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Comment: Open Mike 05/07/25
Written By: riffer - Date published: 11:13 am, July 5th, 2025
With less than 20 comments a day of late in Open Mike, you could argue it's not needed. Not altogether sure if this comment adds anything to the day either but, oh well. It might be there is a rule whereby if there are less than a certain amount of ...Comment: Open mike 14/02/2025
Written By: riffer - Date published: 5:28 pm, February 14th, 2025
All good. Turned out to be an interesting link. Not convinced that it's a plan Trump conceived, but it sounds reasonable enough if you're on America's side. Tough luck for everyone else but.Comment: Open mike 14/02/2025
Written By: riffer - Date published: 12:38 pm, February 14th, 2025
Odd - I'm getting a 404 on that link.Comment: 77% of NZ’s business leaders say a CGT or equivalent is needed as chorus for CGT increases
Written By: riffer - Date published: 8:49 pm, October 16th, 2024
Hearing today that the main driver of inflation is rent increases, despite the government reinstating the tax incentive for landlords, does not give me a lot of faith in the argument that if we introduced a CGT then landlords would flee from rental ...Comment: The Budget Day Protests
Written By: riffer - Date published: 11:11 am, May 30th, 2024
You miss the point. The protests are about the Government's actions already taken. The budget will likely add to the protestable things. Your comment appears to match the similarly idiotic comments about how Māori should only protest in the weekends, ...Comment: Open mike 23/05/2024
Written By: riffer - Date published: 3:16 pm, May 23rd, 2024
I thought they did yesterday and his smirky response was "that was then, this is now".Comment: Daily review 29/11/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 7:15 pm, November 29th, 2023
Eldest son works in IT for a polytech and has been spending considerable time doing backend stuff related to the Te Pukenga merger. We discussed the announced plans of undoing the merger by Christmas. Suffice to say he is both dubious as to the possibility ...Comment: About last night’s debate
Written By: riffer - Date published: 10:35 am, October 13th, 2023
Even if the $60 was God's honest truth, the point remains, that to the average voter it came across as though Christopher Luxon has very little in common with them. That is damaging.Comment: Open mike 13/09/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 1:17 pm, September 13th, 2023
I don't know about corruption. That one rings about as true as the $55 million JIF causing corruption. I'd be more putting it down to laziness and ineptitude from the media on this one. It's just too hard for most of them to get their heads around, let ...Comment: Daily review 24/08/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 7:07 pm, August 24th, 2023
I guess cracking down on spending doesn't apply to throwing more Maori in jails.Comment: Should Labour take GST off fresh food?
Written By: riffer - Date published: 11:20 am, July 28th, 2023
Seems to me that the new grocery commissioner's role could be augmented to ensure that this policy would work. If the prices don't come down, fine the supermarkets 15% of their turnover for the year. Return it proportionately to each taxpayer in your end ...Comment: Open mike 26/05/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 7:39 am, May 26th, 2023
Your choice of a te reo alias is interesting, given you're quoting National lines, when their increase in support appears predicated on a platform of kicking Maori back down to a position of political non-representation. [Please correct your e-mail address ...Comment: Open mike 06/03/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 11:03 am, March 6th, 2023
Yes, I was most impressed at how well it went. Apart from the food trucks, obviously. And interestingly, that they ran out of Panhead Supercharger at one point and had to get a whole load more from the brewery. Great to see the Hoodoo Gurus again. It was ...Comment: Open mike 02/03/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 8:39 am, March 2nd, 2023
Perhaps Kim should have appraised Louise of Section 18 (1) of the Bill of Rights Act 1990.Comment: Open mike 02/03/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 8:36 am, March 2nd, 2023
Eh? Kim said, and I quote "Meeting organiser, and founding member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust Louise Parsons" when introducing her. I suggest you go listen to the audio. 22 seconds in. https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018880100Comment: Open mike 19/01/2023
Written By: riffer - Date published: 1:23 pm, January 19th, 2023
Totally understandable though.Comment: Open mike 29/11/2022
Written By: riffer - Date published: 1:41 pm, November 29th, 2022
I believe they may be referring to synthetic cannabis.Comment: What happens if Twitter dies?
Written By: riffer - Date published: 10:36 am, November 8th, 2022
I will miss it, but it will be replaced with something else soon enough. You see, the platform isn't the participants. It just enables them. I have been, like many others, flirting with Mastodon. It's quiet, but I hope it picks up.Comment: Open mike 10/09/2022
Written By: riffer - Date published: 8:26 am, September 10th, 2022
Fascinating band were Crass. Time has helped with understanding where they were coming from - as a young teenage musician they both attracted and repelled me. Their political conviction was particularly strong. It must have really galled them how popular ...Comment: Daily review 08/08/2022
Written By: riffer - Date published: 6:56 pm, August 8th, 2022
Very true. There is no way I could be an MP if some of the things I did as a teenager could come out.Comment: Daily review 04/08/2022
Written By: riffer - Date published: 8:39 pm, August 4th, 2022
I can't help but wonder if this is how the zombie apocalyse starts...Comment: Really bad takes on the Green’s leadership issue
Written By: riffer - Date published: 10:53 am, July 26th, 2022
Holidaying in Hawaii, he has been, sayeth twitter.Comment: The Media and the Australian election
Written By: riffer - Date published: 2:45 pm, May 20th, 2022
I just returned on Wednesday from a week in Australia. This analysis is spot on. The huge disparity in advertising spend between Labor and Liberal/National is astounding too. If I ever hear "there's a hole in your budget, dear Labor, dear Labor" again I ...Comment: Act’s scorched earth proposal
Written By: riffer - Date published: 12:50 pm, May 11th, 2022
Notwithstanding that my job would be on the line, as is the entire place I work for, is it just me that thinks this would be hugely recessionary? Seems to me Act hates ethnic minorities, women, environmentalists, innovators, and anyone smarter than them.Comment: The problem with and the benefits of MIQ
Written By: riffer - Date published: 10:05 am, February 1st, 2022
Unlikely. The moment case numbers start going up hugely the opposition will be claiming they would have done it different and had no cases at all. The oppositions job is to oppose, and Chris Bishop takes his role extremely literally.Comment: Open mike 19/01/2022
Written By: riffer - Date published: 9:17 am, January 19th, 2022
There is a world of difference between concern about potential interference in sensitive aircraft equipment and radical, unproven and alarmist complaints about electromagnetic interference causing cancer.Comment: Open mike 19/11/2021
Written By: riffer - Date published: 3:56 pm, November 19th, 2021
If this is doxxing I will withdraw, apologise and take my lumps for whatever you throw at me. I have only linked to publicly available information.Comment: Open mike 19/11/2021
Written By: riffer - Date published: 3:54 pm, November 19th, 2021
The Taxpayers Union seem to be up to all kinds of mischief of late. I did a whois lookup on motherofallprotests.nz on dnc.org.nz The registrant contact seems to be different to what has been reported on twitter (taxpayers union) so I dug further and looked ...Comment: ANZ Bank clearly believes that greed is good
Written By: riffer - Date published: 6:04 pm, October 29th, 2021
Exactly James. Too early in the morning and I was thinking disjointedly. I should have said, three years ago, my house was three times the value that it was when I'd bought it 15 years previously (2003). In the last three years its value has doubled from ...Comment: ANZ Bank clearly believes that greed is good
Written By: riffer - Date published: 6:01 pm, October 29th, 2021
Makes mental note to double check his grammar next time, in case Lynne is up early...
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- Benefit sanctions double under National as unemployment soars
Latest figures from the Ministry of Social Development show the Government is pushing more and more people into unemployment, while punishing them with sanctions for being out of work. ...14 hours ago - Communities Can’t Foot the Bill for Climate Crisis
Te Pāti Māori sends aroha to whānau, and communities impacted by the recent severe weather across Nelson Tasman, Banks Peninsula, Northland and beyond. While dozens of people are still unable to return home, National and Labour are already hinting at a Climate Adaptation plan that would see impacted communities pay ...1 day ago
- Making New Zealand and New Zealanders Safer
New Zealand First knows how important law and order is to the quality of life that hardworking Kiwi battlers expect and deserve. This remains a priority, and we are delivering on our coalition commitments to make our communities and neighbourhoods safe. Our investment in Police with an extra 500 officers, ...2 days ago - Minister must back regional vocational education with real support
The Government’s move to re-establish ten polytechnics fails to ensure the thriving, future-focussed vocational education sector Aotearoa deserves. ...3 days ago
- Submissions show overwhelming opposition to RSB
The Green Party is calling on Cabinet to stop the Regulatory Standards Bill, after only 19 of a total 208 submissions heard over the course of last week’s submissions process supported the Bill. ...4 days ago
- An update on Winston’s War on Woke & June wrap up
New Zealand First continues to bring balance, experience, and commonsense to Government. During the month of June, we made progress on many of our promises to New Zealand. An update on Winston's War on Woke ...6 days ago
- Green Party won’t contest Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
After careful consideration, the Green Party will not stand a candidate in the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. ...7 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Announces Award-Winning Broadcaster Oriini Kaipara to Contest Tāmaki Makaurau By-El...
Te Pāti Māori have confirmed the selection of celebrated broadcaster and longtime West Auckland advocate Oriini Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) as its candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. Oriini’s deep whakapapa to Tāmaki Makaurau is grounded in her upbringing at Hoani Waititi Marae, where she was ...1 week ago
- OPED – Mark Patterson: “Do something about the bloody trees”
“Do something about the bloody trees” would be the most common refrain I hear around Clutha and when travelling about rural New Zealand. Forestry has been, and is, a legitimate land use option for farmers and forestry companies. Always has been, always will. Sensible farmers have incorporated planting out of ...1 week ago
- OPED – Jenny Marcroft: Supporting our oyster farmers
Most of us who live in the Mahurangi region are well aware of the ongoing challenges faced by oyster farmers because of multiple significant sewage spills into Mahurangi Harbour. Watercare’s sewerage network in Warkworth is infiltrated with stormwater following rainfall, resulting in overflows into the Mahurangi River and the wider ...1 week ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill to Protect New Zealanders’ Ability to Use Cash
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill that would protect New Zealanders’ ability to use cash. The Bill will provide for the enduring use of cash as a private, accessible, and reliable method of payment. “People who rely on cash due to barriers to digital banking deserve ...1 week ago
- New study shows speed of Antarctic ice melt, Govt fans climate flames
As the Government pulls out of global climate commitments, a significant new report shows that sea ice around Antarctica is melting at unprecedented speed. ...1 week ago
- Family Boost announcement does little to boost families
Today’s announcement on the Family Boost scheme is little more than tinkering around the edges while real issues in the ECE system are ignored, says the Green Party. ...2 weeks ago
- Serious Response to Serious Problems
As New Zealand has positively responded to the crack down on gang patches there has been a growing recognition of the influence of organized crime on our communities. New Zealand First continues to be focused on all aspects that undermine the safety and security in our neighbourhoods, businesses, and ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Bill: Only Official New Zealand Flag to Fly on Government Buildings
New Zealand First has today introduced a member's bill which would make it law that government buildings can only display the official flag of New Zealand. “Government buildings are for all New Zealanders and should not be hijacked to force cultural, woke, or divisive political ideology down the throats of ...2 weeks ago
- Healthy Homes standards need more teeth
With mandatory Healthy Homes standards coming into effect for all tenancies tomorrow, the Green Party is calling for a new Rental Warrant of Fitness system to give the new standards true effect. ...2 weeks ago
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- Susi Newborn among activists featured in Pacific ‘nuclear free heroes’ video
Pacific Media Watch Greenpeace pioneer and activist Susi Newborn is among the “nuclear free heroes” featured in a video tribute premiered this week in an exhibition dedicated to a nuclear-free Pacific. The week-long exhibition at Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Ellen Melville Centre, titled “Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free ...1 hour ago - Grattan on Friday: New parliament presents traps for Albanese and Ley
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese hasn’t been in any rush to convene the new parliament, which Governor-General Sam Mostyn will open on Tuesday. It’s only mildly cynical to observe that governments of both persuasions often seem to ...2 hours ago
- Police protection for New Caledonian politicians following death threats
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonian politicians who inked their commitment to a deal with France last weekend will be offered special police protection following threats, especially made on social media networks. The group includes almost 20 members of New Caledonia’s parties — both pro-France ...3 hours ago
- 12 countries agree to confront Israel collectively over Gaza after Bogotá summit
ANALYSIS: By Mick Hall Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogotá, Colombia. A joint statement today announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for ...4 hours ago
- Rainbow Warrior bombing by French secret agents remembered 40 years on
SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News Forty years ago today, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace campaign flagship Rainbow Warrior in an attempt to stop the environmental organisation’s protest against nuclear testing at Moruroa Atoll in Mā’ohi Nui. People gathered on board Rainbow Warrior III ...6 hours ago
- Why a surprise jump in unemployment isn’t as bad as it sounds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeff Borland, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne New figures show Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.3% – its highest level since late 2021 – in June this year, up from 4.1% in May. While this is bad ...6 hours ago
- The Helen Clark Foundation Launches Honorary Fellow Programme
Rt Hon Helen Clark, the Foundation's patron, says "we are very pleased to have these values-driven thought leaders contributing to our Foundation's mission of developing fair, sustainable and inclusive solutions to key long-term issues facing New Zealand." ...8 hours ago - Rate capping: ‘You’ve got to be able to control the costs first’ – ACT leade...
Both ACT and New Zealand First are casting doubt on whether capping council rates is the answer. ...9 hours ago - Australia got off on a technicality for its climate inaction. But there are plenty more judgement da...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was disappointing, but it’s not the end ...10 hours ago
- Pay talk protection: National backs Labour’s transparency bill
A bill protecting workers who talk about pay has passed its second reading with rare cross-party backing. ...10 hours ago
- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 17, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 17, 2025. Do women really need more sleep than men? A sleep psychologist explainsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amelia Scott, Honorary Affiliate and Clinical Psychologist at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, and ...11 hours ago
- Do women really need more sleep than men? A sleep psychologist explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amelia Scott, Honorary Affiliate and Clinical Psychologist at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, and Macquarie University Research Fellow, Macquarie University klebercordeiro/Getty If you spend any time in the wellness corners of TikTok or Instagram, you’ll see claims women need one ...11 hours ago
- I created a Vivaldi-inspired sound artwork for the Venice Biennale. The star of the show is an endan...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Miriama Young, Associate Professor Music Composition, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne Marco Zorzanello It was late January when I got the call. I’m asked to bring my sound art to a collaborative ecology and design project, Song of ...11 hours ago
- David Seymour blames karakia for high power bills. Here’s what he gets wrong
In a speech this morning, the deputy prime minister said ‘blaming isn’t productive’, then proceeded to link ‘roadblocks’ such as cultural clauses in resource consents to rates rises leading to high inflation. Liam Rātana takes a different view. This morning, speaking at the 2025 Local Government New Zealand Conference, deputy ...11 hours ago - Event noticeboard: Sugar, rubber gloves and shocked bananas
The Spinoff’s top picks of events from around the motu. I was tempted, in a moment of despair, to title this week’s noticeboard as “Rain, rain and more rain” or perhaps “Rain, flooding and more rain”. Thankfully it’s not flooded here, but I was triggered looking at my weather app ...11 hours ago
- Number of benefit sancitions increase, over 80k people find work, new figures show
Jobseeker Support numbers are also up 10 percent to 216,000 people. ...12 hours ago
- Number of benefit sanctions increase, over 80k people find work, new figures show
Jobseeker Support numbers are also up 10 percent to 216,000 people. ...12 hours ago
- Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Faisal Hai, Professor and Head of School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong Avocado_studio/Shutterstock The kettle is a household staple practically everywhere – how else would we make our hot drinks? But is it okay to re-boil ...12 hours ago
- What does Australian law have to say about sovereign citizens and ‘pseudolaw’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeleine Perrett, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Adelaide Armed with obscure legal jargon and fringe interpretations of the law, “sovereign citizens” are continuing to test the limits of the Australian justice system’s patience and power. A few weeks ago, two ...12 hours ago
- Is childbirth really safer for women and babies in private hospitals?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University A study published this week in the international obstetrics and gynaecology journal BJOG has raised concerns among women due to give birth in Australia’s public hospitals. ...12 hours ago
- David Seymour lashes officials after LINZ becomes latest agency raising concerns about his Regulator...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says officials "don't take New Zealanders' rights seriously," after concerns about his bill surfaced from another agency. ...12 hours ago
- Echo Chamber: Aussie roolz, NZ droolz
Every party in parliament agrees Australia is richer, cooler, prettier, better dressed, and will probably steal your man. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Did you know that ...13 hours ago
- Alliance Renews Call For Bottom Trawling Ban In Hauraki Gulf
Bottom trawling is a fishing method that involves dragging heavy nets over the seafloor to catch fish, stirring up sediment, releasing carbon and indiscriminately killing marine life. ...13 hours ago
- We were part of the world heritage listing of Murujuga. Here’s why all Australians should be proud
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo McDonald, Professor, Director of Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, The University of Western Australia Senior Ranger, Mardudunhera man Peter Cooper, oversees the Murujuga landscape Jo McDonald, CC BY-SA On Friday, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in northwest Western Australia was ...13 hours ago
- Is our mental health determined by where we live – or is it the other way round? New research shed...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Hobbs, Associate Professor and Transforming Lives Fellow, Spatial Data Science and Planetary Health, Sheffield Hallam University Photon-Photos/Getty Images Ever felt like where you live is having an impact on your mental health? Turns out, you’re not imagining things. Our new ...14 hours ago
- The hows, whys and WTFs of bringing the moa back from the dead
What do Peter Jackson, an iwi research centre and a Texas-based biotech firm have in common? They’re working together on plans to ‘de-extinct’ Aotearoa’s famous giant bird. Mirjam Guesgen explains what’s going on. The internet is fluttering with the news that a Texas-based company will bring back moa in Aotearoa ...15 hours ago
- Union For Local Government Workers Supports LGNZ Recommendations To Improve Voter Turnout
Private companies should not be running local body elections, it is not appropriate for something so important to the functioning of local democracy, said PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. ...15 hours ago
- Travel Diary: A winter weekend in Melbourne – the next best thing to European summer?
Rebecca Murphy recaps her first trip overseas with her husband, and first time out of the country since the Covid-19 lockdowns. No hot girl summer for me, no sipping Chablis in France with the warm sun on my back. Instead, it was a long weekend in Melbourne to get a ...15 hours ago
- Better Awareness Of Local Body Candidates Will Lift Voter Turnout
Voters need to be able to easily access information on who is standing for election, what they stand for, and what they hope to achieve if elected. LGNZ is partnering with Policy.nz as an interim measure to improve local elections in 2025. ...16 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: My friends don’t seem to remember my birthday
Should I confront them about it, or is it time to make new friends? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Kia ora Hera, It’s my birthday tomorrow and none of my friends have reached out to make birthday plans with me. I planned a lovely weekend spending Saturday ...16 hours ago
- The secret stories of trees are written in the knots and swirls of your floorboards. An expert expla...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne Magda Ehlers/Pexels, CC BY Have you ever examined timber floorboards and pondered why they look the way they do? Perhaps you admired the super-fine ...16 hours ago
- Tasmania is limping towards an election nobody wants. Here’s the state of play
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hortle, Deputy Director, Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania In the darkest and coldest months of the year, Tasmanians have been slogging through an election campaign no one wanted. It’s been a curious mix of humdrum plodding laced with cyanide ...17 hours ago
- What is astigmatism? Why does it make my vision blurry? And how did I get it?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Ground Picture/Shutterstock Have you ever gone to the optometrist for an eye test and were told your eye was shaped like ...17 hours ago
- From Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama: how electric guitarists challenge expectation...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janelle K Johnstone, Associate Lecturer Crime, Justice and Legal Studies, PhD Candidate School of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University American gospel singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe playing a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar on stage in 1957. Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty ...17 hours ago
- ‘Dramatic shift’ that could leave KiwiSaver members better off
The proportion of KiwiSaver in funds with high volatility has quadrupled in three years. ...18 hours ago
- Walls go back up as open-plan classroom experiment falls flat
Once hailed as the future of education, the cavernous classrooms are finally being scrapped after years of complaints, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. End of the open-plan era The Ministry of Education will no longer build ...18 hours ago
- Emissions Trading Scheme incentivising whole farm conversions into forestry, farmers say
But a forestry group has hit back saying it's not the only reason sheep numbers are declining. ...18 hours ago
- Criminologist fears electronic tagging of migrants ‘going to get huge’
The government has introduced legislation that would allow electronic monitoring of migrants and asylum seekers who pose a security risk, or might run away. ...18 hours ago
- How reforesting the Port Hills could help prevent another devastating fire
Prone to fires and erosion, Christchurch’s Port Hills were once covered in native bush, as hard as that is to imagine now. Dozens of community planting projects are the beginning of a return to a forested future. The Port Hills are visible from almost every part of Christchurch, buttressing the ...20 hours ago
- Where do I send conservatives the bill for climate change?
In the 40 years since the world was first alerted to climate change, right-wingers have consistently been the ones most opposed to doing anything about it. And if there’s one thing that conservatives like, it’s personal responsibility. It seems almost impossible to believe, but until two years ago New Zealand’s ...20 hours ago
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