I think the pure concept has merit – recognising the efforts of good people to make their communities better places.
But because politicians control the process they inevitably pervert it by using it to recognise themselves and their cronies thereby demeaning the whole process.
I agree about Dunne. His honour is for services to Peter Dunne. And the English private secretary to royalty who already has three knighthoods – what’s that about?
I think the pure concept has merit – recognising the efforts of good people to make their communities better places.
And it would probably work if it was the communities deciding who those people were.
But because politicians control the process they inevitably pervert it by using it to recognise themselves and their cronies thereby demeaning the whole process.
QFT
John Key should probably be in jail for all the lies that he told while PM. Instead, he got knighted for fucking up the country for the benefit of the rich.
Probably in your case I would say Yes James – for devoted attention to duty and self-sacrifice from attending other more entertaining venues, or perhaps to you this is the height of self-gratification.
Yes I don’t agree with dairy dack dune getting a houners it’s should be shame Peter Dune his son was the lawyer for the dairy dack big wigg this is fact and this is well known what a joke he should go hide in shame. I say it was part of national bribe so he would bow out with out a big fuss during the election so as not to damage national credibility. Sorry national your credibility is shit Ana to kai
‘The Honourable Peter Francis Dunne, Wellington, for services as a Member of Parliament.’
I expect he was put on the list before he decided to leave National in the lurch during the election. Nicely done, but then he always was a sharp operator.
It would appear that NZ has a dis-honors system …. Key, Dunne, Doug Myers, Talley etshitera etshitera.
Dunne, apart from being a skillful ship jumping rat for the benefit of himself left a few other ‘achievements’ ….. for NZ.
He is partially behind the Pokies charity money fraud opportunity laws we have ….. Where just about every town in NZ has examples and convictions of Pub owners and other Pokies operators funneling charity money to themselves and their mates …. aka Brent Todd.
He has called Medicinal Cannabis and its users ‘Garbage”, he did this when responding by email to Greg Sore, a chronically ill man and at the time head of Green Cross NZ.
While blocking reform and continuing the criminalisation for natural Cannabis Dunne temporarily legalized the much more dangerous ‘Synthetic High ‘ chemicals. …. Leading to our present deadly black market situation where over 20 deaths and hundreds of times that in expensive hospital admissions has occurred …. in the last 9 Months alone.
He was revenue minister and kept quiet when Key turned NZ into a tax haven for foreigners …. Initially after the Panama papers broke Dunne claimed NZ was not a tax haven …. despite Mossack Fonseca and other scumbags marketing and using us as one …..
Thanks for that reason this just shows that shonky and dairy dack dune are like 2 peas in a pod they don’t care who there revenue gathering scheme hurt or kill to them us people the 99% are just $$$$$$, to them this type of behavior will never be allowed to happen again
Ana to kai
Hardly new – universities have been going down the track of ‘politic correctness’ and ‘groupthink’ to the detriment of open discourse and argument of ideas for quite a while.
The comments—from a time before Yiannopoulos appeared to publicly defend pedophilia, and when Simon & Schuster still intended to publish his book—include critiques of his argument, his opinions, his personality, his language, his grammar, his analogies, and his humor. There are also factual corrections and calls for evidence, and in one case, a request to remove an entire chapter. Though this is all part of the usual process of editing a manuscript, there’s something especially delicious about seeing so many of Yiannopoulos’ arguments described as “gratuitous,” “ridiculously reductive” and “DELETE UGH” by his increasingly exasperated editor.
Let me tell you why Ben Shapiro actually aggravates me. It is not his voice or demeanor, though I understand why others find these characteristics grating. Nor is it the way he inserts references to first-year law school doctrines even when they aren’t actually relevant. It is, rather, that Ben Shapiro is lying to his audience, by telling them that he is just a person concerned with the Truth, when the only thing he actually cares about is destroying the left. “Facts don’t care about your feelings” is a fine mantra, albeit kind of a dickish one. But it’s worthless if you’re going to interpret every last fact in the way most favorable to your own preconceptions, if you’re going to ignore evidence contrary to your position, and refuse to try to understand what your opponents actually believe. The New York Times actually quoted a sensible-sounding ex-Shapiro fan, who said he realized over time that Shapiro was just concerned with convincing other people he was right, rather than actually being right. Shapiro is annoying because he claims to love speech and discourse, to believe you should “get to know people… get to know their views…discuss,” but if you’re an Arab he’s already convinced you’re a secret anti-Semite, and if you’re a poor black person he doesn’t need to know you to know that you’re culturally dysfunctional.
Yiannopoulos is that ugly type of pedophile, he sanctions and promotes the grooming of young boys, and by inference young girls.
I like how the snowflakes on the right seem comfortable with itt. Beating kids, and grooming others ah james, it’s an ugly road you support mate, ugly.
The best propaganda always has a grain of truth buried somewhere under the edifice of bullshit built on top of it. Doesn’t make it any less fucked, though, even if the target is someone like Yiannopoulos.
What’s tiresome is when a man tells an interviewer about his own lived experience and his political opponents seize the opportunity to misrepresent it so they can smear him as a pedophile. It’s the kind of thing Ad was recommending for the left in his “Man of the Year” post the other day, but in reality it’s the kind of thing the left shouldn’t touch with a bargepole, because integrity matters. Yiannopoulos being an unpleasant character himself doesn’t excuse it, unless you’re happy to be on his level.
Funny tho isnt it – you say that the right are comfortable beating kids, yet in NZ by far the highest prevalence of child abuse is by Maori, who it would seem from the last election vote Labour.
Good to see you true to form and play the race card james. I wondered when you were going to go for that one. Seeing as your buddies on the right keep killing people of colour. No wonder it so simple for you go there.
Because in reality jame, Māori had at least 26% non-voters, probably higher if
the trend towards not voting continues as it has been.
I like to push his ideas to their ridiculous conclusion every now and again. I’ll do it for a couple of days, then walk away and watch him dig new holes.
Not playing the race card – Its a statement of fact.
If you have any reasonable evidence that Maori do not have the highest prevalence of child abuse in NZ – I would happily look at it and stand corrected.
of course you do not.
Yet you say the right “seem” to be happy with beating kids.
You are all over the place. Trying to come up with something to make your original comment OK – which of course it wasnt (as PM pointed out also).
Hi Ed
I am still keeping on with my avoidance of chocolate in case you were wondering. I feel a better person somehow and will by the end of the week be changed in some way! Thinner I think.
you say that the right are comfortable beating kids, yet in NZ by far the highest prevalence of child abuse is by Maori, who it would seem from the last election vote Labour.
Ah, but was it the Māori who voted Labour that beat their kids or the ones that voted National?
Facts vs rhetoric..
And you’re well into rhetoric because the facts probably don’t support your implication.
Hey, come on now. I’m sure there’s an alternative universe out there in which getting a smack on the arse is really no different from getting multiple broken ribs and skull fractures from being kicked and beaten with a baseball bat.
Those studies made me smile. Among my generation there was hardly a kid alive who wasn’t smacked at some point – what a colossal burden of mental illness we must have brought to the world as adults. Which is kind of funny when you consider that mental illness is apparently more of a problem now than it was 30 years ago…
My own conclusion is that violent disciplining achieves the exact opposite – a lack of discipline. People who always look for an external force to hold them to right action rather than the internal discipline that boosts creativity, innovation and acceptance of other peoples.
James Obviously was smacked around the head regularly.
The Dogmatic post colonial Propaganda he repeats like a broken record.
Spreading divisiveness cynically by baiting which he is a master.
‘A central Christchurch street is cordoned off after a brawl left three people in hospital, one with serious injuries.
Christchurch police were called to reports of fighting on St Asaph St before 2.30am.
Three people have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital after the brawl which left one person in a serious condition. Two others suffered moderate injuries.
Police say a number of people were arrested at the scene – near the intersection with Manchester St – for fighting.’
The hospitals and police etc should be given the ability to charge the alcohol industry for any costs they incur from alcohol related issues.
It could run like the ACC. (Alcohol Compensation Fund)
The alcohol industry pay a fee to the ACF
Hospital, police etc claim from the ACF.
Tops ups occur if needed each year to the ACF by the alcohol industry.
Brilliant idea! Also add an actual ACC level to every drop of alcohol sold in NZ. Just like my car ACC levy you are then targeting the consumers.
Those who assault, drink and drive, injure themselves, increase the burden on the health system because of alcohol related disease under the influence pay directly.
I’m interested in the possibility of cancer being caused by hair dye. Women and men are constantly dying their hair as a normal activity and from what I have read there is no health-oriented official control on what mix of chemicals go into them.
Could much of the cancer that strikes young and middle-aged people be due to dosing the body with these chemicals.
Is the health system taking responsibility for ensuring that the populace is not innocently causing their own serious illnesses?
Women using permanent hair dyes are not generally at increased risk of fatal cancer. Women with prolonged use of dark, particularly black, hair dyes may have increased risk of fatal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma, but these women are a small fraction of hair dye users.
That depends on how much and what kind of gratuitous fats you put on it to help get those scrumptious crispy gold and brown bits stuffed full of acrylamides from the Maillard reaction. Or if you put in some pork stuffed full of nitrites to give it that gorgeous flavour and lovely pink colour. Mmmmm, bacon…
Mine would give the healthy food zealots absolute conniptions.
Ten years ago, exactly, I went under the knife for the removal of my womb.
First ever surgery for me. First real hospital admission other than birthing.
The aneasthetist did he pre- surgery thing, with BP, pulse, heart monitoring the whole nine yards…and I somewhat jokingly remarked that as a smoker they’d not bother with the paddles if I coded under the sleepy juice.
“Your’e not wearing make-up” he commented, “do you usually?”
I replied in the negative, that I’d never daubed shit on my face, and he assured me I’d have no problems at all with the anaesthetic…..unlike other middle aged women who did use make up.
The cosmetics industry, unknown to many, is essentially not regulated by a federal regulatory agency.
Cosmetics technically fall under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), but there are few requirements that manufacturers must comply with.
The FDA only requires that manufacturers comply with several labeling regulations so companies can avoid listing a product’s total ingredients, and the FDA does not require manufacturers to report health complaints.
The FDA instead relies on direct reports of adverse events from consumers, which has the potential to delay remedying a potentially dangerous situation.
Yeah, I read your BBQ stir, two weeks back.
Words crafted, to hit.
And placed first up on the site, for max impact.
Guess to cause a bit of mayhem among peaceful souls on a Sunday?
Here’s to any carnivore comments that may head your way.
You’ve earned ’em.
Anyway, I’m on the side o’Daisy.
As DV points out~ the red-meat, (in time), may getya?
As for now, I just wonder what’s in the snarlers, mate.
Botulism is a factor. Take care.
I’m being helpful here.
Intelligent comment? Well, those are your words.
Pity, right here, you missed out.
Cowkill for you, right?
Comes from (one o’your mob?), Kilgore, in the movies.
(A good man for your barbie I’d say)
But understand this, Kilgore thrived in the morning.
There’s the link to the quote.
If you still don’t crack it, James ~ go for the veges, mate.
James,
I see the pattern. Here, it’s not really about the meat.
You stir first. With care. As with this one.
Glorying in the kill. Writing designed to upset gentle vegan folks on a Sunday morn. That was your intent.
More recently, first post o’the day, on Trump’s “achievements.”
For a sec I hoped it was an original piece.
No such luck, but well chosen for your purpose. Many items to be disputed for a good James hit.
All set to provoke on this site.
Then, later, after some mayhem, you chime in, kinda “reasonable.”
Gotta laugh.
Yes, I read your meat post.
And so Daisy’s revenge on James comes to mind: You with a botulism snarler. Go Daisy.
You’re being an idiot here. The chances of getting botulism from sausages is way lower than getting it from tinned vegetables. Stop embarrassing yourself.
As DV points out~ the red-meat, (in time), may getya?
DV (and you) shouldn’t believe the hype. Plenty of vegetarians get colon cancer, so those vegetables (in time) may getya too.
Eating a lot of barbecue red meat causes an increase chance of colon cancer.
More accurately, some studies have shown a very slightly increased risk of cancer to be correlated with red meat consumption. The increase is so small it’s more likely to be down to confounding factors in the studies and confirmation bias on the part of the researchers than any actual increase. In any case, correlation != causation.
All of which shows why a user-pays to health care is a really, really bad idea.
and it just shows how stupid and unformed people are when they rush to try and score a pathetic point on the internet – and just show themselves up as not knowing what they are thinking about.
We already tax alcohol to offset costs to the health system, legal system etc. Of course, the taxes collected don’t match the costs (although I guess you could add in other the taxes like the GST on sales of alcohol and the PAYE on earnings of employees making and selling alcohol…etc to get a fuller picture of the economic inputs vs costs). NZ’s alcohol excise taxes are pretty modest (much lower than Australia’s for example).
The factsheet I’ve linked to above only considers the excise tax and says The most recent estimate of the cost of harmful use of alcohol is $5.3
billion a year. That is $14.5 million per day. Excise tax revenue from alcohol in 2008 was $907million. It seems to be pretty old, though, with the latest info quoted coming from 2008. There hasn’t been any significant change to the excise rate since then (just annual adjustments for inflation).
Your suggested scheme is really complicated. Why not just adjust the system we already have? Even that would be pretty complex, though. At the moment, different types of drink are taxed at different levels according to their alcohol %. Some argue that wine is under-taxed – others that wine has health benefits as well as harms.
Yes fair enough.
But in a sense we have a model already in the ACC
In my ‘defence’ I have only thought about it for 10 mins, and some of that was editing spelling!!!
Your point about the excise tax is good.
Re
But not very transparent, and it has a short fall according to the figures from 2008
The use of a ACF vehicle should be more transparent, and hopefully up to-date.
May be the excise tax could be paid directly into the ACF. And adjustments to the excise tax made deeding on the state of the ACF.
The ACC model wouldn’t work at all in this case. ACC is based on a general tax (we all contribute) and an employers’ tax. Costs to employers go up or down depending on if/how many people are injured at their workplace each year. How on earth would that work for alcohol producers/retailers? Let’s think about it:
1) How would you definitively prove that any particular harm was caused by alcohol? If costs were being adjusted according to harms, you’d need to be able to do this, and it would be contested. Hugely complex and costly.
2) For costs to individual alcohol producers to be adjusted according to harms caused, we’d need to be able to figure out exactly which alcohols caused any particular accident, brawl, or (even more complicated) cumulative health damage. Pretty well impossible.
3) Lots of alcohol sold in NZ isn’t made here, so presumably retailers (and importers) would have to be included. How would their contribution be calculated?
4) Lots of alcohol produced here isn’t consumed here, so the taxes on producers would have to somehow exclude that proportion of their production.
… I think we can see why no country runs this kind of system.
Note the word “estimate”. If you want to sheet home specific costs to specific companies, you need provable, individually identifiable, actual costs.
Plus, I note you haven’t replied to any of the points I made in my previous comment.
dv, I think I’ve made my point. You had a passing thought – I can understand your motivation, but it’s really impractical and I’m not particularly interested in arguing about it past this point.
Rather than the breweries/wineries and those who don’t overindulge in NZ being pinged again on top of their current tax/GST/ACC why not target any further charges to those who are causing the havoc with harsher penalties for disorderly behaviour and recovery of any alcohol related idiocy expense they are involved in.
Unfortunately it’s no longer an offence to be drunk in public in New Zealand. That got legalised (or rather de-illegalised) some time ago. Can’t seem to find any reference to when, but seem to remember it happening in 90’s. That was about when behaviour seemed to go southwards, but also coincides with the drinking age going down to 18.
Geoffrey Palmer made submissions to reinstate the sanction on public drunkenness in 2009, but it didn’t go anywhere with a National government.
Hopefully this might get revisited under the current administration. Current set up is far too costly to the community. The mess after this was unbelievable.
Unfortunately Labour’s inclination is otherwise, their plan is to look at a minimum pricing regime.
It’s premise is to double the price of the cheap drinks and impact those the most price sensitive (make the poor people drink less or pay much more in tax – as they have with tobacco, hitting poor Maori particularly hard – but with the Maori Party’s consent, so “all’s good”).
Currently there is twice as much money from tobacco tax as alcohol – despite far fewer smoking.
Note Labour’s plans would not impact on craft beers at all (but on the cheaper half dozen/dozen lagers), but might on some of the cheaper wine (basically end the sale prices – forcing up regular prices, so their sale prices would be current standard retail).
Hopefully that will be another of the odd policies Labour adopted in the wilderness that quietly goes away.
I was involved in one of the obvious outcomes of that sort of palaver at CIT in the early 80’s. Lots of young engineers up in Wellington for 3 months from down south. We were rather used to $7 swappas from the Robbie and just couldn’t get our heads around $14 in Wellington. So someone had a flat and a wee home brew operation got going. After a month or so production had got up to about 20 dozen of a 6 day stout. Then Labour weekend came along and a batch was bottled early. Oooops, it didn’t stop, 20 dozen bombs, mostly in the halls of residence and most “owners” went away for the weekend. Came back to a note to present myself to the Proctor’s office on Tuesday morning…
Unfortunately it’s no longer an offence to be drunk in public in New Zealand.
Why is that unfortunate? The simple fact of being intoxicated shouldn’t be an offence. If there are people causing trouble, we already have the Summary Offences Act to enable policing it.
“54. However, it is critical that Police also retain the power to arrest for breach of liquor ban offences. Liquor bans were introduced because communities were suffering a serious negative impact from uncontrolled drinking in public places exploding into serious disorder and mayhem. Police response after such disorder begins is resource intensive, hugely disruptive to affected communities, is often unable to prevent property damage, and exposes officers to violence. Imposition of liquor bans, backed by the power of arrest, has been critical to early intervention to keep control of likely flash-point situations before they boil over. Alternative provisions giving power to arrest, such as for disorderly behaviour and disorderly assembly, are less suitable
because they require behaviour to have already escalated to the point of serious disorder. In the case of disorderly assembly, this also implies that a constable is already facing a disorderly group, with the greatly increased risks and difficulties that situation entails. The dynamic of drunk crowds means taking action once such a situation of disorder has already arisen risks actually sparking off wider disorder.”
Problem is the police don’t have the tools (laws) to deal with a problem before it becomes too big. A recent example down here was a crate day two years ago. By the time the Summary Offences threshold had been reached it was decided containment and management of several hundred drunken louts was the only way of dealing with the problem. Arresting people would have led to a riot. I saw the situation and it was totally out of hand. The problem is that there are no consequences for the people who behave poorly.
The result of the Christmas event will most likely be a permanent, year round liquor ban on public reserves in Queenstown Lakes, so no more picnics on the gardens, or quiet evenings on the waterfront with a drink for locals and visitors. This is because a liquor ban is the only way it can be managed at present and that affects everyone, not just those that get drunk to the point of being obnoxious.
To use your words below, this will only sanction the non-arsehole drinkers.
and what do you think will happen to the cost of Alcohol with your master plan?
and what happens when the cost of alcohol goes thru the roof?
What if the person has a history of breaking the law – then does it again with alcohol – does that become a alcohol related issue? or is it that the person is an ass.
Well, yes – the suggestion in comment 4.1 is effectively for user pays in the health system. If people are going to insist on promoting user-pays on a left-wing blog, they should at least get it right.
Not if they respond to a price increase by reducing consumption, and in any case, the solution to right wing cry-baby bleating about taxation is higher wages, not lower taxes.
If you feel like rote-learning a cogent argument against the proposal I recommend you learn from R-B at 4.1.2
Yours are low-grade ‘b’-team objections that will probably hinder your cause.
Sounds good, right? Thing is, if you price alcohol high enough, people don’t just make it themselves, they sell what they make, and then we’d really start to see some health issues arising from alcohol consumption. Best not go there.
The hospitals and police etc should be given the ability to charge the alcohol industry for any costs they incur from alcohol related issues.
It beats me why so many on the left are enthusiasts for bringing “user pays” back to the health system. Bring it in for your pet hate, alcohol, and just watch it proliferate.
I agree. When we start hitting up Booze Inc for the harm done, why not Toyota for road deaths and Smith and Wesson for gunshot wounds?
Booze Inc could easily argue ‘When your regulations allow an 18 year old to down a box of Woodies what on Earth do you think is going to happen?’
Young men have been acting the goat since mankind began. Adding a further tax to booze will change nothing. The price is not the problem and Bacardi buying hospitals is a rubbish solution.
I don’t know if everyone has noticed, I hadn’t, but in my insurance policy I see that my input post-accident may now include some serious $. ACC are refusing to pay for long term rehabilitation to the injured and I would be obliged to meet the cost of that once ACC have carried out their specified treatment. (Sounds like USA private-insurance-based systems creeping in here!)
This is not related to a special clause inserted after the insured has had a number of accidents. I certainly have had only one or two bumper bings in all my driving life. If someone wants to know more, ask and I will dig out the policy and quote the wording.
ACC has been slowly eroded for ages. If you break your teeth and require caps, for example, they’ll only meet about half of the cost. I also had to have root canals and they adjust the percentage they’ll pay for that according to age. I was in my 40’s and they argued that my roots wouldn’t have been perfect anyway, so paying the full cost of the root canal would be returning them to better than pre-accident condition. This, of course, begs the question – does anyone deliberately break their teeth, killing their roots and causing them to wobble for more than a year in order to claim ACC? Somehow, I doubt it.
Anyone in New Zealand who has an accident resulting in disability or a significant impairment receives help from ACC for as long as they need it, regardless of the cause of the injury.
there’s also stuff on the website about ACC supporting permanent injuries financially.
Carolyn nth
This is the information that AMI gave:
This is in response to ‘a change the Government has made to the Sentencing Amendment Act 2014 that will affect your third party fire and theft car policy’
What has changed?
Before, if you caused an accident like a car crash by driving carelessly, the Courts could only order you to pay for the property damage or emotional harm you caused.
Now the Courts can also order you to pay for loss of income or treatment costs not covered by ACC. This won’t replace ACC, but means that anyone injured can get a ‘top up’ if the Court approves it.
What does this mean for you?
Because of this change to the Act, we’ve updated your policy. It now includes a benefit for reparation costs that you may be ordered to pay. Take a look at the terms and conditions…..etc.
This opens the way for treatments that the Court may agree to, not presently handled by ACC, and also for ACC to draw back on treatment and passing the restorative burden to the driver. And it could be very costly if the Court decides that the injured person or persons should get certain extra treatment, possibly not standard in NZ, or having to be accessed from a private medical facility.
It would seem that a loss of income amount is very possible in any case. I note that the AMI wording says ‘or’ treatment costs so I hope that it is definite that not both can be landed on the erring driver.
Not a dickie bird’s about this from my insurer, but then again I’m inclined to just pay the damn thing if the $$$ are there at the time.
The only exclusion (other than ACC assessors being arseholes) that I am aware of under ACC is your claim for compensation can be declined if you were injured in the commission of a crime that could see you locked up for more than 2 years…
But the first link says the amendment in 2014 says:
Despite subsections (1) and (3), the court must not order the making of reparation in respect of any consequential loss or damage described in subsection (1)(c) for which compensation has been, or is to be, paid under the Accident Compensation Act 2001.
And the ACC regulations say it will pay for treatment for personal injuries. So it comes down to how ACC assesses the injuries, surely? not the legislation per se. I suspect insurance companies with extra clauses on it are talking up the potential shortfall as part of their PR.
And the last link is to 2001 amendments, so came into being under a Labour led government, surely?
….there was a public outcry at the time relating to criminals, especially violent offenders, receiving big ACC payouts…if I remember right, these payouts were considered repugnant to natural justice.
‘A central Christchurch street is cordoned off after a brawl left three people in hospital, one with serious injuries.
Christchurch police were called to reports of fighting on St Asaph St before 2.30am.
Three people have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital after the brawl which left one person in a serious condition. Two others suffered moderate injuries.
Police say a number of people were arrested at the scene – near the intersection with Manchester St – for fighting.’
no the argument that alcohol is a blight on NZ and is the cause of the problems listed by ed is simplistic – and that is what I have been arguing.
“Its not the alcohol – its the people drinking it.
Most people can happy have beers with mates or a nice pinot noir with a good steak without running around and causing mayhem.”
My statement is entirely correct, even if simplistic. There is more to alcohol as being the problem.
But hey – if you cannot work that out – I hope you dont drink at all – else you might end up being arrested for throwing rocks thru the windows of a old peoples home – alcohol makes you do that you know.
I drink very little. A beer or two every few weeks, and the occasional Brandy. Mind you had a very nice Scotch when the election results were finalised.
So an alcoholic is fine in your world awash with alcohol at every turn. Yeah that is working out fine.
That aside, debate words by putting counter arguments rather than just cheap cliché response. which is exactly what “Its not the alcohol – it’s the people drinking it.” it is a tired cliché – bit like the other one that I put up.
So alcohol fuelled violence is acceptable to you? I’d say by any definition, it’s alcohol is “a thing” in the definition of blight
Great music this morning many thanks to the Rock radio and Duncan and your lady all the best for the for the arrival of the new baby
This will change your view on life for the better as it did mine all those years ago. All the best to Bryce and his lady for the arrival of the new baby.
Many thanks to all the people associated with the Rock radio station.
Kai kaha
IN SEPTEMBER OF last year, we noted that Facebook representatives were meeting with the Israeli government to determine which Facebook accounts of Palestinians should be deleted on the ground that they constituted “incitement.”
…
Ever since, Facebook has been on a censorship rampage against Palestinian activists who protest the decadeslong, illegal Israeli occupation, all directed and determined by Israeli officials.
God, James, your complacency and determined ignorance is worthy of the Federated Farmers’ executive board. Carolyn’s point was a serious one, and you have simply refused to engage with it.
The Spinoff have just reposted some of their best (but under-read) articles from 2016. This one is a really thought-provoking read. It explores a range of interlinked concepts – the basic instincts of conservatives vs progressives, the rise of neo-liberalism, arguments for and against a UBI, arguments for and against the social investment approach to provision of social services… It argues from a broadly leftist viewpoint, but doesn’t dismiss the concerns of the right. It was written before the election. Well worth a read.
Yes, I thought it was pretty compelling. I’m sure there are arguments to be made about privacy, means of provision (the Nats were big on privatising social welfare provision, or farming it out to charities), cost cutting vs effective spending… etc, and the author did note that none of the research into outcomes was available yet (which is fair enough – a lot of the outcomes would be measured over the long term, after all), but I did find myself questioning the extent to which I may have dismissed this concept on the basis of what the author calls meta instinct (or gut instinct – “If Bill English/Paula Bennet are keen on this, it must be bad”).
I do think the whole piece is worth thinking about, though. Glad you took up the suggestion, Antoine.
The Spinoff usually runs top-drawer articles. But not always. A couple of years ago one “Sumo” Stevenson tried to channel Roger Kahn, failed dismally to establish contact with the great man’s spirit, and ended up writing one of the most laughably pretentious analyses of a rugby match ever…..
He’s not a stenographer, he’s supposed to be a journalist. But, as I showed in my critique of his lamentable article, he’s NOT a journalist in any meaningful sense of the word because he overlooks the central fact about that disastrous, farcical “match”: the Tricolours did not try.
The Fire Service are appealing to residents in Queenstown and other tourist spots to not light bon fires tonight for New Year’s Eve but they said they that they couldn’t stop fire works being let off and if anybody sets a fire going with fireworks it would be their responsibility. What happens if neighbouring hedges or houses catch fire – who is responsible if their homes are damaged or destroyed. Our new immigrants into NZ just love their fireworks as I can attest to and they regularly with any excuse will have a session out on the street with whizz bangs and whatever.
The ground is appallingly dry and any slight spark will set off a fire – its staggering that there isn’t more stringent enforcement – I can see the result of tonight with fires set off everywhere. We are a stupid lot if you ask me. There should have been a blanket ban on barbecues, fires of any description all over the country, New Year’s Eve is when we become even more stupid and juvenile than ever. The country is like a powder keg about to explode at any time until we get decent rain.
Queenstown Lakes is a bomb right now, white grass and green trees / scrub. If it catches it’ll go like mad. Combine that with heaps of people that don’t understand the climate and it could be all on.
Not just new immigrants either, had some neighbours letting fireworks off last week. All born here, and lived in Whakatipu for as long as I can remember. And got rather shitty when asked to desist by other neighbours.
Letting off fireworks is part of the freedom that one gets in the free market where if you can pay for something that’s all right.
Fires from fireworks, fright from fireworks going bang like guns or sometimes whistling like falling bombs, throughout the year at 10pm – an early time to what it might be – that’s okay. No-one has the right to ask for something to be stopped, contained, controlled, managed in this self-centred, unconsidering political climate that the Nats have left.
Maybe the Labs will have the strength of will and arguments to counter the whining from the spoilt and materialistic who externalise anything that doesn’t suit them.
Starting with banning firework sales to people.
Government could make a target of no more public or corporate firework displays until the war in the Middle East is over, all the people in refugee camps are fairly rehoused, climate change controls bring down temperatures by .1 degrees etc. It would show solidarity with those suffering in the world, and everyone at these great occasions would be encouraged to give a small donation to Medicine sans Frontieres who would apply it directly onto the nearest wound. Go on laugh at me, cynically and insultingly.
“The country is like a powder keg about to explode at any time until we get decent rain.”
No decent rain here south west of Hamilton since the 29th of November…which for us provided just, maybe, enough rain to flush our recently cleaned spouting.
We are totally dependent on rain collected from our roof. Our tanks are sitting at about a 1/3 full….or to be pessimistic 2/3 empty.
We have some water collected from small outbuilding roofs that has been used to sustain our small vegie garden…but once that is gone…that’s it. We learned back in the Big Drought of 2007/2008 not to use our domestic supply for anything other than domestic use.
Showers? Very short, if at all. Getting to the stage where we’ll have to go into the city and shower at a friend’s.
The ground is parched. The trees are wilting. The dust coming off the adjacent state highway, compounded by holiday traffic, is phenomenal.
One carelessly cast off cigarette butt ,or god forbid the neighbours decide to celebrate New Year’s pyrotechnically, and we could be in a spot of bother.
Often a nervous time for them as live in the country (I remember similar worries from years ago as out of towners lit bonfires on the beach upwind of our section).
Hope the worst doesn’t happen
A.
(shouldn’t councils be laying down some total fire bans? Though such things are not always obeyed)
I have no grizzle over fireworks in general, people like to have their fun but when the country is so dry and there hasn’t been any decent rainfall in many provinces I would have thought a blanket ban on any sort of fires, even barbecues which use charcoal or wood plus fireworks would be the logical way to go. By the way how do people get hold of fireworks this time of year, do they hoard them over from Guy Fawkes night. I didn’t think they were allowed on sale any other time.
Its not just tall foliage which catches fire but any grass which hasn’t been mown for some time, roadside berms etc are a hazard for stray cigarette butts – anything will catch alight which is dry like kindling wood. I see many times bare industrial lots which have been left to grow 4 foot high grass which is just inviting a fire in newly emerging shopping and industrial areas. Why don’t councils get hold of these absentee land owners and remind them to keep their lots mown regularly. Councils are remiss as well, here in the Super City many roadside berms alongside arterial roads are a disgrace in this dry weather. My am I having a grizzle today!!
Happy New Year folks and all the very best for the coming year.
Afaik there *is a ban on fireworks in areas that have a total fire ban (much of Otago currently, including Queenstown). See my links above (open fire BBQs are also banned, gas one’s aren’t, not sure about charcoal but I would guess technically it’s banned too). I’d be interested to know where the Fire Service said they can’t stop people letting off fireworks. I wonder if they mean people are doing it despite the ban.
He said although fireworks were not included in the ban, but if they caused a fire the person who lit them could be held liable.
“Fireworks is a bit of a different kettle of fish,” he said.
“Although it’s not advisable to let off fireworks in very dry areas it’s not unlawful to do so, however any fire you cause you are accountable for so discretion must come to the fore when it comes to fireworks and things like that at this time of year.”
“A Prohibited Fire Season requires a total fire ban and/or the suspension of certain operations that pose a fire risk. During a Prohibited Fire Season gas barbeques are authorised however the lighting of fires in the open air or use of fireworks or pyrotechnics is prohibited.”
Refer to your local bylaws for the rules around using fireworks in your area. In many places, you’re only allowed to light fireworks on private property. People who breach this law could be fined as much as $20,000.
I quoted above the Auckland Council regulations.
Edit: Otago Rural Fire (from your link, the about page says it) operates on behalf of:
Central Otago District Council
Clutha District Council
Dunedin City Council
Queenstown Lakes District Council
Waitaki District Council
The Department of Conservation
We had good rain up on the Raukumaras south of Opotiki in Matawai south of the Waioweka Gorge, as the mountains/hills are all green and grass is growing madly I need to get out the weedwhacker around the farmhouse now.
Tall weeds are all very green, so no fire risk up 1650ft in the Raukumaras.
Happy new year.
Looking only at averages ignores and even dismisses the damage that has been done to the not so well off resulting in the rise of populist leaders such as Trump who then implements even worse economic policies.
He points out that the right and the left do it. When the left do it they’ve actually stopped representing the people that their political parties were set up to represent which is what we’ve seen across the world over the last 30+ years.
I think it’s a bit more complicated than that – left wing parties that ended up going tory did so to a large part because left wing economics failed or at least appeared to fail, and neoliberal economic tools had to some degree not been tested. And because economics is largely entrail reading anyway, neoliberal economics satisfied the measures conventionally used (e.g. GDP, unemployment rate) while delivering an opposite effect to what those measures were supposed to represent (GDP rising by favouring a few at the top, unemployment being maintaned at “low” levels while underemployment skyrockets and worker productivity becomes less rewarding).
But I think that the difference in the left wing parties is that many of them believed the TINA to greater or lesser degrees.
But I think a lot of tory mps don’t actually care – it’s just bullshit to throw at the populace while they enrich themselves.
Yes I found a good use of social media.
And I no that this site and the author of this wonderful website have had a positive effect on OUR society.
Many thanks to everyone whom has seen this site keep up the good work.
I believe that we must keep this site Mana up and find more authors if that is what is need many thanks to Iprent I see you every now and then I won’t say to much Ka pai well I got my first link up it wasn’t to hard so when I get the time I can post all the links to backup
.my story’s Ka kite ano
Margaret Thatcher’s former Transport minister, and John Major’s Defence minister Michael Portaloo was, and is, infamous for bringing nothing to the table other than a deep tan, a deep voice, a fine head of hair and an IQ hovering at about room temperature. Watch him in this clip dismiss the massive protests of 2003 opposing the aggression against Iraq as “a million people strolling in the park”….
I thought that name sounded a bit suspect, sort of smell about it! Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party. Wikipedia
(Incidentally Christine Keeler has just died. She was a model who connected with a British politician called Profumo, but also a Russian when the Cold War was on. The suspicion of pillow talk and cross-gossip got him shifted from Parliament. As with David Lange’s smelling the uranium on your breath quote, there was a British one heard often when joining a group, ‘I think I smell a Profumo’.)
It is interesting to think that politics could be said to have adopted vertical integration in having someone with journalist and broadcaster background becoming an MP and Cabinet Minister. If they could only take over the voting activity involved in getting elected, the hard work of getting known, sweetening their people and enough of the others, life would be easier altogether.
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Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
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The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
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Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
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SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
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Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
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A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
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Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
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On the NZ Honours List.
Another unbelievable selection.
We’ve already heard Rolleston and L’Estrange Corbet are being recognised.
Now this.
Companions
‘The Honourable Peter Francis Dunne, Wellington, for services as a Member of Parliament.’
The Honours are a political and corrupt joke.
I think the pure concept has merit – recognising the efforts of good people to make their communities better places.
But because politicians control the process they inevitably pervert it by using it to recognise themselves and their cronies thereby demeaning the whole process.
I agree about Dunne. His honour is for services to Peter Dunne. And the English private secretary to royalty who already has three knighthoods – what’s that about?
Time to start again.
‘Dunne. His honour is for services to Peter Dunne.’
And for services to the National Party 2008-2017.
And as a consequence, services to the rich, the powerful and for services to the establishment.
Services for toadying.
Peter Dunne:
“For adVanced services to confidentiality.”
And it would probably work if it was the communities deciding who those people were.
QFT
John Key should probably be in jail for all the lies that he told while PM. Instead, he got knighted for fucking up the country for the benefit of the rich.
Is it a political and corrupt joke Annette King gets an honour ?
It is a political and corrupt joke that any politician gets an honour for doing the job which they are paid to do.
Agreed
I would just add
….doing the job which they are VERY WELL paid to do.
Should ANYONE then get a Honour if its in the field that they are paid to be in?
Probably not. They are, after all, already being rewarded for that job.
Still, there will be occasions where some people go above and beyond in their normal duties and that should be recognised as well.
None of our politicians have ever done that.
Only in exceptional cases.
Probably in your case I would say Yes James – for devoted attention to duty and self-sacrifice from attending other more entertaining venues, or perhaps to you this is the height of self-gratification.
ahh – the old “we get paid to be here meme” – a solid goodie when you have nothing to fall back on.
+111
Yes I don’t agree with dairy dack dune getting a houners it’s should be shame Peter Dune his son was the lawyer for the dairy dack big wigg this is fact and this is well known what a joke he should go hide in shame. I say it was part of national bribe so he would bow out with out a big fuss during the election so as not to damage national credibility. Sorry national your credibility is shit Ana to kai
‘The Honourable Peter Francis Dunne, Wellington, for services as a Member of Parliament.’
I expect he was put on the list before he decided to leave National in the lurch during the election. Nicely done, but then he always was a sharp operator.
It would appear that NZ has a dis-honors system …. Key, Dunne, Doug Myers, Talley etshitera etshitera.
Dunne, apart from being a skillful ship jumping rat for the benefit of himself left a few other ‘achievements’ ….. for NZ.
He is partially behind the Pokies charity money fraud opportunity laws we have ….. Where just about every town in NZ has examples and convictions of Pub owners and other Pokies operators funneling charity money to themselves and their mates …. aka Brent Todd.
He has called Medicinal Cannabis and its users ‘Garbage”, he did this when responding by email to Greg Sore, a chronically ill man and at the time head of Green Cross NZ.
While blocking reform and continuing the criminalisation for natural Cannabis Dunne temporarily legalized the much more dangerous ‘Synthetic High ‘ chemicals. …. Leading to our present deadly black market situation where over 20 deaths and hundreds of times that in expensive hospital admissions has occurred …. in the last 9 Months alone.
He was revenue minister and kept quiet when Key turned NZ into a tax haven for foreigners …. Initially after the Panama papers broke Dunne claimed NZ was not a tax haven …. despite Mossack Fonseca and other scumbags marketing and using us as one …..
Finally he rather quietly was involved in donating $600,000 of our money to the white helmets, a bullshit quasi first aid outfit affiliated with ISIS, Al Nusra/ Al Quada and other head chopping Muslim mercenaries…..The white Helmits also provide propaganda for their Pro war paymasters … the usa and u.k. http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/10/23/syrias-white-helmets-war-by-way-of-deception-part-1/
http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/10/28/part-ii-syrias-white-helmets-war-by-way-of-deception-moderate-executioners/
But a small sample of Whatsy Dunnes ‘work’ for us ………. He deserves a big long drink of Sir John Keys legacy river water.
Thanks for that reason this just shows that shonky and dairy dack dune are like 2 peas in a pod they don’t care who there revenue gathering scheme hurt or kill to them us people the 99% are just $$$$$$, to them this type of behavior will never be allowed to happen again
Ana to kai
Cheers eco maori …… I hope the coming new year is good to you and your whanau.
A couple of corrections to what I wrote …..
Greg Soar is the correct spelling for the NZ Green Cross man Dunne abused.
And I should have qualified the Muslim mercenaries as being ‘extremists’ ….
Someone has just enrolled for a doctorate on Weinsteins contribution to feminism.
Happy new year.
http://www.news.com.au/national/im-a-student-heres-how-free-speech-died-at-university/news-story/748b6979096c523fb7c8cbc89fef7102
This was an interesting read.
On the death of free Speech
Hardly new – universities have been going down the track of ‘politic correctness’ and ‘groupthink’ to the detriment of open discourse and argument of ideas for quite a while.
A good 1200 years or so now, isn’t it?
tl;dr
Jumped up little twat sez nazis are people too, and we should listen to their hate speech.
/
nazis he sez we should listen to include:
https://slate.com/arts/2017/12/the-best-editor-comments-from-milo-dangerous.html
btw, Yiannopoulos is a thief, too
https://wonkette.com/627564/does-milo-yiannopoulos-even-know-he-plagiarized-american-psycho-because-he-totally-did
and:
https://static.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/the-cool-kids-philosopher
“tl;dr
Jumped up little twat sez nazis are people too, and we should listen to their hate speech.
/”
Thanks for proving my point.
and since you raise the Nazis – you lose.
Yiannopoulos is that ugly type of pedophile, he sanctions and promotes the grooming of young boys, and by inference young girls.
I like how the snowflakes on the right seem comfortable with itt. Beating kids, and grooming others ah james, it’s an ugly road you support mate, ugly.
The best propaganda always has a grain of truth buried somewhere under the edifice of bullshit built on top of it. Doesn’t make it any less fucked, though, even if the target is someone like Yiannopoulos.
I take you never heard the interview then Psycho milt?
I did – that’s how I know there’s a tiny grain of truth buried at the bottom of that propaganda bullshit you posted.
No argument, just the usual “I know best” statement from you.
You get how tiresome that is psycho milt?
Just an observation.
What’s tiresome is when a man tells an interviewer about his own lived experience and his political opponents seize the opportunity to misrepresent it so they can smear him as a pedophile. It’s the kind of thing Ad was recommending for the left in his “Man of the Year” post the other day, but in reality it’s the kind of thing the left shouldn’t touch with a bargepole, because integrity matters. Yiannopoulos being an unpleasant character himself doesn’t excuse it, unless you’re happy to be on his level.
Funny tho isnt it – you say that the right are comfortable beating kids, yet in NZ by far the highest prevalence of child abuse is by Maori, who it would seem from the last election vote Labour.
Facts vs rhetoric..
Good to see you true to form and play the race card james. I wondered when you were going to go for that one. Seeing as your buddies on the right keep killing people of colour. No wonder it so simple for you go there.
Because in reality jame, Māori had at least 26% non-voters, probably higher if
the trend towards not voting continues as it has been.
http://socialreport.msd.govt.nz/civil-and-political-rights/voter-turnout.html.
So once again a sweeping racist generalisation from you james, I’m not surprised.
Happy new year Adam,
Just ignore the ”Ignoramus” and they go away, is the best plan, as they only survive responding to their worthless ignorant blogs.
Thanks cleangreen , you too, have a fun, safe night tonight.
Yesterday I decided to stop replying to James.
Good Idea Ed.
I like to push his ideas to their ridiculous conclusion every now and again. I’ll do it for a couple of days, then walk away and watch him dig new holes.
Not playing the race card – Its a statement of fact.
If you have any reasonable evidence that Maori do not have the highest prevalence of child abuse in NZ – I would happily look at it and stand corrected.
of course you do not.
Yet you say the right “seem” to be happy with beating kids.
You are all over the place. Trying to come up with something to make your original comment OK – which of course it wasnt (as PM pointed out also).
Excellent news.
Good you Ed. It just feels better somehow.
Hi Ed
I am still keeping on with my avoidance of chocolate in case you were wondering. I feel a better person somehow and will by the end of the week be changed in some way! Thinner I think.
How do stats about the prevalence of child abuse go in relation to socio-economic rankings?
Ah, but was it the Māori who voted Labour that beat their kids or the ones that voted National?
And you’re well into rhetoric because the facts probably don’t support your implication.
Yesterday I decided to stop replying to James.
Who?
again – Excellent.
The majority of pricks leading the charge for the right to beat children, McCoskrie, McVicar and the sewer denizens, are RWNJs.
Tell you what – lets have a single quote from any of them saying that “beating” a child is OK – as opposed to a smack.
and Ill put up links of people ACTUALLY beating their kids and see if you can see a difference.
The pricks want to reinstate a defence of reasonable force for parents prosecuted for beating their children.
A smack is beating a child. Changing the word doesn’t change the psychological damage done to the child.
https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/smacking-children-linked-psychological-problems-adulthood/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/smacking-children-makes-them-more-likely-to-have-mental-health-problems-when-they-grow-up-research-a7002086.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-me-in-we/201202/how-spanking-harms-the-brain
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/new-study-reveals-long-term-impacts-of-smacking-children/news-story/1d9cd66ef864f33feb38de4dd3e4da41
A smack is not a beating.
Hey, come on now. I’m sure there’s an alternative universe out there in which getting a smack on the arse is really no different from getting multiple broken ribs and skull fractures from being kicked and beaten with a baseball bat.
Those studies made me smile. Among my generation there was hardly a kid alive who wasn’t smacked at some point – what a colossal burden of mental illness we must have brought to the world as adults. Which is kind of funny when you consider that mental illness is apparently more of a problem now than it was 30 years ago…
My own conclusion is that violent disciplining achieves the exact opposite – a lack of discipline. People who always look for an external force to hold them to right action rather than the internal discipline that boosts creativity, innovation and acceptance of other peoples.
Yeah, it is. There may be a difference in quantity but the quality is the same – massively damaging.
So, why are you trying to excuse child abuse?
James Obviously was smacked around the head regularly.
The Dogmatic post colonial Propaganda he repeats like a broken record.
Spreading divisiveness cynically by baiting which he is a master.
John Key and the Nats won us the world cup ….. for highest domestic abuse rates in the developed world.
Subverting and doing a Dirty Politics hit which prevented meaningful steps to lower Alcohol Abuse was coach John keys super strategy ….
Beaten brown kids, and tens of thousands of other victims …. were a price Key and the Nats were prepared to pay …..
And James is a racist Pom ….. does that make him typical ?.
Alcohol
A blight on our society
#2
‘A central Christchurch street is cordoned off after a brawl left three people in hospital, one with serious injuries.
Christchurch police were called to reports of fighting on St Asaph St before 2.30am.
Three people have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital after the brawl which left one person in a serious condition. Two others suffered moderate injuries.
Police say a number of people were arrested at the scene – near the intersection with Manchester St – for fighting.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11967885
The hospitals and police etc should be given the ability to charge the alcohol industry for any costs they incur from alcohol related issues.
It could run like the ACC. (Alcohol Compensation Fund)
The alcohol industry pay a fee to the ACF
Hospital, police etc claim from the ACF.
Tops ups occur if needed each year to the ACF by the alcohol industry.
Brilliant idea! Also add an actual ACC level to every drop of alcohol sold in NZ. Just like my car ACC levy you are then targeting the consumers.
Those who assault, drink and drive, injure themselves, increase the burden on the health system because of alcohol related disease under the influence pay directly.
“Those who assault, drink and drive, injure themselves, increase the burden on the health system pay directly.”
fixed it for you. Why limit it to drinkers?
Put a bit of accountability into society.
Eating a lot of barbecue red meat causes an increase chance of colon cancer.
So that increase the cost on the health system
Yes lets put a bit of accountability into society James
No, let’s not. User pays means only the wealthy can afford healthcare.
I’m interested in the possibility of cancer being caused by hair dye. Women and men are constantly dying their hair as a normal activity and from what I have read there is no health-oriented official control on what mix of chemicals go into them.
Could much of the cancer that strikes young and middle-aged people be due to dosing the body with these chemicals.
Is the health system taking responsibility for ensuring that the populace is not innocently causing their own serious illnesses?
No, and yes.
Thanks OAB and One Two – some facts for me to chew on. After lunch which is going to be a toasted sandwich which I hope will be reasonably healthy.
That depends on how much and what kind of gratuitous fats you put on it to help get those scrumptious crispy gold and brown bits stuffed full of acrylamides from the Maillard reaction. Or if you put in some pork stuffed full of nitrites to give it that gorgeous flavour and lovely pink colour. Mmmmm, bacon…
Mine would give the healthy food zealots absolute conniptions.
Just remember, where toxicity is concerned, dosage is everything.
All food is “healthy” unless it contains toxins or microorganisms that will make you ill, so your toasted sandwich is likely to be OK.
Hello GW,
Not just hair dye..
The entire ‘make-up’ based industry of products including lotions, potions which are slathered onto the bodys largest organ…
Is essentially unregulated regarding the chemical compounds and toxicity levels..
Suncreen, ‘medical products/treatments and proceedures’, sanitary products, baby products…
Wild West…
Ten years ago, exactly, I went under the knife for the removal of my womb.
First ever surgery for me. First real hospital admission other than birthing.
The aneasthetist did he pre- surgery thing, with BP, pulse, heart monitoring the whole nine yards…and I somewhat jokingly remarked that as a smoker they’d not bother with the paddles if I coded under the sleepy juice.
“Your’e not wearing make-up” he commented, “do you usually?”
I replied in the negative, that I’d never daubed shit on my face, and he assured me I’d have no problems at all with the anaesthetic…..unlike other middle aged women who did use make up.
Who knew?
Hi Rosemary, thanks for sharing your experience…
What you describe illustrates many ‘holes/gaps’ in the processes, which all things being equal…would often be taken for granted…
As being ‘safe’…
More, and openly the ‘consensus’ is being challenged, and the ‘constructed mirage’ is breaking down…
Much more to be done, but momentum is gathering rapidly around the world, and I’m optimistic it will generate major establishment exposés
Happy New Year…
:More, and openly the ‘consensus’ is being challenged, and the ‘constructed mirage’ is breaking down…”
Yes. Please.
Let this be the mantra of 2018.
More, and openly the ‘consensus’ is being challenged, and the ‘constructed mirage’ is breaking down…
[multiple citations needed]
Vague assertions lacking evidence are not “challenges”. The establishment doesn’t need to knock you down when you can’t get up in the first place.
Hello GW.
Just to let you know that cosmetics are covered by Sections 24 and 26-36 of the Medicines Regulations 1984.
Just in case you were inclined to believe some random bullshit or something.
http://blogs.luc.edu/compliance/2017/12/05/the-hazards-of-an-unregulated-cosmetics-industry/
The cosmetics industry, unknown to many, is essentially not regulated by a federal regulatory agency.
Cosmetics technically fall under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), but there are few requirements that manufacturers must comply with.
The FDA only requires that manufacturers comply with several labeling regulations so companies can avoid listing a product’s total ingredients, and the FDA does not require manufacturers to report health complaints.
The FDA instead relies on direct reports of adverse events from consumers, which has the potential to delay remedying a potentially dangerous situation.
Whereas in New Zealand (which is not the USA), the appropriate authority is Medsafe.
Which – if the example of their control of surgical mesh in NZ is anything to go by – isn’t particularly “safe”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/92633100/Patients-who-say-surgical-mesh-has-made-their-lives-a-living-hell-question-why-its-still-being-used
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201814284/medsafe-responds-to-concerns-over-surgical-mesh
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/345971/medsafe-doctors-and-acc-have-failed-patients-gynaecologist
Which makes it especially important that any critique of their methods and processes concentrate on them, rather than blithering on about the FDA.
James (Cowkill?) loves
“a bit of botulism in the snarlers of an evening.”
umm OK – well I guess you think thats an intelligent comment.
good on you.
If you ever contracted the likes of botulism and required ICU life support, you would most definitely be treated in a public sector facility,
And the taxpayer, not the private health care you pay for, will pick up the tab.
OK – just to show you the level of ridiculousness in your argument.
How many cases of botulism in NZ from eating cows?
FFS – you people are desperate to come up with such stupid arguments.
How many cases of botulism in NZ from eating cows?
Not sure, but my money would be on 0. It’s quite possible the number from eating wild pig is also 0.
I generalised, the likes of botulism, but you choose to dissemble.
/
James, you’re The Proud Cowkiller.
Yeah, I read your BBQ stir, two weeks back.
Words crafted, to hit.
And placed first up on the site, for max impact.
Guess to cause a bit of mayhem among peaceful souls on a Sunday?
Here’s to any carnivore comments that may head your way.
You’ve earned ’em.
Anyway, I’m on the side o’Daisy.
As DV points out~ the red-meat, (in time), may getya?
As for now, I just wonder what’s in the snarlers, mate.
Botulism is a factor. Take care.
I’m being helpful here.
Intelligent comment? Well, those are your words.
Pity, right here, you missed out.
Cowkill for you, right?
Comes from (one o’your mob?), Kilgore, in the movies.
(A good man for your barbie I’d say)
But understand this, Kilgore thrived in the morning.
There’s the link to the quote.
If you still don’t crack it, James ~ go for the veges, mate.
Just t clarify – if you had of read the thread – I don’t know how to butcher a cow – I had someone do it for me (a professional.
Cracks me up how worked up some (normally vegans) got over someone having a family BBQ.
Get out a bit – lots of people have them. With meat and everything
James,
I see the pattern. Here, it’s not really about the meat.
You stir first. With care. As with this one.
Glorying in the kill. Writing designed to upset gentle vegan folks on a Sunday morn. That was your intent.
More recently, first post o’the day, on Trump’s “achievements.”
For a sec I hoped it was an original piece.
No such luck, but well chosen for your purpose. Many items to be disputed for a good James hit.
All set to provoke on this site.
Then, later, after some mayhem, you chime in, kinda “reasonable.”
Gotta laugh.
Yes, I read your meat post.
And so Daisy’s revenge on James comes to mind: You with a botulism snarler. Go Daisy.
Bit of a joke, mate. Sorry you missed it.
You piked on “Kilgore.” Too hard?
The trump achievement post was basically a link to the paper and a summary of the points.
I didn’t write it – a major American newspaper published it.
But I guess you are a bit of a fan of echo chambers only – scared to actually look objectively some of the point raised – you take it as some attack.
Re the botulism- more likely to get it preserved vegetables (oh the irony).
I’m being helpful here.
You’re being an idiot here. The chances of getting botulism from sausages is way lower than getting it from tinned vegetables. Stop embarrassing yourself.
As DV points out~ the red-meat, (in time), may getya?
DV (and you) shouldn’t believe the hype. Plenty of vegetarians get colon cancer, so those vegetables (in time) may getya too.
Phil….
Is…
that…..
u…??…?
FFS! James is an attention seeker.
He’d be a nobody on a right wing site. He’s got you all eating out of his hand.
Do Not Feed The Troll
tis OK – I pay for private heath care.
Eating a lot of barbecue red meat causes an increase chance of colon cancer.
More accurately, some studies have shown a very slightly increased risk of cancer to be correlated with red meat consumption. The increase is so small it’s more likely to be down to confounding factors in the studies and confirmation bias on the part of the researchers than any actual increase. In any case, correlation != causation.
All of which shows why a user-pays to health care is a really, really bad idea.
and it just shows how stupid and unformed people are when they rush to try and score a pathetic point on the internet – and just show themselves up as not knowing what they are thinking about.
Yesterday I decided to stop replying to James.
Oh good Ed. If you can keep it up I will not eat chocolate for a whole week.
Ok. Deal 😊
Ed
I have just read your commitment, I will start from tomorrow Monday
1st day of 2018. A good New Year resolution on both our parts. Cheers.
thrice – Excellent !
For a guy who’s decided to stop replying to you, he makes a hell of a lot of replies.
Keeping people in poverty increases the burden on the health system.
James
I hire people – so it’s not me doing it.
crumbs thrown to the peasants.
+100ms fargo
We already tax alcohol to offset costs to the health system, legal system etc. Of course, the taxes collected don’t match the costs (although I guess you could add in other the taxes like the GST on sales of alcohol and the PAYE on earnings of employees making and selling alcohol…etc to get a fuller picture of the economic inputs vs costs). NZ’s alcohol excise taxes are pretty modest (much lower than Australia’s for example).
The factsheet I’ve linked to above only considers the excise tax and says The most recent estimate of the cost of harmful use of alcohol is $5.3
billion a year. That is $14.5 million per day. Excise tax revenue from alcohol in 2008 was $907million. It seems to be pretty old, though, with the latest info quoted coming from 2008. There hasn’t been any significant change to the excise rate since then (just annual adjustments for inflation).
Your suggested scheme is really complicated. Why not just adjust the system we already have? Even that would be pretty complex, though. At the moment, different types of drink are taxed at different levels according to their alcohol %. Some argue that wine is under-taxed – others that wine has health benefits as well as harms.
Quite a hornets’ nest.
Yes fair enough.
But in a sense we have a model already in the ACC
In my ‘defence’ I have only thought about it for 10 mins, and some of that was editing spelling!!!
Your point about the excise tax is good.
Re
But not very transparent, and it has a short fall according to the figures from 2008
The use of a ACF vehicle should be more transparent, and hopefully up to-date.
May be the excise tax could be paid directly into the ACF. And adjustments to the excise tax made deeding on the state of the ACF.
The ACC model wouldn’t work at all in this case. ACC is based on a general tax (we all contribute) and an employers’ tax. Costs to employers go up or down depending on if/how many people are injured at their workplace each year. How on earth would that work for alcohol producers/retailers? Let’s think about it:
1) How would you definitively prove that any particular harm was caused by alcohol? If costs were being adjusted according to harms, you’d need to be able to do this, and it would be contested. Hugely complex and costly.
2) For costs to individual alcohol producers to be adjusted according to harms caused, we’d need to be able to figure out exactly which alcohols caused any particular accident, brawl, or (even more complicated) cumulative health damage. Pretty well impossible.
3) Lots of alcohol sold in NZ isn’t made here, so presumably retailers (and importers) would have to be included. How would their contribution be calculated?
4) Lots of alcohol produced here isn’t consumed here, so the taxes on producers would have to somehow exclude that proportion of their production.
… I think we can see why no country runs this kind of system.
Yet from your first comment
Note the word “estimate”. If you want to sheet home specific costs to specific companies, you need provable, individually identifiable, actual costs.
Plus, I note you haven’t replied to any of the points I made in my previous comment.
dv, I think I’ve made my point. You had a passing thought – I can understand your motivation, but it’s really impractical and I’m not particularly interested in arguing about it past this point.
NZ has an excise tax on alcohol.
http://www.ahw.org.nz/Portals/5/Resources/Fact%20Sheet/Info%20Sheet%20Alcohol%20and%20Tax%20Final%2009.pdf
Rather than the breweries/wineries and those who don’t overindulge in NZ being pinged again on top of their current tax/GST/ACC why not target any further charges to those who are causing the havoc with harsher penalties for disorderly behaviour and recovery of any alcohol related idiocy expense they are involved in.
Unfortunately it’s no longer an offence to be drunk in public in New Zealand. That got legalised (or rather de-illegalised) some time ago. Can’t seem to find any reference to when, but seem to remember it happening in 90’s. That was about when behaviour seemed to go southwards, but also coincides with the drinking age going down to 18.
Geoffrey Palmer made submissions to reinstate the sanction on public drunkenness in 2009, but it didn’t go anywhere with a National government.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2767426/Being-drunk-in-public-should-be-an-offence-again-Sir-Geoffrey
Hopefully this might get revisited under the current administration. Current set up is far too costly to the community. The mess after this was unbelievable.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/lakefront-revellers-intoxication-levels-alarming
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/christmas-drunkenness-could-trigger-ban
Unfortunately Labour’s inclination is otherwise, their plan is to look at a minimum pricing regime.
It’s premise is to double the price of the cheap drinks and impact those the most price sensitive (make the poor people drink less or pay much more in tax – as they have with tobacco, hitting poor Maori particularly hard – but with the Maori Party’s consent, so “all’s good”).
Currently there is twice as much money from tobacco tax as alcohol – despite far fewer smoking.
Note Labour’s plans would not impact on craft beers at all (but on the cheaper half dozen/dozen lagers), but might on some of the cheaper wine (basically end the sale prices – forcing up regular prices, so their sale prices would be current standard retail).
Hopefully that will be another of the odd policies Labour adopted in the wilderness that quietly goes away.
I was involved in one of the obvious outcomes of that sort of palaver at CIT in the early 80’s. Lots of young engineers up in Wellington for 3 months from down south. We were rather used to $7 swappas from the Robbie and just couldn’t get our heads around $14 in Wellington. So someone had a flat and a wee home brew operation got going. After a month or so production had got up to about 20 dozen of a 6 day stout. Then Labour weekend came along and a batch was bottled early. Oooops, it didn’t stop, 20 dozen bombs, mostly in the halls of residence and most “owners” went away for the weekend. Came back to a note to present myself to the Proctor’s office on Tuesday morning…
Looks like being drunk in public was part of a 1966 Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act that was repealed in 2008.
Just before JK became PM – so a Labour-led government amendment.
Unfortunately it’s no longer an offence to be drunk in public in New Zealand.
Why is that unfortunate? The simple fact of being intoxicated shouldn’t be an offence. If there are people causing trouble, we already have the Summary Offences Act to enable policing it.
“If there are people causing trouble, we already have the Summary Offences Act to enable policing it.”
Except that Police have practical difficulties with that approach,
From a Police Assn submission to the 2011 changes https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/49SCJE_EVI_00DBHOH_BILL10439_1_A172911/37d3bdf6aac8c192a3cd59429c900745789c35c1
“54. However, it is critical that Police also retain the power to arrest for breach of liquor ban offences. Liquor bans were introduced because communities were suffering a serious negative impact from uncontrolled drinking in public places exploding into serious disorder and mayhem. Police response after such disorder begins is resource intensive, hugely disruptive to affected communities, is often unable to prevent property damage, and exposes officers to violence. Imposition of liquor bans, backed by the power of arrest, has been critical to early intervention to keep control of likely flash-point situations before they boil over. Alternative provisions giving power to arrest, such as for disorderly behaviour and disorderly assembly, are less suitable
because they require behaviour to have already escalated to the point of serious disorder. In the case of disorderly assembly, this also implies that a constable is already facing a disorderly group, with the greatly increased risks and difficulties that situation entails. The dynamic of drunk crowds means taking action once such a situation of disorder has already arisen risks actually sparking off wider disorder.”
Arrest for breach of a liquor ban seems more reasonable than arrest for the “crime” of being drunk.
Problem is the police don’t have the tools (laws) to deal with a problem before it becomes too big. A recent example down here was a crate day two years ago. By the time the Summary Offences threshold had been reached it was decided containment and management of several hundred drunken louts was the only way of dealing with the problem. Arresting people would have led to a riot. I saw the situation and it was totally out of hand. The problem is that there are no consequences for the people who behave poorly.
The result of the Christmas event will most likely be a permanent, year round liquor ban on public reserves in Queenstown Lakes, so no more picnics on the gardens, or quiet evenings on the waterfront with a drink for locals and visitors. This is because a liquor ban is the only way it can be managed at present and that affects everyone, not just those that get drunk to the point of being obnoxious.
To use your words below, this will only sanction the non-arsehole drinkers.
and what do you think will happen to the cost of Alcohol with your master plan?
and what happens when the cost of alcohol goes thru the roof?
What if the person has a history of breaking the law – then does it again with alcohol – does that become a alcohol related issue? or is it that the person is an ass.
Why would (say) a 1c per standard drink levy cause the price to go through the roof, Chicken Little? Are you flailing much?
I mean, I guess you oppose the idea, so you’d better come up with something better than that drivel.
The idea’s ridiculous for various reasons – increasing the price of alcohol for non-arsehole drinkers is only one of them.
That’s the same argument used to inflict ‘user pays’.
Well, yes – the suggestion in comment 4.1 is effectively for user pays in the health system. If people are going to insist on promoting user-pays on a left-wing blog, they should at least get it right.
who said it was going to be 1c.
it could be a lot higher than that.
and then it could increase year on year like the tax in cigarettes.
and again – the additional cost will hurt those who can afford it least.
Not if they respond to a price increase by reducing consumption, and in any case, the solution to right wing cry-baby bleating about taxation is higher wages, not lower taxes.
If you feel like rote-learning a cogent argument against the proposal I recommend you learn from R-B at 4.1.2
Yours are low-grade ‘b’-team objections that will probably hinder your cause.
Make alcohol products yourselves?
Our family had joined one of many wine and beer clubs.
There you will learn about making wine and beer and distilling the dregs of leftover “must” that is left after making wine.
Our family has been a making wine formerly for many years, so know about this,
So if alcohol is to pricey make your own.
No – I havnt but thought about it a bit after the food show last year when I looked at these –
https://williamswarn.co.nz/product/starter-packs/brewkeg10-litre-complete-pack-plus/
Look pretty good and would be cool on the deck.
Make alcohol products yourselves?
Sounds good, right? Thing is, if you price alcohol high enough, people don’t just make it themselves, they sell what they make, and then we’d really start to see some health issues arising from alcohol consumption. Best not go there.
The hospitals and police etc should be given the ability to charge the alcohol industry for any costs they incur from alcohol related issues.
It beats me why so many on the left are enthusiasts for bringing “user pays” back to the health system. Bring it in for your pet hate, alcohol, and just watch it proliferate.
I agree. When we start hitting up Booze Inc for the harm done, why not Toyota for road deaths and Smith and Wesson for gunshot wounds?
Booze Inc could easily argue ‘When your regulations allow an 18 year old to down a box of Woodies what on Earth do you think is going to happen?’
Young men have been acting the goat since mankind began. Adding a further tax to booze will change nothing. The price is not the problem and Bacardi buying hospitals is a rubbish solution.
I don’t know if everyone has noticed, I hadn’t, but in my insurance policy I see that my input post-accident may now include some serious $. ACC are refusing to pay for long term rehabilitation to the injured and I would be obliged to meet the cost of that once ACC have carried out their specified treatment. (Sounds like USA private-insurance-based systems creeping in here!)
This is not related to a special clause inserted after the insured has had a number of accidents. I certainly have had only one or two bumper bings in all my driving life. If someone wants to know more, ask and I will dig out the policy and quote the wording.
ACC has been slowly eroded for ages. If you break your teeth and require caps, for example, they’ll only meet about half of the cost. I also had to have root canals and they adjust the percentage they’ll pay for that according to age. I was in my 40’s and they argued that my roots wouldn’t have been perfect anyway, so paying the full cost of the root canal would be returning them to better than pre-accident condition. This, of course, begs the question – does anyone deliberately break their teeth, killing their roots and causing them to wobble for more than a year in order to claim ACC? Somehow, I doubt it.
I’m not sure how your private insurance policy relates to ACC – ACC is a state policy.
On the ACC linked website it says:
there’s also stuff on the website about ACC supporting permanent injuries financially.
Carolyn nth
This is the information that AMI gave:
This is in response to ‘a change the Government has made to the Sentencing Amendment Act 2014 that will affect your third party fire and theft car policy’
What has changed?
Before, if you caused an accident like a car crash by driving carelessly, the Courts could only order you to pay for the property damage or emotional harm you caused.
Now the Courts can also order you to pay for loss of income or treatment costs not covered by ACC. This won’t replace ACC, but means that anyone injured can get a ‘top up’ if the Court approves it.
What does this mean for you?
Because of this change to the Act, we’ve updated your policy. It now includes a benefit for reparation costs that you may be ordered to pay. Take a look at the terms and conditions…..etc.
This opens the way for treatments that the Court may agree to, not presently handled by ACC, and also for ACC to draw back on treatment and passing the restorative burden to the driver. And it could be very costly if the Court decides that the injured person or persons should get certain extra treatment, possibly not standard in NZ, or having to be accessed from a private medical facility.
It would seem that a loss of income amount is very possible in any case. I note that the AMI wording says ‘or’ treatment costs so I hope that it is definite that not both can be landed on the erring driver.
It is indeed a thing….
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2014/0038/latest/whole.html#DLM6054301
discussed here….https://www.interest.co.nz/insurance/79904/iag-trumps-vero-comprehensive-car-insurance-department-providing-more-date-policies
…..and more than a tad concerning.
Not a dickie bird’s about this from my insurer, but then again I’m inclined to just pay the damn thing if the $$$ are there at the time.
The only exclusion (other than ACC assessors being arseholes) that I am aware of under ACC is your claim for compensation can be declined if you were injured in the commission of a crime that could see you locked up for more than 2 years…
http://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-18-accident-compensation-acc/costs-covered-by-acc-treatment-compensation-and-other-support-chapter-18/
The Nats snuck that one past under the radar…
But the first link says the amendment in 2014 says:
And the ACC regulations say it will pay for treatment for personal injuries. So it comes down to how ACC assesses the injuries, surely? not the legislation per se. I suspect insurance companies with extra clauses on it are talking up the potential shortfall as part of their PR.
And the last link is to 2001 amendments, so came into being under a Labour led government, surely?
to my knowledge, that is still the case…
….there was a public outcry at the time relating to criminals, especially violent offenders, receiving big ACC payouts…if I remember right, these payouts were considered repugnant to natural justice.
People
A blight on our society
#2
‘A central Christchurch street is cordoned off after a brawl left three people in hospital, one with serious injuries.
Christchurch police were called to reports of fighting on St Asaph St before 2.30am.
Three people have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital after the brawl which left one person in a serious condition. Two others suffered moderate injuries.
Police say a number of people were arrested at the scene – near the intersection with Manchester St – for fighting.’
Its not the alcohol – its the people drinking it.
Most people can happy have beers with mates or a nice pinot noir with a good steak without running around and causing mayhem.
To just blame alcohol is simplistic thinking.
“Its not the alcohol – its the people drinking it.”
“Guns don’t kill people – people do”
WHo’s doing simplistic thinking….
There are many thousands of guns in NZ – do not see them killing anybody when used carefully by a responsible owner.
Sometimes the simple things are right.
Firearm related deaths per firearm in nz is 0.00003567 – so yeah – kind proves there are not a whole lot of guns out there killing people.
*sigh* really that’s what you saw in what I said.
Let me spell it out for you in small words . As irony can be tough, I get simplistic people have difficulty picking it up.
Your whole argument james is simplistic. That better, nice and simple for ya.
no the argument that alcohol is a blight on NZ and is the cause of the problems listed by ed is simplistic – and that is what I have been arguing.
“Its not the alcohol – its the people drinking it.
Most people can happy have beers with mates or a nice pinot noir with a good steak without running around and causing mayhem.”
My statement is entirely correct, even if simplistic. There is more to alcohol as being the problem.
But hey – if you cannot work that out – I hope you dont drink at all – else you might end up being arrested for throwing rocks thru the windows of a old peoples home – alcohol makes you do that you know.
I drink very little. A beer or two every few weeks, and the occasional Brandy. Mind you had a very nice Scotch when the election results were finalised.
So an alcoholic is fine in your world awash with alcohol at every turn. Yeah that is working out fine.
That aside, debate words by putting counter arguments rather than just cheap cliché response. which is exactly what “Its not the alcohol – it’s the people drinking it.” it is a tired cliché – bit like the other one that I put up.
So alcohol fuelled violence is acceptable to you? I’d say by any definition, it’s alcohol is “a thing” in the definition of blight
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=blight&oq=blight&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Did you go out and have an orgy of alcohol fuelled violence afterwards?
why not?
I means its alcohols fault right?
Alcohol Abuse is the problem ED
National shat over any meaningful steps to lower New Zealands Alcohol Abuse problems…..
Sir John Key and his sleazy Dirty politics crew backhanded beaten children and other victims of violent alcohol abusers.
Great music this morning many thanks to the Rock radio and Duncan and your lady all the best for the for the arrival of the new baby
This will change your view on life for the better as it did mine all those years ago. All the best to Bryce and his lady for the arrival of the new baby.
Many thanks to all the people associated with the Rock radio station.
Kai kaha
Why do so many left wingers spend a lot of their time actively supporting Facebook by using it?
Glenn Greenwald on Facebook’s complicity with US and Israeli government propaganda – by censoring criticism of these governments.
People use it for their own reasons.
and they generally prefer boycott items that wont cause them any inconvenience.
God, James, your complacency and determined ignorance is worthy of the Federated Farmers’ executive board. Carolyn’s point was a serious one, and you have simply refused to engage with it.
I answered it.
You got a better answer?
In fact you DID, James, and you were neither complacent nor ignorant as I so insolently and wrongly declared.
Please accept my apologies, and this is just for you, my friend….
https://media.tenor.com/images/1d37fae7c763ec15d88031819fae348c/tenor.gif
The Spinoff have just reposted some of their best (but under-read) articles from 2016. This one is a really thought-provoking read. It explores a range of interlinked concepts – the basic instincts of conservatives vs progressives, the rise of neo-liberalism, arguments for and against a UBI, arguments for and against the social investment approach to provision of social services… It argues from a broadly leftist viewpoint, but doesn’t dismiss the concerns of the right. It was written before the election. Well worth a read.
Seems like he does a really good job of putting the left-wing case for ‘social investment’
A.
Yes, I thought it was pretty compelling. I’m sure there are arguments to be made about privacy, means of provision (the Nats were big on privatising social welfare provision, or farming it out to charities), cost cutting vs effective spending… etc, and the author did note that none of the research into outcomes was available yet (which is fair enough – a lot of the outcomes would be measured over the long term, after all), but I did find myself questioning the extent to which I may have dismissed this concept on the basis of what the author calls meta instinct (or gut instinct – “If Bill English/Paula Bennet are keen on this, it must be bad”).
I do think the whole piece is worth thinking about, though. Glad you took up the suggestion, Antoine.
I had read it when it first came out, I don’t normally read the Spinoff, perhaps it was linked to from here or something
The Spinoff usually runs top-drawer articles. But not always. A couple of years ago one “Sumo” Stevenson tried to channel Roger Kahn, failed dismally to establish contact with the great man’s spirit, and ended up writing one of the most laughably pretentious analyses of a rugby match ever…..
http://morrisseybreen.blogspot.co.nz/2017/12/a-critique-of-sumo-stevensons.html
Third rate stenographer turns his hand to sports journalism …………and fails.
He’s not a stenographer, he’s supposed to be a journalist. But, as I showed in my critique of his lamentable article, he’s NOT a journalist in any meaningful sense of the word because he overlooks the central fact about that disastrous, farcical “match”: the Tricolours did not try.
The Fire Service are appealing to residents in Queenstown and other tourist spots to not light bon fires tonight for New Year’s Eve but they said they that they couldn’t stop fire works being let off and if anybody sets a fire going with fireworks it would be their responsibility. What happens if neighbouring hedges or houses catch fire – who is responsible if their homes are damaged or destroyed. Our new immigrants into NZ just love their fireworks as I can attest to and they regularly with any excuse will have a session out on the street with whizz bangs and whatever.
The ground is appallingly dry and any slight spark will set off a fire – its staggering that there isn’t more stringent enforcement – I can see the result of tonight with fires set off everywhere. We are a stupid lot if you ask me. There should have been a blanket ban on barbecues, fires of any description all over the country, New Year’s Eve is when we become even more stupid and juvenile than ever. The country is like a powder keg about to explode at any time until we get decent rain.
+ ∞ there WK
Queenstown Lakes is a bomb right now, white grass and green trees / scrub. If it catches it’ll go like mad. Combine that with heaps of people that don’t understand the climate and it could be all on.
Not just new immigrants either, had some neighbours letting fireworks off last week. All born here, and lived in Whakatipu for as long as I can remember. And got rather shitty when asked to desist by other neighbours.
Looks like there’s already a fire ban in QL that includes fireworks,
https://www.otagoruralfire.org.nz/fire-season/fire-season/
https://www.otagoruralfire.org.nz/fire-season/season-information/prohibited-season/
That suggests that people can phone the authorities if they see someone letting off fireworks. I would.
Letting off fireworks is part of the freedom that one gets in the free market where if you can pay for something that’s all right.
Fires from fireworks, fright from fireworks going bang like guns or sometimes whistling like falling bombs, throughout the year at 10pm – an early time to what it might be – that’s okay. No-one has the right to ask for something to be stopped, contained, controlled, managed in this self-centred, unconsidering political climate that the Nats have left.
Maybe the Labs will have the strength of will and arguments to counter the whining from the spoilt and materialistic who externalise anything that doesn’t suit them.
Starting with banning firework sales to people.
Government could make a target of no more public or corporate firework displays until the war in the Middle East is over, all the people in refugee camps are fairly rehoused, climate change controls bring down temperatures by .1 degrees etc. It would show solidarity with those suffering in the world, and everyone at these great occasions would be encouraged to give a small donation to Medicine sans Frontieres who would apply it directly onto the nearest wound. Go on laugh at me, cynically and insultingly.
“The country is like a powder keg about to explode at any time until we get decent rain.”
No decent rain here south west of Hamilton since the 29th of November…which for us provided just, maybe, enough rain to flush our recently cleaned spouting.
We are totally dependent on rain collected from our roof. Our tanks are sitting at about a 1/3 full….or to be pessimistic 2/3 empty.
We have some water collected from small outbuilding roofs that has been used to sustain our small vegie garden…but once that is gone…that’s it. We learned back in the Big Drought of 2007/2008 not to use our domestic supply for anything other than domestic use.
Showers? Very short, if at all. Getting to the stage where we’ll have to go into the city and shower at a friend’s.
The ground is parched. The trees are wilting. The dust coming off the adjacent state highway, compounded by holiday traffic, is phenomenal.
One carelessly cast off cigarette butt ,or god forbid the neighbours decide to celebrate New Year’s pyrotechnically, and we could be in a spot of bother.
Will common sense prevail?
Probably not.
We’ll just have to rely on luck.
Often a nervous time for them as live in the country (I remember similar worries from years ago as out of towners lit bonfires on the beach upwind of our section).
Hope the worst doesn’t happen
A.
(shouldn’t councils be laying down some total fire bans? Though such things are not always obeyed)
there’s already fire bans in place, see my comment above.
Thats good
I have no grizzle over fireworks in general, people like to have their fun but when the country is so dry and there hasn’t been any decent rainfall in many provinces I would have thought a blanket ban on any sort of fires, even barbecues which use charcoal or wood plus fireworks would be the logical way to go. By the way how do people get hold of fireworks this time of year, do they hoard them over from Guy Fawkes night. I didn’t think they were allowed on sale any other time.
Its not just tall foliage which catches fire but any grass which hasn’t been mown for some time, roadside berms etc are a hazard for stray cigarette butts – anything will catch alight which is dry like kindling wood. I see many times bare industrial lots which have been left to grow 4 foot high grass which is just inviting a fire in newly emerging shopping and industrial areas. Why don’t councils get hold of these absentee land owners and remind them to keep their lots mown regularly. Councils are remiss as well, here in the Super City many roadside berms alongside arterial roads are a disgrace in this dry weather. My am I having a grizzle today!!
Happy New Year folks and all the very best for the coming year.
Afaik there *is a ban on fireworks in areas that have a total fire ban (much of Otago currently, including Queenstown). See my links above (open fire BBQs are also banned, gas one’s aren’t, not sure about charcoal but I would guess technically it’s banned too). I’d be interested to know where the Fire Service said they can’t stop people letting off fireworks. I wonder if they mean people are doing it despite the ban.
RNZ reported:
In Auckland Council areas people cannot set off fireworks in public areas without a permit, but they can do so on private land.
Interesting. Seems to contradict this,
“A Prohibited Fire Season requires a total fire ban and/or the suspension of certain operations that pose a fire risk. During a Prohibited Fire Season gas barbeques are authorised however the lighting of fires in the open air or use of fireworks or pyrotechnics is prohibited.”
https://www.otagoruralfire.org.nz/fire-season/season-information/prohibited-season/
Here’s the list of areas currently set at ‘Prohibited’ in Otago,
https://www.otagoruralfire.org.nz/fire-season/fire-season/
I tweeted FENZ to ask.
I think it’s subject to local by laws. i can’t see anything too much in the laws about fireworks.
These are the laws that relate to fire –
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Permits) Regulations 2017
FENZ website on fireworks:
I quoted above the Auckland Council regulations.
Edit: Otago Rural Fire (from your link, the about page says it) operates on behalf of:
yes, I would expect it to be managed locally by area. Which makes FENZ’s statement very odd (they must know about the Otago rules).
Hey Weka,
Where are Country Boy & Wild Katipo?
Must’ve gone to the beach for xmas/new year?
Happy new year Weka.
Hi Rosemary McDonald;
We had good rain up on the Raukumaras south of Opotiki in Matawai south of the Waioweka Gorge, as the mountains/hills are all green and grass is growing madly I need to get out the weedwhacker around the farmhouse now.
Tall weeds are all very green, so no fire risk up 1650ft in the Raukumaras.
Happy new year.
Mark Blyth speaks a lot of sense.
cliff notes?
Looking only at averages ignores and even dismisses the damage that has been done to the not so well off resulting in the rise of populist leaders such as Trump who then implements even worse economic policies.
True enough. Focusing on means is definitely one technique used to disguise the damage of tories.
He points out that the right and the left do it. When the left do it they’ve actually stopped representing the people that their political parties were set up to represent which is what we’ve seen across the world over the last 30+ years.
I think it’s a bit more complicated than that – left wing parties that ended up going tory did so to a large part because left wing economics failed or at least appeared to fail, and neoliberal economic tools had to some degree not been tested. And because economics is largely entrail reading anyway, neoliberal economics satisfied the measures conventionally used (e.g. GDP, unemployment rate) while delivering an opposite effect to what those measures were supposed to represent (GDP rising by favouring a few at the top, unemployment being maintaned at “low” levels while underemployment skyrockets and worker productivity becomes less rewarding).
But I think that the difference in the left wing parties is that many of them believed the TINA to greater or lesser degrees.
But I think a lot of tory mps don’t actually care – it’s just bullshit to throw at the populace while they enrich themselves.
Wayne Mapp’s predictions for 2028
‘Peace in the Middle East, with Israel and Palestine making real progress, and the Syrian civil war ending.’
Then he must be expecting the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S. to change.
Ed, it’s worth noting that this is listed along with other wild predictions. He’s clearly not expecting this to happen (more’s the pity).
Wayne Mapp thinks he’s still in government and still has to keep telling monstrous lies.
Silly old fool.
Third rate stenographer and purveyor of low brow ramblings accuses others of telling lies…oh the irony.
Yes I found a good use of social media.
And I no that this site and the author of this wonderful website have had a positive effect on OUR society.
Many thanks to everyone whom has seen this site keep up the good work.
I believe that we must keep this site Mana up and find more authors if that is what is need many thanks to Iprent I see you every now and then I won’t say to much Ka pai well I got my first link up it wasn’t to hard so when I get the time I can post all the links to backup
.my story’s Ka kite ano
Lets not keep stats for 2018 !
The Standard dot org would be a friendlier place James.
Thatcher’s Henchmen
No. 1: MICHAEL PORTALOO
Margaret Thatcher’s former Transport minister, and John Major’s Defence minister Michael Portaloo was, and is, infamous for bringing nothing to the table other than a deep tan, a deep voice, a fine head of hair and an IQ hovering at about room temperature. Watch him in this clip dismiss the massive protests of 2003 opposing the aggression against Iraq as “a million people strolling in the park”….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9TVSB2LMV4
The creep is still hated and despised in Wales….
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/anger-thatchers-man-michael-portillo-2183673
“Thatcher’s Henchmen” is compiled and presented by Morrissey Breen for Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
I thought that name sounded a bit suspect, sort of smell about it!
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party. Wikipedia
(Incidentally Christine Keeler has just died. She was a model who connected with a British politician called Profumo, but also a Russian when the Cold War was on. The suspicion of pillow talk and cross-gossip got him shifted from Parliament. As with David Lange’s smelling the uranium on your breath quote, there was a British one heard often when joining a group, ‘I think I smell a Profumo’.)
Her story was an example of a disadvantaged female abused by the male-dominated system I think.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/05/christine-keeler-obituary
It is interesting to think that politics could be said to have adopted vertical integration in having someone with journalist and broadcaster background becoming an MP and Cabinet Minister. If they could only take over the voting activity involved in getting elected, the hard work of getting known, sweetening their people and enough of the others, life would be easier altogether.
happy new year, folks 🙂