I’m so tired of you America
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- Date published:
12:04 pm, January 28th, 2019 - 61 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, Donald Trump, International, Politics, us politics -
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With Rufus Wainwright coming to town in early March, here’s a song about the politics of the United States that’s a decade old, but has weathered well into the age of Trump:
You can decide if you prefer the orchestrated George Michael version.
It’s not that hard most mornings to get struck by a sense that our little country is one of the last of the functioning democracies. Plenty of damage done here. Plenty good done here better than much of the world. It’s OK to say that.
It’s getting harder to even wake up and hear of the latest outrage to political decency in the United States. Many would prefer to have their existing prejudices about the United States government perpetually reinforced; that it never did any good, that its actions in the world are never intended for good, that it always damages the world. Plenty including Hardt and Negri, Chomsky, and Greenwald, can take you there if you want.
Wearingly, we’ve got several years of Trump’s politics whether he stays or goes. His presence, his actions and the court cases to come loom so powerful that U.S. politics and media discourse about politics will be irrevocably darkened. It’s not a side-show; it’s his necessary task to liquefy public life and public accountability in order to sustain his share within the global 1% and the interests of all others within that 1%.
Wainwright is singing of codes within such practices for weaponising evangelical Christianity through racism, homophobia, and misogyny as America does now so efficiently. Beyond specific politicians, this song speaks to a particular disgusted weariness.
Wainwright’s video pitches his plight from a concrete cell.
George Michael goes full operatic, amplifying the symbols into loudspeakers.
The words roll melancholic down either way:
I may just never see you again or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I’m going to a town that has already been burnt down
I’m so tired of you America.”
Sometimes songs say it better than the theory.
I’m so tired of you America.
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- More Police deployed to the frontlineMore Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...6 days ago
- Further support for upper North Island regions hit by significant weatherThe Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...6 days ago
- The Princess Royal to visit New ZealandPrime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...6 days ago
- Government and horticulture sector target $12b in exports by 2035A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...7 days ago
- Cost of living support extended for families and businesses25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...1 week ago
- More Kiwis in work as rising wages match inflationThe strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...1 week ago
- Government boosts fund for Auckland floodingThe Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...1 week ago
- New Cabinet focused on bread and butter issuesThe new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister to meet with PM AlbanesePrime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...1 week ago
- Government makes first payment to Auckland Flooding fundThe Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...2 weeks ago
- Government steps up to assist Auckland during floodingAs the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare HarawiraKa papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...2 weeks ago
- Enhanced Task Force Green Approved following Cyclone HaleCarmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...2 weeks ago
- Could the media merger be dumped today?
It’s Wednesday, February 8 and welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates – coming to you today from Wellington. I’m Stewart Sowman-Lund, reach me on [email protected] What you need to know Chris Hipkins will chair the first meeting of his new cabinet. He will front a post-cabinet press ...1 hour ago - After the flood: a Māngere evacuee recalls that terrible Friday, and what happened nextIt’s been a rough ride since Louisa Opeteia hopped out of bed to find herself standing in a rising tide, but she’s grateful for the little things: a hot meal and the helping hands of friends, family and kind strangers. Friday morning, January 27. Louisa Opetaia of Māngere noticed the ...1 hour ago
- ‘Far from ideal’: PM says incorrect living cost payments should be returnedThousands of people mistakenly paid the government’s cost of living payment have chosen not to repay it. And while the department responsible for sending out that money won’t say whether it’s disappointed by the lack of repayments, the prime minister was happy to express his views. Stuff has today revealed ...3 hours ago
- The truth about new housing and the Auckland floodsA pair of Auckland councillors have leveraged the city’s flood disaster to protest government’s legislation enabling more medium density housing. Hayden Donnell says our elected representatives would be better off pointing the finger at themselves. As residents across her ward worked to clean out their waterlogged houses, Mt Eden-Puketāpapa councillor ...3 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Removal of prescription fee could significantly improve health of NZersResearchers from the University of Otago are “strongly” recommending the $5 fee to get a prescription filled be removed as a “simple way to reduce health inequities”. A new study has found removing the fee could significantly reduce the number of hospital admissions and length of hospital stays. The findings, published ...3 hours ago
- Policy chops to start from today, signals PMWe’ve known since the earliest moments of Chris Hipkins’ premiership that some of the unwieldy policy agenda of Jacinda Ardern was up for the chop. And now, about two weeks since being sworn in, the prime minister has confirmed the chopping block will be on display at today’s 3pm post-cabinet ...3 hours ago
- No need for truth and reconciliation commission 'at this point' – Chris Hipkins
Chris Hipkins says the mechanism already exists through the existing Treaty settlement process. ...4 hours ago - Quake could be one of deadliest in last 100 yearsThe death toll for the quake that hit Turkey and Northern Syria may reach 20,000. For Syrians, the quake has struck a population already overwhelmed by the impacts of war, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full ...4 hours ago
- One-quarter Of Kiwi Adults Have Fallen Victim To Online Dating Or Romance Scams
Norton, a leading Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today published the New Zealand findings from a global study about online dating, associated scams, and attitudes about online stalking. The 2023 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report (NCSIR), conducted online ...5 hours ago - Two major announcements about Australia’s defence force are imminent. Here’s what to expect
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University The United States’ shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend points to international security affairs being on a knife edge. It follows ...5 hours ago - The TGA has approved certain psychedelic treatments: the response from experts is mixedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Liknaitzky, Head of Clinical Psychedelic Research, Monash University Collaborative care teams will need to be established for safe treatment. Author provided A few days ago, the Australian drug regulator – the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) – surprised experts around the world ...5 hours ago
- ‘We need to restore the land’: as coal mines close, here’s a community blueprint to sustain th...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Crofts, Doctoral Student, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock The decline of the coal industry means 17 mines in the New South Wales Hunter Valley will close over the next two decades. More than 130,000 hectares of ...5 hours ago
- Whether it’s a new teacher or class – here’s what to do when your child is not loving itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Jefferson, Senior Lecturer in Education, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock The first signs were the half-eaten lunches coming home from high school. This was in stark contrast to the primary school years, where the box looked as if a demolition ...5 hours ago
- Titanic at 25: like the ship itself, James Cameron’s film is a bit of a wreckSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Sparkes, Senior Lecturer (Media Studies and Production), University of Southern Queensland Disney When it was released 25 years ago, James Cameron’s Titanic was enormous. It made stars of its two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Reviews overwhelmingly heaped ...5 hours ago
- How worried are universities about ChatGPT?AI writing tools are free, easy to use and already everywhere. But is it cheating to use them to help write an essay? Shanti Mathias spoke to New Zealand academics about AI’s place in education. When California company Open AI released its ChatGPT tool to the public last November, social ...6 hours ago
- When Chippy met Albo: The PM’s six-hour whirlwind tour of CanberraChris Hipkins’ first overseas trip as prime minister heralded few surprises. But, as Stewart Sowman-Lund reports from Canberra, that’s exactly what he will have wanted. It’s been just two weeks since Chris Hipkins was sworn in as prime minister, a fortnight that has seen him deal with devastating flooding, formalise ...6 hours ago
- Govt payments to help flood-hit Aucklanders inadequate for many, Greens sayThe Green Party wants the government to double the maximum amount it is paying out to flood-affected Aucklanders, through the Civil Defence payments. ...7 hours ago
- Covid-19 health funding quietly halved
The money the health system has to fight Covid-19 in the first half of 2023 is less than half of what it had in the second half of 2022, Marc Daalder reports Staff on the Covid-19 response have been terminated or quietly reassigned to other health issues as funding to ...9 hours ago - To kill a pig
Bow and arrow hunting There was a certain time of year I really used to live for: camping over the Christmas break. I was 15 in the Christmas of 1976 and up to that point I'd shot a heap of goats and smaller game, but the thought of maybe getting ...9 hours ago - Are foreign students coming back?
International education used to be a massive earner for New Zealand. With the borders finally open, are foreign students returning? Macleans College in East Auckland used to have more international students than any other school in the country. Then, the pandemic hit and turned it upside down. Principal Steve Hargreaves doesn't ...9 hours ago - Climate risk in an unfair world
Meg Parsons and Iresh Jayawardena explain why managing climate risk is a complex social justice issue Commentary and coverage of the floods in Auckland has so far focused on the severity of the flood, loss of life and injuries, damage to buildings, homes, roads and other infrastructure, on the number of people ...9 hours ago - Auckland was struggling even before the historic flooding
A successful Minister for Auckland could foreshadow a substantially revised Cities and Regions government focus Opinion: There’s little doubt Auckland is in need of substantial ministering. It’s not just the biblical-scale deluge and resulting significant damage the region has experienced. It’s the historical sins of omission and some of commission ...9 hours ago - Hipkins' energy – and inexperience – on display in Australia visit
Chris Hipkins’ first offshore trip as leader went without a hitch, albeit with a low bar to clear. The challenge now is ensuring that Australian rhetoric around expat rights becomes reality, while Hipkins himself needs to figure out his own foreign policy agenda. Sam Sachdeva reports, in Canberra. Given the ...9 hours ago - Christchurch offers waterlogged Auckland three brutal lessons in resilience
Former Chch mayor Lianne Dalziel tells the lessons they learnt the hard way ...9 hours ago - Bringing banks to social account
It’s time banks stop assuming everyone can manage technology, ...9 hours ago - Battle over funding infrastructure for 60,000-person housing project
Funding massive growth is a tall order for a cash-strapped Auckland Council, but developers warn hefty contributions push up house prices. ...9 hours ago - When abortion swayed elections
Felicity Goodyear-Smith looks back at just how political the issue of abortion was in New Zealand On Wednesday March 25, 2020 New Zealand moved to nationwide self-isolation in response to the Covid 19 pandemic. Unless essential, there were to be no face-to-face primary care consultations. I work full-time as a professor of general ...9 hours ago - Possum hunter leaves bush for Blues
From purging possums and saving kiwi, to leading the Tui and turning out for the Blues, rugby record breaker Krysten Cottrell has a fascinating combination of careers, Suzanne McFadden discovers. Krysten Cottrell spends her week deep in the bush of the Kaweka Range, searching for dead rats and possums - and then ...9 hours ago - IRD wants visibility of crypto assets
Greater visibility over who in NZ owns cryptocurrency would reduce tax avoidance, tax officials told the Revenue Minister. ...9 hours ago - Daily crossword, Wednesday 8 February
...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 February
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - Former FBC head’s pay package – ‘We have proof’, says AmritBy Ian Chute in Suva Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) board chairman Ajay Bhai Amrit says he has receipts to prove former FBC chief executive officer Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum received an annual package of $387,790 including benefits and entitlements. He said this worked out to $32,315 a month and that the board ...14 hours ago
- PNG military ‘won’t sit back’ after soldiers ambushed, warns chiefPNG Post-Courier PNG Defence Force Commander Major-General Mark Goina says “appropriate force” will be dealt to the gunmen who ambushed and wounded two soldiers in Saugurap, Enga Province, last week. In a statement Major-General Goina said: “A section from the PNGDF contingent deployed in Enga Province were on routine duty, ...14 hours ago
- Word from The Hill: Government should set date for Voice to start talkingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...19 hours ago
- RBA warns of at least 2 more interest rate rises in coming months, as the economic outlook worsensSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe. Lukas Coch/AAP Australia’s cash rate has hit 3.35%, after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the ninth time in a row – and signalled ...19 hours ago
- The new climate denial? Using wealth to insulate yourself from discomfort and changeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Della Bosca, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney Shutterstock While the days of overt climate denial are mostly over, there’s a distinct form of denial emerging in its stead. You may have experienced ...20 hours ago
- Government to donate $1.5m to help Türkiye and Syria with disaster responseNew Zealand will provide the aid to Türkiye and Syria following devastating earthquakes in both countries. ...20 hours ago
- Cyclone due to hit North Island set to form a day earlierA potential cyclone that could bring more severe wet weather to the upper North Island is now forecast to form a day earlier, Stuff reports. Due to ideal cyclone-formation conditions over the Coral Sea, a low south of the Solomon Islands has a high chance of turning into a cyclone ...21 hours ago
- Why the second It movie compelled me to write my first novelAuthor I.S. Belle reveals the top five influences on her debut LGBT horror/paranormal YA novel, Zombabe. Zombabe is a LGBT found family horror/paranormal YA about a group of friends putting down an ancient evil inextricably linked to their sleepy town of Bulldeen, Maine. Does all of that bring anything to ...21 hours ago
- Watch live: PMs Hipkins and Albanese hold joint press conferenceNew Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese are holding a joint press conference in Canberra. Watch live here. ...21 hours ago
- NZ pledges $1.5m humanitarian aid in earthquake-stricken Turkey and SyriaThe New Zealand government is providing $1.5 million in humanitarian support to those affected by destructive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last night, foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. The contribution of $1m to Turkey and $500,000 to Syria will be made via the International Federation of Red Cross and ...21 hours ago
- David Seymour’s plague on both your ChrissesIn a state-of-the-nation-style lunchtime speech in Auckland today, the leader of the Act Party has taken aim at both major party leaders. “Throughout this speech,” David Seymour told supporters at the Maritime Museum, “I will do my best to differentiate between the Chrisses, but it may not be easy.” Seymour ...21 hours ago
- ‘Good to see you… g’day’: Hipkins and Albanese meet for the first timeIn Canberra Chris Hipkins has met with Australia’s Anthony Albanese in Canberra, exchanging a few brief words to gathered reporters before heading inside for a closed doors meeting. Hipkins was driven into the courtyard of Parliament House, where he was greeted by Albanese in person. “Welcome prime minister,” said Albanese. A beaming ...21 hours ago
- The curious case of Adrian Hailwood and the duplicate dressesThe acclaimed fashion designer has been crowned the ‘undisputed king of the frock’ – but with identical dresses widely available on fast fashion outlets, questions are being asked about his design practices. This story was first published on Stuff. He has been described as the “knight of New Zealand fashion”, his ...21 hours ago
- Waiting for AlboIn Canberra New Zealand’s media pack has arrived at Australia’s parliament ahead of this afternoon’s visit from prime minister Chris Hipkins. The PM will be met by his counterpart Anthony Albanese in the courtyard of parliament house, before heading inside for a closed doors meeting. Following the 45 minute meeting, ...21 hours ago
- $22 million funding injection approved by Cabinet to arts, culture and heritage sectorTwo new funding initiatives, totalling $22 million, have been approved by Cabinet today to help ensure the cultural sector has the “certainty and support to thrive”, announced Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. $10 million of Covid-19 recovery funding will support established arts, cultural and diversity festivals, while $12 ...21 hours ago
- Newsletter: February 7 2023 – Items of interest and importance todayNew Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance today WAITANGI, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Thomas Cranmer: Waitangi Day and the quiet revolution Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Waitangi in 2023: Plenty ...22 hours ago
- ACT's Seymour targets National, co-governance in speechACT leader David Seymour has delivered a speech painting National and Labour as two sides of the same coin, and calling co-governance a "culture war". ...22 hours ago
- Earthquake footage shows Turkey’s buildings collapsing like pancakes. An expert explains whySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Quigley, Associate Professor of Earthquake Science, The University of Melbourne Mustafa Karali / AP A pair of huge earthquakes have struck in Turkey, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and unknown numbers injured or displaced. The first quake, ...23 hours ago
- NZ’s health system has been under pressure for decades. Reforms need to think big and long-term to...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Gauld, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean, University of Otago Getty Images As New Zealand’s COVID cases rose in 2021, we were warned the virus would put significant pressure on our health system. But, in reality, New Zealand’s medical system has been ...23 hours ago
- The cancer gap between First Nations and non-Indigenous people is widening – but better data could...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kalinda Griffiths, Scientia lecturer, UNSW Sydney Getty/Marianne Purdie Cancer figures provide stark evidence of the gap between the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people in Australia. The difference is confronting – and it’s increasing over ...23 hours ago
- Watch: Chris Hipkins and Anthony Albanese hold joint media conferenceNZ Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have used a joint media conference to affirm the nations' relationship is that of "family". ...23 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Senator Malarndirri McCarthy on Alice Springs and the Voice.Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Alcohol bans are being reimposed on Northern Territory Indigenous communities, as the federal and territory governments grapple with intractable problems in Alice Springs and elsewhere in the NT. The situation in Alice Springs and the ...23 hours ago
- I had 11 years of pain and patronising advice before my endometriosis was diagnosedI was told to avoid gluten. I was told it was all in my head. When 10% of women experience endometriosis, why does it take so long for its classic symptoms to be recognised? It was 2011 when I had my first period. It felt like a very exciting moment ...23 hours ago
- Hipkins reunites with an old friend ahead of Canberra business meetingIn Canberra Chris Hipkins has touched down in Australia’s capital – his first overseas visit since becoming prime minister just three weeks ago. After disembarking from the Airforce Boeing, Hipkins was greeted by his former caucus colleague and current high commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King. The pair hugged on ...1 day ago
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- F Is For Fail: Grading The Ministry Of Education’s Flood ResponseSchool, finally, is back this week in the nation’s largest city to howls of relief from many parents and (one hopes) some students also. Yet the resumption of normal service shouldn’t obscure a curious inconsistency. The past few weeks have shown ...1 day ago
- TVNZ merger response raises eyebrows
MediaRoom column: On the eve of a Cabinet decision on the fate of the proposed public broadcasting merger, questions emerge over the engagement by the TVNZ chief executive of two former National government aides to change the narrative and push TVNZ's view on the Government's plan Within weeks of taking over ...1 day ago - Are organic vegetable boxes better value than the supermarket?Olivia Sisson performs a good old-fashioned cost comparison – and it might change the way you buy your veges. The price of food in New Zealand is shocking. So, how to cope? The recommendations are starting to feel like the avo-toast-flat-white trope. Cut those items out and there it is, ...1 day ago
- Fire Leading To Mass Chicken Death Reveals Gaping Flaws In Aotearoa’s Animal Welfare SystemAn early morning fire at an egg-laying farm in Orini, Waikato yesterday has claimed the lives of at least 50,000 hens. The farm is operated by New Zealand’s largest egg producer Zeagold, the country’s biggest egg producer, whose eggs are sold under ...1 day ago
- Feds: RMA Dog Set To Be An Even Bigger Monster Under Government ReformThe Natural and Built Environment Bill and Spatial Planning Bill will make resource management issues worse and should be withdrawn, Federated Farmers has told the Environment Select Committee. "Farmers agree the costly, slow and unpredictable processes ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: New police minister wants to speed up reduction of number of dairies that can sell cig...New police minister Stuart Nash has met with new health minister Ayesha Verrall to talk about the issue with the aim of preventing ram raids. Nash wants to speed up the scheduled reduction of dairies that can sell cigarettes. Nash made the comments at a police graduation ceremony in Porirua last ...1 day ago
- Chris Hipkins to meet with Anthony Albanese in CanberraIt’s Tuesday, February 7 and welcome to a special edition of The Spinoff’s live updates. Stewart Sowman-Lund will be on the ground in Canberra today as PM Chris Hipkins meets with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. What you need to know Chris Hipkins will meet Australian PM ...1 day ago
- Was there really less politics at Waitangi?Politicking by politicians was less overt but whether there was less politics probably depends on your definition of the word and what lay beneath the optics, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...1 day ago
- Money Sweetspot wants to change the finance industry for goodWhy is it becoming harder to achieve debt-free status? Money Sweetspot is a new company that uses compassion and incentives to help people pay off their debts. Co-founder Sasha Lockley talks to Simon about using gamification to increase financial literacy, breaking the cycle of poverty, and how she intends to ...1 day ago
- PM Hipkins heads abroad for first meeting with a world leaderPrime minister Chris Hipkins is heading to Australia today for his first face-to-face meeting with an international leader. He’ll be meeting with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese during his single-day visit to Canberra. The Spinoff live updates will be on the ground in Australia as the meeting takes place and ...1 day ago
- Yes, masks reduce the risk of spreading COVID, despite a review saying they don’tSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney Pexels/Uriel Mont The question of whether and to what extent face masks work to prevent respiratory infections such as COVID and influenza ...1 day ago
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- Animal Justice Party Statement On Waikato Fire06 Feb The news today of the death of 75,000 chickens at an egg farm in Waikato is yet another outrageous and avoidable tragedy. “The fact that so many hens died in this fire in the Waikato is a testament to the systemic neglect and disregard ...1 day ago
- Reframing co-governance: Jackson's warning to Labour
Willie Jackson warned his colleagues what would happen in a vacuum on co-governance. 'Terrible' abuse suffered by Nanaia Mahuta is one outcome. ...1 day ago
It is an interesting veiw of how duopolies in politics trend towards tribalism. Compared towards the more representative models like ours that force cooperation between parties.
It is clear that the original US model is struggling with the 21st century enviroment. It seems to have become endless sideshows of denegration, entrapment, and scoring political points. The actual role of politicians seems lost in the propoganda.
Regardless of your political affiliations (for the record I supported Sanders), if you step back from the day to day drama and take a long view, you have to say the political duopoly model is fast outliving it’s usefulness everywhere.
In this regard the Chinese/Russian model, one party, one state has it’s clear attractions, although we also know this too in the long run a dead end.
The true role of politicians is to represent the interests of their whole electorate; not just special interest and identity groups. They’re not there to push ideologies.
capitalism is not compatible with democracy- the US govt/deep state ceased being democratic when it repealed Glass Steagall and eliminated Presidents who dared stand up to the military industrial complex
Capitalism is the only economic compatible with democracy. All democratic nations are capitalist to a greater or lesser extent.
In contrast all socialist nations are one party states.
The reason is simple, socialism is built on stopping people doing things.
How fascinating to see this view of a capitalist mindset.
It is grossly selective Wayne. For example, you have selected to overlook the socialist Nordic states after the war, or perhaps you are not aware of these models. Many other examples had little chance of survival following aggressive economic hit-man tactics and violent coups orchestrated by the so-called democratic and liberal nations of power (particularly the US). In a number of cases, these effectively overthrew democratically elected socialist Governments, in order to replace them with non elected puppets to steal collectively owned common resources from the people.
The reason it’s not compatible is that sans proper regulatory oversight, the bankers and business magnates always find a way to take over the levers of power, tilt the economy in favour of their mates, and disempower the working class.
Pretty much the situation in the West after Reagan and Thatcher and ya boy Roger Douglas tore up the social contract and pissed on it. The middle class and workers have been going backwards ever since.
Even in NZ, democracy is reduced to an expensive PR exercise, and the media is focussed on insubstantial trivia. It makes me sick
https://twitter.com/Tat_Loo/status/1092537137411452928
How is the US model any more or less able to cope than say the German one?
German federal police receive a regular paycheque. Unlike some of the FBI agents who arrested Stone.
I didn’t realise the FBI was part of the Government shutdown. You have evidence for this?
http://money.com/money/5509931/fbi-agents-government-shutdown-national-security/
You understand how to google?
FBI Agents’ association twitter feed ok for you?
Very interesting
They also deployed Coast Guard personnel who were currently unpaid.
People can only work without paycheques for so long, and a “partial” shutdown is like “just the tip” – you stay there long enough, you’ll have an accident with far-reaching repercussions.
As I stated it is all very interesting. But what has that got to do with whether a two party system is more messed up than a multiparty one?
It’s right there but you were distracted and had to quibble from point of ignorance.
Correlation is not causation
Does not imply causation.
Jeez get it right.
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/correlation.png
…but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing “look over there”.
Way to miss the point. Just because the US has had a shutdown of the Federal government does not mean their two party political system is to blame
I missed the point?
Because the US shutdown was caused by political deadlock between two opposed parties…
You seem to believe correlation never implies causation.
It would explain some things though.
@Arkie, to be a bit detached about it, most countries don’t have any kind of mechanism by which the government can actually shut down. If the situation arises where legislation can’t get through, it triggers some sort of no-confidence and new election scenario. Or else some sort of stop-gap like the continuing resolution that just carries everything along on autopilot.
@Andre, Yes, and that’s another reason why the US model that allowed this kind of shutdown is more dysfunctional than other systems.
Our police are paid regularly. Aus federal police are paid regularly. Canadian police are paid regularly. French police are paid regularly.
I mean, there’s Venezuela, where police get regular paycheques of next to fuck all, but how many other countries on the planet fail to pay their police regularly? What makes the US different?
@McFlock, this shutdown weirdness is actually Jimmy Carter’s fault. He’s the one that got a new interpretation of the 1884 Antideficiencies Act.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_federal_government_shutdown
To be pedantic, the FBI aren’t really police. Police in the US are a state, county, city and other local authority function. They keep going during a federal shutdown.
I suspect there’s still a few african nations that don’t pay their police regularly and said police have a tacit understanding that they will supplement their income in other ways.
The US model is too open to corruption , lobbyists give huge sums to politicians who are then in their pocket. Some measure to restrict political donations and perhaps some state funding of candidates would go long way to improving things.
Re-instating Glass Steagall and bringing the intelligence agencies to heel would also be necessary for a working democracy
Internal groups lobbying… we had external groups lobbying, we just didn’t know it ’till JLR.
Yet the US has achieved more good in the World thsn any other Superpower ever has.
‘Good’ is very subjective and sorta worthless. I’d hate to weigh up anyone’s, let alone a countries, contribution to the world but if I did the case is wide open on the states imo. Some good, some bad and some very very ugly.
I didn’t realise there were that many Superpowers. US and USSR and maybe China? Or that ‘doing good’ was quantifiable. Obviously you have evidence for this?
In World history there have been a number of Superpowers stretching back 5 to 6 thousand years
Nah
“The term was first applied post World War II to the British Empire, the United States and the Soviet Union.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superpower
What a surprise! One of Gosman’s authoritative half-answers is refuted by a simple google search!
cue a debate on the meaning of the term, followed by a debate on the merits of US hegemony vs any great power from history (regardless of the result of the first debate).
None of which is relevant to whether the US and every other superpower should go fuck themselves and stop shitting on the rest of us (not that they ever will).
Well, the US is in the middle of thoroughly fucking itself right now. But it ain’t slowing them down any in their shitting on everyone else.
This cynical animated summation always amused me
From Wondershowzen
Yes that’s it in a nutshell LOL
+1
That is why from a purely self interested point of view NZ, and the rest of the world, should be taking note of the current chaos – because it is already destabilizing.
Perhaps the most serious move has been the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. US emission have been pdeclining over recent years, but under Trump they have begun to surge up again.
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/8/18174082/us-carbon-emissions-2018
McFlock +100
Regardless of when the term was first used there has been a number of Superpowers in World history.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-5-greatest-superpowers-all-time-12815
Your ‘evidence’ is a listicle!? lol
You mean as opposed to Wikipedia?
Ah of course.
At the bottom of a Wikipedia article there are references which link to prior publications which you can click-through and read further. These links are from a large variety of independent sources.
At the bottom of the listicle you posted were links to other listicles that this publication has published. What looked like references were links to Amazon listings. Relevant to the OP there was also this:
Your link is dick. My link was accurate and included the definition and authoritative links and references.
You blew it buddy. Gos = credzero
More good Really? Maybe as long as you re not Chilean ,Libyan ,Vietnamese, Yugoslavian, Nicaraguan, Afghani, Syrian, Congolese, Laotian, Cambodian ,Korean, Palestinian , Ukrainian, Iranian, Yemeni, Iraqi, Panamanian, Grenadian , Cuban, Mexican, Venezuelan or Native American . Oh and lets not forget the Japanese civilians unnecessarily killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Yet the US has achieved more good in the World thsn any other Superpower ever has.”
As others have commented, “good” is a very subjective word. And as an American living in America, and one of the dwindling few who supports the US Constitution, these last few elections (well, probably back to Jackson, maybe) have been abysmal, from that perspective.
There is much to irk us Constitution-loving Americans: capitalism is anything but, political “choice” consists of THE two parties (and an ever more monstrous socialism) and Trump is what passes for “making America great again.”
So, yeah…you’re not the only one “tired…of America.”
Binary political structures are the problem. They polarise everything they affect. Democracy locks in everyone as victims of the consequent syndromes and the political behaviour they produce. Not just USA – look at Britain, Australia, as classic examples too.
Thinking beyond left and right, we can envisage triadic political structures as the best alternative to polarisation. That’s when a third force triangulates the polarity and everyone sees a resolution and a way forward: liberation!
Freedom!
The thing about the song ‘Freedom’ by George Michael is that it relates to his legal struggle to break from his record contract. George Michael lost the court case, but it gave rise to the song. (out of pain and struggle comes great art)
George Michael’s struggle for artistic freedom was shared with Prince who had a similar legal struggle with his recording label.
Commenting on their shared experience George Michael said tongue in cheek that he was part of the world’s smallest persecuted minority. Multimillionaire recording artists.
Hidden in this humorous comment is a universal truth. That freedom and self expression is a deep and fundamental human need, even money cannot buy it.
And in the end capitalism just like communism denies individual freedom, to everyone, even the richest of us.
👍
Our input into Afghanistan as requested by USA.
Now request is for Iraq deployment, related to Iran, which we are not allowed to trade with. It all sound’s like a ‘beggar’s’ muddle, and we will be the beggar.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1901/S00103/gordon-campbell-on-the-us-exit-from-afghanistan.htm
As for New Zealand… we have very few (if any) lasting gains to show for our time, efforts and expenditure (of funds and lives) in Afghanistan. These outcomes should not be swept under the carpet. Shortly, the Ardern government is expected to renew our troop commitment to Iraq, and extend a deployment due to expire in June. There, too, it is hard to be optimistic. In Iraq we are sending trainers and spending millions to support the Iranian-backed regime in Baghdad, even while we are dutifully cutting off our booming export trade with Iran, for fear of incurring US sanctions.
That contrast is weird. Washington forbids us to trade with Iran, but they want our troops to risk their lives to support Iran’s political minions right next door, in Iraq. At times, our military must really resent being used as live bargaining chips in the casino of global diplomacy.
So far we’ve been rewarded with tariffs and meddling in our telecoms. What’s in it for us? We get to buy more overpriced underperforming aeroplanes?
I think Gabby we should be more open to the opportunities that being included in USA adventures give us. For instance, think of the theatrical performances by our troops while they are fighting overseas; they would be as good as real actors and we could build their exploits into a narrative and win a Cannes prize for movie making.
Our assistance in Afghanistan helping to rebuild infrastructure, that could be the background for a tender love story between a NZ soldier and a young Afghani woman, a Romeo and Juliet tear-jerker. We just have to be wider thinking about the economic advantages that can be drawn from having the world opened up (ripped down its belly) for us by our USA involvement in the historic events of our age. /sarc
I find it hard to simultaneously hold in my head my love and admiration for the theoretical USA, surely the noblest and luckiest nation ever conceived, and my disgust and loathing of the practical USA, a cesspool of ignorant cutthroat religious crazies.
+1
I am tired of being told that Presidents of the USA are America.
Just as much as I am tired of being told the Kardashians are the USA.
Tired of being told mass shootings are the USA..
Why do we accept such drivel.
Russia is the evil Mr Putin
The Catholic Church is all about child abuse.
China is a 24/7 sweat shop.
All these idiotic stereotypes.
Britain is all about Brexit.
Muslims are all terrorists.
Africans are all starving.
Central America is all drug cartels.
Are Kiwis that lazy that dumb that ignorant?
Apparently.
You forgot all men are Mysoginists, and women can multitask.
What’s your point ratty?
Clearly a very corrupt country.
Think about the “Iraq has weapons of mass distraction” Mueller probe. The lawyer tasked with writing it, Wiseman was at Clintons victory party. Hmmm maybe not a Neutral referee and wanting to get revenge.
Amazing how every single person involved from start to finish is a hate Trumper.
Clearly America is a corrupt country.?
Clearly you are being silly.
Nope. People as intimately involved as that should be excluded.
It’s like Labours Family Court review.
A panelist is from a law firm specialising in Lawyer for child.
The review announced intent to make Lawyer for child compulsory, and want them to have pay rises.
Corruption in my mind.
Do we really want to be republicans after the Queen passes on?
Really, really want to adopt a ‘system’ born of revolution and literate elites with stars in their eyes about the Romans? Who had slaves and a massive army and was quite exclusive about who could be a ‘citizen’?
Not even a ‘democracy’…
Are we kidding?
Are we so bereft of experiences now, and access to other cultural resources that underpin harmonious living between people and with the sustaining environment? Are we?
Let’s do something better. Preferably something that makes those of a political bent far less pervasive in society. Short-termist, middle of the road focus, more about stability than generating better ways to cope with massive problems. Just one way among so many others.
Revolution is NOT the answer. We’ve got a puncture. Time to change.
Have you no standards in the USA to follow for good outcomes from a working democracy? Now that you have overcome Russian ambitions for their nation, you seem to have stopped trying to aim for a good system yourselves. Is it that you have no convictions about the values and practices of your democracy and how it serves its people, which without Communism as an alternative, have been revealed in all their tatters. Are you instead a nation in a shallow groupthink denying facts, truth, pretending good intentions while delving deep in the shadows?