Good chat in the first part of this video (about 5 minutes) about they why and how of Hurricane Florence. Then it goes into more general stuff about climate change and some of the political problems. Total video time 20 min.
Good vid, Adam. I just saw Trump on the news and I swear he thinks that having the most brutal beating ever is something to look forward to. We have the best disasters! The bigliest!!! DEMS said it couldn’t be done. Sad!
And thanks for giving some time/content detail; too many folk just drop a link and expect the reader to wade through the waffle to get to the relevant bit.
I got caught out – ate some non meat ones 25 years ago then realised they put beef fucken fat in ice cream and everything – felt like puking for weeks.
yes – could be worse – in the corporate world I worked in for years I got fed asparagus rolls as my vegetarian meal – grew quite fond of tinned asparagus I have to say.
“When you became a vegetarian, you quickly learned it wasn’t just about skipping pepperoni on that pizza. You had to start scanning labels for ingredients like capric acid, tallow, rennet, glycerin, whey, suet, stereate, and emulsifiers—because eating animal fat by any other name would be just as carnivorous. What you may not know is that plenty of common foods widely considered to be vegetarian-friendly (or perhaps we should say veg-adjacent) actually contain animal fat, not just dairy fat. That means flesh. Read on to learn more.
1. Ice Cream
Ice cream is the one comfort food that temporarily heals all wounds. Unfortunately, you may be noshing on Bessie under all that chocolate sauce. Many brands of ice cream contain capric acid, a fatty acid that’s obtained from animal fats. Check the label.”
Stop listening to and viewing the corporate media, designed to dumb you down, distract you and misinform you.
Instead raise your IQ and listen to this intelligent, informed, brave and decent person.
Morans like Hosking, Garner, Richardson, Soper – disconnect from them.
And hear the pearls of wisdom from Noam Chomsky.
50 minutes you will not regret spending unlike all those hours where your brain and ears were bombarded by the hate speech of New Zealand’s extreme right media.
Thanks Ed, I willll give this a squizz when I get home later.
Chomsky has always impressed me with his calm reasoned approach.
He always skewers his subjects.
Not that one yet. I have watched others including the Netflix one – quite like a lot of what he says to be fair.
I am cautious in who i read and what I believe from them. Even people i love like russell brand I still am circumspect rather than just like all they say because i really like something they say.
I agree, be wary.
Yet to be shown were Chomsky goes wrong.
Bill Hicks for me is a voice I can rely on.
So often his cynical questioning approach seems relevant 20 years down the track.
What he would have made of the three towers, 17 years ago….
Richard Harman on Politik drew this conclusion in regard to the Curran saga: “lack of political management”. I did likewise in commenting on the shambles this week with regard to Mahuta’s announcement, and now TVNZ led tonight with a story about discord between Labour & NZF which the leaders of both seemed unworried by.
At best, a mixed message. At worst, perception may prevail over reality. It’s now a pattern. Nats are trying to get traction on it without noticeable success. Most journos seem not to have noticed yet.
The coalition needs to put someone in charge of their workload coordination, someone with sufficient authority to give direct advice to the leaders about how to organise solutions to process problems. Presenting as shambolic will start to lower their poll ratings so they need to get their act together fast.
Its wedge politics. The Nats have no other option but to try and fabricate the perception of a split in the coalition. The Nats think this strategy will win them back into govt in 2020. What will most likely sink that strategy is demographics and the resultant emerging age and gender voter patterns. Jacinda Ardern is an inclusive, compassionate and intelligent leader, relatively young and a woman.
As Winston implies just a bit of “tidying” up required for the coalition, perhaps.
Well said………the opposition is of course aided and abetted by a largy ‘ignorant’ media who continue to treat politics as a matter of so called ‘winners and losers’, rather than a contest of issues and ideas.
The ignorance displayed about the realities of coalition/confidence and supply government seems beyond so many supposed journalists these days.
I can’t see Peters taking direction from “someone with sufficient authority” on “how to organise solutions to process problems”.
If you have been following the events that have led to a “lack of political management” in the coalition you will have noticed that Peter’s deliberately waits until Labour believes it can go ahead with a particular policy and then at a time that causes maximum embarrassment pulls the rug out of from under Labour. Examples include refugee numbers, the Labour proposed Maori partnership body; employment law changes (opting out options for provincial businesses).
He does this to maximise NZ First’s political position – not the coalition’s.
He is not going to concede power to a third party to manage any process in the best interests of the coalition.
I imagine that Peters assumes that, so long as the government can make headway with some significant actual policy implementation, his high-profile differentiation of NZFirst from Labour will raise his party’s profile without meaningfully harming the government.
Fran O’Sullivan’s rerun of the coalition agreement in relation to the failure to achieve consensus on the refugee quota gives us helpful context:
” What the refugee affair does illustrate is that Labour cannot take for granted that what it believes are prime policies will be supported by NZ First outside of Coalition commitments. The preamble to their Coalition agreement states that the parties will work collaboratively and in good faith to reach agreement on particular policy and legislative initiatives.
“As provided for in the Cabinet Manual, the parties will ‘agree to disagree’ where negotiated between party leaders, and in such circumstances the parties will be free to express alternative views publicly and within Parliament …
“President Donald Trump has told Puerto Rico officials they should be “proud” they did not lose thousands of lives as in “a real catastrophe like Katrina”.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Speaking of pouring out the propaganda, why are you linking to 21st century wire, Ed? They’re a right wing fake news site with a sideline in climate change denial. They’re part of the problem, not the solution.
Er, no. Beeley is a right wing troll, with some pretty obvious links to the Putin regime. A bit of research might help you get a handle on how this stuff works. Or even better, read some Marx.
By the way, even if you can, that doesn’t mean she’s not a right wing troll. I rate Boris Johnson for the LOL’s. Doesn’t mean he’s not a Tory toff (something he has in common with Beeley).
I guess my point would be that you appear to have some good left wing instincts, but your critical faculty is lacking. You need to look at the class interests of the people you pluck quotes from. Beeley, the daughter of a diplomat, comes from the right, was in business for years and later in life got sponsored by the Russians to write bollocks. She’s your enemy, Ed, not your friend.
For example, here’s her own list of where her ‘work’ can be found. Ron Paul, FFS.
“My work is re-published at the Ron Paul Institute, Global Research, Dissident Voice, Sott., Greanville Post, The London Journal among others.
I have appeared on RT Cross Talk, RT News, Press TV, Ron Paul Liberty Report, Sunday Wire, Sputnik Radio”
Generally, your opinions are left wing, Ed. It’s just weird that you keep defaulting to right wing troll sites for cites, when there are so many good left wing ones to use. As I wrote earlier, read some Marx. That’ll clear that problem up quick smart.
But Russian sponsored bloggers are? There’s your problem right there. Lack of critical thinking.
Ask yourself why the right are saying things that sound believable to you. Things that resonate.
The answer is that the right invented and perfected political propaganda. And the best propaganda starts with a kernel of truth and then grinds that kernel to dust.
Or to put it another way, you appear to know the world is not geared for the interests of the majority, however you are taking the oppressor’s word for why that is. As ol’ Bob Zimmerman once sang, you know something is going on, you just don’t know what it is 😉
Start to think for yourself, Ed. Don’t rely on the other side’s spruikers. They’re lying to you and laughing at you while they do it.
Doesn’t make much sense if you think Beeley is a right wing troll. Right wingers wants Assad gone at any cost to Syria. Beeley is arguing from an opposite viewpoint.
Assad is right wing. Some other right wingers want him gone, but that doesn’t change Assad’s politics. Of course, some other rather prominent right wingers want him to stay in charge and that doesn’t change him either. He’s still right wing.
As is Beeley.
Is Assad an arsehole? Yes. Are people who are paid to promote him also arseholes? Yes. Are naive people on blogs who can’t work out what’s going on arseholes? No.
Assad’s politics and economic agenda were/are a mix of pan-Arab nationalism and statism. Not right wing – ie, liberal or neo-liberal or free market.
Beeley, who’s broader political perspective/analysis I disagree with, has nevertheless produced some very good reports from Syria.
Eva Bartlett (you mention Ch4’s discredited take-down of her above) has also provided very good reports from Syria. It kind of amuses how she was a hero to some when she reported from Palestine, but became a devil incarnate to many of those same people when she reported on Syria. Go figure.
21st Century Wire (and other sites) may be less than “sterling”, but when a person is reporting on stuff and no-one will pick them up because what they’re highlighting goes smack against accepted and unexamined “truths”, what are they meant to do? Take whatever outlet is on offer? Or shut themselves down?
We can agree that right wing propagandists use innuendo and just enough (twisted) truth to make their message appealing. (They also steal a fair amount of what would pass for left wing sensibility and mash it fit their agenda – ACT in NZ did the same “back when”) Some of them are very good at it. And when mainstream media are largely a busted flush who “no-one” believes any more, the audience is there for the taking, yes?
“As the families affected grieve the anniversary of the terrorist atrocity of #9/11 ponder this: #Britain and the #US are now at #war in #Syria in defence of #AlQaeda
Just think about that….”
And another fine entry, this time from Angelis Dania
“Assad: I’m close to victory. The US, UK, France, and now Germany have threatened to attack me if I use chemical weapons. A chemical attack won’t gain me any real strategic advantage, and I’ll lose support from my people. I’ll do it.
A clear and present danger.
Peter Hitchens is very concerned.
Not my political flavour, but he is certainly a thinker.
“Please write to your MP now without delay – War, terrible war, may be on the way again. WMD All Over Again: Our Government moves stealthily towards a new war of choice.
This week, the Middle East is in a state of grave and dangerous tension. The huge Sunni Muslim oil power, Saud Arabia, armed and/or backed diplomatically by Britain, France and the USA, is ever more hostile to Shia Muslim Iran, another oil power not as great but still as important, which is close and growing closer to Russia and China.
Bear in Mind as you consider this that Russia is also a European power, and engaged in a conflict with the EU and NATO in formerly non-aligned Ukraine, after the EU’s aggressive attempt to bring Ukraine into the Western orbit and NATO’s incessant eastward expansion into formerly neutral territory. There are several points at which Western troops are now remarkably close to Russian borders, for instance they are about 80 miles from St Petersburg (the distance from London to Coventry) , and the US Navy is building a new Black Sea base at Ochakov, 308 miles from the Russian naval station at Sevastopol. Just as the First World War (at root a conflict between Russia and Germany) spread like a great red stain over much of Europe and the Middle East , an Iran-Saudi war could easily spread into Europe itself.
The two powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are not yet in direct combat with each other, but fight through proxies in Yemen and Syria.
…….Our ally, Saudi Arabia, has used appalling methods in its attacks on Yemen and these have had appalling results. The moralistic bloviation of Western leaders about Syria, Russia and Iran’s parallel war against much the same sort of enemy as Assad and Russia face in Idlib is colossal hypocrisy and I am amazed that they can bring themselves to emit it, though I suspect that they are genuinely ignorant of the facts, not so much by wilfully avoiding them as by lacking the will to discover them. Even more infuriating is their ridiculous insistence, (simply not backed by reliably researched facts, obtained through secure custody chains, a standard set by the OPCW for itself) that the Assad state is guilty of previous chemical weapon use in Khan Sheikhoun and Douma.
…….There are many straws in the wind which suggest that we are being prepared for war. War is hell. At the very least, a decision which could have such far-reaching consequences, which could reach into every life and home, and embroil us for years, should be considered properly. The very fact that our government appears not to want us to consider it properly make sit all the more urgent that we insist on it.”
Galloway spot on, as ever.
‘An excellent piece of writing by the honourable @georgegalloway on #Skripal, #Russia and the illegal war in #Syria. A must read for anybody who wants to know the truth.’
“According to the Wall St Journal, the US has concluded that the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad is about to unleash a “chemical weapons attack” on the very last stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters in Syria. We are asked to believe that having won the war Assad seeks to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by bringing the axis powers back full-scale into the Syrian war.
Whilst no-one but the least savvy of sheep is likely to believe that casus belli it is nonetheless all that the war-party has got to justify an expected new blizzard of cruise missiles and maybe more. Behind the Syrian Army stands of course the Russian Armed Forces, the very same Russia that has already ‘started chemical weapons warfare’ on the streets of Salisbury. ”
“Christchurch Progressive Network
12 September 2018
Media Release:
Protest tomorrow at Council Meeting – a travesty of democracy is in the making
Members of the Christchurch Progressive Network will attend tomorrow’s Christchurch City Council Meeting from 8.30am to protest the proposal to spend an extra $220 million on a rugby stadium ahead of rebuilding council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes.
The extra $220 million would come from the $300 million allocated by the government for Christchurch priorities. This despite the housing crisis for low-income tenants and families exacerbated by the council’s failure to rebuild over 400 council rental units destroyed in the earthquakes.
It is a travesty of democracy when the Christchurch City Council refuses to allow public consultation on the spending of this $300 million after the Prime Minister told Christchurch voters during the election campaign “You and your city know exactly what your priorities are and that is why you will decide how that $300m is spent. It’s over to you.”
The mayor refused to answer earlier questions about the need for public consultation and then out of the blue has sprung this proposal on the city with just a few days’ notice. It’s a cynical attempt to override public opinion.
Christchurch residents have repeatedly said the stadium is a low priority compared to roads, footpaths and rebuilding council rental units but the Mayor and vested interests tell us the priority is a covered rugby stadium at a cost of $473 million.
This proposal is undemocratic, unprincipled and uncompassionate.
CPN supporters will be gathering at the council meeting from 8.30am, City Council Building, 53 Hereford Street.
John Minto
Convenor
Christchurch Progressive Network”
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Craig Murray points out a dangerous development and a salient fact.
“China participating in giant Russian military exercise. Tells you all you need to know about the ham-fisted ineptitude of recent Western diplomacy. Far from isolating Russia, it has drawn much closer to the next dominant superpower.”
Challenge nothing
Change nothing
Tinker round the edges
Enable the status quo
Keep their position at the top of the political pile.
Stand for nothing.
Mean nothing.
Devoid of ideas
Devoid of solutions.”
Sounds like significant parts of the Labour Party in NZ as well.
ha ha – old vlad eh – just admitted that THERE WAS a poisoning. All of the people on here saying it was bullshit – Vlads just proven you all idiots!
“The two men accused by the UK of carrying out a nerve agent attack in Salisbury have been identified and are civilians, not criminals, Vladimir Putin has said.
“We know who they are, we have found them,” Putin said at an economic forum in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, adding that the two men – named by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – may soon make appearances in the media to protest their innocence.
“These are civilians,” Putin said in remarks reported by Russian news agencies. “There is nothing criminal here.”
… The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
Two Russian guys went to an iconic tourist attraction. Stonehenge is 15km from Salisbury.
Where does Putin say or imply they carried out any poisoning? And where are the ongoing and official Russian statements claiming that no poisoning had ever occurred?
And why, when the UK government has stated the investigation surrounding the affair is done and finished – that it was drawing a line under things with the naming of those two men – would the Russian government seek to open it up again, unless the two guys actually are innocent?
“The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
If Putin, or an official spokesperson has stated that Russia (ie – the Russian government) was “disregarding the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication“, (ie- all of the evidence) then there would be something to The Guardian’s claims.
But (as I suspect the case to be) the Guardian is attempting to build a mountainous picture from someone raising reasonable and understandable doubts because date stamps on video stills appeared to be from the same place and time, then nah.
Why would the Russian govt… ? Nationalism is popular in Russia. By defending ‘innocents’ victimized by a foreign state Putin’s popularity will only grow.
Innocence may not rate high among Putin’s motivations – didn’t stop him killing Nemtsov.
Well Stuart, obviously a visitor from Russia or elsewhere, who visited Britain but didn’t leave London (maybe most of anyone from anywhere?) wouldn’t be visiting Stonehenge or any other place outside of London – or getting up to deadly mischief outside of London.
Arkaim looks pretty cool. So is Skara Brae. But I doubt Orcadians would be all “seen it, done that” about Stonehenge “because Skara Brae”, or that any other person living near standing stones (lot’s of them in Britain) would either.
State murders and nationalism. Russia doesn’t have exclusive rights, you know?
Stonehenge should not be created out of whole cloth. It should be possible to determine whether the men concerned were in fact megalithic grave enthusiasts, or not. If so you have a sort of argument – if not you just made a Кра́сный herring.
No one is suggesting Russia has exclusivity on state sanctioned murder – but they certainly have plenty of form. In this instance however, the kind of political convenience that attended the demise of David Kelly is not in evidence.
If I was to put money on two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to take in Stonehenge, against two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to slap some goop on a door handle, I’d be putting my money on Stonehenge.
I mean. They might not have gone to Stonehenge. There are a multitude of imaginable reasons why two Russian nationals would fly to London and then travel on to a place like Salisbury. And yes, poisoning a father and daughter is part of the list. But the odds?
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
Personally and politically there’s no reason to use an indirect route to get in, and getting out needs to be as direct as possible because you’re only vulnerable when you’re arrestable or extraditable. Gotta be wary of a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer making notes…
There’s no need to use a fake or stolen or fraudulently obtained passport because you have access to a legitimate one in a name that is not your own. Indeed, getting picked up with a dodgy passport coming in would be a major liability for your operation, and the poison could even be discovered simply because you were arrested for the passport.
Public transport is convenient, uses cash, and doesn’t require ID of any sort. Heck, the French Rainbow Warrior operation support pair were caught while returning their rental car (bloody stupid move) – and their dodgy Swiss passports were no protection, either.
Note to self. Never engage in any dodgy illegal shit with McFlock unless the objective is to secure some years worth of three guaranteed meals a day. 🙂
Those two will only see a jail cell if Putin wishes it.
That’s the difference between committing a crime but you want to stay in the country, and committing a crime where if you leave immediately you will never be caught.
Seriously, what does private or rented transport give you that public transport doesn’t? Sure, maybe a bit more speed, but also another scene for the cops to examine, another identity check in the process to confirm it was you, and an increase in the statistical likelihood you’ll hit another car or something and jeapordize the operation.
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Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Good chat in the first part of this video (about 5 minutes) about they why and how of Hurricane Florence. Then it goes into more general stuff about climate change and some of the political problems. Total video time 20 min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OuVTEfBatY&ab_channel=DemocracyNow%21
Good vid, Adam. I just saw Trump on the news and I swear he thinks that having the most brutal beating ever is something to look forward to. We have the best disasters! The bigliest!!! DEMS said it couldn’t be done. Sad!
And thanks for giving some time/content detail; too many folk just drop a link and expect the reader to wade through the waffle to get to the relevant bit.
Chocolate fish for whoever guesses the significance of this photo …
It’s Te Reo Maori week and McDonalds told a staff member to stop speaking in Te Reo to customers.
Never go.
Never will.
never have?
I was young….
wasn’t that long ago mate lol
I got caught out – ate some non meat ones 25 years ago then realised they put beef fucken fat in ice cream and everything – felt like puking for weeks.
Yes it would over 25 years ago since I had something from McDonalds.
I wasn’t a vegetarian then, obviously!
yes – could be worse – in the corporate world I worked in for years I got fed asparagus rolls as my vegetarian meal – grew quite fond of tinned asparagus I have to say.
hahahahahahahahahaha
Last time I looked most cream used in ice-cream comes from cows so it’s most definitely going to have cow fat in it.
And, no, they don’t put chicken fat in it either. What would be the point when it’s already got fat in it?
Sounds to me that you’ve been listening to too many lies.
lolz indeed – you really are as stupid as animal fat eh
“The whipped ice cream squirted out of a nozzle to make the cones which you buy from an ice cream van, used to contain pig fat or lard.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-393432/The-chilling-truth-ice-cream.html
“When you became a vegetarian, you quickly learned it wasn’t just about skipping pepperoni on that pizza. You had to start scanning labels for ingredients like capric acid, tallow, rennet, glycerin, whey, suet, stereate, and emulsifiers—because eating animal fat by any other name would be just as carnivorous. What you may not know is that plenty of common foods widely considered to be vegetarian-friendly (or perhaps we should say veg-adjacent) actually contain animal fat, not just dairy fat. That means flesh. Read on to learn more.
1. Ice Cream
Ice cream is the one comfort food that temporarily heals all wounds. Unfortunately, you may be noshing on Bessie under all that chocolate sauce. Many brands of ice cream contain capric acid, a fatty acid that’s obtained from animal fats. Check the label.”
https://www.more.com/lifestyle/exercise-health/seven-common-foods-made-animal-fat
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/māori-language-week/366290/mcdonald-s-worker-told-to-stop-using-te-reo
Staff have to speak english at work
OK, now define english in a New Zealand context…
Aye. I can’t believe that someone would complain. At this time …
Good coverage from RNZ.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/māori-language-week/366290/mcdonald-s-worker-told-to-stop-using-te-reo
W for whitey.
Jimmy Dore is a breath of fresh air in a world where the msm (here, in the UK and in the US) spouts 24/7 corporate propaganda.
Learn today about Venezuela.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0i4TTBbNtk
Something on the TV1 News tonight about Brownlee harassing a lawyer re steel mesh.
Anyone?
‘National’s Gerry Brownlee accused of ‘phone bullying’ after conversation with junior lawyer about steel mesh class action’
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/national-s-gerry-brownlee-accused-phone-bullying-after-conversation-junior-lawyer-steel-mesh-class-action
Brownlee’s behaviour is totally unacceptable.
BM, James, Chris73, Chris T, Pukish Rogue, Indiana, Grantoc, Alan and Alwyn must be outraged.
Daily Review will be busy tonight.
Now you list them, there are a lot of trolls.
There seems to be a pattern…..
‘ ‘What a pillock!’ Gerry Brownlee hammered for trying to play victim in front of frustrated Kaikoura locals.’
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/video-pillock-gerry-brownlee-hammered-trying-play-victim-in-front-frustrated-kaikoura-locals
This week.
Turn off the radio.
Turn off the TV.
Stop listening to and viewing the corporate media, designed to dumb you down, distract you and misinform you.
Instead raise your IQ and listen to this intelligent, informed, brave and decent person.
Morans like Hosking, Garner, Richardson, Soper – disconnect from them.
And hear the pearls of wisdom from Noam Chomsky.
50 minutes you will not regret spending unlike all those hours where your brain and ears were bombarded by the hate speech of New Zealand’s extreme right media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwTQsvhq3ew
Thanks Ed, I willll give this a squizz when I get home later.
Chomsky has always impressed me with his calm reasoned approach.
He always skewers his subjects.
Frankly I am surprised he hasn’t come to harm.
I really enjoyed listening to the talk.
what bits?
The history of close calls with nuclear weapons.
You’ve watched the Chomsky video Marty?
Not that one yet. I have watched others including the Netflix one – quite like a lot of what he says to be fair.
I am cautious in who i read and what I believe from them. Even people i love like russell brand I still am circumspect rather than just like all they say because i really like something they say.
I agree, be wary.
Yet to be shown were Chomsky goes wrong.
Bill Hicks for me is a voice I can rely on.
So often his cynical questioning approach seems relevant 20 years down the track.
What he would have made of the three towers, 17 years ago….
Richard Harman on Politik drew this conclusion in regard to the Curran saga: “lack of political management”. I did likewise in commenting on the shambles this week with regard to Mahuta’s announcement, and now TVNZ led tonight with a story about discord between Labour & NZF which the leaders of both seemed unworried by.
At best, a mixed message. At worst, perception may prevail over reality. It’s now a pattern. Nats are trying to get traction on it without noticeable success. Most journos seem not to have noticed yet.
The coalition needs to put someone in charge of their workload coordination, someone with sufficient authority to give direct advice to the leaders about how to organise solutions to process problems. Presenting as shambolic will start to lower their poll ratings so they need to get their act together fast.
Its wedge politics. The Nats have no other option but to try and fabricate the perception of a split in the coalition. The Nats think this strategy will win them back into govt in 2020. What will most likely sink that strategy is demographics and the resultant emerging age and gender voter patterns. Jacinda Ardern is an inclusive, compassionate and intelligent leader, relatively young and a woman.
As Winston implies just a bit of “tidying” up required for the coalition, perhaps.
Well said………the opposition is of course aided and abetted by a largy ‘ignorant’ media who continue to treat politics as a matter of so called ‘winners and losers’, rather than a contest of issues and ideas.
The ignorance displayed about the realities of coalition/confidence and supply government seems beyond so many supposed journalists these days.
Dennis
That’s not going to happen
I can’t see Peters taking direction from “someone with sufficient authority” on “how to organise solutions to process problems”.
If you have been following the events that have led to a “lack of political management” in the coalition you will have noticed that Peter’s deliberately waits until Labour believes it can go ahead with a particular policy and then at a time that causes maximum embarrassment pulls the rug out of from under Labour. Examples include refugee numbers, the Labour proposed Maori partnership body; employment law changes (opting out options for provincial businesses).
He does this to maximise NZ First’s political position – not the coalition’s.
He is not going to concede power to a third party to manage any process in the best interests of the coalition.
I imagine that Peters assumes that, so long as the government can make headway with some significant actual policy implementation, his high-profile differentiation of NZFirst from Labour will raise his party’s profile without meaningfully harming the government.
Parasites are often not great at judging how much to harm their host without killing it.
Comments relying on snappy metaphors are often not that great at making a point.
The sun rises in the East.
Hmmm…. Did i see you on the above list …. @ 4.1.1 ?
Fran O’Sullivan’s rerun of the coalition agreement in relation to the failure to achieve consensus on the refugee quota gives us helpful context:
” What the refugee affair does illustrate is that Labour cannot take for granted that what it believes are prime policies will be supported by NZ First outside of Coalition commitments. The preamble to their Coalition agreement states that the parties will work collaboratively and in good faith to reach agreement on particular policy and legislative initiatives.
“As provided for in the Cabinet Manual, the parties will ‘agree to disagree’ where negotiated between party leaders, and in such circumstances the parties will be free to express alternative views publicly and within Parliament …
“The Labour and New Zealand First parties agree to identify policies and roles in a way that maintains and promotes the distinct identity of each party.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12121255
Its gonna be tremendous folks. I’m gonna stay up all night to watch it. The biggest and the most tremendous ever.
Jesus wept!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/11/florence-trump-latest-government-prepared-storm
“President Donald Trump has told Puerto Rico officials they should be “proud” they did not lose thousands of lives as in “a real catastrophe like Katrina”.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/340809/trump-compares-hurricane-death-tolls
YET ….
“Hurricane Maria killed more than 4600 people in Puerto Rico, 70 times the official toll, according to estimates in a Harvard University study.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/358521/hurricane-killed-4600-in-puerto-rico-70x-offical-toll-study
Somewhere today… heard the Orange meme wanking on about “how it was … “an ncredible success” …
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/11/trump-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-success
Looks like things are brewing in Idlib.
The fake chemical attack is being foreshadowed.
Just after the rehash of the novochok story.
Problem, Reaction, Solution: US Bait Arrived in Idlib, ISIS Now in Position
https://21stcenturywire.com/2018/09/12/problem-reaction-solution-us-bait-arrived-in-idlib-isis-now-in-position/
Good on Emily Thornberry.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Meanwhile CNN keep pumping out the propaganda…….
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/10/middleeast/syria-idlib-white-helmets-intl/index.html
Speaking of pouring out the propaganda, why are you linking to 21st century wire, Ed? They’re a right wing fake news site with a sideline in climate change denial. They’re part of the problem, not the solution.
Vanessa Beasley is a brilliant and fearless reporter.
It is her account I linked to.
Er, no. Beeley is a right wing troll, with some pretty obvious links to the Putin regime. A bit of research might help you get a handle on how this stuff works. Or even better, read some Marx.
Er, no.
Many left wing commentators rate Beeley.
Name them.
By the way, even if you can, that doesn’t mean she’s not a right wing troll. I rate Boris Johnson for the LOL’s. Doesn’t mean he’s not a Tory toff (something he has in common with Beeley).
I guess my point would be that you appear to have some good left wing instincts, but your critical faculty is lacking. You need to look at the class interests of the people you pluck quotes from. Beeley, the daughter of a diplomat, comes from the right, was in business for years and later in life got sponsored by the Russians to write bollocks. She’s your enemy, Ed, not your friend.
For example, here’s her own list of where her ‘work’ can be found. Ron Paul, FFS.
“My work is re-published at the Ron Paul Institute, Global Research, Dissident Voice, Sott., Greanville Post, The London Journal among others.
I have appeared on RT Cross Talk, RT News, Press TV, Ron Paul Liberty Report, Sunday Wire, Sputnik Radio”
You’re a long time advocate of the establishments version of events TRP…
Numerous articles and countless comments…same same…
Don’t be scared…it stunts personal development…
Projecting onto Ed…nuff said eh…
Thanks one two.
I definitely feel in debates on this site my opinions are way to the left than trp.
Generally, your opinions are left wing, Ed. It’s just weird that you keep defaulting to right wing troll sites for cites, when there are so many good left wing ones to use. As I wrote earlier, read some Marx. That’ll clear that problem up quick smart.
Hi Ed…
As I’ve previously said…don’t take my comment as endorsement for your ‘debating style’…that’s your choice…
Pointing out the rank hypocrisy of TRP…was the comments purpose…
Hi one two
I still appreciate your entry into the discussion.
It stops the bullies.
Your view on Eva Bartlett?
Russian asset.
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-eva-bartletts-claims-about-syrian-children
Channel 4 is not reliable.
But Russian sponsored bloggers are? There’s your problem right there. Lack of critical thinking.
Ask yourself why the right are saying things that sound believable to you. Things that resonate.
The answer is that the right invented and perfected political propaganda. And the best propaganda starts with a kernel of truth and then grinds that kernel to dust.
Or to put it another way, you appear to know the world is not geared for the interests of the majority, however you are taking the oppressor’s word for why that is. As ol’ Bob Zimmerman once sang, you know something is going on, you just don’t know what it is 😉
Start to think for yourself, Ed. Don’t rely on the other side’s spruikers. They’re lying to you and laughing at you while they do it.
Works both ways trp.
You trust the corporate media way too much.
I rely on independent sources.
George Galloway is superb.
Great. I hope you start quoting independent sources in your comments too. Never too late to start.
btw, is that Rupert Murdoch owned George Galloway you reckon is superb? Never buy the Sun, son. They’re Maccas for the mind.
Galloway is independent.
Nah, he’s not. He used to make serious money working for RT and later Press TV, but now works exclusively for Murdoch.
Doesn’t make much sense if you think Beeley is a right wing troll. Right wingers wants Assad gone at any cost to Syria. Beeley is arguing from an opposite viewpoint.
Assad is right wing. Some other right wingers want him gone, but that doesn’t change Assad’s politics. Of course, some other rather prominent right wingers want him to stay in charge and that doesn’t change him either. He’s still right wing.
As is Beeley.
Is Assad an arsehole? Yes. Are people who are paid to promote him also arseholes? Yes. Are naive people on blogs who can’t work out what’s going on arseholes? No.
Assad’s politics and economic agenda were/are a mix of pan-Arab nationalism and statism. Not right wing – ie, liberal or neo-liberal or free market.
Beeley, who’s broader political perspective/analysis I disagree with, has nevertheless produced some very good reports from Syria.
Eva Bartlett (you mention Ch4’s discredited take-down of her above) has also provided very good reports from Syria. It kind of amuses how she was a hero to some when she reported from Palestine, but became a devil incarnate to many of those same people when she reported on Syria. Go figure.
21st Century Wire (and other sites) may be less than “sterling”, but when a person is reporting on stuff and no-one will pick them up because what they’re highlighting goes smack against accepted and unexamined “truths”, what are they meant to do? Take whatever outlet is on offer? Or shut themselves down?
We can agree that right wing propagandists use innuendo and just enough (twisted) truth to make their message appealing. (They also steal a fair amount of what would pass for left wing sensibility and mash it fit their agenda – ACT in NZ did the same “back when”) Some of them are very good at it. And when mainstream media are largely a busted flush who “no-one” believes any more, the audience is there for the taking, yes?
George Galloway nails it on Twitter.
“As the families affected grieve the anniversary of the terrorist atrocity of #9/11 ponder this: #Britain and the #US are now at #war in #Syria in defence of #AlQaeda
Just think about that….”
And another fine entry, this time from Angelis Dania
“Assad: I’m close to victory. The US, UK, France, and now Germany have threatened to attack me if I use chemical weapons. A chemical attack won’t gain me any real strategic advantage, and I’ll lose support from my people. I’ll do it.
Yes. They really do think you’re that stupid.”
A clear and present danger.
Peter Hitchens is very concerned.
Not my political flavour, but he is certainly a thinker.
“Please write to your MP now without delay – War, terrible war, may be on the way again. WMD All Over Again: Our Government moves stealthily towards a new war of choice.
This week, the Middle East is in a state of grave and dangerous tension. The huge Sunni Muslim oil power, Saud Arabia, armed and/or backed diplomatically by Britain, France and the USA, is ever more hostile to Shia Muslim Iran, another oil power not as great but still as important, which is close and growing closer to Russia and China.
Bear in Mind as you consider this that Russia is also a European power, and engaged in a conflict with the EU and NATO in formerly non-aligned Ukraine, after the EU’s aggressive attempt to bring Ukraine into the Western orbit and NATO’s incessant eastward expansion into formerly neutral territory. There are several points at which Western troops are now remarkably close to Russian borders, for instance they are about 80 miles from St Petersburg (the distance from London to Coventry) , and the US Navy is building a new Black Sea base at Ochakov, 308 miles from the Russian naval station at Sevastopol. Just as the First World War (at root a conflict between Russia and Germany) spread like a great red stain over much of Europe and the Middle East , an Iran-Saudi war could easily spread into Europe itself.
The two powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are not yet in direct combat with each other, but fight through proxies in Yemen and Syria.
…….Our ally, Saudi Arabia, has used appalling methods in its attacks on Yemen and these have had appalling results. The moralistic bloviation of Western leaders about Syria, Russia and Iran’s parallel war against much the same sort of enemy as Assad and Russia face in Idlib is colossal hypocrisy and I am amazed that they can bring themselves to emit it, though I suspect that they are genuinely ignorant of the facts, not so much by wilfully avoiding them as by lacking the will to discover them. Even more infuriating is their ridiculous insistence, (simply not backed by reliably researched facts, obtained through secure custody chains, a standard set by the OPCW for itself) that the Assad state is guilty of previous chemical weapon use in Khan Sheikhoun and Douma.
…….There are many straws in the wind which suggest that we are being prepared for war. War is hell. At the very least, a decision which could have such far-reaching consequences, which could reach into every life and home, and embroil us for years, should be considered properly. The very fact that our government appears not to want us to consider it properly make sit all the more urgent that we insist on it.”
https://t.co/weyCP0XmAT?amp=1
Galloway spot on, as ever.
‘An excellent piece of writing by the honourable @georgegalloway on #Skripal, #Russia and the illegal war in #Syria. A must read for anybody who wants to know the truth.’
“According to the Wall St Journal, the US has concluded that the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad is about to unleash a “chemical weapons attack” on the very last stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters in Syria. We are asked to believe that having won the war Assad seeks to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by bringing the axis powers back full-scale into the Syrian war.
Whilst no-one but the least savvy of sheep is likely to believe that casus belli it is nonetheless all that the war-party has got to justify an expected new blizzard of cruise missiles and maybe more. Behind the Syrian Army stands of course the Russian Armed Forces, the very same Russia that has already ‘started chemical weapons warfare’ on the streets of Salisbury. ”
https://t.co/m7CyVoIMb6?amp=1
Good stuff
“Christchurch Progressive Network
12 September 2018
Media Release:
Protest tomorrow at Council Meeting – a travesty of democracy is in the making
Members of the Christchurch Progressive Network will attend tomorrow’s Christchurch City Council Meeting from 8.30am to protest the proposal to spend an extra $220 million on a rugby stadium ahead of rebuilding council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes.
The extra $220 million would come from the $300 million allocated by the government for Christchurch priorities. This despite the housing crisis for low-income tenants and families exacerbated by the council’s failure to rebuild over 400 council rental units destroyed in the earthquakes.
It is a travesty of democracy when the Christchurch City Council refuses to allow public consultation on the spending of this $300 million after the Prime Minister told Christchurch voters during the election campaign “You and your city know exactly what your priorities are and that is why you will decide how that $300m is spent. It’s over to you.”
The mayor refused to answer earlier questions about the need for public consultation and then out of the blue has sprung this proposal on the city with just a few days’ notice. It’s a cynical attempt to override public opinion.
Christchurch residents have repeatedly said the stadium is a low priority compared to roads, footpaths and rebuilding council rental units but the Mayor and vested interests tell us the priority is a covered rugby stadium at a cost of $473 million.
This proposal is undemocratic, unprincipled and uncompassionate.
CPN supporters will be gathering at the council meeting from 8.30am, City Council Building, 53 Hereford Street.
John Minto
Convenor
Christchurch Progressive Network”
Great work by John and the team.
Why don’t you do something like that ed?
Emily Thornberry is a courageous woman.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/EmilyThornberry
where is the link?
Craig Murray points out a dangerous development and a salient fact.
“China participating in giant Russian military exercise. Tells you all you need to know about the ham-fisted ineptitude of recent Western diplomacy. Far from isolating Russia, it has drawn much closer to the next dominant superpower.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg
forgot the link
Are you stalking me?
just wanted to read the link you forgot to post – are you stalking me?
No
Hey, Bill, here’s one for you!
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/holyrood-honour-for-scots-workers-who-grounded-general-pinochet-s-fighter-jets-1-4798391
Did a post on that a while back. 😉
https://thestandard.org.nz/solidarity/
duncanpoundcake OnTwitter.
“The simplistic worldview of all Blairites:
Challenge nothing
Change nothing
Tinker round the edges
Enable the status quo
Keep their position at the top of the political pile.
Stand for nothing.
Mean nothing.
Devoid of ideas
Devoid of solutions.”
Sounds like significant parts of the Labour Party in NZ as well.
ha ha – old vlad eh – just admitted that THERE WAS a poisoning. All of the people on here saying it was bullshit – Vlads just proven you all idiots!
“The two men accused by the UK of carrying out a nerve agent attack in Salisbury have been identified and are civilians, not criminals, Vladimir Putin has said.
“We know who they are, we have found them,” Putin said at an economic forum in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, adding that the two men – named by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – may soon make appearances in the media to protest their innocence.
“These are civilians,” Putin said in remarks reported by Russian news agencies. “There is nothing criminal here.”
… The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/12/skripal-poisoning-suspects-are-civilians-not-criminals-says-putin-novichok
big mistake Vlad – it won’t end well for you.
The Guardian is a rag. It runs daily propaganda.
At the moment they’re pimping for war in Idlib.
I’d really be wary of trusting it on much nowadays.
Vlad said it not me. You cannot be trusted.
Just innocent travelling perfume spruikers, guv.
Two Russian guys went to an iconic tourist attraction. Stonehenge is 15km from Salisbury.
Where does Putin say or imply they carried out any poisoning? And where are the ongoing and official Russian statements claiming that no poisoning had ever occurred?
And why, when the UK government has stated the investigation surrounding the affair is done and finished – that it was drawing a line under things with the naming of those two men – would the Russian government seek to open it up again, unless the two guys actually are innocent?
“The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
Not fabricated. Seems some got it all wrong.
So…how does “a country” adopt a position?
If Putin, or an official spokesperson has stated that Russia (ie – the Russian government) was “disregarding the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication“, (ie- all of the evidence) then there would be something to The Guardian’s claims.
But (as I suspect the case to be) the Guardian is attempting to build a mountainous picture from someone raising reasonable and understandable doubts because date stamps on video stills appeared to be from the same place and time, then nah.
Ha I doubt you’d believe anything which doesn’t fit your preconceived ideas bill.
What are these preconceived ideas you speak of marty?
Not sure Stonehenge is especially likely – It doesn’t rate highly among Russian visitors, most of whom go no further than London.
https://www.visitbritain.org/markets/russia
And of course the geeks have Arkaim: https://mysteriousearth.net/2016/05/23/arkaim-the-most-enigmatic-archaeological-site-within-the-territory-of-russia/
Why would the Russian govt… ? Nationalism is popular in Russia. By defending ‘innocents’ victimized by a foreign state Putin’s popularity will only grow.
Innocence may not rate high among Putin’s motivations – didn’t stop him killing Nemtsov.
Well Stuart, obviously a visitor from Russia or elsewhere, who visited Britain but didn’t leave London (maybe most of anyone from anywhere?) wouldn’t be visiting Stonehenge or any other place outside of London – or getting up to deadly mischief outside of London.
Arkaim looks pretty cool. So is Skara Brae. But I doubt Orcadians would be all “seen it, done that” about Stonehenge “because Skara Brae”, or that any other person living near standing stones (lot’s of them in Britain) would either.
State murders and nationalism. Russia doesn’t have exclusive rights, you know?
Stonehenge should not be created out of whole cloth. It should be possible to determine whether the men concerned were in fact megalithic grave enthusiasts, or not. If so you have a sort of argument – if not you just made a Кра́сный herring.
No one is suggesting Russia has exclusivity on state sanctioned murder – but they certainly have plenty of form. In this instance however, the kind of political convenience that attended the demise of David Kelly is not in evidence.
And then there’s this: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/107049033/pussy-riot-activist-treated-for-possible-poisoning
Must be something in the water.
If I was to put money on two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to take in Stonehenge, against two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to slap some goop on a door handle, I’d be putting my money on Stonehenge.
I mean. They might not have gone to Stonehenge. There are a multitude of imaginable reasons why two Russian nationals would fly to London and then travel on to a place like Salisbury. And yes, poisoning a father and daughter is part of the list. But the odds?
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
Personally and politically there’s no reason to use an indirect route to get in, and getting out needs to be as direct as possible because you’re only vulnerable when you’re arrestable or extraditable. Gotta be wary of a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer making notes…
There’s no need to use a fake or stolen or fraudulently obtained passport because you have access to a legitimate one in a name that is not your own. Indeed, getting picked up with a dodgy passport coming in would be a major liability for your operation, and the poison could even be discovered simply because you were arrested for the passport.
Public transport is convenient, uses cash, and doesn’t require ID of any sort. Heck, the French Rainbow Warrior operation support pair were caught while returning their rental car (bloody stupid move) – and their dodgy Swiss passports were no protection, either.
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Note to self. Never engage in any dodgy illegal shit with McFlock unless the objective is to secure some years worth of three guaranteed meals a day. 🙂
Those two will only see a jail cell if Putin wishes it.
That’s the difference between committing a crime but you want to stay in the country, and committing a crime where if you leave immediately you will never be caught.
Seriously, what does private or rented transport give you that public transport doesn’t? Sure, maybe a bit more speed, but also another scene for the cops to examine, another identity check in the process to confirm it was you, and an increase in the statistical likelihood you’ll hit another car or something and jeapordize the operation.
Brazen insouciance is how you get away with dodgy illegal shit, Bill.