Daily Review 08/02/2017

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, February 8th, 2017 - 39 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

39 comments on “Daily Review 08/02/2017 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    8 February 2017 at 6:15 pm

    With this revealed, surely a sackable offence.

    Poto Williams hired PR company to attack Willie Jackson.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/02/poto-williams-hired-pr-firm-for-willie-jackson-ploy.html

  2. Paul 2
    8 February 2017 at 6:17 pm

    My posts are not getting through?
    Did I miss something?

    [r0b: lprent added you to moderation for a bit, if you look back through your old comments you will probably find a note]

  3. weka 3
    8 February 2017 at 7:15 pm

    Audrey Young
    ‏@audreyNZH

    Maori Party’s Marama Fox: “We no longer need to be led by the politics of a left or a right; blue undies, red undies, same skid marks…”

    https://twitter.com/audreyNZH/status/829169281048866816

    • BM 3.1
      8 February 2017 at 7:20 pm

      Maori party wants to control all the Maori seats and become Kingmaker.

      A good strategy in an MMP environment doesn’t matter if it’s National or Labour Maori party gets to implement lots of Maori focused policy.

      I’d be surprised if Labour holds onto any Maori seats at this years election.

      • weka 3.1.1
        8 February 2017 at 7:34 pm

        “I’d be surprised if Labour holds onto any Maori seats at this years election.”

        Why? Because Fox can make a joke in positioning between L and N?

        • BM 3.1.1.1
          8 February 2017 at 8:06 pm

          No, because certain Maori have worked out (taken them a while) that the seven Maori seats if held as a block makes them kingmakers in the majority of electoral situations.

          If you’re on the Maori electoral roll and not voting Maori Party you’re an idiot.

          • weka 3.1.1.1.1
            8 February 2017 at 8:15 pm

            That would only be true if voters had a say in which way the Mp jumped (and even then, individual voters would still have no say). Lots of Māori don’t want a National govt, why would they take the risk?

            • BM 3.1.1.1.1.1
              8 February 2017 at 8:22 pm

              The Maori party is only about Maori their objective is to get the best deal for Maori no matter who’s in power.

              Maori voting Labour in an MMP environment is hard to understand

              • weka …
                8 February 2017 at 8:55 pm

                yes, I understand what the Mp is. I’m just saying that not all Māori will agree with you that the Mp represent their best interests. Having a Labour led govt with strong Māori MPs is a better bet for some.

                “Maori voting Labour in an MMP environment is hard to understand”

                Not really, as I’ve already explained, why vote Mp and risk having National in govt again?

              • Gabby …
                8 February 2017 at 9:25 pm

                Maori who aren’t iwi leaders might disagree.

          • AB 3.1.1.1.2
            8 February 2017 at 9:10 pm

            Nope – if the MP go with National you get lots of loony, right-wing economic and social policy that is dreadful for most Maori (and most Pakeha too but proportionately more Maori)
            Your statement should read: “If you are on the Maori roll and you vote for anyone who might enable National you are an idiot”.
            But then again, unlike you I don’t presume to speak for Maori.

          • marty mars 3.1.1.1.3
            8 February 2017 at 10:30 pm

            I’m on the Māori roll and have voted for them once many moons ago. I have lost faith in them also many moons ago.

            I then voted Mana and I lost faith in them.

            Who to vote for now? – at this point I think what’s the point.

            I probably am an idiot for sure.

            • GregJ 3.1.1.1.3.1
              9 February 2017 at 6:07 am

              I then voted Mana and I lost faith in them.

              Was that because of the Mana-Internet connection?

              Objectively at the moment it appears Māori (collectively) can choose to go MP, Labour or swing to the left with Mana (I’m assuming Māori will not repeat the NZ First experiment again). Of course that is predicated on viewing Māori as one homogenous grouping which is not really the case. I’d have thought a strong left Mana block would create some interesting dynamics.

              • marty mars …
                9 February 2017 at 7:49 am

                No I went with Internet Mana – I don’t believe that the kaupapa of the Mana Movement can be maintained by combining with The Māori Party in whatever way they are considering. At the moment I have lost faith and trust in the Mana leadership.

                • GregJ …
                  9 February 2017 at 6:30 pm

                  Thanks.

                  I should perhaps have added the Greens into the mix of alternatives for Māori collectively to support.

    • marty mars 3.2
      8 February 2017 at 10:33 pm

      Quite a witty comment from Marama that except that the middle is the arsehole where the shit comes out.

    • DoublePlusGood 3.3
      8 February 2017 at 11:35 pm

      Well, Marama, skid marks only show up when you’re full of shit.
      And only one of those colours of undies does anything good for your people.

  4. weka 4
    8 February 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Tusk ‏@TuskCulture 1h1 hour ago

    “There was never a time when women weren’t threatened” Anne Else on why this Trump era is an ongoing yet more apparent thing #cindytalks

    https://twitter.com/TuskCulture/status/829197508245078016

  5. Paul 5
    8 February 2017 at 8:25 pm

    Monbiot as ever writes so much sense.
    The 3rd in his series of solutions to neoliberalism.

    “Without community, politics is dead. But communities have been scattered like dust in the wind. At work, at home, both practically and imaginatively, we are atomised.

    As a result, politics is experienced by many people as an external force: dull and irrelevant at best, oppressive and frightening at worst. It is handed down from above rather than developed from below. There are exceptions – the Sanders and Corbyn campaigns, for instance – but even they seemed shallowly rooted in comparison with the deep foundations of solidarity movements grew from in the past, and may disperse as quickly as they gather.

    It is in the powder of shattered communities that anti-politics swirls, raising towering dust-devils of demagoguery and extremism. These tornadoes threaten to tear down whatever social structures still stand.

    When people are atomised and afraid, they feel driven to defend their own interests against other people’s. In other words, they are pushed away from intrinsic values such as empathy, connectedness and kindness, and towards extrinsic values such as power, fame and status. The problem created by the politics of extreme individualism is self-perpetuating. Conversely, a political model based only on state provision can leave people dependent, isolated and highly vulnerable to cuts. The welfare state remains essential: it has relieved levels of want and squalor that many people now find hard to imagine. But it can also, inadvertently, erode community, sorting people into silos to deliver isolated services, weakening their ties to society.”

    Read the whole article here.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/08/take-back-control-bottom-up-communities

  6. Macro 6
    8 February 2017 at 8:28 pm

    Hmmm don’t tell Pulla – but this is groundbreaking news in UK.

    Disabled man just one more benefit cut from having sufficient incentive to walk again!

    /sarc

  7. Paul 7
    8 February 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Arctic ice at lowest ever by far.

    Almost continuous warm, moist air invasions of the Arctic during fall and winter of 2016 and 2017 have resulted in the lowest sea ice refreeze rates on record. As a result, the amount of ice covering sections of the Northern Hemisphere ocean is now remarkably lower than during past comparable periods. In other words, we’ve never seen a winter in which Northern Hemisphere sea ice was so weak and reduced.

    One key measure, sea ice volume, has shown particular losses when compared to past years. And even taking into account a long term trend of ice losses for the northern polar region that has been ongoing since the 20th Century, the 2016-2017 losses stand out like a flashing red indicator light. A trend directly related to the human-forced warming of our world through fossil fuel burning and related greenhouse gas emissions.”

    Read it all here.

    https://robertscribbler.com/2017/02/08/arctic-sea-ice-volume-is-lowest-on-record-by-a-considerable-margin/

  8. Paul 8
    8 February 2017 at 8:36 pm

    More on that subject.

    The North Pole has not witnessed the Sun over its horizon for the last three months but will be warmer than many parts of Mediterranean countries later in the week

    ‘The North Pole will later this week enjoy temperatures of 21C (70F) above its historic average.
    It should be witnessing temperatures of around -25C to -50C (-13F -58F) however at a temperature of around -4C (+24.8) later in the week The North Pole will be once again warmer than many parts of the Mediterranean
    Another incredible scenario is developing this week in the The North Pole, which has not witnessed the Sun over its horizon for the last three months but will be warmer than many parts of Mediterranean countries, Spain France, Italy and Greece.’

    http://www.thebigwobble.org/2017/02/the-north-pole-has-not-witnessed-sun.html

  9. Paul 9
    8 February 2017 at 8:43 pm

    So if you say you care about the environment, and want to prevent catastrophic climate change, then what are you doing to mitigate your own carbon footprint?
    The most fundamental thing one can do positively is to revert to a plant based diet.

    http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-environment-facts-about-meat/

  10. Paul 10
    8 February 2017 at 8:47 pm

    So, we are on the brink of disaster.
    What is the single most dramatic positive act we can do to stop catastrophic climate change ?
    Don’t eat meat.
    Enjoy a plant based diet.

    http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-environment-facts-about-meat/

    Great speech on the subject

    • marty mars 10.1
      9 February 2017 at 7:52 am

      Paul how is your veganism going? Do you use recipes? What foods are you enjoying at the moment. I ask because even though I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years I have struggled to be vegan – I’m wondering how you do it.

      • Paul 10.1.1
        9 February 2017 at 5:05 pm

        I’m not totally there myself yet.
        Have over the past 2 years been persuaded that the environmental and animal cruelty issues to attempt first to cut down eating minimum, then go vegetarian, then cut out dairy.
        Going well so far and really enjoying learning new ways of preparing and cooking foods. It is much easier now than it was a while ago, according to friends.
        Yes I use recipes and in seasonal vegetables, seeds and beans work well.

  11. Andre 11
    8 February 2017 at 8:47 pm

    For anyone in the Auckland area with a connection to kauri trees and wanting to do something about kauri dieback, the Kauri Rescue project is launching at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall Thursday 9th Feb (tomorrow) at 7:00 pm.

    http://www.kaurirescue.org.nz/events.html

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/89085676/five-years-on-and-diseased-kauri-injected-with-phosphite-are-growing-strong

    • weka 11.1
      8 February 2017 at 9:02 pm

      nice one. Some comments from scientists on twitter today that there is also still a huge need to prevent spread (The disease is like HIV)

  12. Paul 12
    8 February 2017 at 8:56 pm

    So, we are on the brink of disaster.
    What is the single most dramatic positive act we can do to stop catastrophic climate change ?
    Don’t eat meat.
    Enjoy a plant based diet.

    http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-environment-facts-about-meat/

  13. joe90 13
    8 February 2017 at 9:36 pm

    hush, you
    /

    On the floor, I read a letter that Coretta Scott King wrote in 1986 opposing @SenatorSessions's judicial nomination: https://t.co/mnACXekh8f— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 8, 2017

    I spoke out about @SenatorSessions – until @SenateMajLdr McConnell decided to silence me. https://t.co/qbty7x0iLl— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 8, 2017

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.

    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3259988-Scott-King-1986-Letter-and-Testimony-Signed.html#document/p1

    https://twitter.com/i/moments/829166461503553536

  15. Carolyn_nth 15
    8 February 2017 at 9:56 pm

    I’d be interested to see more of this research paper, but it is behind a pay wall, and has yet to be peer reviewed. The paper is by Facundo Alvaredo, Lucas Chancel, Piketty, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.

    An article about it in MarketWatch says it:

    …finds that the bottom 50%’s share of income in the United States is “collapsing.”

    The headlining graph is stark. It shows the income share of the bottom 50% in the US noticeably dropping since 1978. In comparison, Frances bottom 50% share starts lower than the US, but stays steady since then, so now the US line is well below it.

    Big income growth all round in China, but the share of the bottom 50% is now below the US line.

    In the U.S., between 1978 and 2015, the income share of the bottom 50% fell to 12% from 20%. Total real income for that group fell 1% during that time period.

    That’s not the case elsewhere. In China — where there also has been a marked rise in income inequality — the bottom 50% saw their income go up by 401%, not surprising given the industrialization the world’s second-largest economy has seen. Even in developed France, however, the bottom 50% saw their income grow, by 39%.

    But the total income growth for the whole population of China, from 1978-2015 is 811%, and for the top 10% is 1294%.

  16. Peter 16
    8 February 2017 at 11:25 pm

    “The median cost of rent in Wellington has soared to a record $480 per week, according to latest Trade Me data.
    Rents in the capital for January were up 6.8 per cent on last year, with tenants being asked to fork out an extra $1500 per year for a typical rental property.
    Head of Trade Me Property Nigel Jeffries said a sharp dip in the number of properties available was exacerbating the issue.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n…ectid=11796759

    Amazing, isn’t.
    Abuse landlords, make them fiscally responsible for their tenants ‘accidents’, demand that they all provide five-star accommodation, and the buggers just disappear on you.
    Who would have expected it?

    • McFlock 16.1
      8 February 2017 at 11:36 pm

      Or: stuff the housing market thus boosting demand for rental properties means that landlords don’t have to spend as much money listing on trademe as current tenants suck up the higher rental prices or know people who are willing to sign almost any lease.

      Are the actual houses disappearing? Probably not. So they’re either owner-occupied, vacant, or being let without advertising. Property prices speak against the first option.

    • greywarshark 16.2
      9 February 2017 at 11:37 am

      The report on Radionz on how the housing market is going in NZ follows the sharemarket report. The ups and downs of the housing market are now an indicator of financial action that the keen investor listens to.

      What other things that are essential to human beings can be montised and traded so that there is more potential for the wealth creators to grow their capital accretions? Food, bread, radishes? (A radish was an esteemed prize to Jews hiding from the Nazis in WW2. A piece of fresh veg. delightful.) We may find our values change similarly in another ten years.

      Could we be trading in slaves or babies. ‘Babies have been busily traded today, with the peak being achieved in Premium beautiful golden-skinned ones. The indices are higher than ever with great demand coming from….. ‘ /sarc FGS

      However already Filipino women, young, needy women from any country,may be lucky to be chosen to work hard as maids, or unlucky to find they are channelled to being prositutes or beaten; so the hard-hearted modern world turns out to be just like the same in an older world. Men work on high-rise buildings with the same options. The Burma railway, almost.

      Aren’t we civilised and so technologically advanced, and our education – so wonderful.
      Pity we can’t run ourselves a bit better, adapt our thinking strategies so we can self-govern to an level that includes all society, for better actions that enable us to appreciate ourselves better, have a better life, at the same time treating others better.