Autonomy.

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, May 27th, 2018 - 29 comments
Categories: abortion, crime, culture, history, International, religion, Social issues, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, useless - Tags: , ,

I don’t want to upset any Irish people who might be reading this, but having been brought up as a notional Protestant in the British Isles, I was inculcated with a less than glowing view of Ireland and Irish people.

Ireland was a tad backwards and Irish people were suspect – all that Catholicism and violence!

Of course, that perception was meant to be applied far more to Eire than to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland had a modicum of progress about it – what with it being Protestant and a part of the United Kingdom and all.

Well, today a woman in Northern Ireland faces the possibility of life in jail if she has an abortion. That is, citizens of the UK are denied bodily autonomy and face the harshest penalties anywhere in Europe if they lay claim to their own bodies.

And across the political divide in Northern Ireland, (from Sinn Fein to the DUP) there’s a consensus that women ought not be permitted ownership of their bodies and the right to exercise decisions that come from that ownership.

I could find it all a bit confusing.

Eire was meant to be the backwards place that was held in some darkened state by the presence and power of the Catholic Church. Hell, I can remember when anyone going to holiday in Eire, was well advised to pack condoms into their luggage given the difficulty of obtaining them there.

And yet here we are, with abortion being made accessible, and same sex marriage available since 2015 in that most backwards of places, and neither of those things being a part of the landscape in that other part of Ireland that the most enlightened of political powers from across the sea decided to hang on to.

And that progress in personal freedom in Eire isn’t simply down to the fading power of the Catholic Church. If it was, then women in Northern Ireland wouldn’t be subject to regimes of control and punishment that fit with all the notions of that somewhat dark backwardness that ought (or so we were taught) to applied to all things Catholic and Republican.

I think I like it when the basis of inter-generational, state sanctioned bigotry and nonsense gets shown up for what it is. Maybe it’s time for British people to sweep away the broken and breaking pieces of their “Irish construct” and open the windows to let the taint of the bullshit they’ve been fed get aired out.

I’d like to think the architects of the bullshit, and everyone associated with them, and every institution that bolstered them, would get swept away too. But I know that’s probably asking too much.

29 comments on “Autonomy. ”

  1. Sabine 1

    just think about it.

    women have to fight and to get votes passed to have bodily autonomy, and at any time could loose it again by the stroke of a pen wielded by some men in suits, men in robes, and the women who support them.

    Its about high time that irrespective of ‘hinderland’ or progressive ideal land society admits that women do not have rights by way of being human, we have rights only because we fight or them.
    And in the year 2018 we still have to fight for the right to not die of a pregnancy gone septic – as was the case in in Ireland which in particular helped along this vote.
    And here as in the states as in Ireland and elsewhere we have people that also would in a heartbeat reduce women to chattel and breeding sows whose value only depend on how many litters she can push out before her uterus or her body gives up.

    May she rest in peace, may her family find solace in this ‘vote’, may no other women in Ireland will die because Doctors rather watch a women die then risk going to prison for providing necessary lifesaving medical care to an women (incubator without value) – cause only the unborn matters.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/26/savita-halappanavar-father-thanks-irish-voters-for-historic-abortion-vote

    Abortion on demand – YES!

    • adam 1.1

      When we have a section of society who do not think of women as human beings, then we will continue to have problems.

      Ireland once again takes a stand on the issue of women. I like the numbers and spread of votes as well.

      https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/todays-result-will-prompt-much-soul-searching-among-the-political-classes-845296.html

      • Sabine 1.1.1

        when we have people who on grounds of superstition and religion refuse to see women as anything else then chattel, property of the ‘father’ husband’ ‘other penis carrying family members’ and her ‘fruit of the loins’ to be property of her ‘ husband’ or ‘inseminator’ then you have women dying because of lack of female healthcare but mainly because of lack of human rights.

        And this is happening in many countries, Ireland just one of them.

        The political classes don’t soul search, they poll and do what is expedient. Its the religionists of all colors and creeds that need to ask themselves if the women are brood mares or humans.

        .

        • adam 1.1.1.1

          It’s not just health care, it’s health research as well – or the utter lack of it for women’s health.

          I’d argue that fundamentalist of all creeds are a blight. And your giving into fundamentalism when you think of women as anything less than human. Your giving up on humanity.

        • Bill 1.1.1.2

          I don’t know the ins and outs of why the UK’s 1967 legislation on abortion excluded Northern Ireland. But I think it safe to say, off the back of that, that there are reasons in addition to “superstition and religion” that will be used to justify the denial of a woman the right to her own body.

          • Philip Ferguson 1.1.1.2.1

            Although the Unionists in the north-east of Ireland like to bang on about being British they have never wanted certain British laws. Neither the abortion nor homosexual law reform legislation was extended to the six counties and no was gay marriage.

            Sinn Fein has tried unsuccessfully to get gay marriage passed in the north due to the hostility of the Unionist parties. They also campaigned for a Yes vote to repeal the 8th amendment in the south.

            In the north the balance of political forces is changing all the time so gay marriage will come there, it’s just a question of when.

            • Bill 1.1.1.2.1.1

              I guess my question is about how N. Ireland managed to be an exception to the ’67 legislation.

              Also curious about you saying Sinn Fein campaigned for a “yes” vote in the south, in light of the fact they’re maintaining their anti-abortion policy in the north (at least for now).

    • dukeofurl 1.2

      No . Its not abortion on demand in Ireland from the referendum.

      It merely brings them up to the point we in NZ came to in the 1970s. Thats isnt a womens choice either.

      The actual details of the proposed Irish law:
      “there is a risk to the health of a woman, on assessment by two doctors, without a distinction between physical and mental health”

      Good luck to finding TWO doctors in plenty of places in rural Ireland.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-sixth_Amendment_of_the_Constitution_Bill_2018

      • Matthew Whitehead 1.2.1

        That, and you have a month-and-a-half to request an abortion if you use a pregnancy test at the first time it’s likely to be effective- two weeks after the first missed period. There’s definitely a percentage of women who won’t know they’re pregnant within that time- hell, about 1/2500 women have cryptic pregnancies and don’t even notice their condition until they give birth. This is a reform, but it’s not feminists getting everything they want, it’s more like getting the bare minimum. (to be fair, this may be part of why it was quite popular with everyone under 65, because everyone knew it was asking for comparatively little. Hopefully the legislation will be liberalized over time)

        This is more of a beginning than an end for Ireland, but it’s a beginning that has shown conclusively that it’s a serious secular democracy and that it intends to keep up with the rest of the EU.

  2. greywarshark 2

    Basically it has advanced those Irish women into ‘person’ status from being female animal. It gives respect to women as being progenitors who are the source of fertility inherent in their bodies caused genetically. They are respected and recognised as being vulnerable to this genetic process which relates to the other genetic effect arising from sexuality and attraction to certain others.

    And it endows them as important as individuals who have adult lives, and their fertilised eggs are not equal in rights to the maternal matrix. Previously in Ireland sometimes the foetus or baby has been given superior rights to the mother. This change of law takes motherhood seriously; it is a demanding and lengthy regimen not to be undertaken lightly as it is vital that it be carried out well for a good outcome. To result in a happy child, strong in values and love, and wise to the good and bad inherent in themselves and in the world constant concern that encourages growth in mind, body and wisdom of the child, building capability in coping away from home, and being there to return and belong to.

    It is a task that is all-encompassing and not one to be forced on a woman but it is taken for granted frequently by a demanding but neglectful or authoritarian society.

  3. Bill 3

    @ Sabine and greywarshark.

    You’re comments suggest you believe that all Ireland’s women have won rights. But about 1/3rd of Irish women will not have the rights that have been secured through the referendum/vote.

    Approximately one million Irish women…today, tomorrow and next year…. face a possible life sentence if they have an abortion.

    • Sabine 3.1

      Bill, somehow you managed to utterly misunderstand my comment.

      women the world over face death if they don’t have an abortion be it because its an unwanted pregnancy, be it because they miscarriage and the body has not fully expelled the fetus, be it of other complications..
      in some South American countries women are jailed for life if they have a miscarriage – because Dr. are afraid to loose their lisence so they report these women to the police.
      in the United states the orange menace and his enablers are in the process of establishing the global gag rule of never even mentioning abortion at home.
      in Texas women die because they can’t receive pre-post natal health care because there are no clinics that would provide such services.
      in russia domestic violence is only domestic violence if the women needs to go to the hospital for ‘mending’.

      Ireland today is not a day for celebration, it should be a world wide day of shame.

      the only reason this vote came about is literally because a women who miscarried was refused necessary lifesaving clinical help – in a University Hospital !! – because Doctors were a. to catholic to be human, or b. to fucking scared to go to prison, so they let a women die of rotting fetus in her corpse causing sepsis.

      This vote might have given some women the right to not die of pregnancy, but it is still a day of shame.

      Think of this, a Dr. is afraid to go to prison, the women is afraid to die.

      • Bill 3.1.1

        I don’t think I misunderstood your comment. I was merely noting you (and greywarshark) used the term “Ireland” in a way that might suggest all Irish women have access to abortion.

    • dukeofurl 3.2

      In practice not actually life, but still something they shouldnt have to undergo

      https://theconversation.com/northern-ireland-abortion-conviction-the-result-of-a-draconian-archaic-law-57295

      ‘ the woman was sentenced to a three-month jail term, suspended for two years.’ She was unable to afford travel to England and bought ‘abortion pills’ online.

      There was an attempt to change some aspects of the NI law in 2013 , but because of the devolved power sharing, even if there was a majority it could be blocked.
      At the last Stormont election the DUP only won 28 seats out of 90. Down 10. The government is in abeyance due to deadlock between DUP and Sinn Fein

      http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-21755507

  4. adam 4

    Is it just me or is Northern Ireland looking more more like a experiment in male egos?

    Seriously, the guns, the brotherhood, the killing, the whole macho bullshit is just OTT in the place.

    The fighting did not stop (slow down) till women stood up and said enough is enough

    https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/peace-people-march-against-violence-northern-ireland-1976

    It took a long time from that point.

    But still it’s a boy’s club. A retrograde boys club. And now the Kook’s are up holding a corrupt Tory government.

    • Bill 4.1

      Off the back of a single vote, Northern Ireland looks to have become the dark undertow of human affairs in western/northern Europe. (And just to reiterate because I think it’s important to keep saying it – N. Ireland is an integral part of the UK.)

      It’s as though the place, through its politicians, now epitomises the very milieu it belittled and condemned in relation to Eire and its cultural capture by the Roman Catholic Church.

      And thanks for the reminder of women’s crucial role in beginning the opposition to the violence of N. Ireland.

    • Actually, both the first minister (prime minister) and deputy first minister are women.

      The peace movement was a fraud and had no impact on longer-term politics. It fell apart in acrimonious bickering very quickly.

      The notiion that the conflict in the north was about male egos is bizarre. It sounds like somethihg the Tory press in Britain used to say.

      The armed struggle started because the British state shot the civil rights movement off the streets.

  5. Observer Tokoroa 5

    Women’s Autonomy

    Surely we do have to respect a Mother’s right to make her own decisions.

    That obviously should extend to the Father too – I would suggest.

    One of the sad trends in New Zealand is that Born children are murdered horrendously by their parents in shocking numbers. Many more are dumped on grand parents.

    I somehow doubt that “Autonomy” is a good word. Not long ago Life use to be a lot more Sacred and a lot more Safe.

    At times things are difficult. I know that. But it is not silly to be careful – and caring. I think.

    • greywarshark 5.1

      Don’t fall to the nostalgia myth. Life used to be a lot more Sacred and a lot more Safe. One year way back perhaps. We did have the idea that having full time jobs that enabled workers to have a life, though there was still violence etc.
      But if the effort was made it would have been easier to break through the easy party, sexual thing. Now there is too much time off the job and in the pub and no planned future.

      • Observer Tokoroa 5.1.1

        Why do we accept Capitalists ?

        It probably sounds very silly to you Greywarshark, but it is not rugby or a new car that is the most important thing in family life. It is The Mother, The Father and The Child.

        The Capitalists do not seem to understand this. So they underpay workers. They enforce exorbitant Rents. They don’t boost, they enslave. They use every means to make families struggle. They wipe the faces of the middle class with oily rags and excrement.

        The Media and the Clergy and the Seniors in our Society just shuffle along as if everything is absolutely wonderful in their fogged up world.

  6. Philip Ferguson 6

    The south of Ireland is actually one of the most porogressive places in the world and Dublin is one of the most politically advanced cities in the world.

    This was a stunning victory as the socially reactionary forces threw everything they had into defence of the 8th amendment.

    Coming on top of the same-sex marriage referendum of 2015, this is huge.

    In the big working class areas of Dublin the ‘Yes’ vote was massive, just as it was in support of gay marriage rights. In Stoneybatter, for instance, the Yes vote was 92%.

    Here’s an interview I did a few days before the referendum with veteran working class activist Cat Inglis: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/irelands-abortion-referendum-interview-with-eirigi-activist-cat-inglis/

  7. Venezia 7

    Interesting to read your childhood memories of attitudes about Eire Bill. In my case, here in NZ, with Irish grandparents and a catholic education I learned that Eire was the land of Saints and Scholars. It was an education rich in the literature of Irish writers and poets, music (traditional, classical & church) and dance from the historical past, empathy for the underdog, and a sense of humour second to none. It was only as an adult I realised the downside to church capture.
    To Philip F – it is great to read your posts about the past and current situation in Eire. I will check out Redline more often.

  8. Sans Cle 8

    Sorry Bill, but your cultural bias and stereotyping are horrific in above post.
    Your writing angered me, as it’s another example of a male feeling entitled to drivel on, with faux authority (given your ‘expert’ judgement from living in a different jurisdiction…not even in Ireland or Northern Ireland!!) about a subject you clearly have very little understanding of.
    Please stop the stereotyping. Please read a little more into the issues.
    Please learn a little about Savita Halappanavar and the other TFMR women who acted as a catalyst and played a critical role in repealing the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution….on behalf of long suffering Irish women, who have been denied the right to choose.

    • Bill 8.1

      Yes Sans Cle, the “cultural bias and stereotyping” of Ireland within Britain is “horrific”.

      Nice attempt at …something or other on your part.

      You “get” that 1 000 000 Irish women still do not have access to abortion, have to travel ‘over the water’ to have one performed, and can’t get it done on the NHS, yes?

      (There was something around Scotland’s First Minister looking to provide women from Ireland access to the NHS in Scotland, but I don’t know what came of it. As you say “more reading” – or remembering.)

      • Sans Cle 8.1.1

        Unfortunately Bill I know all too well the situation in Ireland, from personal experience (as a young woman, having had to prove I was not pregnant before each administration of life saving medication over numerous months, as the medication had potential to damage a foetus). That involved the indignity of such scrutiny that men do not have to endure. So yes, I get angry when men comment with little understanding of the issues women face.
        As for your post. I think your point was “Yay, let’s celebrate change to women’s choice in Ireland…..wait up…conditions are not so good for women in Northern Ireland, let’s not forget them”.
        Well and Good.
        Instead of making that salient point, you introduced your cultural biases, which irritated me, and prompted me to respond. “Erin” is not really used to describe Ireland, there is Northern Ireland and Ireland (or the Republic of Ireland). Your introduction “I don’t want to upset any Irish people who might be reading this” is knowingly writing something ill-conceived. A lot like saying “I’m not a racist but…..”. You made the statement “Ireland was a tad backwards and Irish people were suspect”…as if that is a matter of fact. I would disagree. Another derogatory reference to lack of condoms, which was true up to 40 years ago. Not in any recent time.
        So forgive me….your sentiment of compassion for Northern Irish women is laudible, but your delivery “Galled” me (pun intended, for any Gaeilgeoir reading this).

        • Bill 8.1.1.1

          I’m sorry the way I presented the post, and/or failed in terms of being explicit with my argument upset you.

          I thought an indication of the fairly ubiquitous bias expressed towards Ireland throughout mainland Britain (and that I was subjected to growing up and rejected) was pertinent given the ‘superior’ tone of some English media on the referendum – especially when set against the fact that 1 million Irish women who are British citizens are still subject to laws drawn up in the 1800s that deny access to abortion.

          I don’t think I was commenting or driveling on any subject I may have very little understanding of. I made no presumption about, and made no comment on any personal experiences of any Irish women navigating unwanted pregnancy or the medical profession.

  9. Richard@Downsouth 9

    Meanwhile the US is going backwards, with a lot of small and frequent attacks of women’s rights (and many other rights), with Iowa passing the most restrictive law on abortion currently in the USA:

    “The general assembly, which has a Republican Party majority, has approved a bill banning most abortions once a foetal heartbeat is detected.”

    This means many women would be denied a chance at an abortion due to not knowing they are pregnant. Abortion was settled at Federal level by Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and greatly upset the ‘Conservatives’, especially the Christian right

    Trump has threatened the Federal funding of Family Planning, because they provide safe abortions, but not using Federal Funds, and it is less than 1% of what they do… and now 7 US states only have 1 abortion clinic…

    We know from prohibition that stopping access to safe abortions just leads to ‘back alley’ abortions, and yet in the USA, many politicians seem hell bent on not even providing quality sex education, and access to birth control

  10. AB 10

    I know what you mean Bill
    My father was very decent man, but for a long period his Anglophilia could only be sustained by imagining the republican Irish to be some bunch of uncouth, violent and superstitious papists who did not see or appreciate the superiority of English/Anglo Saxon/Protestant culture and history.
    To his credit he abandoned this view late in life. I like to think my assertion that Yeats was vastly superior to Tennyson helped in that, but it probably didn’t.

  11. Jum 11

    US is also threatening the health and freedom of women in other countries that rely on that health support from US.

    Those health service organisations which are linked with programs that support women to have an abortion have been required to ban abortions (?and contraception?) in order to keep US aid for their other services. It is an impossible situation US has put them in, given the grinding poverty, the sexual violence, etc. endemic in some of those countries.

    So, Trump and his shadow advisers are therefore responsible for endangering women’s health outcomes in other countries; therefore, who knows what pressure US will put NZ under to prevent our women having control over their own health given the opportunity?

    National, if it got back in, would probably side with Trump. New Zealand women seem to think they are safe from this theft of their personal rights. That would be a risky belief.

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    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    4 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    4 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    5 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    5 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    6 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    7 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    7 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    7 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    1 week ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • COP28 National Statement for New Zealand
    Tēnā koutou katoa Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. An island nation at the bottom of the Pacific, New Zealand is unique.          Our geography, our mountains, lakes, winds and rainfall helps set us up for the future, allowing for nearly 90 per cent of our electricity to come from renewable sources. I’m ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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