US Election Discussion Post 2/11/16

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, November 2nd, 2016 - 178 comments
Categories: us politics - Tags: , ,

In order to free up Open Mike and Daily Review for other conversations we are asking that all discussion, posting of links etc on the US election go in this daily dedicated thread rather than OM or DR.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

There will continue to be author-written posts on the US election as well, usual rules apply there too.

178 comments on “US Election Discussion Post 2/11/16 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. James 1
    2 November 2016 at 8:11 am

    A poll now has trump in the lead.

    I wonder what the Clinton camp will come out with today? The way this election is going nothing would surprise me.

    • weka 1.1
      2 November 2016 at 8:18 am

      Link to the poll please.

    • Manuka AOR 1.2
      2 November 2016 at 8:28 am

      Then this belongs here as well:
      This US election answers the question as to whether voters are easily manipulated.

      Voters might be forgiven for nominating Trump given the high level of dissatisfaction with the political establishment, but the evidence that something more disturbing is going on is abundant. Exhibit A is that his supporters have told pollsters they believe only Trump can be trusted to give them the truth. This is so laughably misguided it’s hard to know what to make of it. Every time he opens his mouth the fact checkers catch him lying.

      http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/this-election-is-helping-answer-an-age-old-question-are-voters-easily-manipulated/

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3
      2 November 2016 at 8:33 am

      To put the recent polls into perspective, on Monday, 538 gave Putin’s candidate a ~21% chance of winning. He’s now at 27.9%.

      Today’s story detailing the links between these Russian and US fascists may change that.

      • james 1.3.1
        2 November 2016 at 8:41 am

        You mean the one where the FBI failed to find any conclusive or direct link between Mr. Trump and the Russian government?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 8:47 am

          They found more-or-less the same lack of evidence regarding HRC’s emails. It hasn’t stopped the denizens of drivel from messing themselves over it.

          It’s the optics.

          • Colonial Viper 1.3.1.1.1
            2 November 2016 at 9:48 am

            With HRC’s emails the FBI found several dozen email conversation chains which contained classified or secret materials which went through her private insecure server.

            She then lied about it in her testimony to Congress.

            All these facts are on the public record.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1.1.1
              2 November 2016 at 10:49 am

              🙄

              You’re pretending to care about facts. How cute.

            • dukeofurl 1.3.1.1.1.2
              2 November 2016 at 3:34 pm

              “contained classified or secret materials”

              Which werent classified at the time, largely because they came from public sources.
              One of the” Secrets” was minutes of meeting between israel and palestine negotiators- which was published in an AlJazzerah doco.
              The so called Palestine Papers
              http://www.aljazeera.com/palestinepapers/
              ‘It is the largest-ever leak of confidential documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thousands of pages of diplomatic correspondence detailing the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.”

              One of her aides sent this to Clinton- and absurdly it became TOP SECRET-afterwards

              Others were things like Drone attacks which we read in the papers or see on TV -yet is above Top Secret to become Special Access Secret
              http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/01/hey-have-you-heard-about-top-secret-us-drone-program

              This was clarified back in Jan
              http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-new-top-secret-clinton-emails-innocuous-n500586

              • Colonial Viper …
                2 November 2016 at 3:51 pm

                Statement by Director Comey on July 5, 2016, relating to whether or not Hillary Clinton’s emails contained materials which were classified AT THE TIME that the email was sent or received:

                FBI investigators have also read all of the approximately 30,000 e-mails provided by Secretary Clinton to the State Department in December 2014. Where an e-mail was assessed as possibly containing classified information, the FBI referred the e-mail to any U.S. government agency that was a likely “owner” of information in the e-mail, so that agency could make a determination as to whether the e-mail contained classified information at the time it was sent or received, or whether there was reason to classify the e-mail now, even if its content was not classified at the time it was sent (that is the process sometimes referred to as “up-classifying”).

                From the group of 30,000 e-mails returned to the State Department, 110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received. Eight of those chains contained information that was Top Secret at the time they were sent; 36 chains contained Secret information at the time; and eight contained Confidential information, which is the lowest level of classification. Separate from those, about 2,000 additional e-mails were “up-classified” to make them Confidential; the information in those had not been classified at the time the e-mails were sent.

                https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/statement-by-fbi-director-james-b-comey-on-the-investigation-of-secretary-hillary-clinton2019s-use-of-a-personal-e-mail-system

                • dukeofurl …
                  2 November 2016 at 4:57 pm

                  Which is still repeating what I said.
                  Fact : No emails had classified headings at the time she received them- their were 3 which had C for confidential inside the text.

                  The reason they didnt have the classified headers were because they were from open sources.

                  You are just repeating nonsense. NO emails had classified markings. None. ( except 3 mentioned above at the lowest level)

                  You dont understand anything about ‘classified at the time’ or later ‘up classified’
                  The example I gave about secret meetings, ‘ minutes of meetings’ were inherently secret- even if they came from a TV station.
                  A newspaper report that just refers to a Yemen drone strike is innoucous enough but is up classified as the drone program across international borders is still secret, even if you dont have operational details ( which would make it a secret from the very start)

                  You should get Putin to provide details on US security classifications

      • dukeofurl 1.4.1
        2 November 2016 at 3:39 pm

        LA Times ‘tracking poll’ is a sort of hybrid between random sampling which is the gold standard and self selecting online poll which is rubbish.
        They require their pool of voters to regularly return to ‘revote’ and its heavily weighted to make it seem like a ‘radom poll’ which matches the voting population’

        LA Times has been consistently over weighted to Trump

  2. Manuka AOR 2
    2 November 2016 at 8:38 am

    One election, two sets of rules:
    http://www.salon.com/2016/11/01/its-different-for-the-donald-the-old-rules-only-apply-to-hillary-clinton-the-tbt-time-before-trump-candidate/

    “Different rules for the Donald: An unfair set of standards apply only to Hillary Clinton”
    Clinton is, more than ever, the #TBT (or TimeBeforeTrump) candidate, a throwback to an era of campaigning when a modicum accountability was expected. Meanwhile, there is no such expectation for Trump.

    The letter of James Comey, the FBI director, regarding the discovery of additional emails related to Clinton’s term as secretary of state illustrates the point. Trump has been allowed to get away with practically hundreds of grievous trespasses that would have doomed all other presidential campaigns. Yet this letter, which contained almost no specifics and which might turn up exactly nothing, appears to be precipitously shrinking Clinton’s lead in early tracking polls. And it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
    —-
    Fold into the mix the fact that Trump is facing a civil trial on accusations that he raped a 13-year-old girl, and his poll numbers somehow just 3 points worse than Clinton’s damn emails? And by the way, the latest story has nothing to do with her “home brew” server, since the computer in question doesn’t belong to her. Nor did Comey imply there was any wrongdoing. Nor did Comey reveal how many emails are copies of what the bureau already possesses. Nor did Comey say that any emails were sent by Clinton herself. Nothing. The extent of the story was we have emails. That’s it.

  3. Andre 3
    2 November 2016 at 8:45 am

    Even if there’s nothing behind some of the more exotic stories about possible Trump-Russia links, there’s still plenty of solidly documented stuff to be concerned about.

    http://www.vox.com/world/2016/11/1/13487322/donald-trump-russia-agent-hack

  5. Obersever Tokoroa 5
    2 November 2016 at 8:58 am

    .
    .
    .The problem for Trump is that his band of followers are whinging old “lost sheep” former employees. There wives are getting work.

    . You would think the men could at least stop sucking their thumbs and go out and do something for their families.

    . Oh No. Trump will suckle them at his breast.
    .

    .

  6. Manuka AOR 6
    2 November 2016 at 9:05 am

    The then-thirteen (yes, 13) year old girl who filed rape charges against Trump earlier this year, said in those court papers that the threats to silence her included reference to a 12 year old girl who had then disappeared. The witness to all the events was a girl who worked at the premises at that time. That witness says the 12 year old was also raped by Trump, before she (was) disappeared:

    http://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/witness-trump-also-raped-12-year-old-and-used-her-disappearance-to-threaten-another-victim/

    The rape case is due to be heard on 16th December.

    • Pasupial 6.1
      2 November 2016 at 9:50 am

      There must be some statute of limitations that has expired which explains why this is only being pursued through the civil courts. Otherwise those witnesses are surely incriminating themselves:

      Both witnesses say they worked as “party planners” for billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who paid them to “attract adolescent women” to events he hosted at the Wexner Mansion in New York.

      Tiffany Doe says in court documents that she lured Jane Doe to a party with the promise of money and meeting contacts in the modeling industry.

      She claims in the documents that she personally witnessed the girl being forced to engage in various sex acts with Trump and Epstein, who she said were aware of her age.

    • Lanthanide 8.1
      2 November 2016 at 11:25 am

      There’s a fair chance he’s dyslexic.

      • Andre 8.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 11:39 am

        Interesting comment. A quick google didn’t turn up anything. So why do you think he might be dyslexic?

        • Lanthanide 8.1.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 11:58 am

          Saying “Trump can’t read!” is far too extreme. Saying “Trump might be dyslexic?” is a lot more reasonable. I’d suggest the chances of someone being a billionaire and not being able to read is pretty much vanishingly small.

          Also, among business owners and entrepreneurs, there is a much higher incidence of dyslexia than amongst the general population – in one study in the US, 35% of business founders call themselves dyslexic, vs 15% of the general population.

          https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/jan/15/dyslexic-entrepreneurs-competitive-edge-business-leaders

          • Andre 8.1.1.1.1
            2 November 2016 at 12:03 pm

            You do realise Bee’s piece is a comedy piss-take on how conspiracy theories start, right?

            • Lanthanide 8.1.1.1.1.1
              2 November 2016 at 12:11 pm

              Yes, and I’m saying you can take her comedy piss-take and turn it into a more believable conspiracy theory by saying he’s dyslexic, because all the same evidence fits.

              • Andre …
                2 November 2016 at 1:40 pm

                Ok, but then it seems to me that would also be mocking people who actually are dyslexic, and perpetuate a stigma against dyslexics. By blatantly going so far over the top by saying Trump can’t read it successfully mocks Trump and conspiracy theorists, but seems to me it avoids mocking people who actually can’t read (because it’s so far OTT).

  11. AsleepWhileWalking 11
    2 November 2016 at 9:33 am

    I posted an Alex Jones interview with her yesterday, but here she is with a different interviewer.

    Briefly:
    Once all votes end up at a centralised computer the tampering happens. A predetermined percentage of the vote is allocated to the winner, determined not by democratic election but in advance by those who seek to install the president of their choice.

    In other words as long as Hillary Clinton is running, she wins.

    • Chooky 11.1
      2 November 2016 at 9:55 am

      does this method of final counting/collating of regional votes electronically …”fractional voting”…have implications for New Zealand?

      ….and last Election?…especially with ‘early voting’ , the results of which were counter intuitive to many?

      http://www.infowars.com/how-americas-elections-are-hacked/

      • Colonial Viper 11.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 10:01 am

        IMO it means that we must NEVER go to electronic/internet voting, and that our paper voting systems have clear physical audit trails available at all times.

        • Pasupial 11.1.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 12:24 pm

          Hey look at that! CV mk2.0 has actually written something with which I wholeheartedly agree. It is not just actual vote fraud that must be avoided to retain any semblance of democracy, but also even the appearance of such fraud.

    • dukeofurl 11.2
      2 November 2016 at 3:44 pm

      No proof. Hint guy sitting in his darkened garage saying Conspiracy!

      As far as Im aware US voting is decentralised down to the County/City level. the voter rolls are done at State level

  12. Puckish Rogue 12
    2 November 2016 at 9:35 am

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/01/donald-trump-polls-lead-hillary-clinton-campaign

    Looks like Clintons taking lessons from NZLabour

    “Clinton campaign officials have dismissed a poll suggesting that Donald Trump may have taken the lead in the final days before Tuesday’s election, insisting they see no evidence of a negative impact from Friday’s new FBI email disclosures”

  13. AsleepWhileWalking 13
    2 November 2016 at 9:48 am

    Sorry, I linked to the wrong video, but this covers the issue and directs to more info should you want to view it.

  14. Colonial Viper 14
    2 November 2016 at 9:57 am

    Hillary Clinton and the Global Shale Gas (fracking) Initiative

    If you believe that Sec. Hillary Clinton is now publicly against climate change and for the environment, you should know that in office she pushed countries around the world to adopt fracking by massive energy companies.

    The Global Shale Gas Initiative, Clinton’s program for promoting fracking, was announced on April 7, 2010, by David Goldwyn, the State Department’s special envoy for energy affairs, at the United States Energy Association (USEA), whose members include Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and Shell.

    In a widely covered event in Krakow three months later, Clinton announced that “Poland will be part of the Global Shale Gas Initiative,” and the State Department would “provide technical and other assistance.”

    Goldwyn, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, spoke to National Journal last month, explaining that “[Clinton’s] instruction to me was that it was OK to talk about helping other countries get access to their own resources, as long as the focus of our engagement was how they could do it safely and efficiently, and that’s why the program had almost an entirely regulatory focus.” Goldwyn emphasized that the shale gas initiative was not designed to help the private sector and instead should be seen as “a really very modest government-to-government.”

    But the emails show an aggressive effort to engage private energy companies and use Poland as part of a larger campaign to sell fracking throughout the region.

    https://theintercept.com/2016/05/23/hillary-clinton-fracking/

    Mother Jones has more in a piece titled How Hillary Clinton’s State Department Sold Fracking to the World

    I wonder if any of the energy corporations concerned also donated money to the Clinton Foundation?

    http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/09/hillary-clinton-fracking-shale-state-department-chevron

    • TheExtremist 14.1
      2 November 2016 at 10:07 am

      Way better to throw your lot in with Donald “Climate Change is a Chinese Conspiracy!” Trump

      • Colonial Viper 14.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 10:29 am

        Well, I don’t like Trump’s position on climate change.

        But I am pointing out above how Hillary Clinton used the office of Secretary of State to push the big corporation fossil fuel fracking agenda around the world, even as she now says on the campaign trail how concerned she is about climate change and the environment.

        • TheExtremist 14.1.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 10:36 am

          As Sec of State that is kinda her job to promote US interests around the globe so your just using weasel words when you say she “used” the office of Secretary of State.

          As to fracking her and Trump probably have the same energy policies I would wager (except Trump is climate change denialist) so basically I have no idea what you are trying to say,

          • marty mars 14.1.1.1.1
            2 November 2016 at 10:39 am

            I’ll break it down – Clinton = bad, trump = good. The rest is padding.

            • Colonial Viper 14.1.1.1.1.1
              2 November 2016 at 10:45 am

              Just trying to show you what you can expect from Hillary Clinton in high public office, based on what she did the last time in high public office.

              • marty mars …
                2 November 2016 at 11:14 am

                Sure Clinton = bad, we get your lines they are repetitive.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  2 November 2016 at 11:19 am

                  I think you might like my next one, then. I found it just for you.

                  • marty mars …
                    2 November 2016 at 11:32 am

                    Like/unlike you’ll keep churning them out cos that is all you’ve got – I’m not worried – used to it from you – it is boring and you are desperate and grasping but that is typical for trumpeters so all good.

              • McFlock …
                2 November 2016 at 1:11 pm

                Just trying to show you what you can expect from Hillary Clinton in high public office

                But that’s why you waste so much space, you silly little cucumber! We already know.

                We already know that were it not for Sanders she’d most likely be campaigning in support of the TPP right now.

                We already know that she’s economically right wing and supports free trade.

                We already know that she supports drone strikes the world over.

                We already know that she’ll be confrontational with China and Russia, particularly in emerging Arctic sea lanes and other geopolitical flashpoints.

                We already know that Sanders would have been a much better president.

                We already know that like most elected officials these days, her policies in office will have half an eye on post-political income streams.

                We already know that her husband is probably a rapist.

                We already know that, being a lawyer, she’s probably been involved in transactions that were convoluted and possibly illegal. That’s just lawyers for you (present readership excepted of course 😉 ).

                You don’t need to incompetently parrot partial recollections of other rwnj’s convoluted fantasies about her, we already know that she won’t be the best possible president.

                But she’d still be a better president for the US and the world (including NZ) than a petulant, impulsive, stupid, avaricious, narcissist who seriously proposes things that no sane candidate would even joke about. Things like ditching the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, targeting known innocents in drone strikes as vengeance against suspected terrorists, and launching political prosecutions against his opponents.

                Those are the two options facing american voters. That’s reality. No stein, no sanders. The next president will either be Clinton or Trump.

          • Colonial Viper 14.1.1.1.2
            2 November 2016 at 10:41 am

            Maybe I should crosscheck to see if the “United States Energy Association” has previously donated to the Clinton Foundation, or paid big money to either of the Clintons for speeches.

            What do you reckon the chances are?

    • Chooky 14.2
      2 November 2016 at 10:10 am

      +100 CV…that woman is so corrupt

      • AsleepWhileWalking 14.2.1
        2 November 2016 at 11:17 am

        And I note Bernie STILL hasn’t withdrawn his support for her nomination. At least now all his supporters can redirect the energy they once had hoping he would make a difference into something else that may eventually make things better. Or perhaps even great again.

        • Andre 14.2.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 11:21 am

          Yeah, it’s so surprising how Hillary’s strongest supporters are people that have actually worked with her. Or done business with Trump.

          • marty mars 14.2.1.1.1
            2 November 2016 at 11:36 am

            Yeah i noticed that too. It’s almost like they are using their brains instead of their bias.

          • One Two 14.2.1.1.2
            2 November 2016 at 1:28 pm

            Why is it a surprise, Andre?

            Have you managed to miss the band of perverts, pedos and thieves, arms dealers, war mongering murderers and environmental destroyers occupying the USA?

            Having your head in the sand will do that!

  15. Andre 15
    2 November 2016 at 10:03 am

    Some detail on one of Trump’s more …interesting…supporters.

    http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/11/1/13449340/blacks-for-trump-conspiracy-bad

  17. Colonial Viper 17
    2 November 2016 at 11:26 am

    Devastating: Leslie Wimes, the president of the Democratic African-American women’s caucus [FL.] says: It’s over now as far as the [Floridan] African-American community is concerned.

    Watch the interview if you want to get a feel for the message. According to Wimes, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has made a critical, unrecoverable error.

    To my mind, this is *exactly* what Donald J Trump means when he says at his rallys that Hillary Clinton takes the African American vote for granted. And according to Wimes, African American turnout – which was absolutely critical to Obama’s 2012 win – is going to be a disaster for Hillary.

    [Leslie Wimes:] She [Hillary Clinton] had time back then to get into the community and get people out to vote. Now, you know, the numbers are the numbers. There’s nothing she can do now.

    As far as bringing in all of the surrogates, I said then that wasn’t going to get the African-American community to the polls. It didn’t work. The numbers are the numbers. What she can do now is hope the Hispanic community can carry her over the top. To be honest with you I don’t see it happening.

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/01/dem_strategist_clinton_should_be_in_panic_mode_over_enthusiasm_gap_with_black_voters_nothing_she_can_do_now.html

  19. Bill 19
    2 November 2016 at 11:49 am

    Some loose thoughts on possibilities… just ruminating.

    If Clinton gets in a fair proportion of the left will be paralysed – cleaving to ” give her six months” type lines or ” Bernie says…” nonsense.

    If Trump gets in, the whole of the left will be galvanised.

    If Clinton gets in, a lot of the really bad shit she can be expected to unleash will fall on people outside of the US who had no say whatsoever in which evil clown became the most powerful politician in the world.

    If Trump gets in, his really bad shit can be expected to land primarily on the US population.

    ——

    Maybe the US election is a further sign that the grotesque carousel of liberal social democracy is finally slowing to a stop?

    In election after election and in issue after issue “the establishment” is being rejected and doesn’t appear to have anything to offer beyond some themed iteration of “project fear” …

    • Andre 19.1
      2 November 2016 at 11:54 am

      You’re dreaming if you think Trump’s bad shit will be in any way contained in the US.

      • Bill 19.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 9:01 pm

        Well seeing I never said “contained” then, innit?

        (fuck, I wish people would read comments before replying)

      • Puddleglum 19.1.2
        2 November 2016 at 9:33 pm

        It would be remarkable if the next US President – whoever it turns out to be – did not spread liberal amounts of ‘bad shit’ around certain (large) parts of the globe.

        If they didn’t they would be breaking with an as yet unbroken tradition, certainly in the 20th century and, to the extent that America’s growing power made it possible, in the 19th century (Haiti, the Philippines and on and on …).

        In the last 60 years that ‘bad shit’ has had various euphemistic names: The Cold War, The Domino Theory (Vietnam et al.), The War on Terror (Reagan’s), The War on Drugs, The War on Terror II (G.W. Bush’s), The Gulf War (Bush Senior), Gulf War II (Bush Junior), The Arab Spring (more correctly, in hindsight, The Arab Cyclone Season), The War on ISIS (or whatever it’s called – maybe The War on Terror III) … and, now, presumably, The Cold War II.

        Undermining, overturning and simply militarily removing governments is BAU for the US (as it is for less dominant regional and wannabe world powers – as we’re witnessing in Yemen and Syria currently).

        Caught up in that BAU model are the local populations whose lives are the final receptacles for the ‘bad shit’.

        ‘Bad shit’ is part and parcel of being one of the world’s mafia Dons – and, of course, some ‘Dons’ are better than others; but they’re still all Dons.

        The US election won’t change this constant policy direction.

    • Pasupial 19.2
      2 November 2016 at 12:36 pm

      Bill
      You’ve actually got the one convincing point I’ve yet read for voting for Trump. However, I don’t agree that there will be space remaining where; “the whole of the left will be galvanised”. Unless he provokes a military-industrial coup, I fully expect a Trump presidency to be declared perpetual and heriditary, elections abandoned, and brownshirts on the streets to enforce the leader’s edicts.

  20. joe90 20
    2 November 2016 at 12:02 pm

    I guess he’s cancelling those billions of climate change spending to fulfill his military spending promises.

    Trump pledged to expand the Army to 540,000 active-duty troops from its current 480,000, increase the Marine Corps from 23 to 36 battalions – or as many as 10,000 more Marines – boost the Navy from 276 to 350 ships and submarines, and raise Air Force tactical aircraft from 1,100 to 1,200.

    Trump said those numbers were based on assessments by the conservative Heritage Foundation and other groups. Heritage said in a report that it looked at the capacity needed to handle two major wars to determine its force-size recommendations.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-military-idUSKCN11E34D

    http://www.ketv.com/trump-cancel-wasteful-climate-change-spending/42262140

  21. joe90 21
    2 November 2016 at 12:28 pm

    Crooks and Liars published this…..

    FBI Officially Goes Rogue, Dumps 15-Year Old Records Of Clinton Foundation Inquiry Online

    After being dark since 2015, the FBI account which tweets out record dumps they place online began tweeting this weekend after Comey’s letter went public.

    Through the weekend, the tweets were innocuous, but certainly ones that would garner some attention. Like these:

    http://crooksandliars.com/2016/11/fbi-officially-goes-rogue-dumps-15-year

    ….so I checked the authors twitter account…and down the rabbit hole I went…

    And he knows this how? https://t.co/QCnMQkHnrU— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    Trump says "there are FBI inquiries probing virtually every member of Clinton's inner circle." Ok . . .— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) November 1, 2016

    1. FBI goes rogue, dumps documents about dead Marc Rich inquiry. https://t.co/ENxCM5sU552. FBI offers lame excuse https://t.co/3zQZsyUIvl— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    Apparently @FBI having trouble coming up with an excuse for their document dump earlier today. I'm shocked.— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    To recount: We have a rogue NY FBI office. Voter suppression efforts rampant in swing states. WE MUST GOTV— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    If you want to understand how dangerous a Trump presidency would be, consider the use of the FBI as oppo researcher for him.— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    Just read all 129 pages. Basically the only unredacted information is the original complaint, repeated. The FBI is attempting a coup.— NastyWoman (@Karoli) November 1, 2016

    https://twitter.com/Karoli

  22. joe90 22
    2 November 2016 at 12:45 pm

    The tiny fisted fascist seems determined to salt the electoral process.

    Trump: If HRC elected, it would create "constitutional crisis" and "the work of government would grind to an unbelievable, unglorious halt."— Sarah McCammon NPR (@sarahmccammon) November 1, 2016

  23. Puckish Rogue 23
    2 November 2016 at 1:08 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/86003375/us-presidential-election-donald-trump-finally-delivers-a-winning-message-in-pennsylvania

    Don’t know if this has been posted but it looks like the media message is changing so not good for Clinton

  24. grim 24
    2 November 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Rather amusing,

    I do not support Trump, but oppose Hillary and the Clinton crime family

    Postpone the election: clean house, including Obama impeachment.

    That is my opinion.

  25. One Two 25
    2 November 2016 at 1:36 pm

    So much energy ‘debating’ eachother when the actual problems are elsewhere

    Perhaps the sense of helplessness at reaching those responsible for the evil is to big an obstacle to grapple with

    Better to argue and throw insults at some other poor sap while wishing praying and believing the ‘winner’ might represent opportunity for ‘genuine change’

  26. Chooky 26
    2 November 2016 at 1:41 pm

    NOT the mainstream media…Internet GONE WILD ! ( if even a smidgen of this is true it is dynamite!…US politics or any politics will never be the same again)

    ‘Anonymous Release Bone-Chilling video of Huma Abedin every American Needs to See’

    …and Lionel’s take:

    ‘Hillary in Freefall: DikiLeaks, Weinergate, ComeyCon and Huma Benched’

    previous Lionel takes :

    ‘Comey Is Correct, Hillary’s Panicking, Huma’s a Grease Spot and Weinergate II Moves On’

    ‘Weiner’s Revenge, Huma Goes Jimmy Hoffa and Hillary’s Toast’

    • Colonial Viper 26.1
      2 November 2016 at 1:59 pm

      Listening to Lionel – LOTUS for POTUS – is a pleasure.

      • Pasupial 26.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 2:40 pm

        You have a strange idea of pleasure CV. The; too libertarian to let himself be called libertarian, Michael Lebron’s half hour of his own face and flailing hands is too much for me. I imagine he is more effective as a radio talk show host, and in brief RT clips.

    • joe90 26.2
      2 November 2016 at 2:13 pm

      Anonymous Release Bone-Chilling video of Huma Abedin

      The purported source links to O’keefe’s discredited fantasy factory.

      It’s not the Anonymous channel.

    • Chooky 28.1
      2 November 2016 at 4:59 pm

      can you sumarise that?…i am scared to go in there in case they think I am a hacker and come and get me

  29. adam 29
    2 November 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Trump is no longer that goof ball, he is now seriously FUBAR!!

    Let Samantha Bee clear it up for you

  30. adam 30
    2 November 2016 at 2:11 pm

    Are you scared yet – you should be —– here is part two.

  31. grim 31
    2 November 2016 at 2:22 pm

    Did you just block my IP…again? ah yes you have.

    ooh that’s nasty. why because I posted a link to FBI gov page?

    This site is compromised, not just biased.

    ( tried multiply browsers you dicks, knew you were gatekeepers, posting from proxy)

    [not sure which dicks you are referring to, but non of the IPs you’ve used in the past day are in the black list. I note that the comment you are referring to is now visible. If your or anyone’s comments aren’t appearing and you haven’t had a note from a moderator, then the most likely reason is the thing where people’s comments randomly go into moderation. It’s happening to my comments currently too and there is at least one other regular commenter being affected as well as individual comments form people. Lynn will fix it in due course no doubt, but I’d suggest that instead of defaulting to a conspiracy theory and abuse, next time you inform Lynn and give him some information to work with – weka]

  32. Murray Simmonds 32
    2 November 2016 at 2:33 pm

    At last . . . . An article that convincingly summarises where all this is/should be heading:

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-01/if-hillary-clinton-charged-obstruction-justice-she-could-go-prison-20-years

    And the “Click bait” i.e. a quote from the above):

    “I have not seen a single news report mention the phrase “obstruction of justice” yet, but I am convinced that there is a very good chance that this is where this scandal is heading. The following is the relevant part of the federal statute that deals with obstruction of justice…

    Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsified, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under Title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.”

    • joe90 32.1
      2 November 2016 at 2:38 pm

      Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsified, or makes a false entry in any record, ect

      Trump’s a goner.

      Over the course of decades, Donald Trump’s companies have systematically destroyed or hidden thousands of emails, digital records and paper documents demanded in official proceedings, often in defiance of court orders. These tactics—exposed by a Newsweek review of thousands of pages of court filings, judicial orders and affidavits from an array of court cases—have enraged judges, prosecutors, opposing lawyers and the many ordinary citizens entangled in litigation with Trump. In each instance, Trump and entities he controlled also erected numerous hurdles that made lawsuits drag on for years, forcing courtroom opponents to spend huge sums of money in legal fees as they struggled—sometimes in vain—to obtain records.

      http://www.newsweek.com/2016/11/11/donald-trump-companies-destroyed-emails-documents-515120.html

      • grim 32.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 2:46 pm

        More gas lighting, accusing others of that which you do yourself, narcissistic trait, everything the Clinton campaign has accused Trump of, they have done 10 times worst, wait and see what Bill has been up to 🙂

    • Colonial Viper 32.2
      2 November 2016 at 3:15 pm

      Hannity lists out just a few of the USC Title 18 laws that Hillary Clinton is likely to have broken. They include:

      Unauthorized Removal And Retention Of Classified Documents Or Material
      18 U.S.C. § 1924
      Class: A Misdemeanor
      Possible Penalty: Imprisonment for 1 year and/or $100,000 fine

      Text: “Knowingly removing materials containing classified information of the United States with the intent to retain said info at an unauthorized location without the authority to do so”

      also

      Gathering, Transmitting Or Losing Defense Information
      18 U.S.C. § 793
      Class: Felony
      Possible Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years and/or $250,000 fine

      Text: “Allowing [by means of gross negligence] any document relating to the national defense to be removed from its proper place of custody or destroyed –or- willfully retaining unauthorized documents relating to national defense and failing to deliver them to the United States employee entitled to receive them –or- failure to report that unauthorized documents relating to national defense were removed from their proper place of custody or destroyed”

      Also:

      Destruction, Alteration, Or Falsification Of Records In Federal Investigations And Bankruptcy

      18 U.S.C. § 1519
      Class: Felony
      Possible Penalty: Imprisonment of no more than 20 years, a fine, or both

      Text: “Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States”

      http://www.hannity.com/articles/election-493995/heres-the-list-of-the-laws-14019612/

      • dukeofurl 32.2.1
        2 November 2016 at 3:57 pm

        Been there done that

        Those sort of possibilities came up during the previous closed email investigation.

        There was nothing in it. No intent or the documents were from public sources ( but later classified)

        Even I can see through an idiot like Hannity- who is said to be in top 3 at Fox News ratings but translates to miniscule 500-600K viewers.

        That translates to NZ viewer numbers of 8000 Thats not an error.

        Source for US viewer numbers
        http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/scoreboard-monday-october-31/309941

        • Colonial Viper 32.2.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 8:02 pm

          There was nothing in it. No intent or the documents were from public sources ( but later classified)

          My understanding is that most of these laws do not require “intent.”

          For instance, accidentally leaving behind top secret documents on a bus seat will get you charged exactly the same. Although sentencing might take the circumstances into account.

          Secondly, I have already debunked your materials were from “public sources” defence. From the FBI website:

          From the group of 30,000 e-mails returned to the State Department, 110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received. Eight of those chains contained information that was Top Secret at the time they were sent; 36 chains contained Secret information at the time

          https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/statement-by-fbi-director-james-b-comey-on-the-investigation-of-secretary-hillary-clinton2019s-use-of-a-personal-e-mail-system

        • Colonial Viper 32.2.1.2
          2 November 2016 at 8:16 pm

          Even I can see through an idiot like Hannity- who is said to be in top 3 at Fox News ratings but translates to miniscule 500-600K viewers.

          That translates to NZ viewer numbers of 8000 Thats not an error.

          Source for US viewer numbers
          http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/scoreboard-monday-october-31/309941

          Ahhh yes it is an error. You fucked up. For starters where did you get 500K to 600K viewers from?

          And Hannity’s show has a viewership well above anything on CNN and MSNBC.

      • North 32.2.2
        2 November 2016 at 6:00 pm

        We love the “underrated” Hannity !

    • Chooky 32.3
      2 November 2016 at 3:17 pm

      +100…thanx Murray Simmonds…very interesting ….and follows on from what Lionel ‘LOTUS FOR POTUS’ is saying above above…’Weinergate’

      Who is Lionel?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_(radio_personality)

  33. McFlock 33
    2 November 2016 at 2:38 pm

    Jesus. Trump must be looking at millenia then…

  34. Manuka AOR 34
    2 November 2016 at 3:12 pm

    Things Trump has said about Elizabeth Warren – page full of stuff, all linked through to verify (they’re not nice). “Donald Trump’s Open Carry”:
    http://www.tomdispatch.com/

    Recently, the New York Times produced a veritable thesaurus of Trumpian twittery — every insulting tweet of The Donald’s that their researchers could find since he declared his candidacy. It’s quite a collection in which he goes after 282 people, places, and things in his uniquely abusive fashion. (Don’t even get me started on his tweets about Hillary Clinton; you’d be reading until tomorrow.) Here, instead, is a relatively limited list of his, a tiny entry of classic nastiness aimed at a peripheral character in this year’s election campaign, Senator Elizabeth Warren:

  35. Pasupial 35
    2 November 2016 at 3:12 pm

    Does anyone here have the IT experience to assess this?

    A US cybersecurity firm hired by a Russian bank to investigate allegations of a secret line of communication with the Trump Organization said on Tuesday there was no evidence so far of substantive contact, email or financial links.

    Mandiant, which is owned by the California-based company FireEye, said it examined internet server logs presented to the bank by media organisations investigating the link… Moscow-based Alfa Bank, owned by two oligarchs, Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven. Aven worked with Vladimir Putin in city government in St Petersburg in the early 1990s…

    “It doesn’t act like a marketing server. Because you wouldn’t use a heavy-duty mailer with over 80% of its communication with just one organisation,” Camp said. “I don’t know of any marketing campaign that would do that.”

    According to Slate, the Trump email domain was hastily reconfigured after a New York Times reporter approached Alfa Bank about the connection in September.

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/01/cybersecurity-firm-fails-to-find-alleged-links-between-trump-and-russian-bank

    there was DNS traffic from specific machines that showed a lot of lookups to this box, and lookups from this box back to those machines.

    Moreover, they weren’t evenly distributed and constant as you’d expect from a botnet, or one-way as you would expect from a “zombie” or compromised system used by a hacker. Instead the times of these lookups corresponded to a human-like conversation cadence — message goes one way, and a few moments later, another message goes the other way. These transfers also happened during business hours in their respective time zones, such that someone (likely at work) was initiating the process… and then the conversation would convene again from the other direction, again while someone was at work checking email…

    At some point soon after the Russian bank, Alfa, was asked about this weird traffic pattern, the DNS records for Trump’s mail server got taken down. However, they weren’t really taken down correctly…

    When the system came back up, it came up under another name as part of a different domain. Now, this is where another “odd coincidence” pops up. Normally if you do this, the original server disappears, and a completely new one takes its place. It’s virtually impossible to guess at the new host’s name. However, in this case, the Alfa bank server was the first system to lookup the new hostname.

    Ponder this: It didn’t attach directly via IP, using a cached DNS record from the previous name (and the assumption here is that the new server kept the old IP address). It asked for the new host name from DNS.

    This can only mean one thing: someone had to relay the new name of the server to the Alfa bank personnel, so that the conversation could be resumed.

    http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/11/1/1589434/-What-is-So-D-d-Weird-About-Trump-s-Mail-Server

    So on the one hand, you’ve got a; US cybersecurity firm hired by a Russian bank (run by a crony of Putin’s) unable to find conclusive evidence of communication. On the other, you’ve got some one who works with IT systems demonstrating that communication. I don’t know enough to go look at the activity logs myself, perhaps someone else here has done so?

    • Colonial Viper 35.1
      2 November 2016 at 3:28 pm

      These transfers also happened during business hours in their respective time zones, such that someone (likely at work) was initiating the process… and then the conversation would convene again from the other direction, again while someone was at work checking email…

      This can only mean one thing: someone had to relay the new name of the server to the Alfa bank personnel, so that the conversation could be resumed.

      I reckon Donald Trump was ordered by Vladimir Putin to electronically pass Russian porn provided through Alfa Bank (which Trump is in no doubt in hock to up to his eyeballs) to Anthony Weiner in order to compromise Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign by drawing attention to an old laptop that Huma Abedin used to use but which was in Anthony Weiner’s possession.

      It’s the only logical explanation.

      • Pasupial 35.1.1
        2 November 2016 at 3:41 pm

        CV
        I’m more interested in the comment of someone who knows what they are talking about. Go spin your bullshit some place else.

        • Colonial Viper 35.1.1.1
          2 November 2016 at 7:57 pm

          Geeez man where did you bury your sense of humour this afternoon.

          • Pasupial 35.1.1.1.1
            3 November 2016 at 7:44 am

            Under a large pile of quite technical analysis in a field (IT) that I have only the loosest grasp of. I still have my sense of humour, what I’m lacking is patience.

    • Stillwaters 35.2
      2 November 2016 at 4:36 pm

      The Intercept says that the Trump empire regularly spams out hotel deals and the traffic between the two servers is a result of this spam and a Russian server trying to locate the source of the spam.

      I have probably oversimplified but the tech stuff is discussed in the article.

      https://theintercept.com/2016/11/01/heres-the-problem-with-the-story-connecting-russia-to-donald-trumps-email-server/?comments=1#comments

      Is the Intercept an accepted source here?

      • Colonial Viper 35.2.1
        2 November 2016 at 7:56 pm

        As long as Glenn Greenwald considers The Intercept worth writing for himself, I would suggest yes.

      • Pasupial 35.2.2
        3 November 2016 at 7:41 am

        Thanks for the link Stillwaters. If I recall correctly, the main thing I recall from that Intercept piece is that; the anonymous source was unwilling to provide a complete activity logs to The Intercept analyst.

        However, I fell asleep while reading another more technical take on it, and it has all gone a bit blurry now.

    • Chooky 35.3
      2 November 2016 at 5:26 pm

      …here is someone who knows what they are talking about:

      ‘Debunking Trump’s “secret server” ‘

      http://blog.erratasec.com/2016/11/debunking-trumps-secret-server.html#.WBln-9J94dV

      …” The evidence available on the Internet is that Trump neither (directly) controls the domain “trump-email.com”, nor has access to the server. Instead, the domain was setup and controlled by Cendyn, a company that does marketing/promotions for hotels, including many of Trump’s hotels. Cendyn outsources the email portions of its campaigns to a company called Listrak, which actually owns/operates the physical server in a data center in Philidelphia.

      In other words, Trump’s response is (minus the political bits) likely true, supported by the evidence. It’s the conclusion I came to even before seeing the response…

      The big story isn’t the conspiracy theory about Trump, but that these malware researchers exploited their privileged access for some purpose other than malware research…

      In short, of all the sources of “DNS malware information” I’ve heard about, none of it would deliver the information these researchers claim to have (well, except the NSA with their transatlantic undersea taps, of course)…

  36. joe90 36
    2 November 2016 at 3:31 pm

    I wonder what the Dumpffs think of Blackwater founder Erik Prince financing a pro-Trump super PAC.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/22/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-loves-anti-iraq-war-donald-trump0.html

  37. joe90 37
    2 November 2016 at 3:42 pm

    Remember, to win Trump must win Florida but even if he wins Florida, he could still lose.

    28% of Florida early voting Republicans have voted for @HillaryClinton— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) November 2, 2016

  38. joe90 38
    2 November 2016 at 3:51 pm

    WTF – an investigation based on news stories and a book.

    In August, around the same time the decision was made to keep the Manafort investigation at a low simmer, the F.B.I. grappled with whether to issue subpoenas in the Clinton Foundation case, which, like the Manafort matter, was in its preliminary stages. The investigation, based in New York, had not developed much evidence and was based mostly on information that had surfaced in news stories and the book “Clinton Cash,” according to several law enforcement officials briefed on the case.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/us/politics/fbi-james-comey-hillary-clinton-donald-trump.html?smid=tw-share

  39. grim 39
    2 November 2016 at 6:07 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfYLEPRiIyE

    thought I posted this before, why this is double interesting,

    Palantir

    Palantir-Gotham used by FBI and NSA, previously used by Clinton foundation for internal audit, owned by Peter Thiel… mildly interesting don’t you think.

    palantir – uses include detecting money laundering and child trafficking.

    palantir/prism/resilient cities/strong cities ….

    • Colonial Viper 39.1
      2 November 2016 at 7:54 pm

      And now Thiel has come out in support of Trump…? Stranger and stranger. Although I suspect that he is simply hedging business bets.

  40. Andre 40
    2 November 2016 at 6:24 pm

    Remember who’s boss on Nov 8th. Chris Pine plays being your co-worker as if he was Congress.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-pine-shows-us-what-its-like-to-have-congress-as-your-co-worker_us_5818e067e4b07c97c1c4c677

  41. Manuka AOR 41
    2 November 2016 at 7:23 pm

    I guess they didn’t meet Helen 🙂

    Mike Moore: When considering why men are so opposed to Clinton due to their sexism, Moore said, “It’s the muscle memory of 10,000 years that’s in our DNA where we’ve run the show forever.”

    “Next Tuesday possibly, hopefully, a woman is going to lead the most powerful country on earth,” Moore says. “In other words, the 10,000 year reign is over.”
    http://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/michael-moore-men-better-get-ready-for-president-hillary-because-their-10000-year-reign-is-over/

    • Colonial Viper 41.1
      2 November 2016 at 7:52 pm

      How about Margaret Thatcher?

      How about Queen Elizabeth (the first).

      Although I agree that Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be opposed on her gender. But on her warmongering, disdain for national security protocol and corrupt self enrichment.

      • Jim Nald 41.1.1
        3 November 2016 at 8:12 am

        Moore would be better off confining his comments to 230 years of the history of the USA.

        The Celestial Empire, at one of its peak flourishing periods, had a female emperor about 1300 years ago.

        [Hi Anne (below), Although I despair that one of the world’s current democratic representative system has yielded the current two candidates, I hope your wish will be fulfilled!]

        • Anne 41.1.1.1
          3 November 2016 at 9:17 am

          3 November 2016 at 9:13 am
          Thanks Jim Nald. 😉

          Certainly not ideal but the alternative… God help us.

    • Anne 41.2
      2 November 2016 at 7:53 pm

      “Next Tuesday possibly, hopefully, a woman is going to lead the most powerful country on earth,” Moore says. “In other words, the 10,000 year reign is over.”

      It would be a day we will never forget. Let it be, let it be!

  42. Morrissey 42
    2 November 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Chicago’s thuggish mayor Rahm Emanuel is
    bad enough—but his terrorist father was even worse

    http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/01/27/rahm-emanuel%E2%80%99s-father-specialized-in-bus-bombings-in-palestine/

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Brainwashed People Think Everyone Else is Brainwashed
    Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 hour ago

  • Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen Clark
    Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 hours ago

  • NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
    Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    10 hours ago

  • Your mandate is imaginary
    This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    15 hours ago

  • 14,000 unemployed under National
    The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political mood
    Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    17 hours ago

  • Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
    National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    19 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    22 hours ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    23 hours ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-01T19:06:04+00:00