Daily review 28/02/2024

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, February 28th, 2024 - 19 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

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

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

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

19 comments on “Daily review 28/02/2024 ”

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  1. SPC 1
    28 February 2024 at 6:02 pm

    The Beehive Civilian can report that the ACT leader is advising the PM, that under their Ongoing Decision-Making Principles part of the coalition agreement he would not support any bail out of Newshub.

    He noted to them

    "It's also a sad day for New Zealand's democracy which requires a competitive media market so people can get a wide range of views about what's happening in their country."

    but he admitted that he and the PM had forgot all about this and did not mention anything in their agreement, not even in principles related to democracy – H, and given G (fiscal responsibility) he was not inclined to give any money to TV One either.

    17

    https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/sites/default/files/2023-11/National_ACT_Agreement.pdf

    As he told Newshub

    When asked whether the Government might intervene to provide support, Seymour said, "I don't think it's the role of a government to own TV stations.

    "I think there's a question mark over the ownership of TV One and the poor returns it's demanded as a shareholder and whether it's contributed to an uncompetitive market," he said.

    in the desperate hope that they would become publicists for the government if he took their rival down with them.

    His comment that a nation should not have a state owned media is one of the quirks of the ACT party – but one of the principles of the Atlas Network is to take down all rival media. And to have a first world nation without its own TV or radio network is one of its prime goals as to establishing a beach-head for the dominance of its narrative.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/02/christopher-luxon-winston-peters-david-seymour-chris-hipkins-and-others-react-to-shock-newshub-closure-news.html

  2. SPC 2
    28 February 2024 at 6:22 pm

    A few months after being told to stop playing with the Beehive matches, after losing the election, the new LOTO replied by saying that the government was now orienteering without a moral compass, and trying to blow carcinogen tar tobacco laden smoke in the face of the Health Ministry and public.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350194489/nz-politics-live-parliament-advances-bill-repeal-smokefree-generation-law

  3. Anne 3
    28 February 2024 at 7:05 pm

    My God… and the nightmare has only started:

    This idiot in the chair forced Chris Hipkins to withdraw and apologise for something he didn't do:

    https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=238417

    She should be apologising to him for getting it wrong?

    • gsays 3.1
      28 February 2024 at 7:17 pm

      Hipkins had that coming. President of the Simon Bridges fanclub, Pugh, was incorrect, but Hipkins did say the Speaker was doing the government's bidding by interupting his flow then answering back.

      Yet another own goal.

      • SPC 3.1.1
        28 February 2024 at 7:23 pm

        She lied to the House that he said something that gave her cause to interrupt, she was trying to interrupt his flow – in fact to have him call her out for what she was doing. Then exercising her power to punish anyone who dared do that – thus to carry out a classic abuse of power move. Police do it all the time, provoke and arrest anyone who dares to respond.

        The irony being any direct reference to a member as lying is unacceptable, even if the allegation is substantively true. Of course a member can still be suspended for lying.

        • Anne 3.1.1.1
          28 February 2024 at 7:54 pm

          "… to have him call her out for what she was doing."

          Gaslighting Hipkins. Glad he didn't let her get away with it.

    • SPC 3.2
      28 February 2024 at 7:18 pm

      You are right, the Speaker lied to the House and it appears to have been deliberate to provoke a response from the LOTO.

      Does anyone know what the consequences are for a Speaker who lies to the House?

    • SPC 3.3
      28 February 2024 at 9:32 pm

      While, even those not political nerds are aware that the use of the word “you” refers to the person in the Chair when parliament is "sitting", the technical reason for this is not so well known and is here.

      108 Rules of Debate

      A member on being called to speak addresses the Speaker and, through the Speaker, the House.

      Thus this

      “Where is your moral compass?” Hipkins thundered.

      His use of “your” caught the attention of assistant Speaker of the House Maureen Pugh. Speeches given in the House are technically directed at the Speaker so any use of “you” or “your” applied to the Speaker.

      Pugh interrupted Hipkins to remind him of this, to which Hipkins snapped he had made it clear his comments were actually questions of Government MPs and thanked her for “doing the Government’s bidding and interrupting my flow”.

      Pugh didn’t appreciate Hipkins’ comment, making him withdraw it and apologise.

      Despite the pause, Hipkins resumed his attacks on the Government, calling the bill “morally reprehensible” and a “stain on this Parliament”.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/enraged-labour-leader-chris-hipkins-gives-impassioned-speech-amid-repeal-of-anti-smoking-legislation/4U3FFOJRF5DIXDSLOKXR3XBUHA/

      Of course there are other aspects of the tradition of the Speaker as a humble servant of the peoples representatives.

      The Woolsack is where the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords sits and resembles a large square cushion covered in red cloth.

      The best seat in parliament is an imposing wooden ‘head of the table’ chair, deeply covered with lamb’s wool. It’s from here the Speaker presides.

      https://media.rnztools.nz/rnz/image/upload/s–BfEpXcMr–/c_scale,f_auto,q_auto,w_1050/v1643662096/4OETBS2_copyright_image_107423

      Your honour, ewe preside with such a nice wig it looks like the wool of the finest of the flock.

      https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/33937/judges-attire-ceremonial

      So a “you” and “your” by extension trap.

      While it well be a way to constrain the “loyal” opposition from making hard-hitting critique of a government, it is within the traditions of parliament for those in the speaker’s chair to so protect those who appoint them.

      • Anne 3.3.1
        28 February 2024 at 10:12 pm

        Pugh was splitting hairs by pulling up Hipkins for using ‘your’ and ‘you’ given he made it clear he was talking to his opponents opposite. Based on her ruling, every MP for decades would have broken the rules and 'disrespected' the speaker or chair which is patently absurd.

        For examples of how stupid she is, just read her wikipedia page:

        Pugh revealed in 2016 that she does not believe in pharmaceutical drugs, saying that she never takes any kind of medication and has only ever given her children chiropractic treatments…

        On cannabis, Pugh said that she did not support its decriminalisation, having seen its negative effects on some people, but she was not opposed to people "smoking or digesting a natural plant", adding, "I'm just talking about giving the poor lady whose got lymphoma a plant to smoke, which she can grow in her backyard."[29]

        On climate change, Pugh stated in 2023 that, while she believed in it, she had yet to see evidence of anthropocentric causes of that change. Her party leader Christopher Luxon responded to Pugh's refusal to say she believes in man-made climate change by stating "If you're a climate denier… that's not an acceptable position" (my bold)

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

        • SPC 3.3.1.1
          29 February 2024 at 10:00 am

          Sure, but I made the claim that she was lying, so I had to walk that one back a bit (even though those not MP's are allowed to make that claim) and mention the one leg she was standing on to intervene.

          But as you say it was not a strong position.

  4. joe90 4
    28 February 2024 at 7:14 pm

    Another candidate for The Maiden.

    “Let them eat Corn Flakes” appears to be Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick’s advice to cash-strapped shoppers who are spending the highest portion of their income on food than at any point in the last 30 years.

    In an interview with CNBC last week, WK Kellogg CEO Pilnick said the company was advertising cereal for dinner to consumers looking for more affordable options. “Give chicken the night off,” the ad’s cheery tagline reads. WK Kellogg owns cereals such as Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and others.

    “The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnick said. “If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable.”

    https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/26/food/kellogg-ceo-cereal-dinner/index.html

  5. SPC 5
    28 February 2024 at 7:41 pm

    A sad outcome of poor tenancy management – when a government agency does not apply standards expected of private sector landlords to keep their tenants safe.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mt-albert-emergency-incident-two-people-critically-injured/RGBBZ5EK6RC7XPTPPTVFCSW4FU/

  6. SPC 6
    28 February 2024 at 8:08 pm

    Whose waiting for a Talent Agency phone call at Newshub?

    Whose been planning an online news programme? Paper, on-line paper, videos, podcasts…. and now two soon to be available presenters …

    Does anyone at TVNZ see a chance to negotiate down contract prices for staff, now alternatives are available … revenues and costs and ACT opposing any funding …

    Who is going to make an early move to a communications or press officer role and will it be in politics?

    Whose going to talk to PY for a reference to al Jazeera? Who would consider RT (to receive those scoops western media do not publish)?

    Time for that OE, Oz, USA or UK?

    That's all from Unilever sponsor of Lux Soap …

    Now back to state television.

  7. SPC 7
    28 February 2024 at 8:44 pm

    Two days, two news stories

    1. The Hon Christopher Bishop

    "In housing markets that we consider to be affordable, a house price to income ratio of between three and five is considered affordable. That's not the case in most of our major cities right now."

    Current data shows that multiple nationwide is currently 6.6. In Auckland it is 8.1, Wellington 6.14, Christchurch 5.84, Hamilton 6.57 and Dunedin 5.7. In Queenstown-Lakes, the multiple is almost 15.

    "Over time as you moderate house prices and incomes grow, [three to five] is what we would like to see things get to, but as I say, that is not going to happen immediately and it is not going to even happen in the next two to three or four years. This is something that has to happen in the medium- to long-term.

    "And unless we do that, house prices will continue to go up and people will continue to be locked out of the housing market.

    "I want house prices to be affordable, and a house price to income ratio of seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, in some cases 13 to one in some parts of New Zealand is not affordable, entrenching inequality and poverty in our cities."

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/27/bishop-wants-homes-to-cost-just-3-to-5-times-household-income/

    2. The outgoing chairman of the board of ANZ.

    On the back of his resignation from ANZ's board on Tuesday, the former prime minister told AM house prices could double in the next decade.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/02/sir-john-key-reveals-his-prediction-for-the-housing-market.html

    Conclusion

    A prediction that house price inflation will be double the income growth over the next decade is a forecast that the government will not only fail to bring down values closer to incomes, but that it will get worse. Much worse.

    The reason Key gives for his prediction is population increase.

  8. SPC 8
    28 February 2024 at 10:13 pm

    Predictions

    1. Warner Bros. Discovery will again seek a lower charge from Kordia or end free to air broadcast in 2025.
    2. TVNZ will end free to air broadcast in 2028.
    3. Sky will develop a low cost TV channel service for old people not online by and or from 2028.
    4. A non commercial RNZ will survive.
    5. TVNZ, as is, will face challenges from those who want a non commercial channel and those who want it to sell its commercial channel and on-demand business (operating a New Zealand area rights content service).