Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, October 28th, 2016 - 182 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, manufacturing, poverty, socialism, us politics, workers' rights - Tags:

A recently released audio clip from celebrity left wing media icon Michael Moore‘s latest film Trumpland explains perfectly why “Trump’s Election Will Be The Biggest Fuck You Ever Recorded In Human History.” Hearing Moore speak, it seems to me that he “gets” Trump’s appeal and his support base far more than some members of the over-intellectualised liberal elite do.

Firstly Moore debunks the Clinton-worshippers elitist meme that Trump supporters are a “basket of deplorables” and “irredeemables.”

I know a lot of people in Michigan that are planning to vote for Trump and they don’t necessarily agree with him. They’re not racist or redneck, they’re actually pretty decent people and so after talking to a number of them I wanted to write this.

He notes that Trump stood up to auto company execs planning to close US factories down like no one else in the political establishment has.

Donald Trump came to the Detroit Economic Club and stood there in front of Ford Motor executives and said “if you close these factories as you’re planning to do in Detroit and build them in Mexico, I’m going to put a 35% tariff on those cars when you send them back and nobody’s going to buy them.” It was an amazing thing to see. No politician, Republican or Democrat, had ever said anything like that to these executives, and it was music to the ears of people in Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – the “Brexit” states

Moore goes on to recognise that the former middle class, the now unemployed and underemployed, the individuals and the families have been wrecked by the elite of the USA, have not necessarily lost everything: the country is still, in some ways, a democracy.

And on November 8, although they lost their jobs, although they’ve been foreclose on by the bank, next came the divorce and now the wife and kids are gone, the car’s been repoed, they haven’t had a real vacation in years, they’re stuck with the shitty Obamacare bronze plan where you can’t even get a fucking percocet, they’ve essentially lost everything they had except one thing – the one thing that doesn’t cost them a cent and is guaranteed to them by the American constitution: the right to vote.

Moore knows that Trump may not mean a thing he says, Trump may not end up changing a thing, and although Moore seems sure that these same people are going to eventually regret voting for Trump it is very predictable what they will still choose to do:

So on November 8 the dispossessed will walk into the voting booth, be handed a ballot, close the curtain, and take that lever or felt pen or touchscreen and put a big fucking X in the box by the name of the man who has threatened to upend and overturn the very system that has ruined their lives: Donald J Trump. 

Moore text from Zero Hedge here. Listen to the audio excerpt of Moore speak on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pADHLsECWxY

182 comments on “Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good ”

  1. pat 1

    there will be many who do exactly that and for exactly those reasons……but they will be in the minority.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Yes, we can easily dismiss these people, because…they’ve already been forgotten about by the people who matter – and they know it.

    • aerobubble 1.2

      yes, and lots of republicians will stay home, or think what a Trump victory will do to their party and the US… ..and so vote Clinton in and a democratic Congress. They after all are cinservative and do feel sime empathy for how elites have lockedup congress amd let the majority slide. Its sensible to let some fix the US, whichever wins the US is going for a infrastruture boom. Now do they want crazy gridlock or a clear road for whoever is President.

      And then you have, if crazy gets in, Congress having to spend its time talking crazy down. Sure i’d laugh my rocks off but Clinton going to win, Moore is just rightly underlning how the Clinton admin has a problem to address.

  2. left for dead 2

    CV, you forgot the space between < Bloc…..
    good luck though.

  3. Moore’s latest letter asking for readers to dump Trump and the rest of the Republican rabble:

    “Thank you for letting the American public see your true (orange) face. I’m glad you “grabbed” our attention and mobIlized the masses against you. The only thing sweeter than seeing the lot of you gone would be a 50-state sweep for Hillary.”

    http://michaelmoore.com/trump-is-not-the-only-grabber-who-must-go/

    • Colonial Viper 3.1

      Moore clearly prefers Clinton above Trump. But he also gets why Trump’s support base is huge and very motivated. And in the main, it’s not because they are “deplorables” and “irredeemables”.

      • Sort of. I think bigots are deplorable and mostly irredeemable. But there aren’t enough of them to win diddly.

        Most of Trumps support comes from people who always vote Republican. His problem is that while he’s got the support of those that would vote for any Republican candidate, no matter how awful, he has failed to convince a significant minority of Republican voters (those with some sense of decency) to join in. Add to that the obvious fact that rather than win over the women, blacks and latinos he needs for victory he has actively alienated them instead and we find Trump staring down the barrel of a loss of historic proportions.

        And, as Mike Moore hopes, that should also ankle tap the senate and house republicans too.

        Really, there is nothing new in Trump. The world has seen would be populists braying to the masses many times before. The really great thing about this campaign is that it turns out the American public aren’t as dumb as he’d like to think they are.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1

          Trump’s support may come mostly from people who used to vote Republican, but this year they are voting for Trump, an independent ticket linked to the Republican Party.

          • Lanthanide 3.1.1.1.1

            Not true.

            Right now, 56 percent of Clinton voters say they are mainly for her compared with just 42 percent of the same voters who say they are voting against Trump.

            In the same survey, only 41 percent of Trump supporters say they are voting for him, while 54 percent say they are mostly voting against Clinton.

            That 56 percent of Clinton’s voters are affirmatively supporting her may not seem like a lot, but it’s about average for a presidential candidate.

            The most interesting thing about these numbers is how few of Trump’s supporters are his fans. No candidate since 1980 has had a lower percentage of voters say they plan to cast a vote for their candidate. That includes candidates whose campaigns were viewed as disastrous, including Jimmy Carter in 1980, Michael Dukakis in 1988 and Bob Dole in 1996. (The Republican party basically gave up on Dole in the final month of the 1996 election.)

            http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-voters-arent-just-voting-against-trump/

            Or in simpler terms, 54% of Trump’s voters, more than any other candidate in recent history, are voting for him purely because he has an R next to his name, not because they actually like him.

            • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Do you believe that 538 will be right about Trump this time, after being wrong about him losing all previous times? 😛

              • Lanthanide

                538 predicted that Trump would win many of the individual state primaries that he did actually win, and predicted that he was on track for winning the nomination, after they set up their model and it clearly showed he was winning in the polls. Just like their model says he has only ~15% chance of winning the election now – he could still win according to their predictions.

                Anyway, you haven’t addressed the point, that more people are voting for Donald because he has an R next to his name, than because they actually like him or anything he is saying.

                Ie all your rubbish about most people voting for him because they want him to destroy the system.

                • Colonial Viper

                  You mean Michael Moore’s rubbish.

                  • McFlock

                    Moore just said “a lot”.

                    you added “in the main”. One is a relative quantity, the other is a proportion of his supporters. Two very different things.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Clinton is predicted to smash Trump by 100 or more electoral votes. So I’m sure this is all academic, right?

                    • McFlock

                      Either way, there’s no need to misrepresent what Moore said.

                • Blackcap

                  Make that a 20% chance now for Trump….

                  • Macro

                    17.8% chance.
                    Nate Silver on the subject just 4 hours ago:

                    But what do the polls say? The race probably is tightening — but perhaps not as much as the hype on the cable networks would imply.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      True situation IMO is Clinton +2, approx. Many of the polls with Clinton +7 or +10 are rigged.

                    • TheExtremist

                      “Many of the polls with Clinton +7 or +10 are rigged.”

                      He says without any evidence whatsoever

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Its my opinion, based on known Clinton campaign advice to pollsters on how they can rig their polls.

                    • TheExtremist

                      “Known Clinton campaign advice to pollsters on how they can rig their polls.”

                      Citation needed

                    • McFlock

                      [Citation needed]

                      lol
                      bets on whether he’s talking about some ambiguously-worded conspiracy to manipulate polls the dems release to the press when they expected the election to be close, rather than a nefarious plan to have every poll in the country “rigged”?

                    • Macro

                      True situation IMO is Clinton +2,

                      🙄
                      I take it you are referring to the Popular Vote here.
                      An analysis of the 22 nation wide polls has Clinton currently at 49.5% and Trump at 43.6%, a difference of around 6% where it has remained since the second debate.
                      Bear in mind that Trump is one of the most unpopular candidates ever in recent history and that the popular vote gap is way wider than that between Obama and Romney in the 2012 election. There is only a slim chance of an upset on Nov 8, less than 20% for Trump.
                      BTW, Oversampling of a target demographic is a perfectly legitimate mathematical technique and should in no way be confused with rigging.

                      For example, if a national survey is planned for a country that is only 20 percent urban the sample size in the urban area would be only 20 percent of the total sample size. Thus, sampling error for the urban estimates would be twice (square root of 0.8n/0.2n) as big as those for the rural estimates and about two and a quarter times larger than the national estimates (square root of n/0.2n). In such case, survey managers might decide it is necessary to over- sample the urban sector, effectively making separate urban and rural domains.

                      http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/meetings/egm/Sampling_1203/docs/no_2.pdf

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Macro: then what is the justification for having poll samples where registered Democrats out number registered Republicans by 1.3x or more (when the real life number is around 1.13x), and where registered Independents make up only around a quarter of the sample (when the real life number is in the high 30% to 40-ish % range).

                      That’s clear over-sampling of Democrat leaning voters and clear under-sampling of Republican leaning voters.

                • more people are voting for Donald because he has an R next to his name

                  Why do you conclude that Lanthanide? The extract from 538 you quoted said “The most interesting thing about these numbers is how few of Trump’s supporters are his fans.“.

                  That’s because most who intend to cast a vote for him are against Hillary Clinton mostly.

                  To my mind that supports Moore’s conjecture that many people will vote Trump in order to give the finger to what they perceive as an establishment that has left them high and dry in various ways.

                  Surely it’s less likely that ‘moderate’ republicans are willing to stomach Trump just because he’s on the ticket with an ‘R’ next to his name?

                  They will vote for him because giving a finger to Hillary amounts, in their eyes, to giving a finger to the system they see as corrupt, captured and not operating in their interests. What better way to give a finger to established interests than showing that you will even support Trump in order to make the point?

                  The economist Frank’s analysis of how showing that you are wiling to even go berserk (and against what may rationally be considered your interests) is one strategy to ensure that, in the future, you won’t have to push the nuclear button so often. You gain ‘respect’ by demonstrating ‘commitment’ to sacrifice something dear to you (e.g., a reasonable person putting up with being called a racist for voting for Trump).

                  Being known to get emotional and not put up with things is often a good strategy – even if it confers overall losses as a direct consequence of acting in that way (It’s beyond the paywall but the article is ‘Beyond Self-Interest’ by Robert Frank in the journal Challenge).

                  Maybe Trump voters (and some of his actual supporters) may well be motivated in this way – it would explain a lot, including the fact that they could disagree with his racist, etc. outpourings.

                  • Chris

                    That’s one of the outcomes of this bizarre situation: there’ll be a whole bunch of traditional republican voters voting for Clinton because they see Trump as wild and unpredictable and Clinton as mainstream establishment and therefore, ironically, more republican than Trump; and there’ll be a whole bunch of democrats voting for Trump because they’re pissed off Bernie didn’t get the nomination and they want to see the whole caboodle upended including the GNP.

                    On top of that there’ll also be a bunch of democrats voting for Trump because they see his unpredictability as a safer bet when it comes to potential war in the middle east and elsewhere compared to Clinton’s track-record. And to counter that there’ll be a bunch of others from both sides who’ve switched to Clinton because of recent revelations around Trump’s treatment of women.

                    If these tend to balance things a bit then Trump might still get in if the polls are defied by an apathetic voter turnout, brought about because of how bloody bizarre the whole thing’s become.

        • Garibaldi 3.1.1.2

          Welcome back CV. I’ve missed you(and was hoping you wouldn’t spit the dummy and leave permanently).

          • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.2.1

            Most kind, Garibaldi, and thank you for your comments.

          • Manuka AOR 3.1.1.2.2

            Yeah, like he said. Good to see you CV 🙂

          • Olwyn 3.1.1.2.3

            I had the same hope Garibaldi, and kept an eye out for CV’s name this morning. Good to see you back again CV.

            • dukeofurl 3.1.1.2.3.1

              Its like the good old days when Moscow would send out its message to the Socialist Unity Party in NZ, who would stick with it through thick and thin.

              • Colonial Viper

                And Michael Moore is getting these love telegrams from Moscow too?

                Come now, get serious. Moore knows the people on the ground in the poorest most deprived areas of Michigan. If you listen to what Moore has to say in the audio excerpt, I doubt that you’ll conclude the message came from Russia.

                • dukeofurl

                  As you say further down, Moore hates Trump ( and wants voters to support Clinton).
                  So that only leaves you following the ‘Moscow line’

                  In normal times , no way would you even consider Trump, with his racist and misogynist views – which Im sure you have notrack with any of that.
                  Trumps concern for workers is a fairly shallow puddle, they only other reason for your interest is his accommodation with Moscow and him wanting to crack the nato alliance.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    You say that like its a bad thing.The only reason that the Cold War didn’t end up destroying the Earth with nuclear weapons was “accommodation” between D.C. and Moscow.

                    • McFlock

                      Rational accommodation (and luck).

                      What happens when that “accommodation” goes south like so many of his business deals, and he tries to bully-boy putin?

                  • “In normal times , no way would you even consider Trump, with his racist and misogynist views – which Im sure you have notrack with any of that.”

                    much as some would hope and pray that that was true – the reality is it isn’t – I suspect that is one of the pressures moving him from the left – the living a lie bit.

                • CV did you watch the full 45 min movie?

            • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.2.3.2

              Cheers Olwyn, and I appreciate your level headed comments always.

            • saveNZ 3.1.1.2.3.3

              Yep nice to see you back CV.

          • Chooky 3.1.1.2.4

            +100 Garibaldi (btw I have been away too on the Daily Blog…and I have to say it wasn’t too difficult!…)

            …and Good Post CV!…Michael Moore is very articulate ! I am sure many will be listening to his subliminal subtext…and voting accordingly in the privacy of actually casting their votes…I noted the audience looked pretty serious and were listening intently

            • Pasupial 3.1.1.2.4.1

              Chooky
              Don’t you find that when commenting on TDB that; your comments just disappear into a moderation mystery land, and when they do finally appear contain typos that you wish you’d been able to edit? Maybe it’s just me (as I have been critical of Bradbury in past comments).

              I certainly think the posts there are often worth reading, but the commenting system is crap.

              • Chooky

                @ Pasupial….yes the commenting system is different and there are time lags ( for moderation ?)

                …but although frustrating at times this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because replies can be considered…so less scope for bullying and abuse and heated provocation

            • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.2.4.2

              Hi Chooky 🙂

        • Stuart Munro 3.1.1.3

          Forgive me, but I do think Trump is unusual – he was considered over the top even twenty five years ago when he got satirised as Clamp in Gremlins II.

      • Scott 3.1.2

        I don’t think anyone, not even Clinton and her team, thinks all trump supporters are deplorable or irredeemable… but there is a group of them that certainly are. You might say the same about some of Clinton’s supporters as well – the group on both sides that get into this stuff with all of the rationality of religious zealots.

        But Moore is right, go beyond that group and you see Trump getting support from the disillusioned. They want change, real change, as much for its own sake as for the expectation it will be an improvement. They probably think Trump is full of it, but he might not be, and they’d be willing to find out.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.2.1

          In this model of the world, the more shrill and demonising the MSM are of Trump (and of BREXIT) the more these voters will conclude that they are on the right track.

          Or as Moore describes it

          They see that the elite who ruined their lives hate Trump. Corporate America hates Trump. Wall Street hates Trump. The career politicians hate Trump. The media hates Trump, after they loved him and created him, and now hate. Thank you media: the enemy of my enemy is who I’m voting for on November 8.

          • aerobubble 3.1.2.1.1

            And just what if. what if years of rigging the system,overtly and underhandedly, those election systems, along with automaton ic republicians, all make any Republician a siazeable home state advantage, and with democratic manufacturing states fedup vote Trump…

            In one fell swoop Republicians will vomit Trump and Democrats will win in 2020 in a landslide.

            But you do know it doesn’t matter who wins right.

  4. ianmac 4

    People do not really vote on the issues or policies. They vote on an emotional level. So if the dispossessed Middle Class feel angry enough they will vote for Trump. In spite of the crazy stuff Trump has done/said. I think that in Florida Trump has a lead over Clinton. Weird but then look at the Icelandic Pirate Party expecting to win on Saturday.

    • GregJ 4.1

      Clinton is leading in Florida by anywhere from 2 to 4 percent. Johnson is still polling between 3 to 5 percent so it may come down to where those people actually place their votes on polling day. I believe the early polling in Florida is seeing fewer registered Republicans voting earlier. Also there has been quite a large influx of Puerto Ricans in the last few years into Florida who tend to swing to the Democrats. Trump does need Florida to win though and it is looking an uphill struggle for him.

    • dukeofurl 4.2

      Pirates will be largest opposition party.

  5. mauī 5

    The film is being shown on TV One on Tuesday November 1 at 9.30pm.

  6. roy cartland 6

    So it’s the old ‘I’m going down and I’m taking you with me’ trope. I’d rather we both lose massively than risk you winning (again).

    Any insight on why Sanders or Stein never got through to these forgotten? (Surely not because they had some ugly policy or history – so does Trump.)

  7. “Moore knows that Trump may not mean a thing he says, Trump may not end up changing a thing, and although Moore seems sure that these same people are going to eventually regret voting for Trump it is very predictable what they will still choose to do”

    That sentence sums it up well. Desperate people cling to any life-raft they can – I don’t blame them for being desperate or for clinging to some belief that trump will do what he says when all evidence says the opposite – no, I blame trump and his voracious vocal supporters for taking advantage of others desperation for trumps own monetising goals. Once that reality is understood the whole travelling salvation show from trump makes more sense – it is evangelical and mirrors alot of the characteristics of that phenomena right down to ‘brother love’ imo.

  8. Ad 8

    Voting as therapy rarely ends well. Generally it ends in tears.

    Disrupting “the system” isn’t enough, and is usually too much.

    If Trump and the Republican Party had a transformative agenda, and were unified and swept Presidency, Senate, and Congress, we’d have ….

    …. oh wait we’d have the Bushes back.

    Pinning all your hopes on one person, no matter how much swagger and charisma they have, isn’t ever enough for the kind of disruption I suspect that you want.
    Having supporters isn’t enough. As we’ve seen all around the democratic world.

    Even, having supporters, and party unity rarely cuts it.

    You need: a good person, with party support, who understands the system, has coherent policies, can control the legislature, and is in there for many years.
    Helen Clark types. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama types. Bob Hawke types. If you like it slightly authoritarian like Trump does, he should have played his game as well as Lee Kwan Yew. That’s how you change a whole country and a whole people for good. I don’t see Michael Moore getting any of this.

  9. dukeofurl 9

    So Trump talks the talk about jobs for US workers?

    http://www.newsweek.com/how-donald-trump-ditched-us-steel-workers-china-505717
    A Newsweek investigation has found that in at least two of Trump’s last three construction projects, Trump opted to purchase his steel and aluminum from Chinese manufacturers rather than United States corporations based in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.
    “Of Trump’s last three construction projects, the first to use Chinese steel was Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which opened in 2008.
    Another recent Trump building that has used metal from China is Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, which opened in 2009.

    So he talks about American jobs but does differently- as you would expect a billionaire realestate developer turned politician to just say these things. Much like the clothing range that bears his name- American jobs?
    Yes that too is from China

  10. mickysavage 10

    Ok so some very decent people may support Trump for their own laudable reasons. The guy is still an idiot and the biggest threat to world peace that we have. Still no reason for anyone to support him.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      The guy is still an idiot and the biggest threat to world peace that we have.

      I would tend to disagree. IMO unipolar American exceptionalism as expressed and practiced by the US foreign policy neocon set is the “biggest threat to world peace that we have.”

      This is the group of people who think that stationing NATO bases and heavy weapons right off the border with Russia is a good idea.

      This is the group of people who believe in illegal regime change, funding the destabilisation of sovereign governments, and providing arms and military training to Islamic extremists and jihadists in order to use them as proxy regime change tools.

      This is the group of people who think that unilateral withdrawal from the ABM treaty and unilateral abrogation of the terms of weapons grade plutonium agreement are a good idea.

      This is the group of people who think that demonising Russia, a long time nuclear partner, as an election campaign strategy is smart.

      This is the group of people who think that ramping up military tensions with Russia and China at every turn is productive.

      Donald Trump is not in with these people. That’s why the D.C. / military industrial establishment want him finished, and they want their hand picked proven pro-regime change player in instead.

    • dukeofurl 10.2

      Especially since his love for american workers isnt based on any previous actions.

      It seems to me his rhetoric comes from internal polls which show support from white working class males, so the speaking points are just empty words

      • Colonial Viper 10.2.1

        Now, is that your public position on the matter, or your Wall St funded big foreign corporation sponsored private position on the matter?

        • dukeofurl 10.2.1.1

          Wall St Funded?
          You do realise the speaking fees – which are much the same as any big wigs in US, and Clinton has spoken to many groups for the same price- would be at the bonus level of a single low -medium level trader ($250K).
          Im sure the monthly limo bill at Goldman Sachs would be much the same as Clintons speaking fee.

          Its laughable that the money would buy any influence- at that price .
          Her campaign could be spending up to the $1bill level.

          • Colonial Viper 10.2.1.1.1

            Its laughable that the money would buy any influence- at that price . Her campaign could be spending up to the $1bill level.

            I’ll be doing another post on how corporate money and foreign money bought access to the State Department, bought access to the Clintons, and bought big money contracts for major donors and “FOBs” (Friends of Bill).

            • McFlock 10.2.1.1.1.1

              Will you be pretending that the Clinton Foundation is the same as Hillary’s personal bank account?

              • Colonial Viper

                Bob Woodward agrees that the Clinton Foundation is an utterly corrupt enterprise and I tend to agree.

                • TheExtremist

                  Of course you do because it fits in with preconceptions

                • McFlock

                  Who does woodward agree with? You agree with him agreeing with you?

                  The organisations that rate charities disagree with both of you.
                  Clinton’s tax returns disagree with both of you.

                • Manuka AOR

                  Bob Woodward agrees that the Clinton Foundation is an utterly corrupt

                  Bob Woodward also believed that Iraq had ‘weapons of mass destruction’.

                  “During an appearance on Larry King Live, he was asked by a telephone caller, “Suppose we go to war and go into Iraq and there are no weapons of mass destruction”, Woodward responded “I think the chance of that happening is about zero. There’s just too much there.”” [Ref: FRONTLINE. “Interviews – Bob Woodward | News War | FRONTLINE | PBS”]

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

                • dukeofurl

                  “Bob Woodward agrees that the Clinton Foundation is an utterly corrupt enterprise and I tend to agree.”

                  hes an idiot
                  “Woodward has certainly shown in recent years that he doesn’t have his finger on the pulse on Democratic politics. Three years ago he claimed Hillary Clinton might replace Vice President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket in 2012. (Then again he once predicted Dick Cheney would be the Republican nominee in 2008.) ”

                  “But it’s Woodward’s reporting during the Bush administration that best debunks the farcical the notion that he is a “liberal” ally. He did that both through his fawning coverage of the Bush White House, especially in the early years, and by becoming a major player in the scandal surrounding CIA operative Valerie Plame.”
                  http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/03/01/woodward-as-liberal-icon-not-exactly/192862

                  Woodward is just another Faux News Fuckwit. Regular with Hannity and the other shows which throw shit at the Clintons.
                  Thats fine, but please dont try to make some sort of saint Bob who actually knows stuff along the lines here of Hagar

                  Other stuff
                  http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/02/what-the-hell-happened-to-bob-woodward.html

                  In “All the President’s Men” he said he was a Republican.
                  http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104×1721205

            • TheExtremist 10.2.1.1.1.2

              Will you be sourcing your post with RT and other propaganda sources?

            • marty mars 10.2.1.1.1.3

              will you put ALL the facts out there including where claims have been disproved and shown to be deliberate personal hatred and/or disinformation dirty trick-like campaigning, and will you let people decide for themselves or will you slant everything to make clinton look bad

    • Colonial Viper 10.3

      The guy is still an idiot and the biggest threat to world peace that we have.

      I understand your contention that Trump is an idiot, but as for “biggest threat to world peace that we have” – that’s groundless hyperbole.

      I reckon you may not have considered the role of the US foreign policy neocons who see the world purely in a unipolar, American exceptionalism context.

      These are the same people who think that it is a good idea to conduct illegal programmes of regime change and sovereign government destabilisation throughout the world, while ramping up military tensions against China and Russia in both China and Russia’s own backyards, funding/training ultimately uncontrollable Islamic jihadists to use as proxy armies, unilaterally backing out of the ABM treaty and unilaterally abrogating the terms of the weapons grade plutonium disposal treaty, etc.

      NB that’s Hillary’s crowd, not Trump’s.

    • AmaKiwi 10.4

      For me, the point is people are grasping at extreme solutions because of their outrage about the dismal failure of neo-liberalism (“Everything is rigged.”) imposed by make believe democracy (“You don’t need referendums because if you elect me I’ll pretend to do something.”).

      An increasing percent of the population know neo-liberal pseudo democracy has destroyed their hopes and dreams at the price of enriching the corrupt elite. Extremists left and right are ready to rip the system apart.

      I wish I could say NZ Labour could fix it, but they can’t because substantive change requires a lot of oxen being gored. It requires a Yanis Vroufakis, Corbyn, Sanders, the Pirate party, the Italian Five Star party, and alike. By comparison, Cunliffe is a timid radical. But that is enough for the parliamentary Labour party to destroy his character (“Cunliffe is a liar”) and banish him to the back benches.

      Trump IS dangerous, but without responsible radicals people will vote for him.

    • Stuart Munro 10.5

      I’m not sure Putin isn’t a greater threat – does not lack ambition & tends to realise them militarily. That said, the US used to have a notion of ‘the right stuff’ for presidency (or space flight). Trump never had the right stuff – shouldn’t be in the running.

      • Colonial Viper 10.5.1

        what exactly do you think Putin is a threat to? Declining and unsustainable unipolar American exceptionalism and hegemony?

        • Stuart Munro 10.5.1.1

          While he certainly does threaten that, he is by no means an ambassador of humanism or civilisation. He raises the chances of a superpower confrontation, raises civilian casualties in his areas of operations, and tends to suppress democracy in places that interest him – Ukraine, Syria, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and of course, Russia.

          If you want a brutal and unapologetic military dictatorship, Putin is your man. His real gift to the middle east looks set to be the kind of proxy war that devastated places like Lebanon for decades. It would be an exaggeration to say he threatens peace because Syria and Iraq are not at peace – but he tends to escalate conflicts. This has served him well against the tiny former-soviet satellites, but whether it will continue to work, and whether it is desirable that it should work remains to be seen. Survivors of the 20th century Russian expansion are not keen for a replay.

          • Colonial Viper 10.5.1.1.1

            Where do you get this ridiculous tripe from? Firstly Putin has the popular support of 80% plus of the Russian voting public. That’ more than Obama, or May, or Merkel or John Key can get.

            Now remind me – who in the 1990s applied sanctions to Iraq which killed half a million Iraqi children – and then said on TV that it was worthwhile?

            Cluetip: the USA.

            Remind me – who backed a completely undemocratic and unconstitutional change of government in Kiev?

            Cluetip: the USA.

            Remind me – who is operating their military forces in and over Syria completely illegally and without permission of Syria’s sovereign government?

            Cluetip: the USA.

            Remind me – why did the former USSR occupy half of Europe in the mid 20th century?

            Cluetip: A major western European power decided to invade the USSR and kill approx 27M Soviet citizens.

          • Colonial Viper 10.5.1.1.2

            I think Putin is demonized by the west because he insists on maintaining the economic and political independence and sovereignty of Russia. No more, no less.

            As for mid 20th Century Russian (USSR) expansion: can you please remind me how it was that the USSR ended up in half of Europe?

            Did you forget that small matter of a major western European power brutally invading the USSR and killing approx 27M Soviet citizens?

            • Stuart Munro 10.5.1.1.2.2

              Though the West may be demonising Putin they are doing so on objective grounds. The Chechen genocide is enough to damn him on its own, and it is not on its own.

              How did Russia end up with half of Europe? They cut a deal with Hitler, with whom they were happy to make such deals.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact

              Then, when Hitler backstabbed them, the Allies made a pragmatic decision to lend Russia massive materiale support to prevent Germany consolidating its gains. When the German forces collapsed or were beaten the Russians advanced into the countries the Germans had taken, and in the end Germany itself.

              The pact included the division of Poland between Russia and Germany – so don’t make them out to be martyrs – the Russians started the war as dirty as Hitler.

              I won’t accuse you of forgetting this, because it seems more likely you have omitted it deliberately as an inconvenient truth that does not serve your intentionally deceptive narrative.

  11. Richard Rawshark 11

    IF I went on principles I would vote for neither. Why compromise when they are so jolly awful, I mean you are supposed to vote for something that represents what you believe, not the better of two complete no hopers.

    • weka 11.1

      Pragmatic voting can be a highly ethical act.

      “I mean you are supposed to vote for something that represents what you believe, not the better of two complete no hopers.”

      Says who?

    • Richard Rawshark 11.2

      NO Vote Trump I was a FOOOOOL.

      Trump will save the planet, it will be tremendous, absolutely brilliant.

  12. Karen 12

    Michael Moore does not support Trump. He loathes him. I was curious to see CV quoting from Moore so against my better instincts I read his post and found the usual misleading and selective material.

    Check out Moore’s twitter account to find out what Moore really thinks of Trump and why he is now an avid supporter of Clinton.
    You don’t need to join twitter to read them.

    Michael Moore ‏@MMFlint Oct 26
    Michael Moore Retweeted Roxanne Wright
    They’re only helping us by sending thousands of Trump voters to iTunes to watch my movie http://bit.ly/trumpland . Then the truth’ll hit ’em.Michael Moore added,

    Roxanne Wright @roxannelwright
    @MMFlint, sadly,Trump supporters are now sharing a 4 min portion of your video making it look like you support Trump 100%. Not a good thing.

    • Olwyn 12.1

      The post’s central claim is that Moore “gets Trump’s appeal and support base”, not that Moore supports Trump.

      • Bill 12.1.1

        What Moore says in in line with what Rebecca Solnit has been saying about the demonisation and simple caricature of the working class offered up by mainstream news outlets.

        Also reminds me of a piece I read in (I think) The Canary about the Brexit vote. Post vote survey apparently showed that people votes ‘out’ because of austerity and not because of immigration.

        But ‘working class stupid racists’ is apparently an easier line to run with anyway. 🙁

        • weka 12.1.1.1

          Huge pity CV didn’t write posts and comments like this for the past 6 months then, and instead has been flaming anti-liberal/anti-left antagonism all over the place (I note that he still can’t help but poke that particular bigotry into the mix even in this post).

          • left for dead 12.1.1.1.1

            I’ve just had a chance to look in on progress on this thought provoking post to find weka still has head and nose looking down, if not back. How about you take a brake (intended double meaning) so things can further settle down, ay

            • Robertina 12.1.1.1.1.1

              Michael Moore has been documenting and understanding working class alienation and betrayal his whole career.
              Trump’s just exploiting that same dynamic, and CV and Trump are both misrepresenting Moore’s critique. And CV does this in a highly disingenuous rather than ‘thought provoking’ manner.
              Check out Moore’s take on the ‘vile and disgusting candidate’ and how he’s misrepresented his film:

              http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/10/27/michael_moore_to_megyn_kelly_i_understand_trump_voters_are_angry_system_failed_trump_not_solution.html

              • Colonial Viper

                Trump’s just exploiting that same dynamic, and CV and Trump are both misrepresenting Moore’s critique. And CV does this in a highly disingenuous rather than ‘thought provoking’ manner.

                You forgot to detail out where I misrepresented Moore’s critique.

                Not only did I give people links to find out more about the Trumpland production themselves, but I made it clear in my post that Moore is confident that Trump supporters are going to regret supporting Trump.

                My point stands: Moore understands better than most people why so many good, decent folk in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin are going to vote Trump.

      • Karen 12.1.2

        The title of the post and the general thrust suggests Moore is much more sympathetic to Trump than he actually is. I am a big fan of Moore and got irritated enough to respond. In future, I will go back to ignoring CV’s posts and comments, although I do accept he has plenty of fans on The Standard..

    • Colonial Viper 12.2

      Karen: if you want to accuse me of being misleading, perhaps you should avoid falling into the same trap yourself.

    • Enough is Enough 12.3

      And CV never said that Moore did support Trump…So your point is?

      • Colonial Viper 12.3.1

        I made it clear in the post that Moore thinks that all these Trump supporters are eventually going to regret voting for him. This is not an endorsement from Moore; it is an explanation.

        • marty mars 12.3.1.1

          yep and they will turn on trump and his flunkies when they realise they have been lied to, duped and treated like imbeciles – wouldn’t like to be wearing I love trumpie tee then.

          • Colonial Viper 12.3.1.1.1

            yep and they will turn on Clinton and her flunkies when they realise they have been lied to, duped and treated like imbeciles – wouldn’t like to be wearing I’m with her tee then.

            I believe my version will be just as true, if not more so 😛

            • marty mars 12.3.1.1.1.1

              not sure quote marks are needed there – I’m sure you’ll be long gone anyway – probably switched sides again by then, 😉 you’ll pointing the finger at trumpees saying,”they bad, I told you so.” – lol it will end up being sorta funny – if anyone is there to see it of course – but once again – not your problem eh

              • Colonial Viper

                If Clinton wins, which remains a possibility, I think the repercussions of her Presidency will give me two or three glorious, if ultimately unsatisfying, years of saying “I told you so” 😛

                • I’m sure that will be personally pleasurable for you in the comfort of your own home. Sadly when you proclaim outside there you’ll be saying I told you so to people who already know and have thought about it with consideration, and insight in frankly a lot more depth than yourself I’d say. That is one of your more obvious blindspots in this race to the president.

                • Chooky

                  lol…CV…re “I told you so”

                  yes it does place one in a bit of a dilemma as to who to hope wins

                  …Trump is sure to commit some heinous horrible pipeline environmental damage ( in which case I will retire from this site)

                  …Clinton is a hypocritical venal corrupt Democrat with no moral compass…and a loose canon on Foreign Policy (and could start WW3 in which case it will end all arguments here…which could be a plus)

                  • Colonial Viper

                    …Trump is sure to commit some heinous horrible pipeline environmental damage ( in which case I will retire from this site)

                    Meanwhile under the Obama administration, activist film makers arrested at the recent North Dakota tar sands pipeline shutdown have been charged with enough felony crimes to imprison them for up to 45 years.

                    This is plain and simple intimidation of independent environmental journalism by the US government, no ifs or buts.

        • dukeofurl 12.3.1.2

          So:
          ” Moore thinks that all these Trump supporters are eventually going to regret voting for him”

          That isint what you say in your headline:
          Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good

          Very neat journalistic trick: The headline says what YOU want to say, the disclaimer is hidden elsewhere

          • Chooky 12.3.1.2.1

            however they may regret voting for Hillary even more

            • marty mars 12.3.1.2.1.1

              are you michael moore – or how the hell would you know and why should anything YOU say be taken as credible compared to Moore.

              • Chooky

                ? again incomprehensible

                • moore – Moore thinks that all these Trump supporters are eventually going to regret voting for him

                  kooky – however they may regret voting for Hillary even more

                  marty – why should we listen to you not michael moore?

                  kooky – ???

                  • Pasupial

                    As a simpleton, Trump offers simple answers to complex questions. This can be very appealing. However, I do have to wonder how many woman told Moore that they were for considering voting for that creep? His; “now the wife and kids are gone” line (quoted in OP) suggests that not many were asked.

                    What the abbreviated clip of Moore’s statement leaves out is Moore’s assessment of disenchanted “Brexit state” voters selecting Trump.

                    “[Voting for Trump will feel good] for a day. Maybe a week. Possibly a month. And then. Like the Brits, who wanted to send a message, so they voted to leave Europe only to find out that if you vote to leave Europe you, actually have to leave Europe,” Moore told the Ohio crowd. “And now they regret it. All the Ohioans, Pennsylvanians, Michiganders and Wisconsinites of Middle England, right, they all voted to leave and now they regret it.”

                    Talk about damning with faint praise. Moore ended his introduction to “TrumpLand” with this message to Trump voters: “Goodnight America. You’ve just elected the last president of the United States.”

                    http://www.salon.com/2016/10/27/donald-trump-praises-michael-moore-for-predicting-a-hillary-clinton-loss/

                    • Colonial Viper

                      However, I do have to wonder how many woman told Moore that they were for considering voting for that creep? His; “now the wife and kids are gone” line (quoted in OP) suggests that not many were asked.

                      Trump will need to hold the gender gap to Romney/Obama 2012 or less in order to win. If women break for Clinton +20% on election day, Trump is toast.

                    • Pasupial

                      Chooky
                      That does have some nice editing, but I’m assuming that someone else wrote most of the script. When we see Trump on the spot answering a question in a debate or interview, his speech is more limited.

                      I’m not saying that his speaking manner isn’t effective with connecting with some voters. But I am saying that the world is more complex than his slogans. I guess it comes down to whether facts matter to you.

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aFo_BV-UzI

            • dukeofurl 12.3.1.2.1.2

              Only the losing side will never fulfill its expectations- so in that respect you are right.
              Its a politician you vote for, not membership of a church with an all wise and knowing deity.

          • Richard Rawshark 12.3.1.2.2

            LMAO, as they gazed up to see the approaching ICBM a everlasting shout was heard across the face of planet earth.

            “I knew I should have ticked the other box.”

            Either way same result.

  13. Enough is Enough 13

    Moore is absolutely correct.

    What this election has shown is how unpopular the “Establishment” and Elite really are in the US.

    Trump destroyed the Republican Primary favourites and he is giving Hillary the race of her life.

    With the skeleton in Trumps’ cupboard the only way to explain it is America has had enough of the system they are in.

  14. McFlock 14

    “A lot” aren’t irredeemables? Nice to know.

    Trump has actually been trying to change his approach since the primaries (although the real T still leaks through, like when the black guy asked him about presidential qualities and Trump went off about inner city crime lol).

    But ‘build a wall to keep the rapists and murderers out’ isn’t exactly appealing to the middle class, and he sure isn’t backing away from that sort of position.

    And his audience members seem… more colourful in some ways than others.

    So, to paraphrase Trump: they’re racists, they’re rednecks, and some of them, I’m sure, are middle class people…

    Maybe he should compile his bigly aphorisms: Trump’s Little Orange Book

  15. Rob 15

    Its refreshing to have CV open an honest debate. No doubt there is increasing disbelief and disdain of politics & politicians and civics in general by a broad range of people.

    The people at the “defined’ bottom that exist outside of the tax / benefit system – really dont give a shit.

    The “middle” defined people are struggling and big tax is a burdon for them and their kids. And this tax band is the engine room of the tax system, it funds almost everything.

    The well off, well they dont trust anyone outside of themselves.

    Then the whole political layer, this is their ride and any cause that requires funding is gauranteed to get their attention. People are getting sick of paying for this shit.

    Its easy to see why populations are starting to understand that having career elected officials represent their views and future good prospects is futile and delivers nothing.

    • joe90 15.1

      The well off, well they dont trust anyone outside of themselves.

      Unless of course the well off need the rest of us to hold onto their station.

      What is it about a flamboyant millionaire that appeals to poor white conservatives? Why do they believe a Trump presidency would amplify their voices? The answer may lie in America’s historical relationship between the wealthiest class and the army of poor whites who have loyally supported them.

      From the time of slavery (yes, slavery) to the rise of Donald Trump, wealthy elites have relied on the allegiance of the white underclass to retain their affluence and political power. To understand this dynamic, to see through the eyes of poor and working class whites as they chant, “Trump, Trump, Trump,” let’s look back at a few unsavory slices of America’s capitalist pie

      http://www.stirjournal.com/2016/04/01/i-know-why-poor-whites-chant-trump-trump-trump/

      • Rob 15.1.1

        Yeah….well , you are on to it Joe….some real nice reading & linking there. What do you think?

      • Colonial Viper 15.1.2

        given that 7 out of 10 Americans can’t even find $1000 in their bank account after 8 years of Obama rule, do you have an explanation for why the Democrats are continuing a massive underclass which will support the Republicans

        And since the Clintons have accumulated $250M or more of personal wealth since WJC left office, do you count them amongst the scum bag “wealthy elites” who use the underclass for their own political purposes?

        • Rob 15.1.2.1

          Well, dare we all say it, a lot of politicos are pretty well off, and they have they have the time &/or luxuary to debate &/or moan.

          Not easy to debate &/or moan when you are fixing plasterboard or stuffing batts into houses for a living.

        • joe90 15.1.2.2

          scum bag “wealthy elites”

          Your words sport, not mine, and you’re the one with a boner for the NYC blue blood.

          • Rob 15.1.2.2.1

            You added nothing Joe , why even bother. Spark up when you have something meaningful to contribute.

            • joe90 15.1.2.2.1.1

              Who the fuck are you to turn up late to the party and demand a rundown of the past six months.

              Fuck you and your horse, trole.

          • Colonial Viper 15.1.2.2.2

            Hi joe90, you are quite right sorry I will recast my careless phrasing: with over $250M personal net worth do you consider the Clintons as part of the “wealthy elite” of the USA?

        • Lanthanide 15.1.2.3

          As I’ve said before, CV, the American culture is one of consumption, not savings.

          Saying 70% of Americans don’t have $1k in savings seems bad on the face of it – but you can also interpret that as many Americans being hopeful for their future prosperity, so they see no need to save and are happy to spend everything they earn.

          Contrast with the cultural attitudes in China, where people, peasants especially, save as much money as possible, because there is little in the way of government support and they expect to face tough times in the future.

          • Colonial Viper 15.1.2.3.1

            Saying 70% of Americans don’t have $1k in savings seems bad on the face of it – but you can also interpret that as many Americans being hopeful for their future prosperity, so they see no need to save and are happy to spend everything they earn.

            OK I can see the glass half full point that you are trying to make, but I’d suggest that it could also be seen as a lot of burnishing of the turd.

  16. DS 16

    Trump’s base are poorly educated yet comfortably off white male Protestants. He’s not getting support from actual poor people (except for the usual suspect states in the South), and he is not going to win Michigan or Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. He might win Ohio, but that’s it as far as the Rust Belt is concerned.

    As for Lefties liking Trump (a phenomenon largely limited to those who wouldn’t actually have to suffer under him), supporting a fascist because the opposition isn’t left-wing enough has some tragic precedent. Frankly, and speaking as an ardent Lefty, I would back Margaret Thatcher over Donald Trump.

    • Rob 16.1

      Wow, we have found it , here is the oracle on identifying the poorly eduacted. You best look out out you dumb schmucks!

      We all bow in your presence , oh mighty mage!

      • DS 16.1.1

        Um, try taking a look at the polling crosstabs. They often break down by age, ethnicity, gender, income, level of education, and religion, Trump does terribly among young people, non-whites, women, the poor, the educated, and non-Protestants.

        • Rob 16.1.1.1

          Nice one DS, unfortuntaly you still dont get get the debate.

          Its not the matter of liking Trump, its failure in belief of the system.

        • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.2

          So you believe that Clinton is going to beat Trump in the popular vote by around +10 percentage points? Therefore a landslide for Clinton by a hundred or more electoral votes?

          • DS 16.1.1.2.1

            7-10 points, yes. At this stage, a Hillary +12 would surprise me less than a Hillary +3.

            As far as EVs go, she’s looking at Obama 2012 + North Carolina + Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. Arizona is pure toss-up, and after that, in ascending order of difficulty, Georgia, Alaska, South Carolina, and Texas. Utah remains a wildcard because of McMullin splitting the right-wing vote.

            Even if it were close, any Republican (not just Trump) runs into the Blue Wall problem. Hillary only needs those states John Kerry won in 2004, plus Virginia and Colorado, and she’s won. Doesn’t matter if Trump wins Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Florida.

            • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.2.1.1

              I think Hillary is only +2 up on Trump currently hence the massive and ongoing attacks on him; I will be extremely surprised if she pulls a +7 or +10 on the popular vote. Not saying it is impossible though. As for the Blue Wall problem yep that is a real one which faces any and every Repub candidate.

              • Rob

                Yep, reading your notes is similar to reading the run down of the Melbourne Cup stakes by starter. All “lite facts”, but no real awareness .

  17. Rob 17

    Yeah, Clinton will win by a landslide and it will be the better result , unbelievable as it may seem, as Clinton is amazingly hopeless. However Trump is an idiot, but my god there is some real anger out there.

  18. Rob 18

    How did we end up with these two?

    • Colonial Viper 18.1

      My best guess is that the establishment would have been fine with either Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton; but they eventually chose Clinton and discarded Jeb, instead deciding to promote a weak outsider “Pied Piper” candidate in Trump as someone that Clinton should have no trouble running over and leaving on the side of the street as political road kill.

      Except that Trump has performed rather unexpectedly well.

      • Lanthanide 18.1.1

        Just ignoring that most of the establishment has been vocally against Trump, and that he won by a public primary.

        In other words, denying reality.

        Party insiders picking the nominee hasn’t happened since 1966.

        • Colonial Viper 18.1.1.1

          I love your faith in the US democratic process, good on ya mate.

          • Lanthanide 18.1.1.1.1

            If you want to deny reality, fine, just don’t pretend you have some sort of inside information about ‘what is really happening’, because you don’t.

  19. Michael 19

    Uh, no.
    Michael Moore is vociferously campaigning *for* Hillary Clinton. Understanding Trump’s appeal is not the same as condoning it.

    And Trump supported American auto companies stopping jobs from going? Give me a break! He shipped jobs to low-wage nations in Asia by making all his products there. Obama was the one who bailed out the auto industry and protected hundreds of thousands of factory jobs.

    Donald Trump is a racist, sexist authoritarian billionaire who is looking out only for himself — a man who believes in not paying taxes, enriching himself, all while building a huge tower with his name in gold letters at the top is not a working class here that will save the disaffected people of America.

    Electing Donald Trump will be the biggest inhibitor to progressive change, and I’m not just speaking socially but economically too. Hillary Clinton has come out against TPP. Hillary Clinton supports free tuition for tertiary education. Hillary Clinton supports strengthening unions and raising the minimum wage. Hillary Clinton supports paid parental leave and affordable childcare. Hillary Clinton supports greater regulation of the banks and monopolistic industries. Hillary Clinton supports raising taxes on the wealthy. Hillary Clinton wants to ensure the US follows through on its Paris agreement commitments.

    Donald Trump will give bigger taxes to the wealthy than Reagan did. Donald Trump wants to reverse federal regulations and freeze more regulations. Trump wants to tear up climate change actions. Trump opposes affordable childcare. Trump doesn’t care about unions or protecting jobs: just look how he himself has treated unions and shipped jobs to low-wage countries.

    And while Hillary has flaws, she can be pushed by a strong populist movement and Democrats in congress like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and others. Bernie Sanders will be chair of the senate budget committee and Elizabeth Warren will be able to block any too industry-friendly regulatory appointments.

    • Richard Rawshark 19.1

      Incorrect

      “And Trump supported American auto companies stopping jobs from going? Give me a break! He shipped jobs to low-wage nations in Asia by making all his products there. Obama was the one who bailed out the auto industry and protected hundreds of thousands of factory jobs.”

      He imported cheap construction materials I am unaware of anything he manufactures as a product you can buy in a shop. But IDNK perhaps he does?

      As for what you said about the Auto industry you do know the truth is he went to Detroit stood in front of these execs and said if they moved their manufacturing out of the states to say Mexico like they are planning to currently do, he would slap a 35% tariff on them and no one in the US would buy them.

      what you said, who told you that?

      you know what Clinton money buys yo favours and time style government does?

      It means free trade deals, free rides, and companies don’t pay penalities on importing the goods they used to manufacture in that country therefore free trade means one thing, Companies get to flood china asia india with m,anufacturing and assembly, IE cheap labour costs saving fortunes and pay no penalty for it, they have by their greed and manipulation destroyed the very societies they started off in. Now those very people struggle to pay for the goods they once could. Well FKN DONE.

  20. Richard Rawshark 20

    I have come to my ultimate conclusion of who I would vote for and it’s Trump, however we do it, whatever tool we use, it’s time to break the machine. Sorry. Had enough of corporate life.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    5 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    6 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    8 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    13 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T08:19:45+00:00