“The chief reason that we are waking up to our entanglement with the world we have been destroying, Morton says, is our encounter with the reality of hyperobjects – the term he coined to describe things such as ecosystems and black holes, which are “massively distributed in time and space” compared to individual humans. Hyperobjects might not seem to be objects in the way that, say, billiard balls are, but they are equally real, and we are now bumping up against them consciously for the first time.
Global warming might have first appeared to us as a bit of funny local weather, then as a series of independent manifestations (an unusually torrential flood here, a deadly heatwave there), but now we see it as a unified phenomenon, of which extreme weather events and the disruption of the old seasons are only elements.”
No brighter future for those workers and their families.
Interesting that some RWNJs want to blame the Grenfell fire on the tenants instead of the owners. They’re that same sort who blame workers for their own deaths.
A bit like the ‘ unsinkable ‘ Titanic’ and J Bruce Ismay, – president of the company that built the Titanic, who jumped into one of the half filled life boats and sat with his back to the Titanic as it went down…
Titanic builder J Bruce Ismay: doomed the moment he jumped ship … http://www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Books
‘ Same as it ever was , same as it ever was ‘…
Always reminds me of this song :
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime (Full Length Version) (1980/ 2013 …
There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.
Unfortunately, human beings are rather suspectable to life-threatening lapses of judgement.
Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.
Yep. As night follows day I knew there’d be one of them blaming the worker instead of the procedure. Even though it is incumbent upon the employer to ensure the worker is in a safe environment.
I wasn’t blaming the worker, I have no idea how she died or what caused her death.
Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.
‘ Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.’
I can understand that sentiment. Ive worked in construction most of my life – as a grunt.
Six years in the ARA as a ‘ Headworks assistant’ in the Waitakere Ranges ( I was proud of those years 🙂 ) whereby we often used 19th century equipment to get the job done in rugged back country so all the townies could enjoy the wonderful scenery – while not giving a thought to who maintained it.
Whats a frog? …
No… its not an animal that croaks on a lily pad,… its a U shaped 80 pound iron instrument with a thread that you place a bar ( no – not a BAAAA – that’s what sheep do ) into to lever it to bend the rail line with. Then you use a dogging hammer ( nothing to do with disciplining a sheep dog with when its snuck off with the workers lunch ) to drive a dog ( its a type of 4 – 6 inch spiked ‘nail ‘ – so take it easy all you animal activists- relax ! ) into the sleeper ( again – not a worker who takes a nap at work after a hard night out on the piss … )
We literally poured tonnes and tonnes of concrete in the most primitive of bush conditions.
Later on , I became a qualified Painter and Decorator. Still working with my hands and still bloody hot sweat type work on a construction site.
The point of all this,… is that there are many many times… when automation , although desirable, is not feasible. Perhaps in a yard where events are predictable , a flat ground operation , or even a quarry or factory situation. But there are many occupation where it is simply not and never will be.
AND THAT ,… is precisely the POINT.
That automation is NO PANACEA for human diligence and regulation.
And if those who are in charge or responsible for a situation in which large loss of life has occurred – despite ‘ automation’ – then ‘automation’ should NOT BE USED as a diversion to their negligence or incompetence.
I don’t mind BM, I can see a little of where he / shes coming from.
The difference is I’m a nationalist. Not an opportunist or a globalist . And that’s not inferring BM ‘s an opportunist or a globalist , either.
I just believe we need to moderate and regulate the excesses of human greed so all can have a jolly good outlook.
If that means the rising of taxation brackets , so be it. If that means the rising of wages , so be it. Not all can be innovators, not all can be business owners,… but for those who are not,- they should not be fiscally penalized because of their station in life though they help to produce that wealth , either. Nor should those who through infirmity , age or circumstance be excluded from the benefits of a prosperous society .
The world is divided up into society’s and communities whether we like to admit it or not , and the proper ideal is the strong providing for the weak in all situations. And despite the protestations of the aberrant to those principles , we are , as human beings , reliant on those very same principles of group security as when we first formed the earliest of society’s in Sumeria…
Nothing, … has ever changed throughout the millennia…
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams [with lyrics] – YouTube
Video for fleetwood mac when the rain washes you clen youll know you tube▶ 4:14
‘ There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.’
* Very true. However , under our Health and Safety laws it is up to both party’s – Employers and employees / contractors to follow procedures in a way that minimizes risk. And all too often – as in Pike River – we see that principle abused. And as at Pike River , the fault lay squarely with company management. To which in this country NO ONE was ever prosecuted , – simply a deal done with Peter Whittalls Insurance by WORKSAFE for Whittall to buy his way out of prosecution.
And its that sort of weasel like elitist culture that breeds the sort of cynicism and calls for vengeance from the average worker every time these right wing wankers try that shit on.
As for the push for automation?… so whats the answer for compensation in causing the mass unemployment of hundreds of thousands of people in society’s worldwide ? Can you honestly tell me the elite are suddenly going to come over all gushy , grow a conscience and become conciliatory and consent to paying higher taxes to ensure a UBI?
Or even start pay the taxes they SHOULD have been paying for decades and haven’t ?
And the wages they SHOULD have been paying but haven’t?
I think not.
And as for this :
” Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.”
Have you really thought that statement through to its final conclusion?
Really?
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Which is why I also mentioned unmanned units.
Saw an interesting video of a chap operating some sort of forestry delimbing machinery by remote control.
Looked a hell of a lot safer having him at the top of the hill out of harm’s way while the machinery he was controlling was doing the business down at the bottom of this steep bank.
There’s a point in automation – its always been around, always will be. We enjoy many benefits from technology , no doubt.
It can be a great labour saving device and definitely increase safety, no doubt.
But there are many areas where it just isn’t feasible. Again… the robots at Pike River. Not a good example but pretty illustrative. There are many industry’s where there is no way around having boots on the ground.
And I guess that there will always be an interface between the robot and human control. A simple illustration is the guy on the bulldozer versus the guy using the shovel.
But there are other times whereby an industry or company is in its infancy and simply cannot afford automation. And the human quotient is still the most efficient one.
Now here’s the rub :
Hypothetically at least , and taken to its extreme, – if all was automated and an excess of product entered the markets – it would , eventually , decrease profits to the point where because of the glut of market produce available… the question then would be,… are the profits derived equal to the costs of the raw materials extracted needed to produce that product?
And if there is no UBI , would there be the consumer base left remaining to be able to sustain the produce so manufactured by the virtue of consumerism ?
How many fridges, heaters, cars, laptops, flat screen TV’s and houses of quality are those in the third world renowned for be able to purchase to illustrate the point even further ?
But all of that is a different beast to what we are talking about than some rich fat privileged prick trying to weasel their way out of accepting culpability for blame and instead trying to pin the blame on residents of a burnt out building or a worker who will never come home to their family’s in the evening…
Good answer,… and indeed , interesting times ahead.
However, I suspect that what we will see,… is a relocation to the third world of many of the production and manufacturing jobs currently undertaken in the west, – including the IT jobs, – meanwhile… mass un employment occurring in the west and large scale social unrest.
Some occupations, a ‘skeleton’ of its former self ,… so to speak ,… will always be needed for maintenance, and basic services. I should imagine a shift in the west towards the FIRE economy , but even that will not assuage the unrest of by – then decimated middle classes .
I see a general unrest in the intended resetting of the economy ( predictions are September 2017 –
or later in an effort to dislodge Trump- which is predicted to make the Great Depression look like a mere ripple in economic history and to which Trump will ot be able to control ) redistribution of wealth of the global economy and the introduction of the cashless society. Following that , martial law introduced by increments to quell disquiet about the loss of civil freedoms and adherence to the requirements of the state.
However it will not be the requirements of a sovereign ‘ nation state’.
It will be the requirements of a supranational and internationalist ‘globalist cabal’ that uses regional ‘ free trade deals ‘ to enforce by manner of corporate laws such things as the Investor-State Dispute Settement’s .
THIS IS WHERE this is all heading.
And one of the more blatant groups who hide this in plain sight are this group :
Have a wee listen , then my old mate.
Bilderberg Elites Panic As Trump Dismantles Climate Change Hoax …
Video for climate change bilderberg you tube▶ 7:48
Caught a bit of Full House on Netflix just now. The family were going out and Michelle (Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen) asks why the family were taking two cars. Danny (Bob Saget) explains that they couldn’t all fit in one car to which Michelle replies, ‘we could all fit on the Subway and that’s better for the planet.’
Circa 1992.
Were those writers ahead of their time? Not on the US seaboards perhaps, but safe to say none of it got through to the National Party government.
Can’t quite work out Katie Hopkins here except to say she’s an unhinged shock jock who I hope has suddenly turned a corner.
She’s spent a lifetime attacking the very types of people who lived and died in the Grenfell building but now seems to have had an epiphany.
She seems to be advocating for corporate manslaughter law, which I must say is a welcome change in attitude from her. The language in this article is straight out of a left wing activist’s manual.
So I guess the right wing wankers will have no more need for all the imported Filipino workers to work for slave labour in the rural sector anymore , then , eh?
I guess Bulldust English is hoping he is happily retired on a governmental pension by that time…
Too many questions , Old Boy , too many questions…
latest poll
When it comes to seats in the House, National is set to get 58. With its three support partners, it reaches the required 61 to govern.
For the Labour/Green alliance set to get 48 seats total.
Even if it got New Zealand First’s 12 seats, the Left would only get to 60
Greens 12.5%, Labour 26.4% http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/poll-labour-crumbles-falling-towards-defeat.html
I reckon National could actually get an outright majority under Bill English.
Safe solid dependable, that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders.
Little cannot compete against English they’re far too similar.
No , no , no,… BM … your starting to sound like all the other desperate wide eyed leftist fanatics about climate change here…
The numbers dont add up simply on the strength of the ‘ rouge ‘ polls numbers presented by Enough is Enough… who sadly is still thinking in terms of FPP.
That’s precisely the type of thinking that led to the virtual wiping out of Teresa May.
This is not England , it is New Zealand.
And here we have Labour , NZ First and the Greens.
Which , by sheer mathematical equation , means that a Labour led govt is a certainty. Despite the waning fortunes of the Maori party , Peter Dunne and ACT, the latter which is of course… a zombie walking…
Nay ,… tis not so much ‘ personality politics’ but those temporary media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions…
As for a ‘ Trump tweet ‘… I assure you ,… it is the product of a real, live undead human being expressing their opinions,… un – choreographed, un scripted , and yes,… spontaneously constructed. With all its faults and fallibility’s.
The ‘ media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch and other MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions’ often use personality politics as their method.
Have to laugh at ACT more than doubling support by increasing by 0.5% but still not breaking 1%. Truely a party no one likes yet has still not been put out of its misery.
Or even 0.69% which is what they got in 2014. The rest is publicity (I love the Coq), parliamentary support (the suicide bill being picked ‘randomly’), and dirty politics (Farrar’s lobby group blogging).
Epsom voters not having an independent bone in their body.
They’ll still worried about Banks’ prophecy that brown people are going to come through their windows at night.
Where’s Banks now? Embroiled in a 40 year old paternity case. Through to courts on corruption charges. Separated from the wife who defended him. Still a racist fuck.
Then you get to Jamie White. An evil ideologue which New Zealand should be deporting back to Her Majesty’s Britain.
joe90 …
15 June 2017 at 11:40 pm
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
Your pathetic suggestions , not mine.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
* btw, other than grammar corrections
** that should read ‘ grammatical ‘ corrections for a start. I was not aware I was in the presence of a grammar NAZI who lacks formal education in correct grammatical prose. I am so humbly sorry for your first year degree lack of inadequacies … but still ,… no fault of mine.
* ‘ editing without annotating verges on dishonesty’
** You can gaff on as much as you like but The Guardian itself has outed you. So again … are you some sort of closet fascist?
You have failed the test despite your attempts at academic / intellectual superiority. Which was always so easily , yes so easily ,… seen right through for what it is…
Come back when you’ve put a few years more fat on your political / academic growth, please. Lightweights are an embarrassment to have to belt around.
The corporate media want you to think that.
Switch them off.
Use social media and bypass the right wing billionaires who own the media and control their filters.
You know it's not going to be good when your told to write your name on you helmet before you go in! pic.twitter.com/qToYAXa1k8— Mick (@crispymick) June 14, 2017
Hi Mick, can we use this image on our site please?— The Sun Picture Desk (@SunPictureDesk) June 14, 2017
Nope… Not in in your shitrag— Mick (@crispymick) June 14, 2017
The landlord of Grenfell Tower had already been given legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks.
‘The landlord in charge of Grenfell Tower, where a fire broke out in the early hours on Wednesday 14 June, had been issued legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks prior to the blaze that engulfed the West London property.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) is the landlord of Grenfell Tower. The 24-storey tower block with 120 flats was reported to be on fire at 12.54am on Wednesday 14 June. At the time of publishing, 50 people had been taken to hospital and six people had been confirmed dead.
Previous history
But this is not the first fire in a KCTMO-managed tower block. Because the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had previously issued it with two legal enforcement notices over fire safety, as a result of another fire.
In October 2015, a fire broke out in Adair Tower and 50 people had to be rescued from their flats. As a result, LFB issued an enforcement notice not only on Adair Tower but on the neighbouring Hazelwood Tower. And it shows a catalogue of failings.
A catalogue of failings?
The LFB notice said KCTMO had shown a:
Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
Failure to apply the principles of prevention to the implementation of the preventative and protective measures identified by the risk assessment.
Failure in the effective management of the preventive and protective measures.
Failure to eliminate or reduce, so far as is reasonably practicable, dangerous substances present in or on the premises.
Failure to provide and/or maintain adequate and clearly indicated emergency routes and exits that lead to a place of safety.
Failure to establish an appropriate emergency plan.
Failure to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices are maintained in an efficient state, in effective working order and in good repair.
A similar notice was issued for Hazelwood Tower.’
Blogger gagged by council after warning about Grenfell Tower fire threat
‘A blogger who warned the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council of the dangers lurking in Grenfell Tower was threatened by local officials for writing about problems in the building.
Home to over 600 people, Grenfell Tower, in the Lancaster West estate, west London, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The true scale of the tragedy is only gradually becoming clear.
As early as 2013, a man named Francis O’Connor, a member of the Grenfell Action Group (GAG), urged councillors and landlord Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization (KCTMO) to address the fire safety risks that new works on the building would cause.
GAG had several times tried to warn the council and the landlord that the building of a school and gym next to the estate would restrict emergency services’ access, including firefighting vehicles.
But a leaked letter reveals that officials at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea tried to silence the campaigners, sending a lawyer to threaten O’Connor.’
‘The cladding that might have led to the horrifying blaze at Grenfell Tower was added partly to improve its appearance.
During a refurbishment aimed at regeneration last year, cladding was added to the sides of the building to update its look. The cladding then seems to have helped the fire spread around the building, allowing it to destroy almost the entirety of the structure and kill people inside.
And that cladding – a low-cost way of improving the front of the building – was chosen in part so that the tower would look better when seen from the conservation areas and luxury flats that surround north Kensington, according to planning documents, as well as to insulate it.’
Don't politicize the Grenfell Fire.. people are literally screaming in the streets we told you so!!!! pic.twitter.com/UvHwn2zsrf— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) June 14, 2017
‘Theresa May’s new Police and Fire Minister, Nick Hurd, was among the 72 Tory MPs – who are also residential landlords – that voted against a motion to make homes “fit for human habitation.”
Many people have been reposting articles about the debate in Parliament last January in light of today’s tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
Labour submitted an amendment to the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill designed to ensure all rental properties were “fit for human habitation.”
The need to improve fire prevention was explicitly set out by then Shadow Housing Minister Teresa Pearce. Proposing the amendment, she said:
“New clause 53 is about safety and would introduce a requirement for landlords to undertake electrical safety checks. Many organisations from across the sector support the measure, such as the Local Government Association, the London fire brigade, Shelter, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, British Gas, Crisis and the Fire Officers Association. They have all given their support in the past to measures that will see the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks.
“It is estimated that electricity causes more than 20,000 house fires each year, leading to about 350 serious injuries and 70 deaths across the UK. Carbon monoxide, gas leaks and other fires and explosions cause fewer deaths and injuries, with 300 injuries and 18 deaths—these risks remain serious and it is right that we should continue to monitor them, but that shows what is at stake as regards electrical fires in the home.”
Labour’s amendment was defeated with the help of the 72 Tory MPs who top up their Parliamentary salaries as landlords.’
Grenfell Tower fire is ‘corporate manslaughter’ and arrests must be made, MP David Lammy says
‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter, that’s what it is and there should be arrests made, frankly,’ the Tottenham MP said
Yes … it wouldn’t take much for those indentured contractors CEO’s to consult with local business heads to know EXACTLY what the weak points of that building was… we read that the tower was surrounded by affluent property owners with an eye to increasing the values of their already existing property’s…
We cant have a bunch of dark skinned / poor white trash holding up progress and our pecuniary gain , can we now , old bean ?
Time to move them on , time to move them on… without any fuss, quietly and quite justifiably so… just a nudge , a short sharp shock and they’ll never do it again…
Short Sharp Shock – YouTube
Video for pink floyd a short sharp shock you tube▶ 0:24
Even fellow right wing journalist Stacey Kirk manages to do a decent bit of reporting, unlike Jenna Lynch. Here she has done some actual research work instead of sitting with the Newshub video editor all day trying to mock Andrew Little.
Tories, voting in their own best interests forever.
/
At least 71 of the Tory MPs who voted against an amendment to force landlords to make sure their properties are “fit for human habitation” are private landlords themselves.
The Conservatives voted against a Labour amendment to the current Housing and Planning Bill to ensure houses were kept to a decent standard by 312 votes to 219, a majority of 93.
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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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
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 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 10 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Many people who follow federal budgets know about the magnificent “budget tree” in a parliamentary courtyard, which turns a glorious red in time for the May event. This week Treasurer Jim Chalmers posed by ...
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Nice, but longish read, about the relationship between the Anthropocene Era and philosophy:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/15/timothy-morton-anthropocene-philosopher
“The chief reason that we are waking up to our entanglement with the world we have been destroying, Morton says, is our encounter with the reality of hyperobjects – the term he coined to describe things such as ecosystems and black holes, which are “massively distributed in time and space” compared to individual humans. Hyperobjects might not seem to be objects in the way that, say, billiard balls are, but they are equally real, and we are now bumping up against them consciously for the first time.
Global warming might have first appeared to us as a bit of funny local weather, then as a series of independent manifestations (an unusually torrential flood here, a deadly heatwave there), but now we see it as a unified phenomenon, of which extreme weather events and the disruption of the old seasons are only elements.”
Here’s alink to a Doug Lain interviewing Timothy morton. It’s a bit old but worth a listen.
http://douglaslain.net/diet-soap-podcast-197-hyperobjects-neurotic-ecology/
Also this lecture series is also really good
https://archive.org/details/Romanticism1
Poor audio quality but
Woman dead after accident at industrial site in Hastings
Another death at work in what was obviously dangerous machinery without the proper safeguards.
Will the shareholders and directors be held properly to account for this?
Was that today? There was another in Penrose.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11876742
No brighter future for those workers and their families.
Interesting that some RWNJs want to blame the Grenfell fire on the tenants instead of the owners. They’re that same sort who blame workers for their own deaths.
A bit like the ‘ unsinkable ‘ Titanic’ and J Bruce Ismay, – president of the company that built the Titanic, who jumped into one of the half filled life boats and sat with his back to the Titanic as it went down…
Titanic builder J Bruce Ismay: doomed the moment he jumped ship …
http://www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Books
‘ Same as it ever was , same as it ever was ‘…
Always reminds me of this song :
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime (Full Length Version) (1980/ 2013 …
There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.
Unfortunately, human beings are rather suspectable to life-threatening lapses of judgement.
Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.
Dance on her grave all you like, BM.
Yep. As night follows day I knew there’d be one of them blaming the worker instead of the procedure. Even though it is incumbent upon the employer to ensure the worker is in a safe environment.
I wasn’t blaming the worker, I have no idea how she died or what caused her death.
Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.
Oh, so it was just sheer innocent coincidence that you elected to share these victim-blaming insights in response to DtB’s comment?
On the one hand I’m disgusted, but not surprised, that you sink so low, and on the other it’s always worth being reminded what the National Party is.
‘ Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.’
I can understand that sentiment. Ive worked in construction most of my life – as a grunt.
Six years in the ARA as a ‘ Headworks assistant’ in the Waitakere Ranges ( I was proud of those years 🙂 ) whereby we often used 19th century equipment to get the job done in rugged back country so all the townies could enjoy the wonderful scenery – while not giving a thought to who maintained it.
Whats a frog? …
No… its not an animal that croaks on a lily pad,… its a U shaped 80 pound iron instrument with a thread that you place a bar ( no – not a BAAAA – that’s what sheep do ) into to lever it to bend the rail line with. Then you use a dogging hammer ( nothing to do with disciplining a sheep dog with when its snuck off with the workers lunch ) to drive a dog ( its a type of 4 – 6 inch spiked ‘nail ‘ – so take it easy all you animal activists- relax ! ) into the sleeper ( again – not a worker who takes a nap at work after a hard night out on the piss … )
We literally poured tonnes and tonnes of concrete in the most primitive of bush conditions.
Later on , I became a qualified Painter and Decorator. Still working with my hands and still bloody hot sweat type work on a construction site.
The point of all this,… is that there are many many times… when automation , although desirable, is not feasible. Perhaps in a yard where events are predictable , a flat ground operation , or even a quarry or factory situation. But there are many occupation where it is simply not and never will be.
AND THAT ,… is precisely the POINT.
That automation is NO PANACEA for human diligence and regulation.
And if those who are in charge or responsible for a situation in which large loss of life has occurred – despite ‘ automation’ – then ‘automation’ should NOT BE USED as a diversion to their negligence or incompetence.
EVER.
I would get stuck into bm too but I have showered already this evening.
You feel dirty engaging with some folk.
I don’t mind BM, I can see a little of where he / shes coming from.
The difference is I’m a nationalist. Not an opportunist or a globalist . And that’s not inferring BM ‘s an opportunist or a globalist , either.
I just believe we need to moderate and regulate the excesses of human greed so all can have a jolly good outlook.
If that means the rising of taxation brackets , so be it. If that means the rising of wages , so be it. Not all can be innovators, not all can be business owners,… but for those who are not,- they should not be fiscally penalized because of their station in life though they help to produce that wealth , either. Nor should those who through infirmity , age or circumstance be excluded from the benefits of a prosperous society .
The world is divided up into society’s and communities whether we like to admit it or not , and the proper ideal is the strong providing for the weak in all situations. And despite the protestations of the aberrant to those principles , we are , as human beings , reliant on those very same principles of group security as when we first formed the earliest of society’s in Sumeria…
Nothing, … has ever changed throughout the millennia…
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams [with lyrics] – YouTube
Video for fleetwood mac when the rain washes you clen youll know you tube▶ 4:14
Repulsive views, as ever..
Cyber Scum. They exist.
‘ There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.’
* Very true. However , under our Health and Safety laws it is up to both party’s – Employers and employees / contractors to follow procedures in a way that minimizes risk. And all too often – as in Pike River – we see that principle abused. And as at Pike River , the fault lay squarely with company management. To which in this country NO ONE was ever prosecuted , – simply a deal done with Peter Whittalls Insurance by WORKSAFE for Whittall to buy his way out of prosecution.
And its that sort of weasel like elitist culture that breeds the sort of cynicism and calls for vengeance from the average worker every time these right wing wankers try that shit on.
As for the push for automation?… so whats the answer for compensation in causing the mass unemployment of hundreds of thousands of people in society’s worldwide ? Can you honestly tell me the elite are suddenly going to come over all gushy , grow a conscience and become conciliatory and consent to paying higher taxes to ensure a UBI?
Or even start pay the taxes they SHOULD have been paying for decades and haven’t ?
And the wages they SHOULD have been paying but haven’t?
I think not.
And as for this :
” Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.”
Have you really thought that statement through to its final conclusion?
Really?
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Which is why I also mentioned unmanned units.
Saw an interesting video of a chap operating some sort of forestry delimbing machinery by remote control.
Looked a hell of a lot safer having him at the top of the hill out of harm’s way while the machinery he was controlling was doing the business down at the bottom of this steep bank.
There’s a point in automation – its always been around, always will be. We enjoy many benefits from technology , no doubt.
It can be a great labour saving device and definitely increase safety, no doubt.
But there are many areas where it just isn’t feasible. Again… the robots at Pike River. Not a good example but pretty illustrative. There are many industry’s where there is no way around having boots on the ground.
And I guess that there will always be an interface between the robot and human control. A simple illustration is the guy on the bulldozer versus the guy using the shovel.
But there are other times whereby an industry or company is in its infancy and simply cannot afford automation. And the human quotient is still the most efficient one.
Now here’s the rub :
Hypothetically at least , and taken to its extreme, – if all was automated and an excess of product entered the markets – it would , eventually , decrease profits to the point where because of the glut of market produce available… the question then would be,… are the profits derived equal to the costs of the raw materials extracted needed to produce that product?
And if there is no UBI , would there be the consumer base left remaining to be able to sustain the produce so manufactured by the virtue of consumerism ?
How many fridges, heaters, cars, laptops, flat screen TV’s and houses of quality are those in the third world renowned for be able to purchase to illustrate the point even further ?
But all of that is a different beast to what we are talking about than some rich fat privileged prick trying to weasel their way out of accepting culpability for blame and instead trying to pin the blame on residents of a burnt out building or a worker who will never come home to their family’s in the evening…
ISN’T IT .
Who’s going to buy all the stuff the robots make in your grave-dancing future?
No idea, interesting times ahead.
Good answer,… and indeed , interesting times ahead.
However, I suspect that what we will see,… is a relocation to the third world of many of the production and manufacturing jobs currently undertaken in the west, – including the IT jobs, – meanwhile… mass un employment occurring in the west and large scale social unrest.
Some occupations, a ‘skeleton’ of its former self ,… so to speak ,… will always be needed for maintenance, and basic services. I should imagine a shift in the west towards the FIRE economy , but even that will not assuage the unrest of by – then decimated middle classes .
I see a general unrest in the intended resetting of the economy ( predictions are September 2017 –
or later in an effort to dislodge Trump- which is predicted to make the Great Depression look like a mere ripple in economic history and to which Trump will ot be able to control ) redistribution of wealth of the global economy and the introduction of the cashless society. Following that , martial law introduced by increments to quell disquiet about the loss of civil freedoms and adherence to the requirements of the state.
However it will not be the requirements of a sovereign ‘ nation state’.
It will be the requirements of a supranational and internationalist ‘globalist cabal’ that uses regional ‘ free trade deals ‘ to enforce by manner of corporate laws such things as the Investor-State Dispute Settement’s .
THIS IS WHERE this is all heading.
And one of the more blatant groups who hide this in plain sight are this group :
Have a wee listen , then my old mate.
Bilderberg Elites Panic As Trump Dismantles Climate Change Hoax …
Video for climate change bilderberg you tube▶ 7:48
Why is this kind of repugnant trolling permitted by the mods? If the answer is it’s ok by the policy then the policy is an ass.
No
Caught a bit of Full House on Netflix just now. The family were going out and Michelle (Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen) asks why the family were taking two cars. Danny (Bob Saget) explains that they couldn’t all fit in one car to which Michelle replies, ‘we could all fit on the Subway and that’s better for the planet.’
Circa 1992.
Were those writers ahead of their time? Not on the US seaboards perhaps, but safe to say none of it got through to the National Party government.
Can’t quite work out Katie Hopkins here except to say she’s an unhinged shock jock who I hope has suddenly turned a corner.
She’s spent a lifetime attacking the very types of people who lived and died in the Grenfell building but now seems to have had an epiphany.
She seems to be advocating for corporate manslaughter law, which I must say is a welcome change in attitude from her. The language in this article is straight out of a left wing activist’s manual.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4604942/KATIE-HOPKINS-Jail-blame-Grenfell-fire.html
Can we say that RWNJs are never, ever brought to the table on social issues until they are forced to, often by loss of life?
Change the government in September.
A newly-developed robotic rover could become the workhorse of New Zealand’s fruit industry (video)
Article
They’re saying about two years before it’s in the field.
So I guess the right wing wankers will have no more need for all the imported Filipino workers to work for slave labour in the rural sector anymore , then , eh?
I guess Bulldust English is hoping he is happily retired on a governmental pension by that time…
Too many questions , Old Boy , too many questions…
latest poll
When it comes to seats in the House, National is set to get 58. With its three support partners, it reaches the required 61 to govern.
For the Labour/Green alliance set to get 48 seats total.
Even if it got New Zealand First’s 12 seats, the Left would only get to 60
Greens 12.5%, Labour 26.4%
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/poll-labour-crumbles-falling-towards-defeat.html
Clearly a rouge poll. There is no way labour can be going backwards
I wonder if this poll will get its own thread….
Wonder Girl Ardern sounds like she is ready to throw in the towel. This poll certainly won’t help.
Going by the sexist BS in that comment you must be a National voter.
Do you care about child poverty?
http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93583589/unicef-report-wellbeing-of-kiwi-kids-languishes-behind-other-developed-countries
I hear all the cool kids are sporting rouge polls.
/
YES ,… I quite like the idea of being part of a ‘ rouge ‘ poll… sounds exciting !!!
What the dickens is a ‘ rouge’ poll???
Did you mean a ‘ rogue’ poll?
What do you think?
I reckon National could actually get an outright majority under Bill English.
Safe solid dependable, that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders.
Little cannot compete against English they’re far too similar.
“that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders”
Really?
https://infogr.am/after_the_next_general_election_which_outcome_do_you_most_want
I love the way your hubris means you assume you can speak for others,
No , no , no,… BM … your starting to sound like all the other desperate wide eyed leftist fanatics about climate change here…
The numbers dont add up simply on the strength of the ‘ rouge ‘ polls numbers presented by Enough is Enough… who sadly is still thinking in terms of FPP.
That’s precisely the type of thinking that led to the virtual wiping out of Teresa May.
This is not England , it is New Zealand.
And here we have Labour , NZ First and the Greens.
Which , by sheer mathematical equation , means that a Labour led govt is a certainty. Despite the waning fortunes of the Maori party , Peter Dunne and ACT, the latter which is of course… a zombie walking…
BM’s puppet master has given him his lines to repeat fore the day.
If he can bore the younguns out of the will to vote, and Bingles is the go to guy for that.
Personally politics.
That’s all you neoliberals know.
Sad.
That could be close to a trump tweet lol
Nay ,… tis not so much ‘ personality politics’ but those temporary media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions…
As for a ‘ Trump tweet ‘… I assure you ,… it is the product of a real, live undead human being expressing their opinions,… un – choreographed, un scripted , and yes,… spontaneously constructed. With all its faults and fallibility’s.
What would you rather have?
The ‘ media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch and other MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions’ often use personality politics as their method.
Lol I just meant the word sad at the end but please do carry on
Typo..personality politics.
Have to laugh at ACT more than doubling support by increasing by 0.5% but still not breaking 1%. Truely a party no one likes yet has still not been put out of its misery.
Yet they get so much coverage…….much more than 1%
Or even 0.69% which is what they got in 2014. The rest is publicity (I love the Coq), parliamentary support (the suicide bill being picked ‘randomly’), and dirty politics (Farrar’s lobby group blogging).
Mora’s Panel has a lot of support from ACT ideologues.
Epsom voters not having an independent bone in their body.
They’ll still worried about Banks’ prophecy that brown people are going to come through their windows at night.
Where’s Banks now? Embroiled in a 40 year old paternity case. Through to courts on corruption charges. Separated from the wife who defended him. Still a racist fuck.
Then you get to Jamie White. An evil ideologue which New Zealand should be deporting back to Her Majesty’s Britain.
Are libertarians deluded ideologues or pragmatic thieves?
100% Globalists and lackeys of the anti sovereign New World Order of which George Bush Senior so often liked to include in so many of his speeches…
And to which President Trump has just dealt a kick in the nuts to when he pulled out of the Paris Accords…
George H.W. Bush New World Order Speech – YouTube
Video for george bush senior speeches about the new world order you tube▶ 1:14
Fake.
Oh really … another one uneducated and in denial…
Read this then , … you fool.
How Bush’s grandfather helped Hitler’s rise to power | World news …
https://www.theguardian.com › World › Second world war
And in case you are wondering how… copy and paste the whole title to google. Are you some sort of closet fascist sympathizer ?
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
joe90 …
15 June 2017 at 11:40 pm
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
Your pathetic suggestions , not mine.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
* btw, other than grammar corrections
** that should read ‘ grammatical ‘ corrections for a start. I was not aware I was in the presence of a grammar NAZI who lacks formal education in correct grammatical prose. I am so humbly sorry for your first year degree lack of inadequacies … but still ,… no fault of mine.
* ‘ editing without annotating verges on dishonesty’
** You can gaff on as much as you like but The Guardian itself has outed you. So again … are you some sort of closet fascist?
You have failed the test despite your attempts at academic / intellectual superiority. Which was always so easily , yes so easily ,… seen right through for what it is…
Come back when you’ve put a few years more fat on your political / academic growth, please. Lightweights are an embarrassment to have to belt around.
Oh dear, the semi literate cretin fancies himself.
And the vain victim of their superiority complex doesn’t even realize their own mental prison.
As I said… come back when you’ve grown up a little bit more… lightweight.
Cubs have Momma bear to protect them… so who’s your Daddy?
Don’t waste my time.
The corporate media want you to think that.
Switch them off.
Use social media and bypass the right wing billionaires who own the media and control their filters.
Yes but the problem , old boy , is that MSM is horrific in getting it wrong these days…
And according to Enough is Enough , … this is the findings of a ‘ rouge ‘ poll… whatever that is…
Winston will go with Labour and the Greens will too… and that means a Labour led govt despite Peter Dunne’s protestations…
Mick is a London firefighter.
https://twitter.com/crispymick/status/874999483326754817
good for him.
The landlord of Grenfell Tower had already been given legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks.
‘The landlord in charge of Grenfell Tower, where a fire broke out in the early hours on Wednesday 14 June, had been issued legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks prior to the blaze that engulfed the West London property.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) is the landlord of Grenfell Tower. The 24-storey tower block with 120 flats was reported to be on fire at 12.54am on Wednesday 14 June. At the time of publishing, 50 people had been taken to hospital and six people had been confirmed dead.
Previous history
But this is not the first fire in a KCTMO-managed tower block. Because the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had previously issued it with two legal enforcement notices over fire safety, as a result of another fire.
In October 2015, a fire broke out in Adair Tower and 50 people had to be rescued from their flats. As a result, LFB issued an enforcement notice not only on Adair Tower but on the neighbouring Hazelwood Tower. And it shows a catalogue of failings.
A catalogue of failings?
The LFB notice said KCTMO had shown a:
Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
Failure to apply the principles of prevention to the implementation of the preventative and protective measures identified by the risk assessment.
Failure in the effective management of the preventive and protective measures.
Failure to eliminate or reduce, so far as is reasonably practicable, dangerous substances present in or on the premises.
Failure to provide and/or maintain adequate and clearly indicated emergency routes and exits that lead to a place of safety.
Failure to establish an appropriate emergency plan.
Failure to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices are maintained in an efficient state, in effective working order and in good repair.
A similar notice was issued for Hazelwood Tower.’
https://www.thecanary.co/2017/06/14/landlord-grenfell-tower-already-given-legal-warnings-fire-safety-two-tower-blocks-video/
Blogger gagged by council after warning about Grenfell Tower fire threat
‘A blogger who warned the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council of the dangers lurking in Grenfell Tower was threatened by local officials for writing about problems in the building.
Home to over 600 people, Grenfell Tower, in the Lancaster West estate, west London, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The true scale of the tragedy is only gradually becoming clear.
As early as 2013, a man named Francis O’Connor, a member of the Grenfell Action Group (GAG), urged councillors and landlord Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization (KCTMO) to address the fire safety risks that new works on the building would cause.
GAG had several times tried to warn the council and the landlord that the building of a school and gym next to the estate would restrict emergency services’ access, including firefighting vehicles.
But a leaked letter reveals that officials at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea tried to silence the campaigners, sending a lawyer to threaten O’Connor.’
https://www.rt.com/uk/392272-council-grentfell-blogger-fire/
Pilgrim Tucker, of #GrenfellTower Action details how residents concerns over safety have been treated. All for profit.
https://twitter.com/EL4JC/status/875109518107193344
Grenfell Action Group warned the local authority that their estate was at risk of fire.
From 2016 –
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/
Criminal.
And as with the CTV building and Pike River, dollars to donuts they’ll get away with it, too.
Pike River.
Our Grenfell.
David Lammy says ‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter,
Did they die so the rich would have a nicer view?
‘The cladding that might have led to the horrifying blaze at Grenfell Tower was added partly to improve its appearance.
During a refurbishment aimed at regeneration last year, cladding was added to the sides of the building to update its look. The cladding then seems to have helped the fire spread around the building, allowing it to destroy almost the entirety of the structure and kill people inside.
And that cladding – a low-cost way of improving the front of the building – was chosen in part so that the tower would look better when seen from the conservation areas and luxury flats that surround north Kensington, according to planning documents, as well as to insulate it.’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-cladding-fire-cause-improve-kensington-block-flats-appearance-blaze-24-storey-west-a7789951.html
Dude says it all.
https://twitter.com/chunkymark/status/875005091199283200
edit:
https://twitter.com/chunkymark/status/875225908831019008
‘Theresa May’s new Police and Fire Minister, Nick Hurd, was among the 72 Tory MPs – who are also residential landlords – that voted against a motion to make homes “fit for human habitation.”
Many people have been reposting articles about the debate in Parliament last January in light of today’s tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
Labour submitted an amendment to the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill designed to ensure all rental properties were “fit for human habitation.”
The need to improve fire prevention was explicitly set out by then Shadow Housing Minister Teresa Pearce. Proposing the amendment, she said:
“New clause 53 is about safety and would introduce a requirement for landlords to undertake electrical safety checks. Many organisations from across the sector support the measure, such as the Local Government Association, the London fire brigade, Shelter, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, British Gas, Crisis and the Fire Officers Association. They have all given their support in the past to measures that will see the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks.
“It is estimated that electricity causes more than 20,000 house fires each year, leading to about 350 serious injuries and 70 deaths across the UK. Carbon monoxide, gas leaks and other fires and explosions cause fewer deaths and injuries, with 300 injuries and 18 deaths—these risks remain serious and it is right that we should continue to monitor them, but that shows what is at stake as regards electrical fires in the home.”
Labour’s amendment was defeated with the help of the 72 Tory MPs who top up their Parliamentary salaries as landlords.’
https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/06/new-fire-minister-was-among-72-tory-landlords-who-voted-against-homes-fit-for-human-habitation/
Grenfell Tower fire is ‘corporate manslaughter’ and arrests must be made, MP David Lammy says
‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter, that’s what it is and there should be arrests made, frankly,’ the Tottenham MP said
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/grenfell-tower-fire-corporate-manslaughter-arrests-david-lammy-mp-labour-london-kensington-a7790911.html
Yes … it wouldn’t take much for those indentured contractors CEO’s to consult with local business heads to know EXACTLY what the weak points of that building was… we read that the tower was surrounded by affluent property owners with an eye to increasing the values of their already existing property’s…
We cant have a bunch of dark skinned / poor white trash holding up progress and our pecuniary gain , can we now , old bean ?
Time to move them on , time to move them on… without any fuss, quietly and quite justifiably so… just a nudge , a short sharp shock and they’ll never do it again…
Short Sharp Shock – YouTube
Video for pink floyd a short sharp shock you tube▶ 0:24
Even fellow right wing journalist Stacey Kirk manages to do a decent bit of reporting, unlike Jenna Lynch. Here she has done some actual research work instead of sitting with the Newshub video editor all day trying to mock Andrew Little.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93710597/migrants-coming-into-new-zealand-at-a-faster-rate-of-knots-compared-to-other-countries-figures
Tories, voting in their own best interests forever.
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At least 71 of the Tory MPs who voted against an amendment to force landlords to make sure their properties are “fit for human habitation” are private landlords themselves.
The Conservatives voted against a Labour amendment to the current Housing and Planning Bill to ensure houses were kept to a decent standard by 312 votes to 219, a majority of 93.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/full-list-landlord-tory-mps-who-voted-against-making-properties-fit-human-habitation-1537725?
There are words for people like this.
Yes and unfortunately , it has nothing to do with people humorously sung about in songs like this :
Irish Rovers – Patsy Fagan – YouTube
Video for patsy fagan irish rovers you tube▶ 2:01