Going cold turkey on Spotify

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, January 29th, 2022 - 166 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, Media, music, Social issues - Tags:

I have always enjoyed music.  During the 1980s and 1990s I would religiously buy one or two CDs a week. Technology slowly changed that.  I can recall discovering Napster and the ease in which music could be transported across the globe.  Clearly the CD as an art form’s days were then numbered.

A few years ago I said goodbye to them and my CD cupboard which was overflowing was suddenly empty.

It did not matter because I had a Spotify account that I used for 90% of my music listening.  It has pretty well everything that I had on CD.

I have always however had reservations about Spotify as an institution.  It was yet another example of the commodification of parts of the Internet to create personal profit.  The entity made large amounts of money but paid its artists poorly.  CEO Daniel Elk is said to be worth US $4.7 billion, built on the back of paying artists 0.004 cents for each stream of their music.  Spotify is certainly in the same club as Amazon and Uber.  Instead of a free market we have dominant corporate entities who have managed to create a near monopoly in their particular area of activity.

Recent events have made me reconsider my choice.  Neil Young, whose music I have had a deep and abiding respect for since purchasing Decade in the 1970s, has objected to Spotify highlighting Joe Rogan podcasts and told Spotify that they need to choose between either Rogan or his music.

I don’t understand the success of Joe Rogan.  Even Rogan personally thinks that he is an idiot.  His success shows all that is wrong with the United States.  He has nothing to add to discussions concerning important issues, apart from chaos.

Eamon Foote at the Guardian describes the issue in this way:

Neil Young this week issued Spotify with a blunt ultimatum: it’s me or Joe Rogan. The Canadian-American musician criticised its exclusive hosting of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in a letter to his manager and record label published online, which asked his music be removed from the streaming service. Spotify chose Rogan, removing Young’s entire back catalogue.

Young’s objections were based on what he saw as “life-threatening Covid misinformation” being pushed by Rogan. This claim was supported in a letter sent to the streaming service earlier this month, signed by 270 medical and scientific professionals who called for Spotify to stop spreading Rogan’s unfounded point of view. Young had the courage of his convictions – and the backing of his long-term label Reprise Records (part of Warner Music Group), because, as he said in a statement on his website, removing his music would mean “losing 60% of my worldwide streaming income in the name of Truth”.

The decision from Spotify draws an entirely new battle line for the service when facing down artists. In the past, fights tended to be around commercial issues, with artists arguing the micro-payments it made for streams were unfairly low; this new conflict is remarkable for being entirely ideological. These recent moves feel like a grand betrayal of Spotify’s roots in liberal Sweden, where it was founded. This is a company where diversity is applauded, paternity leave is encouraged, the mental wellbeing of staff is deemed paramount and efforts to promote artists from outside of a heterosexual and Caucasian orthodoxy have become part of the raison d’etre – such as the Unlike Any Other initiative around Pride 2020 and the Frequency campaign in 2021, which was intended to help elevate Black artists.

What is unfolding is a complex ethical and financial conundrum for Daniel Ek, Spotify’s co-founder and CEO. Is he happy for Spotify to amplify medical misinformation through, among others, its crown-jewel podcast, a show it paid a rumoured $100m (£75m) to have on an exclusive basis? Or will he have the company tightly police and factcheck what its podcasters say? The rapidly curdling, and inherently Faustian nature of the Rogan deal should not surprise anyone. Rogangate says a tremendous amount about Spotify’s new priorities. No longer just a music streaming service, Spotify now regards itself as an audio platform and podcasting as its new centre of gravity.

Trevor Noah has this very funny take on Rogan.  He is not only an idiot about Covid but also about race.

So what are the alternatives to Spotify?  There is Apple Music which is well designed and slick.  Youtube has a music exclusive alternative that also pays miniscule amounts to artists.

I am tending towards Tidal.  It has a similar functionality to Spotify, has pretty well every song I have in my spotify account that I have searched for so far, but it has noticeably higher audio quality.  And it has a policy directing part of the subscription to the artists they listen to the most.  And it has Neil Young in blistering high fidelity.

Other artists that have recently pulled the plug on Spotify include Barry Manilow (yes he is still around and no I can’t stand his music), Peter Frampton and Lloyd Cole.  I suspect that a number of others will follow.

Republicans, the same ones who are trying to ban certain books in schools, are decrying this as a terrible example of cancel culture.  For me I think that Neil Young, who as a child suffered from Polio and is a firm believer in the utility of vaccines, is entitled to refuse to have a corporation pedalling an idiot’s views on Covid profit from his intellectual property.

And finally something for you to enjoy, which you will no longer be able to enjoy on Spotify.

166 comments on “Going cold turkey on Spotify ”

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  1. Ad 1
    29 January 2022 at 11:11 am

    Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Barry Manilow and Lloyd Cole.

    Is Engelbert Humperdink next?

    Joe Rogan has the most successful podcast in history. He is not a threat to civilisation, and he won't be banished with a boycott, open letter or magic wand.

    • I Feel Love 1.1
      29 January 2022 at 11:22 am

      I hadn't heard of Tidal til now so will check it out. Fuck Joe Rogan, he's the biggest podcast now, until one day he isn't, such is the way of the internet. Whereas Young will always be one of the best.

    • Bearded Git 1.2
      29 January 2022 at 1:31 pm

      smileyA little unfair Ad…I've seen Neil Young in 4 countries and in grunge mode he is a long long way from Engelbert.

      • Anker 1.2.1
        29 January 2022 at 1:37 pm

        Haven't hear Engelbert, but attended Neil Ys concert a few years back.

        I am a big fan of Neil. One of the first albums I bought was After the Gold Rush.

        Hated his concert. Felt it was completely self indulgant. Played all new stuff with the exception of Like a Hurricane. I wanted to hear the music of his I knew and loved.

        This comment has nothing to do with the issue of Joe Rogan, Spotify etc.

    • Robert Guyton 1.3
      29 January 2022 at 1:32 pm

      But he is an idiot (self-proclaimed).

    • swordfish 1.4
      29 January 2022 at 3:07 pm

      .

      The casual authoritarianism of this censorious army of dogmatic Woke offence-takers & their timid fellow travellers on the Brahmin [Fake] "Left" is absolutely jaw-dropping.

      If Joe Rogan's podcasts have been grounded in anything over the years – it's in defending the fundamental precepts of Liberal Democracy, the free expression of ideas & Enlightenment Values against this nihilistic onslaught of the Year Zero Critical Theory Cult.

      The fact that someone who endorsed Sanders in 2020 & is essentially a traditional left-libertarian … is smeared & demonized as Alt-Right or Far Right is so revealing of just how warped the bloated self-interested elitists who've slowly captured parties of the Left have become.

      That the virtue-signalling 300-buck-an-hour Professional Middle Class routinely employs derogatory terms like “Freeze Peach” says it all.

      • Robert Guyton 1.4.1
        29 January 2022 at 3:30 pm

        D'ya reckon Rogan gets it right all of the time?

        D'ya reckon he could be wrong about Covid?

        I reckon he is.

      • Anker 1.4.2
        29 January 2022 at 3:42 pm

        Hope you are doing ok Swordfish. Good luck with your on-going treatment

        • swordfish 1.4.2.1
          30 January 2022 at 9:24 pm

          .

          Cheers, Anker … really appreciate the moral support. heart

          • Anker 1.4.2.1.1
            30 January 2022 at 10:26 pm

            Swordfish, I have a very close relative going through similar. It is such a rough process and full of ups and downs.

            She is doing much better than predicted and I hope that will be the case for you too.

            Take care. Appreciate you still posting

      • Bearded Git 1.4.3
        29 January 2022 at 3:48 pm

        Sword- I didn't know he endorsed Sanders. But that doesn't automatically exonerate him. Why would somebody smart enough to back Sanders endorse an anti vax message?

        The 150 million NZ dollars he has been paid by Spotify may be a factor?

        • Puckish Rogue 1.4.3.1
          30 January 2022 at 9:26 pm

          Joe Rogan isn't anti-vax

          • Anker 1.4.3.1.1
            30 January 2022 at 10:28 pm

            PR what makes you say Joe Rogan isn't anti vax? I haven't come across him too much and geniunely interested to know. Whenever someone gets cancelled now, I pause before I jump on the bandwagon.

            • Puckish Rogue 1.4.3.1.1.1
              31 January 2022 at 7:02 am

              He talks to a lot of different people which is part of his appeal, something for everyone.

              Hes also naturally curious and intelligent but as to him being not anti vax theres this:

              https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56948665

              "I'm not an anti-vax person," Rogan said. "I believe they're safe and encourage many people to take them."

              "If you're a healthy person, and you're exercising all the time, and you're young, and you're eating well…like, I don't think you need to worry about this."

              • Bearded Git …
                31 January 2022 at 10:09 am

                He encourages "many people" to vax but not if they are fit and healthy.

                That is anti-vax. Healthy people still die when they catch Covid.

                One of the central principles of Covid vaccination is that the whole population gets vaccinated so that there is less transmission and so that the health service doesn't get overwhelmed.

                • Puckish Rogue …
                  31 January 2022 at 1:40 pm

                  Hes pro choice, his body his choice but he still isn't anti-vax and you haven't shown me any other vaccines hes, supposedly, against.

                  If hes anti-vax then surely there'll be other vaccines hes against, show me a link.

                  I'll wait.

                  • Bearded Git …
                    1 February 2022 at 12:07 am

                    "Pro-choice" has been synonymous with "anti-vax" throughout the pandemic, See also "free-thinker".

                    Robert Malone, the guy Rogan guested on his show, has been banned from Twitter for spreading vaccine misinformation.

                    Did Rogan challenge him on this Pukish?

                    • felix …
                      2 February 2022 at 7:12 am

                      The question could also be did you challenge Twitter on this? Or do you think Twitter is rightfully some sort of arbiter of truth on their own say-so?

                      You're very wise to use the term "free thinker" in a derogatory way. Very wise indeed. This approach will serve you very well.

      • mickysavage 1.4.4
        29 January 2022 at 7:40 pm

        If Rogan did support Sanders he has gone backward at a pace of knots.

    • Blazer 1.5
      29 January 2022 at 3:30 pm

      Some collection you've got there…Ad….the first honest,laugh person regarding ,a huge selling artist…Barry Manilow.

    • mickysavage 1.6
      29 January 2022 at 8:13 pm

      Joni Mitchell has joined as well. It is all of the old timers that made their fortunes back when records and CDs provided certainty of income and a degree of IP protection. Young artists have to cope with an entirely different business model.

  2. Dennis Frank 2
    29 January 2022 at 11:20 am

    cancer culture

    Spelling correction required in penultimate paragraph.

    I wonder if Neil's moral stand will snowball amongst other musicians. I'd be surprised if it didn't but perhaps money talks louder than morality. If it does there could be some change in Spotify policy.

    I'm aware there are two sides to the morality issue – freedom of speech & opinion lies on the side opposite to the public health governance side. Any contentious issue must be weighed via consideration of pros & cons.

    [Bugger. Now fixed – MS]

    • mpledger 2.1
      29 January 2022 at 1:18 pm

      Sportify are under no legal, ethical or moral obligation to give anyone a platform for whatever views they want to spout. There is no freedom of speech issue. Their problem with Rogan is that they chose to give him a platform and paid for it.

    • Bearded Git 2.2
      29 January 2022 at 1:38 pm

      Agreed Dennis. It would be excellent if people like The Beatles and Taylor Swift pulled their songs.

      The Stones, especially Jagger, are probably too greedy to do this.

  3. Sabine 3
    29 January 2022 at 11:31 am

    Poor progressives, so vulnerable that if they don't cancel what they don't like they fear they will get the cooties and die or something.

    How about not clicking on Joe Rogans podcast and be done with it. Oh, that is not left enough?

    Good grief. The world is drowning in idealized stupidity. In the meantime everyone who never heard of Joe Rogan clicks on his podcasts and boom, Spotify makes money.

    • Anker 3.1
      29 January 2022 at 12:51 pm

      100% agree Sabine. What do you think would happen to the people who tune into Joe Rogan and listen to this vacinne stuff if he was cancelled? The ones who went along with the his anti vaccine stuff would likely feel very f…ing angry and more entrenched in their position. That's what people tend to do if they get shut down.

      I took the time to google Joe and found him being confronted by a medical specialist on the rates of myocarditis in vacinnated versus people with covid. They then fact checked the information there and then. Rogan made a comment about where are peoplle getting information from then……..

      I think it would be best for Spotify to dialogue with Rogan about having more balanced speakers on his show.

      • Anker 3.1.1
        29 January 2022 at 1:07 pm

        I watched the Trevor Noah clip and found it funny. However it brought to mind the issue of ethnicity and whether people are categorically white or black. I read an article recently about this issue (if required will trawl through stuff to try and find it).

        It was saying that ethnicity is on a spectrum. People, such as my husband, who looks Maori, but is about an eighth Maori and on public documents eg electoral roll identifies as Maori. A lot of Pakeha looking people (? white but we are not stricktly speaking white, which I think was the point Peterson was making) have Maori "blood" and identify as Maori. So it is more than possible to argue to race and ethnicity are on a spectrum and people can identify on that spectrum. I have no Maori ancestry. I cannot, nor would I ever say I identify as Maori, cause I feel like I am Maori and expect my husbands tribe to accommodate me, including land titles, access to special payments etc that the tribe give out. I think that would be highly disrespectful and I am sure his tribe wouldn’t have a bar of it! Rightly so. They may welcome me to some things, but not everything.

        The arguement that sex is on a spectrum, which gender ideologists argue and insist everyone accepts, is not true. The overwhelming majority of people are born xx or xy (even the majority of intersex). Yet I noted Deborah Russell on the sub committee for the BDMR Bill informing a number of submitters, that the fact that there are only two sexes was wrong and that sex was on a spectrum (she quoted an article from Scientific American on this, a magazine that has recently been discredited in terms of its scientific standards slipping. (will provide link if required)

        B'TW in my opinion, Deborah Russell came across as a complete fool on this issue.

        • Blazer 3.1.1.1
          29 January 2022 at 4:18 pm

          Hell I had high hopes for Deborah…the reality…just another Chardonnay sipper.

          • Anker 3.1.1.1.1
            30 January 2022 at 9:57 am

            Don't know what wine Ms Russell drinks but really unimpressed with her.

            Especially after she posted on her personal twitter account during the submissions "would my friends understand if I felt like saying do fuck off?"

            Someone asked her why. And she replied that she had been listening to submissions on BMDR bill. BTW the quote is not exact, but close……

            Not acceptable. Her job (and she gets paid very well) is to listen to the publics point of view, even those she disagrees with and manages whatever emotions she has privately. Imagine if we saw this from other professionals

        • felix 3.1.1.2
          2 February 2022 at 7:21 am

          Trevor Noah getting upset about something Rogan and Peterson never said is a beautiful example of what most of the criticism of those two men consists of.

    • mpledger 3.2
      29 January 2022 at 1:29 pm

      It's not that people fear for themselves but that they fear for other people who will make fatal decisions based on bad information.

    • weka 3.3
      29 January 2022 at 1:35 pm

      Poor progressives, so vulnerable that if they don't cancel what they don't like they fear they will get the cooties and die or something.

      How about not clicking on Joe Rogans podcast and be done with it. Oh, that is not left enough?

      Good grief. The world is drowning in idealized stupidity. In the meantime everyone who never heard of Joe Rogan clicks on his podcasts and boom, Spotify makes money.

      Imagine if all the news outlets in NZ were telling us that covid is a hoax and we shouldn't bother getting vaccinated and that the government is secretly trying to control us. How do you think that would affect the pandemic response?

      Rogan is essentially a news outlet, in that there are whole swathes of people that get their news and sense of what is happening in the world from him or similar. The problem we have isn't Spotify being cancelled (honestly, who gives a fuck), it's how can neoliberal societies not eat themselves or their young (handy pun). Cancel culture is what is arising because the big social media companies are socially incompetent and the rest of us won't take the toys from the boys and put people in charge who have empathy, social intelligence, an eye on the collective good.

      • Stephen Doyle 3.3.1
        29 January 2022 at 1:40 pm

        👏👏👏

      • Bill 3.3.2
        29 January 2022 at 3:07 pm

        Rogan doesn't run a news outlet and didn't promote any of that stuff – he's no Alex Jones.

        • weka 3.3.2.1
          29 January 2022 at 3:21 pm

          I didn't say he runs a news outlet, I said functionally he is where many people get their news and information about what is happening.

          I don't think he's like Alex Jones. My comment was more about the social media platforms being actually incompetent at social good. They're highly sophisticated money making machines, and we (society) let them be that. Trying to get them to be ethical now is tinkering.

          • Bill 3.3.2.1.1
            29 January 2022 at 3:44 pm

            Chicken and egg. Are many people getting news(?) and info from him? Or does he simply have his finger on the pulse and so discuss topics people are interested in, in an engaging way and with interesting guests?

            Facebook, google, youtube and now twitter too, are just willing extensions of state propaganda, what with all their "fact checking", banning, demonetising and (youtube's) two track algorithm that promotes corporate sources and relegates independent ones.

            They all ought to have been treated like public utilities some while back and furnished with transparent mechanisms of oversight, but hey….

            • weka 3.3.2.1.1.1
              29 January 2022 at 3:48 pm

              Facebook, google, youtube and now twitter too, are just willing extensions of state propaganda, what with all their "fact checking", banning, demonetising and (youtube's) two track algorithm that promotes corporate sources and relegates independent ones.

              if you take all that away, they're basically highly powerful capitalist orgs that don't give a shit about society and who have huge influence over how society functions.

              Not so much willing extensions of state propaganda as adept at doing what they can to keep doing what they want.

              Like I said, cancel culture is arising because neoliberalism is eating itself. Two sides of the same coin.

    • mickysavage 3.4
      29 January 2022 at 7:55 pm

      How about not clicking on Joe Rogans podcast and be done with it. Oh, that is not left enough?

      The problem is that part of my monthly payment is being funded to Rogan. Tidal offer to fund it instead to the artists that I actually like. I think this is preferrable.

  4. Dennis Frank 4
    29 January 2022 at 11:32 am

    I see Forbes are wondering what investors will do: https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2022/01/28/investor-concerns-amid-neil-young-spotify-controversy/?sh=71ac93122152

    Pulling his music from the popular platform means that he’s expected to lose 60 percent of his streaming revenue, according to a post he shared on his website explaining his exit to fans and thanking them for their support.

    After all, his most popular songs, including “Heart of Gold” and “Harvest Moon,” have attracted hundreds of millions of listens on Spotify. His other songs have attracted many more, as well. He’s been creating world-renowned music for decades.

  5. joe90 5
    29 January 2022 at 11:38 am

    Who woulda thunk Napster was going to be the good guy.

    https://twitter.com/TPAIN/status/1476032631255060490

    • Bearded Git 5.1
      29 January 2022 at 1:39 pm

      Joe90-can you explain that post please.

      • joe90 5.1.1
        29 January 2022 at 1:48 pm

        In earlier days Napster were the bad boys of peer to peer sharing, infringing copyright and allegedly ripping off artists and creators. Twenty years later, they're the best payers.

        • Bearded Git 5.1.1.1
          29 January 2022 at 4:48 pm

          Thanks…got it now; much appreciated.
          Does Spotify not pay at all then?

          • McFlock 5.1.1.1.1
            29 January 2022 at 5:51 pm

            pic cut off before bottom – spotify was on 315 streams for $1.

            • Bearded Git 5.1.1.1.1.1
              29 January 2022 at 5:58 pm

              Ah yes sorry..realise now if you click on it

              • McFlock …
                29 January 2022 at 6:01 pm

                Nah, you were right. Sometimes that AI preview cropping chops the point off, which tends to ruin the flow of what someone's saying.

                pfft. Bloody AI, gonna rule us all but can't crop an image properly.

  6. Tiger Moutain 6
    29 January 2022 at 11:45 am

    Neil Young is no Lenin in terms of political skills, and he has had various publicised run ins over the years. You are likely to have a miserable time–with some honourable exceptions–if you trust musicians for political guidance. Iggy, Chrissie Hynde and many other ageing rockers have played apartheid Israel for instance. Lorde did not, yay!

    But on this occasion I support Neil’s position, partly because of the corporatisation of the internet as Micky notes, and because of the existential nature of COVID. Rogan is free to be a dick but not free to put others lives at risk with his huge media reach.

  7. Anker 7
    29 January 2022 at 1:08 pm

    Tiger Mountain lets mention Eric Clapton why we are at it.

    And dare I raise it (hope its not too soon) Meatloaf (RIP)

    • Bill 7.1
      29 January 2022 at 3:05 pm

      That would be the same Eric Clapton who got smeared and generally slated for merely speaking to the adverse reaction he had following injection?

      And the same Meatloaf whose death, some around here seemed to take a certain glee from on the premise that he wasn't vaccinated?

      • Anker 7.1.1
        29 January 2022 at 3:39 pm

        I had know idea about Clapton stance on vaccines. My reference was to a racist rant that Clapton made in 1976 which prompted the movement rock against racism. I know of this through a progressive friend.

        No glee for me about Meatloaf. Didn't realize people had been commenting on him on the Standard. Sad. But likely preventable. I hope people might think again about vacinnes because he died of covid and was unvaccinated.

        I am pro vaccines. Triple dosed. I don't engage much with arguements, including pros and cons re vaccinnes. I think the number of people in NZ choosing not be be vacinnated is tiny. It is probably less than people who refuse treatment for other medical conditions e.g anti depressants, cancer treatment. I would hope that with their choice they hunker down when the virus is rampant in the community as I am concerned about immunocompromised and the health system and staff. I don't think cancelling people wh o are anti vacinne does any good at all. A good critique of their views is a better approach.

        Am in touch with friends across the ditch. One friend had to queue for her booster amidst florid outbreak and was scared they would run out of vacinne. She and partner went away for a break and partner dislocated his shouldter. Had to wait many hours to be seen (I know with this, it is imperitive that within two hours of accident, the shoulder is manipulated back into place. Otherwise there can be significant complications). His shoulder was eventually manipulated by a student Dr who has never done this proceedure before. She is worried there will be long term damage to the shoulder. It highly likely this is what omicron will look like here.

        • Bill 7.1.1.1
          29 January 2022 at 3:47 pm

          A good critique of their views is a better approach.

          I had quite a few amicable and constructive conversations in pub land before I was no longer allowed in pub land…food for thought on both sides. 🙂

          • Anker 7.1.1.1.1
            29 January 2022 at 4:08 pm

            But Bill you can still come on the Standard and discuss your views.

            I saw a clip of Rogan interviewing an Australian medic who very assertively challenged him about mycarditis and vaccine versus covid itself. They fact checked it together on Rogan's show and Rogan was wrong.

            Perhaps this was a one off, but good the view got challenged.

  8. Anker 8
    29 January 2022 at 1:12 pm

    I watched the Trevor Noah clip and found it funny. However it brought to mind the issue of ethnicity and whether people are categorically white or black. I read an article recently about this issue (if required will trawl through stuff to try and find it).

    It was saying that ethnicity is on a spectrum. People, such as my husband, who looks Maori, but is about an eighth Maori and on public documents eg electoral roll identifies as Maori. A lot of Pakeha looking people (? white but we are not stricktly speaking white, which I think was the point Peterson was making) have Maori "blood" and identify as Maori. So it is more than possible to argue to race and ethnicity are on a spectrum and people can identify on that spectrum. I cannot, nor would I ever say I identify as Maori, cause I feel like I am Maori and expect my husbands tribe to accommate me, including land titles, access to special payments etc that the tribe give out.

    The arguement that sex is on a spectrum, which gender ideologists argue and insist everyone accepts, is not true. The overwhelming majority of people are born xx or xy (even the majority of intersex). Yet I noted Deborah Russell on the sub committee for the BDMR Bill informing a number of submitters, that the fact that there are only two sexes was wrong and that sex was on a spectrum (she quoted an article from Scientific American on this, a magazine that has recently been discredited in terms of its scientific standards slipping. (will provide link if required)

    B'TW in my opinion, Deborah Russell came across as a complete fool on this issue.

  9. joe90 9
    29 January 2022 at 1:21 pm

    Oops.

    #DeleteSpotify

    https://twitter.com/williamlegate/status/1486827380916330500

    Having finished at $193.52 per share on Monday, Spotify stock was worth $184.04 per share when the market closed on Tuesday – a 4.92 percent decrease on the day, a 13.59 percent decline across the last five days, and a full 23.50 percent falloff over the past six months.

    Furthermore, as mentioned at the outset, SPOT’s present value represents a 24.62 percent slip since 2022’s beginning, when the stock was worth north of $244 per share.

    https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/01/25/spotify-stock-decline-2022/

  10. Robert Guyton 10
    29 January 2022 at 1:35 pm

    “losing 60% of my worldwide streaming income in the name of Truth”.

    60% might not be a worry…to Neil.

    He's doing' alright!

  11. weka 11
    29 January 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Micky, can you transfer your Spotify lists to Tidal or do you have to start again?

  12. Corey Humm 12
    29 January 2022 at 2:02 pm

    Haha oh good lord. Prior to COVID cable media who hates Rogan because he's more popular than all cable media combined, was constantly attacked for being a Bernie bro.

    Why doesn't Fauci go on his podcast? Debate him. Fauci going on his podcast won't be giving Rogan a platform Rogan already has as big a platform as Fauci and arguably Biden.

    Rogan regularly has some of the world's top political, scientific, philosophical minds on that podcast from Bernie to Neil Tyson Degrassi

    You know he's more popular than all those music artists combined too.

    I don't like podcasts but what's funny is that this guy is getting brutally attacked for using old information in a continuously changing environment and when his guests called him up on it he didn't get all angry.

    Rogan has people from across the political divide on and rips them all out.

    A few lefty's and musicians taking their musicians taking their songs off Spotify won't change Spotifys position and it won't make any real dent in Spotifys pockets because my generation streams.

    Making an enemy out of Rogan is dumb, debate him. I forgot our side can't debate anymore so we shut down people, disappear them and ban them.

    All this is doing is making Rogan even more popular.

    As for disinformation Neil Young spreads it himself: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-starbucks-spotify-joe-rogan-1290247/amp/

    Even if this incredibly ill advised tactic of trying to disappear people like Rogan who mostly are left wing btw just socially libertarian, if it did work all it would do is create and even more divide and underground internet.

    The left has some of the greatest minds in the world, why are we so afraid of debating bad ideas?

    The American "left" have the most unpopular first term president of all time have as per usual done nothing with all three houses of government and are steering down a catastrophic defeat in the mid terms which will only result in Biden getting impeached (and he doesn't have supporters he was everyone's least worst option) and more republican judges and the American left are picking battles with Joe Rogan.

    Ay carumba.

    • Bearded Git 12.1
      29 January 2022 at 6:03 pm

      It's "caramba"….he is spreading anti-vax lies Corey. He screwed up by thinking he was bigger than this issue. End of.

      • Fran 12.1.1
        30 January 2022 at 8:32 am

        Ok, I listened to the podcast that caused the issue. Rogan had a conversation with a senior vaccinologist (who still works for various Govt. agencies around the world) who has a contrary view of the current covid vaccines. Where is the problem? Why are we no longer allowed to have a different view? How is science misinformation?

        Malone (an expert) is saying the science isn't strong enough to justify vaccinating children. Experts all over the world, and here in NZ agree with him. How is this misinformation?

        There is a court case currently in the High Court to stop the vaccine rollout for children, where is the reporting on that?

        When discourse is shut down because someone disagrees then science stops happening. It is alarming how quickly many on the left think a contrary view is "wrong" and "dangerous". I think we are in real trouble as a nation if we can't have the conversations or entertain other ideas. This whole cancel culture thing is very dangerous to my mind.

        • Anker 12.1.1.1
          30 January 2022 at 10:02 am

          100% Corey

        • Anker 12.1.1.2
          30 January 2022 at 10:13 am

          Actually I am now curious. Was Rogan spreading an anti vax message (prepared to accept that is the case). or has been interviewing a range of people about vaccines and the science behind covid? Has he had non scientists, conspiracy theorist types on his show? Or is it merely a range of sciencetists with different views? I saw him get shut down by a medic re covid vaccines and on the show they fact checked the evidence and Rogen was wrong and he didn't dispute that.

        • Bearded Git 12.1.1.3
          30 January 2022 at 10:36 am

          Fran-Pull the other one.

          Robert Malone is spreading vaccine misinformation. Read this.

          https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/08/robert-malone-vaccine-inventor-vaccine-skeptic/619734/

          I assume from your defence of Malone and Rogan that you are not vaccinated Fran?

          • Shanreagh 12.1.1.3.1
            30 January 2022 at 11:04 am

            Yes, agree BG…when she mentioned the scientist I was looking forward to seeing a science based scientist instead we get referred to Malone. Is this a joke from Fran?

            • mauī 12.1.1.3.1.1
              30 January 2022 at 1:09 pm

              Are you serious? How does one get both a Masters in Science and Doctorate in Medicine while not being a "science based scientist" ?

              • Shanreagh …
                30 January 2022 at 1:53 pm

                Of course I am serious……he may have all these qualifications but his utterances are feeding the unscientific anti vax fire.

          • mauī 12.1.1.3.2
            30 January 2022 at 12:43 pm

            So instead of forming your own opinion on Malone, by reading or listening to his original material – https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30-01-2022/#comment-1856347

            You've instead outsourced your opinion to a third party, which I'm sure comes with its own bias. Come on, man!

            • Bearded Git 12.1.1.3.2.1
              30 January 2022 at 12:58 pm

              It looks like a pretty reputable souce to me maui.

              Instead of complaining why don’t you post a contrary view on Mr. Malone if you can find one.

              Are you anti-vax maui?

          • Fran 12.1.1.3.3
            31 January 2022 at 11:52 am

            Wow, what a nasty hit piece. If that is the sum total of your investigation into Malone then your views are fully understood. Have read recently that he actually holds the patent to the base mRNA technique that the vaccines are based on which kind of nullifies the hit piece. However I am not defending him, I am interested in hearing all views and am really concerned that we are only getting one lot of information through our media.

            No medication is 100% safe and effective for everyone but we never hear that. Why don't we know that Sweden has refused to OK the vaccines for children because there is insufficient safety data? Why can't we even have a real conversation about this?

            Constantly screaming that someone is an anti-vaxer because they ask questions or have concerns is not behaviour I personally would expect to see from educated, thinking adults.

    • Anker 12.2
      30 January 2022 at 10:01 am

      100% Corey

  13. weka 13
    29 January 2022 at 5:17 pm

    now Joni Mitchell is removing her songs from Spotify.

    https://twitter.com/swhitall/status/1487245760286662656

      • Robert Guyton 13.1.1
        29 January 2022 at 6:04 pm

        Joni's out – wahoo!

        Now it's getting interesting…

        • Puckish Rogue 13.1.1.1
          29 January 2022 at 6:39 pm

          I believe a clip has been found of Joe Rogans reaction to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their songs from Spotify:

          • Dennis Frank 13.1.1.1.1
            29 January 2022 at 6:57 pm

            On Friday, the singer-songwriter posted a statement, titled “I Stand With Neil Young!”, to her website announcing the decision. “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” Mitchell wrote. “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

            Mitchell is the first major player to follow Young in leaving Spotify — though Peter Frampton and David Crosby have both shown public support for Young alongside his wife, Daryl Hannah. That Mitchell would openly back Young’s stand against the streaming giant should come as no surprise; the singers, who both got their start in the Canadian folk scene, have been friends for nearly six decades.

            https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/you-cant-please-em-all-joni-mitchell-pulls-catalog-from-spotify-1292397/

            • Puckish Rogue 13.1.1.1.1.1
              29 January 2022 at 7:11 pm

              Thats good to hear, I thought Joni Mitchell had passed away years ago.

              Neil Young: 76

              Joni Mitchell: 78

              Pete Frampton: 71

              David Crosby: 80

              Not saying they're old, irrelevant and out of touch…

              • Dennis Frank …
                29 January 2022 at 7:57 pm

                Crosby was a Byrd & the best Byrds song from '65 went to #1 (Mr Tambourine Man) but nowadays I reckon another Dylan song they did that year is equally good! Always fires me right up when it comes on my playlists from iPod or SD card.

                Sparkling lead guitar features & McGuin reminds us of the ubiquitous '60s turtle-neck style. The first version you see Crosby on rhythm guitar.

                Let it autoplay and you get another film version of the same song where Crosby is doing back-up harmony vocals more prominently. In those days lip-synch was the norm so the music is identical – live music didn't get televised.

                But the main reason you ought to let youTube roll through the second version is to check out the go-go girls! And go-go boys, believe it or not. Really going for it!

                • Puckish Rogue …
                  29 January 2022 at 8:05 pm

                  Not too shabby

                • Obtrectator …
                  1 February 2022 at 11:38 pm

                  Agree with everything you say about that track, but it wasn't by Dylan. Gene Clark wrote it, one of the first compositions by any member of the Byrds to appear on record.

                  • Dennis Frank …
                    2 February 2022 at 5:31 am

                    Thanks for the correction. I did a scan of the lyric sites, which often don't include the composer, and encountered one which referred to it as a Dylan song – erroneously, I presume. yes

              • gsays …
                29 January 2022 at 8:05 pm

                "I must try this spotify, does it play 78s?"

          • weka 13.1.1.1.2
            29 January 2022 at 8:27 pm

            lol. Woody Boyd would have been a Rogan fan no doubt.

          • Anker 13.1.1.1.3
            30 January 2022 at 10:15 am

            Joni Mitchell. Greatest ever singer song writter. Far outshines Dylan, Cohen and Young.

            A profound poet

      • Anker 13.1.2
        30 January 2022 at 10:14 am

        Joni Mitchell. Greatest ever singer song writter. Far outshines Dylan, Cohen and Young.

        A gifted lyricist.

  14. weston 14
    29 January 2022 at 7:26 pm

    Gotta say i like joe rogan . I dont care if his vacine ideas are different to mine surely its caveat empor all the way round this merrygo round isnt it ? The last show i watched of his he was interviewing ed snowden i cant remember how many views that got but it was huge there was 35 k comments when i saw it .As others have said he is very engaging and his range of interviewees is across the board i dont watch him that often but im glad he,s there .

    Spotify sound like a pack of corporate cunts but oh well i dont patronize them .

  15. Muttonbird 15
    29 January 2022 at 8:11 pm

    I don't like the framing which has been established that Neil Young 'gave Spotify an ultimatum'.

    I think the letter to his management, now deleted from his social media, instructed them in no uncertain terms to remove his music from Spotify immediately. The ultimatum part latched onto by most media seems to have come from the secondary language he used saying, 'there's no room for him and me' or words to that effect. This wasn't the main thrust of his request to management, the main thrust was that Spotify can go fuck themselves for promoting Rogan and his dense, anti-vax misinformation.

    Right now the media have made it look like Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum and Neil Young lost.

    That is not the case, imo.

    • gsays 15.1
      29 January 2022 at 8:16 pm

      Thanks MB, that was my understanding of how it went down but couldn't be arsed scrolling back through last weeks Standard to find out.

      Ironic that is the case, and this post is about misinformation and written by a lawyer…

    • Puckish Rogue 15.2
      29 January 2022 at 8:17 pm

      Agreed.

      It was less an ultimatum and more like a lovers triangle, Neil Young overestimated his desirability and Spotify chose Joe Rogan.

      • Muttonbird 15.2.1
        29 January 2022 at 8:38 pm

        Yeah, that response is exactly what I was afraid of. Dense people believing the dumbest influencer in the world won a battle of popularity with Neil Young.

        I’m not criticising mickysavage’s post by the way, I’m criticising the highjacking of this incident by organisations an individuals who are keen to develop and promote a conflict between Covid sceptics and normal society for financial, political, and culture-war reasons.

        • Puckish Rogue 15.2.1.1
          29 January 2022 at 8:53 pm

          'Dense people believing the dumbest influencer in the world won a battle of popularity with Neil Young.'

          Its pretty funny considering most people probably thought Neil Young had passed away years ago

          Lets face it, a battle of popularity between Joe Rogan and Neil Young would be a pretty short battle

          • Muttonbird 15.2.1.1.1
            29 January 2022 at 8:55 pm

            Reckon history will remember Neil Young fondly. Joe Rogan not so much.

            Neil Young is a gifted artist who has produced an extraordinary catalogue of music over many decades.

            Joe Rogan is an interviewer.

            • Puckish Rogue 15.2.1.1.1.1
              29 January 2022 at 9:02 pm

              Neil Young will be remembered as a good singer and an excellent song writer.

              Joe Rogan was the first to take podcasts from niche to mainstream and changed entertainment forever

              • Muttonbird …
                29 January 2022 at 9:13 pm

                Fascinating to watch alt-right conspiracy theorists defend their new talisman. Previously the flame to which these moths were drawn was Jordan Peterson.

                I imagine the further Joe Bogan heads down the hole, the more pressure he will be under. I'm certain he will break like Peterson did.

                Good times.

      • Muttonbird 15.2.2
        29 January 2022 at 8:51 pm

        Also, I think there's a back history between Neil Young and Spotify unrelated to Joe Bogan, and it relates to what MS has been talking about with regard to sound quality issues. Apparently Neil Young has never been happy with the Spotify platform.

        • gsays 15.2.2.1
          29 January 2022 at 9:10 pm

          He tried and didn't quite get there with pono, that might contribute to the aggro.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pono_(digital_music_service)

          And, I just found out Ol Shakey sold the rights to half his music, or half the rights to his music last year.

          Shock horror! Manilow has sold to Hipgnosis too.

          https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55557633

        • Rucklands 15.2.2.2
          30 January 2022 at 8:06 pm

          When this all started I noticed that my Spotify playlists with Neil Young songs were suddenly bereft of Neil Young songs. One of my favourite artists. No heads up – no nothing. When I saw in TS what was happening I gave it some thought. I'm with Neil on vaccines. I had classmates who died of polio. Oddly enough no more after the vaccine was introduced. The fact that Spotify pays artists poorly and is not necessarily the best quality as outlined by MS gave me cause to delve deeper. Hello Tidal. They are on to it – currently have a good 2 month deal on their premium platform. Given that I have high quality headphones (XMAS this year lucky me) why wouldn't you. They have Neil Young songs and pretty much every other artist – and are probably less likely to lose more. They pay the artists better and the sound quality (at premium) is such that IMO listening to Spotify is like listening to music with a condom on (albeit a high quality condom). Thanks MS.

          • fender 15.2.2.2.1
            30 January 2022 at 9:08 pm

            That last sentence is funny, I didn't know hearing could be altered by wearing a condom lol. I've heard of dicks doing the thinking, but not the listening lol.

            I liked your reasoning for making a change of platform though.

  16. Dennis Frank 16
    29 January 2022 at 9:16 pm

    Spotify lost $4 billion in market value this week … As of Friday, Jan. 28, shares of Spotify were down about 12% from where they closed last week, according to data from Nasdaq. The hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify also gained traction on social media, with many websites offering step-by-step instructions for users to remove the app from their devices. https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/spotify-loses-4-billion-in-market-value-following-neil-young-controversy

    Rogan attracts 11 million users per episode, while Young brings in 6 million users per month.

    In a follow-up letter posted to his website on Friday, Young clarified that the point of his protest was not to censor the podcast host.

    “I support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information,” Young said. “I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care worker who risk their lives every day to help others.”

    He added that his music was still available to stream on Amazon, Apple Music and Qobuz — with better sound quality. “As an unexpected bonus, I sound better everywhere else,” Young said.

    Before moving to the Malibu hills home owned by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, in 2014, Young lived on a ranch in Woodside in the Santa Cruz Mountains for nearly four decades. For more than 30 years, he and his late wife Pegi hosted the all-star acoustic Bridge School benefit concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, featuring performances by stars such as Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones, Metallica, Elvis Costello and others.

    The concerts benefited the school he co-founded to help children with severe speech and physical impairments, including his son Ben, who is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy who is unable to speak. His son Zeke also has cerebral palsy.

    I recall reading in his autobiography how he had a specially constructed seat up the front of his tour bus for Ben. It helps to be rich when you have disabled folk in the family.

    Young was diagnosed with polio in 1951, four years before the vaccine for the life-threatening disease became available… Not only did he have to relearn how to walk, but the experience also left him with a lifelong limp and required him to frequently wear a back brace while performing live.

    The musician also suffered from type 1 diabetes and epilepsy, according to his memoir. His daughter with Pegi, Amber Jean, also developed epilepsy.

  17. Muttonbird 17
    29 January 2022 at 9:28 pm

    I'm currently screen-shoting my Spotify playlists before I delete my account and move to Apple music.

    I got an Apple Homepod for Christmas so Siri is in the house!

  18. Ross 18
    30 January 2022 at 8:40 am

    Like the guys at Enron, Young doesn't seem to be the smartest guy in the room.

    It's been reported that Young had polio as a kid and his stance against Rogan has its roots there. But polio is caused by poor sanitation, which I suspect has improved somewhat since the mid-1950s.

    Poliovirus…enters the body through the mouth and spreads through:

    • Contact with the feces of an infected person.
    • Droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person (less common).

    You can get infected with poliovirus if:

    • You have picked-up minute pieces of feces on your hands, and you touch your mouth.
    • You put in your mouth objects like toys that are contaminated with feces.

    His apparent anger at Rogan could be displaced anger or aggression at his parents, who didn't protect him from polio (notwithstanding that he recovered from the virus). He can’t take out his aggression on his parents, so he’s taking it out on another.

    What hasn't been reported is that the number of polio deaths fells significantly prior to any vaccine being used.

    From 1923 to 1953, before the Salk killed-virus vaccine was introduced, the polio death rate in the United States and England had already declined on its own by 47 percent and 55 percent, respectively. Statistics show a similar decline in other European countries as well.

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Neil-Miller-7/publication/252553744/figure/fig2/AS:380790069317634@1467798835195/The-polio-death-rate-was-decreasing-on-its-own-before-the-vaccine-was-introduced.png

    https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/index.htm

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/202112/why-people-take-their-anger-out-others

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252553744_The_polio_vaccine_a_critical_assessment_of_its_arcane_history_efficacy_and_long-term_health-related_consequences

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 18.1
      30 January 2022 at 10:19 am

      Hilarious. So now the polio vaccine doesn't work! As shown in a paper from a notorious and debunked antivaxxer (Neil Z Miller), published in a journal set up by antivaxxers because mainstream science wouldn't publish their crap.

      The introduction of the polio vaccine coincided with a remarkable decline in polio. Multiple lines of evidence prove it works brilliantly.

      • Ross 18.1.1
        30 January 2022 at 11:18 am

        Uncooked,

        I'll try again. I understood that Miller cited someone else's figures about polio. But if that's a problem, maybe Britannica will be your friend.

        Here's stats showing the dramatic fall in the number of polio cases and deaths (among adults and children) in the US prior to the vaccine being rolled out. From peaking at nearly 60,000 cases, the number fell to about 15,000 a couple of years later. Similarly, the number of deaths fell from about 3,200 to 1,000 within a couple of years. I mention this as it seldom gets told despite it being a good news story.

        https://vaccines.procon.org/vaccine-histories-and-impact/polio/

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 18.1.1.1
          30 January 2022 at 12:02 pm

          There is waxing and waning levels of polio (as happens with any disease). This waxing and waning is more obvious when you look at a longer dataset.

          Then there is a sustained and profound reduction following the introduction of the vaccine. A pattern repeated world wide.

          You are grasping at a short-term pattern (1-2 years) in one country within the usual course of the pre-vaccination epidemiology, and discounting the decades of high disease, followed by decades of very low disease, pre-post vaccine.

          Not to mention the trials showing the efficacy, and the biological studies etc etc.

    • weka 18.2
      30 January 2022 at 10:27 am

      Complex systems. There is no doubt that improvements in sanitation, housing (warmth, dryness and space), and diet have made major improvements to human health in the past 100 years or do.

      So have vaccinations.

      It's an utter nonsense to infer that polio was reduced to what it is now without vaccination and simply by improving sanitation. No idea if you would go quite that far, but that is a common argument from people running the lines you are running here.

      Casting Young's parents as to blame for not protecting him from polio makes you a supreme fuckwit. And another one who apparently doesn't understand what public health is. It's complex, a set of interrelated dynamics and context, and treating it as a set of individuals who can look after themselves undermines what it is.

      • Ross 18.2.1
        30 January 2022 at 11:07 am

        Casting Young's parents as to blame for not protecting him from polio makes you a supreme fuckwit.

        Thanks for that sophisticated and erudite comment lol. And sorry you missed my point.

        • weka 18.2.1.1
          30 January 2022 at 11:37 am

          yeah, I decided to skate past the amateur psychoanalysis. I'm assuming you don't know his parents, or his situation as a child, and are just making stuff up.

    • Peter 18.3
      31 January 2022 at 10:22 am

      "His apparent anger at Rogan could be displaced anger or aggression at his parents."

      His apparent anger at Rogan could be because he thinks Rogan is a fuckwit sucking in other people.

  20. Descendant Of Smith 20
    30 January 2022 at 1:19 pm

    I'm continually amused at all the faux outrage about cancel culture from the right and find it odd that supposed left leaning people are buying into this and allowing the right to control the narrative (just like they did with the notion of political correctness).

    The fact is that the right have always cancelled people and cancelled history and we all know this.

    In my lifetime I've seen constantly across all my employers for very good people overlooked for management jobs and positions because they were part of a union. I've seen people not employed because of something they may have said on Facebook that was left leaning, I've seen blacklists of workers being circulated amongst local employers (even had a copy of one such list I found in a drawer from a employer who went bust) who have been blacklisted for a range of reasons from taking personal grievances, to saying something an employer didn't like to simply having a particular family name.

    I've seen in Taranaki an absolute refusal to not only write about and acknowledge what happened at Parihaka but strong efforts to dissuade people from looking into it or discussing this further.

    You can go back a little while to see the attempts to cancel the Dixie Chicks – or back further The Beatles after John said they were bigger than god. Ellen de Generes when she came out as a lesbian had her show cancelled. When France opposed invading Iraq conservative restaurants in the US cancelled 'french fries" renaming them "freedom fries".

    Go back even further and you can see things like the vitriol Billie Holliday got for singing the song "Strange Fruit".

    "According to writer and journalist Johann Hari, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics under Harry J. Anslinger, had been targeting Holiday since at least 1939, when she started to perform "Strange Fruit".

    The right enjoy exerting this power on people – they get their kicks from it to a large extent, but it reflects the fact that the world needs to be shaped in the way they perceive it. That their version of the world is the truth. Their version of history is the superior correct one. Freedom of speech in their context is their right to say whatever racist, misogynist, sexist shit they want without any fear of consequences – but god forbid you challenge their view of the world.

    Even the simple things they promulgate like "perception is reality" or "it is what it is" are designed to inculcate a sense of (their view is the one ) – of powerlessness and that you can't change things.

    They have exerted their power for a long, long time with little fear of consequences – often enforced by the power of the state. Portland police are a good example of this not even caring that they were using Proud Boy memes in their training material for dealing with black protests. But you know cancelling black protests isn't a thing is it!

    “Woe be unto you, dirty hippy… I shall send among you, My humble servants with hat, and with bat; That they may christen your heads with hickory, And anoint your faces with pepper spray.”

    What they are really upset about is that they things they have traditionally used to exert their power are increasingly being used by the public against them. Economic power and at times the power of the state is now being exerted against them instead of for them. They don't like the shoe being on the other foot – even though with their wealth and opportunities most of the will barely be touched.

    • Ross 20.1
      30 January 2022 at 1:45 pm

      The fact is that the right have always cancelled people and cancelled history and we all know this.

      Well, yes, and it was bad. Just as it's bad when people not on the left – whoever they may be – are cancelled. It might be useful if we move away from left and right, which isn't terribly helpful, and simply discuss the importance of free speech. I'll leave it to Jonathan Rouch to explain why free speech is a minority's best friend.

  21. adam 21
    30 January 2022 at 4:00 pm

    Sad as argument from the usual morally weak woke retobates, who can't even get up the courage to fight child labour exploitation.

    But you will moan about a yank who interviews people you don't like. The answer, go join another exploitative platform as some form of social justice.

    A sad, weak, and morally bereft response as usual.

    • Descendant Of Smith 21.1
      30 January 2022 at 4:53 pm

      lol I'm commenting about the outrage when it is done back or are somehow the left supposed to be beyond reproach while the capitalists can carry on doing the what the fuck they like?

      The fact that is is being done back is a better alternative than what happened in the French Revolution for instance. Keep treating people like shit, abusing your power and your wealth and sometimes it will be given back.

      Nowhere did I say I agree with it but outrageous – no it isn't.

      And this isn't really about free speech is it – you are still free to say what you like. It's about there being consequences.

      "Well, yes, and it was bad."

      What is with the past tense? It isn't like it has stopped – the Portland example just being one of many that continues today. Look at all those employers saying New Zealanders are useless – yet a large chunk of them were working pre-COVID and now are not. Did COVID suddenly make them useless even though they didn't catch COVID? Good worker one day – useless no-hoper the next.

  22. Ross 22
    30 January 2022 at 5:05 pm

    And this isn't really about free speech is it – you are still free to say what you like. It's about there being consequences.

    Tell me the all the positive consequences that come from speaking freely?

    It sounds like you oppose vaccine mandates. You're in good company.

    https://faculty.rx.umaryland.edu/pdoshi/files/2021/11/Doshi-MedChi-talk-script.pdf

  23. Descendant Of Smith 23
    30 January 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Tell me the all the positive consequences that come from speaking freely?

    There's plenty. Done it all my life – been praised, been vilified but have a total reputation for honesty and can be trusted. Had bosses who liked that, had bosses who certainly didn't. That's the point though – if I can be vilified and emoted for being free and frank and honest without all the outrage that seems to be going on here then why can't those on the right with the same lack of fuss. If those workers can be black-listed by employers for years without anyone doing anything about it – it isn't even illegal in New Zealand to black-list someone.

    It isn't a binary situation. not everyone who speaks out whether left or right will be vilified or not – some will be some won't be, some will be both at the same time – the boundaries of what is acceptable will shift over time as the public shifts and as different generations move through.

    What is happening is a shift in power – time will tell how this pans out. Certainly those in power are trying very hard to retain it and I think not winning. The state of the National Party reflects that – the Judith Collins double down approach is no longer acceptable.

    It is the outrage that is non-sensical – part of the normal change process though. Denial then anger.

  24. millsy 24
    31 January 2022 at 11:41 am

    As I said before, Rogan is a fascist, racist, homophobic, evangelical Christian bigot who should be cancelled with extreme prejudice. The guy thought George Floyd deserved to die, and wants creationism taught in schools.

    That said, Spotify is a total rip off and that needs to go the way of the dodo as well. Streaming is a stupid way of listenuing to music.

    I also note that this site's hero, Glenn Greenwald, now favours pulling LGBT themed books from school libraries. Already the scene is set for mass progroms against minorities in US schools. Twitter is alive with Trump supporters calling for mass book burning and for the percecution of LGBT's. We have a rough few years ahead. There will be a second civil war in the US before 2030. One might say that there has been a cold civil war since the late 1960's.

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    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
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