Daily review 21/07/2020

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, July 21st, 2020 - 57 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

57 comments on “Daily review 21/07/2020 ”

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  1. Johnr 1
    21 July 2020 at 6:30 pm

    As I keenly observe our political landscape I have to say it's totally depressing.

    I'm sure that it takes more energy to be an arsehole.

    Than to just behave like a decent human being.

  2. Ad 2
    21 July 2020 at 6:33 pm

    19 September no longer feels too far away.

    No-one's going to get anything done in Parliament now with the government parties fully at each other.

    Ah to be a tv reporter at National Party campaign headquarters when we take them back down to the 25% range, and take out solid blue seats.

    • observer 2.1
      21 July 2020 at 6:45 pm

      25%? Very unlikely. And be careful what you wish for.

      I want National to lose big, but unlike many (most?) on the left I don't want a 2002 meltdown. It was ACT, NZF and UF who benefited most from that, not Labour. That brought in some really terrible right wing MPs on their 3 lists. Worse than mediocre Nats, as it turned out.

      Number 30 or 40 on National's list will still be better than nos 6 or 7 on ACT's list. Or NZF surviving thanks to Nat voters.

      • Ad 2.1.1
        21 July 2020 at 7:16 pm

        Took them 2 more terms to recover. I'll take that.

        In 2020 Act will pull in about 4 seats, NZF will get nothing, Greens will get about 7-9.

        Time to crush National so bad we destroy the old guard like it's 1935.

        It's that kind of moment.

        • observer 2.1.1.1
          21 July 2020 at 7:23 pm

          Your numbers don't add up.

          Also, it was 2 terms relying on UF/NZF. Hardly transformational.

          • Ad 2.1.1.1.1
            21 July 2020 at 9:03 pm

            Yes MMP existed. It still does. Get over it. National were out for 3 terms.

            I'm amazed you have so little political or policy ambition.

            • observer 2.1.1.1.1.1
              21 July 2020 at 9:16 pm

              The opposite. I want and expect a Labour-Green majority. I certainly want the Greens' share of that majority to be higher than it is now. There will be less "ambition" if they don't have it.

              In 2002 Parliament missed out on those oh-so-terrible Tories like Chester Borrows and replaced them with ultra-right horrors like Muriel Newman and Paul Adams (UF)

              Not a swap that I'd take again, thanks. They obstructed social reform for those 2 terms. It took over a decade to catch up.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.2
          21 July 2020 at 7:34 pm

          In 2020 Act will pull in about 4 seats

          If ACT get across the threshold that's 6 seats minimum and with the ongoing meltdown of National that's entirely possible.

          NZF will get nothing

          Yeah, get the feeling this may be the end of NZF. Winston definitely.

          Greens at 7 to 9 percent would be good. More would be better.

          Time to crush National so bad we destroy the old guard like it's 1935.

          1936 when National formed on the remnants of the old Reform and Liberal parties after they were struck by fear that, as Don Brash named the people, the punters out in punterland may actually have a say in running their country.

          • Ad 2.1.1.2.1
            21 July 2020 at 9:05 pm

            Act won't get over the threshold but Epsom will drag in a couple. That soft 12% of swinging Nat vote is ours this time.

            • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.2.1.1
              22 July 2020 at 1:04 am

              Possibly but I won't be surprised to see enough of National's more liberal members vote ACT pushing it over threshold.

              • Graeme …
                22 July 2020 at 7:24 am

                With a centrist like Muller as leader, pretty much assured that ACT would be over 5%, but at National's expense.

                With Collins at the front, well that's going to drag the ACT leaning voter right back into National.

                Muller failed because National was loosing too many votes (and MP's jobs) to ACT, Collins is there to save as many jobs as they can.

        • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1.3
          21 July 2020 at 8:48 pm

          "Time to crush National so bad we destroy the old guard…"

          Aggressive language; have you been chatting with Jacinda?

          Time to "CRUSH KILL DESTROY" the Crusher.

          • Chris T 2.1.1.3.1
            22 July 2020 at 12:20 am

            Well that is nice.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1.3.1.1
              22 July 2020 at 3:16 am

              The quoted sentence (in comment 2.1.1) contains aggressive language, IMHO.

              The Lost in Space clip is OTT fun, and that episode had a happy ending for the "Instant Destroyer and Killer" super android! I don’t favour a "Crush Kill Destroy" style of politics or political campaigning – it’s a real turn-off.

        • millsy 2.1.1.4
          21 July 2020 at 9:17 pm

          I wish I could share your optimism, Ad. I really do.

          Its not over till its over. I wont be celebrating till midnight on 19th September. (the day after my 40th birthday…..)

      • Pat 2.1.2
        21 July 2020 at 7:35 pm

        worse than medicore Nats?…perhaps but at least they were up front…it appears to me that the likes of ACT, (although I oppose them with a passion) are at least honest with their agenda….the Nats, less so

  3. Just Is 3
    21 July 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Watching the response from some of the electors in Faloons electorate gives you the impression they don't care who the MP representing them is, as long as they're National.

    No real expectation of any morality or anything else, just as long as they're a National person.

    This may be part of the problem, if electors aren't concerned, it gives the party member a lot of leeway to do whatever they like, as long as they're National.

    • Incognito 3.1
      21 July 2020 at 6:58 pm

      It is entirely possible that some don’t view the Nat Party as a moral vacuum or wasteland at all and that the Party replacing one bad apple with a good one is the right and natural thing to do. In fact, that shows to them that the Party is functioning with a moral compass despite some people jumping up & down and popping blood vessels in the white of their eyes arguing the exact opposite. Wishing (!!) does it make it so.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1
        21 July 2020 at 7:40 pm

        I'm sure that they're are some moral National voters. Unfortunately, they wouldn't know what corruption was if it slapped them with a lawsuit.

        An in-law was a policy advisor for National over decades. A story he likes to tell everybody goes like this:

        When Shipley was PM he approached her and asked what she was going to do about Death Taxes. She responded that if he couldn’t avoid them then he probably shouldn’t be in the National Party.

        • Incognito 3.1.1.1
          21 July 2020 at 9:36 pm

          Weak explanation. Shipley is not representative of all past, present, and future Nat MPs or its staffers. Shipley is most definitely not representative of Nat voters; in 2017 over one million people voted for National. They have been one of the two major parties in NZ for decades. All that because their supporters/voters don’t know the meaning or can’t recognise corruption? I expected something a little more compelling from you 😉

          • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.1.1
            22 July 2020 at 12:42 am

            The person I was talking to was a policy advisor for decades and he really didn't seem to understand that the cheating he was talking about was corruption.

            Things, there are many who are the same. The people who pay cash for jobs so that they can get it cheaper because the tradesman isn’t paying taxes. The business person who go to Maccas with his wife and kids and gets receipt so that he can put it on the business (seen it done).

            They’re little and so people don’t see it as the theft and corruption that it is.

      • Just Is 3.1.2
        21 July 2020 at 8:11 pm

        Your premise is totally dependent on this though

        "the Party replacing one bad apple with a good one"

        You asume the replacement is "better" than the one just removed.

        You could also argue, and this does apply to National, that the replacement is equally bad, sometimes, even worse.

        I'd also argue that the last 2 or 3 weeks have proven that theory, not mentioning any names..

        • Incognito 3.1.2.1
          21 July 2020 at 9:28 pm

          I was talking from the PoV of a hypothetical (imaginary, if you like) Nat supporter. You know, those people who sometimes prefer to vote for National. They do exist, you know. Do they suffer from major cognitive dissonance and can only people who vote for, say, Labour see the truth? Why would anybody vote for a bunch of ‘bad apples’? Self-interest only goes so far. I look forward to your explanation.

  4. ScottGN 4
    21 July 2020 at 6:56 pm

    There are 3 weeks left in this parliamentary sitting before the House rises on August 6 and the GG drops the writ on August 16, effectively firing the starting gun on the campaign. Given that neither the PM or Leader of the Opposition usually attend the House on a Thursday that means that Collins has 6 Questions Times left to take the fight to Ardern. Going by today’s rather lacklustre effort she’s going to need all of them.

    • anker 5.1
      21 July 2020 at 7:56 pm

      great article. I attempted to raise the issue on another post that grief and drinking are separate issues from sending inappropriate text to women.

      Mau expresses it well

    • ianmac 5.2
      21 July 2020 at 7:58 pm

      Alison wrote about what Collins could do now to prove her sincerity:

      So what can Judith Collins do, if she is in fact being honest about her willingness to deal with this as a human, rather than a political, issue?

      She can release, with urgency, the report into harassment and bullying in the National Party that one of her predecessors Simon Bridges (remember him?) refused to release. It’s not likely to be a perfect document by any stretch – it did not even gather the views of the women whose treatment sparked it – but it would be a start.

      After that, she could stop the practice of gagging people who complain about her MPs non-disclosure agreements.

      Fat hope!

      • NZJester 5.2.1
        22 July 2020 at 12:43 am

        The biggest reason she would also be unlikely to release it is that I bet both she and her deputy could possibly feature heavily in it.

    • Just Is 5.3
      21 July 2020 at 8:01 pm

      Robert, it's been quite interesting watching some of the media cohorts squirming as they have to report and present news articles about their favoured party and there's no way of presenting it in a favourable light

      We know who they are, it's blatantly obvious.

    • Chris T 5.4
      22 July 2020 at 12:29 am

      Not that it is a big deal, the problem with trying to argue with post on here like your Mau's ends up getting you banned for a week,

      [Really? I’ll tell what does get you banned here and that is making up shit about moderation here. A lying troll is as bad as a lying MP and moderation/banning is just the perfect anti-dote – Incognito]

      • Draco T Bastard 5.4.1
        22 July 2020 at 12:57 am

        Actually, it is a big deal. Such immoral behaviour needs to be recognised and punished – not swept under the rug as, apparently, Judith Collins tried to do.

      • Incognito 5.4.2
        22 July 2020 at 8:06 am

        See my Moderation note @ 12:29 AM.

  6. Dennis Frank 6
    21 July 2020 at 7:22 pm

    My local dinosaur Nat MP targets the Greens' energy policy: https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/122187375/a-labourgreen-government-would-see-the-end-of-taranaki-as-we-know-it-says-jonathan-young

    What makes this policy so senseless is that over the last year we’ve seen gas-fired electricity generation decrease by 10 per cent (which is the aim of their policy), while coal-fired electricity generation has had to nearly double, increasing by 95 per cent, to make up for it.

    That’s a classic backfire proving the Government’s advisers were right when they said that the ban will actually make New Zealand’s greenhouse gases go up and not down.

    Sadly, when the Pohokura field closed down in 2018 it was eyes wide shut. New Zealand burned twice as much coal, with twice as many emissions, to replace the gas that wasn’t available. The coal was imported from Indonesia. The wholesale cost of electricity increased by 60 per cent for most of 2019, seeing some companies go broke.

    Over the last month, 26 per cent of our electricity was generated by thermal heat, mostly natural gas. When natural gas supply has been low over the last couple of years, we’ve increased the use of coal to keep the lights on.

    So extricating ourselves from fossil fuel dependency is boosting our contribution to global warming. Is he right about this paradox??

    This month, the Government’s Transpower website described it as “non-gas thermal capacity”, saying it has been increased at the Huntly power station to reduce the risk to our security of supply. The Government’s new, four word, eight syllable phrase is a nothing more than a camouflage of what is really happening. It’s a convoluted way to describe a one syllable word called “coal”.

    They are building up coal reserves to keep the lights on, because they are worried there isn’t enough gas. Meanwhile, the Green Party is insisting we end all new onshore exploration for natural gas. Smart move? Yeah – nah.

    Dunno about the yeah bit. If he is actually correct. Wouldn't surprise me if our leftists are trying to get away with a smoke & mirrors scam. It's what lefists do. Equally, it wouldn't surprise me if he's making false claims. It's what the Nats do. Is there anything actually real about energy policy??

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      21 July 2020 at 7:57 pm

      Wouldn't surprise me if our leftists are trying to get away with a smoke & mirrors scam. It's what lefists do.

      No, really, they don't. That would be National and other right-whingers.

    • Ad 6.2
      21 July 2020 at 9:08 pm

      Young could do worse than continue hammering Labour on electricity prices, policy, and regulation. Ain't no-one buying that hydrogen crap this government is preaching in Taranaki.

      • millsy 6.2.1
        21 July 2020 at 9:11 pm

        "Ain't no-one buying that hydrogen crap this government is preaching in Taranaki."

        Hydrogen = magic fairy dust.

    • Gabby 6.3
      21 July 2020 at 9:38 pm

      Got that ole broad brush out there again eh. In praxis how aligned are you with your local dinosaur?

  7. Dennis Frank 7
    21 July 2020 at 7:30 pm

    We're all getting older, so readers may benefit from learning how old folk incorporate resilience lifestyles to age well.

    The Ministry of Health’s 2017 Healthy Ageing Strategy said by the age of 65 people can expect to live half their remaining lives free of disability, or with manageable, functional limitations. The strategy sought to prioritise resilience, saying there was increasingly clear evidence that healthy lifestyles and physical and mental resilience were determinants of health in older age.

    “Resilient people are more likely to age well and avoid cognitive decline or loss of function until very late in life. Resilient people can overcome stressful obstacles and recover from events that might tip a less resilient person into state of poor health,” the report said.

    Resilience develops through physical activity, healthy behaviours, mental wellbeing and social connectedness. Healthy behaviours included good nutrition, drinking minimally, not smoking tobacco, and taking part in mentally stimulating activities and relationships. There was strong evidence that social isolation or loneliness was linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes.

    Health literacy was also important. People needed to be empowered to make decisions that affected their health and care. Resilience included the capacity to make good decisions, act on health information and navigate the health system. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300057338/the-resilience-project-what-millennials-can-learn-about-resilience-from-boomers-and-the-postwar-generation

    Millennials – who are now aged between 22 and 38 – have become known as the burnout generation, with some research suggesting they respond to emotional exhaustion differently to Boomers. Psychiatrist and University of Auckland senior lecturer Tony Fernando says studies have shown senior doctors tend to be more resilient than junior doctors, whose burnout rates are much higher.

    “It could be life experience, or there might be some brain changes that make them more adaptable,” Fernando says. “Older people are more realistic, more accepting of life, more accepting of illness and death because it’s real to them, and they’ve seen it.

    “People will think those who are older, they have more illness, they have more loss, they’re frail, or not living in their own homes any more – you would expect they are more fragile. No, they’re not.”

  8. weka 8
    21 July 2020 at 8:13 pm

    This apparently is for real, Tova O’Brien knocked on door of Andrew Falloon’s mother. Can someone who saw it please give some context, because I can't see any valid reason for this. However annoying O'Brien's terrier approach is to politicians, family are a different matter entirely.

    • observer 8.1
      21 July 2020 at 8:30 pm

      It isn't for real. A reporter did, Tova didn't.

      It's disheartening how often people watch the 6 pm news and don't pay attention, or don't understand editing, and leap to conclusions (where do they think Tova spent the day? Timaru or Parliament?). It's a fair gripe, but not against O'Brien.

      • McFlock 8.1.1
        21 July 2020 at 8:48 pm

        Either way, whoever did it and whoever included it in their "news" report, it was a lazy and sleazy act.

        • observer 8.1.1.1
          21 July 2020 at 10:06 pm

          Yes it was.

          But now we have a huge social media pile-on, an audience that thinks she interviewed Nat MPs in the morning and reported on Parliament in the afternoon and somehow flew down to Rangitata in her lunch break. And you wouldn't want any of them as eyewitnesses to a crime, because the clip clearly shows it is not her.

          But far more importantly … Nobody seems capable of looking past a face on a screen, as the target. Nobody seems aware that bulletin producers and heads of news departments make the bigger decisions about what reporters do. They are anonymous suits in Auckland, so who cares. (Anybody who wants better news, that's who).

          Instead of tracing the tabloid television back to the demands of corporate owners, we have Tova-hate, which used to be Paddy-hate or Guyon-hate or whoever it was.

          If we're that shallow and stupid, maybe we get the telly we deserve.

          • I Feel Love 8.1.1.1.1
            21 July 2020 at 10:13 pm

            Maybe coz she's capable of such action, and it was a Newshub thing, I certainly don't consider her a journalist anymore, I figure she's after a Hosking or Garner type role.

            • observer 8.1.1.1.1.1
              21 July 2020 at 10:23 pm

              And if she fell under a bus tomorrow, her replacement would be Ed Murrow? Woodward and Bernstein?

              No. It would be the next Tova. It's Mediaworks.

  9. joe90 9
    21 July 2020 at 8:16 pm

    Forty three to go.
    /

    https://twitter.com/ibeblackgirl/status/1285304744727187457

    As of March 2020, six U.S. states have prohibited discrimination based on hair texture

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_based_on_hair_texture_in_the_United_States

  10. Dennis Frank 10
    21 July 2020 at 8:17 pm

    Wow! History has been made here in New Plymouth tonight! Looks like there's been a sea-change out there in white supremacy land:

    "As the chamber erupted in applause and members embraced, there were tears from the man whose life was irrecoverably changed when he championed a Māori ward six years ago. Former New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd said he was humbled that district councillors had voted to bypass community consultation and establish a Māori ward in time for the 2022 election."

    And the current mayor turned out to be so gutless that he parked himself on the sidelines:

    The motion was passed 12-2, with Holdom abstaining, prompting celebrations in the council chamber.

  11. Peter 11
    21 July 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I appreciate it's been a bit hard being a National supporter lately. The old saying 'when the going gets tough' came to mind today while I was checking out Kiwiblog.

    When the going gets tough the tough get going? Or engage the brain and rationalise the situation? No, you come up with whatever angle you can to blame or implicate J Ardern or Labour.

    The sad bastards deserve their mob to disintegrate and be humbled in the election.

    • I Feel Love 11.1
      21 July 2020 at 8:58 pm

      Or the Newshub poll, a man sends unsolicited porn to women, who's fault is it? Jacindas or Judiths?

    • Cinny 11.2
      21 July 2020 at 10:39 pm

      Went and took a peek 🕵️‍♀️ at kw, as you do when something big politically goes down.

      An apologist post grasping at straws, linking the 'young' age and lack of offspring, of certain disgraced MP's… falloon, barclay, walker and JLR, as the newest excuse.

      dpf, of dirty politics fame 🚽, lamenting he's more responsible now he has a daughter ….

      But the real kicker…..a large advert …'meet tender girls nearby'… with a photo of a young girl.

      What an actual fucktard.

      • Peter 11.2.1
        22 July 2020 at 6:47 am

        The Farrar thing about becoming a parent caught my attention too.

        "I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole … oops, I've become a parent… I'm not an arsehole…

        Well, only when I go to work.