Daily Review 25/08/2015

31 comments on “Daily Review 25/08/2015 ”

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1. riffer 1

   25 August 2015 at 6:27 pm

   Why on earth would we need secret courts? This Health and Safety bill seems to be getting more and more compromised by the day.

   The addition of secret “national security” provisions in secret courts, combined with the prevention of defence lawyers and defendants to see the evidence, completely violates the right to a fair trial.

   Is this trying to bring in some of the TPPA nasties another way, since the TPPA seems to be faltering?

   Jesus wept.,,
2. Glenn 2

   25 August 2015 at 6:27 pm

   “A last minute change to new health and safety laws expands the use of controversial “secret courts.”

   The Law Society has drawn attention to a late addition to the contentious reforms.

   It would allow hearings behind closed doors to protect national security. Secret intelligence could be introduced into proceedings by the Government, but neither the defendant or their lawyers can see the evidence.

   Law Society President Chris Moore says the clause should not have been introduced at the last minute, and should be removed pending a Law Commission review on National Security Information in Proceedings.

   He says the provisions are not consistent with the right to a fair trial and the late-stage addition means they have not been subject to a Bill of Rights vetting process or public consultation.

   “The Law Commission has already identified significant issues about the matters covered by the provisions which have been inserted in the Bill, and it does not appear that these have been taken into account,” Moore added. Those include “major human rights issues.”
   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71447449/new-health-and-safety-laws-contain-secret-courts-provision”

   Health and Safety…secret courts? What a wonderful Reich we will all be living in.
   • Ad 2.1

     25 August 2015 at 6:30 pm

     Love to see Crown Law’s BORA opinion on that.
     Something to OIA as soon as it’s out of the blocks.
     • Macro 2.1.1

       25 August 2015 at 6:39 pm

       I’m sure that what ever the recommendation is with regard to the BORA it will be ignored. This govt shower treats the BORA as irrelevant.
       • Tautoko Mangō Mata 2.1.1.1

         25 August 2015 at 11:03 pm

         “GCSB and SIS minister Chris Finlayson was approached for comment. He is also Attorney-General, responsible for assessing new legislation for Bill of Rights breaches.” http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71447449/new-health-and-safety-laws-contain-secret-courts-provision

         Surely being GCSB and SIS Minister is in conflict with being AG.
         • Macro 2.1.1.1.1

           26 August 2015 at 7:07 pm

           This govt crowd of scoundels would not know what a conflict of interest was if they fell over it. They fall over conflicts of interest all the time – get up brush themselves off and complain that what ever it was – Labour did it too. The media watch, quietly shake their heads and say nothing – can’t have the sheeple getting upset – it might make them worry.
   • McFlock 2.2

     26 August 2015 at 12:26 am

     My major concern is that the secret court provision applies well beyond health and safety.

     Makining health and safety subject to secret courts because of “national security” is one level of fucked-uppedness, but I worry that these pricks are copying the US practise of “insert unrelated item into otherwise less fucked-up legislation in the hope nobody notices”.

     At best they’re incompetent and have suddenly realised they haven’t done hazard registers in the GCSB. At worst they’re outright corrupt.

     And sadly, it’s even odds as to whether in this case they’re bad at their jobs or just plain bad.
3. Anne 3

   25 August 2015 at 6:46 pm

   My God, Jesus will be spinning in his grave!!
   • mac1 3.1

     25 August 2015 at 7:15 pm

     I think these two are counting the days to Armageddon, brought about by President Trump.

     Hearing the Last Trump sounding will give meaning to their lives. “I mean, like, I was there, actually there when Archangel Gabriel blew past in his fiery chariot blowing on his trumpet, but he went too fast for me to get a good selfie…….”

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

     This last post written in 68 AE.
   • Clemgeopin 3.2

     25 August 2015 at 10:12 pm

     What makes you think that he IS in a grave? Got a link for that?
4. Clemgeopin 4

   25 August 2015 at 6:47 pm

   To ANNE, who wrote on another post,
   “Well, if it is a Crash (with a capital C) we know who to blame eh? The market place economics of the Right?And this comes from a total economic illiterate which is why I usually just read what others have to say on the subject.”

   When you have some time, take a look at this:
   http://thestandard.org.nz/the-worlds-stock-markets-i-see-red/#comment-1062804

   This
   https://www.informationstation.org/kitchen_table_econ/the-u-s-is-now-18-trillion-in-debt/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=googlegrants2015&gclid=Cj0KEQjwgeuuBRCiwpD0hP3Cg4kBEiQAHflm1pKI-TcN9SR1o9pqnpAmNRH-TUxFH1wJwjUl1cZ3SScaAhLM8P8HAQ

   and This:
   https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-federal-debt-what/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwgeuuBRCiwpD0hP3Cg4kBEiQAHflm1o7eSff1Wya2yl5uNpPzZqRubawziJ8Ki9_4K7OsVzkaAjtk8P8HAQ
   • Anne 4.1

     25 August 2015 at 8:07 pm

     Wow… thanks for the Professor Wolff interview and to Adam for putting it up. Gripping stuff. It expressed what I sort of guessed but don’t know enough to be able to articulate it.
     • Clemgeopin 4.1.1

       25 August 2015 at 9:06 pm

       What Charles Dickens said about money :

       “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

       Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
       ————–
     • Clemgeopin 4.1.2

       25 August 2015 at 10:17 pm

       What Charles Dickens said about money – 12 memorable quotes
       Use the arrow keys by hovering the cursor to the right of the photo of Dickens :

       http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/9066005/What-Charles-Dickens-said-about-money-12-memorable-quotes.html
5. joe90 5

   25 August 2015 at 7:10 pm

   Surprise surprise…

   .
   Ever since the Tea Party’s peak, in 2010, and its fade, citizens on the American far right—Patriot militias, border vigilantes, white supremacists—have searched for a standard-bearer, and now they’d found him. In the past, “white nationalists,” as they call themselves, had described Trump as a “Jew-lover,” but the new tone of his campaign was a revelation. Richard Spencer is a self-described “identitarian” who lives in Whitefish, Montana, and promotes “white racial consciousness.” At thirty-six, Spencer is trim and preppy, with degrees from the University of Virginia and the University of Chicago. He is the president and director of the National Policy Institute, a think tank, co-founded by William Regnery, a member of the conservative publishing family, that is “dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of European people in the United States and around the world.” The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Spencer “a suit-and-tie version of the white supremacists of old.” Spencer told me that he had expected the Presidential campaign to be an “amusing freak show,” but that Trump was “refreshing.” He went on, “Trump, on a gut level, kind of senses that this is about demographics, ultimately. We’re moving into a new America.” He said, “I don’t think Trump is a white nationalist,” but he did believe that Trump reflected “an unconscious vision that white people have—that their grandchildren might be a hated minority in their own country. I think that scares us. They probably aren’t able to articulate it. I think it’s there. I think that, to a great degree, explains the Trump phenomenon. I think he is the one person who can tap into it.”

   http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/31/the-fearful-and-the-frustrated
6. adam 6

   25 August 2015 at 8:05 pm

   Why is it that right wing Christians think they can can talk for all Christians?

   And coupled with that, when you see a Christian, hold a sign so stupid – please ask then to read the gospels again.
   • GregJ 6.1

     25 August 2015 at 8:20 pm

     Probably because many right wing (particularly right-wing American) “Christians” are just full of intolerance, hate & self-righteousness and are really Leviticans and not Christian at all.

     They would do well to recall the bumper sticker “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”.
   • Draco T Bastard 6.2

     25 August 2015 at 8:23 pm

     Why is it that right wing Christians think they can can talk for all Christians?

     Because that’s the nature of authoritarians.
7. Draco T Bastard 7

   25 August 2015 at 8:07 pm

   The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies

   So the bigger question we have to ask ourselves about overwork is not just, “Who’s to blame?” but a more basic one: “Does it work?” Is overwork actually doing what we assume it does — resulting in more and better output? Are we actually getting more done?

   Short answer: HELL, NO!!!

   What’s Amazon really doing to their company? Destroying it.
8. Clemgeopin 8

   25 August 2015 at 8:24 pm

   Q and A today :

   Andrew Little :
   If he thinks butterfly breeding is high risk but dairy farming is not, can he tell us the last time a rampaging butterfly had to be shot by police in the streets of Whanganui?

   http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/
   • Clemgeopin 8.1

     25 August 2015 at 8:35 pm

     Hon Paula Bennett to Winston : Get back on your bus.

     Rt Hon Winston Peters : Yeah, well, I can fit in it.

     Hon Members : Oh!

     Rt Hon Winston Peters : If you cannot take it, do not dish it out.
     • Clemgeopin 8.1.1

       25 August 2015 at 8:46 pm

       TPPA Questions: [Q9]

       Dr Russel Norman : Will Parliament be able to modify the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement after the Government has signed it?

       Hon TODD McCLAY : The member needs to be careful not to get ahead of himself. There is still a negotiation under way, and the Government has been clear that we will sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement only if it is for the overall good of New Zealand and the New Zealand economy. What I can confirm is that should we be successful in negotiating a high-quality agreement that is good for New Zealand, it will follow the same parliamentary process as other similar agreements.

       Dr Russel Norman : I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a very simple—

       Mr SPEAKER : Order! I can anticipate the point of order. I am going to invite the member to ask that question again.

       Dr Russel Norman : Thank you. Will Parliament be able to modify the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement after the Government has signed the agreement?

       Hon TODD McCLAY : The member needs to be careful not to get ahead of himself. There is no agreement under the Trans-Pacific Partnership yet. Should there be an agreement it would have to be in the overall best interests of New Zealand for the Government to sign it, and the process will be the same as every other trade agreement that is put before Parliament.

       Mr SPEAKER : I will allow the member an additional supplementary question.

       Dr Russel Norman : Will Parliament be able to modify the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement after the Government signs it?

       Hon TODD McCLAY : The process that will be followed for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, should it be successfully negotiated and concluded, will include a national-interest assessment, followed by enacting legislation. That is the normal process that we follow in this House with all agreements, including the New Zealand – Korea free-trade agreement, the New Zealand – China free-trade agreement, and all other agreements that have been negotiated successfully in the interests of New Zealand.

       Dr Russel Norman : I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a very simple question. The Minister is not answering a very simple question.

       Mr SPEAKER : Order! It is a very simple question that has now been repeated twice. I see little point in repeating the question a third time, but the member certainly has an additional supplementary question, if he wants to use it.

       Dr Russel Norman : Will Parliament be able to modify the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement after the Government signs it—yes or no?

       Hon TODD McCLAY : I refer the member to my previous answer. This agreement, should it be concluded, will follow all other agreements that have come through this House. The agreement will go before the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee, which will be able to put a report back to Parliament.

       Dr Russel Norman : I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your clarification and direction. What can the Opposition do when a Minister simply refuses to answer a question?

       Mr SPEAKER : The Minister did not refuse; he gave an answer that did not answer the question—I agree with that. There is nothing I can do. It is the responsibility of the Minister to answer questions in this House. I judge whether the question has been answered. On either occasion, I did not think it had been satisfactorily addressed, so I gave the member additional questions to use. It will be now for the public and this House to judge the quality of the answer that has been given by the Minister.
       ——-

       Cool rotten bananas!
       • dv 8.1.1.1

         25 August 2015 at 8:54 pm

         Wrong interpretation.
         The answer was NO

         May be when the question avoided like this the reply should be

         “so the answer to the question is NO’
     • Anne 8.1.2

       25 August 2015 at 8:58 pm

       Response to Clem… @ 8.1.

       http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/39110

       From 8:20 onwards. Worth a listen.
9. joe90 9

   25 August 2015 at 8:24 pm

   Life under a Tory government.

   The charge is not means-tested or adjusted according to the seriousness of the crime. In the magistrates’ court it is fixed at £150 if someone pleads guilty, but it can rise to £1,000 if they are found guilty. Campaigners also say it has created an extra hardship for those whose crimes are motivated by poverty – and makes the punishment for small crimes disproportionate.

   […]

   Charging for justice

   Louise Sewell, 32, was forced to pay the Criminal Courts Charge after pleading guilty to stealing a four-pack of Mars bars worth 75p in the wake of a benefits sanction. She stole the chocolates from a Kidderminster shop on 22 June because she had no money and had not eaten for two days. A campaign to help her has already raised more than £15,000.

   Janis Butans, 34, from Derby, stole three bottles of baby milk from Sainsbury’s on 18 July. As well as the £150 Criminal Courts Charge, he was handed a six-week community order with curfew and was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

   A judge at Exeter Crown Court questioned the viability of the Criminal Courts Charge after imposing a mandatory £900 fee on a homeless shoplifter in June. As Stuart Barnes, 29, was led away for stealing £60 of cosmetics, Judge Alan Large asked: “He cannot afford to feed himself, so what are the prospects of him paying £900?”

   http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/crippling-court-costs-force-povertystricken-people-to-plead-guilty-to-crimes-they-didnt-commit-10466451.html
10. repateet 10

    25 August 2015 at 8:47 pm

    About that photo at the top.

    Does anyone think it’s weird that people like Hekia Parata are trying to get our education system more like that of the USA?
    • Jenny Kirk 10.1

      25 August 2015 at 9:01 pm

      Weird ? Nope – that’s what the Nats are onto. If they can dumb down our basic public education system like the Americans have done, then they will have achieved one of their aims : an ill-educated, non-thinking public.

      Should add : we’re halfway there already. Along with an unquestioning mainstream media. This is the path to a pliable compliant population.
    • Draco T Bastard 10.2

      25 August 2015 at 9:01 pm

      No. I find it perfectly fits with RWNJ slavish following of the rich and powerful.
    • David H 10.3

      25 August 2015 at 9:07 pm

      Expensive and Crap. But then again a Teacher from a New York poorer area would probably think NZ is Paradise. So they would come. American teachers for an American education system.
    • AmaKiwi 10.4

      25 August 2015 at 9:10 pm

      I think it’s weirder that none of National’s Ministers of Education know anything about education.

      They are like the devout Christians discussed earlier. They “believe” therefore they don’t need facts or reason.
      • Draco T Bastard 10.4.1

        25 August 2015 at 9:44 pm

        They are like the devout Christians discussed earlier. They “believe” therefore they don’t need facts or reason.

        QFT

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