Typical misrepresentation from Farrar

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 97 comments
Categories: David Farrar, dpf, making shit up, spin - Tags: , , ,

Sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert takes everybody’s favourite right-wing spinster to task for his usual misrepresentation and spin:

My last Farrar

In politics, as in religion, the true believers will never be convinced they are wrong. But I could not let David Farrar away with the incredible assertions in his last blog post defending the incorrect use of gang figures.

Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert now concedes gangs are responsible for the proportions cited”

I did not. Anybody can read my post for themselves and see that. The only thing I’m conceding is that I shouldn’t have called the dishonest Farrar a reasonable bloke – quite clearly he is not. He’s ignorant.
[…]

Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert… is now trying to argue that there is a difference between gang associates and gang members”.

I’m not trying to argue that at all, I am stating it as a fact. Just as every gang researcher in the world does, and just as the New Zealand Police and the Department of Corrections do. Apparently Farrar knows better.

[…]

I don’t have an agenda. It is quite clear that Farrar does and here we see clearly the problem of politics. Both sides won’t concede that they just desperately want to win, and the victim in all of this is the truth.

In coming days I will publish an extract from PATCHED that discusses this in detail. Farrar won’t read it of course, but I hope anybody curious about understanding things a little more might.

Go read the whole post on Gilbert’s blog

97 comments on “Typical misrepresentation from Farrar ”

  1. Tracey 1

    hooton and farrer, to a large extent, remind me of science versus religion debaters ( they being on the religious side). They will concede small things to seem reasonable but mostly they are truth manipulators to win people to their side. Their stock and trade being based on, and peddling in, ignorance…

    • john 1.1

      This site is no different.

      They all use anything, no matter how irrelevant or tenuous, to try to score political points.

      • Tracey 1.1.1

        And who gets your vote this time?

        • john 1.1.1.1

          The winners – just like most elections.

          I’ll happily vote left again as soon as they have policies and people competent enough to run the country.

          • Sanctuary 1.1.1.1.1

            Don’t feed the troll.

          • anker 1.1.1.1.2

            J @1.1.1.1 That has to be Cunliffe. Very competent minister, not afraid to sack a corrupt health board, solved an on-going Dr’s dispute by sitting down with both parties. Sorted in one evening. Harvard, business background Mfaft. Fully costed, fully comprehensive policies (visit their website John, to say it out-shines Nationals is an undertatement.

            Dam……….responded to the troll! Just couldn’t help myself!

            • alwyn 1.1.1.1.2.1

              That’s all right. You didn’t waste your time giving him a reasoned argument, backed up by facts.
              It wouldn’t have taken very long to provide this little bit of spin, quoting a whole lot of fairy tales.

              • framu

                pretty sure youve seen how john behaves alwyn – do facts or reasoned argument even matter to john?

          • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.1.1.3

            Heard of Christchurch rebuild disaster ? Novapay. ? Pike River, Masterton balloon tragedy?
            We will be paying well into to future for Englishs ‘competancy’ for borrowing $1 billion per month for the last 5 years

            • john 1.1.1.1.3.1

              Another reminder that the global financial crisis never happened in the heads of planet left.

              • McFlock

                and yet we could still afford a further round of tax cuts for the rich…

                • john

                  No doubt if they didn’t, you’d be talking about “broken election promises”

                  • McFlock

                    jeez, it’s almost as if they shouldn’t have promised tax cuts when the GFC was evident.

                    Forbes & Coates were equally shit.

                    • john

                      In 2008 Labour promised tax cuts “that by 2012 will amount to over $4.6 billion” (quote from Micheal Cullen).

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      And in 2008, once the GFC was evident, they promised a new budget in 2008 to cover the expected shortfall.

                      National, being the incompetents that they are, just went with unaffordable tax cuts.

                    • john

                      That was a big reason for Labours 2008 election loss. Cullen increased the tax take from $30b to $60b without giving any tax relief for workers.

                      He was taking a higher and higher % of gdp as tax.

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period, effectively every worker, every year, was paying a bigger and bigger percentage of their wages in tax.

                    • McFlock

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period, effectively every worker, every year, was paying a bigger and bigger percentage of their wages in tax.

                      so by paying the same percantage in tax they were paying a bigger percentage in tax?

                      You’re an idiot, john.

                    • Gosman

                      Ahhh…. no. If you have a progressive tax system unless you change the bands occassionally due to wage increases more people end up paying higher rates of tax even though they may have only moved in to the higher tax bracket as a result of cost of living increases. I’m not surprised you didn’t grasp this concept though.

                    • McFlock

                      actually, fair call.

                      All else being equal, of course.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Cullen increased the tax take from $30b to $60b

                      [citation needed]

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period,

                      All the RWNJs go on about the tax brackets not moving but I suspect that most people didn’t even realise it or weren’t concerned about it. After all, most people don’t have high enough income to be concerned with where the next tax bracket comes in.

                      And, yes, I agree that the tax brackets need to move inline with incomes.

              • meconism

                Global Banking Crisis, not Financial crisis.

          • Clemgeopin 1.1.1.1.4

            If you think that the inefficient and/or dishonest nincompoops like Key, English, Joyce, Brownlee, Collins, Bennett, Coleman, Parata, McCully, Groser, Finlayson, Tolley, N smith, N Guy, C.Floss, Williamson, Dunne, Banks, Woodhouse, and oh, Bridges, are ‘competent’, then you are absolutely wrong, pretty blind or thick!

            And as far as the National party’s ‘policies’ are concerned, they are PRIMARILY geared for the benefit of the wealthy with a few vote winning public relations motivated cunning crumbs thrown in for the what Key once referred to as ‘the underclass’!

      • infused 1.1.2

        Including the very outdated picture of Farrer.

        • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.2.1

          Oprah had lost a lot of weight …once. But most came back on fairly quickly. So no need to refresh his picture

      • adam 1.1.3

        Who here lies and is not stomped on by the moderators, either, be they right or left?

        Who makes assumptions and uses the MSM to extend their propaganda – here on the standard?

        How diverse are the arguments here? Have you not seen left v left fighting? I know I’ve butted heads with people from Labour, the Greens and IMP – and I still like and respect them even though we disagree.

        This is a discussion board, with a huge range of views. They even let in the occasional anarchist on you know.

        So John, your kinda wrong, sorry buddy.

        • Tracey 1.1.3.1

          Some people confuse people with sites. I singled out hoots and farrar cos they manage to get high exposure of their “thoughts”. I dont recall seeing or hearing the main authors from this site in MSM where the ignorance can spread like wildfire

          • srylands 1.1.3.1.1

            That is because the main authors from this site are anonymous.

            • McFlock 1.1.3.1.1.1

              Actually, they’re pseudonumous, sspylands.
              Tell me, does lusk post to the greasy cetacean using his own name?
              edit: oh, you’re trying to get yourself kicked. Need a Medal of Squalor to show your tory mates, huh?

        • Gosman 1.1.3.2

          I don’t think David Farrar makes statements he knows are factually inaccurate so therefore you can’t really accuse him of lying. He might put up something that is not correct but he does acknowledge his mistake often times. In this regard he is probably better than many posters here.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.3.2.1

            Nice of you to elucidate the finer points of implausible deniability, Gosman, you being such an expert ‘n’ all.

          • McFlock 1.1.3.2.2

            Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert now concedes gangs are responsible for the proportions cited”

            I did not. Anybody can read my post for themselves and see that.

            So your position is that farrar isn’t a liar, he is just incapable of reading while at the same time being capable of formulating a coherent statement that contradicts reality?

            What a unique literacy problem Farrar must have. Or he, like you, is just a fucking liar.

            • felix 1.1.3.2.2.1

              I’ve tried to explain to Gosman before how bad it looks when your entire argument consists of defining the word “lie”…

              • Gosman

                The problem for many of you lefties is you are so intellectually arrogant that you can’t grasp than any position which is at odds with your world view can be arrived at by the same level of analysis that you go through to come to yours. There is a lack of acknowledgment that there is more than one way to skin a cat. This arrogance leads to statements whereby anyone presenting a contrary position must by extension be telling a lie. I actually encourage this in leftists behaviour as it is very off putting to many undecided people.

                • BLiP

                  The problem for many Tories is that you deliberately seek to confuse the telling of lies with analysis. You did read the OP, right?

                • felix

                  Unfortunately Farrar’s “contrary position” is contrary to the fact, facts that were directly available to him when he told the lies.

                  Twist and turn all you like my little worm. A lie is a lie however you define it.

                • Tracey

                  Pot. Kettle. FOG

                • tricledrown

                  The goose has cooked himself in whale oil!
                  you have outed yourself goose!

          • Sanctuary 1.1.3.2.3

            Dr Jarrod Gilbert is an expert. He basically called Farrar a liar. Game over.

            • Gosman 1.1.3.2.3.1

              Why is that game over?

            • john 1.1.3.2.3.2

              Most experts don’t have a “Wanker of the Week”, blog about how fat their girl friend is, or how drunk they are so early in the day.

              • BLiP

                Classic . . .

                Tory Ideology 101: when confronted with undeniable facts and/or irrefutable logic, apply ad hom

                • john

                  And the thousands of examples of the same thing here by left wingers?

                  Perhaps you have missed the irony of your own hypocrisy.

                  • felix

                    john.

                    When you find someone telling lies, demonstrate it by presenting evidence.

                    It really is that simple. It’s amazing that you never do it.

                    • Gosman

                      Again the double standards in the comment is fascinating.

                    • john

                      There are thousands of examples on this site of people on the left attacking the person instead of the subject.

                      If you can’t find any, then you’re deliberately closing your eyes.

                    • felix

                      Oh indeed. I for one like to make fun of idiots with nothing to add. I’m doing it right now.

                      But I thought you were complaining about lies?

                    • BLiP

                      There are thousands of examples on this site of people on the left attacking the person instead of the subject.

                      Show me one – yes, just one – instance of Dr Gilbert attacking the person and not the subject. I mean, it is Dr Gilbert’s highlighting of Farrar’s lies we are talking about here and it is Dr Gilbert that you attacked without reference to the actual subject being discussed.

                      Are you 12?

          • tricledrown 1.1.3.2.4

            How many dead rats will Key have to swallow to get back in to power crazy colin inbred whyte legally high dunne winnie the pooh splintered is not the right word unhinged like you gossipman!

          • tricledrown 1.1.3.2.5

            Especially you gossipman you never acknowledge your mistakes you just stop posting for a while then come back hoping everyone will forget!

            • Gosman 1.1.3.2.5.1

              Such as?

              • tricledrown

                Claiming Ireland’s economy not collapsing eastern European countries were going gang busters and too many other pathetic Toilt?roll actions of pathetic propaganda trying to defend the indefensible!
                Less is more Gossipman. yesterday you admitted you come to this Blog site to cause disruption the first time you have been completely truthful!
                how much do you get paid because recently you have lied more than not and been found out!
                Do you get paid by column inch Lie or half truth!

                • Gosman

                  Yes. I am quite willing to defend my position on those issue. I’m curious though about your comments where you equate Futures with a CDO. Would you classify that as a lie considering it is wrong?

                  • felix

                    Classic Gosman:

                    ‘I’m quite willing to defend my position, let’s change the subject immediately.’

                    • Gosman

                      Not changing the subject at all. If tricledrown wishes to post something on Open Mike I will support my position that Ireland and a number of Eastern European nations got through the downturn after the GFC by following a austerity line much better than nations that didn’t follow such policies.

                    • tricledrown

                      Lies again gossipman Ireland’s economy only barely keeping head above water you call $170 billion stimulus package +unlimited funding of Irish abnks at virtually 0% Austerity I’ll eat my hat!
                      Unemployment figures look good only because so many have left!

                      Eastern Europe is in permanent recession!

                • Gosman

                  Just to refresh your memory on the topic here is your coment equating futures with CDO’s

                  http://thestandard.org.nz/nrt-32000-out-of-work-under-national/#comment-861761

            • felix 1.1.3.2.5.2

              Gos never stops posting, but he does switch handles.

        • left for dead 1.1.3.3

          occasional anarchist Good stuff Adam. By the way,Loyely sunny day her on the Pennisula.A.M

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.4

        Big difference between point scoring and dishonesty. Farrar is exposed as dishonest, not just biased.

  2. Gosman 2

    Ummm… you do acknowledge there is quite a major link between Gang mambers and Gang Associates do you? I suspect that if gangs were better targetted by Police it would have some impact on crime committed by associates.

  3. ghostwhowalksnz 3

    years ago, when Farrar started his blog I had a great debate with him about his misleading use of % to compare different numbers. A big no no, as its lesson one in how to lie using statistics.

    Hes been superceded by the the Oily Orca as nationals mouthpiece, so traffic has dropped off markedly. So now when he wants to make a point and there is no absurd statement for him to make himself sound reasonable, he goes as says “imagine if they were….[insert ridiculous comment]

  4. Populuxe1 4

    I trust we can still all agree that gangs are a bad thing?

    • Tracey 4.1

      If gangs are bad does that mean farrar can misrepresent or lie about stats about gangs?

      • Populuxe1 4.1.1

        No, it just means that this is all a trivial distraction over terms and point scoring from the real issue which is gangs are bad and society would be better off without them.

        • Pascals bookie 4.1.1.1

          Have you read his post? or his blog? or his book?

          having the facts is how you deal with the problems. Fudging the facts, doesn’t help.

          • Populuxe1 4.1.1.1.1

            Whatever. This is a side show. Farrar has nothing to do with making policy, he only exists to annoy people.

            • Pascals bookie 4.1.1.1.1.1

              The stats are the Minister’s aren’t they? Isn’t Farrar just trying to defend the Minister’s stats?

              Or is the Minister a sideshow too?

              • Populuxe1

                I wasn’t aware that National’s uselessness was in question. I just fail to see why people keep giving Farrar oxygen.

            • lprent 4.1.1.1.1.2

              Actually I suspect that he has quite a lot to do with making policy. That is what party pollsters wind up doing when they test messages. Both at the polling level and in the kiwiblog lab.

    • Murray Olsen 4.2

      I don’t agree with that at all. The world is not so simple. There is some good in gangs, which should be recognised. I agree that Farrar and Whalespew are bad things.

  5. tricledrown 5

    Gangs have proliferated under Nationals get tough on gangs policy ,Gangs don’t show up in the crime stats because they have got a lot smarter and are not easy to prosecute because of intimidation and the high standard of evidence required to required .Then the gangs are able to pool money and get dodgy lawyers to them off!
    Now a couple of weeks out from the election Tolley after 6 years announces a band aid policy

    • Gosman 5.1

      You have evidence that membership of gangs have increased over the past 6 years do you?

  6. tricledrown 6

    Gangs are having a free reign on petty crime and burglary as the Cops don,t show up to a burglary or maybe a couple of days later even though we have record numbers of cops with modern labour saving devices , the numbers of burglaries solved continues to drop the police are just leaving it to the insurance companies to pick up the pieces
    Violent crime is up a lot worse than the police figures suggest as they have split the types of crime into more categories making the numbers look small!
    And they claim record low crime it just doesn’t add up cops are fudging the figures under Nationals guidance!

    • Gosman 6.1

      Any evidence that Cops are fudging crime statistics in a massive way under National party guidance?

      • McFlock 6.1.1

        so many weasel words in one sentence: “in a massive way”… “under National party guidance”.

        Pure co-inkydink that five officers fudged the burg stats by 30% in the police minister’s electorate.

        • Gosman 6.1.1.1

          Yes I am aware of the one off case. However that is not what trickledown has claimed is happening.

          • McFlock 6.1.1.1.1

            lol
            so police respond within twenty minutes to every report of a burglary, do they?

          • Descendant Of Sssmith 6.1.1.1.2

            There was a media report about a year after National came in outlining that police had been told to now count fraud such as cheque fraud by changing from each cheque being a charge to group them together.

            Given the long history of individual documents being an individual charge I’d suggest that was fudging.

            No doubt others would call it “efficiency.”

            • BLiP 6.1.1.1.2.1

              The more grievous twisting of figures by National Ltd™ was when the collecting of crime statistics was tweaked to discount multiple reports of the same crime. Prior to National Ltd™, if the same crime was reported by, say, three people it was counted as three reports, now its counted as one. That’s how National Ltd™ has managed to reduce crime.

              (One aside: remember how in the lead up to the 2008 election there was a MSM-induced sense of fear about crime in New Zealand? There were a couple of shocking murders in the lead up to the election . . . not so much MSM hysteria this time, though and the number and nature of recent murders has been far more baleful. )

            • Gosman 6.1.1.1.2.2

              Link to media report please. Governments do not usually engage in the detail of how statistics are collected however if you have evidence of this present it.

  7. silverbullet 7

    The public are rightly not going to fuss much about the gang member/gang associate differential. The public hates them justifiably and are likely to perceive a pointy head academic sociologist as a bleeding heart Lefty type suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

    • Pascals bookie 7.1

      So I guess this weird rant is in place of an argument that might show which of Gilbert or DPF is actually correct?

      • silverbullet 7.1.1

        The point is it is academic.

        • Pascals bookie 7.1.1.1

          What’s academic? The question of whether you are just boringly dishonest or actually really stupid?

          I think that’s pretty academic, (in that it doesn’t really matter), but I’ve got a bit of time, should we explore it?

  8. silverbullet 8

    Gilbert is a raving neo Marxist Leftie. lol:

    “Honourable mentions: The 94 percent of Israeli Jews, let’s call them evil wankers, who feel that the assault on Gaza is not ‘excessive’; people who live in Epsom for continually being wankers; and all of the lazy wankers not defacing election billboards.”

    • felix 8.1

      How come you picked that one and not the one where he lays into the Internet/Mana Party, which also happens to be the very next post to the one we’re talking about?

      • silverbullet 8.1.1

        Stop pretending the guy is not well Left.

        • felix 8.1.1.1

          Why would I do that? I don’t think being “left” in any way invalidates his facts.

          You, on the other hand, are unable to find any fault with his argument so you’re desperately thrashing around for some other reason to attack him.

          Why didn’t you pick the one where he slams Trevor Mallard?

  9. repateet 9

    Cameron Slater is easily identified as a toe rag. He often looks dishevelled, he thinks dishevelled and he writes squalid.

    Farrar gets invited to all the poncey places and media as a conservative, normal, thinking man-of-the -world, albeit from the right. Great uniforms for a feral huckster.

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    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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