Key was on 6pm news commenting on the differences between Australia/NZ and the Pacific Island nations over Climate Change. He uttered words to the effect… they (Pacific Island leaders) believe their low lying islands are going to be swamped by rising sea levels but time will tell if they are right or not. The inference (delivered with a nice smile) being that the Pacific leaders are a bunch of low level fools prepared to believe anything, while he and Abbott are superior beings with superior knowledge. No comprehension that in reality they are the cretinous ones – not the Pacific Island leaders!
Yeah, he said, in regard to the claims of ome pacific island nations that climate change could threaten their very existence: “that might, or might not, be true” followed by “but time will tell if they are right or not”.
Yes it was but I was more concerned with what she said about CYFS. Expect more draconian, anti-human legislation from this government that manages to make things worse while providing a profit for private providers.
“New Zealand schools need to be delivered from deadweight of bureaucratic authoritarianism. And at base lies the education review office. The review office is pure Kafka …”
Key’s M.O. has been to appeal to the beers around the barbecue set but it’s risky in that he’s shown his true colours on several occasions.
By taking on the blokey, bullying persona he’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept bullying and oneupmanship as a normal everyday occurrence. He’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept that making fun of gay people and attacking women who make a fuss as totally normal and right.
‘John Key’s New Zealand’ is itself a product of the homogenisation of the dominant political cultures around the world which usually is identified by the label ‘neoliberal’.
And the ‘international culture’ you are trying to deflect blame upon is itself a product of that homogenised political culture. It’s not some independent, parallel, purely technologically-provoked development.
Ask yourself, for example, why particular technological ‘innovation’ occurs and, more significantly, why the technological developments that do occur get used in the ways that they are now used?
It’s down to the dominant ideological settings – born of neoliberal policy primarily pursued as part of a quite deliberate attempt by elites to retake the vast economic advantages that they had before the 1930s (see David Harvey’s book ‘A Brief History of Neoliberalism‘ for a pretty accessible read of these sweeping, global political and economic changes).
It’s being going on for over thirty years, of course, but Key’s government is the logical continuation of it.
More specifically, stunts like the one in the link are primarily about provocative attempts to gain audience ratings. But notice that the over-riding concern with audience ratings in the new media outlets generated over that time (i.e., outlets that are themselves products of neoliberal reforms) is simply part of the obvious neoliberal logic extended to a thoroughgoing wild west media marketplace.
Anyone at the time with any common sense or reflective capacity on the nature of the Reagan/Thatcher/Douglas financial and economic reforms could have foretold these kinds of outcomes with ease (because they’d happened before in the 20th century when similar policies held sway).
Any pre-existing ‘social glue’ and moral norms inevitably get put under pressure by the logic of neoliberalism and eventually, like a piece of number 8 wire continually bent backwards and forwards, will weaken and snap.
Those, in the marketplace, left cleaving to older virtues such as common decency will start to look like unadaptable dinosaurs afraid to apply a bit of ‘creative destruction’ to the social and moral order through ‘business innovation’ and cutting edge marketing, etc..
Of course, despite those over-weaning pressures that come from the working out of neoliberal logic in real time, there are still good people around – but even they increasingly make compromises in their behaviour in relation to how they believe they should act.
Things have turned a bit crap for Mr Harper-man and the Tories in Canada’s Federal election campaign. Recent polls have them slipping to 3rd place behind the Liberals and NDP at about 26% across the country. Crucially they are falling behind the Liberals in seat-rich Ontario which often decides elections with the FPTP system Canada (still!) uses. At any rate none other than a certain Mr Lynton Crosby has been drafted in from Australia to try and stem the losses. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-election-2015-lynton-crosby-conservatives-1.3223315
I read the following comment from a reader. I would like to know if there is any valid substance to this claim. What do you think?
Comment was :
“Its my understanding at least two of the four proposed flags are trade Marked by its owner. If one of these is picked as our new flag either the owner will have to relinquish the trade mark or the government will have to buy it
I wonder how much money someone would want for their flag that is going to be shown worldwide as a National symbol of a country $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$”
—————
I’ve heard Kyle Lockwood would transfer or relinquish what intellectual property he had to the NZ government if one of his several designs were successful.
At this point it looks like being the case because one of his designs will have the backing of the National party vault and we will not have seen a marketing campaign like it before in New Zealand. There will be celebrity endorsements as yet unheard of in order to get one of the Lockwoods over the line.
I suspect it will be the black and blue Lockwood because as David Farrar has said, there’s too much Labour red in the red and blue version.
I am astonished at the audacity and stupidity of the panel and the cabinet to give us four final flags, three of which have the SAME symbol and the fourth is a dull rendering of an important Maori theme. In reality, we are given just ONE choice : A fern! A dumb panel and a manipulated referendum. Personally, I have no real choice but to stick with the current flag for now.
I went to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (yes, again) about a billboard where a naked woman’s body is used to sell… scaffolding. And cranes. And stuff like that.
You’d think this would be a fairly straightforward argument, since the Advertising Standards Code says:
5. Advertisements should not employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative and degrading of any individual or group of people in society to promote the sale of products or services. In particular people should not be portrayed in a manner which uses sexual appeal simply to draw attention to an unrelated product. Children must not be portrayed in a manner which treats them as objects of sexual appeal.
The Advertising Standards Authority deals with complaints about advertising content and placement. If a complaint is upheld, we request removal or amendment of the advertisement.
We do not fine advertisers and cannot make advertisers pay refunds.
and one wonders just what the purpose of the ASA is because it doesn’t appear to be to hold businesses that break the law/codes to account.
We live in a country that can’t even do a proper investigation to the gang rape of young women, by a group of young men – who then bragged about it on the internet.
Our society is so patriarchal we can’t even mention the word feminism, without some male moaning about it. Or the start crying like a 2 year old, and spraying that their sexist comment was only, “a joke”.
Comedy is great, indeed I love Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, and Frankie Boyle. I Where is the humour in repeatedly objectifying women on billboards, with at best, another boring, lazy, tired, pun.
I thought we were suppose to be clever in this country? Obviously our advertising people are not.
I’ve noticed there are really two main kinds of people who are politicians, by which I mean elected people like me. There are those who think they are elected because they are awesome, and those who have a broader understanding of why they are elected and what the role is. In my opinion you do not want to vote for the former, and if you run you do not want to be the former either.
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Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the OPC’s decision to issue a code of practice for biometric processing. Our view is that the draft code currently being consulted on is stronger and will be more effective than the exposure code released in early 2024. We are pleased that some of the revisions ...
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Climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has slammed National for being ‘out of touch’ by sticking to our climate commitments. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest:ACT’s renowned climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has accused National of being 'out of touch' with farmers by sticking with New Zealand’s Paris accord pledges ...
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US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...
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The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...
The Labour Inspectorate could soon be knocking on the door of hundreds of businesses nation-wide, as it launches a major crackdown on those not abiding by the law. NorthTec staff are on edge as Northland’s leading polytechnic proposes to stop 11 programmes across primary industries, forestry, and construction. Union coverage ...
It’s one thing for military personnel to hone skills with first-person view (FPV) drones in racing competitions. It’s quite another for them to transition to the complexities of the battlefield. Drone racing has become a ...
Seymour says there will be no other exemptions granted to schools wanting to opt out of the Compass contract. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest:David Seymour has denied a request from a Christchurch school and any other schools to be exempted from the Compass school lunch programme, saying the contract ...
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, and British Prime Minister John Major signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler(Image credit: Antonio Huerta) Growing up in suburban Ohio, I was used to seeing farmland and woods disappear to make room for new subdivisions, strip malls, and big box stores. I didn’t usually welcome the changes, but I assumed others ...
Myanmar was a key global site for criminal activity well before the 2021 military coup. Today, illicit industry, especially heroin and methamphetamine production, still defines much of the economy. Nowhere, not even the leafiest districts ...
What've I gotta do to make you love me?What've I gotta do to make you care?What do I do when lightning strikes me?And I wake up and find that you're not thereWhat've I gotta do to make you want me?Mmm hmm, what've I gotta do to be heard?What do I ...
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom3, NZ Herald, Stuff, BusinessDesk-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT-$, WSJ-$, Bloomberg-$, New York Times-$, The Atlantic-$, The Economist-$ ...
Whenever Christopher Luxon drops a classically fatuous clanger or whenever the government has a bad poll – i.e. every week – the talk resumes that he is about to be rolled. This is unlikely for several reasons. For starters, there is no successor. Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop? Simeon Brown? Mark ...
Australia, Britain and European countries should loosen budget rules to allow borrowing to fund higher defence spending, a new study by the Kiel Institute suggests. Currently, budget debt rules are forcing governments to finance increases ...
The NZCTU remains strongly committed to banning engineered stone in New Zealand and implementing better occupational health protections for all workers working with silica-containing materials. In this submission to MBIE, the NZCTU outlines that we have an opportunity to learn from Australia’s experience by implementing a full ban of engineered ...
The Prime Minister has announced a big win in trade negotiations with India.It’s huge, he told reporters. We didn't get everything we came for but we were able to agree on free trade in clothing, fabrics, car components, software, IT consulting, spices, tea, rice, and leather goods.He said that for ...
I have been trying to figure out the logic of Trump’s tariff policies and apparent desire for a global trade war. Although he does not appear to comprehend that tariffs are a tax on consumers in the country doing the tariffing, I can (sort of) understand that he may think ...
As Syria and international partners negotiate the country’s future, France has sought to be a convening power. While France has a history of influence in the Middle East, it will have to balance competing Syrian ...
One of the eternal truths about Aotearoa's economy is that we are "capital poor": there's not enough money sloshing around here to fund the expansion of local businesses, or to build the things we want to. Which gets used as an excuse for all sorts of things, like setting up ...
National held its ground until late 2023 Verion, Talbot Mills & Curia Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)If we remove outlier results from Curia (National Party November 2023) National started trending down in October 2024.Verion Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)Verian alone shows a clearer deterioration in early ...
In a recent presentation, I recommended, quite unoriginally, that governments should have a greater focus on higher-impact, lower-probability climate risks. My reasoning was that current climate model projections have blind spots, meaning we are betting ...
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Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations closes. On Friday the PSA lodged a pay equity claim for library assistants with the Employment Relations Authority, after the stalling of a claim lodged with six councils in ...
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy:Christopher Luxon surprises by announcing trade deal talks with India will start next month, and include beef and dairy. Napier is set to join Whakatane, Dunedin and Westport in staging a protest march against health spending restraints hitting their hospital services. Winston Peters ...
At a time of rising geopolitical tensions and deepening global fragmentation, the Ukraine war has proved particularly divisive. From the start, the battle lines were clearly drawn: Russia on one side, Ukraine and the West ...
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A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 9, 2025 thru Sat, March 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...
The Government dominated the political agenda this week with its two-day conference pitching all manner of public infrastructure projects for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: The Government ploughed ahead with offers of PPPs to pension fund managers ...
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So here we are at the wedding of Alexandra Vincent Martelli and David Seymour.Look at all the happy prosperous guests! How proud Nick Mowbray looks of the gift he has made of a mountain of crap plastic toys stuffed into a Cybertruck.How they drink, how they laugh, how they mug ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming? Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of ...
Some continue to defend David Seymour on school lunches, sidestepping his errors to say:“Well the parents should pack their lunch” and/or “Kids should be grateful for free food.”One of these people is the sitting Prime Minister.So I put together a quick list of why complaint is not only appropriate - ...
“Bugger the pollsters!”WHEN EVERYBODY LIVED in villages, and every village had a graveyard, the expression “whistling past the graveyard” made more sense. Even so, it’s hard to describe the Coalition Government’s response to the latest Taxpayers’ Union/Curia Research poll any better. Regardless of whether they wanted to go there, or ...
Prof Jane Kelsey examines what the ACT party and the NZ Initiative are up to as they seek to impose on the country their hardline, right wing, neoliberal ideology. A progressive government elected in 2026 would have a huge job putting Humpty Dumpty together again and rebuilding a state that ...
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By international standards the New Zealand healthcare system appears satisfactory – certainly no worse generally than average. Yet it is undergoing another redisorganisation.While doing some unrelated work, I came across some international data on the healthcare sector which seemed to contradict my – and the conventional wisdom’s – view of ...
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he knew that he was upending Europe’s security order. But this was more of a tactical gambit than a calculated strategy ...
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When ASPI’s Cyclone Tracy: 50 Years On was published last year, it wasn’t just a historical reflection; it was a warning. Just months later, we are already watching history repeat itself. We need to bake ...
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South Korea has suspended new downloads of DeepSeek, and it was were right to do so. Chinese tech firms operate under the shadow of state influence, misusing data for surveillance and geopolitical advantage. Any country ...
Previous big infrastructure PPPs such as Transmission Gully were fiendishly complicated to negotiate, generated massive litigation and were eventually rewritten anyway. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesLong stories shortest: The Government’s international investment conference ignores the facts that PPPs cost twice as much as vanilla debt-funded public infrastructure, often take ...
Woolworths has proposed a major restructure of its New Zealand store operating model, leaving workers worried their hours and pay could be cut. Public servants are being asked how productive their office is, how much they use AI, and whether they’re overloaded with meetings as part of a “census”. An ...
Robert Kaplan’s book Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis paints a portrait of civilisation in flux. Drawing insights from history, literature and art, he examines the effect of modern technology, globalisation and urbanisation on ...
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Hi,I just got back from a week in Japan thanks to the power of cheap flights and years of accumulated credit card points.The last time I was in Japan the government held a press conference saying they might take legal action against me and Netflix, so there was a little ...
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 the week in geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s wrecking of the post-WW II political landscape; andHealth Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Lisa ...
Hi,I just got back from a short trip to Japan, mostly spending time in Tokyo.I haven’t been there since we shot Dark Tourist back in 2017 — and that landed us in a bit of hot water with the Japanese government.I am glad to report I was not thrown into ...
I’ve been on Substack for almost 8 months now.It’s been good in terms of the many great individuals that populate its space. So much variety and intelligence and humour and depth.I joined because someone suggested I should ‘start a Substack,’ whatever that meant.So I did.Turning on payments seemed like the ...
Open access notables Would Adding the Anthropocene to the Geologic Time Scale Matter?, McCarthy et al., AGU Advances:The extraordinary fossil fuel-driven outburst of consumption and production since the mid-twentieth century has fundamentally altered the way the Earth System works. Although humans have impacted their environment for millennia, justification for ...
Australia should buy equipment to cheaply and temporarily convert military transport aircraft into waterbombers. On current planning, the Australian Defence Force will have a total of 34 Chinook helicopters and Hercules airlifters. They should be ...
Photo by Gareth Davies on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest , and special ...
Indonesia’s government has slashed its counterterrorism (CT) budgets, despite the persistent and evolving threat of violent extremism. Australia can support regional CT efforts by filling this funding void. Reducing funding to the National Counterterrorism Agency ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Resource Management (Prohibition on Extraction of Freshwater for On-selling) Amendment Bill (Debbie Ngarewa-Packer) The bill does exactly what it says on the label, and would effectively end the rapacious water-bottling industry ...
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...
With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...
Labour welcomes Simeon Brown’s move to reinstate a board at Health New Zealand, bringing the destructive and secretive tenure of commissioner Lester Levy to an end. ...
This morning’s announcement by the Health Minister regarding a major overhaul of the public health sector levels yet another blow to the country’s essential services. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets. “This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. ...
Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...
Te Pāti Māori welcomes the resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal. His appointment in October 2024 was a disgrace- another example of this government undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi by appointing a former ACT leader who has spent his career attacking Māori rights. “Regardless of the reason for ...
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is avoiding accountability by refusing to answer key questions in the House as his Government faces criticism over their dangerous citizen’s arrest policy, firearm reform, and broken promises to recruit more police. ...
The number of building consents issued under this Government continues to spiral, taking a toll on the infrastructure sector, tradies, and future generations of Kiwi homeowners. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister to rule out joining the AUKUS military pact in any capacity following the scenes in the White House over the weekend. ...
The Green Party is appalled by the Government’s plan to disestablish Resource Teachers of Māori (RTM) roles, a move that takes another swing at kaupapa Māori education. ...
The Government’s levies announcement is a step in the right direction, but they must be upfront about who will pay its new infrastructure levies and ensure that first-home buyers are protected from hidden costs. ...
The Government’s levies announcement is a step in the right direction, but they must be upfront about who will pay its new infrastructure levies and ensure that first-home buyers are protected from hidden costs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will make another pre-election offer in health, promising that if re-elected it will legislate to ensure people pay no more than $25 for a script under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The ...
Asia Pacific Report At least 400 people have been killed after a surprise Israeli attack on Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday. The Israeli government vows to continue escalating these military attacks, claiming it is in response to Hamas’ refusal to extend the ceasefire, which has been in place ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Richardson, Visiting Fellow, Centre for European Studies, Australian National University US President Donald Trump’s phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, didn’t take a tangible step towards ending the hostilities in Ukraine, let alone finding an enduring peace. Rather, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Popovo Bros/Shutterstock You might’ve heard too many eggs make you constipated. Influencers on Instagram claim it too. The United Kingdom has slang for it – being “egg bound”. Eggs were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne Climate change is the most pressing problem humanity will face this century. Tracking how the climate is actually changing has never been more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Tiedemann, Professor of Physical Activity and Health, University of Sydney shurkin_son/Shutterstock We all recognise the benefits of regular aerobic or cardiovascular exercise to support our heart and lung health. Being active is also good for our social and mental health. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Moran, Lecturer in the Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide MK2 Films Chinese independent director Jia Zhangke’s new film Caught by the Tides, now in select Australian cinemas, provides a unique vision of China’s rapid social ...
RNZ News New Zealand opposition Labour leader Chris Hipkins is accusing the prime minister of reversing a long-held foreign policy during his current trip to India to help secure a free trade agreement between the two countries. “It seems our foreign policy is up for grabs at the moment,” he ...
A fortnight of mixed fortunes for the prime minister. After a drum beat of conjecture about his job security, the prime minister enjoyed something of an elixir in the investment summit and a trip to India that began with a breakthrough announcement: the launch of talks on a comprehensive ...
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Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: the minister of finance, Nicola Willis. This week’s confessional is slightly different in that books editor Claire Mabey interviewed Willis via phone and took the opportunity to expand ...
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Comment: It was all going so well. Then Christopher Luxon threatened to get in his own way.Luxon went into his India trip hoping to accumulate a few singles and keep the scoreboard ticking over, but ended up clearing the boundary.Launching free trade negotiations, deepening his leader-to-leader ties with Indian Prime ...
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Tony Abbott caught joking about climate change and the effects on the Pacific …
http://www.3news.co.nz/world/video-tony-abbott-caught-joking-about-climate-change-2015091116#ixzz3lP62Z05E
Makes you wonder what he is saying privately.
Key was on 6pm news commenting on the differences between Australia/NZ and the Pacific Island nations over Climate Change. He uttered words to the effect… they (Pacific Island leaders) believe their low lying islands are going to be swamped by rising sea levels but time will tell if they are right or not. The inference (delivered with a nice smile) being that the Pacific leaders are a bunch of low level fools prepared to believe anything, while he and Abbott are superior beings with superior knowledge. No comprehension that in reality they are the cretinous ones – not the Pacific Island leaders!
Yeah, he said, in regard to the claims of ome pacific island nations that climate change could threaten their very existence: “that might, or might not, be true” followed by “but time will tell if they are right or not”.
The arsehole.
In other words “I don’t know, and am completely indifferent”.
Judith Collins advocates for breaching UN treaties …
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/collins-nz-should-back-air-strikes-2015091110#.VfJFTXGxKPA.twitter
Yes it was but I was more concerned with what she said about CYFS. Expect more draconian, anti-human legislation from this government that manages to make things worse while providing a profit for private providers.
Just missing: http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/4/z/6/8/8/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620×349.14z6uv.png/1432513800904.jpg
Daily Review picture? Priceless!
More like nauseating.
Looks like Abbot is smuggling a budgie or something in his front,
while Putin seems to have put in a little fudgie or something in his back.
The saga of Opua School at last made it to the local paper today.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11511529
————————————————————————
“New Zealand schools need to be delivered from deadweight of bureaucratic authoritarianism. And at base lies the education review office. The review office is pure Kafka …”
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/blood-in-the-water-the-education-review-office-terror-by-design-randomness-non-accountability-and-infinite-bureaucratic-demand-part/
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/71977405/radio-hosts-suspended-for-slutshaming-20yearold-eating-disorder-survivor
This sums up John Key’s New Zealand. It’s exclusive and divisive and it shows in increasing instances of behaviour like this.
“On the cusp of something special”?
If the breakdown of inclusive society is the “something special”, then I want no part of it.
John Keys NZ ?
This is just international culture.
Interwebs has homogenized everything.
homogenized?
https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=homogenized%20definition
We used to be better than that. Not anymore though.
Between mincing down the runway, “gay red top” comments, and ponytail pulling, the message from the top is clear…
bullying is ok as long as you can convince muddle NZ that it’s a joke.
To much “homo” behavior, you reckon?
Key’s M.O. has been to appeal to the beers around the barbecue set but it’s risky in that he’s shown his true colours on several occasions.
By taking on the blokey, bullying persona he’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept bullying and oneupmanship as a normal everyday occurrence. He’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept that making fun of gay people and attacking women who make a fuss as totally normal and right.
We are a poorer place for it, IMO.
‘John Key’s New Zealand’ is itself a product of the homogenisation of the dominant political cultures around the world which usually is identified by the label ‘neoliberal’.
And the ‘international culture’ you are trying to deflect blame upon is itself a product of that homogenised political culture. It’s not some independent, parallel, purely technologically-provoked development.
Ask yourself, for example, why particular technological ‘innovation’ occurs and, more significantly, why the technological developments that do occur get used in the ways that they are now used?
It’s down to the dominant ideological settings – born of neoliberal policy primarily pursued as part of a quite deliberate attempt by elites to retake the vast economic advantages that they had before the 1930s (see David Harvey’s book ‘A Brief History of Neoliberalism‘ for a pretty accessible read of these sweeping, global political and economic changes).
It’s being going on for over thirty years, of course, but Key’s government is the logical continuation of it.
More specifically, stunts like the one in the link are primarily about provocative attempts to gain audience ratings. But notice that the over-riding concern with audience ratings in the new media outlets generated over that time (i.e., outlets that are themselves products of neoliberal reforms) is simply part of the obvious neoliberal logic extended to a thoroughgoing wild west media marketplace.
Anyone at the time with any common sense or reflective capacity on the nature of the Reagan/Thatcher/Douglas financial and economic reforms could have foretold these kinds of outcomes with ease (because they’d happened before in the 20th century when similar policies held sway).
Any pre-existing ‘social glue’ and moral norms inevitably get put under pressure by the logic of neoliberalism and eventually, like a piece of number 8 wire continually bent backwards and forwards, will weaken and snap.
Those, in the marketplace, left cleaving to older virtues such as common decency will start to look like unadaptable dinosaurs afraid to apply a bit of ‘creative destruction’ to the social and moral order through ‘business innovation’ and cutting edge marketing, etc..
Of course, despite those over-weaning pressures that come from the working out of neoliberal logic in real time, there are still good people around – but even they increasingly make compromises in their behaviour in relation to how they believe they should act.
+1
… including your American English spellings, right?
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/homogenize
My old pocket oxford from the 1960’s also prefers a ‘z’..
Things have turned a bit crap for Mr Harper-man and the Tories in Canada’s Federal election campaign. Recent polls have them slipping to 3rd place behind the Liberals and NDP at about 26% across the country. Crucially they are falling behind the Liberals in seat-rich Ontario which often decides elections with the FPTP system Canada (still!) uses. At any rate none other than a certain Mr Lynton Crosby has been drafted in from Australia to try and stem the losses.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-election-2015-lynton-crosby-conservatives-1.3223315
Got to hand it to Abbot, he’s in great shape for a man in his mid 50’s.
Looks like he’s even got some wash board abs, impressive.
Shame he’s hopeless as a PM.
If you’re referring to the picture, it’s been around for yonks. In other words taken quite a few years ago.
Yeah, but he looks like a bit of a git…
https://www.themonthly.com.au/sites/default/files/m/Prime_Minister_Tony_Abbott_0.jpg
http://www.theshovel.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Tony-Abbott-coal.jpg
https://donaldelley.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/033650-tony-abbott.jpg
https://polyfeministix.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/tony-abbott-with-hat.jpg
http://www.tntmagazine.com/image.php/media/content/_master/44795/images/abbott.jpg?file=media%2Fcontent%2F_master%2F44795%2Fimages2Fabbott.jpg&width=450
http://images.dailylife.com.au/2010/08/04/1743963/bowlingman2.jpg?rand=1280899096751
http://pedestriantv-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images%2Farticle%2F2015%2F02%2F06%2F88cfb2c8-69e5-4aae-aab5-eb702ee044d0-Tone3.jpg
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/83249/people-skills-o.gif
https://stublogs.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tony-abbott-420×0.jpg
There is a vigorous debate about the flag in this article.
Panel advising on new flag ‘cobbled together’ advice from designers:
Link : http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/71941611/panel-advising-on-new-flag-cobbled-together-advice-from-designers
I read the following comment from a reader. I would like to know if there is any valid substance to this claim. What do you think?
Comment was :
“Its my understanding at least two of the four proposed flags are trade Marked by its owner. If one of these is picked as our new flag either the owner will have to relinquish the trade mark or the government will have to buy it
I wonder how much money someone would want for their flag that is going to be shown worldwide as a National symbol of a country $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$”
—————
Also of interest is this other article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11511139
Shows that the whole process has been a manipulated crap and a cunning stunt.
I’ve heard Kyle Lockwood would transfer or relinquish what intellectual property he had to the NZ government if one of his several designs were successful.
At this point it looks like being the case because one of his designs will have the backing of the National party vault and we will not have seen a marketing campaign like it before in New Zealand. There will be celebrity endorsements as yet unheard of in order to get one of the Lockwoods over the line.
I suspect it will be the black and blue Lockwood because as David Farrar has said, there’s too much Labour red in the red and blue version.
I am astonished at the audacity and stupidity of the panel and the cabinet to give us four final flags, three of which have the SAME symbol and the fourth is a dull rendering of an important Maori theme. In reality, we are given just ONE choice : A fern! A dumb panel and a manipulated referendum. Personally, I have no real choice but to stick with the current flag for now.
It was certainly nice of you to mention lockjaw thrice in three sentences. He will appreciate the publicity no doubt.
Lockwood’s Logos!
Sorry ’bout that. Not much else you can do because his designs don’t even have a name! So, we much fall to the use of his name by default.
Nice bit of self promotion there.
Everyday Misogyny: Sexism is OK as long as it’s funny – so rules the Advertising Standards Authority
But looking at the ASA’s page we see this:
and one wonders just what the purpose of the ASA is because it doesn’t appear to be to hold businesses that break the law/codes to account.
We live in a country that can’t even do a proper investigation to the gang rape of young women, by a group of young men – who then bragged about it on the internet.
Our society is so patriarchal we can’t even mention the word feminism, without some male moaning about it. Or the start crying like a 2 year old, and spraying that their sexist comment was only, “a joke”.
Comedy is great, indeed I love Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, and Frankie Boyle. I Where is the humour in repeatedly objectifying women on billboards, with at best, another boring, lazy, tired, pun.
I thought we were suppose to be clever in this country? Obviously our advertising people are not.
Chinese construction firms sign on to support major Wellington projects
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71956520/chinese-construction-firms-sign-on-to-support-major-wellington-projects
Wellington to host 2017 New Zealand-China Mayoral forum
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71825783/wellington-to-host-2017-new-zealandchina-mayoral-forum
Fairey’s Theory of Awesomeness (Nominate 2016)
Guess which type that National MPs fit into?
Every now and then I drop by to see what this guy is saying. He’s always interesting:
http://www.stonekettle.com/2015/09/those-good-old-labor-days.html
A well thought out and interesting essay. Thanks.