Jump in a time machine to November 2026, chippie narrowly loses with a full suite of progressive taxs , will labour commit to keeping those proposals for another 3 years.
Good lord, did Hipkins just do a reverse ferret on Let Women Speak?
"we should, in a country like New Zealand, be able to disagree with each other, be able to have debates, including around radical feminism, without throwing things, spitting things, and all that kind of stuff"
maybe. It's been an effective tactic in the UK, asking the Tories eventually forced both Tory and UK Labour to shift positions.
In NZ, it's not so clear. The divide between the liberal left and people fucked off by the liberal left is growing. That particular grenade has the potential to make things a lot worse.
Would it make things worse? We all knew what a woman was, just like we all knew what a man was. Most of us were also aware that some men felt that they were a woman, and vice versa. The real issue is around social acceptance, but this is true for anyone who doesn’t fit in.
In my opinion it’s just plain crazy to redefine gender to suit the small percentage of people who are different, and an even smaller percentage of people who insist that everyone else must change.
What I have written above would have made no ripples 10 years ago, but if I said that in my work place now I may well find myself in trouble. This is why many people are getting f@&ked off by what is called the “liberal left”.
Maybe it’s the “liberal left” that needs to change. My belief is that the “liberal left” is neither liberal or left. They are authoritarian, violent, intolerant, and are incapable of accepting any views other than those views that are deemed acceptable by whatever ideology it is that they follow.
from a left/progressive and feminist pov, right wing governments are very hard on the things we hold dear.
In addition, creating unmendable divisions leads to violence, and women always do badly when that happens.
So there is a contradiction in those who support women's sex based rights today but don't support women's rights generally. And those people are getting to drive the GC narrative atm, in NZ and some other countries.
I agree the liberal left have an increasing problem with authoritarianism. It's a mistake imo to see this as negating the whole liberal position, and it's important to understand the difference between rw and lw authoritarianism. But yeah, it worries me a lot.
I’m not and never have been active in politics, my experience beginning at high school during the 81 springbok and later on with student politics led me to want nothing to do with either side. The left certainly has a issue with intolerance, bullying, misogyny among other things. I get that the right do the same, however when you are trying to change society for the better, you should behave better.
If I had to choose between a authoritarian left wing government, or a authoritarian right wing government, I would certainly choose the right wing government. To a limited extent we live in a left wing authoritarian society already. My thinking in my workplace is already policed by the pride network, I am told what my beliefs must be, and that I am not allowed to question, challenge or disagree with these beliefs. Sure I personally can challenge these people, but at what cost?
When it comes to the current gender wars, I’m certainly not willing die in a ditch for transgender people. My recent experience with men involved in the pride network has exposed a disturbing pattern of misogyny directed at young women who are either exclusively straight, or lesbian.
They shouldn't be doing DQST in libraries until the issues of sexism and child safeguarding are addressed. But Tamaki and the rest of the paying crowd from that side don't want gay and trans people to exist. The more division we have, the more dangerous that will get.
I imagine they'd be really good at it. I read thousands of stories to children over the period of my teaching career and listened to other adults reading as well; not many people read with the verve I think stories are best read with – it looks as though those DQ's have that in spades, so, yes, disappointed on behalf of the children.
Robert, I wonder if potential future examples of male-face:
Peter Pan
Monkey
Fanny and Alexander
The Year of Living Dangerously
Victor/Victoria
Albert Nobbs
Predestination
Suspiria
female-face:
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Mouse that Roared
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Hairspray
Tootsie
Mrs Doubtfire
Dame Edna Everage
and both:
Orlando
Cloud Atlas
The Twentieth Century
may be stillborn in the face of a new wave of moral panic, not to mention Some Like it Hot, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and pantomime. The horror, the horror – won't someone please think of the confused children!
You are conflating cross dressing with drag. Drag Queens perform sexual content. Mrs Doubtfire didn’t.
When liberals make moral panic arguments without listening to GC progressives, they obscure and thus ignore the really important child safeguarding issues.
Let’s try some images to illustrate. I will load them in a new comment.
‘Conflating’ has a lot to answer for, when we want clean divisions.
Maybe issue all drag entertainers and/or shows/performances with (evidence-based) ratings? Better than a blanket ban, imho. And who knows, maybe those performing for children would 'clean up' their acts so as to mitigate harm – rather depends on why they're doing it in the first place, which admittedly is difficult for me to understand.
Sorry weka, I wrote that before I read your reply (at 1:57 pm) to RBO – maybe the images you posted are not pornographic, but I hope you can understand why people might conflate (some of) them with pornography, at least at first glance.
I don’t have a problem with anyone seeing those images as pornographic. I do have a problem with a gender identity ideologist like RBO giving me a hard time for making them visible instead of giving the people that are doing that a hard time. It’s frankly fucking weird. Let’s not talk about the child safeguarding issues because we don’t want to look at what is being done to children?
The liberal left refuses to engage with the actual safeguarding issues. They also practice No Debate which means we have no left wing critique and the narrative gets gifted to the right who then get to convince people that the only way to protect children is by adopting right wing values.
Maybe issue all drag entertainers and/or shows/performances with (evidence-based) ratings? Better than a blanket ban, imho. And who knows, maybe those performing for children would ‘clean up’ their acts so as to mitigate harm – rather depends on why they’re doing it in the first place, which admittedly is difficult for me to understand.
The problem I see is the liberals and a chunk of DQ culture don’t understand safeguarding. The liberals block that conversation, but we need to go back to basics and establish what it is, instead of allowing a bunch of people to react as if doing that is the end of liberal values. It’s not, it’s upholding liberal values. It just says that boundaries are important.
I’ve been following this sub topic for a while (haven’t looked at it recently, my links are mostly older ones), and seen two things that are pertinent here.
One is that in the UK, because they have such a strong gender critical feminist movement, they’ve been able to push back against the people blocking child safeguarding and get it discusses in the mainstream. No Debate for a long time meant the MSM wouldn’t cover it, but that has changed and organisations are now looking seriously at what is going on. It’s not good yet, but it’s getting there.
Two is that I did see some attempt by a DQ to talk about child safeguarding, but it was very obvious they didn’t have the background or understanding to so that well and they cam across as self serving: child safe guarding was being addresses so that DQs could do story hour. That’s a big red flag. The purpose of child safeguarding is to protect children. If there is doubt, then don’t do DQSH. No-one needs DQSH, we all need child safeguarding. The latter is the priority.
I will see if I can find some links to the UK discussions. It’s not my background so I don’t have the easy conceptual language to explain child safeguarding, what it actually is and why it matters in this context. Some people will intuitively understand what I am talking about, others will parse it through a reaction against conservatism and miss the point.
I think it’s probably worth pointing out that the reason DQ culture doesn’t really get child safeguarding is because it is men (yes, yes #notallDQs, and yes there are women who do drag, but that’s a different matter). Women have a much greater understanding of child safeguarding because children come out of their bodies. It’s built in (yes, yes, #notallwomen).
This is why the meme runs strong that GC women are just older prudes. Older women have lived long enough to see the damage done and the older they get the less fucks they have to give so they stand up and say what needs to be said. We all know this about older women and it transcends this culture war.
to Robert
Maybe: Robert have you actually looked at the reading material presented to these children in these library story times?
As a teacher to children, I have to assume you understand the richness of a child's imagination and that adults telling nice stories can be trusted and are nice, especially the ones in flamboyant colourful outfits?
Are you happy to tell a child that doesn't feel happy in their body – or doesn't have no friends they are perhaps born in the wrong body and that they can all change that by becoming 'brave and wonderful' by instead of being Janet become James?
"Watch out they're behind you" "Oh no they're not" Millions of children scarred and ruined by years of Panto. Also am pretty sure in the Stuff report the Napier Library invitation was for 16+ but carry on with your fear-mongering
As a Moderator you should not be posting pornographic photos on this site. You clearly trolled the internet after my comment to David. I can't be arsed commenting on the photos (which have nothing to do with NZ) or trolling the internet for Risque Panto to satisfy your urges. Carry on running your biased shotgun on this site. You have all the power. cheerio
Interesting that you see them as pornographic RBO. The photos in order are,
a post by Rainbow ST with an image from a NZ Herald piece of NZ DQs.
a DQ in sexualised costume, stripping at a kids event
another DQ in a sexualised, parody of women costume, reading to children in a public space, with his crotch exposed.
a blog post about a DQ accused of being in possession of child porn (I'll agree I shouldn't have posted that one without fact checking)
a boy (probably when he was around age 8) in the US with the DQ name of Lactatia, who does sexualised drag performance, including sometimes with adults
Lactatia posing with a naked DQ. This image was posted on his Instagram
None of those images get condemned by the liberal left, and they shut down debate or avoid like you are doing, so we can't have an adult conversation about the issues.
I posted links to those images this morning in OM along with left wing critique of DQSH.
A bit later I posted the actual images in response to what I saw as Drowsy minimising the child safeguarding issues.
"None of those images get condemned by the liberal left"
This is why I generally stay out of these debates is in part because of these regular assertions as if they are fact. I'm wouldn't think any of those images are OK in a library but am conscious that they are not NZ pictures.
I know some of the people who have been involved with telling these stories over the last few years and none of them do or would behave like this. If you think I at least would support that behaviour then you don't really understand anything I've posted here the last 10 or so years.
I'm not sure why you need me as a left wing liberal to actually condemn them when it is fairly self-evident.
This whole area is difficult. I know for instance a person who has dressed as a women for decades and used women's toilets all that time with no problems (as opposed to getting beaten up in men's toilets) who now barely goes out now because they get abused in women's toilets now as well. They would not harm a fly and never have.
At the same time I can clearly see that there are men who seem to have some sort of fetish / desire to abuse who are strident and violent in there misuse of the LGBT and transgender population and acceptance. I am also aware of one instance where a religious arse has deliberately done this to give transgender people a bad name – he is definitely a deliberate bad actor. Bit like this idiot.
I have several family members who have been sexually abused through at least four generations – some from as young as 3 and 4 including my mother by the policeman who lived next door in a small town. I have an uncle who hung himself after he was caught raping my young cousin – his step daughter. I can give you quite a long list but a couple of examples suffice.
At the same time growing up we had my sisters friends freaking out when staying at their place when they got their first period, I've flatted with gay male flatmates and worked with highly homophobic and predatory men, I supported women through pregnancies and abortions and have both gay and straight family members. I'm loyal to my wife but liberal about what others get up to as long as they do not hurt others and all is consensual.
I get highly frustrated with the religious fanatics who see sexual abuse on every corner and in every interaction and wonder what the fuck goes on in their heads. We do not need there puritanical view of sex and sexuality and they need to stay out of other peoples lives. They certainly seem to think about sex and abuse an awful lot.
Part of this puritan approach does come from some parts of the feminist movement as well – particularly around areas like prostitution and the notion that men only see women as vessels for their body parts. I'm much more tolerant of this than the religious stridency because I'm well aware that some of those women have been abused by men. It is the men that abused them that are the problem. Prostitution won't ever go away so safety and regulation is much more important than tilting at windmills. Cash is sometimes a more honest transaction than a few drinks and a meal or a tinder swipe. Some people don't want a committed relationship.
Added into this mix is the dis-information and internet bullshit like kitty litter boxes in classrooms and students identifying as cats and the undoubted confusion of teenage sexuality.
There are also sheltered children and unsheltered children. We knew about sex and men's behaviours at a very young age – partly being rural and partly I suspect due to Mum's abuse. I had a staff member once at 18 and first job who did not know how you got pregnant. I do not think children should be protected from knowing about these things and generally we seem to underestimate what children read and know. Normal books such as Jaws and Wilbur Smith had quite explicit sex scenes, stuff like Edge westerns had plenty of sex and violence. We were reading those at 7 or 8 when I was at school.
In short I suspect I'm in a similar position to many other men in NZ who are under no illusions about what goes on in real life in many families. Most of us of my age would also know someone who went through borstals, children's homes etc who came out awful at the other end.
I find many of these conversations focus on the extremes. It is self evident that men behaving badly in women's toilets is wrong. Whether they are transgender, cross dressing, dressed in a boiler suit I don't really care. Get out of there. I also get why women don't want the abusive ones there but then I feel sorry for my mate who has peacefully done this for 40 odd years. I understand the historical bullshit when disabled toilets were wanted and almost always it was a women's stall made into the disabled toilet. To some extent this is a repeat – mens, womens, disabled and gender neutral would seem to me to be the ideal and normal practise these days and if space doesn't allow gender neutral with a disability design.
Then lying across all this I have no problem with people taking (what may seem) extreme positions because sometimes that is what is needed to get change. Women getting the vote was an extreme position at the time, overturning Roe vs Wade another.
I've tried not to rant but thought that maybe it was time to respond. I hopeful that you will find this supportive of treating all people well and why at times I don't join into these discussions. I simply can't take a black and white position on many of these things.
Drag queens have always been adult entertainment performers, as in highly sexualised. This is quite okay in an adult setting, but not okay for children. My understanding is that the story telling is aimed towards children, not teenagers.
From memory Robert, Shakespeare was introduced in high school, the bawdiness was fairly tame and age appropriate.
Drag queens are grown men dressed up as highly sexualised caricatures of women, reinforcing the idea that women are basically just a receptacle for a man’s penis. Definitely not the kind of person that should be allowed around children.
I maybe getting older Robert, but my memory is fine.
Shakespeare is generally introduced to high school students in the 4th to 5th form (year 10 or 11). For me that was 1980ish, by that age most of us boys were passing around copies of our dads playboy or the even more highly sophisticated penthouse magazines. Of course our fathers and ourselves were just reading the articles… But Shakespeare was certainly tame in comparison with what we saw on the telly back then.
However what is appropriate for teenagers in high school, is certainly not appropriate for children in primary school. We now know that teenagers and young adults should not be viewing pornography (especially the more graphic type) drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
Drag queens are men who dress up as highly sexualised fake women, it’s almost as though women are reduced to their most basic function for the sexual gratification of men. They are certainly not suitable for young children.
From here I could get into how children from a young age can be gradually groomed to become sexual playthings by selfish adults who are only interested in their own sexual pleasures, while dismissing and minimising the devastating effects on their victims. However I’m sure that Weka has a much greater understanding and would be far more skilled in discussing this than I am.
I have known people who have been groomed from a young age by what could only be described as predators. It’s certainly no joke, although I get the impression that some people don’t really care, unless they can take political advantage from it.
it's a difficult conversation to have and tbh, while I think TS is doing reasonably well at talking about the conflict between women's rights and trans rights, I'm not sure if we have the ability to talk about sexual abuse of children in this context.
Maybe child abuse is too close to the bone. Just like most of us were bullied by the older kids, we in turn bullied others but we justified what we did. I don’t think I understood the effect and seriousness of abuse or violence until I experienced it firsthand.
"Just like most of us were bullied by the older kids, we in turn bullied others but we justified what we did."
Nah we didn't. Lots of of us decided not to go down that road.
Others do go down that road – particularly when damaged young.
What made some more resistant I don't know. For me I think it was learning to read at a very young age. This opened me up to enormous range of alternatives that my parents had no control over. My mother encouraged me to read.
Reading changes the mind – I'm a big fan of books and libraries.
As I've said here previously an early poem that stuck was:
“I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.”
W. H. Auden
Another that told me, and still does today, that the bullies in my life will to be lying in the sand one day. This to me has always been a poem of hope and perseverance.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
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Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
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https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/512590/that-was-then-and-this-is-now-chris-hipkins-talks-up-tax-reform-he-previously-ruled-out
Jump in a time machine to November 2026, chippie narrowly loses with a full suite of progressive taxs , will labour commit to keeping those proposals for another 3 years.
Good lord, did Hipkins just do a reverse ferret on Let Women Speak?
starts at 6m 36s
https://twitter.com/theplatform_nz/status/1772028116715622682
Yep, the entire recent speech was a reverse ferret at least as far as his pre election postions went.
Feels to me like Hipkins is pivoting to secure his position with the base.
yay for the power of the people
Has he worked out what a woman is yet?
I’m sure he knows what a woman is, just like we all knew what a women was up until about 2018…
"worked out"?
Like the constipated mathematician? With a pencil?
Perhaps it's time to lob that culture war grenade into this administration?
Ask Luxon "What is a woman?".
maybe. It's been an effective tactic in the UK, asking the Tories eventually forced both Tory and UK Labour to shift positions.
In NZ, it's not so clear. The divide between the liberal left and people fucked off by the liberal left is growing. That particular grenade has the potential to make things a lot worse.
Would it make things worse? We all knew what a woman was, just like we all knew what a man was. Most of us were also aware that some men felt that they were a woman, and vice versa. The real issue is around social acceptance, but this is true for anyone who doesn’t fit in.
In my opinion it’s just plain crazy to redefine gender to suit the small percentage of people who are different, and an even smaller percentage of people who insist that everyone else must change.
What I have written above would have made no ripples 10 years ago, but if I said that in my work place now I may well find myself in trouble. This is why many people are getting f@&ked off by what is called the “liberal left”.
Maybe it’s the “liberal left” that needs to change. My belief is that the “liberal left” is neither liberal or left. They are authoritarian, violent, intolerant, and are incapable of accepting any views other than those views that are deemed acceptable by whatever ideology it is that they follow.
from a left/progressive and feminist pov, right wing governments are very hard on the things we hold dear.
In addition, creating unmendable divisions leads to violence, and women always do badly when that happens.
So there is a contradiction in those who support women's sex based rights today but don't support women's rights generally. And those people are getting to drive the GC narrative atm, in NZ and some other countries.
I agree the liberal left have an increasing problem with authoritarianism. It's a mistake imo to see this as negating the whole liberal position, and it's important to understand the difference between rw and lw authoritarianism. But yeah, it worries me a lot.
I’m not and never have been active in politics, my experience beginning at high school during the 81 springbok and later on with student politics led me to want nothing to do with either side. The left certainly has a issue with intolerance, bullying, misogyny among other things. I get that the right do the same, however when you are trying to change society for the better, you should behave better.
If I had to choose between a authoritarian left wing government, or a authoritarian right wing government, I would certainly choose the right wing government. To a limited extent we live in a left wing authoritarian society already. My thinking in my workplace is already policed by the pride network, I am told what my beliefs must be, and that I am not allowed to question, challenge or disagree with these beliefs. Sure I personally can challenge these people, but at what cost?
When it comes to the current gender wars, I’m certainly not willing die in a ditch for transgender people. My recent experience with men involved in the pride network has exposed a disturbing pattern of misogyny directed at young women who are either exclusively straight, or lesbian.
Great comment.
"I get that the right do the same, however when you are trying to change society for the better, you should behave better."
I have long ago abandoned any such expectation. Neither the right nor the left has a monopoly on good behaviour.
case in point. Library cancels Drag Queen story hour because of safety concerns (I take that as physical safety). Brian Tamaki says "another kill"
https://x.com/BrianTamakiNZ/status/1772485418505715829?s=20
They shouldn't be doing DQST in libraries until the issues of sexism and child safeguarding are addressed. But Tamaki and the rest of the paying crowd from that side don't want gay and trans people to exist. The more division we have, the more dangerous that will get.
Tamaki's "kill" will be celebrated by some here, yes?
why do you think that?
I believe some here are anxious about this issue.
Don't think we've got too many Destiny Church supporters here.
Are you saddened by the loss of DQST in a public library Robert?
I imagine they'd be really good at it. I read thousands of stories to children over the period of my teaching career and listened to other adults reading as well; not many people read with the verve I think stories are best read with – it looks as though those DQ's have that in spades, so, yes, disappointed on behalf of the children.
I put the left wing critique of DQSH in OM
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27-03-2024/#comment-1994096
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-gender_acting
Robert, I wonder if potential future examples of male-face:
Peter Pan
Monkey
Fanny and Alexander
The Year of Living Dangerously
Victor/Victoria
Albert Nobbs
Predestination
Suspiria
female-face:
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Mouse that Roared
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Hairspray
Tootsie
Mrs Doubtfire
Dame Edna Everage
and both:
Orlando
Cloud Atlas
The Twentieth Century
may be stillborn in the face of a new wave of moral panic, not to mention Some Like it Hot, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and pantomime. The horror, the horror – won't someone please think of the confused children!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_panic
What might 'sanitising' particular safe spaces lead to? Time will tell.
You are conflating cross dressing with drag. Drag Queens perform sexual content. Mrs Doubtfire didn’t.
When liberals make moral panic arguments without listening to GC progressives, they obscure and thus ignore the really important child safeguarding issues.
Let’s try some images to illustrate. I will load them in a new comment.
do you understand what you are looking at?
‘Conflating’ has a lot to answer for, when we want clean divisions.
Maybe issue all drag entertainers and/or shows/performances with (evidence-based) ratings? Better than a blanket ban, imho. And who knows, maybe those performing for children would 'clean up' their acts so as to mitigate harm – rather depends on why they're doing it in the first place, which admittedly is difficult for me to understand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_film_rating_system#History
Not really – is (some of) it child pornography?
Sorry weka, I wrote that before I read your reply (at 1:57 pm) to RBO – maybe the images you posted are not pornographic, but I hope you can understand why people might conflate (some of) them with pornography, at least at first glance.
I don’t have a problem with anyone seeing those images as pornographic. I do have a problem with a gender identity ideologist like RBO giving me a hard time for making them visible instead of giving the people that are doing that a hard time. It’s frankly fucking weird. Let’s not talk about the child safeguarding issues because we don’t want to look at what is being done to children?
The liberal left refuses to engage with the actual safeguarding issues. They also practice No Debate which means we have no left wing critique and the narrative gets gifted to the right who then get to convince people that the only way to protect children is by adopting right wing values.
The problem I see is the liberals and a chunk of DQ culture don’t understand safeguarding. The liberals block that conversation, but we need to go back to basics and establish what it is, instead of allowing a bunch of people to react as if doing that is the end of liberal values. It’s not, it’s upholding liberal values. It just says that boundaries are important.
I’ve been following this sub topic for a while (haven’t looked at it recently, my links are mostly older ones), and seen two things that are pertinent here.
One is that in the UK, because they have such a strong gender critical feminist movement, they’ve been able to push back against the people blocking child safeguarding and get it discusses in the mainstream. No Debate for a long time meant the MSM wouldn’t cover it, but that has changed and organisations are now looking seriously at what is going on. It’s not good yet, but it’s getting there.
Two is that I did see some attempt by a DQ to talk about child safeguarding, but it was very obvious they didn’t have the background or understanding to so that well and they cam across as self serving: child safe guarding was being addresses so that DQs could do story hour. That’s a big red flag. The purpose of child safeguarding is to protect children. If there is doubt, then don’t do DQSH. No-one needs DQSH, we all need child safeguarding. The latter is the priority.
I will see if I can find some links to the UK discussions. It’s not my background so I don’t have the easy conceptual language to explain child safeguarding, what it actually is and why it matters in this context. Some people will intuitively understand what I am talking about, others will parse it through a reaction against conservatism and miss the point.
I think it’s probably worth pointing out that the reason DQ culture doesn’t really get child safeguarding is because it is men (yes, yes #notallDQs, and yes there are women who do drag, but that’s a different matter). Women have a much greater understanding of child safeguarding because children come out of their bodies. It’s built in (yes, yes, #notallwomen).
This is why the meme runs strong that GC women are just older prudes. Older women have lived long enough to see the damage done and the older they get the less fucks they have to give so they stand up and say what needs to be said. We all know this about older women and it transcends this culture war.
Nicely presented, Drowsy.
to Robert
Maybe: Robert have you actually looked at the reading material presented to these children in these library story times?
As a teacher to children, I have to assume you understand the richness of a child's imagination and that adults telling nice stories can be trusted and are nice, especially the ones in flamboyant colourful outfits?
Are you happy to tell a child that doesn't feel happy in their body – or doesn't have no friends they are perhaps born in the wrong body and that they can all change that by becoming 'brave and wonderful' by instead of being Janet become James?
Drag queens have always been adult entertainment performers, so definitely not suitable for children’s story time in a library.
"Watch out they're behind you" "Oh no they're not" Millions of children scarred and ruined by years of Panto. Also am pretty sure in the Stuff report the Napier Library invitation was for 16+ but carry on with your fear-mongering
please show us the panto equivalent of the sexualised images I just posted above.
As a Moderator you should not be posting pornographic photos on this site. You clearly trolled the internet after my comment to David. I can't be arsed commenting on the photos (which have nothing to do with NZ) or trolling the internet for Risque Panto to satisfy your urges. Carry on running your biased shotgun on this site. You have all the power. cheerio
Interesting that you see them as pornographic RBO. The photos in order are,
None of those images get condemned by the liberal left, and they shut down debate or avoid like you are doing, so we can't have an adult conversation about the issues.
I posted links to those images this morning in OM along with left wing critique of DQSH.
A bit later I posted the actual images in response to what I saw as Drowsy minimising the child safeguarding issues.
Didn't see your comment until after that.
"None of those images get condemned by the liberal left"
This is why I generally stay out of these debates is in part because of these regular assertions as if they are fact. I'm wouldn't think any of those images are OK in a library but am conscious that they are not NZ pictures.
I know some of the people who have been involved with telling these stories over the last few years and none of them do or would behave like this. If you think I at least would support that behaviour then you don't really understand anything I've posted here the last 10 or so years.
I'm not sure why you need me as a left wing liberal to actually condemn them when it is fairly self-evident.
This whole area is difficult. I know for instance a person who has dressed as a women for decades and used women's toilets all that time with no problems (as opposed to getting beaten up in men's toilets) who now barely goes out now because they get abused in women's toilets now as well. They would not harm a fly and never have.
At the same time I can clearly see that there are men who seem to have some sort of fetish / desire to abuse who are strident and violent in there misuse of the LGBT and transgender population and acceptance. I am also aware of one instance where a religious arse has deliberately done this to give transgender people a bad name – he is definitely a deliberate bad actor. Bit like this idiot.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12467071/Trans-teacher-Kayla-Lemieux-MAN-no-breasts-scruffy-beard.html
I have several family members who have been sexually abused through at least four generations – some from as young as 3 and 4 including my mother by the policeman who lived next door in a small town. I have an uncle who hung himself after he was caught raping my young cousin – his step daughter. I can give you quite a long list but a couple of examples suffice.
At the same time growing up we had my sisters friends freaking out when staying at their place when they got their first period, I've flatted with gay male flatmates and worked with highly homophobic and predatory men, I supported women through pregnancies and abortions and have both gay and straight family members. I'm loyal to my wife but liberal about what others get up to as long as they do not hurt others and all is consensual.
I get highly frustrated with the religious fanatics who see sexual abuse on every corner and in every interaction and wonder what the fuck goes on in their heads. We do not need there puritanical view of sex and sexuality and they need to stay out of other peoples lives. They certainly seem to think about sex and abuse an awful lot.
Part of this puritan approach does come from some parts of the feminist movement as well – particularly around areas like prostitution and the notion that men only see women as vessels for their body parts. I'm much more tolerant of this than the religious stridency because I'm well aware that some of those women have been abused by men. It is the men that abused them that are the problem. Prostitution won't ever go away so safety and regulation is much more important than tilting at windmills. Cash is sometimes a more honest transaction than a few drinks and a meal or a tinder swipe. Some people don't want a committed relationship.
Added into this mix is the dis-information and internet bullshit like kitty litter boxes in classrooms and students identifying as cats and the undoubted confusion of teenage sexuality.
There are also sheltered children and unsheltered children. We knew about sex and men's behaviours at a very young age – partly being rural and partly I suspect due to Mum's abuse. I had a staff member once at 18 and first job who did not know how you got pregnant. I do not think children should be protected from knowing about these things and generally we seem to underestimate what children read and know. Normal books such as Jaws and Wilbur Smith had quite explicit sex scenes, stuff like Edge westerns had plenty of sex and violence. We were reading those at 7 or 8 when I was at school.
In short I suspect I'm in a similar position to many other men in NZ who are under no illusions about what goes on in real life in many families. Most of us of my age would also know someone who went through borstals, children's homes etc who came out awful at the other end.
I find many of these conversations focus on the extremes. It is self evident that men behaving badly in women's toilets is wrong. Whether they are transgender, cross dressing, dressed in a boiler suit I don't really care. Get out of there. I also get why women don't want the abusive ones there but then I feel sorry for my mate who has peacefully done this for 40 odd years. I understand the historical bullshit when disabled toilets were wanted and almost always it was a women's stall made into the disabled toilet. To some extent this is a repeat – mens, womens, disabled and gender neutral would seem to me to be the ideal and normal practise these days and if space doesn't allow gender neutral with a disability design.
Then lying across all this I have no problem with people taking (what may seem) extreme positions because sometimes that is what is needed to get change. Women getting the vote was an extreme position at the time, overturning Roe vs Wade another.
I've tried not to rant but thought that maybe it was time to respond. I hopeful that you will find this supportive of treating all people well and why at times I don't join into these discussions. I simply can't take a black and white position on many of these things.
Drag queens have always been adult entertainment performers, as in highly sexualised. This is quite okay in an adult setting, but not okay for children. My understanding is that the story telling is aimed towards children, not teenagers.
No Shakespeare in Schools, then, David?
All those adult performers, on school grounds!
And Shakespeare! So bawdy!!
Appalling!
Which Shakespeare play that is performed for primary school children that includes sexualised content?
The actors, weka, having performed Shakespeare's bawdy works, visit schools to perform non-bawdy plays.
Same scenario as the Drag Queens reading children's books in libraries.
are you assuming that DQs don't do sexualised content at DQSH?
If so, I suggest you look at the images above and read my commentary in today's OM.
I'm assuming, weka, that actors who play bawdy Shakespearean characters are capable of anything!!!
How can you condone their presence in schools???
🙂
From memory Robert, Shakespeare was introduced in high school, the bawdiness was fairly tame and age appropriate.
Drag queens are grown men dressed up as highly sexualised caricatures of women, reinforcing the idea that women are basically just a receptacle for a man’s penis. Definitely not the kind of person that should be allowed around children.
Your memory, David, is Fawlty.
I maybe getting older Robert, but my memory is fine.
Shakespeare is generally introduced to high school students in the 4th to 5th form (year 10 or 11). For me that was 1980ish, by that age most of us boys were passing around copies of our dads playboy or the even more highly sophisticated penthouse magazines. Of course our fathers and ourselves were just reading the articles… But Shakespeare was certainly tame in comparison with what we saw on the telly back then.
However what is appropriate for teenagers in high school, is certainly not appropriate for children in primary school. We now know that teenagers and young adults should not be viewing pornography (especially the more graphic type) drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
Drag queens are men who dress up as highly sexualised fake women, it’s almost as though women are reduced to their most basic function for the sexual gratification of men. They are certainly not suitable for young children.
From here I could get into how children from a young age can be gradually groomed to become sexual playthings by selfish adults who are only interested in their own sexual pleasures, while dismissing and minimising the devastating effects on their victims. However I’m sure that Weka has a much greater understanding and would be far more skilled in discussing this than I am.
"… most of us boys were passing around copies of our dads playboy or the even more highly sophisticated penthouse magazines."
"We now know that teenagers and young adults should not be viewing pornography…"
So… should we regard you as a reliable commenter on the issue, or a corrupted one?
Robert, I’m have no idea what you mean…
I have known people who have been groomed from a young age by what could only be described as predators. It’s certainly no joke, although I get the impression that some people don’t really care, unless they can take political advantage from it.
it's a difficult conversation to have and tbh, while I think TS is doing reasonably well at talking about the conflict between women's rights and trans rights, I'm not sure if we have the ability to talk about sexual abuse of children in this context.
Maybe child abuse is too close to the bone. Just like most of us were bullied by the older kids, we in turn bullied others but we justified what we did. I don’t think I understood the effect and seriousness of abuse or violence until I experienced it firsthand.
"Just like most of us were bullied by the older kids, we in turn bullied others but we justified what we did."
Nah we didn't. Lots of of us decided not to go down that road.
Others do go down that road – particularly when damaged young.
What made some more resistant I don't know. For me I think it was learning to read at a very young age. This opened me up to enormous range of alternatives that my parents had no control over. My mother encouraged me to read.
Reading changes the mind – I'm a big fan of books and libraries.
As I've said here previously an early poem that stuck was:
“I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.”
W. H. Auden
Another that told me, and still does today, that the bullies in my life will to be lying in the sand one day. This to me has always been a poem of hope and perseverance.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Mary Trump is optimistic.
.
While the media was focused on trying to convince us that the bond reduction was an unmitigated win for Donald, the results of a hearing in a courtroom a few blocks away was an unmitigated disaster for him…
https://marytrump.substack.com/p/now-judge-shuts-down-donalds-lawyers