us politics
Categories under us politics
- Kamala Harris (2)
US turnout – the single advantage of having a stupid elected monarch
Written By: - Date published: 7:27 am, December 12th, 2018 - 19 comments
The voter turnout in the US mid-terms was the highest that it has been in a hundred years. For the first time that I think Donald Trump, the elected monarch of the strangest “democracy” on the planet actually achieved more than boasting and meaningless hand-waving. Of course that appears to have been an unwelcome accident to him.
Safe from prying 5Eyes
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, December 8th, 2018 - 62 comments
I like my Huawei phone. Apparently the US National Security Agency can’t break its encryption. That’s presumably the “security” issue why Spark is being blocked from using Huawei, and why Meng Wanzhou is held hostage in Canada at the behest of US neocons.
Nutjobs and the UN Global Migration Pact
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, December 7th, 2018 - 137 comments
National and ACT have alleged that a United Nations Pact supported by New Zealand in 2016 will take away sovereign rights even though the pact itself says that it is not legally binding.
Spooked!
Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, November 29th, 2018 - 29 comments
The GCSB ban on Spark’s use of Huawei technology means this government has gone from “honest broker” to poodle in a very short time. Pressure has been applied by the US and others, apparently fearing we are the “soft underbelly” of the Five Eyes spy network. Maybe its time we got out of that too – it was designed for war.
The dinosaurs are clinging on
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, November 28th, 2018 - 32 comments
The Trump administration has produced an official report outlining the perils of climate change which the POTUS has rejected. And in Australia the dinosaur Liberal Party has suffered a huge loss in Victorian State elections, the loss of their Parliamentary majority and ScoMo has criticised school students taking direct action against the Government’s totally inadequate policies.
America First!
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 22nd, 2018 - 96 comments
Actual press release from the Trump White House.
Political interference
Written By: - Date published: 10:35 pm, November 20th, 2018 - 82 comments
China certainly has interfered in New Zealand politics, most notably by the offer of a free trade deal which delivered huge benefits to our economy. Party and government officials all stressed to us that they were grateful for New Zealand’s support for their accession to the World Trade Organisation, the rule-based trade body. The US and Australia in contrast want to build a military base on Manus Island north of Papua.
Has Julian Assange been charged?
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 pm, November 16th, 2018 - 67 comments
In breaking news it appears that the reason for Donald Trump’s grumpiness may have been the impending release of news that Julian Assange has had charges laid against him.
Climate Action Heating Up.
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, November 16th, 2018 - 15 comments
Yet another front opening up in the demand for action on global warming…
14 Million Yemenis and a Diplomatic Nightmare
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, November 16th, 2018 - 19 comments
In Yemen right now, children are living in the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in the last 100 years.
Tweet of the year
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, November 13th, 2018 - 15 comments
There is still seven weeks of this year left but it appears likely that the tweet of the year has been tweeted.
American midterms – revenge of young people and the decline of the NRA
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 12th, 2018 - 51 comments
In the midterm US elections a number of candidates supported by the NRA have lost out to opponents with strong anti gun views. And the youth vote surged. Were these events related?
All that is wrong with America’s democracy
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, November 10th, 2018 - 40 comments
In Georgia, despite the Repbublican candidate who oversaw the election process engaging in the mass disenfranchisement of Democrat voters, the removal of voting machines to make voting in Democrat areas more difficult and baseless smearing of the Democrat candidate, the result is on a knife edge and a second vote is a possibility.
Disestablish the establishment.
Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, November 9th, 2018 - 29 comments
Politics can be soap, or politics can be real. This post comments on some of the soap and offers an example of something that’s real
Rude ‘n Terrible?
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 pm, November 8th, 2018 - 38 comments
Trump’s…I don’t actually have words for this little escapade.
Jeff Sessions resigns as Attorney General
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, November 8th, 2018 - 27 comments
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned at the President’s request and has been replaced by someone who thought that Mueller’s investigation into POTUS went too far.
Why this mid term result?
Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, November 7th, 2018 - 39 comments
What can we take from the US mid term election results?
Triumph the insult dog meets Beto and Cruz
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, November 7th, 2018 - 6 comments
If you have 10 minutes to waste and enjoy laughing uproariously I can recommend this video. Warning should not be watched while you are drinking coffee and the contents may be sprayed on your screen …
The United States mid term elections
Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, November 7th, 2018 - 101 comments
The US mid term election results are due out today and should start to appear after 12 pm NZT.
A Democratic Cakewalk.
Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, November 5th, 2018 - 48 comments
Cenk Uygur might be said to have “skin in the game” when it comes to the US Mid-terms, and given that much of this post revolves around, or bounces from his commentary and analysis – which may not be quite as objective as he thinks – that should be borne in mind when reading this post.
Morongate
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, November 4th, 2018 - 13 comments
In America a young 20 year old Trump supporter has been branded with the hashtag morongate for the most inept dark op smear you could ever imagine happening.
Brazil turns right
Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, October 29th, 2018 - 90 comments
Brazil has elected as its next President a 63-year-old former paratrooper who built his campaign around pledges to crush corruption, crime and a supposed communist threat.
Media Thriving on its Own Shit.
Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, October 29th, 2018 - 24 comments
When purveyors of propaganda come to believe their own spin and start entertaining really quite idiotic conspiracy theories and abandoning any pretense of being in possession of rational thought, then we’ve got a problem.
Democracy and peace in the USA
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, October 28th, 2018 - 115 comments
In the land of the free and the brave there is news of voting machines changing votes from Democrat to Republican candidates, mass stripping of voting rights and closing of voting booths in Democrat areas, and right wing extreme violence caused by escalating rhetoric from the POTUS.
Oil and morality
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, October 23rd, 2018 - 44 comments
The death of Jamal Khashoggi raises the important question can we still question the morality of Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia Admits Killing Khashoggi
Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, October 20th, 2018 - 66 comments
Saudi Arabia sensationally fesses up to killing missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But it was all his own fault, apparently.
Saudi Arabia and the United States
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, October 17th, 2018 - 21 comments
Saudi Arabia is preparing to admit that the U.S. resident and investigative reporter did indeed die in their embassy in Turkey.
Reprehensible People.
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, October 13th, 2018 - 80 comments
“Kavanaugh” – the name lends itself to being enunciated with a certain pluminess, don’t you think?
Another reminder that climate change is happening
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, October 12th, 2018 - 63 comments
Hurricane Michael is exactly the sort of weather event that climate change scientists predicted would occur because of climate change.
National’s firearms forums – what could go wrong?
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 10th, 2018 - 125 comments
National has launched a series of public meetings to discuss a major issue. Not child poverty or climate change or how badly wrong Steven Joyce’s $11.5 billion hole claim was, but guns.
Shake It Up, Taylor Swift, Shake It Up
Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, October 10th, 2018 - 36 comments
There is a long a proud history of musicians adding their weight to the Democratic cause in the United States, but Taylor Swift’s recent action is about as on-message as you can get.
- Hobson’s Pledge Support Peaceful Protest But Encourage Listening
It is concerning that some participants of the hīkoi seem to believe only their voice and actions are to be respected, and are intent on shutting down any debate. ...1 week ago - ‘Effortless-seeming genius’: Carl Shuker’s favourite reads and other stories
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Carl Shuker, author of new novel The Royal Free. The book I wish I’d written I wish I’d written Philip Hensher’s Kitchen Venom. No one talks about it ...1 week ago - Gone By Lunchtime: Our decision desk is now ready to call the US election
The new old president, the hīkoi hits Auckland, and a momentous day of apology at parliament. After more than a week scrutinising the granular data, the Gone By Lunchtime podcast decision desk is ready to make a call: Donald Trump has won the US presidency. In a new episode, ...1 week ago
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“This sale, and the lack of information surrounding it, shows exactly why we need better regulations to hold council staff and it’s leadership more accountable,” Harvey said.” ...1 week ago
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Musical theatre sceptics Gabi Lardies and Stewart Sowman-Lund review the three-hour spectacle at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. Gabi Lardies: Stewart, we sat through THREE HOURS of musical theatre last night. That’s a big ask for an audience trained on 12-second reels. Tickets are between $69 and $179 – we were both ...1 week ago
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In 2016, Chris Parker, Tom Sainsbury, Kura Forrester and Brynley Stent surprised audiences with an orgy. Now they’re doing it all again, on a bigger, shinier stage. Eight years ago, four little-known comedians, two who had just met, ended their play thrusting, sweating and panting in an over-the-top orgy. There ...1 week ago
- New Zealand Government Refuses NGO Calls To Back End To Secret WCPFC Compliance Processes
Accountability.Fish, a global non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the transparency and accountability of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), has raised concerns for some time over the lack of transparency within the ...1 week ago
- Who are the New Zealanders who can’t afford nourishing food?
By calculating the weekly deficit in people’s budgets, a new report shows how those receiving benefits or working for minimum wage often can’t pay for food after the cost of fixed expenses. One in five working-age New Zealanders doesn’t earn enough to feed themselves and their family well, new ...1 week ago
- The Cost Of Silence: NZ’s Role In Standing Against Iran’s Repression
The piece highlights the recent execution of Jamshid Sharmahd by the Iranian government, discusses New Zealand's current approach (as well as that of other democracies) toward the regime's hostage-taking tactics, and suggests an alternative, more unified approach. ...1 week ago
- Horrific, heartbreaking, wrong: Who apologised, and how
Politicians and public sector bosses say sorry, but victims of state abuse have something to say, too, writes Toby Manhire in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Sorrow and substance ...2 weeks ago
- As te reo Māori grows, so does the search for trilingual interpreters
Deaf Māori face exclusion from their whānau and cultural heritage due to an extreme shortage of trilingual interpreters. Imagine being deaf and at the tangi of a loved one. You stand when everyone else stands, sit when everyone else sits, and stare at the lips of speakers, trying to catch ...2 weeks ago
- We have the ratings for Stuff’s ThreeNews. What story do they tell?
Duncan Greive analyses three months’ worth of ratings data to get a sense of whether Stuff and Three’s big bet is paying off. When Three shocked the country by announcing it was shutting Newshub earlier this year, as many as 10 groups are thought to have canvassed the idea of ...2 weeks ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill
Human Rights Commission’s Tino Rangatiratanga leaderJulia Whaipooti explains what has been happening. ...2 weeks ago
- Survivors Must Receive Redress To Have The Opportunity To Heal: Save The Children
Today’s vision shared of New Zealand is of an Aotearoa where every child has their rights understood, respected and upheld ensuring they live good lives now and have a bright future to look forward to. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Axes Specialist Māori Body Advising Pharmac Without Consulting Māori
"This is another sad indictment of the priority the National-led Government places on improving the health of Māori," said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant Secretary for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Public Service Association. ...2 weeks ago
- An Apology For The Apology? Blind Survivor Deplores Use Of Ableist Slur By Prime Minister At Histori...
“The phrase "turn a blind eye" is an inherently ableist expression that wrongly equates blindness with ignorance, neglect, or deliberate stupidity. This phrase reinforces the dangerous & outdated stereotype that blind people are less perceptive, capable, ...2 weeks ago
- Care Experienced Young People Say Apology Means Nothing Without Action
The apologies seemed sincere, but amongst those listening there was disappointment that there is still no redress system; and a sense that unless the apology is followed by action the words will seem hollow. ...2 weeks ago
- Ara Taiohi Calls For Abuse Apology To Be Backed Up By Rangatahi-centred Policies
We must build back better, build a system with rangatahi at its very centre. The legacy of this government will be measured by their ability to respond appropriately, to create a physically safe and emotionally nurturing environment for children and ...2 weeks ago
- Three rooms, one apology: Survivors gather across the motu for abuse in care reckoning
Joel MacManus reports from parliament as the prime minister delivers the national apology for abuse in state care, while Lyric Waiwiri-Smith in Auckland and Alex Casey in Christchurch join survivors watching the livestream. ‘It’s not enough’ – Wellington As Andrew Bridgman, the acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki, began the ...2 weeks ago
- ‘The room was aching’: Survivors in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch gather for apology
Joel MacManus reports from parliament as the prime minister delivers the national apology for abuse in state care, while Lyric Waiwiri-Smith in Auckland and Alex Casey in Christchurch join survivors watching the livestream. As Andrew Bridgman, the acting chief executive of Oranga Tamariki, began the speeches at the national apology ...2 weeks ago
- Hollow Apology Fails To Resonate With Survivors
Today, the Government had an historic and monumental opportunity to start righting decades of wrongs against survivors. Unfortunately, the Government has yet again let down survivors who placed their trust in it. ...2 weeks ago
- TOAH-NNEST Rejects Choice Of Parliament For State Apology – True Reckoning Is Concrete Reform &...
The national network says the government should have chosen direct engagement at the flaxroots outlining concrete, meaningful actions for survivor restoration and systemic prevention to ensure this never happens again. ...2 weeks ago
- Home Education: The Baker whānau
Home Education follows the everyday lives of six families in Aotearoa educating their children at home. Today, education among whales and horses with the Baker whānau. The new docuseries Home Education is filmed across Aotearoa, in and around the homes of six families who have taken schooling outside ...2 weeks ago
- Great news: New Zealand’s favourite TV show about trucks driving very slowly is back
Tara Ward watches the return of Moving Houses. Seasons change, flowers bloom and bath water grows cold, but one thing never alters: the pulling power of a house on the back of a truck. Moving Houses returned to TVNZ for its third season on Sunday night, and with it a ...2 weeks ago
- The Baker whānau | Home Education | The Spinoff
“Family is always first” | Watch the full series: http://thespinoff.co.nz/videos/home-education 🐋 When a whale washed up on Tokomaru Bay, Israel and Petrina Baker decided it was important to take time out of school so that their tamariki could learn how to harvest the taonga. Truancy officers were not too pleased, ...2 weeks ago
- Review: Inside Mystery Festival, Auckland’s most secretive concert
Does a slightly dodgy gimmick make for a majorly shit music festival? As Lyric Waiwiri-Smith finds out, not necessarily. To have entered Auckland’s Mystery Festival on Saturday, you needed stamina, a fondness for drum and bass, break-neck-speed head bopping, a pair of jorts or those ruched Glassons short shorts and, ...2 weeks ago
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The research from Takatāpui, Rainbow, and MVPFAFF+ survivors also highlights the urgent need to end State control over children’s care decisions, advocating instead for empowering whānau with the necessary support and resources to provide appropriate ...2 weeks ago
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As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a ‘skint’ 32-year-old on the supported living payment explains how she gets by. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Trans woman. Age: 32. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Long-term ...2 weeks ago
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PSA members who are civilian workers escalated industrial action last week after NZDF refused to budge from a zero-pay rise offered during negotiations for a new collective agreement. ...2 weeks ago
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VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai has been advocating for care experienced rangatahi since 2017, and CEO Tracie Shipton hopes the apology will mark the start of a new and better chapter for care in Aotearoa. ...2 weeks ago
- A national apology and what’s left unsaid
Government agency and political leaders will apologise today for decades of historic abuse in state care, writes Duncan Greive in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...2 weeks ago
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Is the global conference more than just a gabfest, and what is it doing in Azerbaijan? What is Cop and why is it 29? Cop is the “conference of the parties” – that is, the 197 parties that have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change born out ...2 weeks ago
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Since setting off Monday morning numbers have swelled from a couple hundred to well over 1000 people, demonstrating their opposition to the coalition government's controversial Treaty Principles Bill and other policies impacting Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- Barring Aaron Smale from the abuse in care apology is a very, very bad joke
The grim irony of prohibiting a journalist who has shown such tenacity in the face of an obstructive state. The story of abuse in New Zealand state and faith-based care is a long and sorry dirge of ignominy. To which can now be added: the decision to deny Aaron Smale ...2 weeks ago
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Perrin Hastings, creator and host of The Gender Agenda, shares their personal journey to making a new local series about gender for rangatahi. From a very young age, I knew I was going off-script. I would sit and study television shows where gay characters were punchlines. If there was a ...2 weeks ago
- Open Letter Against Oceana Gold And Fast Track Expansion
“Oceana Gold have opted to use the Fast Track legislation to go ahead with the Waihi North gold mining project at Waihi and in the conservation forest at Wharekirauponga. ...2 weeks ago
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Sanctions would likely require a law change, but there’s another path the government could consider if it chooses to take a tougher line. The decision by Israel’s parliament to designate the United Nations’ Palestinian relief agency UNRWA a “terrorist organisation” has been condemned by many governments, with claims it will ...2 weeks ago
- For abuse in care survivors, an apology without action means nothing
Tomorrow, the prime minister will deliver a national apology for abuse that occurred in state and faith-based care. But for survivors, redress and accountability still look to be a long way off, writes Steve Goodlass. As we drew closer to the date of the public apology, the response minister Erica ...2 weeks ago
- Inside the urgent race to solve homelessness in Aotearoa
As homelessness hits an all-time high, New Zealand’s frontline organisations are embracing unconventional and innovative strategies. Joel MacManus takes a closer look at the crisis and meets the people who claim to have the cure. Photos taken by David Jensen on an outing in Wellington, October 2024. The names of ...2 weeks ago
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