Daily review 15/08/2024

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 15th, 2024 - 36 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 …

36 comments on “Daily review 15/08/2024 ”

  • Comments are now closed

    • aj 1.1
      15 August 2024 at 6:18 pm

      … as you would expect the CoC has crawled so far up the arse of the yanks you can only see Goldsmith's shoes. Anything to please.

      They've missed out on Assange so K Dcom will do. I hope his appeal is successful.

  2. SPC 2
    15 August 2024 at 5:46 pm

    A media report, assumed to be accurate (because of their character and form) is confirmed later in the day.

    Punching down is who the they are.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/15/disability-community-shell-shocked-by-ministry-changes/

    • Rolling-on-Gravel 2.1
      15 August 2024 at 6:06 pm

      This is indeed correct and this has deeply disappointed us all in the community.

      Some of us are considering taking legal action against the government, some are going to write articles, some are going to phonebank and we are either organising or intent on going to protests.

      Whatever is happening, we are not going quietly into the night.

      Nothing about us without us.

      • SPC 2.1.1
        15 August 2024 at 6:12 pm

        Has anyone considered a discrimination case?

        As per the rate of disability benefit being lower than the rate paid for super?

        And these other differences – given no difference between age and infirmity in a lack of (or degree of difficulty) ability to work.

        1. no income test or assets test to receive super
        2. receiving super when a partner is working
        • Rolling-on-Gravel 2.1.1.1
          15 August 2024 at 6:30 pm

          To the best of my knowledge, nobody is considering a discrimination case on the basis of these questions you are raising (though these are great questions and definitely worth raising) however, there's a legal case underway against the state regarding the funding cuts made by Whaikaha in 18 March of this year as spearheaded by Auckland Disability Law and Disabled People Against Cuts which likely will mean a High Court challenge against the state.

          In my opinion, it'll either change direction or be suspended. Nevertheless, the case as it stood, was a necessary one.

          I hope we get to take the fight to the people who have caused such distress to us disabled people though in a truly effective manner.

        • Anne 2.1.1.2
          15 August 2024 at 6:40 pm

          "Has anyone considered a discrimination case?"

          Damn good idea. It should be on a plural basis. I think there would be plenty of people who would contribute money-wise. As an elderly person who has developed disability issues I would certainly want to help.

          Any case that is brought should include how much the Atlas neoliberal fascist movement is influencing this government to the detriment of the nation.

          • Rolling-on-Gravel 2.1.1.2.1
            15 August 2024 at 6:46 pm

            I support a discrimination case too in addition to the current legal action case I mentioned.

            We need a better deal when it comes to the welfare and support system(s) and it sure ain't our current deal.

            It's definitely overdue.

      • Patricia Bremner 2.1.2
        15 August 2024 at 6:21 pm

        "Nothing about us without us"

        That is how they are operating. "Without us" I agree Rolling on Gravel.

        Run an enquiry, interpret the findings to suit their aims, implement without consultation or consideration.

        If all the disabled and their carers and whanau turned up to protest outside every MSD it might bring home the enormity of this.

        How many disabled could be helped by that $168000 for one Act Party Spin Doctor for the Ministry of Regulations.??????

        • Rolling-on-Gravel 2.1.2.1
          15 August 2024 at 6:33 pm

          If all the disabled and their carers and whanau turned up to protest outside every MSD it might bring home the enormity of this.

          That would be true 🙂

      • adam 2.1.3
        16 August 2024 at 2:31 am

        Come on Rolling-on-Gravel not everyone is unhappy about this. The ministry is not what we all asked for as a community.

        What we asked for was clear over site of disability services and delivery. And for disabled to have a control of this over site. None of this happened with the vanity piece which was the new ministry.

        We can't even agree on the name. I loath the word Whaikaha, and don't know any disabled people who were not state employed who were consulted on the name. Not bloody one.

        The ministry was a dog from the start, that handing of power to service delivery companies and parents of disabled. Rather than disabled themselves. And they wonder why the got into financial trouble. Two groups disabled fight with their whole lives – groups which think they know best – and have been proven over and over again, how wrong they are.

        The ministry's constant promotion of the neoliberal wet dream of total commodification of disabled via enabling good lives – still makes me grind my teeth. Look these Tory pricks are going to carry on with this one no matter what.

        There were many sins of the ministry in my humble opinion, such as: the out and out suppression of Whānau Ora in relation to disabled, the crushing of disabled leadership, stripping disabled of over site, few disabled in positions of change makers. All talk to an organisation out of touch with disabled.

        So don't waste money making some able boded lawyers rich. Fight this horseshit of a government on a broader front to empower disabled. And lets get the Disable led over site we so desperately need.

  3. SPC 3
    15 August 2024 at 6:18 pm

    More staff cuts

    PSA national health-sector lead Ashok Shankar said this was the team which funded, monitored and commissioned health-based services, including the management of thousands of contracts within the sector.

    “I think it’s fair to say we are all feeling weary after all of the changes we’ve been through in the past two years, and especially as a lot of staff actually worked extremely hard through Covid to support the public health response. It’s just been a tough four years for us.”

    Shankar said the cuts were “savage”, employees were feeling “shell-shocked”, and it would certainly result in the cutting of services.

    The distinction between frontline and backline was “a political creation to make the community feel that there’s all of these unessential people out there being paid for doing nothing”.

    “Within health, there isn’t a frontline and a backline, it is a team, and the team delivers healthcare,” he said.

    “You don’t have people in the backline who aren’t essential, they ensure that the people who actually touch the patient have all the resources to actually deliver the care.

    “Without them, the clinicians on the frontline are not going to be able to do their work.”

    What do those who administer the government's programme have to say to keep their jobs. This lie.

    A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora said: “Health New Zealand is continuing work across the organisation to ensure we live within our budget and focus on providing New Zealanders with easier and faster access to healthcare”.

    They know they will not be able to deliver easier or faster access.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/public-sector-job-cuts-268-more-jobs-axed-from-health-new-zealand-te-whatu-ora/BC32X7VQFZDE5OYUBOY5T4WYTQ/

    • SPC 3.1
      15 August 2024 at 7:46 pm

      We wanted to speak to Health Minister Shane Reti. We’ve been trying to speak to him for more than a month.

      But he refused, and among the reasons given by his press secretary was that we’d already spoken to Professor Levy.

      As for that

      This from a senior doctor:

      “The drivel from Lester Levy made my blood boil. This is a man who wants to claim credibility in being a doctor for over 40 years but doesn’t seem to understand that seeing 40 patients in one clinic is ridiculous. When was the last time he practised clinical medicine?”

      At the administrative level

      This from someone who’s describes themselves as being part of what the Government has called the “bloated bureaucracy” facing job cuts:

      “I just can’t bear the bullshit he spins. I have been working a minimum of ten-hour days all year. Cuts to programmes of work and the staff who design and manage them at a national level will be seriously detrimental to the system, staff and the patients/people who use health services.”

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350380283/tova-podcast-arise-sir-ashley-dr-bloomfield-enters-heated-health-debate

  4. aj 4
    15 August 2024 at 6:28 pm

    Luxon's off to Aussie on the pretext of learning how to deliver infrastructure. It's clear the CoC haven't got a clue, so perhaps it's a good idea.

    Best he talks to Tony at the Nation Building Authority.

    Utopia

  5. Incognito 5
    15 August 2024 at 6:41 pm

    Luxon thinks that the politics needed to be taken out of infrastructure.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525251/watch-luxon-seeks-australian-help-to-make-progress-on-critical-infrastructure

    There’s an easy solution: disband the National Party and form the Landlord Party.

  6. roblogic 6
    15 August 2024 at 6:46 pm

    Well done Mountain Tui for giving this more exposure. It's trending #1 on NZ twitter. Will be interesting to see how the MSM responds. Will they continue to publish these false polls and give "independent pundits" David Farrar and Jordan Williams a platform?

    https://mountaintui.substack.com/p/curia-found-in-breach-of-industry

    Curia Research found to be in breach of professional industry standards

    David Farrar, a co-founder of Taxpayers Union, who he remains in lock-step with, has “resigned” his research firm, Curia, from The Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ). For those of you who don’t know, RANZ is NZ’s only professional standards and industry group “dedicated to professional providers and users of research, data and insights. The Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) brand is a trust-mark .. and indicates that the bearer is a member of an expert community, which upholds the highest professional and ethical standards.”

    NACT liars better think up another distraction

    • Incognito 6.1
      15 August 2024 at 6:56 pm

      Heh! NZ MSM (Mainstream Media) should refuse to publish Curia’s polls from now on.

      • Rolling-on-Gravel 6.1.1
        15 August 2024 at 7:21 pm

        Heh! NZ MSM (Mainstream Media) should refuse to publish Curia’s polls from now on.

        Oh what a joyful day would that be!

        I genuinely despise the psychological-political torment the use of such terribly misinforming polls that the media uses as a cudgel against us in to artificially depress turn-out & morale when it comes to truly transformative politics then it destroys our momentum when we most need it for truly positive and needed change and artificially increases turn-out & morale when it comes to truly regressive politics and preserves the frenzy as we really did not want nor need such revanchism.

        It would be such sweet balm to see the media & journalism finally being able to become their true forms which are the fourth estate where they bear in one hand the flaming sword of truth & hold up the nourishing bowl of information in another hand, which means that they are supposed to be amongst the bulwarks of our agora of democracy and thus contributing more meaningfully to our ongoing korero…

        • roblogic 6.1.1.1
          15 August 2024 at 8:06 pm

          Poetic prose appreciated. Would prefer your comments in the MSM over the chorus of tabloid stenographers regurgitating Atlas talking points.

    • Muttonbird 6.2
      15 August 2024 at 8:46 pm

      I made a comment on this the other day.

      Farrar is now apparently self-regulating, with the utmost transparency of course! RANZ might not have been an organisation with binding regulatory power but at least they could smell a rat. I'm happy they bared enough teeth to frighten PDF.

      MT guesses wisely the Farrar and Williams will use shadowy RW funding to set up their own industry organisation with a thin veneer of respectability and integrity. I imagine the attacks on RANZ and its members will begin to flow freely once that is done.

      The precedent for throwing toys out of the cot and withdrawing from industry organisations is so on brand for these guys and reminds us of the withdrawal of several councils from LGNZ after lobbying pressure from anti-environment RW groups.

      PS, I was criticised for questioning the integrity of David Farrar and Curia earlier this year, those critics claiming it’s not possible for a pollster to act fraudulently, even a politically partisan pollster.

      I guess those critics were plain wrong.

    • Incognito 6.3
      15 August 2024 at 9:05 pm

      Curia and DPF are still listed on RANZ’s website.

  7. SPC 7
    15 August 2024 at 8:22 pm

    CLuxon has

    delivered a clear assessment of the Aukus military alliance – an issue of growing debate amongst New Zealand’s foreign policy commentators.

    During his Lowy Institute speech, he promised the Australians that New Zealand would be a “participant” – not spectator – in matters of regional security.

    “It’s important we can continue to deploy alongside each other in response to the growing array of security challenges we face, particularly in the face of rapid technological change,” he said.

    “In this regard, we welcome Aukus as an initiative to enhance regional security and stability.

    “New Zealand is exploring with the Aukus partners how we could potentially participate in pillar two, including to understand what this means for our focus on ensuring interoperability.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350380423/christopher-luxon-australia-sees-benefits-aukus-alliance

    Such a limited appreciation of the issue.

    Interoperability does not have to occur as an appendage of AUKUS – a name describing three nations and for one specific purpose (enabling Oz to have nuclear powered submarines).

    The term military alliance is itself indicative of a limited concept of co-operation. What is being called Pillar 2 is about a more wide-ranging technology agreement than just military weaponry or tech used by the military.

    Pillar 2 within AUKUS is an artifice to create a semblance of military alliance, where one does not exist.

    In our case because of our exclusion from ANZUS over not allowing either nuclear power ship visits, or ships operating under neither confirm nor deny presence of nuclear weapons.

    The case for a technology agreement between democratic nations is sound, but is not about regional security – but a global supply chain (separate from China).

  8. joe90 8
    15 August 2024 at 8:25 pm

    lol

    .

    @ByDonkeys

    We just dropped in on Liz Truss’s pro-Trump speaking tour with a remote-controlled lettuce banner. She didn’t find it funny.

    https://x.com/ByDonkeys/status/1823481596185616717

  9. SPC 9
    15 August 2024 at 8:51 pm

    CLuxon in Oz

    One becoming more active as a security partner

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has used his first official foreign policy speech to warn New Zealanders to be more than just an "interested bystander" in an increasingly complex and difficult world.

    Speaking to the Lowy Institute in Sydney this evening, he spoke of New Zealanders' need to step up.

    "New Zealanders sometimes perceive themselves as buffered by splendid isolation … but there is no opting out from today's strategic realities.

    "The world is getting more difficult and more complex, particularly so for those smaller states navigating increasingly stormy seas … New Zealand too must be a participant and a contributor – not an interested bystander."

    Which takes back onto the partisan foreign policy path.

    This will have consequences for those who dissent, as it did in the days of the Cold War – more Kiwis will be spied on (and given modern tech victims of PWO). Civil liberties will be compromised on the grounds of security (and serve the interests of the political right and corporate capitalism).

    It was the prime minister's first official foreign policy speech, and he used it to signal a shakeup of New Zealand's defence spending in older to bolster shared security with Australia as he pivots toward traditional partners.

    Luxon spoke of the increasing challenges internationally.

    "Our strategic outlook is deteriorating more rapidly than at any time in our lifetimes.

    "Tectonic shifts are unfolding in the global distribution of power, economic heft, and strategic influence."

    "We are deliberately deepening our relationships with Australia, as well as other Five Eyes partners."

    Two closer ties with Oz

    Luxon outlined his ambitions for the relationship between New Zealand and Australia.

    • Bolster shared security
    • Partner in the Pacific in support of Pacific priorities
    • Ensure prosperous economies on both sides of the Tasman

    And, Luxon said, between New Zealand and Australia they were working to further deepen our own bilateral economic integration.

    "There are further gains to be had through trans-Tasman integration. We need to do the basics right – through standards harmonisation. We need to ensure alignment of our regulatory environments for new technologies – whether the clean energy transition or artificial intelligence."

    There has been the adoption of the Oz 2000 GE standard but as yet no effort to match Oz salaries in areas where one labour market operates (health etc). Or in taxation – CGT, land tax and stamp duty.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525282/christopher-luxon-s-lowy-institute-address-deliberately-deepening-our-relationships-with-five-eyes

    • Muttonbird 9.1
      15 August 2024 at 9:09 pm

      And, Luxon said, between New Zealand and Australia they were working to further deepen our own bilateral economic integration.

      "There are further gains to be had through trans-Tasman integration. We need to do the basics right – through standards harmonisation. We need to ensure alignment of our regulatory environments for new technologies

      How odd. Just 10 days ago his own government pulled out of a joint trans-Tasman standard on food. Dairy farming lobbyist turned minister opted to keep promoting and advertising infant formula like alcohol.

      https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/05/nz-opts-out-of-joint-standard-on-infant-formula/

      As usual with egg-head, says a lot of words which don't mean anything.

  10. Muttonbird 10
    15 August 2024 at 10:00 pm

    Yet another article questioning the budget of HPSNZ. While the IOC don't pay prize money, the IAAF have introduced financial rewards for the first time. High jump gold medalist Hamish Kerr received USD50,000 from them. Would not be surprised if Nicola Willis subtracted that from his pay next year…

    https://www.thepost.co.nz/sport/350377826/paris-olympics-2024-cost-medal-and-what-rewards-kiwi-athletes-receive/?utm_source=stuff_article&utm_medium=referral