So National are now into teacher bashing mode. Apparently the recently appointed Secretary for Education who is from the UK thinks that our education system is not world class, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
She says that the tail is performing too poorly. She ignores the high rankings that our system achieves in world tables.
She does not say what the solution is, but obviously the only proposal the Government has are charter schools.
If they were interested they would be decreasing class sizes, increasing professional training for teachers and doing something about child poverty.
But I guess then they would be losing the opportunity to bash two of the few remaining viable trade unions.
NACTs attack dog barks as she’s paid to do. wow Maori and PI don’t do as well shock horror could it be a poverty issue, you know the one this govt is turning a blind eye to.
I think that one important point to note about the employment of Lesley Longstone is that she has a great interest in technology used in her area. She is the second new overseas appointment that has had this focus, but the last one returned suddenly to Brit, I’ve forgotten her name.
This means that those making the appointment do not look at how knowledgable and experienced the appointee is in his/her field, knowledge of technology substitution for people pushes this to the background.
And listen to Steven Joyce who is defending private providers in education and the fact that Maori wananga are doing well is an excuse to open up education to all private interests and so undermining government insitutions, with a question hanging in the air about our schools. This is a cheap shot at hard working educationalists.
There was an interesting aspect on education and alternative approaches in the interview on
Radionz NinetoNoon this morning on the Uncollege idea – finding your own education and goals rather than being rote learned in the traditional way.
Given the need for profits that has transform education into an industry, and its inevitable extra gradient added to the learning process,. That it pays successful teaching establishments to water down and so take profit from time to time, at the top end and the also ran universities to broaden their catchment and capacity. The way we think is still the same, the need to be understood by others hasn’t changed, so technology will inevitable make it easier to educate and transfer both knowledge and skill quicker. The crisis in education is however the huge number of differing and contradictory ways of see differing subsets of the same information surely?
The Secretary for Education was the one to introduce the Charter School Scam into the UK. Parata and the vile Rodger Douglas were working on the scam in the first term of John Key’s Administration. Wealthy American in NZ owns Charter Schools in USA, how much did he put into the Nat’s election kitty?
The argument will become, “see how the Public Education has failed? So the answer is to privatise. As will Social Welfare, Prisons, Rail Transport and so on.”
NZ schools not world class – ministry chief
The head of the Ministry of Education says New Zealand’s education system is not world class because Maori and Pasifika children and children from poor communities are under-performing.
Oh really madam? Fancy that. We never knew. Cos we’re just a bunch of ignorant colonialists?
So, we have to import a right-wing neo-con failure from Britain to tell us things we know more about than she ever will in years of Sundays?
Got news for you madam. It’s your demonstrably corrupt right wing neo-con claptrap that is responsible for so many of our children “under-performing”. Why don’t you pack your bags and head off back to Britain. We have educational experts in this country who are streets ahead of you!
Helen Clark made it clear our home-grown ‘neo-con failure’ Christine Rankin would be sent packing if they won the 1999 election. They did and she was gone in weeks. I expect Labour to do the same to this woman – and announce in advance of the next election.
So you are okay if the other side of the political spectrum also follows this view and if someone expresses views deemed left wing then any Right wing led government can justifiable dismiss them?
I prefer that the public service remains non-partisan, however that is not to state that there aren’t viable alternatives. I’m asking if leftists who wish to sack people because of their political leanings would be happy if the opposite happened.
When will the corporate media ask these simple questions?
1. “Why are you not looking at international research that connects the tail in NZ’s education results to our growing inequality as a society?”
2. ” Why have we got an English ‘expert’ on education when a Finnish one might be more useful?”
This country so desperately needs an independent media.
Paul 1.5.3.
Because the government doesn’t want to ‘finish’ the controversy. It enjoys rattling the cage to make us all jump and there would be no satisfaction in solving the problem in a thoughtful and supportive way.
Also one feature of our society is the mixture of cultures. What does France do with its Algerians etc. The Hispanics in the USA too? Are they all counted in one national database melting pot?
When I am at work I have the National program playing.
I only heard one very brief radio news bulletin about this.
In one brief sound bite I heard that after 30 days Sam Kuha had announced the end of his hunger strike.
Kuha said he had won his struggle with WINZ.
WINZ were now paying him an extra $100 a week extra on top of his benefit and Paula Bennet had agreed to meet him personally to discuss his concerns. Though Bennett had not honoured her commitment to meet with him, he was satisfied.
The promised extra money had been coming through and he was pleased at his victory, which he said was for all beneficiaries.
Sam said that with the extra money he had food in his kitchen cupboard for the first time in ages and he could now even afford a luxury like an occasional coffee.
Getting home from work I did a google search to confirm the facts of this singular RNZ news bulletin.
The following are quotes and links from the story as it developed.
….budgeters had told Sam to go to Winz as he didn’t have enough to live on. So he was forced into setting out on a 4km journey in his electric wheelchair.
He took his bank account details and his budget to request an emergency food voucher. When he got there the first staffer wouldn’t even look at the figures and flatly turned him down. Another staffer agreed that no one could live on Sam’s budget but, as they had given him help twice before, and he wasn’t any different from anybody else, they weren’t allowed to help him.
A ministry spokesman told the Advocate that emergency budgeting advice was available for people in Mr Kuha’s situation, so if they had run out of food but were required to see a budgeter before getting a special needs grant they did not have to wait.
Mentally pretty good my body is starting to break down a little, I keep getting a shake now and then….
In my mind they were going to make me starve because of a process, and I decided to take that in my own hands, if I was going to starve I was going to starve myself……
I just couldn’t see any other way. I decided on the hunger strike first, and then wondered what good it was if nobody knew I was doing it….
I would just like to say to her she is being ill advised by staff who have no perception of this end of the scale. And I would like to give her the grass roots truth if she will come and listen.
A national disability group has credited Kaikohe hunger-striker Sam Kuha with ‘shining a light’ on the daily struggle many disabled people face to survive.
Mr Kuha says he has not eaten since September 14, when he was refused a $40 food grant at Work and Income in Kaikohe because he would not see a budgeter.
Mr Kuha said he had lost at least 13 kilograms but his financial situation had improved dramatically. Last week, after he saw a budget advisor, had his allowances re-evaluated by Work and Income and a debt forgiven, he had $140 left to spend after he had paid his mortgage, power, rates and other bills. Previously he had $18 left a week for food and other expenses.
Sam Kuha ended his protest last week after Social Development Minister Paula Bennett agreed to meet him.
He says that hasn’t happened yet – but WINZ has re-assessed his invalid’s benefit and he’s now getting $100 more each week.
Mr Kuha says he now has enough to buy food and a few things he thinks of as luxuries, like shampoo or a cup of coffee.
What you failed to say about Sam’s situation is that MSD should have checked he was receiving his FULL AND CORRECT ENTITLEMENT anytime he applied for a Special Needs Grant (a food grant is a SNG).
Not only did they not do this prior to him getting widespread media attention, it is a regular cause of hardship for beneficiaries. It is the responsibility of MSD to inform beneficiaries of something they need to apply for, not the beneficiaries job to figure it out.
You also failed to mention that if MSD were aware of Sam’s situation prior to the date they FINALLY decided to give him more money, Sam could lodge a Review of Decision (just ask for the form as they are big on forms, low on providing quality service…or any service actually).
In the Review of Decision form Sam needs to say he disagrees with the decision and identify the date it was made (usually they send a letter, so use this date). Then he needs to state that Work and Income were made aware of his circumstances earlier. Therefore he would like the payment made BACK TO THE DATE HE FIRST BECAME ELIGIBLE. It is in caps because the wording is important.
Then, once he receives a large lump sum he can go in the paper again and highlight just how significant failing to advise beneficiaries of their right of application can be. Is it a few hundred? Or is it a few thousand that Sam is legally owed? The entitlement may actually go back a few years. I want Sam to get everything he is owed – standing up to these pricks in such a public and vulnerable manner takes real balls.
If you know Sam, please let him know of this post. We have an excellent Benefit Rights Service here in Wellington who can confirm what I just posted. (04) 2102012
They also accept donations btw and are a cause I’m really happy to support since they have supported me when Work and Income left me and my children to suffer in poverty.
Hi AWW, thanks for that. As for the inaccuracies in the reports and links I have only having followed this story remotely and have never met Sam.
I am well aware that there have been many reported occasions where WINZ have deliberately withheld information about benefits, knowing full well what hardship this will.
I hope the information that you have posted will get to Sam and other beneficiaries.
I am well aware that there have been many reported occasions where WINZ have deliberately withheld information about benefits, knowing full well what hardship this will.
Depends upon the office and the person. Some of them actually seem to think that people in the welfare system need to be punished and that’s what they do with the power over people that they have. It gets worse when a National government is in power because they’re usually the source of the idea that people on benefits need to be punished.
Also worth noting is that if Kuha does get a lump sum back payment, he needs to spend it as soon as possible, because the lump sum will be treated as a cash asset and be counted against him in any further applications for hardship grants. Although in his case, because WINZ have been so remiss, he could most likely get an agreement from WINZ to not count the lump sum for a period of time.
Thanks for the update Jenny. A lot but not all of that has been covered in Open Mikes, and it would make a good post of its own.
He says that hasn’t happened yet – but WINZ has re-assessed his invalid’s benefit and he’s now getting $100 more each week.
Mr Kuha says he now has enough to buy food and a few things he thinks of as luxuries, like shampoo or a cup of coffee.
For the richly deserved defenestration of WINZ, Sam Kuha is due in Kaikohe district court today.
Charged with the political crime of refusing to starve in silence.
For breaking WINZ’s windows to bring attention to his cause, Sam Kuha will face his persecutors in court.
But who is the real criminal here?
Why is it not a crime to make a beneficiary go without food for two weeks, until they can get an appointment with a budgeter, when they had already previously seen a budgeter and proven that they don’t have enough to live on?
Correction: Sam Kuha is due in court tomorrow. (my apologies). It will be interesting to see what censure he receives, if any. Considering the minor nature of the charges, and the element of provocation from WINZ, and the good character of Sam Kuha, I imagine that at most he could expect to receive diversion.
How much poverty in this country is directly related to Work and Income failing to advise people of their entitlement?
There have been cases in Wellington where people are paid tens of thousands. Imagine what living on $100 a week less for so many years that you are owed thousands does to your body and your family!
It has been known to interested public for some time that WINZ or its predecessor often will not advise on entitlements.
If a person adopts the method of saying “Is there anything else that I should know of – that I am entitled to – could help me? Is there something I can apply for, some place that can give me the help I need?”, those are very useful, wise questions that have good application in many situations not just WINZ. Because it puts the onus on the informed advisor to reply and it can only be Yes, No, or Don’t know and each position is definite and quotable, even don’t know, which indicates lack of training or interest in doing the job of providing service properly.
It should be a sackable offence for any WINZ employee who knowingly, either through malice or incompetence, deprives a beneficiary of an entitlement they’re owed knowing that it will cause them unnecessary hardship.
A treat from Puddleglum who analyses how we came to choose Key as our Prime Minister at this point in history, a man whose life and popularity mirrors and epitomises the neoliberal changes in the very character of the nation, first inflicted on us just as Key entered the workforce. The mirror that shows us how we like to see our new selves – made up, dressed in our most expensive new clothes, placed where there is not enough light to see our flaws.
But, as anyone who has stragically placed their mirror in a dark spot knows… the illusion only works in the short term…
….The only chance any of us have to ‘survive’ in our social world is to hold to some values, some principles that will constrain our moment-by-moment options. Being honest, for example, is a constraint – but it’s also recognised as being ‘the best policy’ and the wisest long-term strategy.
The same applies for New Zealand as a whole. There’s no such thing as a strategy of brute survival in the modern, global world. We have to hitch our wagon to some clear values that, in some circumstances, will constrain us (we might, for example, miss out on that film production because we value the rights of workers, on that trade treaty because we value human rights or the environment).
John Key’s political and verbal strategy, by contrast, is constantly to edit and re-edit his accounts of his own behaviour and beliefs in an attempt to secure short-term advantage (and acceptance). As I’ve argued, such a ‘pragmatic’ approach lacks – almost by definition – integrity (and I mean this in a technical as much as a moral sense).
Key’s approach has also been called ‘non-ideological’ and ‘pragmatic’ but it simply amounts to self-interest with its ultimate valuing of self-preservation.
The answer to Auckland housing issue is to privatise state houses, build a few new state houses on existing sites and then sell the residual land. It’s a win win? How about fully develop the area in tamaki increasing the quantity of state houses available, this reduces the pressure on rents from private landlords and also saves in housing allowances paid to these private landlords http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10843563
Under its Tamaki Transformation project Housing NZ is removing or renovating 156 of its houses in Glen Innes to make way for new or renovated state units and houses and about 140 privately-owned homes. Another privatisation with good intentions/ stealth ?
A top man in the comedy world. Meet the very funny John Key!
“One-liners from Prime Minister John Key at the opening of jeweller Sir Michael Hill’s sculpture park near Queenstown.
On Kim Dotcom: “That bloke might have megaupload.com but I’ve got megaballsup.com. Anyway, it’s great to be here at The Hills. Frankly, after the week I’ve had, it’s great to be anywhere other than Wellington.”
On the Labour Party: “We’re here to do the opening of the sculpture The Wolves are Coming. It sounds like the Labour Party.”
On Sir Michael: “I didn’t give [you] a knighthood to be voting Labour, Michael.”
On local MP Bill English: “He is the shareholding minister of Air New Zealand, which is the airline that failed to get me here.” The PM’s plane had been diverted to Dunedin. (Source: Mountain Scene)”
I akshully typed megaballsup.com into my header column. Guess where it took me.
I had to try it, and wow, that’s unbelievable!
I can’t believe that he would have done that, or even that he would actually know about it – maybe someone had just told him about it?
Curtis said the commissioners were “very focused on achieving the targets” within the strategy. “Having the commissioners in place for a further three years means in the first instance we can get on with setting limits. This will sort the environmental issues over time.”
Considering that this is all about business I would assume that that means ignoring the environment altogether.
Trucking Draco:
-the computer technology on-board lessening “the feel of the load”
-snowblindness
-“hours” ( hidden; double book-keeping for example)
– word on the “shop floor”; we receive the poorest quality diesel in NZ
-decreasing experience in the driving workforce
-transport operators are renown for de-prioritising maintenance expenditure
-finance for a shiny “New” lorry comparitively easy, yet, easy come, easy go…
“Don’t take my word for it: here are the government’s exact words:”
‘Larger trucking businesses may be well placed to self-certify compliance with certificate of fitness requirements because they carry suitably qualified maintenance staff.’
Matthew-Wilson adds:
“In English, this means that, in the near future, the trucking companies will be allowed to mark their own exam papers.”
“It is reasonable to assume that if the trucking industry is allowed to self-regulate, then the car fleet operators will also be allowed to self-regulate in the near future. That means hundreds of thousands of vehicles driving millions of miles without any independent safety inspection.”
“That’s why the government has announced that it intends to hire a large private police force to do random safety checks on vehicles1: instead of the commercial operators paying for independent safety inspections, as they do at present, the commercial operators will simply let the taxpayer foot the bill for roadside inspections.”
We’ve had experience of self-regulation and privatisation of the inspectors before and we’ve got the bill to show it. These ones will be worse as the bill will be counted in blood.
.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the housing sector led directly to the $50 billion leaky home problem.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the mining inspection sector led directly to 29 dead men at Pike River.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the heavy trucking sector will, on the evidence, lead directly to people dying in road crashes.
What on earth is it about these people? They seem to be blind or blinkered. They are in fact the most dangerous group of people in NZ this National lot. Deadly dangerous
I was wondering how in NZ they might be able to bring something in which will begin the process of “training people”, getting them used to “boots on the ground”, so to speak.
Being pulled over, harrassed, and having your private property, and your person, inspected by what will be private mercs, probably paid for by us!
Should this all come to pass, the changes to WOF, from the details available so far, this would certainly look like some very evil planning!
” large private police force” working on contract to government.
This will end up like the hated tow trucks and wheel clampers.
This is government wanting to run everything to their own rules, leaving the hard work to others while they remain at a distance taking no responsibility and staying well away from fronting the consequences. Next inevitable step is that they don’t care about the consequences and the public are just to be herded around and taxed to provide the democratic system that continues mechanically but not serving the people but just the pollies income and perks so they can live their comfortable separate lives.
Next inevitable step is that they don’t care about the consequences and the public are just to be herded around and taxed to provide the democratic system that continues mechanically but not serving the people but just the pollies income and perks so they can live their comfortable separate lives
Prism, one could argue that “next step” is already in play!
How much government can be outsourced, before its “illegal” to make changes to industry, because of “treaties/obligations’?
The talk of private companies handling this work, paid for by taxpayers is disturbing!
muzza
Good point. Make a change, once embedded it’s hard to get rid of it. All levers and handles will be twisted and pulled to leave things as they are. Probably with curse words like bureaucratic, over-regulation and the dreaded ‘nannnny state’. Bah!
Here we go again – the usual ‘spin-doctor’ campaign try to pick and snipe and undermine Labour Party leadership?
Saw it all before with Phil Goff in 2011.
yawn……………….
The question I want answered is:
What role did John Key play in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in November 1999, when he was a foreign exchange advisor to the New York Federal Reserve, and Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch?
Given that the effect of the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act was to leave the derivatives market unregulated?
Given that the global financial meltdown has been largely caused by the collapse of the derivatives market?
Why would John Key give advice on Mortgage based derivatives when his area of expertise was in the Foreign exchange markets as you rightly pointed out?
I’m curious why you think it was the collapse of the derivatives market, (by the way where do I find this particular ‘market’), that caused the GFC. Where is your evidence that it was such a collapse that led to the problems?
Why did Fannie/Freddie and AIG collapse, as a start!
The LIFFE is one place you will find that “market”, and yes of course Key knows exactly whats going on, and why his bank (ML), was swallowed up
While not right at the top of the list of names in the banking world, he was high enough to be parachuted into his current job as PM, which means he was on the radar of some very powerful people!
LIFFE doesn’t exist and hasn’t done for a number of years. It also didn’t concern itself massively with the nmortgage based derivatives that were impacted by the GFC.
Sure it doesn’t, but you understand what was meant when I said “Market”, and used LIFFE as an example, as it s now EURONEXT.LIFFE, also merging with CME!
The takeovers, and mergers that LIFFE was hoovered into, speak for themselves!
The trouble for you Muzza is that I worked at Liffe for a few years so I know what they did. I suspect you have little clue and simply did a Google search on ‘Derivatives Exchanges’ and came up with the name of a now defunct entity.
The products that the Exchanges that Liffe was involved with were realitively straight forward derivatives such as bog standard Futures and Options contracts. These products are completely standardised like a mass produced mass market pair of shoes you might puchase in a shop. They had little direct connection with the mortgage market in the US.
The derivatives that led to problems for companies like AIG were complex Over The Counter (OTC) products like CD Swaps CDO’s and CFO’s specifically related to Mortgages. These are manufactured by the banks and sold direct to investors much like a custom car or tailored suit might be sold.
I’m curious why you think it was the collapse of the derivatives market, (by the way where do I find this particular ‘market’), that caused the GFC.
You asked where you can find the market, and got an answer, which you know is technically correct. Another answer could have been – “in the completely unregulated “city of london”, is where one will find the derivatives market, but thats only part of it eh!
It doesnt matter what was traded, if it was OTC or exotics, thats not a link I was trying to make.
You understand (I think), why Fannie/Freddie/AIG went down, thats the housing market and insurance market right there, which was, and still is a major trigger/catalyst for the on-going problems.The fallout continues, because you can only screw a physical market once, but the levereged instruments, ensure that failure it will continue much , much longer!
Your belief that the City of London is completely unregulated is completely wrong. The major investment banks have a huge amount of regulation they need to comply with.
Ok Gosman, I’m not going into it with you, suffice to say that some time with the FSA, and working with regulatory & compliance at various banks, told me otherwise!
Its a joke, smoke , mirrors, a few fines here and there, while the big boys smash their way through and around entities like the FSA, while stealing their staff, along with “other experts”, to ensure that the minimum of lip service is paid to , regulations!
You worked with the FSA and in regulatory & compliance at various banks and yet you don’t understand the nature of derivatives. I find that very difficult to reconcile. What banks did you work with?
Their collapses all initiated from their City of London operations because of their lax rules eg. on rehypothecation limits and reporting, compared to the US.
The point I am making is that it wasn’t anything to do with a collapse of a derivatives market (there are in fact hundreds of these), that caused the GFC. It was more to do with the unravelling of the positions that some companies held in relation to certain Derivates products which caused them harm.
To explain using simpler terms, imagine you have bet heavily that the ALL Blacks will win the Rugby Union world cup, Unfortunately for you it is 2007 and not 2011 and you lose out. It would be incorrect to state that it was the collapse of the Rugby Union betting market that caused your financial predicament. It was the outcome of the bets you made.
When people say “the stock market collapsed” they don’t actually mean the building the stock market is in collapsed
FFS Gosman
The derivatives market grew into a weapon of mass financial destruction. You didn’t even touch on the issues of counterparty risks, collateral chains, dark pool exchanges, and insanely miscalculated financial modelling which all helped set the bomb off.
“Financial engineering” has been one of the most dangerous, wealth destroying activities of modern western civilisation.
No, a market collapses when demand for the good or services drops to virtually zero. Even if that happened in the derivatives markets, (and it didn’t for the majority of the products offered), this still wouldn’t have caused a massive problem. The problem occured due to the triggering of the contracts i.e. it was the underlying market that lead to liquidity problems. The derivative positions of some of those companies that went bust simply magnified the losses.
DUH
(by the way where do I find this particular ‘market’), that caused the GFC. Where is your evidence that it was such a collapse that led to the problems?
Well liar loans, Northern Rock, as well
And Gos I was starting to think that you had a good understanding on thing financial.
It is incorrect to state the Derivatives market collapsed. First off which Derivatives market are you meaning and second the products that did the damage did exactly what they were supposed to do i.e. kick in when other products dropped in price. The problem was the resulting position was not a favourable one for companies like AIG. However if you have an alternative view on the subject perhaps you would share it with the rest of us.
Did they replace the last Gosman? – Because who ever is writing using the handle now is actually lesser on understanding and intellect than Gosman used to be. I use the words understanding and intellect losely!
Gosman – If the FED/ECB/BoE etc have all had to prop up the global banking system (banks) because the CDO/CDS trigger exposed all derivative markets as vaccuous/fraudulant, and now something like $16 trillion or more has been pumped into the global banking system using various QE techniques, what would you call that, successful!
Let me put it simply for you – Without the QE the derivatives markets would have totally collapsed, and taken the the banks with it, but that was not allowed to happen, yet!
No because as stated there are hundreds and possibly thousands of derivatives markets. There is not a single ‘Derivatives market’ as suggested.
It is highly improbable that all Derivatives markets would collapse at the same time, although it is a remote possibility. Of course this would mean the entire financial system would also have collapsed first.
You are the first person I have seen argue that the Quantitive Easing carried out has been used to prop up the Derivatives markets. You have some evidence for this view do you?
Quantitive easing isn’t designed to prop up the banking system. It has been designed to create additional credit in the market to stimulate demand. The fact that many banks are using it to bolster their balance sheets due to increased regulatory requirements is kind of irrelevant.
No it’s not. The Banks never stated to governments’ Give us cheap credit and we will pass it on to the wider economy’. The governments in question merely made an assumption that this would happen. What they seemingly forgot is at the same time the central banking authorities in those countries are requiring stricter capital requirements to try and avoid another banking crisis. This has meant that the Banks are being told to bolster their reserves at the same time they are being provided with a lot of cheap capital to do so. Hardly fraudalent following orders and taking advantage of government policies.
BUT you said stimulate demand and they used it to prop up the balance sheets.
Isnt demand part of the wider ecconmy?
Or am i mistaken that a balance sheet for a bank is part of stimulating demand?
This an important statement
In August 2007 he told the New Zealand Herald he had left Elders Merchant Finance in 1987. The following year documentation from a 1990s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into a failed group of companies revealed he had told investigators in 1991 that he had left Elders 1988.
He was soon telling media he simply had his dates wrong in the 2007
This Wednesday 31 October the annual Bruce Jesson lecture is being given by Nicky Hager in Auckland. Details below. Nicky’s comment –
“I will then look at the role and potential of investigative journalism, in the context of considering what is needed to improve politics in this country.”
The annual Bruce Jesson Lecture is organised by the Bruce Jesson Foundation in memory of Bruce Jesson (1944-99), another great investigative journalist who, like Hager, worked mainly as an independent writer without any regular wage or salary for most of his life.
The lecture will be at Auckland University’s Maidment Theatre at 6.30pm on Wednesday 31 October. Admission by donation, bar open from 5.30pm. More details: http://www.brucejesson.com
DO YOU WANT AN 8 STORY APARTMENT BUILDING AS YOUR NEIGHBOR?
It is disappointing but quite predictable that the Finance Minister is using the affordable housing crisis to panda to a property developer fuel land acquisition. Previously the red tape cutting deregulation saw the Auckland region crammed full with shoddy, leaky houses, which will cost ratepayer billions of dollars into the foreseeable future.
It is disgraceful, Finance Minister Bill English is blundering full steam ahead into localbody affairs with ideological view that will displace families on between $15,000 and$25,000 per annum, and destroy capital values for home owners particularly thosesaddled with mortgages when high rise apartment building spring up on their fence lines. (non-notified)
The last thing Aucklander’s need is the unelected “Productivity Commission” and Minister of Finance socially engineering our city.
Wow! You’re a little off message with the other leftists on this issue. The problem is with sprawl not intensification according to them. Talk about mixed messages from the left on this issue.
Nah, it’s when a politician promises to do something everyone would like, or fix something everyone agrees is a problem, and presents as a plan:
“We really would like this to happen. Very much. It is serious. (Furrows brow, stares down barrell of camera) Now let us wait two years and see if it does”
A story about self-regulation and the un/examined life.
John Clark became Prime minister of New Zealand. He had governed for a single term and enjoyed popular support. Good people obeyed the law and bad people feared it. New Zealand was governed in this manner and other people who wanted the power of government were afraid of the Prime Minister’s political skill. John Clark had an elder brother, Bill, and a sister, called Jane. The brother loved to eat, he called himself an unrepentant foodie. The sister was, well, she enjoyed the company of others – many and varied, all of them pleased her.
At Bills house there was a cellar of beverages, some still in the barrel, and on his lavish property there was also a winery. His parties were so enthusiastic that when he vented his villa, the smell of alcohol and weed often caught the wind and disturbed the people of the township across the bay. Bill was so often stoned out of his tree that he had no feelings of regret or sorrow. He had no idea of what was safe or dangerous in life. Most of the time he didn’t even know what was going on in his own house and was unaware if something was present or missing. He’d pretty much forgotten anything about the lives of his close or distant relatives and didn’t even know that his grandfather had recently died and his niece had a new baby. He was so oblivious to his surroundings that even one of his drunken guests swinging a golf club near his face failed to register a response of any kind. He once fell in the BBQ pit, coming away unburned, and while sitting by the pool during a sudden downpour, he was confused as to why his guests ran inside.
At Jane’s multi-level house there were a number of guest rooms, about thirty-eight apartment sized suites, to house her lovers. She was so captivated by her visitors that she neglected relatives and friends and paid no attention to family. She spent all her time around her inner courtyard, turning night into day. Over the course of three months, if she left her place once, she felt unsatisfied and cheated by life. If there was a visitor in town that caught her eye, she’d do anything to win their heart. She’d use expensive gifts, trips and flattery; stopping only if it were impossible to get what she wanted.
John Clark thought these things over and secretly went to consult with the a senior advisor to his Party.
“I’ve heard that how a person cares for themselves influences their family,” said John, “and that how a person cares for their family influences the State. In other words, in paying attention to the things closest to home, we can affect things in society. I’ve taken care of the State, it’s in good shape all things considered, but my family, it’s in total disorder. Perhaps this isn’t he way to go about things? How can I help my family clean themselves up? What should I do?”
His advisor said, “I’ve thought about this for a while, but didn’t want to raise the subject. You know how it makes the Party politically vulnerable. Why don’t you use your influence to control them? Encourage them by outlining the importance of a healthy life. Correct them gently by telling them about the benefits of virtuous and appropriate behaviour.”
John Followed his advisor’s advice and the next time he saw his siblings, he said to them:
“The ability to think is what makes man more than just an animal. By using our minds, we can understand virtue and morality, modesty and restraint. This is the kind of behaviour that helps a person achieve glory and success. You guys, however, you’re only interesting in things that excite your passions. You indulge your selfish and immoral desires and endanger your lives and your minds. Listen up, it has to stop. Fix yourself right now, commit to making a change for the better, set some goals and by tonight, you’ll already have improved your lives.”
Bill stubbed out his cigarette, took out another, and offered the plain package to Jane.
“We knew all this a long time ago and made our decision from choice,” said Jane. “We didn’t need your advice to enlighten us. It’s difficult to extend life, but easy to die. No one would think of sitting around waiting for death just because it’s difficult to extend your own life. You value good behaviour and virtuous ideals in order to stand out from the crowd. It’s your pompous tendency in action. You hide your feelings and true nature by striving for this kind of false purity. To us, it seems worse than death.”
“The only thing we’re worried about is satisfying our desires too soon,” said Bill. “We worry about having so many attractive visitors, or eating so much fine food, that we blunt our sense of appreciation and can’t pursue what we love anymore. We’ve got no time to waste worrying about reputations or the state of our minds. For you to come and judge us simply because you are good at ruling people, to try to charm us with promises of fame and achievement, it’s just sad and pathetic.”
“I have an answer for you,” Jane said. “Look, just because someone knows how to regulate external things, it doesn’t mean those things will become regulated. No matter what we do, a person’s body will still age and one day we’ll all die. But if someone knows how to regulate what goes on inside themselves, they might actually succeed in regulating those things. That person’s mind will be calm and they’ll be at peace with the way life is and they won’t be thrashing around, blaming other people for whatever they see and feel. Your method of regulating external things works on a temporary basis and only for a small specific area. It doesn’t encourage harmony between all things or individual calm. They way we live, me and Bill, our method can be applied throughout the whole universe, it’s natural. We adhere to our real natures. What’s more, it would eliminate the need for rulers and governments.”
“That pretty much sums it up,” said Bill. We should have had this talk sooner, John. But do us a favour, explain to us your own perspective of virtue.” John was taken aback, somewhat bewildered, and had no ready answer. Later he met with his senior advisor again and told him what had happened.
“You were living alongside real people,” his advisor said, “and we never knew it. Who says you are a skilled politician? The country’s been governed all this time and, it seems, not due to any skill of yours.”
Adapted from, Yang Chu’s Garden of Pleasure: The philosophy of Individuality, Edited by Rosemary Brant; Chapter 9: “The Happy Hedonists”.
Glad I didn’t tune in to radio this morning. Saw her on Campbell Live the other day and that was enough. Hate to think what damage Longstone and her neo-con B & B (bastards and bitches) mates are doing to my blood pressure.
Financial crisis: 25 people at the heart of the meltdown – where are they now?
In 2009 the Guardian identified 25 people – bankers, economists, central bankers and politicians – whose actions had led the world into the worst economic turmoil since the Great Depression.
On the fifth anniversary of the credit crunch, what are they doing?
Rupert Neate
guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 August 2012 20.49 BST
Alan Greenspan, chairman US Federal Reserve 1987-2000
A disciple of libertarian icon Ayn Rand, Greenspan became chairman of the Fed just in time to save the global economy from the 1987 stock market crash from becoming a full-blown disaster.
He went on preside over the boom years of the 90s and lead the US economy through the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and was widely referred to as an “oracle” and “the maestro”.
But Greenspan’s super-low interest rates and consistent opposition to regulation of the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market are now widely blamed for causing the credit crisis. Under Greenspan’s tenure the derivatives market went from barely registering to a $500 trillion industry, despite billionaire investor Warren Buffett warning that they were “financial weapons of mass destruction”.
His rock-bottom rates encouraged Americans to load up on debt to buy homes, even when they had no savings, no income and no job prospects.
These so-called sub-prime borrowers were the cannon fodder for the biggest boom-bust in US history. The housing collapse brought the global economy to its knees.
He was given an honorary knighthood in 2002 for his “contribution to global economic stability”, but in 2008, at a Congressional hearing investigating the causes of the financial crisis, Greenspan finally admitted he “made a mistake in presuming” that financial firms could regulate themselves.
“You found that your view of the world, your ideology was not right, it was not working?” Henry Waxman, the committee chairman, said.
“Absolutely, precisely,” Greenspan replied. “You know, that’s precisely the reason I was shocked, because I have been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.” …………………..
_________________________________________
Politicians
Bill Clinton, former US president
Politicians’ current plan to help prevent another financial crisis is to ringfence banks’ risky “casino banking” divisions from the more pedestrian high street banking departments. 13 years ago Clinton repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which had done just that. Clinton’s move, which came after fierce lobbying from bankers, heralded the birth of superbanks and primed the sub-prime pump. …
_____________________________________________
Senator Phil Gramm
“Some people look at sub-prime lending and see evil. I look at sub-prime lending and see the American dream in action,” Gramm told a Senate debate in 2001.
Another dynamite quote. “When I am on Wall Street and I realise that that’s the very nerve centre of American capitalism and I realise what capitalism has done for the working people of America, to me that’s a holy place.”
It was Gramm that had fought hardest for deregulation and helped write the law that enabled the creation of financial giants such as Citigroup and Bank of America. ……….
What role did John Key play in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in November 1999, when he was a foreign exchange advisor to the New York Federal Reserve, and Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch?
Given that the effect of the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act was to leave the derivatives market unregulated?
Given that the global financial meltdown has been largely caused by the collapse of the derivatives market?
I take it you’ll be doorknocking for Mana in 2014? To continue your analogy, it’d be a shame if you just decided to fold your arms and sink out of spite.
Oh I was, I was. It was just that you seemed to be spending more time impersonating Chicken Little rather than, you know, actually cheerleading the party you actually do support.
It’s pretty clear you think Shearer is a lousy leader. What’s unclear is what party you want to win the election, in an ideal world. You’re about as useful to Labour as BM – always sniping, never contributing.
Why would I want (or need) to be put in the category “USEFUL to Labour” by YOU (or anyone else), Mr McFlock?
Let me ask you another question mate, how many THOUSAND dollars have you given to Labour over the last ten years? How many HUNDREDS of hours have you volunteered for Labour over the last 3 election campaigns?
I’ve done a lot less than some on The Std, but I sure have done more than 99.75% of the population out there for Labour. Still not good enough for you? Then go screw yourself.
spending more time impersonating Chicken Little rather than, you know, actually cheerleading the party you actually do support.
Emphasis mine.
Read what you wrote again and figure out why I can’t be fucked with your expectations of Labour supporters, past and present. Maybe it will give you a clue as to why some of the best Labour activists up and down the country not stuck in Beltway Think have picked up sticks and walked from Labour; some to other parties, some out of politics altogether.
And then have a think to yourself why in the most incompetent, clearly smarmy and untrustworthy electorally suicidal year the NATs have managed to concoct in terms of what should be a dream run for the Opposition, Labour sits on…29% to 32%. Same as 9-18-36 months ago.
Guess what: to be a “supporter” you need to “support”. That doesn’t mean “never criticise”, it means at least give credit where it’s due.
Labour no longer espouse the principles you support? Boo-fucking-hoo. Support someone else. You know why? Because while it might be emotionally fulfilling for you to piss on Labour all the time, you only have one urethra: every litre you dump on labour means that National stays that bit more dry. Why do you think BM & hoots etc are jerking off on the Shearer/Cunliffe thing?
You might not think there’s much difference between labour and national atm, but there’s enough of a difference that it will still mean a lot to a lot of people who are struggling right now. It might not reach your standards of socialist heaven, but it’s better than national.
So as someone who wants to see at least a vaguely left wing government in 2014, kindly piss on national and actually support somebody, because at the moment you just sound like a whiney little bitch who needs to get the fuck over the fact that he didn’t get what he wanted.
I just did a series of updates to the site that should improve the speed and reduce the downloads, especially for those readers still on dialup. As far as I can tell they shouldn’t cause any problems although I did have differences between the test environment and the live system because of cloudflare (which is why there were a few glitches on display this late afternoon).
Tested on the live system with current versions of chrome, firefox, and safari. I don’t have any windows boxes available right now so I haven’t tried it on IE.
If anyone has issues with them, then leave a comment here – make sure there is a “lprent” (first letter is a lowercase L) in the comment so I see it faster than my usual moderation sweeps.
lprent
Ubuntu 12.04/Firefox 16.01 combination works ++good
since you mentioned mobile fixes are imminent, i would like to bring to your attention a couple of ongoing events within the mobile site that you may or may not know of: re. samsung S2
; initial text entry seems stable but the text box repeatedly runs away to hide whenever any attempt is made to edit the text before publication,
: the site is often saying ‘publication failed’ when publication was fine.
Thankyou
p.s. conversation tracker id’s, as used on the main site, would be extremely helpful.
Ok I’ll have a look at those, but I suspect I’ll be shifting that back to BraveNewCode unless they show up on my android 4.0 HTC or old apple 3G (because I can’t remember seeing either).
The main one that I’ve been fixing has to do with the number of comments blowing the RAM constraints on phones. For some reason when there are more than about 40-50 comments on a post, many phones just crash their browsers. It appears to be purely memory related and usually happens on posts with those larger comments. These days we routinely get a post of two with more than 100 large comments. So I’ve been cutting the size down by looking at the text sizes. Trick is to make sure that looking at the text sizes doesn’t slow everyone else down by making the server run like a dog.
But one thing I will be looking at doing next weekend is writing or adapting a barebones mobile version as an alternative. Seems ridiculous that a few thousand lines of a mostly text should blow out a browser. I suspect a lot of it is also the numbers of different identicons and other graphics..
Mostly in QEMU. But they usually fail to fail on memory allocation emulation because they aren’t using the same underlying heap/stack. You really need actual hardware for some kinds of bugs.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
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So National are now into teacher bashing mode. Apparently the recently appointed Secretary for Education who is from the UK thinks that our education system is not world class, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
She says that the tail is performing too poorly. She ignores the high rankings that our system achieves in world tables.
She does not say what the solution is, but obviously the only proposal the Government has are charter schools.
If they were interested they would be decreasing class sizes, increasing professional training for teachers and doing something about child poverty.
But I guess then they would be losing the opportunity to bash two of the few remaining viable trade unions.
I’m no fan of the MoE, however it is fair comment that in many cases the education system is failing Maori and PI pupils.
Some schools are doing very well in this area but many are not.
NACTs attack dog barks as she’s paid to do. wow Maori and PI don’t do as well shock horror could it be a poverty issue, you know the one this govt is turning a blind eye to.
I think that one important point to note about the employment of Lesley Longstone is that she has a great interest in technology used in her area. She is the second new overseas appointment that has had this focus, but the last one returned suddenly to Brit, I’ve forgotten her name.
This means that those making the appointment do not look at how knowledgable and experienced the appointee is in his/her field, knowledge of technology substitution for people pushes this to the background.
And listen to Steven Joyce who is defending private providers in education and the fact that Maori wananga are doing well is an excuse to open up education to all private interests and so undermining government insitutions, with a question hanging in the air about our schools. This is a cheap shot at hard working educationalists.
There was an interesting aspect on education and alternative approaches in the interview on
Radionz NinetoNoon this morning on the Uncollege idea – finding your own education and goals rather than being rote learned in the traditional way.
That would be something I want to see more of. Just not done through the profit motive but rather through cooperation and community.
Given the need for profits that has transform education into an industry, and its inevitable extra gradient added to the learning process,. That it pays successful teaching establishments to water down and so take profit from time to time, at the top end and the also ran universities to broaden their catchment and capacity. The way we think is still the same, the need to be understood by others hasn’t changed, so technology will inevitable make it easier to educate and transfer both knowledge and skill quicker. The crisis in education is however the huge number of differing and contradictory ways of see differing subsets of the same information surely?
It’s all about poverty and inequality. The sooner NACT and their cronies are strung up along with the rest of the greedy n this country the better.
The Secretary for Education was the one to introduce the Charter School Scam into the UK. Parata and the vile Rodger Douglas were working on the scam in the first term of John Key’s Administration. Wealthy American in NZ owns Charter Schools in USA, how much did he put into the Nat’s election kitty?
The argument will become, “see how the Public Education has failed? So the answer is to privatise. As will Social Welfare, Prisons, Rail Transport and so on.”
Well spoken mickeysavage!
Oh really madam? Fancy that. We never knew. Cos we’re just a bunch of ignorant colonialists?
So, we have to import a right-wing neo-con failure from Britain to tell us things we know more about than she ever will in years of Sundays?
Got news for you madam. It’s your demonstrably corrupt right wing neo-con claptrap that is responsible for so many of our children “under-performing”. Why don’t you pack your bags and head off back to Britain. We have educational experts in this country who are streets ahead of you!
Helen Clark made it clear our home-grown ‘neo-con failure’ Christine Rankin would be sent packing if they won the 1999 election. They did and she was gone in weeks. I expect Labour to do the same to this woman – and announce in advance of the next election.
So you are okay if the other side of the political spectrum also follows this view and if someone expresses views deemed left wing then any Right wing led government can justifiable dismiss them?
A slippery slope there I would suggest.
So to put the boot back on your own foot, what do you have to say about the post-election situation of partisan ministerial secretaries then?
BTW, it’s time you yourself attempted to answer your many questions about other peoples’ comments ie put-up & rebut, or shut up.
I prefer that the public service remains non-partisan, however that is not to state that there aren’t viable alternatives. I’m asking if leftists who wish to sack people because of their political leanings would be happy if the opposite happened.
>>Oh really madam? Fancy that. We never knew. Cos we’re just a bunch of ignorant colonialists?
Same thought, along the lines of no shit sherlock.
I didn’t hear her. Did she have any solutions?? (Build up to charter schools?)
Oh but National standards sorting that the tail out? HA
She has certainly shown her leadership ability so far.
Class sizes
Christchurch schools
Nova pay
Closing special schools
And that is so far this year
Worth repeating Dave Kennedy’s blog site link:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/each-morning-i-turn-on-radio-to-listen.html
Take a good look at her ‘portrait’. What words spring to mind? In my case, two words – spiteful bully girl.
Teachers would like a world class Ministry of Education, not the fuck ups we have now. Who did sign off Novopay exactly?
When will the corporate media ask these simple questions?
1. “Why are you not looking at international research that connects the tail in NZ’s education results to our growing inequality as a society?”
2. ” Why have we got an English ‘expert’ on education when a Finnish one might be more useful?”
This country so desperately needs an independent media.
+100
Paul 1.5.3.
Because the government doesn’t want to ‘finish’ the controversy. It enjoys rattling the cage to make us all jump and there would be no satisfaction in solving the problem in a thoughtful and supportive way.
Also one feature of our society is the mixture of cultures. What does France do with its Algerians etc. The Hispanics in the USA too? Are they all counted in one national database melting pot?
Intersting use of language – The transformation of Auckland Council, is to make it’s departments world class.
Nothing in it, I’m sure its all just co-incidental!
name a world class system m langstone?
Sam Kuha Wins against WINZ
One person can make a difference.
When I am at work I have the National program playing.
I only heard one very brief radio news bulletin about this.
In one brief sound bite I heard that after 30 days Sam Kuha had announced the end of his hunger strike.
Kuha said he had won his struggle with WINZ.
WINZ were now paying him an extra $100 a week extra on top of his benefit and Paula Bennet had agreed to meet him personally to discuss his concerns. Though Bennett had not honoured her commitment to meet with him, he was satisfied.
The promised extra money had been coming through and he was pleased at his victory, which he said was for all beneficiaries.
Sam said that with the extra money he had food in his kitchen cupboard for the first time in ages and he could now even afford a luxury like an occasional coffee.
Getting home from work I did a google search to confirm the facts of this singular RNZ news bulletin.
The following are quotes and links from the story as it developed.
September 23:
Sam goes on talk back, Matt McCarten hears it. Writes it up.
October 2
Paula Bennett “unsympathetic to Sam Kuha’s plight”.
Says food rule is “about right”
October 5:
Radio live picks up the story. Sam says he wants to meet with Paula Bennet. Tells how he is doing
October 11:
“Sam Kuha shines a light”
October 11:
The government starts to crack
October 16:
The state capitulates, after initially refusing to give him a $40 food grant. WINZ surrenders.
October 19:
Radio NZ bulletin reports the news
What you failed to say about Sam’s situation is that MSD should have checked he was receiving his FULL AND CORRECT ENTITLEMENT anytime he applied for a Special Needs Grant (a food grant is a SNG).
Not only did they not do this prior to him getting widespread media attention, it is a regular cause of hardship for beneficiaries. It is the responsibility of MSD to inform beneficiaries of something they need to apply for, not the beneficiaries job to figure it out.
You also failed to mention that if MSD were aware of Sam’s situation prior to the date they FINALLY decided to give him more money, Sam could lodge a Review of Decision (just ask for the form as they are big on forms, low on providing quality service…or any service actually).
In the Review of Decision form Sam needs to say he disagrees with the decision and identify the date it was made (usually they send a letter, so use this date). Then he needs to state that Work and Income were made aware of his circumstances earlier. Therefore he would like the payment made BACK TO THE DATE HE FIRST BECAME ELIGIBLE. It is in caps because the wording is important.
Then, once he receives a large lump sum he can go in the paper again and highlight just how significant failing to advise beneficiaries of their right of application can be. Is it a few hundred? Or is it a few thousand that Sam is legally owed? The entitlement may actually go back a few years. I want Sam to get everything he is owed – standing up to these pricks in such a public and vulnerable manner takes real balls.
If you know Sam, please let him know of this post. We have an excellent Benefit Rights Service here in Wellington who can confirm what I just posted. (04) 2102012
They also accept donations btw and are a cause I’m really happy to support since they have supported me when Work and Income left me and my children to suffer in poverty.
Hi AWW, thanks for that. As for the inaccuracies in the reports and links I have only having followed this story remotely and have never met Sam.
I am well aware that there have been many reported occasions where WINZ have deliberately withheld information about benefits, knowing full well what hardship this will.
I hope the information that you have posted will get to Sam and other beneficiaries.
Depends upon the office and the person. Some of them actually seem to think that people in the welfare system need to be punished and that’s what they do with the power over people that they have. It gets worse when a National government is in power because they’re usually the source of the idea that people on benefits need to be punished.
Also worth noting is that if Kuha does get a lump sum back payment, he needs to spend it as soon as possible, because the lump sum will be treated as a cash asset and be counted against him in any further applications for hardship grants. Although in his case, because WINZ have been so remiss, he could most likely get an agreement from WINZ to not count the lump sum for a period of time.
Thanks for the update Jenny. A lot but not all of that has been covered in Open Mikes, and it would make a good post of its own.
He says that hasn’t happened yet – but WINZ has re-assessed his invalid’s benefit and he’s now getting $100 more each week.
Mr Kuha says he now has enough to buy food and a few things he thinks of as luxuries, like shampoo or a cup of coffee.
Good on him, I am so glad he won!
For the richly deserved defenestration of WINZ, Sam Kuha is due in Kaikohe district court today.
Charged with the political crime of refusing to starve in silence.
For breaking WINZ’s windows to bring attention to his cause, Sam Kuha will face his persecutors in court.
But who is the real criminal here?
Why is it not a crime to make a beneficiary go without food for two weeks, until they can get an appointment with a budgeter, when they had already previously seen a budgeter and proven that they don’t have enough to live on?
It should be WINZ who are in the dock.
Bais.org.nz can also support him by providing someone closer. The Wellington BRS kicks ass though.
Correction: Sam Kuha is due in court tomorrow. (my apologies). It will be interesting to see what censure he receives, if any. Considering the minor nature of the charges, and the element of provocation from WINZ, and the good character of Sam Kuha, I imagine that at most he could expect to receive diversion.
How much poverty in this country is directly related to Work and Income failing to advise people of their entitlement?
There have been cases in Wellington where people are paid tens of thousands. Imagine what living on $100 a week less for so many years that you are owed thousands does to your body and your family!
It has been known to interested public for some time that WINZ or its predecessor often will not advise on entitlements.
If a person adopts the method of saying “Is there anything else that I should know of – that I am entitled to – could help me? Is there something I can apply for, some place that can give me the help I need?”, those are very useful, wise questions that have good application in many situations not just WINZ. Because it puts the onus on the informed advisor to reply and it can only be Yes, No, or Don’t know and each position is definite and quotable, even don’t know, which indicates lack of training or interest in doing the job of providing service properly.
It should be a sackable offence for any WINZ employee who knowingly, either through malice or incompetence, deprives a beneficiary of an entitlement they’re owed knowing that it will cause them unnecessary hardship.
http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org/?p=1084#more-1084
A treat from Puddleglum who analyses how we came to choose Key as our Prime Minister at this point in history, a man whose life and popularity mirrors and epitomises the neoliberal changes in the very character of the nation, first inflicted on us just as Key entered the workforce. The mirror that shows us how we like to see our new selves – made up, dressed in our most expensive new clothes, placed where there is not enough light to see our flaws.
But, as anyone who has stragically placed their mirror in a dark spot knows… the illusion only works in the short term…
I’ll be your mirror – Nico and the Velvet Underground
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_l5byiVnMQ
He concludes:
It won’t work for John Key.
It won’t work for the mythical ‘Waitakere Man’.
And it won’t work for New Zealand.
+1 Puddleglum is always worth reading and this article is one of his/her best.
The answer to Auckland housing issue is to privatise state houses, build a few new state houses on existing sites and then sell the residual land. It’s a win win? How about fully develop the area in tamaki increasing the quantity of state houses available, this reduces the pressure on rents from private landlords and also saves in housing allowances paid to these private landlords
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10843563
Under its Tamaki Transformation project Housing NZ is removing or renovating 156 of its houses in Glen Innes to make way for new or renovated state units and houses and about 140 privately-owned homes. Another privatisation with good intentions/ stealth ?
A top man in the comedy world. Meet the very funny John Key!
“One-liners from Prime Minister John Key at the opening of jeweller Sir Michael Hill’s sculpture park near Queenstown.
On Kim Dotcom: “That bloke might have megaupload.com but I’ve got megaballsup.com. Anyway, it’s great to be here at The Hills. Frankly, after the week I’ve had, it’s great to be anywhere other than Wellington.”
On the Labour Party: “We’re here to do the opening of the sculpture The Wolves are Coming. It sounds like the Labour Party.”
On Sir Michael: “I didn’t give [you] a knighthood to be voting Labour, Michael.”
On local MP Bill English: “He is the shareholding minister of Air New Zealand, which is the airline that failed to get me here.” The PM’s plane had been diverted to Dunedin. (Source: Mountain Scene)”
Will yo pay for his performance?
I akshully typed megaballsup.com into my header column. Guess where it took me.
My question is, is our standup PM in on the joke?
Did he know about this before he made his comment that, “I’ve got megaballsup.com”?
Will he be leaving this joke in place?
Like the infamous comedy link to George Bush’s website, will John Key’s aides be desperately scrambling around trying to take it down?
Or does he genuinely not care if he looks a fool?
I suppose time will tell.
Jenny off the top of my head, the cat walk mincing, and the Letterman show…
I would say the answer to your question is a resounding no!
I had to try it, and wow, that’s unbelievable!
I can’t believe that he would have done that, or even that he would actually know about it – maybe someone had just told him about it?
Thats easy. Simple redirection.
Not sure there’s much he can do to stop other people redirecting to him except keep writing new rules in his htaccess file.
The unexamined life is not worth living 🙁
-Socrates
I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live
– Socrates
Wicked! 🙂
And now for the biggst non-surprise of this government’s term……
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7874996/Race-to-irrigate-behind-ECan-move
Fucking dirty lying bastards.
Considering that this is all about business I would assume that that means ignoring the environment altogether.
There should be widespread outrage over this as your area will be next. A sort of bully getting away with bullying.
Trucking Draco:
-the computer technology on-board lessening “the feel of the load”
-snowblindness
-“hours” ( hidden; double book-keeping for example)
– word on the “shop floor”; we receive the poorest quality diesel in NZ
-decreasing experience in the driving workforce
-transport operators are renown for de-prioritising maintenance expenditure
-finance for a shiny “New” lorry comparitively easy, yet, easy come, easy go…
ahhh, the cost of fuel!
A couple of my trucking mates also harp on about the private roading firms using thinner tar etc on the roads so they have continuing need for repair.
They get pissed off with it cause they get blamed by all and sundry for stuffing up the roads.
MOW apparently used a much stronger mix/ blend and roads needed repairing less.
I’m not a tar-seal expert but it would not surprise me if there is some truth to this.
NZTA and local authorities have stringent specifications as to the characteristics of the aggregate (hardness , ability to maintain it shape), bitumen additives used etc perhaps these truckies are using diversion to take any potential finger pointing away from them.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/quality-std-tqs2/docs/info.pdf
And remember that the trucking industry is in full swing to enable larger trucking units to be permitted on the road.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/heavier-trucks-coming-nz-roads-120883
And tar seal is sourced from coal bitumen is sourced from oil. Tar is also has carcinogenic properties.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314124209.htm
Dont believe the hype !!!PE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQaVIoEjOM
+1
This government is contemplating changes to WOF. It seems that those changes are to be centered around self-regulation and more privatisation:
We’ve had experience of self-regulation and privatisation of the inspectors before and we’ve got the bill to show it. These ones will be worse as the bill will be counted in blood.
.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the housing sector led directly to the $50 billion leaky home problem.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the mining inspection sector led directly to 29 dead men at Pike River.
Self-regulation and privatisation in the heavy trucking sector will, on the evidence, lead directly to people dying in road crashes.
What on earth is it about these people? They seem to be blind or blinkered. They are in fact the most dangerous group of people in NZ this National lot. Deadly dangerous
They really don’t care about anyone except themselves and how much profit that they can make out of the community.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Private-companies-may-do-random-WoF-checks/tabid/423/articleID/274342/Default.aspx
What else might this large private police force be doing?
You’ll find out in a couple of years.
Quite!
I was wondering how in NZ they might be able to bring something in which will begin the process of “training people”, getting them used to “boots on the ground”, so to speak.
Being pulled over, harrassed, and having your private property, and your person, inspected by what will be private mercs, probably paid for by us!
Should this all come to pass, the changes to WOF, from the details available so far, this would certainly look like some very evil planning!
” large private police force” working on contract to government.
This will end up like the hated tow trucks and wheel clampers.
This is government wanting to run everything to their own rules, leaving the hard work to others while they remain at a distance taking no responsibility and staying well away from fronting the consequences. Next inevitable step is that they don’t care about the consequences and the public are just to be herded around and taxed to provide the democratic system that continues mechanically but not serving the people but just the pollies income and perks so they can live their comfortable separate lives.
Prism, one could argue that “next step” is already in play!
How much government can be outsourced, before its “illegal” to make changes to industry, because of “treaties/obligations’?
The talk of private companies handling this work, paid for by taxpayers is disturbing!
muzza
Good point. Make a change, once embedded it’s hard to get rid of it. All levers and handles will be twisted and pulled to leave things as they are. Probably with curse words like bureaucratic, over-regulation and the dreaded ‘nannnny state’. Bah!
Oh goody back to 1992 when the who was it joined up the cops and the traffic cops who was that ..”……..
OH look it was the Nats
Leaky homes do you mean Draco?
Which MP, from which party, is going to ask Prime Minister John Key the following VERY hard question in the House?
________________________________________________________________________________
COMMENT PUBLISHED.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/will-grant-robertson-get-chop-lf-131298
#11 by Penny Bright 22 hours ago
Here we go again – the usual ‘spin-doctor’ campaign try to pick and snipe and undermine Labour Party leadership?
Saw it all before with Phil Goff in 2011.
yawn……………….
The question I want answered is:
What role did John Key play in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in November 1999, when he was a foreign exchange advisor to the New York Federal Reserve, and Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch?
Given that the effect of the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act was to leave the derivatives market unregulated?
Given that the global financial meltdown has been largely caused by the collapse of the derivatives market?
Who is going to ask THAT question?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Why would John Key give advice on Mortgage based derivatives when his area of expertise was in the Foreign exchange markets as you rightly pointed out?
I’m curious why you think it was the collapse of the derivatives market, (by the way where do I find this particular ‘market’), that caused the GFC. Where is your evidence that it was such a collapse that led to the problems?
Why did Fannie/Freddie and AIG collapse, as a start!
The LIFFE is one place you will find that “market”, and yes of course Key knows exactly whats going on, and why his bank (ML), was swallowed up
While not right at the top of the list of names in the banking world, he was high enough to be parachuted into his current job as PM, which means he was on the radar of some very powerful people!
Are you being deliberately obtuse!
LIFFE doesn’t exist and hasn’t done for a number of years. It also didn’t concern itself massively with the nmortgage based derivatives that were impacted by the GFC.
Sure it doesn’t, but you understand what was meant when I said “Market”, and used LIFFE as an example, as it s now EURONEXT.LIFFE, also merging with CME!
The takeovers, and mergers that LIFFE was hoovered into, speak for themselves!
There is a large part of your market!
The trouble for you Muzza is that I worked at Liffe for a few years so I know what they did. I suspect you have little clue and simply did a Google search on ‘Derivatives Exchanges’ and came up with the name of a now defunct entity.
The products that the Exchanges that Liffe was involved with were realitively straight forward derivatives such as bog standard Futures and Options contracts. These products are completely standardised like a mass produced mass market pair of shoes you might puchase in a shop. They had little direct connection with the mortgage market in the US.
The derivatives that led to problems for companies like AIG were complex Over The Counter (OTC) products like CD Swaps CDO’s and CFO’s specifically related to Mortgages. These are manufactured by the banks and sold direct to investors much like a custom car or tailored suit might be sold.
You asked where you can find the market, and got an answer, which you know is technically correct. Another answer could have been – “in the completely unregulated “city of london”, is where one will find the derivatives market, but thats only part of it eh!
It doesnt matter what was traded, if it was OTC or exotics, thats not a link I was trying to make.
You understand (I think), why Fannie/Freddie/AIG went down, thats the housing market and insurance market right there, which was, and still is a major trigger/catalyst for the on-going problems.The fallout continues, because you can only screw a physical market once, but the levereged instruments, ensure that failure it will continue much , much longer!
Your belief that the City of London is completely unregulated is completely wrong. The major investment banks have a huge amount of regulation they need to comply with.
Ok Gosman, I’m not going into it with you, suffice to say that some time with the FSA, and working with regulatory & compliance at various banks, told me otherwise!
Its a joke, smoke , mirrors, a few fines here and there, while the big boys smash their way through and around entities like the FSA, while stealing their staff, along with “other experts”, to ensure that the minimum of lip service is paid to , regulations!
You worked with the FSA and in regulatory & compliance at various banks and yet you don’t understand the nature of derivatives. I find that very difficult to reconcile. What banks did you work with?
You’re a fucking dreamer Gosman.
AIG, Lehman Brothers, MF Global, Bernie Maddoff
Billions of investor dollars stolen
Their collapses all initiated from their City of London operations because of their lax rules eg. on rehypothecation limits and reporting, compared to the US.
Bernie Maddoff???
You do realise where he was operating from don’t you?
They all had major operations in the City of London due to the lax regulations and rules available there. And they all failed from there.
Evidence please that Bernie Maddoff unravelled from the UK.
I think you don’t undertsand how banks operate if you think that they can hide what they do across the board simply by operating in London.
Meh. I take it you accept that all those other operations unravelled from London then.
The point I am making is that it wasn’t anything to do with a collapse of a derivatives market (there are in fact hundreds of these), that caused the GFC. It was more to do with the unravelling of the positions that some companies held in relation to certain Derivates products which caused them harm.
To explain using simpler terms, imagine you have bet heavily that the ALL Blacks will win the Rugby Union world cup, Unfortunately for you it is 2007 and not 2011 and you lose out. It would be incorrect to state that it was the collapse of the Rugby Union betting market that caused your financial predicament. It was the outcome of the bets you made.
Oh gawd the pedantry
When people say “the stock market collapsed” they don’t actually mean the building the stock market is in collapsed
FFS Gosman
The derivatives market grew into a weapon of mass financial destruction. You didn’t even touch on the issues of counterparty risks, collateral chains, dark pool exchanges, and insanely miscalculated financial modelling which all helped set the bomb off.
“Financial engineering” has been one of the most dangerous, wealth destroying activities of modern western civilisation.
No, a market collapses when demand for the good or services drops to virtually zero. Even if that happened in the derivatives markets, (and it didn’t for the majority of the products offered), this still wouldn’t have caused a massive problem. The problem occured due to the triggering of the contracts i.e. it was the underlying market that lead to liquidity problems. The derivative positions of some of those companies that went bust simply magnified the losses.
Fuck off Gosman your definitions of what a collapse is and what it isn’t is nothing more than worthless pedantic obfuscant shit.
CV, that’s pretty much true of everything that Gosman says.
DUH
(by the way where do I find this particular ‘market’), that caused the GFC. Where is your evidence that it was such a collapse that led to the problems?
Well liar loans, Northern Rock, as well
And Gos I was starting to think that you had a good understanding on thing financial.
They collapsed due to the derivatives market collapsing did they? What evidence do you have for this?
And you have the evidence to prove they didn’t?
See my reply to muzza above. In short you really don’t understand the nature of what it is you are discussing.
Look whose talking.
Interesting, so there is no inter connection, and your comment is NOT evidence.
That analogy is not evidence either.
It is incorrect to state the Derivatives market collapsed. First off which Derivatives market are you meaning and second the products that did the damage did exactly what they were supposed to do i.e. kick in when other products dropped in price. The problem was the resulting position was not a favourable one for companies like AIG. However if you have an alternative view on the subject perhaps you would share it with the rest of us.
Evidence?????
So AIG Northern Rock etc didn’t need any help from the bad decisions they made?
Did they replace the last Gosman? – Because who ever is writing using the handle now is actually lesser on understanding and intellect than Gosman used to be. I use the words understanding and intellect losely!
Gosman – If the FED/ECB/BoE etc have all had to prop up the global banking system (banks) because the CDO/CDS trigger exposed all derivative markets as vaccuous/fraudulant, and now something like $16 trillion or more has been pumped into the global banking system using various QE techniques, what would you call that, successful!
Let me put it simply for you – Without the QE the derivatives markets would have totally collapsed, and taken the the banks with it, but that was not allowed to happen, yet!
No because as stated there are hundreds and possibly thousands of derivatives markets. There is not a single ‘Derivatives market’ as suggested.
It is highly improbable that all Derivatives markets would collapse at the same time, although it is a remote possibility. Of course this would mean the entire financial system would also have collapsed first.
You are the first person I have seen argue that the Quantitive Easing carried out has been used to prop up the Derivatives markets. You have some evidence for this view do you?
Read my comment again , I said (Banks), thats sloppy even by your standards!
The BANKING system IS being propped up, if it wasn’t, the derivatives markets would systematically collapse the lot, taking it all with them.
Quantitive easing isn’t designed to prop up the banking system. It has been designed to create additional credit in the market to stimulate demand. The fact that many banks are using it to bolster their balance sheets due to increased regulatory requirements is kind of irrelevant.
Gosman,
Thank god that the financial systems are not interconnected.
Oh and that the banks were given money for one thing (stimulate demand) and used it for another (bolster balance sheets)
That is fraud.
No it’s not. The Banks never stated to governments’ Give us cheap credit and we will pass it on to the wider economy’. The governments in question merely made an assumption that this would happen. What they seemingly forgot is at the same time the central banking authorities in those countries are requiring stricter capital requirements to try and avoid another banking crisis. This has meant that the Banks are being told to bolster their reserves at the same time they are being provided with a lot of cheap capital to do so. Hardly fraudalent following orders and taking advantage of government policies.
BUT you said stimulate demand and they used it to prop up the balance sheets.
Isnt demand part of the wider ecconmy?
Or am i mistaken that a balance sheet for a bank is part of stimulating demand?
I’m not sure you know what it is you are trying to ask.
AND this
This an important statement
In August 2007 he told the New Zealand Herald he had left Elders Merchant Finance in 1987. The following year documentation from a 1990s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into a failed group of companies revealed he had told investigators in 1991 that he had left Elders 1988.
He was soon telling media he simply had his dates wrong in the 2007
Another memory lapse.
This Wednesday 31 October the annual Bruce Jesson lecture is being given by Nicky Hager in Auckland. Details below. Nicky’s comment –
“I will then look at the role and potential of investigative journalism, in the context of considering what is needed to improve politics in this country.”
The annual Bruce Jesson Lecture is organised by the Bruce Jesson Foundation in memory of Bruce Jesson (1944-99), another great investigative journalist who, like Hager, worked mainly as an independent writer without any regular wage or salary for most of his life.
The lecture will be at Auckland University’s Maidment Theatre at 6.30pm on Wednesday 31 October. Admission by donation, bar open from 5.30pm. More details: http://www.brucejesson.com
On behalf of: Tamaki Housing Group
DO YOU WANT AN 8 STORY APARTMENT BUILDING AS YOUR NEIGHBOR?
It is disappointing but quite predictable that the Finance Minister is using the affordable housing crisis to panda to a property developer fuel land acquisition. Previously the red tape cutting deregulation saw the Auckland region crammed full with shoddy, leaky houses, which will cost ratepayer billions of dollars into the foreseeable future.
It is disgraceful, Finance Minister Bill English is blundering full steam ahead into localbody affairs with ideological view that will displace families on between $15,000 and$25,000 per annum, and destroy capital values for home owners particularly thosesaddled with mortgages when high rise apartment building spring up on their fence lines. (non-notified)
The last thing Aucklander’s need is the unelected “Productivity Commission” and Minister of Finance socially engineering our city.
Sue Henry
(09) 575.6344
Wow! You’re a little off message with the other leftists on this issue. The problem is with sprawl not intensification according to them. Talk about mixed messages from the left on this issue.
Yeah it’s almost as if different people have, like, different ideas and stuff.
Finance Minister is using the affordable housing crisis to panda to a property developer…
What does this involve?
Eating bamboo shoots and trying to breed in captivity?
Nah, it’s when a politician promises to do something everyone would like, or fix something everyone agrees is a problem, and presents as a plan:
“We really would like this to happen. Very much. It is serious. (Furrows brow, stares down barrell of camera) Now let us wait two years and see if it does”
cf, John Key saying he’d sort us a fucking panda,
Where’s our fucking panda John Key?
What sort of a man lies about getting pandas?
A story about self-regulation and the un/examined life.
John Clark became Prime minister of New Zealand. He had governed for a single term and enjoyed popular support. Good people obeyed the law and bad people feared it. New Zealand was governed in this manner and other people who wanted the power of government were afraid of the Prime Minister’s political skill. John Clark had an elder brother, Bill, and a sister, called Jane. The brother loved to eat, he called himself an unrepentant foodie. The sister was, well, she enjoyed the company of others – many and varied, all of them pleased her.
At Bills house there was a cellar of beverages, some still in the barrel, and on his lavish property there was also a winery. His parties were so enthusiastic that when he vented his villa, the smell of alcohol and weed often caught the wind and disturbed the people of the township across the bay. Bill was so often stoned out of his tree that he had no feelings of regret or sorrow. He had no idea of what was safe or dangerous in life. Most of the time he didn’t even know what was going on in his own house and was unaware if something was present or missing. He’d pretty much forgotten anything about the lives of his close or distant relatives and didn’t even know that his grandfather had recently died and his niece had a new baby. He was so oblivious to his surroundings that even one of his drunken guests swinging a golf club near his face failed to register a response of any kind. He once fell in the BBQ pit, coming away unburned, and while sitting by the pool during a sudden downpour, he was confused as to why his guests ran inside.
At Jane’s multi-level house there were a number of guest rooms, about thirty-eight apartment sized suites, to house her lovers. She was so captivated by her visitors that she neglected relatives and friends and paid no attention to family. She spent all her time around her inner courtyard, turning night into day. Over the course of three months, if she left her place once, she felt unsatisfied and cheated by life. If there was a visitor in town that caught her eye, she’d do anything to win their heart. She’d use expensive gifts, trips and flattery; stopping only if it were impossible to get what she wanted.
John Clark thought these things over and secretly went to consult with the a senior advisor to his Party.
“I’ve heard that how a person cares for themselves influences their family,” said John, “and that how a person cares for their family influences the State. In other words, in paying attention to the things closest to home, we can affect things in society. I’ve taken care of the State, it’s in good shape all things considered, but my family, it’s in total disorder. Perhaps this isn’t he way to go about things? How can I help my family clean themselves up? What should I do?”
His advisor said, “I’ve thought about this for a while, but didn’t want to raise the subject. You know how it makes the Party politically vulnerable. Why don’t you use your influence to control them? Encourage them by outlining the importance of a healthy life. Correct them gently by telling them about the benefits of virtuous and appropriate behaviour.”
John Followed his advisor’s advice and the next time he saw his siblings, he said to them:
“The ability to think is what makes man more than just an animal. By using our minds, we can understand virtue and morality, modesty and restraint. This is the kind of behaviour that helps a person achieve glory and success. You guys, however, you’re only interesting in things that excite your passions. You indulge your selfish and immoral desires and endanger your lives and your minds. Listen up, it has to stop. Fix yourself right now, commit to making a change for the better, set some goals and by tonight, you’ll already have improved your lives.”
Bill stubbed out his cigarette, took out another, and offered the plain package to Jane.
“We knew all this a long time ago and made our decision from choice,” said Jane. “We didn’t need your advice to enlighten us. It’s difficult to extend life, but easy to die. No one would think of sitting around waiting for death just because it’s difficult to extend your own life. You value good behaviour and virtuous ideals in order to stand out from the crowd. It’s your pompous tendency in action. You hide your feelings and true nature by striving for this kind of false purity. To us, it seems worse than death.”
“The only thing we’re worried about is satisfying our desires too soon,” said Bill. “We worry about having so many attractive visitors, or eating so much fine food, that we blunt our sense of appreciation and can’t pursue what we love anymore. We’ve got no time to waste worrying about reputations or the state of our minds. For you to come and judge us simply because you are good at ruling people, to try to charm us with promises of fame and achievement, it’s just sad and pathetic.”
“I have an answer for you,” Jane said. “Look, just because someone knows how to regulate external things, it doesn’t mean those things will become regulated. No matter what we do, a person’s body will still age and one day we’ll all die. But if someone knows how to regulate what goes on inside themselves, they might actually succeed in regulating those things. That person’s mind will be calm and they’ll be at peace with the way life is and they won’t be thrashing around, blaming other people for whatever they see and feel. Your method of regulating external things works on a temporary basis and only for a small specific area. It doesn’t encourage harmony between all things or individual calm. They way we live, me and Bill, our method can be applied throughout the whole universe, it’s natural. We adhere to our real natures. What’s more, it would eliminate the need for rulers and governments.”
“That pretty much sums it up,” said Bill. We should have had this talk sooner, John. But do us a favour, explain to us your own perspective of virtue.” John was taken aback, somewhat bewildered, and had no ready answer. Later he met with his senior advisor again and told him what had happened.
“You were living alongside real people,” his advisor said, “and we never knew it. Who says you are a skilled politician? The country’s been governed all this time and, it seems, not due to any skill of yours.”
Adapted from, Yang Chu’s Garden of Pleasure: The philosophy of Individuality, Edited by Rosemary Brant; Chapter 9: “The Happy Hedonists”.
😉
This is a vicious, dishonest Government that regularly ruins my breakfast!
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/each-morning-i-turn-on-radio-to-listen.html
Glad I didn’t tune in to radio this morning. Saw her on Campbell Live the other day and that was enough. Hate to think what damage Longstone and her neo-con B & B (bastards and bitches) mates are doing to my blood pressure.
See Anne 1.5 on this post for verification. 🙁
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/06/financial-crisis-25-people-heart-meltdown
Financial crisis: 25 people at the heart of the meltdown – where are they now?
In 2009 the Guardian identified 25 people – bankers, economists, central bankers and politicians – whose actions had led the world into the worst economic turmoil since the Great Depression.
On the fifth anniversary of the credit crunch, what are they doing?
Rupert Neate
guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 August 2012 20.49 BST
Alan Greenspan, chairman US Federal Reserve 1987-2000
A disciple of libertarian icon Ayn Rand, Greenspan became chairman of the Fed just in time to save the global economy from the 1987 stock market crash from becoming a full-blown disaster.
He went on preside over the boom years of the 90s and lead the US economy through the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and was widely referred to as an “oracle” and “the maestro”.
But Greenspan’s super-low interest rates and consistent opposition to regulation of the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market are now widely blamed for causing the credit crisis. Under Greenspan’s tenure the derivatives market went from barely registering to a $500 trillion industry, despite billionaire investor Warren Buffett warning that they were “financial weapons of mass destruction”.
His rock-bottom rates encouraged Americans to load up on debt to buy homes, even when they had no savings, no income and no job prospects.
These so-called sub-prime borrowers were the cannon fodder for the biggest boom-bust in US history. The housing collapse brought the global economy to its knees.
He was given an honorary knighthood in 2002 for his “contribution to global economic stability”, but in 2008, at a Congressional hearing investigating the causes of the financial crisis, Greenspan finally admitted he “made a mistake in presuming” that financial firms could regulate themselves.
“You found that your view of the world, your ideology was not right, it was not working?” Henry Waxman, the committee chairman, said.
“Absolutely, precisely,” Greenspan replied. “You know, that’s precisely the reason I was shocked, because I have been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.” …………………..
_________________________________________
Politicians
Bill Clinton, former US president
Politicians’ current plan to help prevent another financial crisis is to ringfence banks’ risky “casino banking” divisions from the more pedestrian high street banking departments. 13 years ago Clinton repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which had done just that. Clinton’s move, which came after fierce lobbying from bankers, heralded the birth of superbanks and primed the sub-prime pump. …
_____________________________________________
Senator Phil Gramm
“Some people look at sub-prime lending and see evil. I look at sub-prime lending and see the American dream in action,” Gramm told a Senate debate in 2001.
Another dynamite quote. “When I am on Wall Street and I realise that that’s the very nerve centre of American capitalism and I realise what capitalism has done for the working people of America, to me that’s a holy place.”
It was Gramm that had fought hardest for deregulation and helped write the law that enabled the creation of financial giants such as Citigroup and Bank of America. ……….
_____________________________________________________
The question I want answered is:
What role did John Key play in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in November 1999, when he was a foreign exchange advisor to the New York Federal Reserve, and Head of Derivatives for Merrill Lynch?
Given that the effect of the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act was to leave the derivatives market unregulated?
Given that the global financial meltdown has been largely caused by the collapse of the derivatives market?
Who is going to ask THAT question?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/the-wellingtonian/opinion/7876654/Grim-news-for-Labour-leader
Ouch…
I don’t read the dominion, but NZ First holding the balance of power is a scary thought.
Thats really not good
The truth Hurts But shearer is a liability as is Robertson and any of his ilk.
http://pundit.co.nz/content/poll-of-polls-update-volatility-masks-a-slow-moving-tide
For a more intelligent point of view.
More intelligent? How is taking credit for the tide going out that intelligent.
when people are worried about their sandcastle being washed away, it is intelligent to see whether the tide is coming in or going out.
Hey I’m sure you’ll be delighted with PM Shearer. Hope he gets everything done which is needed before we go back for another 2 or 3 Tory terms.
better than 6 straight tory terms.
As if there’s a real difference between drowning five metres under the surface and drowning ten metres under the surface.
yeah, that’s the melodrama that Hooten loves.
I take it you’ll be doorknocking for Mana in 2014? To continue your analogy, it’d be a shame if you just decided to fold your arms and sink out of spite.
Oh you’re very kind but no need to worry about me, mate.
Oh I was, I was. It was just that you seemed to be spending more time impersonating Chicken Little rather than, you know, actually cheerleading the party you actually do support.
Yes, I believe that says it all McFlock.
No, it doesn’t.
It’s pretty clear you think Shearer is a lousy leader. What’s unclear is what party you want to win the election, in an ideal world. You’re about as useful to Labour as BM – always sniping, never contributing.
Why would I want (or need) to be put in the category “USEFUL to Labour” by YOU (or anyone else), Mr McFlock?
Let me ask you another question mate, how many THOUSAND dollars have you given to Labour over the last ten years? How many HUNDREDS of hours have you volunteered for Labour over the last 3 election campaigns?
I’ve done a lot less than some on The Std, but I sure have done more than 99.75% of the population out there for Labour. Still not good enough for you? Then go screw yourself.
Emphasis mine.
Read what you wrote again and figure out why I can’t be fucked with your expectations of Labour supporters, past and present. Maybe it will give you a clue as to why some of the best Labour activists up and down the country not stuck in Beltway Think have picked up sticks and walked from Labour; some to other parties, some out of politics altogether.
And then have a think to yourself why in the most incompetent, clearly smarmy and untrustworthy electorally suicidal year the NATs have managed to concoct in terms of what should be a dream run for the Opposition, Labour sits on…29% to 32%. Same as 9-18-36 months ago.
Raise your pom poms McFlock and dance the dance.
Guess what: to be a “supporter” you need to “support”. That doesn’t mean “never criticise”, it means at least give credit where it’s due.
Labour no longer espouse the principles you support? Boo-fucking-hoo. Support someone else. You know why? Because while it might be emotionally fulfilling for you to piss on Labour all the time, you only have one urethra: every litre you dump on labour means that National stays that bit more dry. Why do you think BM & hoots etc are jerking off on the Shearer/Cunliffe thing?
You might not think there’s much difference between labour and national atm, but there’s enough of a difference that it will still mean a lot to a lot of people who are struggling right now. It might not reach your standards of socialist heaven, but it’s better than national.
So as someone who wants to see at least a vaguely left wing government in 2014, kindly piss on national and actually support somebody, because at the moment you just sound like a whiney little bitch who needs to get the fuck over the fact that he didn’t get what he wanted.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/private-vehicle-inspectors-could-stop-cars-check-warrants-ck-131341#comment-591630
More work for the ‘CONTRACTOCRACY?’
Where will the money go?
Who will benefit?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Thoughts and wishes to the people of the North east of the usa.
Family members over there, heres hoping they are safe and sound.
Joss Whedon is still the coolest man in Hollywood. The Zomneys are coming!
I just did a series of updates to the site that should improve the speed and reduce the downloads, especially for those readers still on dialup. As far as I can tell they shouldn’t cause any problems although I did have differences between the test environment and the live system because of cloudflare (which is why there were a few glitches on display this late afternoon).
Tested on the live system with current versions of chrome, firefox, and safari. I don’t have any windows boxes available right now so I haven’t tried it on IE.
If anyone has issues with them, then leave a comment here – make sure there is a “lprent” (first letter is a lowercase L) in the comment so I see it faster than my usual moderation sweeps.
Next up is the mobile fixes in a few days
IE 9.0.8 is happy, groovin along 🙂
Worked ok on IE6, IE7, and IE8 (the joys of VirtualBox), Opera, ReKong, Camino,a and a few other oddity browsers.
Firefox Aurora 18.0a2 is happy as well 🙂
lprent
Ubuntu 12.04/Firefox 16.01 combination works ++good
since you mentioned mobile fixes are imminent, i would like to bring to your attention a couple of ongoing events within the mobile site that you may or may not know of: re. samsung S2
; initial text entry seems stable but the text box repeatedly runs away to hide whenever any attempt is made to edit the text before publication,
: the site is often saying ‘publication failed’ when publication was fine.
Thankyou
p.s. conversation tracker id’s, as used on the main site, would be extremely helpful.
Ok I’ll have a look at those, but I suspect I’ll be shifting that back to BraveNewCode unless they show up on my android 4.0 HTC or old apple 3G (because I can’t remember seeing either).
The main one that I’ve been fixing has to do with the number of comments blowing the RAM constraints on phones. For some reason when there are more than about 40-50 comments on a post, many phones just crash their browsers. It appears to be purely memory related and usually happens on posts with those larger comments. These days we routinely get a post of two with more than 100 large comments. So I’ve been cutting the size down by looking at the text sizes. Trick is to make sure that looking at the text sizes doesn’t slow everyone else down by making the server run like a dog.
But one thing I will be looking at doing next weekend is writing or adapting a barebones mobile version as an alternative. Seems ridiculous that a few thousand lines of a mostly text should blow out a browser. I suspect a lot of it is also the numbers of different identicons and other graphics..
Tried any Smartphone emulators?
Might save a bit of time 4 ya.
Mostly in QEMU. But they usually fail to fail on memory allocation emulation because they aren’t using the same underlying heap/stack. You really need actual hardware for some kinds of bugs.
[deleted]
[lprent: bye. Troll. ]