making shit up
Categories under making shit up
- No categories
Shouty Simon’s strange budget claim
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 19th, 2018 - 64 comments
National’s claims about Labour’s health spend suffer from the not insignificant problem that they do not make any sense when analysed.
Media Sprays and Leaves.
Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, May 5th, 2018 - 24 comments
Fed up of being fed bullshit just so your opinions can be nurtured for harvesting? I am.
Everyone applauds Labour’s homelessness plan … except National
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, May 5th, 2018 - 133 comments
Labour’s announcement of $100 million spending on homelessness has attracted praise from everyone, except National.
So there was sewage leaking into Middlemore hospital’s walls
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, May 4th, 2018 - 87 comments
In further horror news about our health system the leaks of sewage into the walls of Middlemore Hospital has been confirmed and its discovery occurred in 2010. And in 2015 the chair of cash strapped Canterbury DHB signed a Ministry of Health drafted letter saying it did not need further funding despite an urgent need for further funds.
Guest Post: How many working groups did the last National Government create?
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, April 26th, 2018 - 38 comments
A Guest Post from Luke C where he analyses National’s creation of working groups in the last Goverment and comes up with a surprising conclusion.
Bottom feeding fish
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, April 24th, 2018 - 99 comments
Yesterday the Herald said something stupid about Clarke Gayford, reported his response and then reported at how the country was divided by the article.
Jacinda Ardern is just like Donald Trump
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 22nd, 2018 - 77 comments
In a gross example of click bait journalism a senior political commentator at a major media outlet has claimed that Jacinda Ardern and Donald Trump are similar.
Bullshit upon Bullshit.
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, April 18th, 2018 - 34 comments
Doctors being intimidated.
The political honeymoon that keeps on ending
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, April 18th, 2018 - 43 comments
Media pundits are claiming on the evidence offered by one poll that the Government’s political honeymoon is over. But the same claim was made four months ago.
Photoshop Wars?
Written By: - Date published: 4:03 pm, April 17th, 2018 - 56 comments
The Independent’s Robert Fisk reports from Douma, where he interviewed one of the clinic doctors who said that the images that outraged Trump, May and Macron were real, but the cause was oxygen starvation from dust, not poisonous gas. Could it be that misleading images started a bombing war? What might this say about Western values?
This is extremely dangerous to our democracy
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 29 comments
Make of this what you will.
Evidence-based foreign policy
Written By: - Date published: 6:07 pm, April 2nd, 2018 - 99 comments
In the second stage of a false flag attack, facts go out the window and the sole issue becomes “are you for us or against us.” Our media and National Party politicians are well into this stage in the Skripal affair. But as questions mount and skeptics proliferate from all sides, Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters may well be wiser than media advisers by not following blindly the western herd. 26 countries is not the whole world. Update: Porton Down unable to establish Novichok of Russian origin.
Hope – A powerful but dangerous tool.
Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, April 2nd, 2018 - 27 comments
Some interesting musings on hope and dashed hope by “Upper Hutt boy in London” – Nick Kelly.
Doofus of the week – March 17, 2018
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, March 17th, 2018 - 37 comments
is awarded this week to Lisa Prager who is convinced that construction of cycleways in Auckland is part of a global conspiracy to take away our rights and whose sledge hammering technique is not optimal.
National claims credit for Waitangi Day
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, February 7th, 2018 - 58 comments
National is claiming some credit for the success of Waitangi day. But the things they claim credit for are because of decisions of others, not the National Government.
Hatchets and Knives.
Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, January 9th, 2018 - 20 comments
A little on the (predictable) fallout from Emily Thornberry’s BBC Radio 4 interview.
The Saviour Machine
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, January 9th, 2018 - 66 comments
Our ingenuity.
The right loses its shit after a public servant accidentally tweets from the wrong account
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, December 26th, 2017 - 111 comments
An accidental tweet from a Government account has led the right to claim the existence of all sorts of conspiracies.
A Christmas Rabbit-hole.
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, December 23rd, 2017 - 26 comments
Just some light-hearted musings.
Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, December 18th, 2017 - 131 comments
The “Adapting to Climate Change in NZ” report.
Tory Translation Service
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, December 17th, 2017 - 211 comments
I don’t often admit that there is anything that the right do better than the left, but, credit where it’s due, there are a few things. Chief amongst them are dog whistling and wedge politics. These are calculated political silencing tactics that use language to belittle the left and make us appear alienated from […]
The Herald thinks Jacinda Ardern is a Marxist
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, December 13th, 2017 - 204 comments
The Herald has equated Jacinda Ardern’s desire to temper the worst excesses of capitalism with the full embrace of marxist communism.
Another day, another piece of bullshit from someone in the MSM
Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, December 8th, 2017 - 109 comments
Misleading the NZ public about a political party, its policy, and how government works actively harms democracy.
Doofus of the week – Nick Smith
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, November 25th, 2017 - 60 comments
No competition in this one, Nick Smith for showing that despite the 27 long years he has spent in Parliament he still has no idea how our electoral system works and for claiming there is an electoral convention that simply does not exist.
Revisiting the Chinese-sounding-names story
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, November 25th, 2017 - 249 comments
Data journalist and former Herald reporter Harkanwal Singh talked recently about data literacy and diversity.
Labour accelerates action on Pike River re-entry
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 21st, 2017 - 182 comments
National is trying to spin that Labour has adopted its position on re-entry of the Pike River mine. But the Pike River families are having nothing of this.
Can Ben Mack please make his mind up
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, November 12th, 2017 - 84 comments
Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right. Can he please make up his mind.
“Reporters”.
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 17th, 2017 - 56 comments
“Once upon a time, in a world far away” we had these people called “reporters”.
An honourable profession, who considered it their job to keep the public accurately and completely informed.
Coalition of liars
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, October 7th, 2017 - 35 comments
The right wing clobbering machine is already calling a possible Labour Green NZF a “coalition of losers”. Well under MMP a coalition of losers can be the winners. But however you cut it a coalition of liars will always be liars.
Cameron Slater makes valuable contribution to blog defamation jurisprudence
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, October 5th, 2017 - 55 comments
Cameron Slater and friends and clients are in the High Court defending a claim that he defamed three health researchers. They tried to have the case kicked out but failed. The judgment makes for an interesting read.
Dirty Politics 2017 style
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, September 28th, 2017 - 168 comments
The Greens aren’t going to support a National government, so why is there so much push to make it look like it might happen?
- Xmas: Best coffee table book
Okay so the next day, the very next day, that my feature on the top 10 coffee table books of the year was published last week in ReadingRoom, I came across a courier package in the corner of my room, opened it up, and it revealed not just a book ...5 days ago - Government’s ‘abject failure’ on secrecy clauses
Govt agencies are giving themselves a ‘get out of jail free card’ on OIA requirements, observers say The post Government’s ‘abject failure’ on secrecy clauses appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Why universities must be neutral
Opinion: Academic freedom is key to exploring ideas in the classroom and to produce innovative research The post Why universities must be neutral appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Buildings ‘pancaked’ in Vanuatu as 7.3 magnitude quake strikes off capital Port Vila
By Stefan Armbruster and Harry Pearl of BenarNews A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu today, US geologists said, severely damaging a number of buildings in the capital, crushing cars and briefly triggering a tsunami warning. Witnesses described a “violent shake” and widespread damage to Port ...5 days ago - Fiscal update shows Kiwis paying price for government’s austerity, critics say
The government's opening of the books has been met with derision from its opponents inside Parliament and out. ...5 days ago - Hugh Marks is the new managing director of the ABC. Is he the right person for the job?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne Aspects of Hugh Marks’s record as chief executive of the Nine Entertainment Company raise questions about his suitability for the position of managing director of the ABC, to which ...5 days ago
- Powerful 7.3 magnitude quake strikes Vanuatu – triggers tsunami waves
RNZ Pacific A large 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila , shortly after 3pm NZT today. The US Geological Survey says the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles). Locals have been sharing footage of damage to infrastructure in ...6 days ago
- Chris Trotter: Running Us Off The Rails
New Zealand will pay a high price for pulling out of this deal – just as it did 64 years ago when the Second National Government tore up the contract its Labour predecessor had signed with British and American interests to establish a large cotton ...6 days ago - Fast-track bill passes into law, amid protest
Protesters shouted "this bill kills" and unfurled a banner before they were ordered to be removed. ...6 days ago
- Australia’s latest brush with extreme heat shows just how good weather forecasting really is
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ailie Gallant, Associate Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century, Monash University Google Earth As a dome of heat developed over north and central Australia last weekend, parts of the country braced themselves for their first taste ...6 days ago
- Tech giant Meta will pay Australians $50 million for enabling the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law & Justice; Lead, UNSW Public Interest Law & Tech Initiative, UNSW Sydney The Australian Information Commissioner today announced a settlement with tech giant Meta over its involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The settlement ...6 days ago
- Protesters Disrupt 3rd Reading Of Fast-track Bill
”The fast-track bill is anti-democratic, anti-climate, and anti-Te Tiriti. Regardless of the bill passing today, thousands of New Zealanders are ready to stop these projects from being built in our communities,” says 350 spokesperson Adam Currie. ...6 days ago
- The government is spending millions on news, but crucial community media remains underfunded
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bridget Backhaus, Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Media Studies, Griffith University Shutterstock The Australian government has launched its News Media Assistance Program, throwing a lifeline to public interest journalism and local news. The latest push for a more diverse and ...6 days ago
- Cars in Australian cities are emitting less – but in the regions exhaust emissions are growing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kai Li Lim, St Baker Fellow in Electric Mobility, The University of Queensland becauz gao/Shutterstock Within five years, transport is expected to be Australia’s top source of greenhouse gas emissions. While renewables and storage are bringing down emissions from the electricity ...6 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi says Luxon may be ‘drop-nuts’ if he doesn’t...
The prime minister not attending Waitangi Day would show he "has no balls and may be a drop-nuts", Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says. ...6 days ago
- Can Syria avoid becoming another Libya or Iraq? A week after Assad’s fall, here are 3 possible fut...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, the world was moved by emotional scenes of liberation — families reuniting after years of separation and former prisoners walking free from the ...6 days ago
- The fiscal update is no Christmas present for the government – but signs of a slow recovery are th...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Hickson, Economics Lecturer and Director Business Taught Masters Programme, University of Canterbury After a slow economic year, many New Zealanders are eyeing 2025 with uncertainty but also a degree cautious optimism. Interest rates are dropping and unemployment rates remain below expectations. ...6 days ago
- Immigration Minister Delivers Changes In Time For Christmas
"It’s been an incredibly tough few seasons, with huge pressure on farmers who have been unable to find the staff they need to run their businesses." ...6 days ago
- ‘Brutal austerity’ – reaction to opening of govt’s books
The PSA says the reckless drive to cut costs shows the government is prepared to put dollars ahead of Kiwis' lives. ...6 days ago
- Live: ‘Brutal austerity’ – reaction to opening of govt’s books
The PSA says the reckless drive to cut costs shows the government is prepared to put dollars ahead of Kiwis' lives. ...6 days ago
- Why do we revert to our childhood selves when we visit family?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gery Karantzas, Professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock You’re an independent, capable adult all year round. But when you gather with family for a holiday such as Christmas, suddenly the child in you comes out. Maybe ...6 days ago
- Serious youth offenders numbers drop by 7%
It equates to being over a third of the way towards the government's target of 15 percent fewer youth offenders by 2030, Oranga Tamariki says. ...6 days ago
- HYEFU revealed: Nicola Willis deploys convenient new measure amid bleak books
Analysis - The opening of the books at Treasury has revealed a bleak economic outlook, and a new measure to improve that picture. ...6 days ago
- New Zealanders Be Warned – More Brutal Cuts To Public Services Coming
"History and now fresh evidence tell us that austerity doesn’t work, but the Government is failing to listen. Today in the Budget Policy Statement it set the stage for further deep and broad cuts which will impact the services New Zealanders need now and in ...6 days ago
- The best books of 2024: The people’s choice
The results of our reader survey of the best books of the year. Over 300 Spinoff members responded to our call out to discover what people enjoyed reading locally and internationally this year. The results show a healthy crossover with The Spinoff’s best New Zealand books of 2024, with some ...6 days ago - Now We Know Why Nicola Willis Didn’t Want Experts In The Room: Changes OBEGAL Calculation To Appea...
“Nicola Willis is guilty of manipulating the fiscal indicators in the same way then Opposition Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis jumped up-and-down about when Grant Robertson changed the way Net Core-Crown Debt was calculated to make the numbers ...6 days ago
- Minimum Wage Decision A Conscious Decision To Increase Poverty
It is an indefensible attack on working people and will only serve to inflame poverty and undermine a weak economy. ...6 days ago
- What makes a great sports coach? We identified 17 of the world’s best, and found some patterns
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cliff Mallett, Professor of Sport Psychology and Coaching, The University of Queensland red mango/Shutterstock The study of leadership in high-performance coaching aims to deepen the understanding of how and why coaches lead the way they do, rather than just what they ...6 days ago
- Government makes it easier for businesses to hire migrants
Cabinet has also agreed in principle to bring in two new seasonal visas from late 2025. ...6 days ago
- HYEFU: Government books to stay deep in deficit until 2029
And Nicola Willis has adopted a new measure for its finances, excluding the impact of ACC, which it said distorted previous forecasts. ...6 days ago
- Forecast surplus delayed two years, Willis vows earlier end to deficit
The Treasury’s end-of-year fiscal and economic update shows the Government’s return to surplus has been delayed by two years on current projections.Using either the traditional operating balance measure or a new measure announced Tuesday, the Government will run a deficit for at least two years more than forecast at the ...6 days ago
- Why zoning reform won’t solve the housing crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raphaël Fischler, Professeur titulaire à l’École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage, Université de Montréal Montréal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood and downtown are exemplary places for functional diversity. (Shutterstock) There are many good reasons to bring about reforms in zoning, but reducing the cost ...6 days ago
- How can you stay safe from cyber attacks? Here are 2 simple checklists from experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jing Jia, Senior Lecturer, Business School, University of Newcastle cottonbro studios/Pexels “Cyber security” may sound like a far-off worry for big corporations or telcos, but that’s far from the case. Cyber security simply means the practice of safeguarding your sensitive data ...6 days ago
- NZTA settles High Court battle with Transmission Gully builder
The The Transport Agency and Wellington Gateway Partnership have been wrangling over claims that work areas have not been properly cleared up. ...6 days ago
- Minimum Wage Announcement “A Pay Cut For The Most Vulnerable”
“The Government has made another callous decision which will make in-work poverty even worse in Aotearoa,” E tū Assistant National Secretary, Annie Newman says. ...6 days ago
- The Spinoff’s favourite TV shows of 2024
From evil penguins to globe-trotting jackals, here are the TV shows that we were animals for this year. We’ve already covered off our favourite local television moments of the year, but there is still so much more to dive into beyond our televisual shores. It was predicted that 2024 would ...6 days ago
- Smallest minimum wage increase ‘since the 1990s’
The minimum wage will rise by 1.5 percent to $23.50 from April 1, it was announced Tuesday. ...6 days ago
- Wellington Council moves ahead with submission against Treaty Principles Bill
One councillor called it a waste of time and ratepayers' money, saying the council should keep out of "central government barn politics". ...6 days ago
- Media Should Make Point Of Speaking To The CTU This Afternoon On HYEFU
Banning the CTU, the Taxpayers’ Union, and groups like Business NZ and the Federated Farmers is not a strategy to get back to surplus. At best, it’s a cheap PR ploy to attempt to control the media narrative. ...6 days ago
- ‘Taken the local out of local government’: Councils react to crackdown
Mayors are accusing ministers of taking "the local out of local government" with proposed changes to rates and spending rules. ...6 days ago
Recent Comments