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notices and features - Date published:
5:30 pm, September 8th, 2022 - 33 comments
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Getting rid of the FBI, might not be a bad idea.
https://couragenews.substack.com/p/news-foiad-fbi-files-on-aretha-franklin?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Sorry to sound all lawnordery, but I'm not sure what the fuss about the Police taking pictures of you is all about.
Most people especially the young have faces and names all over the interweb already in Tiktok/Facebook/Snapchat/Google/Tinder/Grindr/Bumble/Findsomeone/Cupid,
and this is well supplemented by ones' image in drivers licenses, passports, jail, MSD card, MYID, your local liquor card, library card, school i.d., university i.d., HOP and Oyster Card, and all the rest …
… along with all the face recognition every time you step into public transport, an Uber or Ola or taxi, every speeding camera, every central government building camera and public street corner smile while you’re at it …
… all of which were given freely. The Privacy Commissioner is concerning identifiable portraits a bit of a dork.
The point of the Police is not to arrest people. It's to keep law and order.
So go do law and order. One photo at a time.
If the police are taking snaps of masked men then I'm in trouble – "Hi-yo, Silver…"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/474366/police-illegally-photographing-youth-maori-a-widespread-practice-investigation-finds
"Law an ordery".
But the police blatently breaking the law, is fine?
https://democracyproject.nz/2022/09/08/bryce-edwards-how-politics-got-captured-by-the-middle-class-and-why-its-a-problem/
Bryce Edwards writing about the professional managerial class. Nails it
.
The class at the very heart of narcissistic, authoritarian Wokedom.
A good piece by Edwards….that will be dismissed by many here.
Yes many on this site will dismiss the dominance of the PCM. But glad there are a few of us who see what is going on.
I am pretty sick of seeing ads for the new health reforms. How much is that costing?
That’s because it is unmitigated bullshit. What defines sneering academic more than kaftan-wearing Bryce Edwards himself? And what on earth is the PMC? It's not Franco's Spain but then Ehrenreich, Trotter, Mclauchlan, and Edwards do see themselves as modern day Orwells warning us about a fictional and dark "Establishment".
Truth is the white, conservative working class have always been there. Now upset their position as most marginalised has been usurped, they are punching down as well as up, fighting an angry, intolerant war on two fronts; against the brown and black and the misgendered, and against those they blame for helping them too much with grand visions of cultural transformation.
These people hid amongst the left for decades but are now being exposed for the deeply entrenched issues they hold against single elements of progress. Emboldened by Trump's coarse, self interested populism they, obsessed with identity, now feel free to attack equality itself and any attempts to achieve it.
I am surprised they are so many here…
That's brilliant, Muttonbird!
And your explanation for the lack of meaningful change is?
So are you saying that a PMC does not exist and we should all ignore the concerns of the "conservative" working class?
Wokedom indeed
When it came to advocating for a CGT Trotter sided with the government doing nothing … lest those of his generation remove them from office.
Rising rents diminished the impact of their first income bump effort to reduce child poverty. They have held off their second go for a time lest the money go into landlords profits and hold up property values (and for Orr to undo his mistake).
Hopefully when they act they have a rent freeze for a year as well.
The moves on industry awards …
Don’t cry if the merchant class demonstrate that there is a difference.
“When it came to advocating for a CGT Trotter sided with the government doing nothing … lest those of his generation remove them from office.”
Though I consider myself a 'leftie', I also was opposed to the CGT option, favouring, instead, the imposition of land taxes. However, I also believe the income tax system should be rational (and fair), which is why I applauded Robertson's making rental interest non deductible, though I thought he should have gone further and made all business interest non deductible. Still, I guess that would have been a bit too much to expect. I certainly don't favour the ten year bright line test.
I would have to add that my views had nothing to do with saving Labour from losing office.
Nothing wrong with the focus on the removal of the interest deductability on existing residential property (incentivises investment in new builds).
Given the lack of CGT over the decades – there is the Green wealth tax (catchup). I would add an estate tax to that – the level phased down based on the number of years the wealth tax was paid.
Thanks Anker, the article articulates what I see but not how it came to be.
Here we are, having korero under a red standard and so often the vibe is against what is good for the working class, or those at the bottom of the heap. The 'war porn', barely a whimper about the locked out workers at Essity's plant, the defence of Dr Doolittle's behaviour during the nurses pay round, gender wars…
Now that there is a politically energised section of the population leading into local body elections, this PMC mob insist we must make sure they have nothing to do with the eftpostle, VFF, FARC etc. Heaven forbid we may elect some who will effect real change. This energising has come about, partly, because they don't see anyone speaking for them in society.
Not a ‘PMC mob member’ here – imho it's common sense to look very carefully before leaping into bed with the (mad or bad) "eftpostle, VFF [make NZ “ungovernable”], FARC etc."
A couple of observations, while you may not be a member of the PMC, I humbly suggest that your aims or thinking are aligned.
The focus on Tamaki is missing the wider point. The few folk I know who were at Wellys don't have much truck with the eftpostle but it is another shoulder at the wheel.
Your emphasis on Bishop/mask/freedom is also a touch misguided. As I have pointed out there are other issues at play too. The crisis at FENZ, and Marsden Point for two. You didn't know about FENZ and that kinda speaks to a lot of the rabble's distrust of MSM.
As I have mentioned in the past I want to know, of those standing, who adheres to the neo-liberal status quo? Coz for more and more of us, it ain't working.
PS nothing personal in any of that.
Good observation. You may be right, but in order for me to be certain, I would have to know what the apparent aims and thinking of the PMC are/is. If you can enlighten me, then I can confirm, deny, or attempt to adopt a non-binary position [aligned/neutral/against in parts, as appropriate]. The managers I worked under were a mixed bag: one excellent (memorably so) and given the boot early; one pretty good and supportive; a couple average, and a couple dire.
Please observe that you introduced "the eftpostle" (@3.4.1.1) into this thread; if I'm guilty of focusing on whatever self-bestowed grandiosity Brian goes by now, then it's only by way of responding to your comment . As you note, he's only one of many 'signals', albeit a relatively long-standing in Aotearoa.
Would much prefer to emphasise the Health Dept's position on mask wearing during the current pandemic, rather than VFF's stance as per the flyer in my letterbox earlier this week. It's one thing to point out Govt inconsistencies and errors (they're human), but what’s implied by "mask-winked" is not for me.
I think the Green's wealth tax is an excellent idea, and was very disappointed the PM ruled out the CGT recommended by Cullen's Tax Working Group. Gross inequality is a true blight on NZ, and I could support all efforts focused on helping disadvantaged groups and individuals to get a fairer deal, short of overthrowing an elected Govt. and/or otherwise making NZ ungovernable.
Appreciate the "nothing personal" (genuinely), and likewise.
As to enlightening you to the PMC, I can only suggest reading Anker's link. Maybe dropping the PMC title and try Brahmin left.
I suppose what I see is a conservatism, in that there is a reluctance to change, to let go of power, privilege or status. Tinkering, incrementalism and window dressing is what they deal in.
With what we are facing with poverty (Labour's
early election bribecost of living payment), inequality and CC, I sense a lack of political will to make the changes needed.Democracy as it is practiced here will not suffice.
From Bryce Edwards' Democracy Project article that Anker linked to:
I definitely don't see the majority of 'ordinary people' as "reactionary and culturally backward, racist, sexist and homophobic." Having said that, some of those positions and views are held by some Kiwis. "Detached"? Maybe – UFC/Boxing/WrestleMania entertainment doesn't appeal to me.
I prefer working alone (no distractions for a one-track mind), despite knowing (from experience) that most significant progress comes from cooperation/teamwork. Far too timid (cowardly) to police behaviour anywhere except this blog, although I do occasionally push back (gently) against what I believe (rightly or wrongly) to be regressive viewpoints.
I'm in favour of my own (quite modest, imho) financial security; there's enough wealth in Aotearoa now for all Kiwis to have that level of security.
My own career advancement was negligible, likely due to lack of talent, although I prefer to blame a lack of ambition.
Did encourage and assist a few colleagues to apply for promotion – unlike me they belonged to oppressed communities that had to work at least twice as hard to get half the recognition they deserved. "Diversity" never crossed my mind; really not that difficult to spot creativity and talent.
No arguement from me there – anything (short of overthrowing an elected Government) for bold progressive change on these fronts. Mind you, 'progressive' might soon be joining 'woke' in the divisive dogbox.
And no argument there either. The problem is getting enough voters to really feel the misery, confusion and fear that is the daily lot of many Kiwis. Maybe those leading anti-government movements have a role to play, but some of their actions lead me to wonder about their genuine aims and thinking. For example, VFF seems more focused on freedom from vaccines and masks (and possibly the virus itself), rather than freedom from poverty.
Yeah, a mass movement protesting poverty – now that I could get behind.
UK energy plan to be fully unveiled today ,the estimates are not nice (200 b pound) when expressed as revenue.
https://twitter.com/OilSheppard/status/1567417786816774144?cxt=HHwWgIC-3YWLy8ArAAAA
China makes substantive arbitrage trade,buying Russian LNG at half price,selling shipments from the US to Europe at spot price.
https://twitter.com/SStapczynski/status/1567720991547342851
Not sure how accurate this tweet may be….Europe currently dont have the capacity to accept larger volumes of LNG….Id suggest any capacity is well and truly filled without de facto Russian gas via China….smells like propaganda.
Its US gas,redirected (onsold) instead of going to China (long term forward contract) it goes to Europe.China receives LNG from up the road in Sakhalin.
Whilst there are capacity constraints in Europe at present for LNG,the UK has 20% of the reconversion capacity in Europe,where by the interconnection lines it gets reexported to Europe,Ireland .
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/articles/trendsinukimportsandexportsoffuels/2022-06-29
"China’s state energy majors have stepped up the sales of liquefied natural gas to struggling Europe, Bloomberg has reported, citing an unnamed source from the gas market.
Several cargos of U.S. LNG originally destined for China have been re-sold to Europe since the start of the year, the report noted, and right now China’s CNOOC is offering an LNG cargo from Australia’s North West Shelf for delivery in November."
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Steps-Up-LNG-Sales-To-Europe-As-Prices-Soar.html
Unnamed source….and Aus gas in the news again.
Concerning as China oil imports are down as well.
Timor asked Europe and developed countries for 100 billion to not develop gas field,not many takers.
Further irony,
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1567806941757378562?cxt=HHwWhMC4_euG_MErAAAA
Now we have the UK exporting electricity to Norway (made from lng and norwegian gas ) at 396 e mwh.
The Hosk……back on the turps big time in the Herald….
“I said in the last column that they are toast…….I know cos I have toast every day…..as various disasters unfolded, I wondered whether they were inept or Machiavellian. Turns out the answer was both…………”
Hoskins =Stupid or obnoxious person = a twat!!!
He could not do one tenth of what Jacinda Ardern does, but his ego is huge.
Kat and Patricia.
The Hosk may not be 'woke', but he's narcissistic to the bone – from way back.
Historian Tim Snyder has made his Yale course The Making of Modern Ukraine available on YT.
Class 1: Ukrainian Questions Posed by Russian Invasion
Class 2: The Genesis of Nations
https://www.timothysnyder.org/
Just walked through Sylvia Park shopping mall, late night shopping. Only about 1/3 of people now wearing masks.