Was he (Mitchell) asked if the Iraq invasion was justified/legal?
His response is bound to be entertaining if any journalist ever summons the courage to ask.
Yes, can’t say I’m unhappy with the NZF number. And I also think at this stage the GP number isn’t something to be particularly worried about. Worth considering long term strategy though.
Greens have positioned themselves as a far left party targetting the beneficiary, anti-capitalism, SJW crowd which will be cast in stone with Marama Davidson becoming co-leader.
You can’t tell me those people are voting Labour?, the party of a thousand backflips, so again where are these Green supporters going to come from
Personally, I think the Green party is fucked, it used to be left wing cool and hip but Jacinda’s stolen that vibe and now that greens have nothing.
“I’m doing a calendar next month, apocalypse theme, lots of leather, bare buttocks and studs.
Should I put you down for a dozen or so?”
Thanks, but no thanks BM. I’m still wanting the use of my eyeballs for a few decades, and I’m thinking having to stab them with a ballpoint after seeing those images might be detrimental to that need.
‘Storms of My Grandchildren
The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity’
In explaining the science of climate change, Hansen paints a devastating but all-too-realistic picture of what will happen in our children’s and grandchildren’s lifetimes if we follow the course we’re on.
The last time BM ‘spoke’ to me ………. he asked if I was German.. and then doubled up on the weird, by insinuating I had a thing for ‘tight pants’ …. strange and amusing I thought … or ‘vot iz dis scwheizenhund?’
Now he writes …”I’m doing a calendar next month, apocalypse theme, lots of leather, bare buttocks and studs.”
Come out of the closet BM …. lose the repression ..become that happy gay leather chappy.
“I think once the Greens select their new co-leader they’ll have everything in place to build their support.”
Yes, I think this is true. Also time, for people to see what they are actually doing in government. It’s not what people are used to. The Greens are playing the long game, and they’re building relationships, and they’re changing how politics is done.
Don’t think leftish Labour voters will ever allow that to happen Weka.
In any case, if TPPA 11 is signed in March, 3% or so will shift back to the Greens.
Urban liberal Labour supporters are ok with the Greens on 5 or 6%. That’s a problem. Because next election if it’s as tight as it is today, how many LW voters will vote Labour because they’re worried about their vote being wasted if the GP slips under 5%?
The 5-6% ballpark is too narrow for my taste, too. Labour need friends to govern, just like National do. A quick change in the polling period could leave grn on 4.9% and we’re screwed.
But way early days yet. Too early for obsessive poll watching at this stage. I’d expect a government increase after the second budget. That’s when the improvements will start being really evident.
Leftish Labour voters already let that happen at the last election when they voted Labour.
True, but if the Green Party was looking like there was a risk of it falling below the threshold come election time, there’d be plenty of Labour voters willing to vote strategically to prevent that from happening. Effectively, this poll puts the Labour/Green vote at 53%, let’s just take the compliment.
I don’t care about the exact level of Green support. I don’t prefer lower levels to higher levels at this stage. Which would I prefer if Labour and the Greens were about equal? To quote Rick Blaine, “ask me when you get there”.
But I do believe both the Greens and Labour are essential parts of my ideal government. I voted Green because I thought they might not get in, not because I want them at a specific voting range.
I really only stress about two thresholds: 5% and 50%. The rest is horse trading.
Right. So if at the next election the GP was polling like today, there will be people who *won’t vote for them for fear of wasting their vote. That’s a risk. Even if you don’t care about the ratios, having the Greens sitting just above the threshold is not safe for the left.
Well, it depends how far they think through it – getting Labour on 40% with no coalition partners is also a wasted vote.
So if the Greens are polling 4 to 7%, I would most likely vote Green regardless of whether I still prefer Labour.
If, on the other hand, Greens are on 9%, and NZ1 are on 4 to 7%, I’m nopt sure I’d be able to pull myself to vote for NZ1. But I suspect other Labour voters would tend towards that decision.
But I still think this is all augury – we’ll see what happens when the Greens are up and running with a full leadership team and some more policy achievements under their belts.
LG would be my preferred, but tbh I think Labour tacticians would prefer Labour being in the position to choose between NZ1 and Greens as a coalition partner, rather than needing both.
But the Greens and Labour do seem to dovetail nicely without too much in the way of opposing forces.
I think that’s true (about Labour), but that’s the problem. Because as long as Labour hedge their bets like that they support NZF. Had they gone a bit more left they would have picked up more NZF votes. It looks to me like the only way the left can grow a bigger govt is for Labour to take NZF and swing votes and for the Greens to regain their vote and pick up some Labour and non-vote. If that doesn’t happen, what’s going to happen when Peters is no longer around?
I think NZ1 are aiming for the regions. Not left wing votes.
I also suspect, with nothing but my own belly button for support, that Labour will pick up the swing votes, NZ1 the regional nat votes (especially if collins gets in), and the greens will pick up some Labour and some non-voters.
I predicted they’d end on about 5.7-6.0% after Specials. (as it turned out, they did a little better) … but was all a bit too close to the 5% hurdle for comfort … so I thought “What the Hell, toss a strategic party vote their way … you only live once”
It’s amazing how things have turned around in less than a year. And the way things are, I’m not even sure the next National PM is currently sitting in Parliament.
Interesting observation Ovid. In 2008 when Labour lost the election, the next Labour PM had just entered parliament for the first time but was yet to be officially anointed as a list MP.
OAB – there are alternative explanations which DPF may deploy. Place your bet:
The honeymoon is delayed and not genuine
The honeymoon is weaker than that obtained by the masterful John Key
The honeymoon is only because of the baby
The honeymoon is the end of the Greens
The honeymoon won’t last because a new National leader will get a bounce (actually I suspect this bounce is what happens on a gallows when the rope snaps tight, but I’ll let it go – not the rope I mean, would never let the rope go)
The honeymoon is attributable to sunspot activity causing temporary mental derangement
The honeymoon is a rogue poll and completely different from ‘internal polling’
The honeymoon is illegitimate like the election result (and the baby)
The honeymoon is just a shadow of a honeymoon cast on the wall of the cave and there is no way of knowing if there is truly an essence of the honeymoon anywhere
There can’t be a honeymoon because I am a sad, boring, droning git
I wouldn’t put to much emphasis on the low results for the coalition partners, the public is very happy with the new Govt, Labour being the largest party has received lions share of the poll, but – the coalition partners have contributed considerably to performance of the Govt as a whole and should be proud to be associated.
IMHO the poll should also contain a question on the coalition performance as a whole, and then compare with individual results.
That poll result is bound to have some influence on which way the Nat leadership goes.
If they go for Collins she may be gone by Christmas as Nat support drops below 35%.
Bradbury’s perspective.
Looks like you are both on the same page.
Why Mark Mitchell’s run at leadership is a scam & is this Tracy Watkin’s worst political column of all time?
…so a radical right wing mercenary with deep links to Judith Collin’s favourite attack dogs Slater & Lusk (who helped him win the Rodney candidacy) and who have a long term plan to use him to implement a radical right wing agenda has thrown his hat in the ring.
Why?
……….I believe the long term plan is for Mark to stand down from National in the year of the next election, suddenly become the Leader of the Conservative Party and Judith will allow him to run in Rodney unopposed thus bringing in a sub 5% vote using an electorate seat. He is running now to build profile, watch for him to run a very socially conservative platform to appeal to the Christian vote.
Er, you really hope that the next government is run by someone renowned for corrupt practice and dirty politics, alongside a right-wing authoritarian nationalist who made a mint running mercenaries for the occupation of Iraq? Oh, wait, it’s you – scratch that, no surprises there then.
But, lookee there, there’s a guy who was convicted of insider trading, another convicted of securities reporting violations, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, some google and Apple people, Lawrence Lessig, some politicians, and then…. Donald Trump 45th president of the US, Donald Trump jr, Ivanka Trump.
heh.
But couldn’t find anything much about Mitchell at Threat Management Group.
Now there goes an utter ponce if I ever met one.
Quiteamusing to see the gNats evolution.
There’ll be a few rolling in theirs graves…Collins, but more so Bennett.
Ugly people in general. Does Chris Finlayson stick phat with them under some illusion they’re still principled and ethical people, or is he just trying on gNat veneer (beige Formica TM) that class distinction no longer matters?
Amusing and quite fucking pathetic really
The other thing Bomber highlights is how compromised Tracy Watkins is.
The puffery she writes about Mitchell is unbelievable.
Some of the most vomitous and nauseating ways she describes Mitchell.
‘a dark horse.’
‘Former police officer and hostage negotiator’
‘ in the mold of former prime minister Sir John Key’
‘a to-die-for back story’
‘He was stabbed in the line of duty’
‘a top international hostage negotiator’
‘media savvy’
‘ reminiscent of Key in his early days’
Who wrote this tripe?
Lusk, Slater, Williams or another far right extremist?
No mention of some of the work he did in the Middle East.
Maybe Watkins had never read this news.
“National MP Mark Mitchell, newly appointed as Defence Minister, was a mercenary fighter in Iraq during the bloodiest period of the US occupation. His appointment signals what a pro-war, pro-US empire government this National Party really is,” said Auckland Peace Action spokesperson Virginia Lambert.
“Mark Mitchell not only went freely and willingly to fight in an illegal war of aggression, but he made a profit out of it. It is disgusting.”
“More than a million people are dead in Iraq because of the US’s war. Mark Mitchell was one of thousands who went to occupy and repress the local people on behalf of the US.”
Jenna Lynch has clearly been given her orders as well.
‘He has a trademark grin’
‘Mitchell is a straight shooter. It’s refreshing.’
‘Mark Mitchell let a little something slip during his National Party leadership bid announcement – the truth.’
Lynch and Watkins remind me that the media are just mindless repeaters. Puppets who dance to the tune of the owners and masters.
They remind me of this clip.
Political goals:
Growing the economy through increased exports; supporting critical infrastructure projects; strong support for police to allow them to fight gangs and organised crime. Believes his negotiation skills would be useful in areas like negotiating with unions, and his outsourcing experience would help in areas like privatising prisons.
Bradbury has his good days. That is a highly plausible strategy Ed @ 5.1. But first, it will depend on Judith Collins becoming the leader which might not happen this time but further down the track…?
Now we can watch and see if it pans out in practice.
The Nats need a support party, its as simple as that. It appears those parties that achieved some electoral success had leaders that defected from either the Nats or Labour.
The machinations inside National are deafening by their silence.
Shut up already, you’re predicting something that’s happened before and will happen again. I highly doubt there’s anyone (left or right) that posts on this site that doesn’t think there’ll be a crash. Ooh I know I predict National will regain power at some point.
No you’re not, you’re acting as if you and you alone have information about the future and if only people would just listen to you, well you’re not Cassandra you’re just boring
That’s the second time I’ve read that from you recently. If you post contentious claims on a general comments thread, why should people who disagree with you “scroll past” rather than expressing their disagreement? That’s why an open comments thread is there, for fuck’s sake. If you can’t defend your claims, don’t instruct people to ignore them, try not posting them in the first place.
5. Has anyone gone out of the way to disprove the claim, or has only supportive evidence been sought?
This is the confirmation bias, or the tendency to seek confirmatory evidence and to reject or ignore disconfirmatory evidence. The confirmation bias is powerful, pervasive and almost impossible for any of us to avoid. It is why the methods of science that emphasize checking and rechecking, verification and replication, and especially attempts to falsify a claim, are so critical.
Have you gone out of your way to find any contradictory opinions, Ed?
I’m on holiday doing the central otago rail trail so i figure i may as well work a few shifts while I’m here, i dont like posting from my phone but sometimes you just got to make do with what you’ve got, you know how it is
Oh that sounds pretty nice. Youre in the right place to get some of Key’s wine while youre at it too. I wouldn’t get the 2016 vintage though – bad year.
Lol….i see Toplis is already advocating ‘printing money’….perhaps he knows of a bank that may need bailing out?
“And additionally if things did go really wrong we’ve got a lot of fiscal flexibility because our government books are in pretty good order and we’ve got a lot of central bank flexibility ’cause we’ve still got some of the highest interest rates on the planet and we’ve never used quantitative easing.
“So I’m an optimist for New Zealand in a relative sense, notwithstanding that if things go nasty (globally), we’ll suffer some way or another,” he said.
or perhaps all we need to do is bluff our way through as suggested here…
“You have to look at (household indebtedness) people’s ability to service that debt and that is a function of how quickly the economy is growing, are wages going up? Is there actually economic activity that means people will be able to pay it off?
“The answer is yes. Globally this is the first time in a very long time we’ve had all the major economies actually growing,” Mr Stubbs said.”
Ah, nothing like a little confidence to keep the punters at the table….
Wayne Hope nails it.
I have been advocating for real action on the site for a while – not tinkering.
Wayne agrees with me.
This is a state of emergency. If only piecemeal measures are contemplated and if the structural underpinnings of wealth polarisation are not recognised, our county`s future is bleak . Slums on the edges of our major cities, prison riots, civil unrest and a secluded one per cent contributing to charities but secretly blaming the poor for their plight.
Where’s Wayne? (Mapp) You have been conspicuous by your absence..
We know you were Minister during the raid, and Mitchell took over from you as Minister of Defense.
So , Collins Lusk and Slater, are known to have been plotting to bring in more right wing National party members, sooooo…… they helped Mitchell gain Rodney . He’s very right, right!
Are they playing a long game, of long knives????
I think a plot by “interests” to have another right wing party or group is unfolding.
What happened to the Blue Dragons? Or am I imagining things line up???
Sorry to nit pick, look I can cut defence again like I did to Health Dr Colman who replace Mapp because he said the cuts won’t work (that part is true), then the pie thief/ where did all the pies go Brownliee aka pie guts, who was then replace by Mitchell IOU 20 billion or whatever nickname you can think of.
National are heading for polling worse than 2002. The rabble that are scrabbling and jostling for power will get nowhere. John Key’s clone is being assembled at the moment and a helicopter will deliver………maybe 2026 with a shot at PM in 2029.
This will be a hard watch for the close minded among you.
Abby Martin, one of the most fearless of our independent voices in journalism, investigates the North Korean crisis.
Be warned.
Don’t watch if you accept the mainstream media’s lines without question
“But there’s a catch: the nation’s 1.8 million cows are producing so much manure that there isn’t enough space to get rid of it safely.
As a result, farmers are dumping cow poo illegally, the country is breaking EU regulations on phosphates designed to prevent groundwater contamination, and the high levels of ammonia emissions are affecting air quality.
As a result, WWF is calling for a 40% cut in cow numbers over the next decade, and a return to a dairy sector that can deal with its own dung.”
“My dog-handling skills will be very handy if I get the job as Leader of the National Party,” says #4 contender, Mark Mitchell.
“”Get in behind” and “Fetch it” are for comic books and jokes but serious dogs need serious handling.”
He looks forward to putting the lap dog, poodle and rottweiler through the hoops but would not specify which breed typified which rival for the top job.
“That would be easier than ABC and in that particular order” he said.
Others might put their paws up, but his use of a short leash and judicious treats would deal with all but the barking mad. “All his colleagues were House-trained though they still chase after ducks,” he laughed.
He looked forward to the contest and the challenge. “Every dog has its day” but his dog-whistling and skills at negotiating at muzzle length should “collar” the prize, concluded the former police dog handler.
Much water to go under the bridge re this govt. Both NZ First and Greens being devoured/Greens near threshold too. So in an MMP environment, how does Labour govern without partners? FPP next election, in all but name. Winston as PM on three percent support…that’ll go down well. Counting chickens dangerous, many polls to go and possibly a Winston scandal or two. Plus fresh new National leader, bring it on!
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 ...
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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 ...
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David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
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On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
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Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
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 ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
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For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
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Can anyone name a more amoral and repulsive profession than being a mercenary?
Bluntly speaking that means being prepared to kill people for money.
What euphemisms can be used for a mercenary group?
A security consultancy.
Radio New Zealand’s euphemism
“a private security company in the Middle East.”
Foreign Exchange dealer is a fairly amoral profession, killing economies for money…
Good point
Said Global warming has a human fingerprint . Not much else in his interview on RNZ
Who?
Was he (Mitchell) asked if the Iraq invasion was justified/legal?
His response is bound to be entertaining if any journalist ever summons the courage to ask.
Big change in Colmar Brunton poll tonite …
Labour 48
National 43
Greens 5
NZ First 3
Ardern soaring as preferred PM to 41.
Good times …
Jeebus that hurts national
Well, it doesn’t hurt National per se. As an opposition party which has 3 terms it is a good result for them. What hurts is the no support
Would you be ok with the Greens out of parliament and Labour governing on its own?
Nope.
I expect things to settle back a bit. Greens have to be there they are the left wing and environmental conscience of the Parliament.
NZ FIrst on the other hand …
Yes, can’t say I’m unhappy with the NZF number. And I also think at this stage the GP number isn’t something to be particularly worried about. Worth considering long term strategy though.
I think once the Greens select their new co-leader they’ll have everything in place to build their support.
Build there support from where?
Greens have positioned themselves as a far left party targetting the beneficiary, anti-capitalism, SJW crowd which will be cast in stone with Marama Davidson becoming co-leader.
You can’t tell me those people are voting Labour?, the party of a thousand backflips, so again where are these Green supporters going to come from
Personally, I think the Green party is fucked, it used to be left wing cool and hip but Jacinda’s stolen that vibe and now that greens have nothing.
There are plenty of people interested in changing capitalism and doing a bit of social justice warrioring.
Where are they?
Are they voting Labour? or are they so insignificant they don’t even make the margin of error?
Why do you care? Oh that’s right, you don’t, and you want the Greens to fail. Let’s just understand your comment in that light.
Of course, I don’t care about the Greens they offer nothing to me politically
Completely wedded to Labour why would a National voter care if they lived or died?
Having said that though If the Greens developed the ability to go cross-party then obviously that attitude would probably change.
A liveable planet perhaps with a breathable atmosphere and drinkable water? You clearly didn’t think this one through, did you? Colour me surprised.
BM has Mad Max fantasies (I’m not joking).
I’m doing a calendar next month, apocalypse theme, lots of leather, bare buttocks and studs.
Should I put you down for a dozen or so?
“I’m doing a calendar next month, apocalypse theme, lots of leather, bare buttocks and studs.
Should I put you down for a dozen or so?”
Thanks, but no thanks BM. I’m still wanting the use of my eyeballs for a few decades, and I’m thinking having to stab them with a ballpoint after seeing those images might be detrimental to that need.
What abour your children and grandchildren?
You need to read this book, bm
‘Storms of My Grandchildren
The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity’
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/storms-of-my-grandchildren-9781608195022/
Ed wrote. “What abour your children and grandchildren?
You need to read this book, bm”
I thought for a minute, Ed, you were concerned that BM’s descendants might see the calendar!
Climate change horror can be handled, but not in leather.
The last time BM ‘spoke’ to me ………. he asked if I was German.. and then doubled up on the weird, by insinuating I had a thing for ‘tight pants’ …. strange and amusing I thought … or ‘vot iz dis scwheizenhund?’
Now he writes …”I’m doing a calendar next month, apocalypse theme, lots of leather, bare buttocks and studs.”
Come out of the closet BM …. lose the repression ..become that happy gay leather chappy.
“I think once the Greens select their new co-leader they’ll have everything in place to build their support.”
Yes, I think this is true. Also time, for people to see what they are actually doing in government. It’s not what people are used to. The Greens are playing the long game, and they’re building relationships, and they’re changing how politics is done.
“And I also think at this stage the GP number isn’t something to be particularly worried about.”
Ha.
I imagine NZ First will start peeling votes off national, once this leadership battle gets messy
Don’t think leftish Labour voters will ever allow that to happen Weka.
In any case, if TPPA 11 is signed in March, 3% or so will shift back to the Greens.
Aye.
Leftish Labour voters already let that happen at the last election when they voted Labour.
But not below 5%, and I genuinely think urban liberal Labour supporters would vote Green if it was necessary.
Urban liberal Labour supporters are ok with the Greens on 5 or 6%. That’s a problem. Because next election if it’s as tight as it is today, how many LW voters will vote Labour because they’re worried about their vote being wasted if the GP slips under 5%?
The 5-6% ballpark is too narrow for my taste, too. Labour need friends to govern, just like National do. A quick change in the polling period could leave grn on 4.9% and we’re screwed.
But way early days yet. Too early for obsessive poll watching at this stage. I’d expect a government increase after the second budget. That’s when the improvements will start being really evident.
Leftish Labour voters already let that happen at the last election when they voted Labour.
True, but if the Green Party was looking like there was a risk of it falling below the threshold come election time, there’d be plenty of Labour voters willing to vote strategically to prevent that from happening. Effectively, this poll puts the Labour/Green vote at 53%, let’s just take the compliment.
That’s the exact reason I voted Green last time, for the first time.
Right. Which suggests to me that Labour voters want the Greens at the sweet spot of 6 or 7%. But not higher.
I don’t care about the exact level of Green support. I don’t prefer lower levels to higher levels at this stage. Which would I prefer if Labour and the Greens were about equal? To quote Rick Blaine, “ask me when you get there”.
But I do believe both the Greens and Labour are essential parts of my ideal government. I voted Green because I thought they might not get in, not because I want them at a specific voting range.
I really only stress about two thresholds: 5% and 50%. The rest is horse trading.
Right. So if at the next election the GP was polling like today, there will be people who *won’t vote for them for fear of wasting their vote. That’s a risk. Even if you don’t care about the ratios, having the Greens sitting just above the threshold is not safe for the left.
Well, it depends how far they think through it – getting Labour on 40% with no coalition partners is also a wasted vote.
So if the Greens are polling 4 to 7%, I would most likely vote Green regardless of whether I still prefer Labour.
If, on the other hand, Greens are on 9%, and NZ1 are on 4 to 7%, I’m nopt sure I’d be able to pull myself to vote for NZ1. But I suspect other Labour voters would tend towards that decision.
But I still think this is all augury – we’ll see what happens when the Greens are up and running with a full leadership team and some more policy achievements under their belts.
Why would you vote NZF?
The only reason I could think of would be as a third coalition partner..
Unless a better option comes along.
A labgrn coalition with them is still better than the nats in government.
I’m assuming the strategy will be aiming for L/G.
LG would be my preferred, but tbh I think Labour tacticians would prefer Labour being in the position to choose between NZ1 and Greens as a coalition partner, rather than needing both.
But the Greens and Labour do seem to dovetail nicely without too much in the way of opposing forces.
I think that’s true (about Labour), but that’s the problem. Because as long as Labour hedge their bets like that they support NZF. Had they gone a bit more left they would have picked up more NZF votes. It looks to me like the only way the left can grow a bigger govt is for Labour to take NZF and swing votes and for the Greens to regain their vote and pick up some Labour and non-vote. If that doesn’t happen, what’s going to happen when Peters is no longer around?
I think NZ1 are aiming for the regions. Not left wing votes.
I also suspect, with nothing but my own belly button for support, that Labour will pick up the swing votes, NZ1 the regional nat votes (especially if collins gets in), and the greens will pick up some Labour and some non-voters.
Same here.
I predicted they’d end on about 5.7-6.0% after Specials. (as it turned out, they did a little better) … but was all a bit too close to the 5% hurdle for comfort … so I thought “What the Hell, toss a strategic party vote their way … you only live once”
or they’d vote Labour out of fear of their vote being wasted. Willing to bet this happened last year.
Yes
It’s good to see Nats on the slide… and a slight drop in NZF.
Sad to see the Greens drop as they are the only government/support party to stand firm on opposing the TPPA_byAnyOtherName.
kiwis, wake up! The TPP is a biggie and will impact negatively on a lot of Kiwis – especially the least well off Kiwis.
It’s amazing how things have turned around in less than a year. And the way things are, I’m not even sure the next National PM is currently sitting in Parliament.
Interesting observation Ovid. In 2008 when Labour lost the election, the next Labour PM had just entered parliament for the first time but was yet to be officially anointed as a list MP.
– And was the youngest MP at the time.
+1, nice one Ovid.
He may not even be spawned yet.
But David Farrar said the honeymoon was over! I’m shocked!
OAB – there are alternative explanations which DPF may deploy. Place your bet:
The honeymoon is delayed and not genuine
The honeymoon is weaker than that obtained by the masterful John Key
The honeymoon is only because of the baby
The honeymoon is the end of the Greens
The honeymoon won’t last because a new National leader will get a bounce (actually I suspect this bounce is what happens on a gallows when the rope snaps tight, but I’ll let it go – not the rope I mean, would never let the rope go)
The honeymoon is attributable to sunspot activity causing temporary mental derangement
The honeymoon is a rogue poll and completely different from ‘internal polling’
The honeymoon is illegitimate like the election result (and the baby)
The honeymoon is just a shadow of a honeymoon cast on the wall of the cave and there is no way of knowing if there is truly an essence of the honeymoon anywhere
There can’t be a honeymoon because I am a sad, boring, droning git
One thing Labour must not do, and that is to commit the error of National in 2017 and try to rule alone. No time for hubris- there never is.
48% is great for Labour and recognition for wise, inclusive and humble leadership and action.
I wouldn’t put to much emphasis on the low results for the coalition partners, the public is very happy with the new Govt, Labour being the largest party has received lions share of the poll, but – the coalition partners have contributed considerably to performance of the Govt as a whole and should be proud to be associated.
IMHO the poll should also contain a question on the coalition performance as a whole, and then compare with individual results.
I dont really like that 5 for the Greens. I feel it could readily have been 10-15 (of course I would prefer to see 25-35)
A.
That poll result is bound to have some influence on which way the Nat leadership goes.
If they go for Collins she may be gone by Christmas as Nat support drops below 35%.
Fun times ahead alright 🙂
Oh, and its possible that Mr Mitchell could be the leader of a new right party, not Collins. Aha, the plot thickens……………………
Bradbury’s perspective.
Looks like you are both on the same page.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/02/19/why-mark-mitchells-run-at-leadership-is-a-scam-is-this-tracy-watkins-worst-political-column-of-all-time/
I really hope this comes to pass…unless he’s a fundie in which case I hope it doesn’t
Er, you really hope that the next government is run by someone renowned for corrupt practice and dirty politics, alongside a right-wing authoritarian nationalist who made a mint running mercenaries for the occupation of Iraq? Oh, wait, it’s you – scratch that, no surprises there then.
Alleged
Oh yeah, that’s the endorsement every party looks for in a possible Prime Minster: “Those allegations were never proven!”
Heh, made me think of father ted.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-bnh162vqk4
I have been looking to see what I could find on Mark Mitchell’s
mercenaryPrivate Security Contract company (as described in Mitchell’s wikipedia page)Apparently it was called the Threat Management Group, and was a subsidiary of Agility Logistics.
Can’t find that much about them in Mitchell’s time. But they have a website.
Agility Logistics has a wikipedia page
The CEO IS Tarek Sultan, who, like Mitchell went to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania – a business school.
Mitchell doesn’t appear on the list of notable alumni of the Wharton School – there’s a load of people I’ve never heard of.
But, lookee there, there’s a guy who was convicted of insider trading, another convicted of securities reporting violations, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, some google and Apple people, Lawrence Lessig, some politicians, and then…. Donald Trump 45th president of the US, Donald Trump jr, Ivanka Trump.
heh.
But couldn’t find anything much about Mitchell at Threat Management Group.
Good research.
You’ll never get a job with the msm.
Is Mark Mitchell the grandson of Frank Gill ?
apparently so…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4810730/In-the-line-of-duty
Now there goes an utter ponce if I ever met one.
Quiteamusing to see the gNats evolution.
There’ll be a few rolling in theirs graves…Collins, but more so Bennett.
Ugly people in general. Does Chris Finlayson stick phat with them under some illusion they’re still principled and ethical people, or is he just trying on gNat veneer (beige Formica TM) that class distinction no longer matters?
Amusing and quite fucking pathetic really
Sorry, are you saying Frank Gill was an utter ponce?
You must excuse oncewastim, he was momentarily struck with his own cleverness and became uncharacteristically incoherent.
The other thing Bomber highlights is how compromised Tracy Watkins is.
The puffery she writes about Mitchell is unbelievable.
Some of the most vomitous and nauseating ways she describes Mitchell.
‘a dark horse.’
‘Former police officer and hostage negotiator’
‘ in the mold of former prime minister Sir John Key’
‘a to-die-for back story’
‘He was stabbed in the line of duty’
‘a top international hostage negotiator’
‘media savvy’
‘ reminiscent of Key in his early days’
Who wrote this tripe?
Lusk, Slater, Williams or another far right extremist?
No mention of some of the work he did in the Middle East.
Maybe Watkins had never read this news.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1704/S00291/new-defence-minister-a-mercenary-in-us-wars.htm
I wonder what Slater or Lusk have on Watkins.
Jenna Lynch has clearly been given her orders as well.
‘He has a trademark grin’
‘Mitchell is a straight shooter. It’s refreshing.’
‘Mark Mitchell let a little something slip during his National Party leadership bid announcement – the truth.’
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/02/jenna-lynch-mark-mitchell-s-slip-of-the-truth-refreshing.html
Lynch and Watkins remind me that the media are just mindless repeaters. Puppets who dance to the tune of the owners and masters.
They remind me of this clip.
Mitchell from 2011
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4810730/In-the-line-of-duty
Yep, it’s sickening watching his on-going rehabilitation.
Did you read Watkins’ article?
Who is she scared of?
I skim-read it. I don’t affect to have any knowledge of her emotions at all.
Bradbury has his good days. That is a highly plausible strategy Ed @ 5.1. But first, it will depend on Judith Collins becoming the leader which might not happen this time but further down the track…?
Now we can watch and see if it pans out in practice.
The Nats need a support party, its as simple as that. It appears those parties that achieved some electoral success had leaders that defected from either the Nats or Labour.
The machinations inside National are deafening by their silence.
Good old revolutionary songs from the 90’s.
I keep warning people about an oncoming crash
.
Australian economist John Adams agrees with me,
He is warning the recent turmoil on global markets is just a sign of things to come, and a massive crisis is on the cards.
Shut up already, you’re predicting something that’s happened before and will happen again. I highly doubt there’s anyone (left or right) that posts on this site that doesn’t think there’ll be a crash. Ooh I know I predict National will regain power at some point.
I am merely commenting on statements made by a respected Australian economist.
Sorry you don’t like his message.
No you’re not, you’re acting as if you and you alone have information about the future and if only people would just listen to you, well you’re not Cassandra you’re just boring
Then scroll past.
That’s the second time I’ve read that from you recently. If you post contentious claims on a general comments thread, why should people who disagree with you “scroll past” rather than expressing their disagreement? That’s why an open comments thread is there, for fuck’s sake. If you can’t defend your claims, don’t instruct people to ignore them, try not posting them in the first place.
I have defended my claims.
I don’t see why I have to respond to pr’s insults, though.
You’d think he would be chatting with his biking friends….
“The respected* economist agrees with me”.
That’s not a defence, it’s an invitation.
*terms and conditions may vary
There are a lot of key independent economists saying that the same thing.
And?
Baloney detection kit, Shermer version:
Have you gone out of your way to find any contradictory opinions, Ed?
Yes, just like you gave some examples of the “many countries” who have nationalised their banks and the techniques they used to do it.
Oh wait, that’s right, you didn’t do that did you?
This is a change, I didn’t think you worked nights.
I’m on holiday doing the central otago rail trail so i figure i may as well work a few shifts while I’m here, i dont like posting from my phone but sometimes you just got to make do with what you’ve got, you know how it is
This is how you spend a holiday.
Trolling on a left wing site.
Very, very sad……..
It’s how I pay for the holiday Ed, slight but important difference
You must like Mitchell.
You’re both mercenaries.
Oh that sounds pretty nice. Youre in the right place to get some of Key’s wine while youre at it too. I wouldn’t get the 2016 vintage though – bad year.
Do you believe in the rapture, Ed?
Do you?
I don’t believe in an almighty creator Ed, so no.
What about yourself Ed, do you believe in the rapture?
No.
Why do you ask?
You seem to be very end times focused.
Haha
Nice Ed, well handled.
+1
Lol….i see Toplis is already advocating ‘printing money’….perhaps he knows of a bank that may need bailing out?
“And additionally if things did go really wrong we’ve got a lot of fiscal flexibility because our government books are in pretty good order and we’ve got a lot of central bank flexibility ’cause we’ve still got some of the highest interest rates on the planet and we’ve never used quantitative easing.
“So I’m an optimist for New Zealand in a relative sense, notwithstanding that if things go nasty (globally), we’ll suffer some way or another,” he said.
or perhaps all we need to do is bluff our way through as suggested here…
“You have to look at (household indebtedness) people’s ability to service that debt and that is a function of how quickly the economy is growing, are wages going up? Is there actually economic activity that means people will be able to pay it off?
“The answer is yes. Globally this is the first time in a very long time we’ve had all the major economies actually growing,” Mr Stubbs said.”
Ah, nothing like a little confidence to keep the punters at the table….
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/350776/is-the-global-economy-facing-a-financial-armageddon
Wayne Hope nails it.
I have been advocating for real action on the site for a while – not tinkering.
Wayne agrees with me.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/02/19/must-read-this-is-a-state-of-emergency-new-zealand-at-the-turning-point/
Where’s Wayne? (Mapp) You have been conspicuous by your absence..
We know you were Minister during the raid, and Mitchell took over from you as Minister of Defense.
So , Collins Lusk and Slater, are known to have been plotting to bring in more right wing National party members, sooooo…… they helped Mitchell gain Rodney . He’s very right, right!
Are they playing a long game, of long knives????
I think a plot by “interests” to have another right wing party or group is unfolding.
What happened to the Blue Dragons? Or am I imagining things line up???
Some very good questions there.
Pity we don’t have a media that will investigate them.
Tracy Watkins appears owned by the extreme right wing.
Wayne picked up a ban a little while ago. Weka got sick of his rhetorical games. A month, iirc.
He’ll be back before you can say “Tory sophist” 😈
And here’s me thinking Dame Edna had adopted him as her poor unfortunate Kiwi Duffer
Sorry to nit pick, look I can cut defence again like I did to Health Dr Colman who replace Mapp because he said the cuts won’t work (that part is true), then the pie thief/ where did all the pies go Brownliee aka pie guts, who was then replace by Mitchell IOU 20 billion or whatever nickname you can think of.
National are heading for polling worse than 2002. The rabble that are scrabbling and jostling for power will get nowhere. John Key’s clone is being assembled at the moment and a helicopter will deliver………maybe 2026 with a shot at PM in 2029.
This will be a hard watch for the close minded among you.
Abby Martin, one of the most fearless of our independent voices in journalism, investigates the North Korean crisis.
Be warned.
Don’t watch if you accept the mainstream media’s lines without question
Did anyone else’s avatar change or is it just me?
Testing, using my “not logged in” one. No, it hasn’t changed.
ok, that’s weird then.
Feeling a bit drained? 🙂
Oh damn, I was quite enjoying the subtle.
“But there’s a catch: the nation’s 1.8 million cows are producing so much manure that there isn’t enough space to get rid of it safely.
As a result, farmers are dumping cow poo illegally, the country is breaking EU regulations on phosphates designed to prevent groundwater contamination, and the high levels of ammonia emissions are affecting air quality.
As a result, WWF is calling for a 40% cut in cow numbers over the next decade, and a return to a dairy sector that can deal with its own dung.”
Sound familiar?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/16/dutch-cow-poo-overload-causes-an-environmental-stink
Yes.
Here’s our version.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/350631/animal-effluent-warning-for-popular-swimming-rivers
“My dog-handling skills will be very handy if I get the job as Leader of the National Party,” says #4 contender, Mark Mitchell.
“”Get in behind” and “Fetch it” are for comic books and jokes but serious dogs need serious handling.”
He looks forward to putting the lap dog, poodle and rottweiler through the hoops but would not specify which breed typified which rival for the top job.
“That would be easier than ABC and in that particular order” he said.
Others might put their paws up, but his use of a short leash and judicious treats would deal with all but the barking mad. “All his colleagues were House-trained though they still chase after ducks,” he laughed.
He looked forward to the contest and the challenge. “Every dog has its day” but his dog-whistling and skills at negotiating at muzzle length should “collar” the prize, concluded the former police dog handler.
Much water to go under the bridge re this govt. Both NZ First and Greens being devoured/Greens near threshold too. So in an MMP environment, how does Labour govern without partners? FPP next election, in all but name. Winston as PM on three percent support…that’ll go down well. Counting chickens dangerous, many polls to go and possibly a Winston scandal or two. Plus fresh new National leader, bring it on!
They’re on 48% and climbing. Too easy.
In what alternate universe could anyone in the National party possibly be described as ‘fresh’?