Daily review 23/09/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:28 pm, September 23rd, 2019 - 22 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

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

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

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

22 comments on “Daily review 23/09/2019 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Anne 1
    23 September 2019 at 6:47 pm

    Scott Morrison got one but Jacinda Ardern has not:

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/116010171/why-jacinda-ardern-didnt-get-a-trump-banquet-but-australias-scott-morrison-did

    I, for one, would have been deeply disturbed if she had been offered one.

    • ScottGN 1.1
      23 September 2019 at 7:09 pm

      Not only no state banquet but the White House has apparently banned the media from his meeting with Ardern.

      • Anne 1.1.1
        23 September 2019 at 7:32 pm

        Yep. Only one official reporter on either side. What's he afraid of eh? That she will outshine him?

        I wonder if he will do a Hilary Clinton on her. That is, a standover tactic?

      • Naki man 1.1.2
        24 September 2019 at 11:34 am

        Jenna Lynch says today Trump is meeting with Pakistan, Poland, Korea and Egypt who will all have media, Aderns meeting is the only one that the media is not allowed anywhere near. They will only have a official photographer from each side, so a couple of photo's is all that will come out of there.

        “We have been selling this as a full on by-lateral meeting, the first official meeting with Adern and Trump the US are calling it a pull aside. We managed to get in the same room as Trump but not much more than that.”

    • Wayne 1.2
      23 September 2019 at 7:33 pm

      No prospect of NZ ever getting an Australian style visit, no matter who the NZ PM is.

      That is reserved for the most important allies (allies in a formal sense).

      So basically the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada. Also Israel. But Aussie seems to hold a special place in US relationships, so often get more “best pal” treatment than other allies.

        • Wayne 1.2.1.1
          24 September 2019 at 7:30 am

          The more recent ones (Bush and Obama) mostly seem to be formal allies. But Bill Clinton certainly had variety.

          Maybe there is hope for NZ yet, though presumably with a different president. Maybe President Warren?

      • Anne 1.2.2
        23 September 2019 at 7:47 pm

        … Aussie seems to hold a special place in US relationships, so often get more “best pal” treatment than other allies.

        If course. They've been doing America's bidding since the 1960s. Remember Gough Whitlam and the Aussie Labor government in the 1970s? Arranged for them to be sacked 'post haste' because in their paranoid minds of the day, any government to the left of Genghis Khan were deemed to be dirty communists.

        • Wayne 1.2.2.1
          24 September 2019 at 7:22 am

          I know it is easy for a lot on the NZ left to automatically condemn Australia for their US stance for being lackeys. But they really value their US relationship.

          Australia sees themselves as being one of the US closest allies, which gives them a level of access and influence few other countries have. They think the US security guarantee is a bedrock guarantee that the US would never abandon. But they also believe that the alliance has obligations upon Australia. Numerous Aussies politicians both left and right have made that point to me. Virtually no Aussie politician criticises the US in the way that is common here.

          And the majority of citizens believe the same, at least 70 to 80%. Mind you that is 20 to 30% who don't. Which is many millions of people.

          • Anne 1.2.2.1.1
            24 September 2019 at 11:31 am

            You choose to ignore the blatant pandering to the US by the Australian establishment of the day that I referred to in my 2.1.1 comment.

            Let me refresh your memory:

            In late 1966, in the throes of the US/Soviet Cold War, a joint US-Australian treaty called for the creation of a US satellite surveillance base in Australia, to be titled the "Joint Defence Space Research Facility".The purpose of the facility was initially referred to in public as "space research". Operations started in 1970 when about 400 American families moved to Central Australia.

            During his term in office The Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (1972–75), threatened to close Pine Gap. According to Victor Marchetti, the CIA officer who had helped set up Pine Gap, the threat to close Pine Gap caused apoplexy in the White House and a kind of "coup" was set in motion. On 11 November – the day Whitlam was to inform parliament about the secret CIA presence in Australia – he was summoned by the governor-general of Australia, Sir John Kerr. Invoking archaic vice-regal “reserve powers”, Kerr sacked the democratically elected prime minister.

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

            Now one can debate the advisability of Whitlam's attempt to close Pine Gap, but he clearly had reservations about the true purpose behind that satellite station and subsequent events proved he was right. The Australian public were led up the garden path. That set of events four decades ago are what tied the two countries so closely together and its effects are still there to this day. And the majority of its citizens are still being led up the garden path?

            And while we are about it, lets not be naive and imagine the CIA wasn't also in NZ interfering big time in our affairs because they were. I refer to the 1972-75 Labour government initially led by Norman Kirk. But they didn't have to mount a coup against our "Big Norm" because he prematurely died of a heart attack. No, he was not the victim of a CIA assassination attempt as some claimed at the time, but it was certainly a convenient outcome.

            Here endeth the history lesson.

            Btw, I have closely studied this period of our political history for good personal reasons. That is another story.

            • Wayne 1.2.2.1.1.1
              24 September 2019 at 11:55 am

              Sir John Kerr sacked Whitlam because he had lost his majority in parliament, not because of Pine Gap.

              Unlike the UK at present. Where, although Johnson has lost his majority, he can't call an election. Neither has he had a vote of no confidence against his government. A weird sort of limbo. A state of affairs that surely can't last too long. If there is a vote of no confidence, then there will be an election soon thereafter and probably a caretaker government in the meantime.

              However, if there is no vote of no confidence, then we have the spectre of the Johnson government being able to pass some legislation, but not all. Presumably they would be able to pass some because otherwise there is no confidence in them.

              But what about a zombie government? Not able to pass any legislation, but not subject to a no confidence vote. Pretty weird, but possible. Surely such a government could not last beyond the next budget. But maybe yes. Parliament could pass "budget maintenance" legislation but nothing else. And the government can't even resign because parliament does not permit it to have an early election. Truly a case of being in office but not in power.

              • Anne …
                24 September 2019 at 12:09 pm

                In October 1975, the Opposition used its control of the Senate to defer passage of appropriation bills (needed to finance government expenditure), that had been passed by the House of Representatives. The Opposition stated that they would continue their stance unless Whitlam called an election for the House of Representatives, and urged Kerr to dismiss Whitlam unless he agreed to their demand. Whitlam believed that Kerr would not dismiss him, and Kerr did nothing to disabuse Whitlam of this notion.

                On 11 November 1975, Whitlam intended to call a half-Senate election in an attempt to break the deadlock. When he went to seek Kerr's approval of the election, Kerr instead dismissed him as Prime Minister and shortly thereafter installed Fraser in his place.

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis

                Yep. That was ' a very convenient coup.'

                So, you think that then CIA Officer, Victor Marchetti was telling lies? Pull the other one.

                I can even see similarities to what is going on in NZ right now – Opposition and media lies and misinformation with the intention to undermine the government.

      • tc 1.2.3
        24 September 2019 at 7:26 am

        Yeah right wayne, IMO it's more about Pine Gap etc, that cosy miltary alignment which spreads US influence into asia and of course resources.

        Oz has plenty of 'too sensitive' mineral deposits along with a healthy oil footprint and gas supply which is mostly shipped to China from the north west chevron project.

        That chevron project is a template for ‘zero environmental impact’ which they hope to take to the poles soon.

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    23 September 2019 at 8:27 pm

    "The time for patiently explaining climate change is over.

    Environment Southland councillor Robert Guyton says Southlanders who want action on climate change will unite in Invercargill on Friday, coinciding with marches throughout New Zealand.

    Guyton pushed for Environment Southland to declare a climate emergency during the latest term, however the motion was voted down 8-4."

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/116010796/southland-local-body-candidates-tackle-climate-change-topic

    • greywarshark 2.1
      23 September 2019 at 9:24 pm

      We who are alive are coming to a binary approach sooner rather than later – 'You are either with us or agin us; for the people or against the planet.'

  3. phillip ure 3
    23 September 2019 at 8:53 pm

    (this looks pretty cool..)

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/widescreen/story/2018714479/docplay-a-whole-world-of-streaming-documentaries

    a new high-quality doco streaming service..

    it has a 30 day free trial..

    go fill yer boots..

  4. Stuart Munro. 4
    23 September 2019 at 10:35 pm

    A lengthy exposition of how the dossier linking Trump to Russia came into being and was handled by various authorities.