who they they got into politics to support and foster. I think they too may have been affected by the almost complete loss of the left-wing narrative and may be affected by exposure, even despite themselves.
Nothing radical, just little things.
Callout to Xtasy, did you see Ardern finally taking Dr David Bratt’s nasty bullshit to task? I know you sent her the ammunition, and were beginning to despair of her ever using it.
js, are you talking about Ardern’s speech to part 2?.
I don’t think she mentioned Bratt by name, but referred to the dodgy way people are selected to make assessments of people on invalid/sickness benefits.
:). The immaculate conception memo re- women beneficiaries seem to have given birth without the contribution of a man.
She also delivered quite a passionate speech for part 1.
PS; listening again – yes she does mention Bratt by name.
New Zealand makes “Top Stories” in World News http://news.sky.com/story/1069308/newborn-left-in-car-with-note-as-mum-shops
…for all the wrong reasons, FFS
More Propaganda “battles”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21829815
Israel fires back on Syria
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israeli-military-responds-fire-syria-18800094#.UVIxjDfenLA
China still allies with NK
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/03/26/2013032601115.html
“a nuclear-armed buffer state, no bad thing”
Why?
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/why-china-will-not-act-on-north-korea-1.1162563
It Only Gets Worse
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/25/syria-only-gets-worse-editorial
meanwhile the big guy’s story carries on, largely ignored and they slip this through hoping no-one will notice, well of course no-one will notice when the story is buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters. (apologies to mr adams)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10873386
What action do those who gain enlightenment from youtube and know things that the rest of us don’t suggest we take to head off the impending doom? Apart from watching more youtube videos of dubious accuracy and proclaiming that we subsequently know some deep truths, I have never seen any practical suggestions.
All I have seen is “Don’t vote Green because Mugabe”, which could equally have come from Roger Douglas or Milton Friedman, and without any suggestion as to positive and useful actions, is just laughable.
(this started over at QOT’s piece but I didn’t want to go off topic so much, so moved it here)
said with all the love in the world:
if the kids aren’t yours, you are a foster parent, blood no blood,
it is semantics like that which got us all into this mess
let me jump straight to the most extreme example i can think of
‘stop violence against women’ this is wrong, it should read
‘stop violence’
maybe a bit more simple direct unambiguous communication would show up the solutions we are all cowering from? Don’t ask me why this particular post is tweaking a nerve but probably just a small stress fracture from recent events. Like many, I am sick to the back teeth I barely have with all the softshoe bs of this grand and expansive hunt for solutions the world is meandering from when the reality on the ground has the suave disregard of a drunk on a bulldozer loose in a theme park
we know the banks are corrupt
we know the system is rigged
we know civil rights are dissapearing
we know poverty can be fixed tomorrow
we know we have poisoned the waters and the skies and the earth between
we know greed has replaced gravity as the principal law of action on earth
in short we all allow it to continue
and unless we all decide to lose something that we each hold dear then nothing will change
what that is? differs for us all
but we all know one thing in our individual lives that we can forfeit
for the betterment of others
Well written Freedom, you are on the correct path.
This I am not so sure about, as to me it feels like people have lost their way, or more accurately had their compass buried under all the crap, which passes for modern life!
I do not believe that people have it in them to accept they are going to have to give up some things now, in order that there is a future, its just not registering on any level which will reveal an opportunity for change.
It matters not in the greater scheme of things, because the systems need to blow out, they need to break completely, and those same people who have had their compass buried, will be forced to give something up. Sadly for those who understand this, they too will get similar treatment, but its ok because it now has to be that way for people to learn and understand, what was lost by them being complacent, apathetic, and lazy!
Here’s an idea for the S.S. Trust
Looks like that ranting, violent halfwit Curtis Sliwa is spawning more hate groups. I wouldn’t be surprised if Herr McVicar is working on something like this….
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/25/1772141/racist-hate-group-to-conduct-nighttime-patrols-on-college-campus/
Hey Chris73, out of curiousity:
What is your opinion on the My Lai massacre?
Would you do the same? If you knew you would get away with it.
Honest answers please.
Since Chris73 lacks the moral fibre to give an honest answer, I will answer for him.
millsy: What is your opinion on the My Lai massacre?
chris73 acualy is Dolan: Shit happens. It’s war. I’d be cool if the Vietnamese had sent troops into, say, the unprepossessing little town of Gig Harbor, Washington and machine-gunned and bludgeoned nearly every one of its citizens to death, then thrown their corpses into ditches, as well as burning down every building in the town. That’s because shit happens.
millsy: Would you do the same? If you knew you would get away with it.
chris73 acualy is Dolan: [long pause, indicating serious thought] Yes.
….[millsy is silent for several seconds, to emphasize how appalled he is.]….
millsy: [incredulous tone] How could this BE?
some of your best work this millenium
On the Loss from Trade
And yet another support of neo-liberalism collapses.