Daily review 14/03/2022

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 14th, 2022 - 47 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

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

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

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

47 comments on “Daily review 14/03/2022 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    14 March 2022 at 5:58 pm

    Half price public transport for 3 months.

    Looks like Efeso Collins is 50% right already.

    Hey Ardern, let's make public transport free. Trial it until Christmas.

  2. Dennis Frank 2
    14 March 2022 at 8:05 pm

    The triangulation of USA/Russia/China is now coming to the fore as the way to resolve the Ukraine invasion. It seems set to come alive as a focus on the balance of information and disinformation: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/russia-ukraine-war-us-official-says-russia-seeking-military-aid-from-china/TYLSNBM6JLWM5VEV44WZ5F7FVE/

    A U.S. official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Tuesday meeting (New Zealand time) in Rome between top aides for the U.S. and Chinese governments.

    In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. "We will not allow that to go forward," he said.

    Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.

    When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBC's "Meet the Press," "it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves."

    Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABC's "This Week," said "we haven't seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but we're watching this very, very closely."

    The striking U.S. accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the U.S. was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

    The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in "which the U.S. Department of Defense has absolute control." The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

    So the apparent agreement that the UN is totally irrelevant can form the basis for any eventual consensus between the three. Any cut-the-crap framing is refreshing. However it will probably be a good idea to wheel in the simulation of a constructive role for the UN once a resolution is achieved…

  3. Byd0nz 3
    14 March 2022 at 8:07 pm

    That damn Labour eh, spending more money to help the people out, Luxon will be spitting tax cut blood in the back seat of the Limo about that.

  4. Corey Humm 4
    14 March 2022 at 8:13 pm

    I was glad to see the announcements today, I donated to labour over it, it's good to know they can will be flexible in a crisis. I hope to see more in the budget but with the fuel excise reduction, public transport halved, benefit raises, min wage raises , tax credit ,winter energy payment this is going to take the edge off for a lot of people.

    A lot of people including myself need to praise this government when it deserves praise and not just bash for the sake of bashing.

    I don't think people realize how much money labour is against next election and how bad a nat/act govt would be right now.

    Three more years.

    • Dennis Frank 4.1
      14 March 2022 at 8:23 pm

      good to know they can be flexible in a crisis

      Pretty much my view. "Oh, the wheels just rolled off neoliberalism. Supercool!" That's how I saw it. Of course nobody in Labour will actually admit that reality – in neoliberal ideology the market rules. If markets produce high prices, everyone is meant to pay them. Suck it up, plebs!

      Well the govt just ditched that traditional stance. Crisis? What crisis? The news media had stories today featuring the PM denying the crisis, then specifically agreeing there's one, in juxtaposition, both at press conferences!

      It's as if Labour suddenly woke. So yeah, delayed reaction but all credit to them for finally realising they had to get real, and doing an emergency switcheroo…

      • satty 4.1.1
        14 March 2022 at 9:09 pm

        I understand why Labour did reduce the fuel tax (there are riots in other countries about high fuel prices and it would certainly significantly reduce Labour's chances for re-election if petrol prices stay high).

        However, from today, it is 100% clear, our addiction to cheap pollution will never be resolved… no matter how bad our "drug dealer" is – see Russia / Saudi Arabia – no matter how much the climate deteriorates, every time the cost of petrol reaches a critical level, pollution will be further subsidised (Funny, it's mainly the rich arguing in support the poor they exploit… the rich with their big, high petrol consuming cars… a bit like the "tax cut" example).

        So welcome to the endgame of climate change, breakdown, emergency… there won't be any winners. I'm mainly surprised that the Greens are so quiet about it.

        • pat 4.1.1.1
          14 March 2022 at 9:16 pm

          Of course this move will not change the bigger picture, however if you cant afford to drive to work tomorrow, or buy enough groceries this week then you are not able to think that far ahead….the bigger picture may be addressed alternatively, if it can be, which is by no means certain.

        • SPC 4.1.1.2
          14 March 2022 at 10:08 pm

          One should note that with more (and this will continue beyond the pandemic) people working from home there are already less cars on the road.

          The cost of driving to work will still be higher than it was and the PT cost has been halved (more space available with people working from home or off work).

  5. Dennis Frank 5
    14 March 2022 at 8:13 pm

    Free airliners, hundreds of them: https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300540444/russia-looks-set-to-steal-515-airline-jets-from-their-owners

    According to Cirium, which analyses aviation industry data, there are 515 aircraft on lease to Russian operators which are owned by foreign entities, out of a total Russian commercial fleet of 980. Most of those aircraft are Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s leased from AerCap and SMBC Aviation Capital, both based in the Republic of Ireland.

    National carrier Aeroflot has already signalled a firm "nyet" in response to requests to hand over the goods, according to the website FrequentFlyers.ru. Since those aircraft are on Russian territory, and possession is 9/10ths of the law, Aeroflot holds all the aces.

    Apart from shouting loudly and jumping up and down, those aircraft leasing operators don't have many levers to pull to get their aircraft back.

    Well, shouting loudly and jumping up and down in unison would make good tv news footage, so they ought to boogie real soon or everyone will ignore them. Too much else happening.

    • pat 5.1
      14 March 2022 at 8:18 pm

      Im assuming they will be Boeing and Airbus craft….dont imagine their service life will be long with no access to spares or expertise….so expensive scrap.

      • Dennis Frank 5.1.1
        14 March 2022 at 8:26 pm

        Good point. Putin is likely just holding them to ransom & will fold when Xi advises him to seek a resolution. Bargaining chips at best.

    • joe90 5.2
      14 March 2022 at 8:30 pm

      Of course aircraft manufacturers would never knowingly install exploitable back-doors.

  6. joe90 6
    14 March 2022 at 8:35 pm

    No pointing bones around here.

    Russia plans to ban tarot cards

    State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin proposed a ban on the publication of tarot spreads predicting the failure of a “special operation” or the imminent death / impeachment of the President of the Russian Federation It is possible that such an amendment will be included in the new law on fakes.

    https://twitter.com/Russia_Zavtra/status/1503066859461124100

    • aj 7.1
      14 March 2022 at 10:15 pm

      But this is why cool heads MUST ultimately prevail, even as emotions run high. The price of nuclear war is planetary suicide. No-one wins. Neither Zelensky nor Putin. It won’t save lives in Ukraine – it simply takes the death toll from the thousands into the billions.

      Damn timely reminder what is at stake here. I think most people haven't got the foggiest idea of the planetary outcomes of a full on nuclear war.

      This is where the the security dilemma can lead us. From wiki .. when the increase in one state's security (such as increasing its military strength) leads other states to fear for their own security (because they do not know if the security-increasing state intends to use its growing military for offensive purposes). Consequently, security-increasing measures can lead to tensions, escalation or conflict with one or more other parties, producing an outcome which no party truly desires.

      No sane person would want a nuclear war but we live in a world with a number of nuclear armed sovereign states. Both sides in the current dispute are rattling this biggest sabre. Albert Einstein said "World War IV would be fought with sticks and stones."

      We don't want to find out, please. Should there be a place for "ethics of strategy"? and I am going to read this article tomorrow, partly to take my mind of nuclear winter.

      The Yale Review of International Studies

      The Strategy Making Dilemma: Life and Land

      http://yris.yira.org/comments/5618

  8. alwyn 8
    14 March 2022 at 9:02 pm

    I thought that the announcement of a 25c/litre in the motor spirit excise duty might be a good idea and have an effect on the cost of living.

    Until I had a look at a couple of my credit card receipts. On the 3rd March I bought some 91 octane gas at 295.9 c/l. On 12 March I bought the same type of fuel at the same Service Station. This time it cost 318.9 c/l.

    In 8 days it had gone up by 23 c/l. Now, unless President Xi can get Putin to see sense I can see no reason why the increase in motor spirit prices shouldn't continue. In that case, is we get a cut tomorrow of 25 c/l we can probably expect to be back to today's prices by about 25 March. Then they will continue their inevitable climb.

    What is the PM going to do on the 25th? Throw her hands in the air? Or try it again? Whatever it is I can't really see it doing much good.

    Damn.

    • Poission 8.1
      14 March 2022 at 9:14 pm

      On the 3 march brent crude was 110.46bbl,it spiked interim,now in todays trading it is down to 108.91.

      • pat 8.1.1
        14 March 2022 at 9:18 pm

        Muldoon was caught by the same effect….albeit somewhat slower, though everything appears accelerated now.

      • alwyn 8.1.2
        14 March 2022 at 9:22 pm

        Peaked at $127.98 on the 8th I see. What is your pick for the 25th then?

        • Poission 8.1.2.1
          14 March 2022 at 9:41 pm

          The market is too volatile to make a bet,ie its a random (drunkards) walk.Prior to the invasion all commodities had a shot in the arm as the hedge funds have been leaving equities,(around 10 trillion all up) a lot of cash flopping round looking for a quick buck.

          As it is a fools game to both bet and or forecast a random walk,you can only look at the macros ie the boundary conditions.Furthering the drunkard analogy there are two boundary conditions the wall and the gutter.hence you can model away from the wall to the gutter.The wall is the conditional constraint of all of Russias oil being stopped.Their is some analysis there of it being around a price wall of around 150bbl,at that price vehicle transport by consumers will fall substantively as they use alternatives such as working from home,not going to the movies etc or using public transport.

          This already happened to some extent in february as with both covid and increased costs fuel$ sales and volume both decreased here.

          • SPC 8.1.2.1.1
            14 March 2022 at 10:03 pm

            There is the potential of those working form home are save money (but some will be paying for the same restaurant/cafe food plus delivery cost)

            • Poission 8.1.2.1.1.1
              14 March 2022 at 10:11 pm

              NZ Households accumulated $7.5 billion in their bank accounts from September 2021 to December 2021 due mostly to Covid restrictions,partial home detention seemed to be good for the economy as non financial business's also accumulated in their bank accounts$ 4.5 billion.

              Seems that travel and hospitality are bad for business and households in general.

        • In Vino 8.1.2.2
          14 March 2022 at 11:33 pm

          This all comes from the disastrous policy of using percentages as if they are the only fair way to set rates. They are not: percentages will always lead to a greater gulf between rich and poor.

          The Govt. should have had the courage to set all its petrol tax rates at a reasonable flat rate. That way, international price fluctuations would have far less effect on our prices at the pump.

          But rich Capitalists hate flat rates – with the exception of when they are comparing how much tax they pay compared to how much the poor pay. Suddenly, the preference for percentages goes right out the window at that point.

    • SPC 8.2
      14 March 2022 at 9:56 pm

      The government gets higher GST revenues as prices go up.

      They'll do an assessment every few months about where they are with revenues as per budget forecasts. This will allow them to make adjustments in things like excise/petrol taxes on getting to work (also public transport – given the available space with some working from home) costs.

  9. joe90 9
    14 March 2022 at 9:05 pm

    What's a millennia and a half.

    • alwyn 9.1
      14 March 2022 at 9:16 pm

      Impressive wasn't it? I wonder if you could really travel anywhere in the area safely if you were able to claim "Civis romanus sum"?

      Do you think that Britain will try and reclaim the Empire. The one the sun never set on.

      And am I the only person who remembers the amount of red on a map of the world?

      • Dennis Frank 9.1.1
        14 March 2022 at 9:23 pm

        And am I the only person who remembers the amount of red on a map of the world?

        I recall that experience well since it happened so many times to me as a child – marvelling at the sprawl of the empire depicted on the world maps. Not just in our geography books, they hung on classroom walls.

        Nobody ever explained why the empire was red, though. 🤔

      • joe90 9.1.2
        14 March 2022 at 9:32 pm

        The damn globe and a whopping great map of the world covered in red proudly displayed in every classroom, standing at the movies for dog save queenie and radio/tv talking heads speaking in our version of received pronunciation. We really did live in little Britain.

      • mac1 9.1.3
        14 March 2022 at 10:45 pm

        Well, we Scots and Irish are safe from those pesky Romans. Non sumus cives Romani, sed Celtoi eramus.

        I do remember being taken by the red of the British Empire on those classroom maps, and being proud, too. Then.

    • pat 9.2
      14 March 2022 at 9:26 pm

      One small problem…Italy didnt exist before 1861

  10. SPC 10
    14 March 2022 at 10:44 pm

    PCR's are delivering only a very small number of the positive test results – a few hundred.

    One wonders how they calculate the BA1 BA2 variant proportion from the RATS tests – many done at home and reported by phone/on-line?

    The last figures (Mar 4-5) show a resurgence of BA1 (despite BA2 being the more infectious).

  11. arkie 11
    14 March 2022 at 11:02 pm

    Housing is a human right, it should not cost people so much as to require them to forgo food or rely on foodbanks to pay their rents:

    "Food gets squeezed, basically. People pay their rent first and they have to get to work and use petrol, so what they have left for food, it can be very sad. It's not doable."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/463290/elderly-students-going-without-food-to-afford-rent-petrol

  12. weston 12
    15 March 2022 at 12:09 am

    Theres that word again ATROCITY !! weve heard it a lot lately quite often on TS over the last two weeks or so and always associated with the word Russian in front of it .Just as an exercise of perspective in "atrocities "why dont we think about just that section of modern history starting with the first world war and by no means complete.

    On the opening of hostilities on the Somme 35000 mostly young men were dead by lunchtime Shot, blown to pieces, machinegunned id call that an atrocity .

    galipoli where the turks and allied forces battled it out for months in a completely futile foul war of attrition for both sides to gain control of a bleak hillside littered with rotting corpses overseen by imbeciles in officers uniform .At the end 130000 men were dead and fuck knows how many were injured and or would never be the same again.Id call that an atrocity .

    Germany at the start of the second ww and after they had shot any dissenters launched Blitskreig a terrifing full on assault of armor infantry and screaming stuka dive bombers crushing all before it .Following in the rear special death squads to kill jews gipseys and pretty well anyone else declared untermenshen .In the orgy of killing that followed lasting five years according to google 70 to 85 million people died .the country that lost the most was the soviet union losing 20 of those millions many of them ordinary soldiers forced into the cannon fodder meat grinder call it what you will that stalin devised to finally blunt the forces of the third reich .Id call that an atrocity and i havnt even mentioned the death camps .

    Since the second ww the united states has waged a dirty war mostly but not exclusivly on communists .In 1951 or thereabouts they formed the CIA some of the recruits in those earlier days were former natzis , even those that had worked in death camps were deemed ok so long as they were anticommunist .The korean war was around that time also and for the record the us dropped 600 thousand tons of bombs on korea more than apparently they used in the entire pacific campaign and about 30 000 tons of napalm eighty percent of north koreas buildings were destroyed and a million civilians killed .Could be called an atrocity and no wonder the north koreans are paronoid !!

    Iran was the first "successful " coup the yanks organized in 53 and after that philippines then guatemala in 54 and on and on right up to the present day the US has been overthrowing democraticly elected governments , The details of all these dirty deeds are far too vast to include here but they involve murder bribery phycological warfare and kill lists thoughtfully provided to the new dictator .I dont know how many have been killed down the years by american foreign policy but id call it an atrocity

    Vietnam was a bloodbath wont bother with any stats nobody could disagree it was an atrocity.

    Libya iraq afganistan yemen palestein if you think about the worlds conflicts in the context of a river of blood how deep do you think it is how wide and how far it flows you,d chose carefully what you call an atrocity .

    disclaimer :Im not much of an historian doubtless some will disagree with some of my facts but you get the drift .

    • Byd0nz 12.1
      15 March 2022 at 1:41 am

      Very very very damningly correct, not to say the Ukraine situation is not an atrocity, it is, and all UN member states are complicit as they ignored the just warnings from Russia regarding the NATO build-up of weapons into Ukraine along with the onslaught on the Donbas civilians. Shame on all UN members and all who condone the aims of NATO.

    • Peter 12.2
      15 March 2022 at 6:54 am

      Atrocity? Of course it's a matter of knowledge and understanding – if you don't know about something it won't register on one's scale.

      The big atrocity of any time has been well covered in recent times. No need to tell people what horrendous looks like. They know.

      Covid lockdowns.