So, I was walking along in Kelburn yesterday, and I saw Stephen Franks’ faded yellow mini. He was driving along in the centre of the lane when, without warning, he made a sharp right turn. And I was all like ‘metaphor’.
If you Labour guys weren’t so dangerous Steve your comment would be funny. It isn’t. Get back to work and stop posting on taxpayer time.
[lprent: Don’t make stupid comments. You have no idea where Steve works. On the same basis that you are using for assumptions I could tell you to stop sending in comments from the sewer, because that is obviously where you work. However I know you got that from a sewer – that technical idiot Whale – so I have more basis for my guess than you have for yours. ]
Whilst it is certainly not the worst mistake you’ve ever made, I think you’ll find that the “mini” is actually a VW Beetle. I thought you’d recognise the “people’s car”.
i was tootling thru the streets of a southern town when i saw a little red toyota with ruth dyson’s emblazonry on it. she was driving all over the road and not really appearing to know how to drive at all. it was very dangerous to the people that lived in that town. she in fact appeared to be perhaps drunk and in breach of the very laws she is responsible for. and i was like ‘metaphor’.
written on my own time and i’m never on taxpayer time. One could ask whose time you are writing on, but it’s noone’s business and you should behave the same way to others.
hs. interesting.. nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations, of course, but i wonder what he said to parliament regarding the glenn donation – if he mislead parliament, that would be grounds for sacking.
“if he mislead parliament, that would be grounds for sacking.”
Well the Dalziel precedent is that if you mislead the public you can expect Clark to fire you. And rightly so. It is now untenable that Winston states he did not know about a donation when he in fact sought it.
Helen Clark has refused to be drawn on an election date.[NZH]
… and HC is stalled at the lights.
Don’t bother answering either – this is perfectly acceptable, not required to, nothing in it.
But put Key in the same position, it would be a scandal, there would be a secret agenda, etc etc.
You could even get me to write the odd post now and then seeing how predictable some of the lines are becoming (notwithstanding the convention that this is the collective voice of individuals just in case I stir up the mod again).
“hs. interesting.. nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations”
Still standing behind Winnie I see Steve.
He has just been outed as lying not only in the house but to the NZ public.
But hey he props the labour Govt so that’s OK cause its not illegal. Pathetic.
Dave simple – election dates should be set in legislation – third Saturday of October in the appropriate year or something similar.
SP
So in your opinion Winston has been telling the truth but Owen Glenn is lying, Bob Jones is lying, Rodney Hide is lying etc etc – the man is bringing parliament into even more disrepute than it’s presently held.
If he was a Labour minister he’d be gone – the only reason he’s still there is he’s needed for the ETS.
Both Labour and National are gutless to still be courting this charlatan.
For months now, I’ve been looking at Ligherstandard’s comments and soliciting a clear or even mildly interesting point but have noooo idea if anyone’s ever found one…..and I’m like, metaphor, man….
mike: SP didn’t support or not support Winston. What he said was that it was going to be a problem for Winston if he’d mislead parliament.
Now a comment on your attitude. It is only in your lexicon that you have to attack without evidence (ie mad dog syndrome) on every occasion. In your warped thinking waiting for enough evidence to form a judgement is ‘support’. You are not just wrong, but I’d have to say that your attitude is bloody dangerous. It is the attitude of the fuckwits who lead lynch mobs.
Peters has an explanation in Stuff, but this is starting to look more murky than prior information to me.
Ah Yes AK the person who extrapolates a survey of six health systems in which NZ comes third equal with Australia to NZ having the 2nd best health system in the world.
I suppose you’ll be delighted that we have a Foreign Minister that has repeatedly misled both parliament and the public ?
Not trying to threadjack but to continue the Peters line, I’m involved in the racing industry and hopefully the industry leaders can separate themselves from what is becoming a huge political liability.
What’s the car metaphor for that … caught speeding in stolen car without a WOF?
If he misled parliament ……… are you trying to be funny ?
Ban me if you want but this blog has been pretty much in isolation with it’s ongoing refusal to call Winston for what he is.
[lprent: You mean that the posters here prefer to have some kind of evidence and are not prone to joining lynch mobs at the drop of a hat? In case you hadn’t noticed this is quite a distinct site. We use our brains more frequently than some other sites.
I don’t know about the others, but I’ve seen Winston in action before. I need to see overwhelming evidence because the guy always has a hidden edge. In the meantime he keeps getting the publicity he needs. ]
When is Helen calling the snap election. She is now a leader of a corrupt reigime. Did OG drop Labour in it as well saying it was thanks for supporting Labour in forming the govt?
See the speaker is showing her communist ideals in suppressing Rodney Hide yesterday.
Are you reminding us yet again that our health system ranks third in the world (second last time) at a third of the cost per capita of the private US system (which ranked last) on a highly respected international survey which all those “NZ and its health system sucks” tory campaigners can find by googling Commonwealth Fund?
So I was like you know and he was like no really and I was like yeah and he was like really metaphoric and I well you know blah blah blah
Steve
This is the closest I can find to what you put up as a piece of English Prose. It’s from a spoof on Valley Speak in California, regarded generally as an example of how not to communicate!
If what you actually meant was “I thought to my self ‘wow, is that a metaphor or not!’ ” then perhaps you would grace the English language with those words rather than slang from a foreign country.
Or is that what the taught you in English classes in our advanced state education system? (Sarcasm, in case you took it seriously!)
nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations
Actually, under the old legislation, wouldn’t it have been illegal for Peters to have known the source of an “anonymous” donation? I suspect this is why Peters has specifically addressed the “who did the soliciting” question in his response.
>
>>But put Key in the same position, it would be a scandal, there would be a secret agenda, etc etc.
Indeed, secret agenda does seem to be a common phrase in the Labour Party’s vocabulary. However, the interesting thing to me is that I cannot find a single policy in their platform for re-election so far. Perhaps that’s the real secret?
3rd equal out of six does not equate to 2nd best in the world you buffoon.
Lynn
Poppycock the posters here have convinced themselves of far worse things about the National party on far less evidence than there is of Winston Peters misleading the public and parliament.
Actually its a gold coloured paint, which tends to look horrible when you cover it in gold stickers. I wonder if he has got authorisation on it yet? he hadnt last time i saw it, a couple of months back.
Poppycock the posters here have convinced themselves of far worse things about the National party on far less evidence than there is of Winston Peters misleading the public and parliament.
Not quite. If you read posts carefully (as I do), you’ll find that the posters seldom make absolutist statements.
What they do is to define an interpretation or an opinion based on the available evidence. What they don’t do is state what *must* happen. I have no doubt that you could find a few cases where an absolutist position has been taken, but it isn’t often.
The reason is because the posters here are aware of the primary dictum of politics – that you seldom know the whole story. Therefore everything is in a field of grey and the best you can do is to cautiously venture an opinion.
However I’d have to say that the commentators do sometimes take absolutist positions on posts, often without fully reading them (IMO).
do you not think there is enough evidence by now of Winston intentionally misleading everybody (including HC) on this matter
No. The reasons are
1. We do not know what Winston said to HC
2. Winston hasn’t fully replied to what Owen has said. What he has said requires support.
3. Winston has pulled things out of the hat far too often for me to make early judgements.
4. Anyone with any sense reserves judgements. Look at the Brian Henry stuff last week for why.
Are you just a tad titchy because it looks as though OG has once again landed labour in a pile of shite this close to the election?
In my opinion, Owen Glenn has always acted with the utmost of integrity and always done things above board. That is in stark contrast with the legal (but IMO morally bankrupt devices) like the Waitemata Trust or the other anonymous trusts used so extensively by Act and the Nats.
It has bugger all to do with my favourite party, except in the minds of the terminally conspiracy obsessed. What annoys me is people making premature judgements, and then attacking posters for not agreeing or trying to tell them what they should say.
As you know – that always makes me tetchy and more than usually sarcastic.
Billy. franks is a former ACT MP – their colour is bright yellow. Now he’s National… and he drives a faded yellow car, its like he’s taking the piss out of himself
In the absence of a specific thread about developments re Winson and Glenn, all we know is:
1. what Winston said
2. what Glenn said
3. what Winston said is not what Glenn said
By SP’s logic and many others on this (at least according to r0b) political authority one Nat saying something *perceived* to be different to a policy constituted a scandal.
So given there is no perception of disagreement but absolute disagreement, surely this constitutes a scandal of Biblical proportions?
[lprent: Maybe. Personally I’d wait for more developments before forming an opinion. But I’d suggest that you read the About and Policy – this site doesn’t claim to be a general political blog site. It is a left-leaning broad labour movement blog site that specialises in opinion and commentary – it isn’t a news site.
What NZF gets up to isn’t really that interesting to a left-leaning political blog. That is why the posts about NZF are few and far between. A post will get written when someone can be bothered and there is enough info. ]
and he drives a faded yellow car, its like he’s taking the piss out of himself
Ah. That’ll be what randal meant then: a “pissy extraction” rather than a “pussy extension”. (pity – the latter sounded like a rather intriguing psycho-sociological observation on our regular tory commenters….do elaborate if I’ve misinterpreted, randal… I was thinking along the lines of blow-up dolls so inflated with hot air that they invert in a grotesque fashion….no?…ok then)
I agree I was pushing the envelope and accept your comments as fair as well.
My point – which I think is completely valid – is that by SP’s definition of a scandal, this is also a scandal. If this isn’t a scandal then you can see where I’m heading. In other words, the post wasn’t about NZF itself but the way in which other events involving the Nats have been spun as a scandal.
Hence my post was not meant to derail discussion but to refocus attention on the scandal conspiracy which SP has been spinning for some time.
I acknowledge the fact too you have not over-reacted to my post and have more than tolerated my views.
The hysteria on this site over tapercrap, Lockwoods “dead fish swallowing” (Greens ETS anyone?) meaning ‘secwet agenda’ etc all based on piss all evidence, compared to the idea that wrt Winston Bjeikle-Peterson you require some harder evidence than OG, Bob Jones and Rodney Hide all in diametric opposition, simply beggars belief.
Does nobody here ever try to put objectivity glasses on? Or apply the same standards across the political spectrum.
I think you ruin this site yourselves through being so extremely partisan. HS had it right when he said… “Poppycock the posters here have convinced themselves of far worse things about the National party on far less evidence than there is of Winston Peters misleading the public and parliament.”
vto: Read the About. This site makes no bones about being partisan or for that matter being “objective”. It is left-leaning and looks to the labour movement for inspiration.
However it isn’t particularly partisan for a single party. Although
some of its participants (like me) are. But I don’t write many posts either. Most of the posters don’t really express an affiliation.
What they do have in common is to distrust the political right, just as the labour movement has had to do over the last century or so.
The key problem is that HS said “convinced”. That is incorrect. What the posters do is present the unflattering (to the right) interpretation of events.
The reason for that is historical. Over the last couple of centuries that has been the most effective way to deal with the right. If you are not charitable in your assumptions about the motivations and tactics of the right – then you are probably correct.
It doesn’t mean that we’re convinced of its veracity, it is just a good working assumption based on past behaviour. Think 2005 and revelations in The Hollow Men – that is the norm. Obviously the public think so as well – those polls about if they trust the Nat’s are quite interesting.
Iprent, we used to have a mate ‘Fred’ who exaggerated everything so much we joked that we always had to allow a Fred-factor in his tales.
That is also, following your post, the case here and so we should all allow a Standard-factor for exaggeration and distance from reality and truth.
And so instantly we should, with the most recent topic’s (Cullen on Nat apologies) reference to ‘staying on message’ meaning ‘not telling the truth’, deduct a Standard-factor for exaggeration and distance from reality and truth. I estimate Standard-factor here to be 100%.
ak you are getting warm but not close enough. puss as in the stuff that exudes from scabrous sores and not a prurient psychosexual melodrama for pork pie wannabees!
[lprent: Should I post a d4j warning on your comments?]
I’m curious as to what’s really got people’s ire up with winnie. truth be told I pay him little attention, other than thinking he’s been a good foreign minister as of late.
So, what’s up? He’s said that he didn’t solicit a donation to Ms Clark and to Parliament, apparently (I can’t find any real info on that, anyone help?), and now Glenn has said that’s not true.
Then there’s a question as to whether he knew about it, (as he must have to have thanked Glenn for it, the dates are in question) which probably calls into question whether this agreement with his lawyer was as confidential as he purports.
So, without asking for a tirade – what is it? Is there something really wrong here? As I see it, if he knew about the donation, then the stuff about his lawyer can’t be true (i.e. that he didn’t know about paying the bills at all) unless he knew there was a donation to his lawyer, but didn’t know about the bill that the donation paid. If all that shoots through, then I gather he may have lied to a lot of people, but I can’t find the statements that would be in contradiction…
Oh wait, there was a “NO” sign! If he thanked Glenn for a donation before he says he did (after his lawyer told him about it) then he’s definitely telling porkies. Hadn’t thought about that one…
Excuse my typed train-of-thought. I’d think the main thing, then, is whether he thanked Glenn for a donation he’s said he knows nothing about…
mp dont confuse straight talk with an unstructured rant. those who protest about being offended are either immature and cant handle the truth or seeking to distract and deflect any argument that they personally dont want to deal with. ok?
I agree with MP randal. Yesterday I had a snigger at some comment of d4j’s only to realise after that it was actually you. And re the post MP reffered to above I had a similar comment typed ready to ping out but deleted it. And now I see Iprent has joined the fray.
But do not fear – your one sentence wonders amuse. You sure though that you and d4j are not one and the same?
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New Zealand First is pleased to announce Jenny Marcroft as the party’s election 2020 candidate for the Auckland Central electorate. Jenny spent years working in Auckland Central, having spent a vast proportion of her broadcasting career there. She says she, "knows the place and knows the people." Ms Marcroft says ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau is pleased to be confirmed today as the party’s candidate for the Rotorua electorate. Speaking at the Rotorua AGM for New Zealand First, Mr Tabuteau said this is an election that is incredibly important for the people of Rotorua. “The founding principles of New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $1.5 million to ensure QE Health in Rotorua can proceed with its world class health service and save 75 existing jobs, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF funding announced today is in addition to the $8 million ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years. The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to ...
The Government has opened an urgent response fund to support schools and early learning services to get children and young people back on track after the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we are seeing improvements in attendance under Alert Level 1 Ministry of Education data shows that attendance rates in our schools ...
The law to boost the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by speeding up resource consenting on selected projects has passed its second and third readings in the House today. “Accelerating nationwide projects and activities by government, iwi and the private sector will help deliver faster economic recovery and ...
Five port-related projects in Whanganui will receive a $26.75 million Provincial Growth Fund investment to support local economic recovery and create new opportunities for growth, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is a significant investment that will support the redevelopment of the Whanganui Port, a project governed ...
Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery will receive an investment of up to $12 million administered by the Provincial Growth Fund to support its redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The project is included in a $3 billion infrastructure pipeline announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Shane Jones yesterday. ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $2.5 million into three Te Ara Mahi programmes to support Manawatū-Whanganui jobseekers and employees to quickly train and upskill, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Up to 154 local people will be supported into employment within the first year by these ...
This morning I have formally tendered my resignation as Minister of Health, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. Serving as Minister of Health has been an absolute privilege – particularly through these extraordinary last few months. It’s no secret that Health is a challenging portfolio. I have given ...
Scholarships for 57 early-career agricultural emissions scientists from 20 developing countries is another example of New Zealand’s international leadership in primary sector sustainability, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor, announcing the scholarships today, says hundreds of applications were received for this fourth round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme (Climate, Food ...
A project to help rejuvenate the Horowhenua town of Foxton will receive a Provincial Growth Fund investment of $3.86 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This funding for the Foxton Regeneration project will be used to make the well-known holiday town even more attractive for visitors and ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By David Robie, who sailed on the original Rainbow Warrior to Rongelap and is author of the bookEyes of Fire. Thirty five years ago today the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was bombed in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour by French secret agents in a blatant act of state terrorism, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison summoned his self-restraint and resisted temptation. Invited on Thursday to attack the Victorian government over its disastrous decision to use private security guards to monitor people in hotel quarantine, the prime minister was ...
A new EP from an unknown Auckland singer ignited a bidding war before she’d released a single. Today ‘Call You Out’ is released, with eerie parallels to Lorde’s rise. Duncan Greive meets the artist known as Deryk.Madeline Bradley wasn’t expecting a lot. She’d been to dozens of these meetings over ...
Editorial by Selwyn Manning. Selwyn Manning, editor of EveningReport.nz. New National Party leader Todd Muller has presented his party’s vision for New Zealand as it grapples with the economic cost of the Covid-19 pandemic. But Muller’s vision was unsurprisingly National while surprisingly short on economic detail. And, after a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former Liberal Minister Christopher Pyne attracted critics for his political front. But he always had plenty of friends and networks, enabling him often to be a player, if not always a “fixer”. After his election ...
Power Play - It's only been three weeks since Minister Megan Woods and Air Commodore Darryn Webb brought fresh eyes to the country's isolation and quarantine facilities, yet cracks in operating procedures are already being conceded. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Reilly, Professor, University of Adelaide Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced new visa arrangements to help Hong Kong passport holders stay in Australia. This has the potential to impact thousands of Hong Kong visa holders, either already in Australia or overseas. ...
Power Play - It's only been three weeks since Minister Megan Woods and Air Commodore Darryn Webb brought fresh eyes to the country's isolation and quarantine facilities, yet the blinkers are already coming on. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University The pandemic is prompting some Australian pregnant women to give birth at home without a midwife or registered health provider, according to a survey out this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Stone, General practitioner; Clinical Associate Professor, ANU Medical School, Australian National University Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire are beginning another six weeks of lockdown due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. While this second round of lockdown may bring the case ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Bargallie, Postdoctoral Senior Research Fellow, Griffith University The Morrison government has just announced a plan to boost the number of Indigenous Australians in the top ranks of the Australian Public Service. The plan may be well-intentioned, but it is also one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Russell Dean Christopher Bicknell, Post-doctoral researcher in Palaeobiology , University of New England If you ventured to the New York seaside in summer, you might see a large dome-shaped animal with a spiky tail, slowly moving towards the water. These are horseshoe ...
Wellington, July 8th 2020 – The Opportunities Party (TOP) today announces a new tranche of candidates for the 2020 election with leader Geoff Simmons standing for Rongotai, south Wellington. Simmons, longstanding Rongotai resident and former Treasury ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is welcoming National Party Leader Todd Muller's commitment to limiting Crown debt incurred in the COVID-19 recovery and targeting infrastructure investment, should he be elected in September. Taxpayers' Union spokesperson ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Lovina McMurchy from Movac.If you think about how central to life Starbucks wifi ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin Classics, $24)Joint winner of the 2019 Booker prize. That was ...
Latest from the Beehive – Northland was missing from the regions to benefit from government announcements in the past 24 or so hours. Southland, on the other hand, is being promised government support for its economy in the aftermath of Rio Tinto’s decision to close its operations at Tiwai ...
E tū union is calling for a ‘Just Transition’ for workers in the wake of Rio Tinto’s announcement it will be closing its smelter at Tiwai Point. Around 1000 workers directly employed by the smelter will be affected, as well as at least a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Kamradt-Scott, Associate professor, University of Sydney This week US President Donald Trump made good on his threat to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO) by sending a formal letter of withdrawal to the UN Secretary-General. In so ...
At midnight last night, metropolitan Melbourne returned to lockdown and is scheduled to stay there until late August. Melbourne-based New Zealander Joe Nunweek reports from a city finding itself once more in the grip of Covid-19.On Monday morning I got a parking ticket. Previously I only used to use my ...
The Chief Ombudsman has identified significant gaps in the Ministry of Health’s collection and use of information about the deaths of people with intellectual disabilities receiving full-time residential support. The report Off the record examines the data ...
The announced closure of Tiwai Point is welcome news for the clean energy future of New Zealand, and presents huge opportunities in areas such as electrifying transport and developing new, high-tech industries, Coal Action Network Aotearoa said today. ...
National leader Todd Muller has given a speech at a business luncheon in Christchurch outlining what he says is his party's first big announcement on its economic plan for New Zealand. ...
The team of five million successful in beating Covid-19 also consists of about 350,000 temporary visa holding migrants. About 42,000 temporary visa workers are stranded overseas due to Aotearoa's border closure. Many have NZ born children and all of ...
The government says there will be a permanent police presence at every managed isolation and quarantine facility in New Zealand from today, following this week's breach in central Auckland. ...
The government says there will be a permanent police presence at every managed isolation and quarantine facility in New Zealand from today, following this week's breach in central Auckland. ...
After almost 50 years, New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter is due to close next August. We take a look at what it means for the economy and the environment.What’s all this then?Multinational metal and mining corporation Rio Tinto has today announced it is planning to close the Tiwai Point aluminium ...
The government is providing an update on its response to the Covid-19 epidemic and the management of isolation facilities, as well as comments on the closure of the Tiwai Point smelter. ...
By Barrie Saunders (who chaired the Port CEO Group from 2002-2015, and has his own blogsite www.barriesaunders.wordpress.com ) The most interesting thing about the Ministry of Transport-commissioned Sapere report on the future of POAL’s freight operations is that, compared with the status quo, all options will add costs to the ...
COMMENT:By Benny Wenda, chair of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua For over 50 years, Indonesia has been promising West Papua “autonomy”. Each time, underneath autonomy lies only bullets and killings. As the 2001 Special Autonomy law expires this year, the United Liberation Movement (ULMWP) and all the ...
Fonterra’s boss might have been ultra-cautious but out on the country’s dairy farms there was a subdued cheer at the news that the wholemilk powder price had leapt 14% at the latest GDT auction.. The GDT index rose 8.3%, the biggest rise since November 2016, and the fourth successive ...
After Newsroom's business coverage? You can get advanced access to our business reporting with a Newsroom Pro subscriptionor find our free coverage in the business section. ...
Despite dark clouds on the horizon, New Zealand’s post-lockdown spending spree is still going strong. Mary Jo Vergara from Kiwi Economics shares insights into what’s driving it – and how long it will last.Covid-19 and the level four lockdown has bought about some dramatic shifts in New Zealanders’ spending and ...
Today’s Tiwai Point closure announcement will result in cheaper electricity for New Zealand households and the chance to swiftly decarbonise transport and industry, says Greenpeace. Rio Tinto’s smelter, which uses 13 percent of New Zealand’s ...
While Matariki and Pūanga rose last month in Pipiri, they are most visible this month, in Hōngongoi (July). Our celebration of them continues.With thanks to Matua Rereata Mākiha, Sam Rerekura and Rangiānehu Mātāmua for sharing their knowledge.Pūanga and Matariki shine high and bright in Tāmaki (Auckland) this month, bringing with ...
Stacey Morrison talks to Chloe Irvine about life with breast cancer through Covid-19. Breast cancer doesn’t wait for anything – not even a global pandemic. The effects and social restrictions of Covid-19 have put immense strain on women (and men) who are receiving treatment for breast cancer, and the pandemic has ...
The Government plans to increase primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade with a goal of getting 10,000 more New Zealanders working in the sector over the next four years. Prime Minister Ardern said the sector, which has ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Papua New Guinea’s Controller of the National Pandemic Response and Police Commissioner, David Manning, has told the public that a rumour circulating on social media about new cases of covid-19 in Port Moresby is false, the PNG Post-Courier reports. He also cautioned the public from spreading ...
Rio Tinto finally pulls pin on Tiwai Point smelter, which employs 2,600 directly and indirectly, uses 13 percent of NZ's power and exports $1.2b of aluminium each year This time they weren't bluffing. Rio Tinto has finally announced it will close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter at Bluff by August 2021 with the loss ...
This story first appeared on rnz.co.nz and is republished with permissionAfter a 90 minute escape by a Covid-19 positive patient from a central Auckland isolation hotel, the Government points to security improvements. The Covid-19 border control minister has signalled there could be more police involvement in managing returnees after ...
There can be few more spectacular political own goals than that just scored against the National Party by first-term Clutha-Southland MP, Hamish Walker this week. The consequences for Walker personally, and his eminence grise, Michelle Boag, have been ...
Yesterday Ātea editor Leonie Hayden suggested a number of Māori whose great deeds deserve to be memorialised in stone. Today Pākehā historian Scott Hamilton picks four heroic early New Zealanders of European descent.Recently I publicly suggested that Akaroa’s Bully Hayes Restaurant and Bar should change its name. Bully Hayes was ...
<center><center><img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2007/88ff99564d4a71d68d16.jpeg" width="720" height="462"></center> </center> <center>Tweet posted by Nick Bertram </center> In 2017, ...
A highlight from the latest issue of literary journal Landfall is a remarkable poem inspired by I Dream Of Jeannie.Barbara Eden’s Screams 1. It was the 70s. There wasn’t much on. They lured us in with cartoon credits smacked us with the laugh track. Why weren’t ...
The minister in charge of quarantine and isolation facilities has signalled there could be more police involvement in managing returnees after two escapes in a week. ...
Mediaworks CEO to leave after four years as TV3 sale deal likely within weeks. He won't confirm talk of sale to Discovery, who don't own news operations elsewhere ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Molly Glassey, Digital Editor, The Conversation Live on YouTube from 3pm WIB, 5 pm WIT, 6pm AEST today (Thursday, July 9). Use this link to watch. For West Papuans in Indonesia and Indigenous Australians who live within systemic racism and oppression, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Blyth, Paediatrician, Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, University of Western Australia A Victorian teenager holidaying on the NSW South Coast has been diagnosed with COVID-19, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said on Wednesday. The revelation follows reports senior students ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Scheele, Research Fellow in Ecology, Australian National University This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s bushfire tragedy. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Joanne Adam, Senior Lecturer in Literacy Education and Children’s Literature: Course Coordinator Master of Teaching (Primary), Edith Cowan University Global support for the Black Lives Matter movement isn’t only about standing up against the injustice done to George Floyd, or Indigenous ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Romero Macau, Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Global Logistics, Edith Cowan University You’re nervous, I get it. Panic buying is back, not as strong as in March and more localised in Melbourne. Once again shop shelves have been emptied ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Webb, Dean, Graduate Research, University of Canberra It seems sometimes literary fiction performs a bellwether function: signalling changes; alerting us to the directions in which a society is headed. The 2020 Miles Franklin shortlist seems to bear this out in six ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
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Metaphor 
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If you Labour guys weren’t so dangerous Steve your comment would be funny. It isn’t. Get back to work and stop posting on taxpayer time.
[lprent: Don’t make stupid comments. You have no idea where Steve works. On the same basis that you are using for assumptions I could tell you to stop sending in comments from the sewer, because that is obviously where you work. However I know you got that from a sewer – that technical idiot Whale – so I have more basis for my guess than you have for yours. ]
I was all like ‘metaphor’.
Is that meant to be English? I have no iudea what you mean!
strings… unannounced sharp right turn by a national mp… real life metaphor for what we could expect from a nat govt.
Whilst it is certainly not the worst mistake you’ve ever made, I think you’ll find that the “mini” is actually a VW Beetle. I thought you’d recognise the “people’s car”.
i was tootling thru the streets of a southern town when i saw a little red toyota with ruth dyson’s emblazonry on it. she was driving all over the road and not really appearing to know how to drive at all. it was very dangerous to the people that lived in that town. she in fact appeared to be perhaps drunk and in breach of the very laws she is responsible for. and i was like ‘metaphor’.
Oh dear – it appears Owen Glenn has just dropped dear Winston in it !
Worst metaphor I can recall reading, vto. Perhaps you should just say what you think’s really going on instead of trying to dress it up.
Darren. that’s not the best you can do is it?
written on my own time and i’m never on taxpayer time. One could ask whose time you are writing on, but it’s noone’s business and you should behave the same way to others.
hs. interesting.. nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations, of course, but i wonder what he said to parliament regarding the glenn donation – if he mislead parliament, that would be grounds for sacking.
mr pillot, it wasnt that bad was it? quite apt given the plenty breaches that go on with labour folk (surely I dont need to list them).
“if he mislead parliament, that would be grounds for sacking.”
Well the Dalziel precedent is that if you mislead the public you can expect Clark to fire you. And rightly so. It is now untenable that Winston states he did not know about a donation when he in fact sought it.
Yeah vto, but a metaphor it wasn’t!
… and HC is stalled at the lights.
Don’t bother answering either – this is perfectly acceptable, not required to, nothing in it.
But put Key in the same position, it would be a scandal, there would be a secret agenda, etc etc.
You could even get me to write the odd post now and then seeing how predictable some of the lines are becoming (notwithstanding the convention that this is the collective voice of individuals just in case I stir up the mod again).
“hs. interesting.. nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations”
Still standing behind Winnie I see Steve.
He has just been outed as lying not only in the house but to the NZ public.
But hey he props the labour Govt so that’s OK cause its not illegal. Pathetic.
Dave simple – election dates should be set in legislation – third Saturday of October in the appropriate year or something similar.
SP
So in your opinion Winston has been telling the truth but Owen Glenn is lying, Bob Jones is lying, Rodney Hide is lying etc etc – the man is bringing parliament into even more disrepute than it’s presently held.
If he was a Labour minister he’d be gone – the only reason he’s still there is he’s needed for the ETS.
Both Labour and National are gutless to still be courting this charlatan.
For months now, I’ve been looking at Ligherstandard’s comments and soliciting a clear or even mildly interesting point but have noooo idea if anyone’s ever found one…..and I’m like, metaphor, man….
hs. i didn’t say that peters is telling the truth and the rest are lyin.. don’t put words in my mouth if you want to be welcome here.
mike: SP didn’t support or not support Winston. What he said was that it was going to be a problem for Winston if he’d mislead parliament.
Now a comment on your attitude. It is only in your lexicon that you have to attack without evidence (ie mad dog syndrome) on every occasion. In your warped thinking waiting for enough evidence to form a judgement is ‘support’. You are not just wrong, but I’d have to say that your attitude is bloody dangerous. It is the attitude of the fuckwits who lead lynch mobs.
Peters has an explanation in Stuff, but this is starting to look more murky than prior information to me.
I hope he was watching out for pedestrians. I nearly got hit by a sharp turning car in Kelburn the other day.
Ah Yes AK the person who extrapolates a survey of six health systems in which NZ comes third equal with Australia to NZ having the 2nd best health system in the world.
I suppose you’ll be delighted that we have a Foreign Minister that has repeatedly misled both parliament and the public ?
Not trying to threadjack but to continue the Peters line, I’m involved in the racing industry and hopefully the industry leaders can separate themselves from what is becoming a huge political liability.
What’s the car metaphor for that … caught speeding in stolen car without a WOF?
SP
If he misled parliament ……… are you trying to be funny ?
Ban me if you want but this blog has been pretty much in isolation with it’s ongoing refusal to call Winston for what he is.
[lprent: You mean that the posters here prefer to have some kind of evidence and are not prone to joining lynch mobs at the drop of a hat? In case you hadn’t noticed this is quite a distinct site. We use our brains more frequently than some other sites.
I don’t know about the others, but I’ve seen Winston in action before. I need to see overwhelming evidence because the guy always has a hidden edge. In the meantime he keeps getting the publicity he needs. ]
When is Helen calling the snap election. She is now a leader of a corrupt reigime. Did OG drop Labour in it as well saying it was thanks for supporting Labour in forming the govt?
See the speaker is showing her communist ideals in suppressing Rodney Hide yesterday.
[lprent: probable troll]
What was that HS?
Are you reminding us yet again that our health system ranks third in the world (second last time) at a third of the cost per capita of the private US system (which ranked last) on a highly respected international survey which all those “NZ and its health system sucks” tory campaigners can find by googling Commonwealth Fund?
You are?
Good man.
So I was like you know and he was like no really and I was like yeah and he was like really metaphoric and I well you know blah blah blah
Steve
This is the closest I can find to what you put up as a piece of English Prose. It’s from a spoof on Valley Speak in California, regarded generally as an example of how not to communicate!
If what you actually meant was “I thought to my self ‘wow, is that a metaphor or not!’ ” then perhaps you would grace the English language with those words rather than slang from a foreign country.
Or is that what the taught you in English classes in our advanced state education system? (Sarcasm, in case you took it seriously!)
nothing illegal or unusual in a politican seeking donations
Actually, under the old legislation, wouldn’t it have been illegal for Peters to have known the source of an “anonymous” donation? I suspect this is why Peters has specifically addressed the “who did the soliciting” question in his response.
>
>>But put Key in the same position, it would be a scandal, there would be a secret agenda, etc etc.
Indeed, secret agenda does seem to be a common phrase in the Labour Party’s vocabulary. However, the interesting thing to me is that I cannot find a single policy in their platform for re-election so far. Perhaps that’s the real secret?
“In your warped thinking waiting for enough evidence to form a judgement is ‘support'”
Imprent – do you not think there is enough evidence by now of Winston intentionally misleading everybody (including HC) on this matter
Are you just a tad titchy because it looks as though OG has once again landed labour in a pile of shite this close to the election?
strings. i assure you my choice of vocab in the post was intentional and purely for effect.
Hey, Steve, what does the faded yellow Mini represent?
a pussy extension….
[lprent: the point to that comment was ????]
AK
3rd equal out of six does not equate to 2nd best in the world you buffoon.
Lynn
Poppycock the posters here have convinced themselves of far worse things about the National party on far less evidence than there is of Winston Peters misleading the public and parliament.
I am going for: the public’s (faded) faith in the political process.
Actually its a gold coloured paint, which tends to look horrible when you cover it in gold stickers. I wonder if he has got authorisation on it yet? he hadnt last time i saw it, a couple of months back.
hs:
Not quite. If you read posts carefully (as I do), you’ll find that the posters seldom make absolutist statements.
What they do is to define an interpretation or an opinion based on the available evidence. What they don’t do is state what *must* happen. I have no doubt that you could find a few cases where an absolutist position has been taken, but it isn’t often.
The reason is because the posters here are aware of the primary dictum of politics – that you seldom know the whole story. Therefore everything is in a field of grey and the best you can do is to cautiously venture an opinion.
However I’d have to say that the commentators do sometimes take absolutist positions on posts, often without fully reading them (IMO).
Randal… WTF !?
mike:
No. The reasons are
1. We do not know what Winston said to HC
2. Winston hasn’t fully replied to what Owen has said. What he has said requires support.
3. Winston has pulled things out of the hat far too often for me to make early judgements.
4. Anyone with any sense reserves judgements. Look at the Brian Henry stuff last week for why.
In my opinion, Owen Glenn has always acted with the utmost of integrity and always done things above board. That is in stark contrast with the legal (but IMO morally bankrupt devices) like the Waitemata Trust or the other anonymous trusts used so extensively by Act and the Nats.
It has bugger all to do with my favourite party, except in the minds of the terminally conspiracy obsessed. What annoys me is people making premature judgements, and then attacking posters for not agreeing or trying to tell them what they should say.
As you know – that always makes me tetchy and more than usually sarcastic.
Billy. franks is a former ACT MP – their colour is bright yellow. Now he’s National… and he drives a faded yellow car, its like he’s taking the piss out of himself
In the absence of a specific thread about developments re Winson and Glenn, all we know is:
1. what Winston said
2. what Glenn said
3. what Winston said is not what Glenn said
By SP’s logic and many others on this (at least according to r0b) political authority one Nat saying something *perceived* to be different to a policy constituted a scandal.
So given there is no perception of disagreement but absolute disagreement, surely this constitutes a scandal of Biblical proportions?
[lprent: Maybe. Personally I’d wait for more developments before forming an opinion. But I’d suggest that you read the About and Policy – this site doesn’t claim to be a general political blog site. It is a left-leaning broad labour movement blog site that specialises in opinion and commentary – it isn’t a news site.
What NZF gets up to isn’t really that interesting to a left-leaning political blog. That is why the posts about NZF are few and far between. A post will get written when someone can be bothered and there is enough info. ]
lprent,
You mean that the posters here prefer to have some kind of evidence and are not prone to joining lynch mobs at the drop of a hat?
I’ll join HS in calling that nonsense — or poppycock in his words.
[lprent: Well you can have your opinion….. I have mine.]
Frank’s car is a metallic gold VW Beetle are you sure that you actually saw his car and not just some random faded yellow mini?
[lprent: Well you can have your opinion….. I have mine.]
Yup. Aren’t blogs wonderful….
and he drives a faded yellow car, its like he’s taking the piss out of himself
Ah. That’ll be what randal meant then: a “pissy extraction” rather than a “pussy extension”. (pity – the latter sounded like a rather intriguing psycho-sociological observation on our regular tory commenters….do elaborate if I’ve misinterpreted, randal… I was thinking along the lines of blow-up dolls so inflated with hot air that they invert in a grotesque fashion….no?…ok then)
Lyn
I agree I was pushing the envelope and accept your comments as fair as well.
My point – which I think is completely valid – is that by SP’s definition of a scandal, this is also a scandal. If this isn’t a scandal then you can see where I’m heading. In other words, the post wasn’t about NZF itself but the way in which other events involving the Nats have been spun as a scandal.
Hence my post was not meant to derail discussion but to refocus attention on the scandal conspiracy which SP has been spinning for some time.
I acknowledge the fact too you have not over-reacted to my post and have more than tolerated my views.
Cheers
D
I’m with HS and Scribe..
The hysteria on this site over tapercrap, Lockwoods “dead fish swallowing” (Greens ETS anyone?) meaning ‘secwet agenda’ etc all based on piss all evidence, compared to the idea that wrt Winston Bjeikle-Peterson you require some harder evidence than OG, Bob Jones and Rodney Hide all in diametric opposition, simply beggars belief.
Does nobody here ever try to put objectivity glasses on? Or apply the same standards across the political spectrum.
I think you ruin this site yourselves through being so extremely partisan. HS had it right when he said… “Poppycock the posters here have convinced themselves of far worse things about the National party on far less evidence than there is of Winston Peters misleading the public and parliament.”
vto: Read the About. This site makes no bones about being partisan or for that matter being “objective”. It is left-leaning and looks to the labour movement for inspiration.
However it isn’t particularly partisan for a single party. Although
some of its participants (like me) are. But I don’t write many posts either. Most of the posters don’t really express an affiliation.
What they do have in common is to distrust the political right, just as the labour movement has had to do over the last century or so.
The key problem is that HS said “convinced”. That is incorrect. What the posters do is present the unflattering (to the right) interpretation of events.
The reason for that is historical. Over the last couple of centuries that has been the most effective way to deal with the right. If you are not charitable in your assumptions about the motivations and tactics of the right – then you are probably correct.
It doesn’t mean that we’re convinced of its veracity, it is just a good working assumption based on past behaviour. Think 2005 and revelations in The Hollow Men – that is the norm. Obviously the public think so as well – those polls about if they trust the Nat’s are quite interesting.
Iprent, we used to have a mate ‘Fred’ who exaggerated everything so much we joked that we always had to allow a Fred-factor in his tales.
That is also, following your post, the case here and so we should all allow a Standard-factor for exaggeration and distance from reality and truth.
And so instantly we should, with the most recent topic’s (Cullen on Nat apologies) reference to ‘staying on message’ meaning ‘not telling the truth’, deduct a Standard-factor for exaggeration and distance from reality and truth. I estimate Standard-factor here to be 100%.
ak you are getting warm but not close enough. puss as in the stuff that exudes from scabrous sores and not a prurient psychosexual melodrama for pork pie wannabees!
[lprent: Should I post a d4j warning on your comments?]
vto. you should consume any political material with a critical mind.
Randal has truly hit d4j status.
I’m curious as to what’s really got people’s ire up with winnie. truth be told I pay him little attention, other than thinking he’s been a good foreign minister as of late.
So, what’s up? He’s said that he didn’t solicit a donation to Ms Clark and to Parliament, apparently (I can’t find any real info on that, anyone help?), and now Glenn has said that’s not true.
Then there’s a question as to whether he knew about it, (as he must have to have thanked Glenn for it, the dates are in question) which probably calls into question whether this agreement with his lawyer was as confidential as he purports.
So, without asking for a tirade – what is it? Is there something really wrong here? As I see it, if he knew about the donation, then the stuff about his lawyer can’t be true (i.e. that he didn’t know about paying the bills at all) unless he knew there was a donation to his lawyer, but didn’t know about the bill that the donation paid. If all that shoots through, then I gather he may have lied to a lot of people, but I can’t find the statements that would be in contradiction…
Oh wait, there was a “NO” sign! If he thanked Glenn for a donation before he says he did (after his lawyer told him about it) then he’s definitely telling porkies. Hadn’t thought about that one…
Excuse my typed train-of-thought. I’d think the main thing, then, is whether he thanked Glenn for a donation he’s said he knows nothing about…
mp dont confuse straight talk with an unstructured rant. those who protest about being offended are either immature and cant handle the truth or seeking to distract and deflect any argument that they personally dont want to deal with. ok?
It seems I have enough trouble following my own train of thought on occassion, let alone yours…
well keep it to yourself then
Nothing wrong with wanting to understand – some being more of a challenge than others.
I agree with MP randal. Yesterday I had a snigger at some comment of d4j’s only to realise after that it was actually you. And re the post MP reffered to above I had a similar comment typed ready to ping out but deleted it. And now I see Iprent has joined the fray.
But do not fear – your one sentence wonders amuse. You sure though that you and d4j are not one and the same?
I dont care what you think because if this is all you can do it has nothing to do with ratiocination whatsoever
Hey didn’t I order a cheeseburger?
how much cheese dude?