An appeal to Putin’s Apologists

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, June 12th, 2022 - 121 comments
Categories: Culture wars, International, Left, Politics, progressives, Russia, Ukraine, vladimir putin, war - Tags:

With a life of anti-fascist and anti-war activism in my rear-view mirror, alarmingly I find myself at fifty staring at the green shoots of fascism in my headlights.

This is not where I expected to be. As with many ‘progressives’, I tend toward optimism when viewing our political future, but am hampered by pessimism when I recall history. This isn’t a an optimism in the sense that somehow, ‘it will all be fine’ but a necessary mental framework to engage with and promote better outcomes. You could call me an optimistic pessimist, I’ll wear it.

The recent invasion of Ukraine by card carrying fascist Vladimir Putin, has thrown the political left into utter disarray.

It’s not that we of the left of politics needed anymore disunity. Traditionally the ‘left’ fight each other for power and ideology as much as they fight the ‘right’ of politics for power and influence. However, recently orchestrated propaganda has further riven the left with ‘anti-establishment’ narratives surrounding the vexed Anti-Vax issues, mandate debates, New World Order conspiracies such as Agenda 21 and other compelling rabbit holes for the cynically minded. Thankfully as ‘living with covid’ (or dying from it if you are medically vulnerable) becomes our new normal, such absurd distractions have waned in importance and no longer suck all the air out of important debates about our political trajectory.

And then Putin invaded Ukraine – again

I was born in Dunedin in the early 1970’s during a mostly distant Cold War. I say mostly because of Bikini Atoll, Russian sailors at the port and Dad being friends with nice old Jim Moody (who was Dunner’s CIA rep for the area back then).

In the mid 70’s due to intimidation and threats from local reactionary forces (‘we know where your kids ride their bikes’), my leftist activist parents moved us to the London where my mother was born (on the day the UN was founded) and where many family members were based.

My late childhood and early teens were transfixed by a much more proximate Cold War in the UK of the 1980s. At 12 I opted to study Russian (as that was a language one might be required to speak one day) and even visited the USSR on a subsidised school trip. The trip was cheaper for us as a low-income household and also because Intourist – the branch of the KGB which handled visitors, provided cheap tickets to British state school kids.

By the time I was 16 I had burnt the US flag outside their embassy in Grosvenor Square, I’d been arrested inside Alconbury Airbase (then a US controlled NATO facility) and been involved in numerous actions with Youth CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) to blockade nuclear submarine bases amongst other things.

My activism shifted in these times to embrace anti-racist and anti-fascist action. Many of us in the mid 80’s in Britain had had enough of the overtly racist status quo. Movements like RAR (Rock Against Racism), conflicts like the Brixton riots and a number of other events converged on us young Brits to galvanise dissent and action. Being descended from a Polish-Jewish grandfather on my mother’s side may well have made me more prone to see anti-fascism and anti-racism as integral in striving for a better future.

Fast-forwarding to our present time. I find myself no longer arguing the obvious threat of ultra-nationalism, totalitarianism and racism with people on the extreme right of politics, but now with many of my friends on the left. This inversion begs the question’s ‘how did we get here?’ and ‘how do we counter this narrative?’

I can understand ‘dyed in the wool’ older Marxists that cling to fond memories of supposed Soviet Utopias. My dad is one at times – sorry Pop. He remains one of the 10,000 odd subscribers to The Morning Star (a British Marxist newspaper). Jeremy Corbyn is a great example of someone from this cohort who hasn’t had a new idea since the late 70’s. My younger self marched beside him on a few occasions as he remains my local MP in London. Great activist, crap leader.

The question is, why do soo many leftist see the US as the only empire worth opposing?

I believe the answer lies in the ubiquity of false historical narratives, lefty tribalism and a lack of understanding of contemporary events in context.

The Soviet collapse which began in 1989 heralded enormous changes to the geo-political landscape of Europe and latterly the rest of the world.

Freed nations sought to establish their identity, amongst them Ukraine who in exchange for security guarantees, surrendered it’s nuclear arsenal under assurances from Gorbachev that their new sovereignty would be respected by the emerging democratic Russian state. With an 83% turnout, 71.4% of Ukrainians voted for independence from Russia.

Transition was not an easy matter for the Russian economy and its much reduced sphere of direct influence. Kleptomaniacs ravaged the bones of the state in a frenzy of privatisation and this chaos led to the eventual appointment in 1999 of ‘strongman’ and present day Russian leader, Vladimir Putin.

Now let us get to those apologists that seem to preoccupy this jaded anti-fascist.

Central to the argument offered by those that seek to apportion blame for the attempted destruction of the sovereign state of Ukraine on variously ’NATO’, ‘The US Empire’ and indeed ‘corrupt Nazis supporting Ukrainian sovereignty ’ and that assurances were given to Gorbachev in 1996 that NATO would not expand and Russia would not be triggered into reflexive re-arming and become a oppositional monolith to Europe’s smaller states bordering the largest country on earth. Ie ‘NATO made him do it’

This argument is inherently flawed – Gorbachev premised the demand for NATO to remain static and received unwritten assurances, on the basis of a new and democratic Russia that would, like most democracies, be forever mired in incrementalism and the politics of centrism demanded by competing political entities fighting for the hearts and minds of their electorate every four or so years.

Putin had other ideas

With almost immediate collapse of Russia into disfunction under the permanently pissed Yeltsin, power was handed (not electorally) to Putin and his cronies drawn from the ’Siloviki’, otherwise known as the intelligence wing of the KGB/FSB. This event has had enormous implications.

The premised ‘democratic Russia’ vanished almost as soon as it was born and it would be anti-historical to suggest that Putin’s power grab was entirely a result of NATO expansion. Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic became NATO members in the same year, driven by the chaos on their doorstep and hawkish US zealots. Membership came to these nations immediately before Putin’s appointment. Russian-backing of Serbian ethno-nationalist aims set Europe on edge and only NATO bombing put an to Serbian ambiton.

Putin’s ascendency was mainly an act of internal stabilisation from Yeltsin with a view that Putin, ‘a tough guy’, would aggressively suppress Chechen independence and end the ongoing war that was bleeding the Kremlin’s coffers to avoid another Afghanistan. He didn’t waste time. Levelling Grozny and slaughtering tens of thousands of Chechens, he installed Ramsan Kadyrov and ended any hope for Chechens of self-determination. Russian Imperialism in ascendency.

Another misconception is that Putin pines for a renewed Soviet sphere of influence. Putin is a devotee of the Russia fascist philosopher Vladimir Ilyin. He is also an admirer of Tsar Vladimir the Great who conceived the Russian state (tragically for the Ukrainians in Kyiv). Vladimir eventually rejected paganism and became the founder of greater Russia via conquest to encompass Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Putin is understood to loath the apparatchiks that in his view ‘sold out’ the USSR. My Polish Great grandfather’s father served in the Russian army in Tzarist Poland which may now be Putin’s sights.

The key ingredients of fascism can be described as an authoritarian regime defined by an ethnically supremacist society. Power is held by an elite ruling class that is entirely supported by capital interests and with divine sanction of the church that enforces ‘tradition’ and a regime that rejects any need for progressive rights usually subjugating women and minority interests. Russia under Putin has decriminalised domestic abuse, has banned LGBTQ+ participation in society, persecutes ethnic minorities and has crushed all dissent.

These policies are entirely consistent with Putin’s modern aide d’ camp Alexander Dugin. A former lecturer turned United Russia MP in the Duma, Dugin is often referred to as Putin’s Brain. This maybe be overestimating his direct influence but even a cursory look at Dugin’s writing would indicate that he is a fascist ideologue and his prestige in Putin’s Regime is clear.

Central to leftist apologists for Putinism/Russian Fascism, is the idea that the now notorious Azov Battalion is a ‘Nazi’ force and must be indicative of Kyiv’s slavish vassal status to US/NATO interests and therefore Ukraine poses an existential threat to Russia.

This is almost too absurd to discuss when considering 2% of Ukrainians voted for far-right parties in the last election, Russia has the 2nd largest standing army in the world and Azov is a small force within the much larger Ukrainian army. But let’s give it some air eh?

Azov may or may not have purged neo-Nazis from its ranks (probably not) and indeed is an inheritor of a longstanding pro-fascist tradition in Ukraine that dates back to before WWII. During the war Ukrainian fascists collaborated enthusiastically with the SS, variously fighting Russians and killing Jews. For context, Ukrainian partisans fought Nazis and didn’t kill Jews.

Azov numbers around 2500 troops and grew from an early base of far-right football fans into a paramilitary force after the Russian invasion of Crimea. The important word in that sentence is ‘after’. In 2014 the Ukrainian military was described as decrepit by most analysts. After Russian invasion the armed forces expanded with US aid to around 200,000 troops making Azov around 1% of the armed force of Ukraine.

Bearing all of this in mind maybe it’s time to consider the wider question: who is the fascist group that matters here? Russia, vast economic and military power under the absolute control of a fundamentalist Orthodox leader who sees his destiny as aligned with a 9th Century warlord turned Tsar or a small convenient fascist faction in a country beset by fascist aggression historically and recently, that is in an existential struggle with its most notorious enemy (google ‘Holodomor’ for perspective).

Putin’s claims of victimhood clearly echo excuses offered by Israel in defence of its own oppressive militarism.

I.e.: ‘We are surrounded by enemies intent on our destruction’, ‘We have a right to establish an ethno-religious state that exclude the rights of others’, and crucially ‘we have a historical claim to territory now infested with people we wish to replace’. How can my leftist comrades oppose Israeli racist nationalism but offer the same excuses to explain Putin’s aggression? Baffling stuff.

The question of lack of global support is often raised in defence of Putin with many citing Indian and Chinese neutrality as an indication that half the world doesn’t support Ukraine – Chinese policy is determined by one person and can hardly be seen as ‘popular’ support, Modi’s India falls largely into the same category.

WW3! I hear you cry. Mutually assured destruction remains as much a compelling deterrent as it ever did and WWII was abetted by appeasing fascists not by immediately stopping them in their tracks.

Maybe the ‘fascist’ we need to consider is the invisible hand of US imperialism?

Opposing US imperialism doesn’t not require endorsing or excusing Russian fascist expansion.

Since the appalling illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the left has rightly in my view been preoccupied with opposing US Imperialism. Clearly these wars were unjust and largely waged to serve economic and political interests of the USA, Britain and others including Saudi Arabia Pakistan and some EU member states. These wars are now largely concluded and were both military and political failures for the invaders.

These wars can’t be seen in isolation, however, and any student of US history will tell you about the changed tack of the US that arrived at the end of what is often termed ‘The American Century’. Isolation and soft power is now the go-to for successive administrations – Obama, Trump and Biden all following the same trajectory. Sporadic airstrikes against perceived ’threats’ occasionally assassinating enemies but avoiding ‘boots on the ground’. Call it ‘imperialism lite’ if you like.

Not so for our boy Vlad!. Area bombardment of high-density cities is way beyond ‘lite’. The vacuum created by reduced US enthusiasm for direct intervention led to Russia leaping into the void as seen in Syria where Russian forces levelled Aleppo with the same tactics and vigour and disregard for ‘collateral’ damage that was seen in Grozny. Georgia and Azerbaijan can also testify to Russia’s differing attitude to ‘boots on the ground’ from that of a more sheepish US regime. I am in no way advocating for US intervention but military aid and supply for Ukraine is not the same thing as direct intervention. Would we on the left have opposed crucial Chinese arms supply to the Vietnamese resisting US invasion? In what that nation terms ‘The American War’, Vietnam arguably would not have successfully resisted the US without a constant supply of munitions and arms from friendly nations keen on seeing US imperialism stopped in its tracks.

The final question that remains is ‘is this a matter of the lesser of 2 evils?’

The short answer is an emphatic ‘Yes’.

The longer one is that when considering any armed conflict, realpolitik is the only currency that matters. Truth dies in war, propaganda is generated by both sides and must be considered and critiqued but also understood to be viable weapons in conflict. When fascism is on the rise across the globe as seen in the autocratic advances under Modi in India, the erosion of democracy in Hungary under Putin ally Orban, the strident authoritarianism of Xi in China who is rapidly establishing a neo-Maoist cult around himself and is committing genocide in the Xinjiang, the recent near miss in French elections for the Putin funded far-right candidate of Marine Le Pen and very likely re-election of Donald Trump in the next electoral US cycle that has even prompted a report from neighbouring Canadian Intelligence services advising their government to prepare for an authoritarian neighbour in the near future – Gilead awaits.

We on the left must not get bound up in whataboutism and consideration for Putin’s ‘mindset’. We must oppose, fight, and de-platform Putin and his active and tacit supporters. In war there is no neutral position when confronting the authoritarian advance. There is also no discounting fascist action by offering up the reasoning of the aggressor. There is no room for excusing an aggressive, expansionist, fascist and his armies on the march. There is only resistance. #NoPasaran

Tobi Muir

Soviet Red Army entering the Polish city of Wilno (Vilnius). 1939
The Moscow Times: “Russia Claims Soviet Army ’Liberated,’ Not Invaded, Poland During WWII“

121 comments on “An appeal to Putin’s Apologists ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. RedLogix 1
    12 June 2022 at 10:28 am

    An excellent post, well written and spoken from the heart.

    My explanation for this left wing support of fascism rests on two simple thoughts – the first is an absurdist yet lingering emotional attachment to the idea of Russia and China still being the spiritual home of marxist revolution.

    The other is an equally unhinged hatred of the US – to the point of sucking all other oxygen from their brains.

    • Jenny how to get there 1.1
      12 June 2022 at 11:04 am

      Well said, Red.

    • AB 1.2
      12 June 2022 at 11:18 am

      Pretty much. But it's hard for these people – they were correct in the past about American imperialism and were derided for it, they are wrong in the present about Russian imperialism, and are being derided for it.

      One derision feels just like the other, so it must be easy to see the present circumstance as being the same as the past, rather than an inversion of it.

      • RedLogix 1.2.1
        12 June 2022 at 11:59 am

        I am not so certain that those opposed to US interventions were always derided for it. I am old enough to have protested Vietnam and marched against the Iraq invasion.

        The US led post-WW2 order can rightly be called a hegemon and sometimes a quite ruthless one – but it was always qualitatively different to the millenia of empires that preceeded it. For a start it was always rather remarkably tolerant of criticism; protestors being usually met with media coverage rather than prison or worse.

        Secondly for all of it's failures and catastrophic errors – this post-WW2 era has nonetheless seen a dramatic and unprecedented expansion of relative peace, security and human development. Like all things human we can easily imagine how it might have been better – but compared to everything else before this period the outcomes have been miraculous. This reality is hard to reconcile with denigrating the USA as the Great Satan.

        The great flaw in the US system was that it was setup to create a global alliance to fight marxism – and while it succeeded remarkably in doing this – at the end of the Cold War the Americans failed comprehensively to update it's purpose. The result has been three decades of unravelling to the point where de-globalisation is now being openly talked about.

        For small nations like Aus and NZ this means the end of every geopolitical assumption around security, trade and sovereignty we have been making all our adult lives. There are no good options immediately on offer.

        • joe90 1.2.1.1
          12 June 2022 at 12:08 pm

          I am not so certain that those opposed to US interventions were always derided for it.

          Yup. A trawl through TS's archives will show that those who oppose Putin's imperialist adventures today were opposed to US interventionism as it occured.

          • RedLogix 1.2.1.1.1
            12 June 2022 at 12:28 pm

            Yes. Iraq was a terrible mistake – and arguably one that directly played into the hands of bin Laden. There was of course little to nothing about Saddam's regime worth defending, but the US invasion shorn of UN support effectively demolished any remnants of moral high ground the US still clung to – and nothing has gotten better for them since.

            Ukraine is their last chance to redeem themselves.

          • lprent 1.2.1.1.2
            12 June 2022 at 7:37 pm

            …were opposed to US interventionism as it occured.

            TS didn't start until August 2007. So it could have only been after the interventions 🙂

            Everyone gets derided here. I don't think that I have ever seen a full agreement on almost anything on TS. About the only thing I have actually seen a degree of agreement on was disapproving of the arsehole shooter in ChCh. But no agreement about what should be done to limit the damage if it ever happened again.

        • AB 1.2.1.2
          12 June 2022 at 2:23 pm

          I can recall opponents of the Iraq war in 2003 being belittled (not on TS for sure) as reflexively anti-American. If you have a historically grounded self-perception as a wronged and despised truth-teller, it can land you in trouble. I think this is definitely a large part of what we are observing.

          • lprent 1.2.1.2.1
            12 June 2022 at 7:40 pm

            Oh they were belittled here as well…. Of course it got harder over time as the full extent of the screwup and misinformation became apparent.

            We try to moderate rather than stifle debate.

          • mikesh 1.2.1.2.2
            13 June 2022 at 9:55 am

            There were also the sanctions imposed upon Iraq after that war, and which were said to have killed millions. Madelaine Albright apparently said it was "worth it".

            • RedLogix 1.2.1.2.2.1
              13 June 2022 at 10:11 am

              The rest of us were appalled by her callous statement – and said so in no uncertain terms. At least we had the freedom to do so.

              But Albright was a few decades in the past. How about we see you start openly condemning Putin? Who is right at this moment the one person who could absolutely bring to an end the unbridled evil his military is inflicting.

              By constantly resorting to whataboutism you are simply saying that the evil my side is conducting now is justified by the evil the other guys did years, decades or centuries ago. You are merely justifying more violence, more suffering, more evil – to satisfy your deep hunger for revenge.

              • mikesh …
                13 June 2022 at 10:34 am

                What about your own "whataboutism". Like what about Russia stopping this war right now.

                Ukraine could end this war by acknowledging Russia's concerns and surrendering. It ain't gonna happen though with the fascists in charge. There us nothing a fascist likes more than a "spot of stoush."

                • RedLogix …
                  13 June 2022 at 10:39 am

                  Ukraine could end this war by acknowledging Russia's concerns and surrendering.

                  Right there – you have sided with evil and are neck deep in it. This is nothing different to saying that a woman being raped should acknowledge the rapist's lust, lie back and enjoy it.

                  Contemptible.

                  • mikesh …
                    13 June 2022 at 5:48 pm

                    What matters is not whether it's "contemptible", but whether it's true.

                    But, of course, truth to you is not as important as the emotional response. "Contemptible" etc.

    • Anne 1.3
      12 June 2022 at 11:25 am

      My sentiments too RL. I have acquired a better understanding of the state of play from this post than all the MSM material put together. There's still a lot to get my head around, but the final passage says it in a nutshell:

      Truth dies in war, propaganda is generated by both sides…. When fascism is on the rise across the globe as seen in the autocratic advances under Modi in India, the erosion of democracy in Hungary under Putin ally Orban, the strident authoritarianism of Xi in China who is rapidly establishing a neo-Maoist cult around himself and is committing genocide in the Xinjiang, the recent near miss in French elections for the Putin funded far-right candidate of Marine Le Pen and very likely re-election of Donald Trump in the next electoral US cycle that has even prompted a report from neighbouring Canadian Intelligence services advising their government to prepare for an authoritarian neighbour in the near future – Gilead awaits.

      Given the revelations about the insurrection on Capitol Hill, it is horrifying to think that more than half the US population are planning to vote for a Trump regime again.

      • RedLogix 1.3.1
        12 June 2022 at 12:06 pm

        Yes. In war all sides will control information to their best advantage. This is a reality that will not change and must be understood. But there is no question that Ukraine is the victim of fascist aggression here and I for one will give precedence – although not uncritical acceptance – of their version of events.

  2. joe90 2
    12 June 2022 at 11:49 am

    Hear, hear!

  3. Stephen D 3
    12 June 2022 at 4:59 pm

    What is likely to happen if Ukraine ceded sovereignty to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia. put in place formal borders, then joined the EU and NATO?

    • Tobi Muir 3.1
      13 June 2022 at 8:19 am

      It appears Ukraine ceding the Donbas will leave the nation bereft of an economic base and both Ukraine and the EU with a deadly line of control confronting Russia. The process of becoming an EU member takes up to 10 years and NATO is unlikely to agree on gaining a member that would force the organisation into an immediate war footing. This outcome however undesirable is looking increasingly likely as consensus on advanced munitions and long range weapon support supply from allies diminishes.

  4. Janet 4
    12 June 2022 at 5:25 pm

    Thankyou for this dissertation on Putin and his fixation on the “borderlands” of Russia. I found your clarity very helpful and expanded on and reinforced what I had already partially pieced together. I thought the photo and caption at the end very revealing. Our family has been joined in the last couple of weeks by a recent arrival, from Russia, a Russian who supports Putin, so I think it especially important that we carefully try and inform ourselves well before engaging in any debate with this person.

    • Populuxe1 4.1
      12 June 2022 at 7:24 pm

      You don't have to let them in the house

    • lprent 4.2
      13 June 2022 at 11:50 am

      The photo was my addition when I put the guest post up. I thought it was apposite as a previous example. The link leads to a article that points to Putin arguing that the unprovoked USSR invasion of Poland in 1939 was all Poland, and western powers fault for not appeasing dictators.

  5. Just Saying 5
    12 June 2022 at 5:57 pm

    I think you are making a whole lot of assumptions about leftists, that might hold, but for a very small minority.

    Here is how I see it. Ukraine is losing and it is not surprising. Their numbers are too small. They have a huge nation on their border and were encouraged to provoke it. And yes, I am saying I believe this is a proxy war. And that Ukraine was manipulated. But not because I support Russia.

    I believe Ukraine is simply out-powered, and always were.

    I think one of your false (but not overt) assumptions is equating disbelief of the narrative about Ukraine as a soon-to-be victorious underdog, as equaling support for Russia. Another is that not believing the rhetoric is related to sides, and that people 'should' get behind the belief because it is somehow morally right to do so.

    I respect your knowledge. It is clearly strong. But there is so much that is entangled in this piece. I have to look up agenda 21 because I have no idea what it is, or how it relates to ''conspiracy theories'' or how any of it relates to attitudes about this war.

    I'm finding the personalising of politics really worrying. To be left or right is about issues not particular personalities. I get that you are saying Putin is a fascist, but to me fascism is about regimes and peoples not particular individuals. For example it strikes me as a cop-out to over-emphasise Hitler in Nazi Germany. As an infantalisation of the German people and a failure to take responsibility.

    As for it being a responsibility for us to take a strong stand and fight, I disagree. There are many pressing global issues and I see this issue as extremely hyped and propagandised. There seems to be an assumption that this the beginning of an expansionist Russian agenda. I see no sign of that, but if this does extend into such an agenda, I think that it is only with actual evidence that we should consider becoming involved.

    • Populuxe1 5.1
      12 June 2022 at 7:40 pm

      I'm finding the personalising of politics really worrying.

      As the feminist movement said, the personal is political. People are inclined to have strong feelings when civilians are getting massacred – this almost certainly the first time in decades there's a conflict of global impact that has a fairly clear right and wrong side of history. For people from that part of the world it's not just abstract politics, it is deeply personal at the level of friends and family. To quibble about it looks like moral ambiguity.

      to me fascism is about regimes and peoples not particular individuals.

      How about the regime Putin has built about himself. The oligarchs, the kleptocrats and the brutish thugs running his military, the way he runs his country. He silences opposition and persecutes minorities, all the while feeding a cult of personality. Sounds pretty unequivocally fascist to me. Sounds very like Mussolini actually. Not all Germans supported the Nazi regime out of choice just as not all Russians support Putin's regime out of choice.

      As for it being a responsibility for us to take a strong stand and fight, I disagree. There are many pressing global issues and I see this issue as extremely hyped and propagandised.

      According to the 2018 census there are 1281 people from Ukraine living in New Zealand. I know some Ukrainian New Zealanders and I know quite a few people in Eastern and Central Europe. They are all deeply distressed and worried. I believe we, as a country, have certain values regarding fairness, justice, and standing for the underdog. We are relatively safe and secure in our part of the world, if we do not stand in solidarity with the victims of a brutal and largely unprovoked military invasion, who are we and what good is our security?

    • RedLogix 5.2
      12 June 2022 at 9:55 pm

      I believe Ukraine is simply out-powered, and always were.

      You might have said that about any number of wars – starting with Vietnam. There is no question that the Ukrainian military have out-performed all expectations and that Russia is paying an absurdly high price to slowly grind their way into a wasteland. At this point the outcome will be determined by whether NATO or Russia run out of resources first – and that nowhere near as clear-cut as you suggest.

    • Jenny how to get there 5.3
      13 June 2022 at 3:35 am

      Let me help you.

      'Woz Nato dunnit Guv'na'

  6. Jenny how to get there 6
    12 June 2022 at 6:28 pm

    An appeal to Putin’s Apologists?

    I wonder? Could it be working?

    None of the usual regular vociferous apologists for Putin's invasion of Ukraine at this site, who usually jump in at the slightest criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have yet taken this opportunity to put up a counter argument, defending Russia's invasion and war.

    I mean I don't expect them to be making public mea culpas, (Nor should they have to, after all, to err is human). But their unusual silence is signaling to me that they are having a serious re think about their previous pro-invasion position.

    So, good work Tobi Muir.

  7. barry 7
    12 June 2022 at 7:43 pm

    First a bit of pedantry – "card carrying fascist Vladimir Putin" – Putin certainly has never enrolled as a fascist. I agree that his actions are indicative of fascism. It is a bit like people saying "literally" when they literally mean "figuratively".

    Generally I agree with the article. Putin's adventurism and the misery that is being inflicted on Ukraine (and Russia) is not supportable in any way and needs to be opposed. There are limits to what opposition is achievable given Putin's access to nuclear weapons (and the damage to the world economy causing collateral damage all over the world).

    One thing I would say:

    "The question is, why do soo many leftist see the US as the only empire worth opposing?"

    The reason why I (I can't speak for anybody else) have opposed American hegemony, oppression and adventurism is because they are OUR empire. Our government supports them through 5 eyes, and other military links. We look to their protection and we join in with support in the UN and sometimes with boots on the ground. We can't speak up with conviction against "enemies" unless we first raise our voices against the crimes committed by our "friends".

    I see some people in Russia bravely standing up to their government and opposing the war. In them I see what I profess to be (whether they be "leftists" or however they describe themselves), and I would hope that I would be brave enough to similarly stand up to our government if it were behaving similarly.

  8. Subliminal 8
    12 June 2022 at 8:09 pm

    Whataboutism is really a red herring. To say that this issue must be observed and decided upon with no context or history is childish in the same vein as Bush's "either for or against". To demand the immediate trial of Putin for the crime of instigating a war of aggression with no attempt to do the same with regard to Bush and Blair just throws all your venom against Putin into an extremely distasteful cultural superiority. We are exceptional but how dare Russia believe the same of itself!

    Putin was careful to follow the exact same playbook and invoke the exact same UN articles as the US in its destruction of Yugoslavia. Russia took more then a month to deliver the same number of missiles that shock and awe delivered to Iraq in it's first two days. You think you can talk about Ukraine in a vacuum. Well, sorry bud, there are a lot of us sick to death being told whose horrors count and whose don't.

    If the media had focused on the continuing slaughter of Yemenis with anything like the intensity we get from the idiot Zelenski, if Bojo and Truss and Blinken and all the EU hoipoloi flew in a constant stream to Sanaa, then you can be sure that American made missiles would cease to be fired from Saudi flown US supplied planes. And that the US and UK supported blockade would be broken. The death and destruction in Yemen is an order of magnitude greater than Ukraine. So excuse me for not jumping on your bandwagon.

    It is a fact that Russia was rejected from any advances it made to jouining the EU or NATO. It is a fact that all attempts by Russia to have the UNSC Minsk agreements put in place by the guarantors, France and Germany, were rejected. It is also a fact that between 2014 and 2022 , 14000 citizens died in the standoff created by the failure to implement Minsk. Indivisible security is written into European security archetecture. It means that security for one state cannot be granted at the expense of another. All attempts to negotiate were rejected in favour of the principle of individual choices. This is where dialogue stopped.

    In your rant above you have pretty much stood Putin up as Hitler incarnate, perhaps without actually saying so. This has been the trash in the MSM for so long now that it is very tedious to attempt to untangle any of it. It has been repeated in so may absurd situations for so long that in the west it is pretty much accepted. For those of us that have been interested enough to search out other journalism such as Aaron Mate or Naked Capitalism or Caitlin Johnstone or Consortium News to just name a very few, the bullshit has been obvious. Your caricature of Putin above shows that you and all people who support your view have held the view of Putin as Hitler for a long time. The upshot of this view is that when dialogue stops, the only available next step is war because otherwise you and people like you will without hesitation jump to screaming Munich.

    At the point when Biden started screaming war, I for one didnt believe him. However he was right. We can only now assume that he knew he was right even if some of us didn't believe him. Yet even then, he refused to talk about Ukrainian neutrality or the limits of NATOS eastward march. War was preferable to Biden because what? He thought NATO would kick their ass?

    • RedLogix 8.1
      12 June 2022 at 9:10 pm

      Longer than usual – you should get a whole dollar for that.

      • mikeshLonger than usual – you should get a whole dollar for that. 8.1.1
        13 June 2022 at 10:24 am

        Longer than usual – you should get a whole dollar for that.

        Along with much kudos.

    • Tobi Muir 8.2
      13 June 2022 at 8:54 am

      Whataboutism indeed a red herring and you seem to be using it as the basis of your arguments. Yemen is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran but it is also a sectarian conflict with roots in popular rebellion. Ignorance of Yemen i would suggest is more indicative of the lack of geo-strategic importance of that nation and a degree of western orientalism that we see in all conflicts between non-European nations precluding popular interest or indeed support for Yemeni.

      "US in its destruction of Yugoslavia" is a confusing statement and would need some explaining to tally with history. Russia never made any formal attempt to join either the EU or NATO. You may be referencing Putin's reported conversation with then British (Labour Party) Foreign minister George Robertson that was never followed up and at best can be described as 'banter'.

      At no point do i describe Putin as Hitler and frankly – this is a straw man argument. Hitler is distinguished in history by the extent and and scope of his fascist vision and action. Putin is someone i like to think of as 'Vladimir the Not So Great' ie he is less a visionary strategic savant than Hitler and lacks the ideological vigour.

      • Subliminal 8.2.1
        14 June 2022 at 6:15 pm

        If you really want to understand why so many people around the world, especially outside the EU and five eyes, are so nonplussed by your "Russian Fascism" geeing up of the troops then you could do worse than reading the latest from Glenn Greenwald.

        Biden is now on his knees to get Saudi to pump more oil. But even before that and before Ukraine he was doing huge deals to sell more weaponry to Saudi to explode in Yemen.

        And of course it matters not the colour of your stripes. Whether its Trump "because they have the most oil" or Obama leaving India midtrip to attend the funeral of King Abdullah, just the night after lecturing Indians on religious tolerence. And of course it is Obama that launched US involvement and critical support for the destruction of Yemen.

        If you get to the end and you still think that the US fights for human rights and democracy or if your main comment is "whataboutery" or "straw man" then I suggest that you may have consumed more than a lethal dose of kool aid

    • Jenny how to get there 8.3
      13 June 2022 at 11:11 am

      Subliminal

      12 June 2022 at 8:09 pm

      Whataboutism is really a red herring……

      ….Well, sorry bud, there are a lot of us sick to death being told whose horrors count and whose don't.

      But that's what you do Subliminal, you only count one side. – You are telling us whose horrors to count, and whose not to count.

      In your list of imperialist war crime and genocide you conveniently left out Chechnya and Syria.

      You think these horrors don't count?

      I have marched and protested against American imperialism since I was a teenager, during the Vietnam war, and ever since. Against the obscenity of Nuclear armed warships in our harbours and against US led invasion and aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.

      You have chosen to gloss over the crimes of your chosen imperialist. Proving yourself to be a partisan supporter of imperialist war as long as it is being waged by your side.

      I am opposed to all imperialism and war. But you are not.

      Let me remind you of what you have left out.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grozny_(1999%E2%80%932000)

      https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/01/russia/syria-war-crimes-month-bombing-aleppo

      • mikesh 8.3.1
        14 June 2022 at 2:46 pm

        Chechnya and Russia fought many times during Tsarist times. The trouble was that Chechnya represented a pathway through the Caucasus mountains, one through which any power who wished to attack Russia from the South, the Ottomans for example, would have to pass, so control of the territory was important for Russia's defense. The recent conflict came about because ISIS terrorists had moved into Chechnya and Putin saw this as a threat. It should be noted, I think, that Chechnya is Islamic.

        Balancing the rights of civilians with the safety of the state seems to be a very real problem in some of these countries these days. However, I don't think much of the puppet ruler Putin has installed in Chechnya. I don't remember his name but he seems pretty corrupt.

    • Psycho Milt 8.4
      14 June 2022 at 1:01 pm

      Whataboutism is really a red herring.

      Immediately followed by a torrent of whataboutism. Was your intent satirical? If, the comment is much too long.

  9. Stuart Munro 9
    12 June 2022 at 8:56 pm

    There is a tradition, among European leaders of imagining that they are Napoleon when they lose their mental equilibrium. Perhaps Napoleon is not esteemed in Russia however, for Putin (modestly) imagines himself a retread of Peter the Great.

    I am reminded of Solzhenitsyn's book We never Make Mistakes, and I believe the conflict has escalated to the point that the West cannot readily back down at this point either.

    The US has made many false moves since WWII, but in opposing the tyranny of Stalin and his successors they chose well.

    One of the issues that divides the contemporary Left is the extent of Russian penetration of social and alternative media. Putin's support of Trumpism likely went well beyond arranging the release of Hilary Clinton's email cache. Trump is not so much a catspaw for Russia, as a dirty bomb, calculated to damage democracy, and his attempted coup, the capital invasion, came close enough to cause lasting damage. We are not unscathed – our occupy movement is an offshoot of that same bullshit.

    I expect Russia will be defeated with horrific losses, in part because their early successes in propaganda and hybrid warfare were largely due to a naive belief on the part of the world at large, in his rationality and goodwill. That naivety has mostly been dispelled.

    People who have been paying attention will have noticed a series of autocratic vices like summary executions, reeducation camps, forced relocation, forced labour and forced conscription that will disillusion all but Putin's most uncritical supporters.

  10. Just Saying 10
    12 June 2022 at 9:31 pm

    Reply to Populux. Apologies. This jumped to the bottom. Maybe a problem with windows 10

    The saying 'the personal is political' was the other way around, ie about the concerns within the lives of everyday people, not the personification of a nation into the personality of a particular leader.

    This 'personalising' seems to be a dumbing down into something, well… personal. A single personality. This seems to better fit the days when citizens swore obedience to a monarch (with actual power). A step backwards into simpler times historically, and also psychologically – a return to the simplicity of childhood and taking sides or turning a blind eye according to feelings about or popularity of other children. Who they are friends with and whether onlookers like (or identify with) those kids.

    My concern is about this appearing to feel to many as being at the level of family and friends but it's not and knowing Ukrainian people (as I also do) doesn't explain this uprush of feeling, and nor does the black and white, cowboy-esque media coverage.

    What I find unnerving is the strangeness of the reaction, both the bizarre insistence that Ukraine is winning or can win – egging them on with no attempt at bringing the parties to the table to stop the bloodshed, and the idea that this really is big mean kid picking on the small plucky kid with glasses. (which might make sense of believing nonsensical propaganda)

    The reality of bullying is bystanders turning a blind eye unless the weaker somehow prevails. The idea that this is simple and fairy-tale like, and not the latest bloody debacle courtesy (in a large part) of the US. To me it is just crazy.

    There have been so many world aggressions and so much suffering. And suddenly, out of the blue this particular tragedy captures the passions and the desire to fight. In the context of a massive nation armed to the gunnels with nuclear weapons.

    If Australia invaded Fiji I'd expect stern words internationally and an insistence on negotiation, not pumping Fiji with weapons and insisting that they were kicking Australia's arse. I'd think the west had lost its mind if it insisted on Fiji's superior military prowess bringing them victory (against Australia ffs), and claimed to be caring for the plight of the Fijians in doing so.

    Back to Nazism, the regime was supported by the majority and could not have proceeded if the majority hadn't been on board. Yes it became increasingly repressive. Yes the people became infantalised – returned to fearful childhood with the promise of greatness and and false nonsense about the inherent superiority of the Aryan race etc. And most of them bought it, voted for it, and in war, participated. There were dissenters but nowhere near as many as those who claimed opposition after defeat and with German atrocities revealed to the world.

    • RedLogix 10.1
      12 June 2022 at 9:50 pm

      What I find unnerving is the strangeness of the reaction, both the bizarre insistence that Ukraine is winning or can win

      We now know that the Kremlin hawks believe that a resurgent Russia 'cannot be fenced in' and have set their eyes on 'decolonising Europe'. According to your logic the whole of Europe should meekly surrender and hope to negotiate terms.

      If Australia invaded Fiji I'd expect stern words internationally and an insistence on negotiation

      What if Australia invaded NZ? What terms of surrender would you be happy with?

      • Just Saying 10.1.1
        13 June 2022 at 12:03 am

        I didn't say ''happy with'' I said ''expect.''

        What I would expect, if Aus invaded NZ would be the same. I would not expect NZ to be armed with $billions in weapons and cheered on as we inevitably lost anyway. I would not expect people in nations thousands of miles away, with nothing to do with the situation to express deep concern and declare 'This is war to all of us. It would be unconscionable to keep desist. We must fight.''. I would not expect it to erupt into ww111 through international jingoism.

        I would expect and want the world to pressure for peace talks. To deescalate. To not cheer us on as we lost with mass bloodshed and destruction. I would hope and pray for peace and sanity to prevail, as I do for the Russia-Ukraine.

        • RedLogix 10.1.1.1
          13 June 2022 at 9:06 am

          You can only have peace talks with someone willing to have them and more importantly, abide by their terms. Poots ticks neither of these boxes.

          So in short if another larger power was to invade NZ – your plan is to surrender.

          • mikesh 10.1.1.1.1
            13 June 2022 at 10:53 am

            So in short if another larger power was to invade NZ – your plan is to surrender.

            If the US offered to help us, I would tell them to fuck off rather than see our cities rubble-ised, and civilians killed.

            I would hope that the Taiwanese would do the same if China attempted to annex them.

            • Jenny how to get there 10.1.1.1.1.1
              13 June 2022 at 12:08 pm

              So let me get this right Mickesh. According to you, Taiwan and Ukraine should surrender to tyranny. And if they don't surrender, it's their fault if their cities are rubble-ised, and civilians killed. ?

              This was the exact same line the so called Russian negotiators took to the peace talks. We will stop the killing if you surrender. The Russian negotiators refused to even agree to a temporary ceasefire during the talks.

              Both Ukraine and Taiwan know full well what to expect if they surrender to occupation by Russian or Chinese imperialists, they are already seeing it.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide

              https://www.vox.com/23012456/ukraine-russia-war-disappearances-kidnappings

              • RedLogix …
                13 June 2022 at 12:25 pm

                Our resident marxists and associated anti-western trogs understand all of this implicitly. They are more than willing to embrace genocide if it might smash the capitalism they hate so much.

              • mikesh …
                13 June 2022 at 2:42 pm

                Jenny, I wish you post links that actually supported the claims that you were making. You accuse Russia of making certain demands as part of peace talks which should have gone ahead well before things got to the point of necessitating an invasion, but didn't. Yet your post is about events during the invasion.

                We just cannot take you seriously.

                • Jenny how to get there …
                  14 June 2022 at 5:27 am

                  mikesh…

                  13 June 2022 at 2:42 pm

                  …..You accuse Russia of making certain demands as part of peace talks which should have gone ahead well before things got to the point of necessitating an invasion,

                  Peace talks should have gone ahead before the Russian invasion?

                  Russia has been invading Ukraine since 2014. Russia never showed any interest in peace talks then, and no serious interest now.

                  • mikesh …
                    14 June 2022 at 8:42 am

                    Russia has been invading Ukraine since 2014. Russia never showed any interest in peace talks then, and no serious interest now.

                    Russia has not been invading Ukraine since 2014, though I believe they may have lent some unofficial assistance to the separatists. As far as peace talks are concerned Putin has been asking for them since Zelensky breached the Minsk agreement. This seems to be well known, but if you think otherwise I'd suggest you provide evidence.

                    • RedLogix …
                      14 June 2022 at 8:53 am

                      Poots has had the UN Sec General, the French, German. Turkish and Israeli leaders, no doubt others, all in constant and urgent contact with him from the outset with no observable outcome. If he was in the slightest bit sincere about ending this war there has been no lack of opportunity for him to do so.

                      But even then – why the fuck would anyone be fool enough to place any value in any agreement he made?

                    • Jenny how to get there …
                      14 June 2022 at 12:39 pm

                      mikesh…

                      14 June 2022 at 8:42 am

                      ….As far as peace talks are concerned Putin has been asking for them since Zelensky breached the Minsk agreement. This seems to be well known, but if you think otherwise I'd suggest you provide evidence.

                      Really?

                      You want me to show you evidence of something that doesn't exist?

                      Wow! When it comes to stupid comments this must be at the top of the list.

                      How about this, Mikesh. Instead of asking me to prove a nullity. (which is a logical impossibility).You provide evidence that Putin has been asking for peace talks.

              • mikesh …
                14 June 2022 at 1:51 pm

                The damaged cities and dead civilians happened because Ukraine didn't surrender, or didn't you realise that.

        • Subliminal 10.1.1.2
          13 June 2022 at 9:52 am

          Thankyou for putting that so well and so calmly JS

          • RedLogix 10.1.1.2.1
            13 June 2022 at 10:02 am

            The direct implication of your plan is for Ukraine to surrender and let Poots run over them. Yup – another fascist monkey complicit with evil.

            • mikesh 10.1.1.2.1.1
              13 June 2022 at 10:59 am

              I think Russia would be satisfied with Donetsk, Luhansk and Mariupol, together with a corridor to the Crimean peninsula.

              • RedLogix …
                13 June 2022 at 12:15 pm

                Nah. Poots most recent speeches reveal a much larger ambition. Like all spooks he speaks in ambiguous riddles, but the meaning is plain enough anyone who has been paying attention.

                • Professor Longhair …
                  14 June 2022 at 2:06 pm

                  Repeating that puerile nickname only makes you look puerile.

                  • RedLogix …
                    14 June 2022 at 8:36 pm

                    Normally I don't make play on people's names Prof LittleDick – but in this instance I am prepared to make an exception.

              • Stuart Munro …
                13 June 2022 at 4:23 pm

                Not only would that be unlikely, but Putin wants Moldova & Poland next.

                U.S., NATO in for a 'Long Haul' Conflict with Russia, Says Polish PM – USNI News

                One does not deter a ravening wolf by feeding it.

                • mikesh …
                  13 June 2022 at 5:58 pm

                  Not only would that be unlikely, but Putin wants Moldova & Poland next.

                  I note that it was the Polish PM who said that, not Putin. Well, fair enough. Politicians say these sorts of things; one doesn't have to take the seriously.

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    13 June 2022 at 10:39 pm

                    Certainly the link between Putin's promises and his actions is at most circumstantial.

                    But the Poles have a long and visceral acquaintance with Russian geopolitical ambitions – there is no secret about them.

                    • RedLogix …
                      13 June 2022 at 11:08 pm

                      Many years back I knew a Polish woman as a social acquaintance – it was a toss up between whether she loathed Germans or Russians more. As she put it 'the Germans they mass murdered going one way, the Russians mass raped going back the other – hard to tell which was worse'.

        • lprent 10.1.1.3
          13 June 2022 at 12:21 pm

          What I would expect, if Aus invaded NZ would be the same. I would not expect NZ to be armed with $billions in weapons and cheered on as we inevitably lost anyway.

          Speak for yourself.

          Personally, I would be extremely unhappy if Aus invaded NZ. I wouldn't be looking for a peace deal, I'd be looking to cause as much damage on the invaders as possible, and also on anyone assisting them. It was, after all, one of the reasons that I joined the army 40 odd years ago. If anyone is going to screw around with my society, then it will me me – not some idiots from another society.

          But as anyone with a brain and a knowledge of history will be aware, invading and holding are two completely different issues.

          Look at places like Vietnam, Russia during several invasions, even places like Spain or the UK. Now Ukraine.

          Invaders or coup forces often find that they can conquer territory, sometimes at a terrible cost. But it costs even more to try to hold it.

          This is the basis of just about every nations defence forces, including ours. It'd be particularly hard to conquer and quell in NZ because of the terrain and the low density countryside and high density cities. Not to mention the numbers of weapons available.

          Throughout most of history defence has had a much stronger strategic advantage over attack. People with minimal weapons, but good organisation have repelled foreign forces time and time again.

          Right now that is what is happening in Ukraine.

          The reason that other nations are supporting Ukraine is because of the clear intention of the current Russian government to keep doing this kind of economic and military aggression against other neighbours. Since the nations bordering Ukraine are mostly NATO members, it is logical to support Ukraine militarily to keep such aggression away from NATOs borders.

          I would hope and pray for peace and sanity to prevail, as I do for the Russia-Ukraine.

          Your concept of sanity is idiotic. Presumably it is because of the Russia has nuclear weapons, because there is virtually no other way for Russia to control large parts of Ukraine against a strong defence.

          Assuming that is your unstated case, then all that this conflict is likely to do is to cause proliferation of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Because that appears to be the only advantage Russia actually has in the event of a near stalemate.

          Many nations from Ukraine to NZ have the capability to create nuclear weapons. In the event of a international rules based regime of respecting national sovereignty falls apart because Russia succeeds under a nuclear blanket – then that will change. Certainly I'd be pushing for it – just in case Australia or anyone else gets ideas about doing the same aggression against my society.

          So your idea of sanity is one that is more likely to make the world more insane rather than less insane.

          • RedLogix 10.1.1.3.1
            13 June 2022 at 12:42 pm

            Thank you for expressing this so clearly. I have been thinking along much the same lines but not able to form such a coherent case.

          • Just Saying 10.1.1.3.2
            13 June 2022 at 2:49 pm

            LPrent and everyone.

            There is more than one way to fight. Up against even Aus NZ would lose in battle. That's not surrender-talk it is facing the facts about pointless killing maiming and destruction. And if in the process NZ was prepared to risk escalation involving taking the battle to other countries, and nuclear war rather than trying to reach an agreement, that would just be more dangerously and insanely destructive.

            But hammering out an agreement is just the first stage. It would require genuine soul searching and preparedness to compromise, but if we found ourselves with, say, some occupied territory there are numerous ways of sabotaging occupation. This is not about cowardice, such actions are as dangerous to individuals as warfare. And there are ways the international community could think (for a change) and plan and pay close attention to Australia and tailoring cunning and effective consequences. Maximal suffering, squeezing where it hurts. (It's just weird to think of Aus this way)

            But a pointless, bloody war we were guaranteed to lose, and risking world, nuclear war?

            Madness.

            • mikesh 10.1.1.3.2.1
              13 June 2022 at 3:42 pm

              I agree. Wars should not be happening at this stage of Homo Sapiens' development. But when they do we should be standing back and making objective appraisals: asking ourselves, how did these things happen; who, if anybody, is to blame, and how might such conflicts be avoided in future.

              • mikesh …
                13 June 2022 at 6:03 pm

                PS: But this requires we look at the actual facts, not burble on about how horrible it all us, or whether or not Putin can be called a "fascist".

    • Psycho Milt 10.2
      14 June 2022 at 1:07 pm

      And suddenly, out of the blue this particular tragedy captures the passions and the desire to fight.

      There's something about a fascist dictatorship invading a democracy with the intent of genocide that has that effect, yes. This is a good thing.

      …the bizarre insistence that Ukraine is winning or can win – egging them on with no attempt at bringing the parties to the table to stop the bloodshed…

      Evidence of people insisting that Ukraine is winning? Beyond the sense in which holding back the invasion forces of a great power is a kind of win, that is? And, out of curiosity, is "bringing both parties to the table to stop the bloodshed" the approach you would have recommended in Sept 1939?

  11. weston 11
    12 June 2022 at 11:02 pm

    Putin apologists etc

    An observable fact of human behavior is that we love to form and join clubs .Makes us feel secure i guess , and safe within an 'acceptable ' belief system . The more people in the club the more it is perceived to be " right ' and so the group will grow until inevitably disagreements will occur and the cell will divide .

    So imo here we have what i will call the Ukrainian Fantasy Club whose only membership requirements are that one believes everything MSM says about the Ukraine war and hate all things Russian especially Putin .

    Badges of honor can be earned in this club by parroting propaganda phrases like Putin apologists , Russian asset ,useful idiot etc as many times as you can fit them into a sentence and of course these badges are blue and yellow .

    One of many odd things about this club is that its leader mr Zelensky is funded directly afaik by a very rich oligarch who helped him transition from a make believe president to a real one ! golly you couldnt make it up !Anyway luckily Ukranian oligarchs have magic powers of invisibility so club members dont hve to struggle with reality issues in this regard !

    Mr Zelensky an actor by profession makes a very good job of casting an heroic pose for the cameras and seemingly has few clothes other than battle fatigues although its hardly surprising since hes the star in a movie called " Weakening Russia " and the yanks love that sort of thing as do UFC members .

    One of the many 'blind spots ' that characterize UFC participants is the belief that 'the war' started on 24 feb and the considerable pile of corpses already stacked up by then somehow had nothing to do with fervent Ukrainian nationalism but could be handily blamed on ' Russian backed ' separatists !Yep some ten thousand of them became invisible in a memory blank spot lasting eight years .

    The truth is Ukraine shelled its own citizens indiscriminately for years while a motley crew of neo natzis harassed and brutalized round the edges till eventually those civilians developed the ability to defend themselves .What did the hero Zelensky do to protect his citizens ?well to be fair the military did eventually imprison the worst offenders but only the ones whose deeds were so repulsive even theycouldnt ignore them .{find the details on a site called donbass insider }but apart from that fuck all and although elected by majority on a platform of peace failed miserably when it came down to it and has failed ever since in my view .

    So now the body count grows ever higher and Ukraine gets more destroyed every day but still the clown Borris Johnson cries" dont give up" an Blinken bleats "your cause is just "and the EU goes along with the crowd .the weapons keep coming in, the arms manufacturers get richer and the UFC clap like seals at a marina .

    Call me a Putin apologist but i think you're all fucking insane !!

    • Jenny how to get there 11.1
      13 June 2022 at 8:49 am

      weston11

      12 June 2022 at 11:02 pm

      Putin apologists etc….

      The truth is Ukraine shelled its own citizens indiscriminately for years……

      And your proofs and evidence of this?

      Weston just because you state it doesn't make it so.

      There is a mountain of evidence of smashed apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure, town halls, supermarkets, schools, destroyed by Russian shelling and rockets.

      Weston I challenge you to provide even a shred of evidence to back up your claim that 'Ukraine shelled its own civilians for years.'

      Anything, photos, video, printed testimony, news reports. Links.

      Without proof of your claims, that Ukraine shelled its own civilians for years, is proof of just one thing, that you are just what you claim you are not, a Putin apologist.

      And we are not “fucking insane” to say so.

      Weston, If you can’t provide any proof to back up your claim that Ukraine has been shelling its own citizens for years, maybe it’s your mental health you need to look into.

      • weston 11.1.1
        13 June 2022 at 12:22 pm

        Graham Phillips has had boots on the ground in the Donbass region since the war began in 2014 and has compiled quite a trove of the evidence you claim is lacking .Here's one for a teaser



        He and others such as Patrick Lancaster ,Gonzo Lira, Texas Bentley,and quite a few others whose names escape me atm have been actually living and reporting from Ukraine so to me their testimony and their interviews with civilians living there carry a lot more weight than CNN MSNBC syndicated sensationalised MSM type BBC bullshit , but each to their own !

        You might also like to check out a US state dept report of 2021 detailing gross human rights abuses by agencies such as the SBU in Ukraine detailing unlawfull and exrtajudicial killings cases of cruel and degrading treatment etc etc

        Perhaps worry about your own mental health before worrying about anyone elses !!

        • Jenny how to get there 11.1.1.1
          13 June 2022 at 1:37 pm

          Is that it?

          You have to be kidding?

          I watched the short jittery outtake of video, contained in your link. It did not show one shell landing. It did not show one shell crater, or any other evidence of an artillery impact. None of the apartment buildings or cars were damaged. the windows in the apartment buildings had glass in the window frames. Nothing like the devastation resulting from Russian shelling and rocket attacks.

          Only one printed three word line, reading, "Ukrainian Shelling Hits".

          But we didn't see even one shell hit. Or any sign of resulting damage from these phantom "Ukraine Shelling Hits".

          There were some people lying on the ground.

          But with no witness testimony as to what is going on, and completely lacking in any context this video revealed exactly nothing.

          Weston, for your continuing ad hominem accusation that we are "fucking insane", for not taking your word, that "Ukraine shelled its own citizens indiscriminately for years". On such flimsy evidence, we would be insane to do so.

          Is this all you have got?
          As Carl Sagan said, “extraordinary claims require, extraordinary proof” This video is about as compelling as jerky video of UFOs.

          You are going to have to do much better than that if you want to be taken seriously.

          So come on, Weston, do you have any other proof apart from this video that, "Ukraine shelled its own citizens indiscriminately for years".

          Signs of damage, witness testimony, wrecked buildings, maybe just at least one broken window pane. That sort of thing.

          C’mon Weston. To make your case. What else have you got?

        • joe90 11.1.1.2
          14 June 2022 at 1:25 pm

          Graham Phillips has had boots on the ground in the Donbass region

          Telling that your go-to for unbiased commentary is a sex tourist, war criminal, and Russian tool.

          https://web.archive.org/web/20140627060619/http://grahamwphillips.com/2014/01/07/prostitutes-and-me-part-1-of-2/

          https://twitter.com/KenboStewart/status/558231437091287040

          https://twitter.com/A_SHEKH0VTS0V/status/621121953886281729

          • weston 11.1.1.2.1
            14 June 2022 at 7:30 pm

            Holy crap thats a lot of material did you read it all ?

            He must be seriously pissing off the Ukrainians to merit that amount of attention , i dont think ive ever seen such a long hit piece on anyone !Its pretty much all heavily biased propagandaized info of course but still it told me heaps i didnt know so thanks once again joe !!

            What did you make of the article about prostitution ?Did you get to part two ?

  12. Pierre 12
    13 June 2022 at 6:48 am

    It's very possible to take an anti-fascist position against the Ukrainian nationalist militias, while also criticising Putin's government. Through all the muttering about 'Putin apologists' this post makes no reference to the actual positions of the left in both Russia and Ukraine.

    • lprent 12.1
      13 June 2022 at 12:27 pm

      Through all the muttering about 'Putin apologists' this post makes no reference to the actual positions of the left in both Russia and Ukraine.

      Probably that was because the post wasn't directed to the 'left' in either of those two countries.

      Since this site has something like 95% of readership in NZ once you remove the bots, it would seem pretty obvious which 'left' community was being referred to.

      Mind you looking at the overnight comments, it may be that this particular post has a more international readership.

  13. Tiger Mountain 13
    13 June 2022 at 7:54 am

    Tobi…it is possible via dialectic methods to take on and examine opposing views, to find a way through these questions.

    Putin has to be stopped. And…so does US Imperialism; with its publicly acknowledged 750 plus offshore military bases and facilities, a number of which butt up against Russia.

    Neither Washington, Moscow or Bejing. Working class internationalism!

    • Tobi Muir 13.1
      13 June 2022 at 8:59 am

      Well said and agreed!

      • weka 13.1.1
        13 June 2022 at 10:08 am

        Apologies, only just seen your comments and let them through. New commenters get held up for manual release on the first comment. I'll make a note in the back end to let Editors know to keep an eye out for Guest Post author comments.

    • RedLogix 13.2
      13 June 2022 at 9:04 am

      so does US Imperialism; with its publicly acknowledged 750 plus offshore military bases and facilities, a number of which butt up against Russia.

      Usually quoted with without any context and somewhat misleading. The vast majority of these facilities are relatively small and the larger ones are located with major allies such as Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Australia – all of whom have been happy to host such bases since the end of WW2.

      Nor does this number reflect a US territorial expansion of any kind or the repudiation of any nations sovereignty – indeed a very odd kind of imperialism which since the end of WW2 has seen the number of sovereign nations sitting at the UN rise from it's 51 founding members to close to the 200 odd it is today. The post WW2 era has been remarkable for the collapse of empires, the relative reduction in warfare, increased security in most places, freedom of navigation and trade everywhere and an astonishing rise in human development overall.

      The problem marxists have with the US is not that has been the dominant hegemony for the past 70 years, but that it largely defeated their failed dream of world-wide marxism – and for this they will forever hate the Americans.

      • mikesh 13.2.1
        13 June 2022 at 11:11 am

        Usually quoted with without any context and somewhat misleading. The vast majority of these facilities are relatively small and the larger ones are located with major allies such as Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Australia – all of whom have been happy to host such bases since the end of WW2.

        You seem to have forgotten about Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

        • lprent 13.2.1.1
          13 June 2022 at 12:41 pm

          I believe that was based on a long-term lease in the wake of the 1901 (and 1903 reoccupation) war with Spain.

          Umm..

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base#Permanent_lease

          I believe that the American intransigence about relinquishing the lease is probably related to the attitude of the Cuban government in a position just off the coast of US.

          Treaties between nations tend to be renegotiated when there is a degree of trust between the nations.

          There are no courts that can deal with a issue from 1901 between nations.

          • Tiger Mountain 13.2.1.1.1
            13 June 2022 at 12:51 pm

            Cuba is one long standing matter that grinds my gears. How is socialism to be established anywhere with the hostile attitude of the Seppos? An unjustified 60 year blockade.

      • Tiger Mountain 13.2.2
        13 June 2022 at 12:23 pm

        Well the US working class has stirred in some workplaces despite incredible odds and resources pitched against them, and may well bite the American capitalist class yet.

  14. mikesh 14
    13 June 2022 at 9:38 am

    but military aid and supply for Ukraine is not the same thing as direct intervention.

    Oh, really?? It's clearly intervention however one characterises it. The US is as much to blame for this catastrophe as the actual participants.

    • RedLogix 14.1
      13 June 2022 at 9:47 am

      The US is as much to blame for this catastrophe as the actual participants.

      If you are going to demand that no nation is allowed to import arms in order to defend itself – then absent a global power with the mandate and capacity to prevent all warfare – the only logical conclusion is that all the smaller nations will be rapidly subsumed by all the larger more aggressive ones. Who in their own turn are expanding in order to protect themselves.

      Right back into the age of empires you profess so much distaste for.

      • mikesh 14.1.1
        13 June 2022 at 11:22 am

        If you are going to demand that no nation is allowed to import arms in order to defend itself –

        Disingenuous! There is a difference between simply purchasing what you can afford and being offered it unconditionally regardless of whether one can afford it. For venal, ideological reasons, the US would gift arms to Ukraine in this instance if necessary. They are, in effect, pouring arms into Ukraine. (Accompanied by anti Russian propaganda.)

        • RedLogix 14.1.1.1
          13 June 2022 at 12:11 pm

          Really? No US Lend Lease program in WW2 to both Britain and Russia essential to the defeat of Hitler?

          • mikesh 14.1.1.1.1
            13 June 2022 at 12:21 pm

            If Russia runs short of armaments, could it, perhaps, place an order for some more from the US?

            • lprent 14.1.1.1.1.1
              13 June 2022 at 12:46 pm

              Weapons tend to sold, let alone semi-donated, only when there is a pretty serious check that they won't get used against the country exporting or its allies and friends.

              I don't think Russia could argue that. They could try the Chinese or North Koreans. However I don't think that either are really that degree of friendly to Russia.

              • mikesh …
                13 June 2022 at 3:13 pm

                I was being sarcastic, as RL's merited.

                • lprent …
                  13 June 2022 at 6:14 pm

                  I have always felt that the best way to deal with incompetent sarcastic argument is to treat it as if it was made seriously.

                  That tends to make most of such sarcasm look pretty stupid, petulant and ill-informed.

                  In this case I suspect that your 'sarcasm' was mostly petulance because there are probably few good retorts to the question that RL asked.

            • Ad 14.1.1.1.1.2
              13 June 2022 at 12:51 pm

              US armament exports to Russia are banned.

              They are also banned from the EU as well. Even the minor loopholes have been closed now.

          • mikesh 14.1.1.1.2
            13 June 2022 at 12:25 pm

            More "whataboutism" I see. I thought you were opposed to "whataboutisms".

            • RedLogix 14.1.1.1.2.1
              13 June 2022 at 12:37 pm

              Your moral compass is utterly fucked – you can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.

              WW2 Lend Lease was a tremendous accomplishment. If the same effort again helps defeat evil once again this will the kind of whattaboutism we need more of.

              I realise you hate it because you know this flow of arms is the biggest threat to your hero Poots ambition to crush and colonise Europe.

              • mikesh …
                13 June 2022 at 3:25 pm

                Your moral compass is utterly fucked – you can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.

                The trouble with you is that you rely too much on your emotions. You look at the Ukranian situation and say to yourself "this is horrible, therefor Russia's evil, Putin is a fascist, etc" . I would agree with you: the situation in Ukraine is horrible. But then I stand back and ask myself who's really to blame for all this. I look at the history from about 2014 onward, and it immediately becomes clear that there has been severe provocation, and that the fault does not lie entirely with Russia.

                You need to clear away your emotions and get at the existential reality that underlies them.

                • RedLogix …
                  13 June 2022 at 3:45 pm

                  The good old reliable "look at what she was wearing, musta been gagging for it" provocation defense.

                  Besides all that is an irrelevant figleaf given Poots has now revealed his real ambition to "decolonise" Europe.

                • Stuart Munro …
                  13 June 2022 at 4:46 pm

                  Oh you sweet summer child 🙂

                  We have been following Putin's atrocities for decades. That fellow has more form than the Kray brothers. The Ukraine is just the most recent, and, as the annexation of Poland was for the Allies, the last straw.

                  I look at the history from about 2014 onward, and it immediately becomes clear that there has been severe provocation, and that the fault does not lie entirely with Russia.

                  Quite – Ukraine has from time to time returned fire. Are you suggesting they were obliged to restrain Russian aggression bare handed?

                  • mikesh …
                    14 June 2022 at 8:51 am

                    As I have said previously I have no interest in Putin's character. He could be the Antichrist for all I care. I'm really only interested in the Ukrainian invasion issue.

                    • RedLogix …
                      14 June 2022 at 8:58 am

                      You are happy to repeatedly blame everyone else in the West for what is happening in Ukraine – so why the free pass to Poots?

                    • mikesh …
                      14 June 2022 at 2:02 pm

                      so why the free pass to Poots?

                      The facts seem to indicate that. But you're not interested in the facts. You're only interest in putting out sob stories about the poor old Ukranians. Not that I disagree about the hardships being suffered by them, But nothing is achieved by going on and on about it.

  15. RedLogix 15
    13 June 2022 at 9:49 am

    Vlad Vexler – let us not tolerate evil with our back to it:

  16. Woolly Mammoth 16
    13 June 2022 at 12:54 pm

    Guest Post, if Russia is "fascist" and has "crushed all dissent", could you please explain how the Communists are the second largest party in the Duma?

    • Stuart Munro 16.1
      13 June 2022 at 4:57 pm

      Let us take the counter factual for a moment – if Russia were not fascist, and routinely engaging in crushing and/or stifling dissent, why did they find it necessary to murder Politkovskaya, Magnitsky, and the Skripals?

      As for the KPRF, they have been assimilated by the kleptocracy. As Britannica puts it:

      the KPRF leadership has gradually been integrated into the post-Soviet political elite,

      They too are Soviet survivors, and generally support the Putin regime on major votes.

      • Pierre 16.1.1
        14 June 2022 at 5:06 am

        You could also compare the situation in Ukraine, where left-wing parties have been banned, the Communist Party has been forced underground, workers rights have been suspended, and the Kiev regime officially promotes a horrifying circus of armed ultranationalist groups.

        • Stuart Munro 16.1.1.1
          14 June 2022 at 7:22 pm

          Ukraine is of course in somewhat dire straits at present. The political reliability of what should be a loyal opposition may be in question. Even the NZ government reserved the right to suspend and amend industrial awards in wartime – so nothing unusual there. And as for the ultranationalists – if they show up and fight against the malign aggression of Russia, they are heroes.

    • Tobi Muir 16.2
      14 June 2022 at 9:59 am

      I believe Putin is a fascist – i never said Russia is a fascist state but it may be well on its way to becoming one . Putin maintains authoritarian rule and the communists in the duma are his obedient stooges. If you need convincing that an artist facing 10 years for changing supermarket labels is an example of crushed dissent then you are beyond me

  17. aj 17
    13 June 2022 at 1:34 pm

    In this thread the author takes to a logical conclusion that a very common and quite legitimate belief such as ''having a very healthy amount of mistrust towards institutions and elites as well as liberals' can lead to placing people in boxes such as this: you either trust the state, its elites, its institutions, its ideology or be branded, quite literally, an enemy combattant.

    We really are going down dangerous roads without realising it.

    https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1535828610354794496?cxt=HHwWgMCiwfz-rdAqAAAA

    • lprent 17.1
      13 June 2022 at 6:08 pm

      My problem and obviously the post authors is the rather irritating and silly chorus that erupts whenever there are any posts written on this war and the reasons for it.

      We're perfectly aware of the past deficiencies of US foreign policy over many decades. Just as we're aware of the deficiencies of the Soviet, Russian, British, French, Chinese, and other large states. From what I have read by you, your knowledge is pretty poor about most of that IMHO.

      None that has much to do with pouring troops over a border with an avowed attempt at destabilising a neighbouring country and annexing some of its territory.

      Basically this was entirely unprovoked aggression against a neighbouring state regardless of the rationalisations.

      I've heard about Azov and a far right parties in Ukraine – both are tiny parts of the population by military numbers, and voting. And like the Russian propaganda it derives from – the case for their influencing Ukrainians military or governance is simply pathetic. Notably none of the fools raising it have managed to substantiate a case for actually influencing the Ukriainian government – it is a fantasy.

      Limits on NATO/EU expansion.

      There was no agreement in the 90s. Agreements between states are written down – usually as treaties or protocols. This appears some side comment at a diplomatic conference 20 years ago, and by the sound of it only related to East Germany anyway.

      Russia may not like it – but those are sovereign nation states. Russia doesn't have a say in their decisions, unless they come over the border. From what I can see, they joined NATO largely because of their past history with Russian imperialism from the early 19th century onwards, and struggled a lot to bring their militaries up to NATO standards. They joined EU because the economic benefits were worth the aggravation of conforming to euro policies.

      So what we are left with is what your comment is – vague hand-waving without bothering to mount an argument – and a army that massed on a border and then attacked without a declaration of intent or war.

      The sole apparent reason appears to have been to annex territory and to install a compliant Russian friendly government, regardless of what the Ukrainian citizens wanted.

      So why have you been supporting this? Otherwise I could just get a parrot and name them 'aj' – it'd be more intelligent.

  18. Mark 18
    13 June 2022 at 4:56 pm

    Frankly the article is daft and I'm unsure what his arguments are.

    Is he saying that because Russia and China say have different political systems from ours, Maoist, fascist, theocratic, whatever that that means we should have bad relations with them?

    "of the church that enforces ‘tradition’ and a regime that rejects any need for progressive rights usually subjugating women and minority interests"

    Subjugating minority interests? How. Russia has republics that are basically run by the minorities who make up a majority in those republics. Both the defense minister and deputy minister of defense are from minorities, as is the major of moscow.

    And what does 'subjugating women' mean. Where does he get this bs from.

    Just because Russian women are way more feminine than the shrieking feminist harridans we have in the West that does not mean they are 'subjugated'. In fact they may be a darn sight more happy.

    The article is just neoconservative boilerplate – because we don't like the political systems of other sovereign countries lets undermine them and go to war with them – an unabashed promotion of the Wolfowitz doctrine, bomb the fuck out of people who don’t toe the US line.

    • Stuart Munro 18.1
      13 June 2022 at 5:06 pm

      have different political systems from ours

      It's more to do with ethnic cleansing, rigid control of dissenting media voices, and invasive imperialist ambitions.

      To the extent that Russia and China exhibit these characters, first world nations cannot approve of them.

    • Tobi Muir 18.2
      14 June 2022 at 10:51 am

      Mark – you may be unaware of Russian domestic violence law but in short there is no legal protection of women from domestic abuse which is rife. The statute on battery was removed in 2017. Russia has an appalling record of violence against women and 'traditionalists' oppose any attempts to protect victims of abuse. Minority interest such as LGBt+ rights are virtually non-existent in Russia as are the rights of citizens to form any civil society organisations or political reform groups, NGO's are curtailed in the extreme. As a neo-marxist and a follower of Bookchin's Social Ecology ideas – i am not a neoconservative. I am an anti-fascist – you seem to support totalitarianism. Perhaps move to a nation where your preffered system of oppression exists?

      • Mark 18.2.1
        15 June 2022 at 4:18 pm

        What the fuck does "Russian domestic violence law" have to do with New Zealand lol!

  19. Mark 19
    13 June 2022 at 5:05 pm

    Chicks in the West

    [Deleted]

    vs Russian women:

    [Deleted]

    I rest my case

    [lprent: Mark- indefinitely banned for really silly pornographic spam. I closed your case. ]

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 hour ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 hours ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-27T01:29:16+00:00