Daily review 17/12/2024
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5:30 pm, December 17th, 2024 - 24 comments
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- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4 2025
Open access notables Managing and mitigating future public health risks: Planetary boundaries, global catastrophic risk, and inclusive wealth, McLaughlin & Beck, Risk Analysis [perspective]: There are two separate conceptualizations for assessing existential risks: Planetary Boundaries (PBs) and global catastrophic risks (GCRs). While these concepts are similar in principle, their underpinning ...3 hours ago - Join us at 5pm for 2025’s first Hoon
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Aotearoa's science sector is broken. For 35 years it has been run on a commercial, competitive model, while being systematically underfunded. Which means we have seven different crown research institutes and eight different universities - all publicly owned and nominally working for the public good - fighting over the same ...7 hours ago - Show us the money, Einsteins
One of the best speakers I ever saw was Sir Paul Callaghan.One of the most enthusiastic receptions I have ever, ever seen for a speaker was for Sir Paul Callaghan.His favourite topic was: Aotearoa and what we were doing with it.He did not come to bury tourism and agriculture but ...8 hours ago - Thursday 23 January
The Tertiary Education Union is predicting a “brutal year” for the tertiary sector as 240,000 students and teachers at Te Pūkenga face another year of uncertainty. The Labour Party are holding their caucus retreat, with Chris Hipkins still reflecting on their 2023 election loss and signalling to media that new ...8 hours ago - Luxon’s speech an exercise in smoke and mirrors
The Prime Minister’s State of the Nation speech is an exercise in smoke and mirrors which deflects from the reality that he has overseen the worst economic growth in 30 years, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “Luxon wants to “go for growth” but since he and Nicola ...10 hours ago
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The maxim is as true as it ever was: give a small boy and a pig everything they want, and you will get a good pig and a terrible boy.Elon Musk the child was given everything he could ever want. He has more than any one person or for that ...1 day ago - Govt leaving food banks in funding limbo
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Leo Molloy's recent "shoplifting" smear against former MP Golriz Ghahraman has finally drawn public attention to Auror and its database. And from what's been disclosed so far, it does not look good: The massive privately-owned retail surveillance network which recorded the shopping incident involving former MP Golriz Ghahraman is ...1 day ago
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The defence of common law qualified privilege applies (to cut short a lot of legal jargon) when someone tells someone something in good faith, believing they need to know it. Think: telling the police that the neighbour is running methlab or dobbing in a colleague to the boss for stealing. ...1 day ago - Wednesday 22 January
NZME plans to cut 38 jobs as it reorganises its news operations, including the NZ Herald, BusinessDesk, and Newstalk ZB. It said it planned to publish and produce fewer stories, to focus on those that engage audience. E tū are calling on the Government to step in and support the ...1 day ago
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The latest Consumer Price Index figures show rents rising almost twice as fast as general inflation. ...1 day ago
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The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...2 days ago
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Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...10 hours ago
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The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...13 hours ago
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The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...14 hours ago
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Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...1 day ago
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Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...2 days ago
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Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...2 days ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has delivered a refreshed team focused on unleashing economic growth to make people better off, create more opportunities for business and help us afford the world-class health and education Kiwis deserve. “Last year, we made solid progress on the economy. Inflation has fallen significantly and now ...4 days ago
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Veterans’ Affairs and a pan-iwi charitable trust have teamed up to extend the reach and range of support available to veterans in the Bay of Plenty, Veterans Minister Chris Penk says. “A major issue we face is identifying veterans who are eligible for support,” Mr Penk says. “Incredibly, we do ...6 days ago
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A host of new appointments will strengthen the Waitangi Tribunal and help ensure it remains fit for purpose, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. “As the Tribunal nears its fiftieth anniversary, the appointments coming on board will give it the right balance of skills to continue its important mahi hearing ...6 days ago
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Almost 22,000 FamilyBoost claims have been paid in the first 15 days of the year, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The ability to claim for FamilyBoost’s second quarter opened on January 1, and since then 21,936 claims have been paid. “I’m delighted people have made claiming FamilyBoost a priority on ...7 days ago
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Same old….same old…..past Labour govt all to blame for state of economy……….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/360524865/live-treasury-releases-half-year-economic-and-fiscal-update
Barbara Edmonds (specialist tax lawyer) responds: https://www.labour.org.nz/news-nightmare_before_christmas_for_nicola_willis
If Planet Key wasn’t bad enough we now have Space junk Cluxons…….
Treasury and Willis thought their tax cut productivity gains would stay and make all the service and project cuts worthwhile.
Nope.
The classic rules are that in a downturn you don't cut govt spending and you don't give tax cuts to the rich. The former stifles the economy and the rich put the money in the bank for safety, to wait for better times – both things take money out of circulating in the economy. National are financial illiterates.
Barbara Edmonds is not a registered lawyer.
Indeed, if she is claiming to be one, she would appear to be breaking the law.
[Still creating straw man arguments and diversion trolling. Last time https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-07-2024/#comment-2005916) your ban was increased from two weeks to two months and since you’re still wasting our time and adding zero value here here’s your warning that you’re looking at a much longer ban again if you keep this up. Have a nice Christmas – Incognito]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Edmonds
Unlike Nicki No-Boats, Edmonds has a wealth of experience in government finance issues, having worked for both the Nats and Labour since 2016.
Sigh….go and do your homework Alwyn…….coming across like Nicola Willis is not a good look……
Mod note
Nicola Faillis turning into a reverse King Midas, weaving gold into straw. Borrowing $12 billion for tax cuts doesn't look so smart now Nicola
Ahhh gc but it was Labour's fault. Nicola said so.
Junior Willis "Mummy who started ww2?"
Nicola "It's Labours fault"
Barbara Edmonds does talk here about the chilling effect CoC policy has had on the economy:
Firing thousands of public service employees and threatening and undermining the public service and councils has signalled to everyone really that it's important to do nothing right now and get rid of workers. It has induced paralysis of the economy and that is squarely the fault of Luxton, Willis, Seymour, and Peters.
Willis and Luzon blame Treasury of course for apparently being, "too optimistic". I'd say Treasury did what Treasury does and forecasts down the middle with the information they have on hand. What they didn't foresee was the rank incompetence of Luxon and his dreadful finance minister.
The COC is fortunate that the tens of thousands of kiwis heading overseas for a job help mask the unemployment rate, if half of them stayed the rate would be 1 or 2% higher. Meanwhile inflation running around 2.5%, minimum wage increased 1.5%. wages going backward, jobs going, unemployment sky rocketing, economy nose diving, willis increasing govt debt at an alarming rate, health system coming apart at the seams……
When I predicted what austerity would do, Belladonna told me to have a cup of tea and a lie down.
He/she should apologise and admit the damage this CoC has done, firstly by appointing such poor treasurer. Her, Willis hubris in refusing to accept advice. Choosing a new advisory group!! She is spiralling us into a full on recession.
The situation they have us in has been exacerbated by her actions. Next year will be worse. Sneaking two contentious bills through during holidays as well.
This has to be a one term Government, So unfeeling, so destructive and so self serving.
They are clearly working for their funders not for us.
All they appear to do is pillage and destroy. And the pillaging isn't even for their benefit (or for minor benefit like campaign funds), it appears to be for overseas interests. Olden times National would do stupid stuff but at least it was for the best interests of New Zealand. Nowdays, it all seems like it's to financially enslave us.
Echoes of Ruth Richardson who deepened a recession and put 2 generations on the poverty line.
She's good.
@kelvin_morganNZ
Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick utterly nails it in her response to todays release of the Half Year & Fiscal Update (HYEFU) which saw Finance Minister #NickyNoBoats Willis walk out of the House less than halfway through her speech.
#nzpol
https://xcancel.com/kelvin_morganNZ/status/1868945458242240663
Chloe on fire…..she is politician of the year….again.
I agree with Bearded Git, Chlöe Swarbrick was pure fire and burnt them down to the ground – Willis couldn’t handle the truth.
Absolutely awesome, Chloe. Calls the government out.
1998 Ignorance has won
Always just a suggestion.
Just read this to understand what Christian fundamentalism is to right wing politics.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2201/S00433/why-brian-tamaki-sits-in-prison-alone.htm
What unreadable rubbish. Wouldn't even make the world's most boring sermon. To paraphrase "Don't know Tamaki, but his going to prison is like St Paul's incarceration."