Daily review 15/07/2024

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, July 15th, 2024 - 26 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

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 …

26 comments on “Daily review 15/07/2024 ”

  1. Ad 1

    With Darleen Tana refusing to allow the release of the Green Party investigation, Chloe has run out of options other than a caucus vote to push her out of Parliament.

    No point letting it drag out further.

    • Georgecom 1.1

      She is distorting the democratic shape or parliament. She was elected a green list mp accorsing to the votes of the populace. Having left the party she is denying those voters having their votes represented in parliament. Democracy dictates she needs to go.

      • weka 1.1.1

        I party voted Green and I don't have an inherent problem with her staying if it's the right thing. Who is a better representative her, or the GP replacement? I don't know, but the Greens opposed the party hopping legislation for important reasons.

    • weka 1.2

      I doubt it is a caucus decision, will probably have to go to the members.

    • Obtrectator 1.3

      The waka-jumping legislation was not drafted with this sort of situation in mind; it was to discourage members from quitting their parties over policy disagreements. This case is something on another level altogether. There might not have been anything going on that was downright criminal, but the woman is obviously morally deficient and as such has no business being in Parliament making laws. Out – now!

  2. Georgecom 2

    Interesting interview friday morning on radionz about the current state of the gas market in nz. According to the bloke giving the interview, Production is falling year on year and apparently stands at 150pj per annum, down from closer to 200pj a few years back. There are 6 big gas fields supplying most of the gas and they are in decline.

    I have heard some real moaning and bitching about the previous govts ban on new oil and gas exploration outside of taranaki. What we havent heard is apparently 50 odd wells have bern drilled the past 6 years and all have 'failed to stem the decline in gas flows'. I am unsure where all the wells are but assume mostly taranaki. Also unsure if they tap into existing fields or unexplored areas.

    Whatever the case the wells have not resulted in big new gas fields and presumably a number were dry. For al the moaners and their complaining, there needs to be gas discovered for it to make a difference. Wells drilled in the great southern basin off cantrrbury in i think the early 2000s were also dry. You could let every man and his dog drill, but if no gas, no gas. The labour/green drill ban didnt make those wells dry. It might be that we have found all the readily exploitable gas fields in nz.

    • roblogic 2.1

      Yeah the oil companies have lost interest in prospecting around NZ. Our taonga isn't found by digging up stuff

    • lprent 2.2

      ….the wells have not resulted in big new gas fields…

      The existing ones are also small. It is just that we have a low demand that they lasted for a commercially viable time.

      Given the geological history of NZ I was just surprised that we had any commercially significiant fields, albeit rather marginal economically. My first degree was a BSc in earth sciences.

      If you're interested have a look at the PAM analysis from 2014 – part1, part2. It is from the mining part of MBIE, so it is a bit of a puff piece in the prospecting promotion. But the basic science in it is extensive and accurate.

      The Taranaki fields are not the only possibilities. We haven't explored much of those basins. But there has been a reasonable amount of drilling since the 1960s. Enough to asses where the best prospects are and what kinds of prospects there are.

      Problem is that it looks like the best remaining prospects are at much greater depths and further offshore. The technology is available, but a lot more expensive prospecting, extraction, and processing.

      Same for the other basins to one degree or another. It has been a mostly drowned continent for a long time that hasn't been doing a lot of mountain lifting. Around NZ we have had the mountains due to subduction. But is somewhat too active locally and not widespread activity.

      No massive plains areas spilling out of rising mountain chains fro millions of years, carrying organics to continental shelves. Limited local shallow shelf areas. Plus a lot of the potential reservoirs were have been cracked. Which is why we have quite a lot of natural emissions. But few where the gas has been collecting for geological eras.

      Basically we're most likely to find gas in areas that have been pretty stable, and that is past the shallow areas. That probably isn't economic, even if you didn't count the climate change issues that we are quite susceptible to having.

      Shane Jones, as usual, is talking bullshit out of his arse when he talks about oil or gas prospects here. There is a lot of gas and oil around, it wells out of the cracks. But it is in penny-ante patches because it has been dribbling out forever. It is also in the wrong places making it economically expensive to extract.

      Especially when you look at the rapid development of other energy systems and the relative benefits of drilling for gas to burn compared to just installing known energy tech that is actually rapidly getting cheaper to use.

      Also for me, the marine heatwave that has been building up around NZ over the last decade is frigging alarming and worth investment. Especially if you want to continue to farm or have usable transport links.

      Warm water is a energy storm driver, especially when we're close to cold currents coming from the pole. That is a hell of a energy system to drive extreme weather. The Moana project has a pretty good set of graphics tracking that.

  3. weka 3

    This 30 min interview with Darleen Tana was very interesting. I still don't know what to make of the situation, but if what she is saying is true, then there were problem with the GP process as well as her own. I'm less concerned about her staying on as an independent (she hasn't decided yet), again if what she is saying is true, she has support from Iwi and community, she's not on her own. Good to hear her voice in this after all this time, and still some questions left unanswered.

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/news/one-news-at-6pm-1720992595071-db9a-1721023307083/ex-green-mp-darleen-tana-denies-migrant-exploitation-claims-in-depth

    • gsays 3.1

      You are extending her a lot of grace.

      An independent lawyer found both her and her husband unreliable witnesses, contradicting their statements with their testimony.

      While the complainants were found to be reliable.

      I haven't watched the interview (TVNZ wants me to download an app) but I doubt she has suddenly changed character and her words have become trustworthy.

      FWIW, I feel her staying is having a negative impact on democracy.

      • weka 3.1.1

        what if she had credible explanations for those things? eg when asked why her story changed over the course of the investigation she said that the events she was being asked about were complex over a long period of time and that as she went away and found hard evidence, what she was saying changed. In other words, she can't keep all that stuff in her head.

        We are also assuming that the lawyer and the Greens used good process. But we don't know that. In the interview, Tana says the whole time she was suspended, she had no contact with her party. That's extraordinary if true.

        The Greens got the report on the Friday, on Sat they met with Tana for 30 mins, and in that time she had no chance to go through the report and explain her side of things in a meaningful way. She says the Green MPs in the meeting had already decided before talking to her, and that this is against GP kaupapa. Again, if true, this is really not good.

        She says key witnesses were denied access to the lawyer, and others who had secondhand experience were given access.

        I have no idea what the truth is, and I don't think we will know unless the report is released. But this is the first time I have heard her in her words, and I always say it's best to hear the Greens in their own words. She is a long time GP person. I earlier said I didn't see any reason to doubt Swarbrick's view, but I do now. Not that I think CS is wrong, just that there is reasonable doubt and I'm guessing more to this than we know.

        The thing that really stands out for me is the degree to which people assume she must have known about what her husband was doing. She talks about that and again gives a credible explanation for why she didn't (she was only home 2 days a week, and they didn't talk about work, they talked about the kids and their family). Some marriages are like that.

        Mostly I feel sad, because we might have just lost a good MP.

        • weka 3.1.1.1

          Tana also acknowledged that she made mistakes, and she did that in a meaningful way imo. That counts for a lot.

          • gsays 3.1.1.1.1

            All good.

            So far from what I've discerened is, we are questioning the integrity of either Tana on one side, or Swarbrick, Greens leadership, a lawyer, three or four workers (all telling much the same story) and Steve Killagon (Stuff reporter).

            Tana is the one stopping release of the report.

            The key witnesses are really the aggrieved workers, Tana and the hubby. All others would be have second hand experience.

            Time will tell.

            Shame for The Greens, they can't take a trick at the moment.

            • weka 3.1.1.1.1.1

              So far from what I've discerened is, we are questioning the integrity of either Tana on one side, or Swarbrick, Greens leadership, a lawyer, three or four workers (all telling much the same story) and Steve Killagon (Stuff reporter).

              My feeling is we should step out of the binary view, and consider how truth and justness might be achieved without creating goodies and baddies. The Green kaupapa is supposed to uphold this approach.

              Tana is stopping the release of the report, from what I can tell that is because she thinks it is flawed. If she is correct, it makes sense to not approve release.

              The key witnesses are really the aggrieved workers, Tana and the hubby. All others would be have second hand experience.

              Other people that worked in the business would have first hand experience of Tana's involvement in the business.

              • gsays

                "My feeling is we should step out of the binary view, and consider how truth and justness might be achieved without creating goodies and baddies."

                Usually I'm down with that. I once heard the refrain 'Remember, a bully is the first victim.', and that resonates.

                On this occasion, there are massive power imbalances (worker/owner of capital, local/migrant) and alleged exploitation of the precariat.

                Sticks in the craw, that this is what 21st century Aotearoa looks like.

                TBF, I can't quote Greens kaupapa regards social justice, but this reeks of social injustice.

                Hey, if it all turns out to be a big misunderstanding I will be the first to withdraw and apologise.

                I get the feeling that CS, the lawyer that did the investigation and Greens leadership would have been as bold as they have without being on firm ground.

                I have often felt the Greens are are little too softly softly, so I am heartened by their response so far and the idea they may be considering using the party hopping lever.

  4. Graeme 4

    Right O. Who said something naughty about Donald

    It appears New Zealand is blocked from accessing the Republican National Convention website….

    https://gopconvention2024.com

  5. SPC 5

    Over in the land of alternative news "narratives" (the legacy of Cheney, the end of balanced reporting requirements).

    Trump says it is either luck, or God, that saved him.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c29dn2j53w2o

    No one is yet challenging his claim he was hit by a bullet, rather than glass off a teleprompter.

    The shooter failed to make the school rifle team because he was such a lousy shot.

    Dumb luck that the donors of "Biden" wanted money from chose the person most likely to miss, presumably because they wanted him to drop out of the race – so they could donate for "XYZ" . Here I'm writing the narrative Fox News and GOP members of Congress will use against XYZ if Biden does drop out – they are that predictable.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gw58wv4e9o

    • David 5.1

      Does it matter if Trump was hit with glass from the teleprompter or the bullet itself?

      • mpledger 5.1.1

        I kinda think the truth matters.

        • David 5.1.1.1

          Well from the news that I’ve seen and heard, it seems that Trumps ear was hit by a bullet.

          However if Trumps injury was due to broken glass from the teleprompter, it doesn’t change anything. The bullet was intended for Trumps head.

          I don’t have any problem with not being a Trump supporter, and at the same time not wishing for him, or any of his supporters being the victim of violence. Least we forget, one man was killed, children are without a father, another couple of people were shot and injured.

      • lprent 5.1.2

        There is now pretty good evidence that round clipped his ear. A photographer caught it in a photo.

        https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/14/politics/video/doug-mills-trump-rally-photo-src-digvid

  6. Joe90 6

    @weka^ re RNC 2024

    Landing page loads for me at archivedotli

    some links work

    https://archive.li/1TkjC