Daily Review 25/05/2015
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5:31 pm, May 25th, 2015 - 23 comments
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Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standarnistas 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.
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Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Luxon Is That Job Interviewee That’s All Sunshine And RainbowsCraig McCulloch (RNZ) has an unbeatable report this morning on Luxon’s reflections of his first year as PM.Allow me to replicate:On ...3 hours ago - Monday 25 November 2024
Maritime workers are joining opposition to the government’s plans for resuming live animal exports on the basis that the country “would benefit from being seen as a kind of modern and progressive exporter”. The TEU is slamming a proposal that would end an invaluable timber machining apprenticeship programme, while the ...4 hours ago
- PM ‘constructively dissatisfied’ with himself
“Look, I don’t really live with regrets,” Luxon said in one of the interviews marking his first year as PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, November 25: The news: COP29 ...7 hours ago - Team of One
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8 hours ago - A visitor from the Hawkes Bay rides AT’s buses & trains.
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Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...4 days ago
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National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...4 days ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...4 days ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...4 days ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...4 days ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...5 days ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, the Citizenship (Western Samoa Restoration) Amendment Bill, has passed its third reading and will become law. ...5 days ago
- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...5 days ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...5 days ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...5 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...5 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...6 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...6 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...1 week ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...1 week ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...1 week ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...2 weeks ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
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The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
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I read an interesting article on the daily blog, titled
‘This is what the Greens are against’
by David Farrar.
It is about a Ted talk by a scientist about the good things that gene
tic engineering does to food.
Here is the link:
I don’t have a definite view on this as I am not knowledgeable on the issue. I am keen to hear your views on this.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2015/05/this_is_what_the_greens_are_against.html#comments
There is an article in nz farmer (seem to be unable to link) on page 8 by William Rolleston that covers this topic and he points out that its the far right that denies the science of GCC and its the far left that denies the science of GE food.
I think as long as there is solid science then anything that can produce more food with less sprays /fertilizer and water is a good thing,
That’s pretty much a physical impossibility. The plants need minerals/water to grow. To produce 1 kilo of food is going to take at least 1 kilo of minerals/water. You’re not going to decrease that any and I saw an article a few years back that reported on research that showed GM crops actually used more minerals/water to grow.
5 GMO Myths Busted
Anyway, the actual concern that I have with GE is that we’re in a similar position as we were when using DDT indiscriminately – we can do it but don’t really know what the consequences will be.
Oops, not the daily blog. In the The kiwi blog.
What’s Farrar on about, he’s saying the Greens don’t listen to science when the Nats are completely ignoring science on fresh water and climate change.
As a Green myself I don’t understand the views of those saying no to GM food and 1080. Humans have been playing with the genes of food crops for thousands of years. For instance, in the Americas the native peoples continually experimented in achieving a bigger corn plant. They went from a 1 inch long corn cob to what we have to day, I presume through lots and lots of cross-breeding. On 1080, it’s probably one of the best studied chemicals that is used in NZ with 50+ years of field trials. I’m fairly sure it’s safe then!
As long as there are checks and balances and the science is accepted then I don’t have a problem with it.
As long as there are checks and balances
I’m pretty sure that’s the problem right there.
Gene replacement as opposed to traditional selection breeding, punches out genes and often has a knock on effect with other genes and attributes.
The comparison is not valid.
You have to look further and understand that gene sequences can involve more than one attribute and so have unintended consequences.
“You have to look further and understand that gene sequences can involve more than one attribute and so have unintended consequences”
Do you or anyone know what those ‘unintended consequences’ are or may be?
Hi Clemgeopin,
As mentioned I looked into this MANY years ago and I tend to immerse myself in topics and then just keep a weather eye out for new information, but a quick Google search brings up two different conclusions:
Read and investigate at your leisure – both for and against GMO:
Unintended Compositional Changes in Genetically Modi
fied (GM) Crops: 20 Years of Research by Rod Herman – Disclaimer: The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): RH is employed by Dow AgroSciences which develops and sells GM crop seed. WP is retired from the US FDA and thus his views do not necessarily represent those of the agency.
Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO Health Risks – by Jeffrey Smith – the author mentioned below.
If you have some knowledge of biological and botany it will be of value if you want to look further. It may be of interest to just try and find Jeffrey Smith’s initial book – “Hard to Swallow” using Google. You will find that it is almost overwhelmed by hits for articles of the same name promoting GMO.
That is not coincidental.
I read a good introduction to the topic of GMO’s many years ago, when the discussion was being had in NZ.
The name of the book is Hard to Swallow by Jeffrey M Smith. In it he details the background to the push for GMO acceptance in Britain, and the vilification of one British scientist who was used as a scapegoat – Árpád Pusztai
The Pusztai affair related on Wikipedia tells of his fall from grace, but does not outline the background where one of the Ministers from the government asked for a preliminary report on progress, which was refused then reluctantly given. Pusztai told him that it could not be used because it had not yet been published and peer reviewed. The politician then released the report and then denigrated it’s findings as it had not been peer reviewed. The negative finding of GMO were then dismissed, and as no other studies were underway the decision was made to go ahead.
GMO seems to be a political and marketing strategy rather than an answer to food security. And as Draco mentions below: “we can do it but don’t really know what the consequences will be.”
Some of my favourite tweets of the last few days:
Some of Slane’s best cartoons this year (for the Canon Media Awards)
A poignant cartoon by Toby Morris on The Wireless blog.
Would never be published by the MSM of course.
That is very good.
It should be published in the MSM, maybe endorsed by Mike Hosking ha ha ha
Interesting poll result just released.
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6248-roy-morgan-new-zealand-voting-intention-may-2015-201505250727
Labour needs a new leader.
Time to finally give Grant Robertson the chance he deserves.
[lprent: Don’t get your panties in a twist. It isn’t that interesting, Just looks like the usual outliers that RM’s small sample size throws out. This poll is unlikely… It is too big a jump and the explanations for it are pure trash.
That was a 8.5% shift to National pulling support from every other party. It doesn’t seem likely.
The usual shit analysis at Roy Morgan as well. Talking about the budget last week when their polling period was May 4-17, 2015 and the budget wasn’t released until the 21st. Even the damn spin wouldn’t have been there for most of the polling period.
If it carries on through the next couple of polls I will get interested. But I’d expect a big adjustment down in the next poll. It is a pity that Roy Morgan are only releasing polls every month rather than every two weeks now. It means that their small sample size has 4 weeks until it corrects.
Still good for a spinner to get excited about. I’d expect to hear you sprout your usual shallow analysis over the next weeks eh?]
Fuck off Hooton you most unwelcome of advisers.
Take your poisonous counsel to National . Oh that’s right, they don’t want you either.
Sort of exactly like a property bubble is this current love-fest eh mr hooton…. everyone jacking off over each other…
Agree with you on the “analysis” – it gets more bizarre each poll. More likely this was a sympathy hug after ponytailgate
Maybe RM’s sampling over-represented hair fetishists this time?
RM’s main value for me was it’s frequency: if they’re permanently going monthly, then they’re basically as useless as every other small-sample poll looking for patterns in clouds.
This does seem like a bit of an outlier. Will see what the next two RMs look like.
re the budget when is a levy not a tax ?
http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-the-terms-levy-tax-duty-and-cess-Is-this-distinction-used-only-to-India-Kindly-explain-what-is-excise-duty-too
Cess: This is a tax on tax, levied by the govt for a specific purpose
e.g ACC levy goes to the specific ACC account. This new tax as per Bill English on TV3 Sunday morning is going to the consolidated fund and not being applied to any defined purpose.
Perhaps when the public become aware of how loose some are with the truth ….. ? But then how does the truth get out . No Holmes etc to “test” our politicians.
Why are Labour supporters just so rabid, feral and nasty like felix above
[Let this through for the LOL’s. TRP]
People like Jimmy here vote for FJK because of the feel good media puffery and Labour still has an image problem. Most voters apparently don’t understand policy but they connect with personality (or at least the FJK facsimile)