How To Get There 12/01/20

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 12th, 2020 - 42 comments
Categories: Deep stuff - Tags:

 

This post is a place for positive discussion of the future.

An Open Mike for ideas, solutions and the discussion of the possible.

The Big Picture, rather than a snapshot of the day’s goings on. Topics rather than topical.

We’d like to think it’s success will be measured in the quality of comments rather than the quantity.

So have at it!

Let us know what you think …

42 comments on “How To Get There 12/01/20 ”

  1. Dennis Frank 1

    A better path to the future is created by collaborating on the redesign of social media. Traditionally we leave it to entrepreneurs to invent new social tech – but the option of co-design is preferable. It may even be a necessity. Consider the consequences of current tech…

    “A dozen years after the invention of the printing press, the new technology had not yet left the city of Mainz.” “A dozen years after the invention of Facebook, by contrast, the new technology has spread to every corner of the globe. Some two billion people actively use the platform.” Thus saith Yascha Mounk, “Lecturer on Government at Harvard University and a Senior Fellow in the Political Reform Program at New America”.

    So we’re in phase two of globalisation now (phase one was corporate). Networks are replacing hierarchies. Stasis is giving way to anarchy. “Over recent years, it has been the populists who have exploited the new technology most effectively to undermine the basic elements of liberal democracy. Conservatives will say this is god’s will; realists will say this is the people’s choice.

    “The mechanisms that drive this transformation are laid bare in one of the most haunting studies on the rise of digital technology: a few years ago, Jan Pierskalla and Florian Hollenbach examined what effect the introduction of cell phone technology had had on remote African regions in which communication had previously been extremely difficult.”

    They discovered that “in areas where cell phone coverage with introduced, levels of political violence surged.” Why? How? Well, hostilities are organised via coordination. Government soldiers already have that, but rebels lack that capacity generally. Cell phones remedied the lack: they reduced the power differential. “All of a sudden, rebel groups rivaled government troops in fighting spirit and tactical agility. With many conflicts more evenly matched, they went on for much longer and proved considerably more deadly.”

    So, “in closing the gap between political insiders and political outsiders, it favoured rebels over the status quo, and the forces of instability over the forces of order.” This tilting of the balance in favour of chaos is a global effect of globalising techology. Humanity is challenged to think cleverly in response to this trend, to steer social media toward collaboration for peaceful coexistence. Less bitching, more fixing.

    Quotes are from the chapter on social media in Mounk’s 2018 book The People Vs Democracy: Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save it.

    • RedLogix 1.1

      Nice comment Dennis.

      Networks are replacing hierarchies. Stasis is giving way to anarchy

      There are four classes of network; the first two minutes of this little video are a tidy explanation. The important takeaway is that there the form of governance needs to be matched to the context.

      While I understand how you were using the word 'hierarchy' above (in the context of the authoritarian or bureaucratic network models) it also has a broader meaning in the sense of 'an order of merit or competency'. For instance a medical specialist with decades of experience is innately further up the competency hierarchy than an intern fresh out of med school.

      Indeed whenever we create a system of values, then innately we are creating hierarchies, some things will align with and promote our values, others will not. The only way not to have hierarchy is not to have values … which normally for humans is impossible.

      • Ad 1.1.1

        Yes those first two minutes are great. Particularly liked the simple points of how each one has a negative when pushed too far.

        I'm convinced that the accelerated social media network technologies are disruptive to democracy. But we are well beyond the full dystopian or utopian phases of their meaning for us all.

        I'm sure the quote is hyperbole, but we've never had stasis.

        To me the key question you raise is:

        Which kind of network order best embeds the kind of value we are and we want?

        • RedLogix 1.1.1.1

          Which kind of network order best embeds the kind of value we are and we want?

          Well the simple answer is all of them, because the value system depends very much on context.

          The first and most primitive network was the authoritarian, highly useful because it meant groups of humans could be coordinated to respond very quickly to rapid threats in the environment. When confronted with a pack of predators, a human clan did not have the luxury of having a group hug and consultation … decisions, orders and actions had to be made within seconds. (And this only worked if there was loyalty to the leader.)

          As larger social groups arose this authoritarian model was supplemented by the bureaucrats rule based network. Leadership decisions were now formalised and could be promulgated widely, greatly increasing their effectiveness. (But again this works if people respect authority)

          Then in the past 1000 years or so we started experimenting with the democrat model. As we grew even more complex, diverse societies at the scale of the nation, leadership elites were no longer the sole repositories of wisdom. We therefore layered on top the democracy model, we gave everyone some small capacity to determine the nature of the leadership decision making. (But again this only works if everyone has some sense of common boundaries and purpose)

          Now the internet has enabled the fully distributed network model at a global scale. We are dabbling with something wholly new and disruptive. In the old world most of our problems were because we didn't have enough information, now we typically have too much. Is the 'wisdom of crowds' the correct response? In isolation no. If we extend the structure of the argument I have made so far, distributed networks might be best seen as a fourth layer on top of the existing three … an enhancement if you like, not a replacement.

          • Ad 1.1.1.1.1

            After the invention of the printing press, the state survived and modernized faster, but became far more complex in its forms.

            Same for the Catholic Church. Broke up and effectively much of it democratized.

            Although both sets of changes took innumerable wars, millions dead, vast accumulations to wealth redistributed across continents, and about 400 years to settle.

            This interwebby thing has had 30 years to revolutionize society – but is it really?

            • RedLogix 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes, yes. That's exactly the kind of insight which helps. From what you are saying we could project two broad outcomes … a dystopian view which says the future will always be more of the past and we are in for another '400 years' of war and devastation' to settle it.

              Or we could be more optimistic and presuppose we have one small advantage our ancestors did not … that we are aware of the danger we are in. Maybe this knowledge will be just enough to save us?

              Will the internet be the network change needed? In the nascent forms of the past 30 years it's not obvious. But one development has recently emerged which Peterson has argued will outstrip the printing press in terms of social change … unlimited streaming video. YouTube.

      • Dennis Frank 1.1.2

        Unfortunately the vid didn't include an explanation of holonic construction but their concept of meta-modelling did intrigue me. I agree governance ought to be context-driven. That's where the Green Charter principle about appropriate decision-making came from.

        I get what you're implying re hierarchy of values, and yes, I was just using it in the traditional sense. In the '80s, the term holarchy achieved currency.

        It reframed users into an holistic consciousness in respect of power relations. Gaia is a holarchy. It systemises multiple sub-systems via down-ward cascading influences. Lovelock's books illuminated a new view of nature from the inside. Ecologists have fleshed out the details of how those influences create dynamic cycles in ecosystems, Margulis explained how symbiosis works. And of course the networks and hierarchies in nature are just two dimensions of the supersystem.

        • RedLogix 1.1.2.1

          It's a truly weird little set of videos that challenged even my capacity for meta-speculation. 🙂 I only linked to it for the concise network/governance explanation …

    • Ad 1.2

      Your point about co-design is pretty important in the field of large infrastructure works.

      The amount of proposal challenge and methodology rehearsal is often really intense for the first few months. Independent Estimators will come in whom are very experienced in their fields and will push and push your programme with challenge and it is relentless, and bruising.

      But what emerges out the other side – ideally – is a team who are deeply respectful of each others' expertise, and deeply cooperative. It means they face crises as if they were fascinating problems under a lot of time constraint.

      Not many jobs are as good as that, but the good ones really tilt the way whole networks operate, and in turn how whole strata of society behave within the network they are building.

      • Dennis Frank 1.2.1

        Yes, working models like that are the key to implementation. If folks observe how they work in one context, they can deduce the general features of the design and test the plan in other contexts.

        I think the point you make re collaboration & ensuing culture is vital. I recall the TVNZ workshop on Al Gore's information super-highway back in 92 while the internet was in take-off mode. It was voluntary but got a large attendance, and brainstorming options for how the corp ought to exploit it was worthwhile. Pay per view (on demand) can out of that. But implementation co-design was by experts of course, not involving most of us.

        Not everyone wants to be a player in the game of co-designing a better future, but if we had forums for that at least those motivated could get stuck in.

    • Ad 1.3

      Denis,

      Before RedL and I disappear up our own fufu valves, why don't you just do a post of the effect of network technology on the evolution of the democratized state.

      The Mounk book looks intriguing, but I am sure you could stretch your legs and apply it to New Zealand without going too dystopic.

      • Dennis Frank 1.3.1

        It's a great idea. I appreciate the vote of confidence yet I'm not well-placed to deliver at present (for various reasons) – am able to contribute small efforts but anything more ambitious would take more time than I have available. I will retain a focus on this perspective, for sure, since it is the zeitgeist, and will post piecemeal from time to time. I agree a synthesis & overview for Aotearoa would be an excellent project for someone with ambition & intellect. Better done by a middle-aged person!

        • Ad 1.3.1.1

          Well then, send a few paragraphs through to MickeyS and that can be sent on to me to co-write if you like. I think I fit the age bracket you want.

  2. David Slack (Stuff): Is it hot enough for you yet?

    We have just two choices, they both take us into the unknown, and we have to pick one: give up fossil fuels and move to sustainability, or remain unsustainable and live with the consequences.

    We don't have "just two choices".

    If we "give up fossil fuels" (and some go as far as saying or implying this should be immediate and total) the consequences would be enormous. Virtually no more flying. Virtually no more shipping. Drastically reduced private and public transport. Countries that rely a lot on on fossil fuels, like the US, China and Australia, would have extreme energy deficiencies, with no way of switching to electric transport to any degree.

    The flow on effects of these changes alone would have a massive impact on our way of life – and would cost lives. We rely on fossil fuels for emergency services.

    There would be massive impacts on food production and distribution.

    Any sort of rapid change away from fossil fuels would cause far more problems than continuing on much as we are.

    Slack has omitted the obvious choice – work towards alternative energy options as as quickly as we can – far more quickly than we are at present – but without putting civilisation on Earth at risk of catastrophic collapse.

    https://yournz.org/2020/01/12/just-two-choices-fossil-fuels-or-sustainability-no/

    • Robert Guyton 2.1

      David Slack though, didn't say, "(and some go as far as saying or implying this should be immediate and total) ", did he?

      • Sacha 2.1.1

        Must be how he missed the truly awful impact on all our emergency services. Will someone think of the children!

    • Robert Guyton 2.2

      Councillor raises concerns over oil drilling in Great South Basin

      "An OMV oil rig has begun drilling in the Great South Basin this week.

      The COSL Prospector is in place off the coast of Otago, between Dunedin and Invercargill, and in the process of drilling its first of what could be up to 10 exploration and appraisal wells.

      Environment Southland councillor Robert Guyton has raised concerns over the exploratory operation, which he said shows a disregard for the climate crisis.

      "All the fossil fuel they extract will end up as in the atmosphere as gigatons of greenhouse gases," he said. "

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/118711128/councillor-raises-concerns-over-oil-drilling-in-great-south-basin

    • RedLogix 2.3

      That's a good argument Pete. After decades of distrust and polarisation the boundaries on the debate are becoming clearer. Business as usual is ruled out; despite all the efforts of the fossil fuel companies to protect their profits … nature is batting last and she will take us down if we make no change.

      At the other extreme, the idea that AGW was somehow the opportunity to dismantle our industrial economies, power down and/or die-off needs to be clearly ruled out of bounds as well. The life of billions depends on them in a myriad of complex daily functions that most people have little awareness of. We will take ourselves down if we try to change everything.

      Nature provides the template, the correct response to a changing environment is adaptation. We take what we have, and use it to build systems better adapted. From an engineering perspective quite the opposite of 'power-down', we need vastly more high quality energy sources that will allows us to stop exploiting natural ones. It's not so much a case of merely substituting fossil carbon energy sources with renewables (although there is nothing wrong in that) … but to transition our entire industrial systems of production away from a dependence on consuming natural resources altogether. And that is quite a radical vision.

      • Robert Guyton 2.3.1

        But, but…RedLogix! You write: "Nature provides the template, the correct response to a changing environment is adaptation." This is valid when the "changing environment" is the result of "something/someone else" but when it's happening because of your own exhausts, you do something about that: stop creating them , reduce them to the point where they're not going to kill you or divert them elsewhere. Our deadliest exhaust comes from our fossil fuel consumption. I agree with the proposal that we rally the resource and use it to forge a new, liable environment, but there's precious little evidence that we are doing that or are going to do that; air travel is increasing, sales of petrol powered vehicles increasing etc. Seems more likely that, while engineering solutions are vastly preferable, rough and ready, pretty ugly outcomes will be the change we should expect. The "pragmatists" you described last week only act when the chips are down and by that time, opportunities to engineer our way out of the calamity are lost, yes?

        • RedLogix 2.3.1.1

          My comment above takes a high level, long-term view of the challenge. In the short term I agree with everything you say; it's damned discouraging to say the least.

          We are all to some degree (even the marvellous Greta) part of the problem, we are all inextricably part of industrial system that is the problem. Ditch the shame and blame, it's not your fault. Engineers know that 99% of the time when there is an industrial accident the proximate cause may well be some individual fuckup, but the root cause often lies in systemic decisions and processes that happened years earlier.

          Ditch the ideologies; this is a complex challenge with many moving parts. There is no single silver bullet (not even the MSR machines I've been describing on another thread). Atmospheric CO2 balance is for all of it's depressing magnitude only part of the problem. How we manage the planet's living systems, oceans, forests and savannah's is an equally massive question. We need more wilderness not less.

          No single individual has all the answers, but collectively we have many, many levers available to us … we need to try them all and see which ones work, which ones don't. Again that's natural selection … how nature does it.

          I understand and deeply respect your skill with permaculture; it's not opposed to my skill at industry at all. The two must be made to complement each other, not oppose. At the moment us industrialists are still struggling with legacy systems from our biological past. For millions of years our sole source of energy was the sun, and the very low quality, diffuse energy we got from photosynthesis. Then we discovered coal and oil, a legacy from millions of years stored in a magically concentrated form, but still tightly coupled to the natural world.

          Then we discovered nuclear fission and within a century we will likely have fusion … the source of energy from the heart of the sun itself. At this point we will have a concentrated, virtually unlimited source of energy that is highly decoupled from the natural world. We will have transitioned from being children of the natural world, to being it's custodians. And then men and women like yourself will assume your rightful, honoured place.

          • Robert Guyton 2.3.1.1.1

            Thank for expanding your original ideas, RedLogix. I have a son who is a talented mechanical engineer and very astute thinker who blends engineer-think with wild-think and creates exquisite solutions to all manner of challenges, so I'm able to understand (I hope) what you are driving at. At the same time, I'm a councillor on a regional council where the engineers, the (ghosts of) catchment guys who designed the stop banks, changed the course of rivers, straightened and drained etc. still influence thinking around resource management, giving me cause to question whether the answers to present challenges can come from engineers at all. I'm conflicted. Should I give credence to the mechanical guys or the indigenous shamans, plant my potatoes in heaped rows or naturalise them under the canopy of a forest? Energy is seen as the centre the issue; do we need to replace fossil fuels with an equivalent sustainable/non-destructive energy source, or is changing our culture of excessive consumption of energy the only realistic way forward? I enjoyed your proposals re; left-meets-right, visionaries-hold-hands-with-pragmatists presented here on TS the other day and while I'm backing your conclusion and determination to back cooperation for the win, I'm not feeling yet, that we have the will, the time, the intellect, to make it fly.

            • RedLogix 2.3.1.1.1.1

              LOL … yes us engineers are the usual mixed bunch, innovators and 'arrggh the old ways are the best' (in broadest Scottish brogue) all mixed up in the same profession. What we all share however is an abiding pragmatism … to a fault.

              Energy is seen as the centre the issue; do we need to replace fossil fuels with an equivalent sustainable/non-destructive energy source, or is changing our culture of excessive consumption of energy the only realistic way forward?

              Yes energy is the central issue, or at least a big meta-narrative shortcut to a whole bundle of issues. Can I suggest an answer that's implicit in your question … yes we consume a lot of energy and resources … but what if we could do this in a manner that was not harmful to the planet, and therefore not excessive?

              • Robert Guyton

                " but what if we could do this in a manner that was not harmful to the planet, and therefore not excessive?"

                Of course. Mind you, given the harm we've already done, we'd better devise systems that improve the state of the planet, rather than simply not harm her any more than we already have. I struggle to agree that replacing fossil fuels with something harmless will a. happen, b. do much good, in that it'll allow all of our other degradations to continue at pace; if we can get away with transitioning seamlessly to a new wonder energy supply, why would we stop cutting down forests, pillaging the oceans etc?

                • RedLogix

                  Good challenging points.

                  if we can get away with transitioning seamlessly to a new wonder energy supply, why would we stop cutting down forests, pillaging the oceans etc?

                  Looking back into our history the main reason why we make big transitional technology changes is that the new tech is cheaper and more efficient. It's why buggy whips are now consigned to museums and online BDSM stores. Similarly we will stop flogging the planet for resources when we can access them in more efficient ways.

                  Let me spell out my thoughts on 'how to get there'. A sort of summary of the past week or two.

                  For most of our evolution we relied on photosynthesis, a dilute and very low quality energy source. The societies we built on this basis were often very clever and quite sophisticated, but always ran into the hard limits of their energy supply. Once they got to a certain size they outgrew the carrying capacity of the territory available to them.

                  Then we learned how to burn coal in efficient steam boilers (the Babcock Wilcox steam tube boilers are an often underappreciated breakthrough tech that dramatically improved the thermodynamic efficiency of coal burning, these are the machines which really powered industrialisation.) This enabled us to bootstrap an industrial civilisation that has so far outstripped anything prior, and at the same time human population has increased at least six-fold. But coal and oil are just stored, concentrated sunlight from millions of years ago, they remain part of the carbon cycle. We cannot use them indefinitely, they have served their role as transitional energy sources but the end must be planned for aggressively.

                  Solar PV and wind are also great transitional technologies, they enable us to create high quality energy directly from the sun without unbalancing the carbon cycle, but they remain diffuse and require vast amounts of land and resources to implement at the scale necessary.

                  Nuclear fission and fusion both promise to break this trap, they offer energy sources that are high quality, concentrated and zero carbon. By tapping the energy of the sun directly, instead of the indirect, diffuse and weak forms that arrive as sunlight we finally decouple from the need to exploit nature in order to build civilisations. It's my view the advantages will be so compelling that all prior tech will simply fade away.

                  I realise this is a restatement of much I've already said above. I'm also aware in vivid detail of exactly how we fucked up the opportunity to do nuclear fission safely and effectively; it's a very long and sobering story that I could write a small book on. Others have. I don't want to be seen minimising the very real fears and often justified objections people do have toward existing fission tech. I long understood it to be flawed and my view on that has never changed, if some idiot proposed building a PWR station in NZ I'd be in the queue to lie down in front of the bulldozers. But I truly believe MSR’s are our second chance at getting this right.

                  Eventually we will solve the nuclear fusion puzzle. That has to be the destination to keep in mind. It would change everything, it would reshape how we do everything technical and industrial in ways I can only dimly glimpse. But for instance, it would mean we could directly extract excess CO2 from the atmosphere at a meaningful rate to get climate back into balance far sooner. Or we could extract bulk metals directly from the ocean, and recycle materials close to 100%.

                  For decades now the left has trapped itself into an apparently hopeless bind; we knew that we couldn't continue to consume resources as the developed world was doing, but leaving the developing world in poverty was neither morally supportable, nor sustainable for the environment anyway. What I'm suggesting here may be a path through this.

                  I've focused here on just restating my vision from an energy perspective, but this is only one layer to the narrative. Every time we progress to a new technology, huge social and political upheaval and transformation comes along for the ride. But this comment is way overlong already.

                  • Robert Guyton

                    Thanks, RedLogix…but…I think I understand your reasoning and certainly I admire your faith in energy technologies and humans' ability to increase its sophistication, but I gotta say, and this is a big sticking point for me, if there's no metanoiac change in
                    human culture, the next iteration of "energised humans" will just hasten our demise through the effects of our other, associated behaviours. I don't see, and I can't see where you've explained, how our culture (dissociated from other living things, selfishly exploitative etc.) will change. You wrote: "Similarly we will stop flogging the planet for resources when we can access them in more efficient ways." but I find that impossible to believe; old habits, old, old, old habits especially, are seemingly impossible to break. Why, for example, would a society stop favouring tourism, with it's peripheral damages; poo on the roadsides, homogenising of cultures, exploitation of locals, desecration of previously pristine sites, simply because we can power our "tourist vehicles" with safe renewable energy? I can't see that replacing a destructive energy with a benign one would change those other, equally planet-destroying "habits" we've developed. You state your confidence in the transformative power of … the new power, by saying: "Every time we progress to a new technology, huge social and political upheaval and transformation comes along for the ride. " and perhaps you might cite some of the benevolent, world-enhancing changes that occurred when humans shifted from say, wood to coal; changes that didn't simply exacerbate the problem that is the humans race. I know advances in medicine etc. can be thought of as "good" but have they helped or hindered us/humankind in our "mission" to live sustainably, or for that matter live for any length of time, on the earth?

                    • RedLogix

                      and perhaps you might cite some of the benevolent, world-enhancing changes that occurred when humans shifted from say, wood to coal;

                      Our wood burning permaculture ancestors were very smart, tough people, I admire them intensely. But no matter how good they were, they could never break the tyranny of photosynthesis.

                      When we got coal, we got far more besides. Our culture, our politics and our sensibilities changed as well. We got the end of chattel slavery. The emancipation of women from domestic drudgery. The provision of safe water and sewerage treatment. Universal education and suffrage. A doubling of human life expectancy.

                      With oil we got a freedom to travel and our personal horizons became global. The narrow boundaries of our villages and cities were overcome by global trade, communication and the movement of services and capital.

                      Yet in the view I outline above, all of this is a transitional phase, albeit a turbulent one. The 'energy miracle' I'm proposing would almost certainly have a profound social and moral impact. While I can dimly visualise it's industrial implications, I can only broadly guess at it's political ones. But it's my guess that it would become the platform to enable us to do globalisation properly …

                      Your question has gotten me thinking though. Jonathon Haidt has written about a proposed sixth moral value … liberty. A much misunderstood virtue, most people imagine this to be the freedom to do anything you please. In truth quite the opposite, true freedom is found in submission to ethical constraints. Maybe a society released from the tyranny of ancient natural constraints, must indeed adopt new ones of a higher order that it might survive at all.

                    • Graeme

                      Here you get to the reality of our problem Robert.

                      At some point in our evolution we went from being Homo sapiens, the wise, to Homo destructor, the destroyer. (I've taken the liberty of re-clasifing our species as Varroa has been re-clasified) If we don't change our intrinsic behaviour we will destroy our host environment in the same way that Varroa will destroy a bee colony if left to it.

                      The question is how is that behaviour changed and is it possible with out quite drastic intervention. Maintaining a bee colony certainly requires pretty drastic intervention.

                      What interventions would you propose, and how would you rate their chances of success?

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      Thanks to the desperate natural enthusiasm of a few to break the bonds of (sometimes poorly understood) natural limits ("the tyranny of photosynthesis"; "the tyranny of ancient natural constraints"), humankind has achieved amazing understanding at breakneck pace.

                      The application of this knowledge has led to humankind's greatest achievement – no, it's not the ability to goes charging up pristine streams in gas-guzzling 4WD vehicles; the 'achievement' is 7.8 billion and counting. The planet, and all its other inhabitants have been figuratively bent over backwards to suffer the growing pains of 'our' increasingly unnatural existence – what are ‘we‘ transitioning to?

                      A recent fictitious advertisement urges (very wealthy) prospective clients to live in "A world of fantasy", "A world without consequences"; to "Live without limits" – so appealing; what could possibly go wrong?!!!

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ikexZ1PLw

                    • RedLogix

                      @Drowsy

                      I see that you still find 7.8b humans an inconvenient and bothersome number. I have a link for you.

                      And yes the world we already live in is beyond the wildest imaginings of our great grandparents. What makes you think another 200 years will not see even more change?

                    • pat

                      @ Drowsy

                      not a Fallon Worldwide campaign by any chance?

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      Red, as one of the 7.8 billion I personally find that number neither inconvenient nor bothersome, although I can understand why it would be convenient for you to believe this. Whether or not ‘7.8 billion‘ is “inconvenient” for the other amazing species of planet earth is something we could consider asking together.

                      Do you find natural limits inconvenient and bothersome? I don't – "A man's got to know his limitations." wink

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      @pat: Thanks; needed some tracking down, and yes, "Less is More", not to mention "Small is Beautiful".

                      https://iwmarketing.wordpress.com/tag/fallon/

                      A contrarian opinion might be "Go Big or Go Home", except we're already home.

                      I gave the dice a roll
                      And then we lost control
                      You know we're lucky that we survived
                      'Cause when we jumped the ship
                      Oh, man, that boat, it flipped
                      But we should do it all again tonight

                      I'm thinking life's too short it's passing by
                      So if we're gonna go at all
                      Go big or go

                      go big or go home
                      (Go go) go big or go home
                      (Go go) go big or go home
                      (Go go) go big or go home
                      (Go go) go big or go home

                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Big_or_Go_Home_(song)

                    • pat

                      @ Drowsy

                      Just realised its not a real ad though its theme echoes Citibank's (by Fallon Worldwide) "live richly" campaign….just before the GFC and their bailout

                    • RedLogix

                      @Drowsy

                      Just small tug on your chain 🙂

                      And that 7.8b is slated to rise about another 20% or so before it peaks at around 10b. Assuming nothing catastrophic happens.

                      As I've said earlier, that means that for every 1 person already stressing the planet from an industrial resource perspective, there are going to be another 9 demanding to join us. Excluding them is not morally supportable, and doesn't help much because the poor are tough on the environment in different ways.

                      I think we agree on what a profound paradox and challenge this represents. It's my view the only way forward is to transform our industrial civilisation so that it can support 10b people living fully developed lives, fully engaged in the modern world. And the only way to achieve that is to develop clean, concentrated, high quality energy sources at massive scale.

                      Yes it could all go wrong, but in my view it's our best bet.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram

                      "It's my view the only way forward is to transform our industrial civilisation so that it can support 10b people living fully developed lives, fully engaged in the modern world."

                      @Red: We agree that's a great goal; such ambitions for the future set humankind on the path to where we are now, and it's been a great path for me.

                      There are several ways to transform our civilisation(s) now; IMHO it would seem unwise to have no backup for a path that relies on limitless clean energy, just in case that energy generation isn’t realised, or is realised and doesn’t solve ‘our‘ other ‘disbelief in limits‘ problems.

                    • Robert Guyton

                      Graeme. I appreciate your reclassification suggestions, but don't quite agree with what you've come up with smiley You said:

                      "At some point in our evolution we went from being Homo sapiens, the wise, to Homo destructor, the destroyer."

                      I wonder if a better model might be the Matriarchal/Patriarchal model, where the homogenous "wise" Goddess societies are contrasted with the hierarchical "destructor" God-King societies; the former being holistically linked to and mindful of all living things and the latter being what we have now in the Western World.

                      You also wrote:

                      " If we don't change our intrinsic behaviour we will destroy our host environment " and it's the word "intrinsic" that cried out to me there: what is our nature? As primates, we functioned as other primates do today, primarily as a male-dominated hierarchy; the males have bigger bodies, teeth and doses of testosterone (this is rough science, I'm sure there will be exceptions) Perhaps we are bound to behave this way until we are extinct, but perhaps not (I think, not) as there have been and are examples of "goddess" societies throughout our development from little primates to what we are now, where cooperation, altruism, kindness; love essentially, was the essential quality. To me, this is where the solution to our present predicament lies.

                      You ask: "What interventions would you propose, and how would you rate their chances of success? "

                      I propose that we adopt the ways of the goddess societies, think like them, feel like them, behave like them, talk like them, use their language, do as they do/did and see what eventuates. I know this sounds entirely un-pragmatic and frustrating to the civilised humans that we now are, but the model we're presently using and have been victim to for the past 10 000 years isn't serving us very well, is it.

    • Robert Guyton 2.4

      I followed your "selfie-link" Pete. You wrote,

      "We also have problems on both sides of the climate change debate."

      Like you said of David Slack, "We don't have "just two choices"."

      • Pete George 2.4.1

        I'm not sure what you're getting at here.

        But of course the important choices need to be made somewhere between the extremes of doing nothing, and stopping using fossil fuels and changing the world's democratic and economic systems.

        It isn't clear what choices will be best for us – it's impossible to be sure how changes will pan out.

        The noise on the extremes seems to dominate. I think our Government should be doing much more to lead discussion about which choices we should be making, and should be doing much more to initiate changes much quicker than seems apparent.

  3. Robert Guyton 3

    Lord Monckton on " the childish myth that global warming caused the bushfires in Australia."

    Using the phrase, "swivel-eyed loon" as a tag would be childish, I suppose.

    Here's the dnl smiley

    https://archive.md/umEZH

    • RedLogix 3.1

      Childish maybe, I'd go much further. Monckton crossed over the line years ago; he is an outsider.

  4. Dennis Frank 4

    Yascha Mounk just got a new job. "Late last year, he was hired by Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies as an associate professor of the practice of International Affairs." https://theoutline.com/post/7123/yascha-mounk-tells-people-what-they-want-to-hear?zd=1&zi=g2jdqdru

    Having ascended to the pinnacle of global influence by age 36, he has attracted the wealthy & powerful enough to warrant an in-depth examination of his cultural impact.

    "His canny embrace of the thought-leader hustle has coincided with the rise of what political theorist Corey Robin recently called the Historovox, a “complex of scholars and journalists” colluding to produce a “new genre of journalism that forgoes the pedestrian task of reporting the news in favor of explaining it through the lens of academic research.” These explainers — as frequently published in the New York Times and Washington Post as at Vox or Slate — combine the news cycle’s myopic presentism with a pseudo-academic appreciation for longue durée, a frothy mixture that cheapens the value of empirical reporting and historical analysis both, perfectly suited for an audience intoxicated by “context.”"

    "Mounk, with an academic background in political theory and a perch from which to opine on the day’s news, is well positioned to play both sides of this game. It doesn’t really matter, in the Historovox, whether Mounk’s theories about liberalism or his ramshackle historiography are correct or well-regarded in the academy. The important thing is that they’re intelligible to a general audience and reducible to 1,500 words."

    "But it’s not only writing and speaking gigs that have kept Mounk busy. In March 2017, Tony Blair funnelled £10 million ($13.2 million) from his foundation into a “non-party platform” called “Renewing the Centre” to be run out of his eponymous Institute for Global Change, and hired Mounk to oversee it. “Renewing the Centre” is the newest of the Blair Institute’s four pillars, which also include “Co-existence,” “Governance,” and “Middle East.”"

    Best way to renew the centre is by making it genuinely progressive. I wonder if Mounk will think of that? His profile writer is unimpressed. Not having read much of the book (see #1) yet, I'm reserving judgment.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    59 mins ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 hour ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    8 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    9 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T04:06:14+00:00