I watched it earlier on this afternoon Anne, I was struck by the grace and eloquence of everyone apart from Trump, unlike those in the room I wouldn’t have been able to control myself, he really is beyond description.
I can’t imagine any other president in my memory who would’ve been so appalling in a similar situation.
I want to know why Emma Gonzalez and the Parkland students in the national spotlight aren’t at the President’s listening session. The focus seem to be focused on everything but easy access to guns.— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 21, 2018
We uh… were not invited. But we have important things to do and talk about, we don’t have time to thank these people for taking half a step in the right direction. Watch the CNN town hall tonight. Trust me. #NEVERAGAIN#MarchForOurLiveshttps://t.co/tuQdpnbW1T— Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) February 21, 2018
BURLINGTON, Vt. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday released the following statement on Russian government interference in U.S. elections:
“It is now clear to everyone that agents of the Russian government were, in a disgusting and dangerous manner, actively interfering in the 2016 elections in an effort to defeat Secretary Hillary Clinton. Based on media reports they intend to interfere in the mid-term elections of 2018. There has also been extensive reporting on the Russian government’s interference in European elections.
“All of this conduct taken together is a direct assault on the free democratic systems that stand in contrast to the autocratic, nationalistic kleptocracy of Vladimir Putin and his backers in the Russian oligarchy. Sadly, despite all this evidence, the only person who seems to be unconcerned about the subversion of democracy is our own president Donald Trump. Russian interference in both the 2016 primary and general election is unacceptable and everything possible must be done to ensure it does not happen again. No candidate, whether Secretary Clinton or anyone else, should have to wage an electoral contest in the face of foreign government intervention. The same is true of other kinds of interference the Russians engaged in, including posing as supporters of the social justice movement Black Lives Matter or members of the American Muslim community.
“Let there be no confusion about my view. What the Russians did in the 2016 election cycle deserves unconditional condemnation. That includes all of their conduct — whether it was active support of any candidate or active opposition to any candidate or the decision to not go after a candidate as a way of hurting or helping another campaign. This is true of any of the 2016 campaigns, including those of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or my own. As someone who campaigned hard for Secretary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government. All Americans rightly expected and deserved a fair election free of foreign governmental intervention. The key issues now are two: how we prevent the unwitting manipulation of the electoral and political system of our country by foreign governments; and exposing who was actively consorting with the Russian government’s attack on our democracy.”
“All countries rightly expected and deserved a fair election free of foreign governmental intervention. The key issues now are two: how we prevent the unwitting manipulation of the electoral and political system of other countries by the CIA on behalf of the USA Government ; and exposing who was actively consorting with the American government’s attack on the democracy of countries like Iraq, or Afghanistan or Bolivia or …”.
Yes Ianmac add in Vietnam and Cambodia to the US meddling list. And of course dear old Boris Yeltsin sure was “close”.
What blinkered creatures we can be.
Really that’s what you got, not stupid questions by the interviewer.
My guess you miss the bit where the interviewer admitted that MSNBC had effectively spent billions promoting trump, via free air time. And it was OK, because it was not a russian.
EDIT: Let me get a clarification joe90, you’re running with the women is hysterical so she is telling lies, argument?
Wonder who would have been the subscribers to that table. I found that whether to answer as a Labour supporter or as a National; supporter would alter things – drastically.
In April last year Evolution 4.0 (predictive software with high accuracy) put the odds of a civil war in the US around 75% and they even highlighted about 20 cities that were most at risk.
Not surprising when you see the stark contrast in descriptions of what people think is occurring.
Here is a very different view than that commonly listed here.
You really need to define what is meant by ‘civil war’ in a 21st century context.
The actual 19th century American civil war was a split in the elite ruling class (over slavery and states’ rights), with defined geographical boundaries (secessionist states) and with each side having the industrial capacity to manufacture arms, bring together armies and have set-piece artillery and cavalry battles. It was really like a war between two different countries, the South elected it’s own president and the North inevitably won because of greater population and industrial strength.
None of these things applies in 21st century USA – at most you could argue that Trump is causing some sort of split in elite opinion but it seems pretty weak in comparison to 1861-64.
So how does ‘civil war’ even occur under these conditions? You probably mean ‘revolution’ not civil war, but that’s highly implausible too.
‘Longer sentences, more prisoners – it doesn’t work and it has to stop
Minister of Justice Andrew Little has laid out a vision for criminal justice reform which sees sentencing law relaxed and a rejection of “tough on crime”-style politics.
His comments during an interview with the NZ Herald have been likened by one leading academic as the boldest political move in criminal justice since former Minister of Justice Ralph Hanan, who saw the death penalty abolished in 1961.
Little said “so-called law-and-order” policies have been a 30-year failure and locking up more people with longer sentences hasn’t made New Zealand safer.
“New Zealand needs to completely change the way criminal justice works,” he said. “It is a big challenge we are facing. It’s not an issue that’s been a short time in the making.’
……And, in an extraordinary statement for a Minister of Justice, he said the imbalance of Maori in prison – 52 per cent of the 10,695 prison population – revealed systemic problems in the criminal justice system,
“There is a built in systemic bias or prejudice and we’ve got to understand that. We’ve got to something about it.”
I’m trying to see how that aligns with increasing police numbers, which one assumes will lead to more incarceration. Opposed to further addressing poverty, which, of course, is a driver of crime. And also reflects on the high number of Maori inside.
Enforcement isn’t necessarily a linear relationship of a fixed volume of crime so more cops = more resolution = more sentences of the same proportions as today.
E.g. more police = more attention to lower priority crime = more resolution of offenses at lower end = earlier intervention point for people going off the rails. So more offences, but after the initial resolution spike the offences have more community level punishments.
E.g. more time to think about how to address a recurring problem household before someone gets stabbed.
E.g. more police = more patrols = more deterrence = less crime
“Enforcement isn’t necessarily a linear relationship of a fixed volume of crime so more cops = more resolution = more sentences of the same proportions as today.”
More sentences of the same proportions as today = a larger number (than currently) going to jail.
And the volume of crime isn’t fixed.
An increase in police numbers doesn’t necessarily mean more attention will be solely going towards lower priority crime. Especially with all these dairies being robbed.
More police = more patrols = more deterrence = less crime in the area targeted, perhaps. Fixed it for you.
Your determination to construct pessimism with a complete absence of justification once again wins through.
I didn’t say “solely”. But if you have police availble to arrive on scene when the crime is still “assault” rather than “murder” (which still has a decent clearance rate these days), that’s going to be a maximin seven years rather than a minimum 12, innit.
“But if you have police availble to arrive on scene when the crime is still ‘assault’ rather than “murder” (which still has a decent clearance rate these days), that’s going to be a maximin seven years rather than a minimum 12, innit.”
It still results in time having to be served. As it fails to address the reason for the dispute that led to the confrontation, which in many cases is poverty related.
The timing of Little’s announcement comes as corrections is at near full capacity. Down to around 300 beds to spare.
Early releases? More double bunking? Or a new prison?
I didn’t “envision” percentages. But if someone calls the cops, I suspect more cops means a quicker response time. Which means the incidents the cops attend will, overall, have a lower level of charges. Yes, there will still be serious crimes. But catching little shits doing beatings before the fuckwit in the group starts jumping on heads is just as likely as simply having a better clearance rate on the exact same level of offences.
Like I said, your concern about more cops meaning a greater strain on prison capacity is based on nothing.
You’re simply hypothesising only scenarios that will raise concern points, excluding scenarios that will have positive outcomes. Yet again.
I know. Which is why I asked. Evidently, there is a lot you fail to envision.
“I suspect more cops means a quicker response time.”
You do know calls are prioritised? And while their all busy dealing with the increase in violent crime, low priority calls get served last.
“Like I said, your concern about more cops meaning a greater strain on prison capacity is based on nothing.”
No, it’s based on the issues highlighted above, a number of which you have failed to address.
“You’re simply hypothesising only scenarios that will raise concern points, excluding scenarios that will have positive outcomes.”
What I’m highlighting is the positives are not as great as you imply and the down side may outweigh them. But clearly you don’t want to hear that. It’s all to depressing.
You had literally zero positives in your original list of hypothetical concerns. I added some positive hypotheticals. If any of your hypotheticals become actuals, you will have no solutions. Labour will, though. If any of mine become actuals, then gosh, there’s no fucking problem at all.
“You had literally zero positives in your original list of hypothetical concerns”.
Of course. That’s because more police largely addresses the symptom and not the cause.
“ I added some positive hypotheticals”.
Which my questioning poked large gaping holes through, leading to them crumbling and you resorting to your usual MO, playing the man and not the ball. Bully boy.
Hypotheticals can’t have gaping holes. They’re hypothetical. Your negatives were hypothetical. My positives were hypothetical. But you’re still concerned.
Well, nobody else has responded to you, so I might as well leave it, too. You don’t seem to have made anyone else concerned.
The concerns are there regardless if people fail to see them. Remember, we live in the land of pineapple lumps, thus people aren’t that quick around here, which explains why the country has become such a mess. Most didn’t see it coming.
I am starting to think Michael Ruppert was correct. Collapse is coming.
It’s a steamy 80 degrees in New England. In February. That’s bad.
From the North Pole to New England, the weather this week is far, far out of the ordinary — then again, there isn’t really any such thing as ordinary any more. While the numbers are still rolling in, it looks like Wednesday will be the warmest February day in history for nearly the entire U.S. East Coast.
An unseasonable heat wave triggered the rare mid-winter melt, when an exaggerated jet stream sent a plume of tropical air from the Caribbean over eastern North America and into the Arctic. These are atmospheric conditions that would be unusual even for mid-summer, and the warming Arctic itself might be making them more likely.
The result is weather more suited to Memorial Day than Valentine’s Day. In the Northeast, temperatures are as much as 40 degrees higher than normal, with bewildered residents shedding their parkas to hit the beach. Boston hit 70 degrees on Tuesday — a mark not normally reached until May 27th — and then topped that on Wednesday with a June-worthy 72 degrees. It was the first instance of back-to-back 70-degree February days in nearly 150 years of record keeping in that city. Nearby, Fitchburg, Massachusetts hit 80 degrees.
In Washington, D.C., where some cherry trees have already begun to bloom, thermometers reached 80 degrees for the earliest date in the city’s history. That triggered the National Weather Service to switch into summer mode, calculating a heat index of 83 and warning of high pollen counts. The summery warmth is expected to linger at least through the end of the month.
Most people were first exposed to Michael Ruppert through the 2009 documentary, Collapse. It was one of the scariest documentaries about our world and the fragile the state of our planet.
What makes it so scary is that Ruppert is correct in his statements.
As he says,
“I don’t deal in conspiracy theory, I deal in conspiracy fact”.
Arctic temperatures soar 45 degrees above normal, flooded by extremely mild air on all sides.
On Monday and Tuesday, the northernmost weather station in the world, Cape Morris Jesup at the northern tip of Greenland, experienced more than 24 hours of temperatures above freezing according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. “How weird is that?” tweeted Robert Rohde, a physicist at the University of California at Berkeley. “Well it’s Arctic winter. The sun set in October and won’t be seen again until March. Perpetual night, but still above freezing.”
Oh look, UMR is polling on leaders the correct way, with favourable/unfavourable! Good on them. This is what happens when you give polling to companies who do internals as opposed to just media polls all the time, lol.
“How badly all this ends depends crucially on how Trump reacts to a current account which is failing to behave as he would have wished, but is instead obeying basic laws of economics. If he lashes out with a fully fledged Smoot-Hawley type protectionist agenda, then everyone is in real trouble.”
A looming trade war might just be justification for a multi country trade agreement (flaws and all)
“World stock markets are in retreat this morning, after America’s central bank dropped a clear hint that interest rates will rise steadily this year.
In the minutes of its last meeting, released last night, the Federal Reserve revealed that several policymakers are more optimistic about the US economy, and have raised their growth forecasts.
This suggests they are likely to hike borrowing costs four times this year – more than many in the markets had expected.”
I just watched BBC NEWS And the USA
national rifle association what ever his title is could not look straight he keept moving his head he is worried who’s got the rubber rings for him
ECO MAORI has some.
He tries to justify the gun laws in the USA. What about all the needless lives lost because of his organisation he tangata he tangata its the people that count to me.
Than he makes a statement that they would pay any school to arm the teachers
OR the security guard. Now that statement let’s everyone know they are the 00.1% Ruling class who don’t care about the people they only care about $$$$$$ and control of the 99.9%.
Keep protesting against this unhumane organisation this will force changes to the US gun laws Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Protesters PS I was having a bad day yesterday than I found a article about Changes to Atoearoa policy to a more humane society. Ka pai
An intelligent analysis of CPTTP (or whatever its now called)…..although too late now for this agreement the points raised would be well applied to any future agreements (though unlikely considering the religious fervour of those involved)….as we need to trade (wait for it) then at least we should have a rational discussion about the trade offs we are prepared to accept as GC writes…..
“Where does that leave us? Hopefully, with a more balanced debate on trade, and one that encompasses both its genuine benefits and its equally as real downsides. Otherwise, if we insist on living in denial about the risks that’ free’ trade poses, we will almost certainly be hit by them. Ultimately, why should we trust the same sort of people who told us the 1980s economic reforms would likewise be a win/win for all of us?”
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Listen to this and weep:
https://qz.com/1212751/parklandstudentsspeak-sam-zeif-florida-school-shooting-survivor-confronts-donald-trump-on-gun-control/
And Trump’s response? Arm the teachers. Arm the security guards. Arm everyone in sight…
God defend the planet from this ape!
I watched it earlier on this afternoon Anne, I was struck by the grace and eloquence of everyone apart from Trump, unlike those in the room I wouldn’t have been able to control myself, he really is beyond description.
I can’t imagine any other president in my memory who would’ve been so appalling in a similar situation.
Everthing’s a photo-op.
But Hillary!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRnBPKFcAKo&feature=youtu.be
BURLINGTON, Vt. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday released the following statement on Russian government interference in U.S. elections:
“It is now clear to everyone that agents of the Russian government were, in a disgusting and dangerous manner, actively interfering in the 2016 elections in an effort to defeat Secretary Hillary Clinton. Based on media reports they intend to interfere in the mid-term elections of 2018. There has also been extensive reporting on the Russian government’s interference in European elections.
“All of this conduct taken together is a direct assault on the free democratic systems that stand in contrast to the autocratic, nationalistic kleptocracy of Vladimir Putin and his backers in the Russian oligarchy. Sadly, despite all this evidence, the only person who seems to be unconcerned about the subversion of democracy is our own president Donald Trump. Russian interference in both the 2016 primary and general election is unacceptable and everything possible must be done to ensure it does not happen again. No candidate, whether Secretary Clinton or anyone else, should have to wage an electoral contest in the face of foreign government intervention. The same is true of other kinds of interference the Russians engaged in, including posing as supporters of the social justice movement Black Lives Matter or members of the American Muslim community.
“Let there be no confusion about my view. What the Russians did in the 2016 election cycle deserves unconditional condemnation. That includes all of their conduct — whether it was active support of any candidate or active opposition to any candidate or the decision to not go after a candidate as a way of hurting or helping another campaign. This is true of any of the 2016 campaigns, including those of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or my own. As someone who campaigned hard for Secretary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government. All Americans rightly expected and deserved a fair election free of foreign governmental intervention. The key issues now are two: how we prevent the unwitting manipulation of the electoral and political system of our country by foreign governments; and exposing who was actively consorting with the Russian government’s attack on our democracy.”
https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-statement-russian-government-interference-u-s-elections/
“All countries rightly expected and deserved a fair election free of foreign governmental intervention. The key issues now are two: how we prevent the unwitting manipulation of the electoral and political system of other countries by the CIA on behalf of the USA Government ; and exposing who was actively consorting with the American government’s attack on the democracy of countries like Iraq, or Afghanistan or Bolivia or …”.
Despite blowback at home because of his stance, Sanders has spent decades severely criticising American foreign policy.
Although to be fair, he’s always been pretty fucking feeble over Israel with his support of settlements and IDF tactics.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Bernie_Sanders_Foreign_Policy.htm
This afternoon some Brit on Radionz was trying to raise doubts about Jeremy Corbyn. Here is a link to the Sun that seems to echo his tone.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5632648/eight-key-questions-about-jeremy-corbyns-communist-links-which-he-still-refuses-to-answer/
“JEREMY CORBYN last night lashed out at the press for reporting on his Communist links – but still ignored key questions about his past.
The Labour leader threatened the media in a video rant shared with his followers online.”
The Guardian says evidence says no Jeremy is not a spy.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/20/no-evidence-corbyn-was-spy-for-czechoslovakia-say-intelligence-experts
The Telegraph says”
“Corbyn’s ‘patriotism’ questioned amid mounting pressure to release files on meetings with Communist spy ”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/02/19/theresa-may-says-jeremy-corbyn-should-open-transparent-links/
For more on this:
http://eveningharold.com/2018/02/19/uk-astonished-that-the-daily-mail-has-been-lying-about-jeremy-corbyn/
Yes Ianmac add in Vietnam and Cambodia to the US meddling list. And of course dear old Boris Yeltsin sure was “close”.
What blinkered creatures we can be.
That looks like Colonel Sanders towing the party line.
Leader of the US Green Party says:
“It doesn’t pass the laugh test…”
and just listen to how totally ridiculous the media questioning is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZzBPBYJndc
Oh, so now the Bern’s a member of the deep-state establishment, too?
/
He’s on the same side as an insane msnbc host, so yep.
Well Stein certainly came unstuck and protested way too much to be taken seriously.
Really that’s what you got, not stupid questions by the interviewer.
My guess you miss the bit where the interviewer admitted that MSNBC had effectively spent billions promoting trump, via free air time. And it was OK, because it was not a russian.
EDIT: Let me get a clarification joe90, you’re running with the women is hysterical so she is telling lies, argument?
This Russia conspiracy theory keeps rolling on.
Sheesh I wonder when you lot will have had enough of it.
Tonight one of the democratic senators was on msnbc comparing it pearl harbour, this is beyond a joke.
It’s well into lala land.
Adrian Chen, name you might want to look at… He a journalist, wrote somthing three years ago – but hey, what the hell.
So you reckon Bern’s part of the of the deep-state establishment, too?.
You said it yourself, J90…
pretty fucking feeble…
That’s a odd comment joe90, a bit like the whole topic really. Odd, paranoid, and not just a little bit daft at this point.
Lol, Bennett and Collins unfavourable.
Wonder who would have been the subscribers to that table. I found that whether to answer as a Labour supporter or as a National; supporter would alter things – drastically.
Universal poll 🙂
Todd Muller highly unfavourable!
In April last year Evolution 4.0 (predictive software with high accuracy) put the odds of a civil war in the US around 75% and they even highlighted about 20 cities that were most at risk.
Not surprising when you see the stark contrast in descriptions of what people think is occurring.
Here is a very different view than that commonly listed here.
https://youtu.be/m_c8b92y4qo
You really need to define what is meant by ‘civil war’ in a 21st century context.
The actual 19th century American civil war was a split in the elite ruling class (over slavery and states’ rights), with defined geographical boundaries (secessionist states) and with each side having the industrial capacity to manufacture arms, bring together armies and have set-piece artillery and cavalry battles. It was really like a war between two different countries, the South elected it’s own president and the North inevitably won because of greater population and industrial strength.
None of these things applies in 21st century USA – at most you could argue that Trump is causing some sort of split in elite opinion but it seems pretty weak in comparison to 1861-64.
So how does ‘civil war’ even occur under these conditions? You probably mean ‘revolution’ not civil war, but that’s highly implausible too.
Strippers in China must have extraordinary marketing (funerals, weddings…)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11999948
Sounds like bullshit to me, Chinas the home of you’ve got the money, you can have whatever you want.
You think? William Yan aka Bill Liu would’ve stayed if it was. China is complicated.
I’d say the entire planet is the home of that, not just China.
Best minister in the government.
Andrew Little.
Read On, McDuff.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11999980
I’m trying to see how that aligns with increasing police numbers, which one assumes will lead to more incarceration. Opposed to further addressing poverty, which, of course, is a driver of crime. And also reflects on the high number of Maori inside.
Enforcement isn’t necessarily a linear relationship of a fixed volume of crime so more cops = more resolution = more sentences of the same proportions as today.
E.g. more police = more attention to lower priority crime = more resolution of offenses at lower end = earlier intervention point for people going off the rails. So more offences, but after the initial resolution spike the offences have more community level punishments.
E.g. more time to think about how to address a recurring problem household before someone gets stabbed.
E.g. more police = more patrols = more deterrence = less crime
“Enforcement isn’t necessarily a linear relationship of a fixed volume of crime so more cops = more resolution = more sentences of the same proportions as today.”
More sentences of the same proportions as today = a larger number (than currently) going to jail.
And the volume of crime isn’t fixed.
An increase in police numbers doesn’t necessarily mean more attention will be solely going towards lower priority crime. Especially with all these dairies being robbed.
More police = more patrols = more deterrence = less crime in the area targeted, perhaps. Fixed it for you.
Your determination to construct pessimism with a complete absence of justification once again wins through.
I didn’t say “solely”. But if you have police availble to arrive on scene when the crime is still “assault” rather than “murder” (which still has a decent clearance rate these days), that’s going to be a maximin seven years rather than a minimum 12, innit.
“But if you have police availble to arrive on scene when the crime is still ‘assault’ rather than “murder” (which still has a decent clearance rate these days), that’s going to be a maximin seven years rather than a minimum 12, innit.”
It still results in time having to be served. As it fails to address the reason for the dispute that led to the confrontation, which in many cases is poverty related.
The timing of Little’s announcement comes as corrections is at near full capacity. Down to around 300 beds to spare.
Early releases? More double bunking? Or a new prison?
What will Labour do?
Less prisoners held on remand. More community service sentences. As the current prisoners reach normal parole or release conditions.
One of the questions it will address is systemic racism in the system. So less tendency to lock up Maori. Less prisoners.
Again, you want to know what people will do when you don’t know if there’ll be anything they have to do in the first place.
Apart from relaxing sentencing law, prisoners held on remand and who is given community service sentences is up to the courts to decide.
And will relaxing sentencing law be enough at this stage to meet the urgency?
“One of the questions it will address is systemic racism in the system. So less tendency to lock up Maori.”
And how exactly will Little ensure that works in day to day policing? And will that systemic change happen fast enough to meet the current urgency?
Moreover, will less targeting of Maori merely be offset by the targeting of others? They’ll have to fill their time somehow.
🙄 If they’re in on assault rather than murder charges, I suspect the courts might be less likely to hold them on remand until the trial.
As for what Little will do, I’ve no idea. But I’m sure you’ll find something in it that will concern you.
I think you might have forgotten to criticise the Greens for not issuing a press release about it, too. Slip your mind, concern-o-bot?
“If they’re in on assault rather than murder charges, I suspect the courts might be less likely to hold them on remand until the trial.”
Speculation. Each case will be judged on its own standing.
“As for what Little will do, I’ve no idea. But I’m sure you’ll find something in it that will concern you.”
That all depends on what he decides to do.
“I think you might have forgotten to criticise the Greens for not issuing a press release about it, too. Slip your mind, concern-o-bot?”
Not at all. As I previously told you, I don’t pull them up every time they fail to gain media cut through by failing to issue a press release.
But I would advise them to be more media savvy as part of upping their game.
Speaking of the Greens, seen Matthew Whitehead about?
Speculator discounts other people’s speculation. Is easily distracted. lol
“I didn’t say ‘solely’.”
No, you didn’t. But the point is with violent crime on the increase, in reality, what percentage to you envision going on low priority crime?
I didn’t “envision” percentages. But if someone calls the cops, I suspect more cops means a quicker response time. Which means the incidents the cops attend will, overall, have a lower level of charges. Yes, there will still be serious crimes. But catching little shits doing beatings before the fuckwit in the group starts jumping on heads is just as likely as simply having a better clearance rate on the exact same level of offences.
Like I said, your concern about more cops meaning a greater strain on prison capacity is based on nothing.
You’re simply hypothesising only scenarios that will raise concern points, excluding scenarios that will have positive outcomes. Yet again.
I didn’t “envision” percentages.
I know. Which is why I asked. Evidently, there is a lot you fail to envision.
“I suspect more cops means a quicker response time.”
You do know calls are prioritised? And while their all busy dealing with the increase in violent crime, low priority calls get served last.
“Like I said, your concern about more cops meaning a greater strain on prison capacity is based on nothing.”
No, it’s based on the issues highlighted above, a number of which you have failed to address.
“You’re simply hypothesising only scenarios that will raise concern points, excluding scenarios that will have positive outcomes.”
What I’m highlighting is the positives are not as great as you imply and the down side may outweigh them. But clearly you don’t want to hear that. It’s all to depressing.
You had literally zero positives in your original list of hypothetical concerns. I added some positive hypotheticals. If any of your hypotheticals become actuals, you will have no solutions. Labour will, though. If any of mine become actuals, then gosh, there’s no fucking problem at all.
The failure begins and ends with you.
“You had literally zero positives in your original list of hypothetical concerns”.
Of course. That’s because more police largely addresses the symptom and not the cause.
“ I added some positive hypotheticals”.
Which my questioning poked large gaping holes through, leading to them crumbling and you resorting to your usual MO, playing the man and not the ball. Bully boy.
Thus the failure is all yours.
Hypotheticals can’t have gaping holes. They’re hypothetical. Your negatives were hypothetical. My positives were hypothetical. But you’re still concerned.
Well, nobody else has responded to you, so I might as well leave it, too. You don’t seem to have made anyone else concerned.
Failure to concern is all yours.
The concerns are there regardless if people fail to see them. Remember, we live in the land of pineapple lumps, thus people aren’t that quick around here, which explains why the country has become such a mess. Most didn’t see it coming.
As for the perhaps, it could just result in more being caught, thus more being sentenced to jail, depending on the offence committed.
I am starting to think Michael Ruppert was correct.
Collapse is coming.
https://grist.org/article/its-a-steamy-80-degrees-in-new-england-in-february-thats-bad/
Most people were first exposed to Michael Ruppert through the 2009 documentary, Collapse. It was one of the scariest documentaries about our world and the fragile the state of our planet.
What makes it so scary is that Ruppert is correct in his statements.
As he says,
I am starting to think Guy McPherson is correct.
Collapse is coming.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/02/21/arctic-temperatures-soar-45-degrees-above-normal-flooded-by-extremely-mild-air-on-all-sides/?utm_term=.10547fe8e770
As Rachel Stewart says
“Keep worrying about stupid shit, people. ”
https://mobile.twitter.com/RFStew
Sounds familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDb0Dn8OXE
Oh look, UMR is polling on leaders the correct way, with favourable/unfavourable! Good on them. This is what happens when you give polling to companies who do internals as opposed to just media polls all the time, lol.
A couple of UK based pieces to ponder….
“How badly all this ends depends crucially on how Trump reacts to a current account which is failing to behave as he would have wished, but is instead obeying basic laws of economics. If he lashes out with a fully fledged Smoot-Hawley type protectionist agenda, then everyone is in real trouble.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11999968
A looming trade war might just be justification for a multi country trade agreement (flaws and all)
“World stock markets are in retreat this morning, after America’s central bank dropped a clear hint that interest rates will rise steadily this year.
In the minutes of its last meeting, released last night, the Federal Reserve revealed that several policymakers are more optimistic about the US economy, and have raised their growth forecasts.
This suggests they are likely to hike borrowing costs four times this year – more than many in the markets had expected.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2018/feb/22/markets-hit-by-interest-rate-hike-fears-uk-gdp-growth-report-business-live?page=with:block-5a8e6b64e4b05b8a92735aa5#block-5a8e6b64e4b05b8a92735aa5
the volatility looks set to continue..
I just watched BBC NEWS And the USA
national rifle association what ever his title is could not look straight he keept moving his head he is worried who’s got the rubber rings for him
ECO MAORI has some.
He tries to justify the gun laws in the USA. What about all the needless lives lost because of his organisation he tangata he tangata its the people that count to me.
Than he makes a statement that they would pay any school to arm the teachers
OR the security guard. Now that statement let’s everyone know they are the 00.1% Ruling class who don’t care about the people they only care about $$$$$$ and control of the 99.9%.
Keep protesting against this unhumane organisation this will force changes to the US gun laws Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Protesters PS I was having a bad day yesterday than I found a article about Changes to Atoearoa policy to a more humane society. Ka pai
An intelligent analysis of CPTTP (or whatever its now called)…..although too late now for this agreement the points raised would be well applied to any future agreements (though unlikely considering the religious fervour of those involved)….as we need to trade (wait for it) then at least we should have a rational discussion about the trade offs we are prepared to accept as GC writes…..
“Where does that leave us? Hopefully, with a more balanced debate on trade, and one that encompasses both its genuine benefits and its equally as real downsides. Otherwise, if we insist on living in denial about the risks that’ free’ trade poses, we will almost certainly be hit by them. Ultimately, why should we trust the same sort of people who told us the 1980s economic reforms would likewise be a win/win for all of us?”
http://werewolf.co.nz/2018/02/gordon-campbell-on-the-david-parker-and-mfat-claims-about-the-cptpp/
Sadly, much like the issue of migration I wouldnt advise anyone holding their breath in expectation.