Daily Review 09/10/2018
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5:30 pm, October 9th, 2018 - 37 comments
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- Viennese Refugees Who Changed the Way We Think
Four eighty-year-old books which are still vitally relevant today. Between 1942 and 1945, four refugees from Vienna each published a ground-breaking – seminal – book.* They left their country after Austria was taken over by fascists in 1934 and by Nazi Germany in 1938. Previously they had lived in ‘Red ...4 hours ago - Disputationes adversus astrologiam divinatricem, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1496): A Complete...
Good Friday, 18th April, 2025: I can at last unveil the Secret Non-Fiction Project. The first complete Latin-to-English translation of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s twelve-book Disputationes adversus astrologiam divinatricem (Disputations Against Divinatory Astrology). Amounting to some 174,000 words, total. Some context is probably in order. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) ...7 hours ago - Hamish Campbell Lied About His Links With Two By Twos Cult
National MP Hamish Campbell's pathetic attempt to downplay his deep ties to and involvement in the Two by Twos...a secretive religious sect under FBI and NZ Police investigation for child sexual abuse...isn’t just a misstep; it’s a calculated lie that insults the intelligence of every Kiwi voter.Campbell’s claim of being ...10 hours ago - Is Shane Jones The Most Corrupt Politician in New Zealand?
New Zealand First’s Shane Jones has long styled himself as the “Prince of the Provinces,” a champion of regional development and economic growth. But beneath the bluster lies a troubling pattern of behaviour that reeks of cronyism and corruption, undermining the very democracy he claims to serve. Recent revelations and ...13 hours ago
- Good Friday
Give me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundGive me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundSaid I don't want to leave you lonelyYou got to make me change my mindSongwriters: Tracy Chapman.Morena, and Happy Easter, whether that means to you. Hot cross buns, ...14 hours ago - Luxon Turns A Blind Eye to Homelessness
New Zealand’s housing crisis is a sad indictment on the failures of right wing neoliberalism, and the National Party, under Chris Luxon’s shaky leadership, is trying to simply ignore it. The numbers don’t lie: Census data from 2023 revealed 112,496 Kiwis were severely housing deprived...couch-surfing, car-sleeping, or roughing it on ...14 hours ago
- The Hoon around the week to April 18
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on a global survey of over 3,000 economists and scientists showing a significant divide in views on green growth; and ...15 hours ago - Simeon Brown Has Caused The Doctor’s Strike
Simeon Brown, the National Party’s poster child for hubris, consistently over-promises and under-delivers. His track record...marked by policy flip-flops and a dismissive attitude toward expert advice, reveals a politician driven by personal ambition rather than evidence. From transport to health, Brown’s focus seems fixed on protecting National's image, not addressing ...16 hours ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2025
Open access notables Recent intensified riverine CO2 emission across the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region, Mu et al., Nature Communications: Global warming causes permafrost thawing, transferring large amounts of soil carbon into rivers, which inevitably accelerates riverine CO2 release. However, temporally and spatially explicit variations of riverine CO2 emissions remain unclear, limiting the ...1 day ago - Whatever Happened to Cactus Kate?
Once a venomous thorn in New Zealand’s blogosphere, Cathy Odgers, aka Cactus Kate, has slunk into the shadows, her once-sharp quills dulled by the fallout of Dirty Politics.The dishonest attack-blogger, alongside her vile accomplices such as Cameron Slater, were key players in the National Party’s sordid smear campaigns, exposed by Nicky ...1 day ago
- Sovereign capability can benefit Australia—up to a point
Once upon a time, not so long ago, those who talked of Australian sovereign capability, especially in the technology sector, were generally considered an amusing group of eccentrics. After all, technology ecosystems are global and ...1 day ago - David Seymour’s Charter School Rort
The ACT Party leader’s latest pet project is bleeding taxpayers dry, with $10 million funneled into seven charter schools for just 215 students. That’s a jaw-dropping $46,500 per student, compared to roughly $9,000 per head in state schools.You’d think Seymour would’ve learned from the last charter school fiasco, but apparently, ...1 day ago
- Flexibility and awareness will help India deal with Trump (again)
India navigated relations with the United States quite skilfully during the first Trump administration, better than many other US allies did. Doing so a second time will be more difficult, but India’s strategic awareness and ...1 day ago
- Inflation data confirms real terms minimum wage cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is concerned for low-income workers given new data released by Stats NZ that shows inflation was 2.5% for the year to March 2025, rising from 2.2% in December last year. “The prices of things that people can’t avoid are rising – meaning inflation is rising ...1 day ago - Climate Change: Kicking the can down the road again
Last week, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that forestry be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Its an unfortunate but necessary move, required to prevent the ETS's total collapse in a decade or so. So naturally, National has told him to fuck off, and that they won't be ...1 day ago - The Spirit for Australia: why Canberra should pursue the B-2 bomber
China’s recent naval circumnavigation of Australia has highlighted a pressing need to defend Australia’s air and sea approaches more effectively. Potent as nuclear submarines are, the first Australian boats under AUKUS are at least seven ...1 day ago
- A bit more unpicking of RB spending and the Funding Agreement
In yesterday’s post I tried to present the Reserve Bank Funding Agreement for 2025-30, as approved by the Minister of Finance and the Bank’s Board, in the context of the previous agreement, and the variation to that agreement signed up to by Grant Robertson a few weeks before the last ...1 day ago - A successful COP31 needs Pacific countries at the table
Australia’s bid to co-host the 31st international climate negotiations (COP31) with Pacific island countries in late 2026 is directly in our national interest. But success will require consultation with the Pacific. For that reason, no ...1 day ago
- Brown unveils unfunded health plan for small NZ
Old and outdated buildings being demolished at Wellington Hospital in 2018. The new infrastructure being funded today will not be sufficient for future population size and some will not be built by 2035. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Thursday, April 17:Simeon Brown has unveiled ...2 days ago - Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
The introduction of AI in workplaces can create significant health and safety risks for workers (such as intensification of work, and extreme surveillance) which can significantly impact workers’ mental and physical wellbeing. It is critical that unions and workers are involved in any decision to introduce AI so that ...2 days ago
- NZ Must Undertake a Peacekeeping Role in Trump’s Wars
Donald Trump’s return to the White House and aggressive posturing is undermining global diplomacy, and New Zealand must stand firm in rejecting his reckless, fascist-driven policies that are dragging the world toward chaos.As a nation with a proud history of peacekeeping and principled foreign policy, we should limit our role ...2 days ago
- Donald Trump’s first three months: rude, raucous and rogue
Sunday marks three months since Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. What a ride: the style rude, language raucous, and the results rogue. Beyond manners, rudeness matters because tone signals intent as well as personality. ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Left’s Electability Crisis, And The Abundance Ecotopia
There are any number of reasons why anyone thinking of heading to the United States for a holiday should think twice. They would be giving their money to a totalitarian state where political dissenters are being rounded up and imprisoned here and here, where universities are having their funds for ...2 days ago - Taiwan: the sponge that soaks up Chinese power
Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan soaks up Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that ...2 days ago
- Women in combat roles strengthen our defence force
The Ukraine war has been called the bloodiest conflict since World War II. As of July 2024, 10,000 women were serving in frontline combat roles. Try telling them—from the safety of an Australian lounge room—they ...2 days ago
- China targets Canada’s election—and may be targeting Australia’s
Following Canadian authorities’ discovery of a Chinese information operation targeting their country’s election, Australians, too, should beware such risks. In fact, there are already signs that Beijing is interfering in campaigning for the Australian election ...2 days ago
- Climate Adam: Climate Scientist Reacts to Elon Musk
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). From "founder" of Tesla and the OG rocket man with SpaceX, and rebranding twitter as X, Musk has ...2 days ago
- Rattus Interneticus: Otago’s Internet Saga
Back in February 2024, a rat infestation attracted a fair few headlines in the South Dunedin Countdown supermarket. Today, the rats struck again. They took out the Otago-Southland region’s internet connection. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360656230/internet-outage-hits-otago-and-southland Strictly, it was just a coincidence – rats decided to gnaw through one fibre cable, while some hapless ...2 days ago - Spin (and obfuscation)
I came in this morning after doing some chores and looked quickly at Twitter before unpacking the groceries. Someone was retweeting a Radio NZ story with the headline “Reserve Bank’s budget to be slashed by 25%”. Wow, I thought, the Minister of Finance has really delivered this time. And then ...2 days ago
- Little’s pitch
So, having teased it last week, Andrew Little has announced he will run for mayor of Wellington. On RNZ, he's saying its all about services - "fixing the pipes, making public transport cheaper, investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, and developing more housing". Meanwhile, to the readers of the ...2 days ago
- Our Rough Beast.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming, 1921ALL OVER THE WORLD, devout Christians will be reaching for their bibles, reading and re-reading Revelation 13:16-17. For the benefit of all you non-Christians out there, these are the verses describing ...2 days ago - What does India Want? What is New Zealand willing to give?
2 days ago
- President Trump is redefining America’s international role, and Australia has influence
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...2 days ago
- Simeon Brown Gaslights Doctors
Yesterday, 5,500 senior doctors across Aotearoa New Zealand voted overwhelmingly to strike for a day.This is the first time in New Zealand ASMS members have taken strike action for 24 hours.They are asking the government to fund them and account for resource shortfalls.Vacancies are critical - 45-50% in some regions.The ...2 days ago - ACT’s “Tough on Crime” Facade Crumbles with Jago’s Appeal
3 days ago
- Judith Collins’ Hypocrisy: War Drums Over Welfare
Judith Collins is a seasoned master at political hypocrisy. As New Zealand’s Defence Minister, she's recently been banging the war drum, announcing a jaw-dropping $12 billion boost to the defence budget over the next four years, all while the coalition of chaos cries poor over housing, health, and education.Apparently, there’s ...3 days ago
- Making the most of it
I’m on the London Overground watching what the phones people are holding are doing to their faces: The man-bun guy who could not be less impressed by what he's seeing but cannot stop reading; the woman who's impatient for a response; the one who’s frowning; the one who’s puzzled; the ...3 days ago - Maranga Ake
You don't have no prescriptionYou don't have to take no pillsYou don't have no prescriptionAnd baby don't have to take no pillsIf you come to see meDoctor Brown will cure your ills.Songwriters: Waymon Glasco.Dr Luxon. Image: David and Grok.First, they came for the Bottom FeedersAnd I did not speak outBecause ...3 days ago - Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday, April 16
The Health Minister says the striking doctors already “well remunerated,” and are “walking away from” and “hurting” their patients. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Wednesday, April 16:Simeon Brown has attacked1 doctors striking for more than a 1.5% pay rise as already “well remunerated,” even ...3 days ago - Strengthening Australia’s space cooperation with South Korea
The time is ripe for Australia and South Korea to strengthen cooperation in space, through embarking on joint projects and initiatives that offer practical outcomes for both countries. This is the finding of a new ...3 days ago
- They Can Only Talk About One Thing
Hi,When Trump raised tariffs against China to 145%, he destined many small businesses to annihilation. The Daily podcast captured the mass chaos by zooming in and talking to one person, Beth Benike, a small-business owner who will likely lose her home very soon.She pointed out that no, she wasn’t surprised ...3 days ago - National’s Inflation Shame: Kiwis Pay the Price
National’s handling of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is an utter shambles and a gutless betrayal of every Kiwi scraping by. The Coalition of Chaos Ministers strut around preaching about how effective their policies are, but really all they're doing is perpetuating a cruel and sick joke of undelivered promises, ...3 days ago
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Most people wouldn't have heard of a little worm like Rhys Williams, a so-called businessman and former NZ First member, who has recently been unmasked as the venomous troll behind a relentless online campaign targeting Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle.According to reports, Williams has been slinging mud at Doyle under ...3 days ago
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Illustration credit: Jonathan McHugh (New Statesman)The other day, a subscriber said they were unsubscribing because they needed “some good news”.I empathised. Don’t we all.I skimmed a NZME article about the impacts of tariffs this morning with analysis from Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr. Kerr, their Chief Economist, suggested another recession is the ...3 days ago - US allies must band together in weapons development
Let’s assume, as prudence demands we assume, that the United States will not at any predictable time go back to being its old, reliable self. This means its allies must be prepared indefinitely to lean ...3 days ago
- I’ve been reading
Over the last three rather tumultuous US trade policy weeks, I’ve read these four books. I started with Irwin (whose book had sat on my pile for years, consulted from time to time but not read) in a week of lots of flights and hanging around airports/hotels, and then one ...3 days ago
- This is not the time for increasing Indonesia’s defence spending
Indonesia could do without an increase in military spending that the Ministry of Defence is proposing. The country has more pressing issues, including public welfare and human rights. Moreover, the transparency and accountability to justify ...3 days ago
- FSU Supports Chris Milne’s Right to Make Death Threats
3 days ago
- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...3 days ago
- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...3 days ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...3 days ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...3 days ago
- The Government is cutting, just as the economic recovery is stalling
The economy is not doing what it was supposed to when PM Christopher Luxon said in January it was ‘going for growth.’ Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short from our political economy on Tuesday, April 15:New Zealand’s economic recovery is stalling, according to business surveys, retail spending and ...3 days ago - For a safer Symonds Street
This is a guest post by Lewis Creed, managing editor of the University of Auckland student publication Craccum, which is currently running a campaign for a safer Symonds Street in the wake of a horrific recent crash. The post has two parts: 1) Craccum’s original call for safety (6 ...3 days ago - Tuesday 15 April
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff has published an opinion piece which makes the case for a different approach to economic development, as proposed in the CTU’s Aotearoa Reimagined programme. The number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment. The coalition has directed Health New ...3 days ago
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The growth of China’s AI industry gives it great influence over emerging technologies. That creates security risks for countries using those technologies. So, Australia must foster its own domestic AI industry to protect its interests. ...3 days ago
- Luxon’s Economic Mismanagement
Unfortunately we have another National Party government in power at the moment, and as a consequence, another economic dumpster fire taking hold. Inflation’s hurting Kiwis, and instead of providing relief, National is fiddling while wallets burn.Prime Minister Chris Luxon's response is a tired remix of tax cuts for the rich ...4 days ago
- Girls and Boys
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Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this time, his “old master” routine isn’t working. What global trade is experiencing is more than the usual swings and roundabouts of market sentiment. President Donald ...4 days ago
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President Trump’s hopes of ending the war in Ukraine seemed more driven by ego than realistic analysis. Professor Vladimir Brovkin’s latest video above highlights the internal conflicts within the USA, Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, which are currently hindering peace talks and clarity. Brovkin pointed out major contradictions within ...4 days ago - Ani O’Brien has Zero Credibility
In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack ...4 days ago
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The international challenge confronting Australia today is unparalleled, at least since the 1940s. It requires what the late Brendan Sargeant, a defence analyst, called strategic imagination. We need more than shrewd economic manoeuvring and a ...4 days ago
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The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white middle-class, voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints ...4 days ago
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It is almost six weeks since the shock announcement early on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 March that the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, was resigning effective 31 March, and that in fact he had already left and an acting Governor was already in place. Orr had been ...4 days ago
- Monday 14 April
The PSA surveyed more than 900 of its members, with 55 percent of respondents saying AI is used at their place of work, despite most workers not being in trained in how to use the technology safely. Figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show inflation has risen ...4 days ago
- How to spot AI influence in Australia’s election campaign
Be on guard for AI-powered messaging and disinformation in the campaign for Australia’s 3 May election. And be aware that parties can use AI to sharpen their campaigning, zeroing in on issues that the technology ...4 days ago
- David Seymour – Arsehole of the Week
Strap yourselves in, folks, it’s time for another round of Arsehole of the Week, and this week’s golden derrière trophy goes to—drumroll, please—David Seymour, the ACT Party’s resident genius who thought, “You know what we need? A shiny new Treaty Principles Bill to "fix" all that pesky Māori-Crown partnership nonsense ...5 days ago
- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and Pick ‘n’ Mix for Monday, April 14
Apple Store, Shanghai. Trump wants all iPhones to be made in the USM but experts say that is impossible. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories shortist from our political economy on Monday, April 14:Donald Trump’s exemption on tariffs on phones and computers is temporary, and he wants all iPhones made in the ...5 days ago - Unmasking the National Party’s Fascism
Kia ora, readers. It’s time to pull back the curtain on some uncomfortable truths about New Zealand’s political landscape. The National Party, often cloaked in the guise of "sensible centrism," has, at times, veered into territory that smells suspiciously like fascism. Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter about hyperbole, ...5 days ago
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This is a letter we will be sending to Auckland Transport to ask they return to the original consulted plans on the Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct integration project, after they released significant changes to designs last week. If you would like to be added as a signatory, please reach out to ...5 days ago
- The gas plan that’s sailing Australia into strategic peril
Australia’s east coast is facing a gas crisis, as the country exports most of the gas it produces. Although it’s a major producer, Australia faces a risk of domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply shortfalls ...5 days ago
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- Release: Boot camps blog post fails to provide clarity
After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...1 day ago - Release: Inflation rises and families feel the squeeze
Inflation is rising again and it’s landing hardest on families already stretched thin. ...1 day ago
- Release: Govt doesn’t know how to fund new hospitals
The Government’s health infrastructure plan is big on promises but coy on where the money is coming from. ...2 days ago
- Release: $10 million for only 215 students in charter schools
David Seymour is pouring $10 million into charter schools that only have 215 students enrolled. ...2 days ago
- Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget
Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again. ...3 days ago
- Release: Mental health staff and patients at risk without plan
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...4 days ago
- Release: Driver licensing proposal doesn’t put safety first
The Government’s proposal to change driver licensing rules is a mixed bag of sensible and careless. ...4 days ago
- Release: Students struggling as Govt sits on hands
The Government is continuing to sit on its hands as students struggle to pay rent due to delays with StudyLink. ...1 week ago
- Release: More must be done to stop children going hungry
More children are going hungry and statistics showing children in material hardship continue to get worse. ...1 week ago
- Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...1 week ago - More children going hungry under Coalition govt
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...1 week ago
- Release: Longer wait for treatment under National
New Zealanders have waited longer to get an appointment with a specialist and to get elective surgery under the National Government. ...1 week ago
- Ka mate te Pire- Ka ora te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te iwi Māori
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins speech: Treaty Principles Bill second reading
Normally, when I rise in this House to speak on a bill, I say it's a great privilege to speak on the bill. That is not the case today. ...1 week ago
- Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa
Ka mate te pire I te rā neiThe bill dies today ...1 week ago
- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...1 week ago
- Member’s Bill an opportunity for climate action
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...1 week ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
A Bill to protect first home buyers and others from bad faith property vendors has been drawn from the Member’s Ballot. ...1 week ago
- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
Karen Chhour is proposing to scrap Oranga Tamariki targets which aim to connect more children under state care with family and their culture. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
The Labour Leader today acknowledged and celebrated David Parker’s 23-year contribution to the Labour Party and to Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill
Read the Green Party's differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill, prepared by Tamatha Paul. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...3 weeks ago
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Today, a country Columbus never set foot in celebrates Columbus day.
I and I old I know
I and I old I say I and I reconsider
I and I see upfully that
Christopher Columbus is a damn, blasted liar
Christopher Columbus is a damn, blasted liar
Yes Jah
The dude the place is named after never set foot there either.
Two days in and the arseholes make it clear that Serwer is on the money when he writes Kavanaugh’s appointment is all about the restoration of America’s traditional racial, religious, and gender hierarchies
The Roberts Court is poised to shape American society in Trump’s image for decades to come. All three branches of the federal government are now committed to the Trump agenda: the restoration of America’s traditional racial, religious, and gender hierarchies; the enrichment of party patrons; the unencumbered pursuit of corporate profit; the impoverishment and disenfranchisement of the rival party’s constituencies; and the protection of the president and his allies from prosecution by any means available. Not since the end of Reconstruction has the U.S. government been so firmly committed to a single, coherent program uniting a politics of ethnonationalism with unfettered corporate power. As with Redemption, as the end of Reconstruction is known, the consequences could last for generations.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/redemption-court/566963/
Good isn’t it. I think this is great for the USA. Back to what the founding fathers wanted. None of this progressive PC rubbish that has crept in the last 30 or so years.
Yep but I’m not sure Mr Turtle was a person though.
Migration NZ underfunded and unable to investigate crime.
Just paint a target on us, why don’t ya?
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018666082/most-serious-immigration-crime-going-uninvestigated
There are people that have been trying to tell the ‘authorities’ that for the past few years – in some cases very specifically.
I’m left wondering why some of the ‘officials’ didn’t speak up earlier under the last junta. It’s not as though it hasn’t all just dawned on them.
Well actually, no I’m not really (wondering). It’s all been a system that’s been working as designed as far as cheap immigrant labour, shoddy tertiary education, and a raft of ticket clippers contributing to gNats’ konomy goes.
There have been comprehensive reports going back 2 or 3 years and more undertaken by academia (Dr Christina Stringer); attempts to report incidents that have been ‘too hard’ to investigate; and more.
Far easier to tar all with a broad brush, undertake demographic profiling and spreadsheet risk analysis, and pretend one has been doing their best to do something about it.
At least, now they are (trying to do something about it)
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/368298/exploitative-chorus-sub-contractors-promising-visas
“What this also demonstrates is that a government that doesn’t have its eye on the ball can miss some really outrageous exploitation of workers in New Zealand and we have to bring that sort of thing to an end,”..
Mr Lees Galloway says immigrant workers have been let down by the government-led ultra fast broadband project, which started in Auckland in 2011.
But he said Chorus also had to be held to account……”
However …. “The chief executive of Chorus says the telecommunications company had no idea sub contractors were exploiting their employees working on the ultra fast broadband network.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018666097/chorus-unaware-of-sub-contractors-illegal-employment-tactics
Yer right….
“Yer right” indeed.
If that’s what the CEO is claiming, then she’s obviously not that in touch with many in the organisation, or perhaps there’s been filtering of information across ‘line management’.
If some of the contractors such as copper cable jointers and maintenance of the existing copper network (not involved in the fibre roll out) were well aware of it and had made attempts to report it, you have to wonder the reasons why. And they’re more to do with the fact that this exploitation is SO widespread that putting a stop to it would likely affect fibre rollout targets.
I’m very pleased to see that the people who have been busting their guts trying to do something about exploitation generally (such as unions, academia and advocates) are now being listened to. (I seem to remember Iain L-G himself had been mildly exploited by an employer after/or during uni years, though nothing LIKE what a lot of people have been going through – effectively being trapped in slavery
And all that many who’ve been exploited want to do, is to get together enough money so that they can repay loans for shitty course fees, ‘buying jobs’, etc., and then get the hell out of here (NZ).
Some have suggested a short term amnesty might be a good thing – sure as shit there’s be a lot more people coming forward
Bryce Edwards: ‘Political Roundup: Could Simon Bridges really be rolled?’
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12139645
Yes most likely………
Imagine him staying. Just not viable, unfortunately.
The Crime Syndicates must laugh when they come to NZ, NZ politican’s, police & immigration wouldn’t have a clue what some of these guys are up to, especially laundering illict funds through housing and commercial activity.
Surprise, surprise, wealthy rat runners prefer nationalists.
On the wall of Jair Bolsonaro’s office in a modernist annex of Brazil’s Congress hang five faded black-and-white portraits. They are memoirs of a time many Brazilians would prefer to forget, when military generals ruled the country from 1964 until 1985 and the cost of insurrection was kidnap, torture and secret execution.
Bolsonaro, the de facto front runner for the Brazilian presidential election that begins on Oct. 7, is the foremost apologist for that era. He has made a career eulogizing its abuses and–for a decade after the return of democracy in 1989–calling for its reinstatement. Today he is proud of his support of the regime he served as an army captain.
http://time.com/5375731/jair-bolsonaro/
Fortunately Bolsonaro has to win the run off at the end of the month. Precious time for a ‘grand coalition’ to get the PT candidate over the line.
Gotta admire how the establishment pulled off this coup. Removing Rouseff and Lula from the picture on trumped up charges, clearing the way for this guy.
The brilliant George Galloway.
Never miss his show.
‘It’s the open university of the airwaves. It’s George Galloway’s Mother of All Talk Shows.’
While we having “How’s big my penis competition” over at the latest installment in “Name that Russia spook from GRU”.
The Australia BOM has released an El Niño alert about half hr ago.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-09/bom-declares-el-nino-alert/10356724
Watch out for November 4th.
An oil crisis is coming.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Saudis-Wont-Prevent-The-Next-Oil-Shock.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/01/oil-prices-opec-powerless-to-prevent-prices-surging-to-100-a-barrel.html
Yep, Gordon nails it!
http://werewolf.co.nz/2018/09/gordon-campbell-on-the-rising-cost-of-petrol/
“As petrol gets more and more expensive, Auckland motorists have several things to blame for it – the slumping value of the Kiwi dollar, Donald Trump’s sanctions on Iranian oil, hurricanes in the Caribbean…But it is simpler and feels better to lay all the blame on the regional fuel tax, which oh yeah, got introduced ….”
But it gets worse! …. (Yer I know!) http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1810/S00049/unprecedented-changes-needed-to-limit-global-warming.htm
However. The political price ….
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1810/S00040/gordon-campbell-the-political-cost-of-rising-petrol-prices.htm
Does Auckland opt for Heavy Rail through Manukau & Puhinui to the Auckland Airport or Light Rail with trams via Dominion Road and across the Manukau Harbour ?
Most major cities worldwide use Heavy Rail to their main airports, Light Rail is practical for shifting passengers and domestic commuters, however to shift people quickly to the Airport with their baggage is not practical via Light Rail IMHO.
Auckland Transport are confusing the two issues IMHO.
Currently 35,000 people per day travel to and from the Auckland Airport, it is not practical and it will create major chaos in Auckland taking Light Rail down Dominion Road & across the Mangere Bridge to Auckland Airport, especially due the construction phase. Goff, Genter & Twyford need to rethink this decision.
Yet another discussion on the Transport Blog with comments I find hard to disagree with. However, in the overall scheme of things, they seem somewhat Auckland-centric, which is understandable.
Medium to long term, I don’t see why it’s a question of Light Rail versus Heavy Rail – the two are not mutually exclusive.
The immediate problem though is within the Auckland area, so any solution such as Light Rail needs to be fast-tracked. (I don’t live in Auckland anymore and nor do I have ANY desire to)
Medium to Longer term, we should be thinking about growth in the surrounding regions which Auckland Airport also serves, and not just as far as passengers go.
That includes things like improving/resurrecting the Heavy Rail network including things already proposed such as Auckland – Hamilton/Rotorua/Te Puke/North Auckland commuter services
AND its use for freight – including to/from the north (Winnie’s desires) as well as the use of the Freight hub in the Waikato. (Should Hamilton/Te Awamutu freight hub being developed suggest Hamilton airport be used for air freight.
Then there’s coastal shipping to be considered in the mix.
What I hope is that we don’t proceed with more short termism (such as flogging off potential heavy rail corridors as has been the practice all over NuZull in the past).
Restoring Gisborne seems like a no-brainer. So does commuter rail improvements to Hamilton and the Bay of Plenty. (Right now for example, you could shove a station behind New World Te Puke and provide services to Tauranga and points in between, and I reckon there’d be sufficient demand).
Good to see the proposed improvements to the Wellington Wairarapa link too.
But in the meantime, let’s get on with the Light Rail option OR something similar.
We all know there’s been years of buggerising around, short term thinking and neglect of public transport and it’s now biting us all in the bum – not just in Auckland
Agree with the bit of selling of disused Rail corridors, as it’s going to bite NZ in bum in coming future as the cost of POL goes up as NZ is at the end of the supply chain as a result of the Neo- Lib/ Con economic theory
Good to see the proposed improvements to the Wellington Wairarapa link too.
I used to call it the Hogswart Express; magic it it DID arrive on time.
Seriously though in five years of regular patronage I had all manner of adventures; quite fun times looking back. And it’s a stunningly beautiful trip some days. The old DC and DFB locos with their old GE 2 stroke diesels made a wonderful soundtrack.
Some of the DC’s were originally made in Melbourne around 1963 I think and I do know that if you looked carefully at the bogies under the modern looking carriages, they were made in South Korea in 50’s.
More on –
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/368324/public-transport-groups-oppose-auckland-light-rail-plan
Julie Cooke was also concerned about light rail on Dominion Road.
“I think Dominion Road has always had a special character that Auckland’s always been very proud of and I believe a light rail network down the centre will destroy Dominion Road and destroy the character,” Ms Cooke said.
Mr Miller and Jon Reeves from the Public Transport Users Association established the group Straight To Airport Rapid Trains (START) in response to the light rail project.
Mr Reeves told the meeting the heavy rail suggestion wasn’t necessarily the solution.
“We aren’t saying we’ve got the solution, what we’re trying to do is reignite the debate publicly about what is best for the airport.”
Mr Reeves said they had approached the Transport Minister Phil Twyford with their proposal, but did not receive a response.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAtnyK4wFvg
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGAPNeuSOE
🙂 That’s about the last time I considered moving to Auckland @ Grey’
And even now if I have to go overseas, I’ll opt for going via ChCh rather than Auckland.
But at least Auckland doesn’t have Greater Wellington Regional Council ‘devising solutions going forward’
Pure totalitarian Orwellianism … but no-one seems to care:
Its ok its ubiquitous.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-09/new-evidence-of-hacked-supermicro-hardware-found-in-u-s-telecom?srnd=premium-asia
And we signed a free trade deal with this country.
Yep.
And we should now be repealing it – if we actually cared about all the human rights and other things we say that we care about.
Agreed.
I’ve been really absorbed by this topic for some time now. It links to so many important themes.
Agreed.
Love it if you could share more of your reading and viewing on the matter.
Haven’t had the inclination to wade through this, yet. But I’ve no doubt it’ll be as scary AF.
https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/the-world-according-to-china
btw, ICYMI
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/10/01/an-internment-camp-for-10-million-uyghurs
It’s a good article to read if you haven’t do so yet.
From your first link joe:
By 2049, China will be ideationally self-confident and able to exert dominance more effectively in the economic, political, and military realms. Beijing will no longer integrate or negotiate but rather expect others to accept the China Order. Indeed, we are already witnessing the early stages of international politics under Chinese dominance. China’s ongoing development of military bases in the South China Sea is a clear violation of international law and its attempts to suppress free speech, particularly criticism of the CCP, outside its own borders speaks volumes to its goal of supplanting liberal values with authoritarianism.
The other day I carelessly overstated the notion that once the Social Credit system had been fully imposed domestically, there would be little reason to think they would not seek to impose it on their trading client nations as well. Someone challenged me to provide a citation. Well this isn’t quite what they asked for; but saying out out loud all the same.
The article about China’s treatment of the Uyghur people is disturbing.