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notices and features - Date published:
6:00 pm, March 1st, 2016 - 23 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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So, anyone going to write a “sack ’em now” post on Andrew Little?
Big pharma’s newest fanboi….
Not good
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77406691/Andrew-Little-dines-with-drug-company-executives-months-before-adopting-Keytruda-stance
Except I basically trust Andrew Little to find out the facts by actually discussing with ALL parties, which may well include drug companies/Pharmac/Medical experts
I do NOT trust National government to make decisions which are fair to all NZers, or give a flying fu** about the masses. As long as their ricj mates can afford it, they’re alright Jack
Note that it was Labour hosting the dinner, in Labour’s offices. No chance to say they were being bought by being ‘treated’.
By being a private dinner, there was no message being given out of support in either direction.
I bet, too, there was no $1000 dinner fee for the party funds. I bet it was not sold as ‘access to politicians’.
However, there would have been a serious purpose, including Interchange of ideas, personal contacts and awareness including that very important one that Labour politicians are not mindless unionist lackeys etc etc, networking, and lobbying.
The dinner was organised by a lobby group. Politicians are used to being lobbied. The process of being given a point of view by an advocate does not mean that the point of view is automatically accepted.
Some advocacy does work. I’m in Grey Power. That’s what we do. But we certainly don’t get all of what we want. But as an advocate, I know I have to be up to the mark, especially when selling an idea to someone who is not naturally disposed to such an idea.
I believe that this press report implies a lot more than can be found.
I note, finally, that having been wined and dined, caroused with the drug lobbyists, flirted with the unmentionables, met in smoke-filled rooms and all the other dastardly goings on hinted at by even mentioning this as an news report, (and also note this from a media unfriendly to the Labour Party)- after all this hokum, the meeting was last September, and it’s now March before the bribe-taking, lobbyist-friendly, cuddling up to the capitalist class enemy ( /sarc in case any missed that!) Labour politicians accepted a petition from two melanoma sufferers and opened the issue with a Question in the House.
If there’s more to it than a normal meeting with industry reps half way through a parliamentary term, then I’ll espouse any conspiracy theory going.
What it also suggests to me mac1 is that the lobbyists, company CEOs (whatever) see Andrew Little as a future leader who is prepared to listen to all sides and make balanced and informed decisions. I see it also as a recognition of his worth.
Right on the money, Anne.
I am pissed off by this denigration of Little at alia. I am also pissed off by the willingness of people to enter into conspiracy theory, and expect the worst of our politicians.
I want to quote a right wing view from a lobbyist for the government who agrees with the TPPA. His name is Charles Finny. He wrote on the KiwiBlog the following.
“So the TPP has fully complied with Labour’s five bottom lines. They’ve just tried to find an excuse to oppose it to appease their union overlords.”
Conspiracy theorists can’t have it both ways. Some say that Labour is in the bed with pharmaceutical companies and others say Labour is kowtowing to union bosses.
Unless, of course, the unions are in bed with the companies. OMG! And, of course, Andrew Little was a former union boss. OMG squared!
Ekstually, I think there’s a better case for conspiracy in the drug companies’ name for their new melanoma drug- Keytruda………………….
Guess its okay to post this here ?
‘They’ are saying there have been large Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide releases observed prior to some earthquakes in the past.
On the 27th for about 3-5 hours the COsc over Christchurch was hitting 721 ppbv (whatever that is ?) while most of NZ was @ 50 ppbv. Then they had that +4 quake
Last night there was a bigger ‘release’.
10pm the COsc was @ 41ppbv
1am – 424 ppbv,
4am 1091ppbv http://earth.nullschool.net/#2016/02/29/0300Z/chem/surface/level/overlay=cosc/orthographic=-196.98,-42.12,3000/loc=171.560,-43.697
The COsc hit over 5,000 ppbv over most of Southern California, a few days ago.
California Faultlines Rupture Releasing CO, CO2 and SO2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyQ3YPGgvFg
Published on 29 Feb 2016
On February 25 between 16:00 and 19:00 there appeared to be a rupture of the major faultlines on the West Coast of the US. The gases CO, CO2 and SO2 were measured to skyrocket, stay very high (indicating ongoing emissions) for at least 18 hours and then slowly dissipate. The spatial pattern of the emissions followed the “tuning fork” pattern of the major faultlines.
Been a lot of confusion today about Labour’s stance of zero hour contracts. The explanation’s reasonable enough – theyre just supporting it to second reading to try and get it strengthened in committee. But you’d think they’d figure out they can’t afford any more headlines about selling out workers rights. There’s no trust anymore. People aren’t waiting to hear the explanation. They want a party that looks like it stnads for workers against the boss.
This was in an email from Iain Lees-Galloway: While we don’t have final agreement from the government to get all the changes we need, we’re bargaining in good faith. This means we’ll be voting for the next stage of the Bill on Thursday to continue the negotiations, but we will be demanding the amendments are made in the Committee stage next week before it passes. We will vote against any law that does not properly end zero hour contracts.
The zero hour bill is packed in with things like the extension of paid parental leave, so it seems that Labour has chosen to try and make them change the unacceptable parts rather than opposing it outright.
The old US trick of trying to pile in all kinds of crap in the same bit of legislation in order to get it through.
Yup. You can then guarantee a headline – either “Labour votes for zero hour contracts” or “Labour votes against paid parental leave.”
Not many other options are there.
Sadly, you’re looking in the wrong place for your workers’ party.
Winston Peters raises the flag 🙂
Good comments too 🙂
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/video-nz-first-flies-flag-in-face-of-referenda-2016030114#axzz41c3G7aVE
Nobody pulls stunts like this with quite the same combination of gravitas & humour as Winston. 😀
How bad political journalism can get: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Forget-Spotlight-Theres-a-war-against-journalism.html
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-derailed-by-obamas-endorsement
” Adding a new wrinkle in an already unpredictable election year, Donald Trump saw his poll numbers plummet on Monday after receiving a surprise endorsement from President Barack Obama.
The long-awaited downfall of the abrasive billionaire came in startling fashion, as few had expected the President to offer a full-throated endorsement of Trump, especially on the eve of the all-important Super Tuesday primaries.
Praising the Republican front-runner during a nationally televised address, the President said that, despite media reports to the contrary, Trump shared his views on such important issues as immigration and religious tolerance. “In every way that matters, Donald and I are on exactly the same page,” Obama said, pointing to a framed picture of the billionaire on his Oval Office desk. ‘ Quote end.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/29/why-are-there-suddenly-millions-of-socialists-in-america
some interesting stats
Starting to feel like I need a Trump-blocker for my browser.
heh
How does Trump Filter work?
Trump Filter is a Chrome extension that searches the web pages you visit for references to Donald Trump. It then makes those references disappear with three adjustable levels of severity.
http://trumpfilter.com/
😀 And it’s real! (I don’t use chrome though).
This Drumpfinator works in Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/drumpfinator-fx/
Nah, I neeed a Trumpobliterator.