In light of Marama Davidson’s bollocking over a chocolate brand, who recalls one John Phillip “sirkey” and his relationship with Steinlager?
There was a time when Mr Key haunted the All Black changing rooms, rarely without a Steinie in hand or far from Ritchie–and the Rugby News cover photo directly before the 2014 General Election had him wearing an All Black jersey!…and standing in front of team members as if he were Captain.
The Natzos got away with it on a technicality to do with the periodical nature of Rugby News, though the beer product placement always grated.
The difference is Key was specifically bigging up the product. Given the fact he was in the All Black's dressing room and Steinlager was the sponsors of the team the fact he photographed with a bottle of Steinlager was incidental to his purpose of being there. He was also photographed wearing an All Black's jersey on occassion that doesn't mean he promoted Adidas or AIG.
Sorry, that should have been "Key wasn't specifically bigging up the product".
While Davidson actually stated she disliked the taste she still focused on the product (indeed she held up a selection of it) and highlighted that she thought it was a good buy.
Its about who/what has the better public image. Marama lends her high public image to chocolate (tut-tut), while Key looks good when hes socialising with beer (hoo-raa).
"University students are circulating a petition asking the Government to censure the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) for appearing in an advertisement for gin."
Andrew Bayly, admittedly not the sharpest tack in the tool box, has gone full Trump in his complete disregard for historical fact and truth with this tweet:
There was a website for the last local body elections that analysed candidates for political orientation – the blatant National Party candidates all say that they will keep rate rises low, but that does not catch all of them. Labour has endorsed candidates on their website. The website https://policy.nz/2022 lists candidates, but quite a few (including some Labour candidates) have not given details of policies. For the last local body elections there were some other websites that gave more considered analysis – are there any this time?
Olivia has ACT tendencies and is backed by Rod Drury. There are rumours, which I could not possibly support of course, that she has already overspent the $30k limit permitted.
Glyn Lewers has probably been anointed by Boult which says it all.
mmm I may be wrong…Neeta Shetty may be polling quite well…in fact the two women, her and Olivia Wensley are frontrunners according to a local poll though such polls are dubious.
Going to be an interesting race, three main contenders, Olivia Wensely, Jon Mitchell and Glyn Lewers.
Lewers is a sitting councillor who got on a coin toss last election. An engineer, very community focused, doesn't make a fuss and gets things done. Not much profile outside Frankton (which is the commercial and community heart of the Whakatipu now) which might hamper him in Wanaka. Some say he's Boult's appointment, but think it's more he has the confidence of the current council, most of which will be returned.
Jon Mitchell was Labour candidate in Clutha Southland last year and did quite well, especially in Whakatipu. Born in Queenstown at what's now Bungi Backpackers. Family had a photographic business in town and motels in Glenorchy. Has a background in emergency management and is a very capable guy with a future in politics, either local or national. Could be accused of being a carpetbagger as he lives in Garston and has been working mainly in Wellington lately, but a Mayor who's a little bit removed from this cliquey incestuous place wouldn't be a bad thing.
Olivia Wensly is the daughter of a failed property developer who went tits up in 2008 leaving a huge leaky mess for the Council, and ratepayers to pick up tab. Looks the part and very well presented with lots of expensive signs and patsy video interviews about how great she is. Electoral expense return could be interesting. Doesn't like Three Waters and development contributions, but really likes Council funded development agencies and lots of cheap housing. Also like to use the phrase 'having the debate', often after she's been shot down in flames. She will go down very well with people who have been here 3 – 5 years and really aren't doing that well, which is a sizeable constituency. Could get elected if her campaign doesn't blow up in her face, which is very likely given her family history in town. If elected can see it turning to custard fairly quickly.
Neeta Shetty will mobilise the South Asian vote but not much else, ex Council employee / contractor.
Al Angus is a regular, not a serious contender but asks the right questions and has some very pointed one liners. Usually accounts for at least one candidate's campaign each election.
At least the racist on my street only yells insults, not paints them. Same psychological damage though. Same breaking of other tenants Right To Quiet Enjoyment.
How many thousands of lives are Kainga Ora continuing to subject to chronic abuse in order to virtue signal they're 'protecting the most vulnerable' or 'catering for complex needs'.
Who is the government that let all the mental health people back into the community? Were our institutions so utterly evil they were irredeemable. In that case you clean out the people, not the patients.
Forest & Bird says all political parties who are serious about climate change and the environment need to support an important new bill to protect public conservation land from new mines.
Last Thursday, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill was drawn from the ballot box. Introduced to the House by Green Party MP Eugenie Sage, it would prevent new mining permits being granted on conservation land.
…
“Five years ago, the Prime Minister promised through the Speech from the Throne that the government would end new mining on conservation land. In that time, numerous new mining activities have been approved across conservation land right across New Zealand,” says Forest & Bird Chief Executive Nicola Toki.
“This bill is the Prime Minister’s chance to fulfil that 2017 promise, and truly protect New Zealand’s publicly owned conservation lands for biodiversity and the climate. Ending mining on conservation land would be a powerful legacy and investment in the future. The government has just published its Emissions Reduction Plan – supporting this bill is an important test of its commitment to that Plan.”
It's the same stupid thought process as Labour and Kiwisaver GST. Why do politicians so often fail to ask themselves (and answer) the obvious question: where will this story go? How will it play out?
There are always 2 options:
1) Get out in front of the story and defend your choice. Take the flak, don't be surprised by the entirely predictable. If you believe it matters, then be committed, but don't be committed for a week or month and then be un-committed. (At least it was only a day for Parker). That's a double defeat.
or
2) Don't create the problem in the first place.
You don't need to be any kind of political genius to anticipate the questions when Luxon opens the door to Tamaki, and Labour open the door to an opposition attack on tax. In both cases the leader/party backed down. As they were always going to do.
Yes, I know these are two totally different issues but the problem is the same. Incompetence.
Does nobody have a Comms Dept anymore with at least 1 person in it who can look at a policy or an announcement and think "what is the worst way that some lying scumbag with a complete disregard for the truth can twist this for their political advantage – and how do we prevent that?"
Why do politicians so often fail to ask themselves (and answer) the obvious question: where will this story go? How will it play out?
Labour are bad at this. I think its a combination of some arrogance and an assumption they don't have to' dot the eyes and cross the tees' because the general public will work it out for themselves. The general public can't or don't want to work it out for themselves. You have to do it for them otherwise your opponents will do it and smash your 'story' in the process.
"What I've tried to say consistently is that I've got nothing in common with Tamaki. I think they're crazy, I don't think they're serious,
Luxon will get kudos for this statement despite his dilly dallying around. He is using the language of ordinary everyday people. He comes out and says what most people think – they're crazy. (my bold)
I know people who get irritated with Jacinda Ardern's 'politically correct' language. They dislike her because of it. John Key was a master at the game. He called a spade a spade (even when it wasn't a spade) and the working man and woman loved it. Hence his longevity as PM.
Jacinda needs to the same. As an example, call the VFF/Destiny church crack-pots out for what they are and people should start to approve of her again.
During the Wednesday miscellaneous business debate, Robertson gave Luxon a real serve about his inability to call out Tamaki et al. especially when Tamaki blamed natural phenomena upon the gay community.
"Now, it's probably in the Labour Party's interest for Christopher Luxon to go on deciding that he does not want to rule out Brian Tamaki. I am pleading with Mr Luxon to do the right thing. Do not say to young, gay New Zealanders that they don't matter. Do not say to the women of New Zealand that they don't have a place in leadership. Because, Mr Luxon, you will be judged by the company you keep. You have a chance and you have an opportunity to stand up for New Zealanders' values. Do the right thing, Mr Luxon, rule out working with Brian Tamaki, or else New Zealanders will continue to believe you stand for extremism, you stand for bigotry. Rule out Brian Tamaki."
It seems to be true of all politicians – when their personal moral convictions collide with the 'politically acceptable' attitudes which make you electable.
Right, or Left. Ethics don't hold a candle when it comes to electibility.
Here's an overview of Luxon, Mahuta and Efeso Collins – all doing the same thing – publicly walking back what is clearly a deeply held ethical opinion, when it becomes politically advisable to do so
If you can't be bothered reading, that's your problem.
If you don't like the message, then that's also your problem.
The point – labouring the issue for the terminally dense – is that politicians from *all* parties walk back their personal ethics when it conflicts with their electability.
If you want to accuse Luxon of doing this – then you should be prepared to also accuse Mahuta & Efeso Collins of doing the same.
If you actually have a perspective to share – I'd be interested to read it.
But, spray and walk away accusations really don't impress.
Do you need help ? clearly your becoming unhinged,have no interest in debating with the likes of you,just pointing out a poor link.If you had an article in mind,link to it!
"Robertson gave Luxon a real serve about his inability to call out Tamaki et al…"
Good for Grant.
Trouble is Mac1, the vast majority of people do not listen to parliament. And those that do are better informed than most. That is why it is so important to speak frankly outside of parliament and to call the NActs out in language that your every day Joe Bloggs and his missus readily understand.
Fair enough, Anne. I expect that the plain speaking will increase as first, the need to react to the mind-boggling stupidity increases as the examination of their behaviour and beliefs increases, (such as Fire and Fury, and the media's focus on loopy local election candidates), and second, the election in 2023 gets closer and the opportunity and style of debate changes.
Yes. Watched whatsername, Nicola Willis(?) trying to give Grant a serve today. Belligerence is her middle name. Labour needs to start the plain speaking imo, and that includes the dipsticks and crackpots currently running riot over NZ's green and pleasant land.
The only honest politician, on the opposition side, seems to have been David Seymour, who at least acknowledged that the move was reasonable if one wished to have GST consistency. The National Party seem to be dishonestly attempting to make political capital out of the affair.
This move by Labour may have been unwise for political reasons, but having made it I think they should have pressed ahead with it. Backing down just makes them look as though they've been caught out doing something naughty.
Australia sees excess deaths at 12% for first 5 months of 2022,with around half due to covid,and forecasts for rest of year suggest 9% for Covid alone.As Australia relaxes rules on masks on planes,and isolation rules.
Will the government Greenlight a higher excess death rate for the future? The minister for covid is struggling,Is it a good time to start shorting the aged care providers?
It is Blue September – prostate cancer awareness month. Look out for all the advertisements aimed at "prostate havers", "penis owners", " ejaculators" etc. Just kidding – so far it is 'blokes", "men" and "he/him" all the way. Advertising naming the people they actually know will be effected by this disease, and the people who love and support them actually works! Remember this next time you see "person with a cervix".
Prostate cancer isn’t any more common in gay, transgender or bisexual men however the nature of relationships and emotional support mechanisms in their community is often different to that in the heterosexual community.
Yes, just like that. Still taking about men – (but with the obligatory kiss up to gender ideology). On a specialised page and doing its best to identify exactly who is likely to be affected.
can you honestly not see the sexism? Women's health messaging is remove the word woman, men's isn't removing the word man. There are a myriad of examples of this now, including on major health websites where women are referred to as body parts and men are called men.
There is a discrepancy there for sure but in my experience the messaging that is coming from official sources (not companies) is 'women and …' rather than the removal of the word entirely.
Sexism imbues all aspects of our society as we are still a patriarchal society, one that privileges straight men above all others and that includes in health messaging in particular. Masculinity, as our society defines it, is fragile; insecure about and fearful of perceived frailness or weakness, read: femininity (as our patriarchal system defines it), and so don't look after their health, avoid seeking diagnosis or advice and ignore messaging that they perceive to not apply to them. This is certainly a consideration of those who write this type of messaging.
All this said, my concern is that we must work to dismantle the patriarchy together and people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc are helping to do just that. I just feel the focus is wrong.
Sexism is based on expectations of behaviour, presentation, competence and achievement based on the material reality of biological sex.
It has nothing to do with the performative stereotypes adopted by those who want to appropriate a fascimile of oppression by declaration.
As pointed out many times, medical treatment and protocols based on male bodies, have bee detrimental to women's outcomes, and this disparity has only recently been acknowledged.
Biological sex is not the same as gender identity. Gender ideology requires this distinction to exist, YET, it also demands the removal of that distinction in all language use. Even in cases where the topic is only about biological sex – such as in medicine and health.
Women/woman is sufficient and accurate.
The reassurances about no impact on women from the 'Be Kind' and inclusive crowd, are constantly shown to be lies, but instead of being changed – continue to be repeated.
Sexism is based on expectations of behaviour, presentation, competence and achievement based on the material reality of biological sex.
This is precisely what I meant by a patriarchal definition of gender roles; fixed in stone by 'material realities', unchanging, inflexible and deliberately ignorant and dismissive of the innumerable exceptions to these supposed 'realities' that have always existed.
"All this said, my concern is that we must work to dismantle the patriarchy together and people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc are helping to do just that. I just feel the focus is wrong."
Which has nothing to do with sexism based on material reality.
By treating gender stereotypes as fixed and immutable, and denying the reality of material sex differences, the excuse of "dismantling the patriachy", is further diminishing of women's sex based realities and a distortion of both cause and effect of sexism.
To say that transgender concerns can be expressed separately, and are distinct is accurate, but seemingly not permitted.
The concerns of women in respect to sexism and patriachy are not the same of those of men. They should not be conflated, and therefore adjusted to accommodate an inclusion of males.
It is the view of the patriarchy that gender stereotypes are fixed and immutable.
Is physical strength exclusive to men? Is compassion exclusive to women? Aren’t women already logical, analytical, or rebellious or uncompromising or doctors or engineers or farmers or whatever else is seen by our patriarchal society as the realm of men?
Are men incapable of gentleness, of caring or supporting or nursing or teaching or child-rearing and household labour or whatever else is seen by our patriarchal society as women’s role?
Are you saying the reality of material sex differences means these stereotypes should be maintained and enforced?
I will reiterate that I believe that people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc. just by existing, are helping to undermine those patriarchal stereotypes, and that is a positive step towards achieving social, political and economic equality of the sexes. They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely.
Don't understand the point you are making in your first two paragraphs, or your definition of 'patriachy'. However, can reply to the remainder.
"Are you saying the reality of material sex differences means these stereotypes should be maintained and enforced?"
No, the majority gender critical view is diametrically opposed to this premise. It is gender ideology that connects gender stereotypes to definitive expressions of sex.
"I will reiterate that I believe that people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc. just by existing, are helping to undermine those patriarchal stereotypes, and that is a positive step towards achieving social, political and economic equality of the sexes. They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely."
You can reiterate this opinion all you like.
To persuade or convince, it is helpful for you to explain how.
1. What is your definition of 'patriarchy'?
2. How does it impact on the groups you identify?
3. Do those impacts overlap, or are they discrete or a combination of the two?
4. What is this magical component or effect associated with "just by existing"?
5. As an final question about language, what are your definitions of the terms you have used:
a)queer, b]gender-diverse, c)trans
"They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely."
Not necessarily, examples that contradict that assumption are easily found.
If you take time to research, you will find multiple instances of gender activists telling women how they are doing feminism wrong, how their insistence on biological sex realities supports the patriarchy, sexism, is self-inflicted etc.
I'm interested to see how you come to your position.
I feel I have defined the terms suitably enough throughout this thread but I am also keenly aware that definitions do not always provide us with strict rules or boundaries, in fact they very rarely do, the story of Plato and Diogenes is a good example: Plato was asked to define a man and said; “A featherless biped.” Later Diogenes burst in, brandishing a plucked chicken, exclaiming; “Behold, a man!”
As a thought experiment, are you able come up with a succint definition of a chair, that includes all chairs while also excluding all things that are not chairs?
So, the chair analogy….Let's park that word game with the prevalence of left-handedness ho-hum and move on.
As is often the case, when provided with the opportunity to be succinct and provide clarity, words and language is treated as a movable feast in explanations rather than an effective tool for clear communication.
"I feel I have defined the terms suitably enough throughout this thread "
Yes. I am assured you feel that way. However, the reality is you haven't defined them at all.
You are not only failing to convince me of the common ground between women and other demographics. I remain critical of your coherence in what you believe to be the effects of patriachy, or indeed of those groups you have named but not defined in any meaningful way.
(No comment on the example of Jeffrey Marsh as women's rights ally? Oh, well. )
What you call a ho-hum word game is very much essential to effective and clear communication, in that we cannot rely on definitions alone to be accurate about the meaning of words; we more often understand things by what Wittgenstein called family resemblances; similarities, affinities and correspondences. One particular affinity, relevant to this discussion is that our patriarchy disempowers all those who are not straight cis white men, so all those demographics that do not have those qualities are largely prevented from exerting social, political or economic power and thus are allies in the struggle for equality.
One constant, I've noticed, is that men who are particularly vehement about the acceptance on the slogan 'Trabswomen are Women', are usually also quick to draw on particularly sexist dismissive terms to negate or refute women's concerns.
Very few women would wear pearls nowadays, Sacha. It is possibly, more likely they will be found on the necks of those men who enjoy cross-dressing like fifties housewives, rather than the grown women of today.
However that is by the by.
The other suspicion I have about men who so emphatic about other men being accepted as women, is this:
For all their talk about acceptance, inclusion and kindness, and let's admit it – complete ignorance about being female, a girl or a woman – their insistence that transvestitites, autogynophiles, men who just declare themselves as women MUST BE accepted in all ways as women, is because they are both unable and unwilling to accommodate such men alongside themselves as 'men'.
That is why, they choose to abuse women who say they accept that diversity of trans people, but not the lie of biological sex change. They are unable to accept transwomen as men, because their idea of men is limited, so any variation must belong in the non-men category. Is this descriptive of you?
(In other words, contribute something better than snide sexist dismissals. Pearl clutching…?)
there are no limitations of language Arkie. Women -= adult human female. End of. Men are free to identify as women all they like. But they can never be women. You can't change biological reality.
You have a bloody nerve talking about breaking down the patriarchy. In all my years I have never felt so patronized and gas lit as I have by the trans rights activists. Listen to you. The prioritizing of the rights of male bodied people over women to enter their change rooms, sports competitions prisons etc etc, is a f…g outrage and the most sexist thing I have ever experienced in my lifetime.
Well, Anker. I find your language to be clear and to the point, without equivocation, so find myself agreeing.
It always interests me when people are unable to provide definitions for words they themselves introduce to conversations, particularly on this topic. When provided with opportunities to clarify themselves, they divert off into discussions about how language is fluid and needs to be observed out of context. (Taking the piss, is the more abbreviated term I associate with this approach.) Because THEY are unable to be clear, they assume the problem lies within language, not their misuse of language, or lack of coherent thought.
(I've never before come across the idea of magical influence on women's oppression by "just existing" before. I imagine it is similar to a unicorn manifestation which grateful women should welcome with open arms. I wonder why so many women wasted time on consciousness raising, protesting and activism in the past. All we needed was a coterie of magical gender identities…)
Yep, we had a nice billbord about cancer and blokes. It was actually quite well done, and it was quite clear at whom it was aimed.
And no one gives a fuck about the well being of the domesticated mental support providing therapy animal that used to have a name but can't be named anymore lest some people who like to appear non male or people who like to appear male but are non male pack a sad.
Fear not. Those hits are outdated. The dreaded word has now almost been edited out entirely. but still remains in the "Our Story' precis. Give it time.
I think this is the group that advertised for donations to beat that mythical cancer that some people who can not be named have. So i emailed them to inquire about the mythical human being that would get gynecological cancers . I have yet to receive an answer.
Rumour has it the shiny new NZ Health are debating what is a woman……if they don’t know what a woman is get the f..k out of health. Go and work in fantasy instead
Good God. Someone better tell them what a woman is as soon as possible.
Apparently, there is some confusion that may result in a long waiting list for healthcare for chairs…. Stool samples may take on a completely different meaning.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
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Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
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A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
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Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
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In light of Marama Davidson’s bollocking over a chocolate brand, who recalls one John Phillip “sirkey” and his relationship with Steinlager?
There was a time when Mr Key haunted the All Black changing rooms, rarely without a Steinie in hand or far from Ritchie–and the Rugby News cover photo directly before the 2014 General Election had him wearing an All Black jersey!…and standing in front of team members as if he were Captain.
The Natzos got away with it on a technicality to do with the periodical nature of Rugby News, though the beer product placement always grated.
The difference is Key was specifically bigging up the product. Given the fact he was in the All Black's dressing room and Steinlager was the sponsors of the team the fact he photographed with a bottle of Steinlager was incidental to his purpose of being there. He was also photographed wearing an All Black's jersey on occassion that doesn't mean he promoted Adidas or AIG.
Key was specifically bigging up the product?
Your saying Marama prefers the Maori language to the chocolate?
Sorry, that should have been "Key wasn't specifically bigging up the product".
While Davidson actually stated she disliked the taste she still focused on the product (indeed she held up a selection of it) and highlighted that she thought it was a good buy.
Oh, I see what your saying.
Its about who/what has the better public image. Marama lends her high public image to chocolate (tut-tut), while Key looks good when hes socialising with beer (hoo-raa).
"University students are circulating a petition asking the Government to censure the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) for appearing in an advertisement for gin."
[The Press, 22 May 1971]
Andrew Bayly, admittedly not the sharpest tack in the tool box, has gone full Trump in his complete disregard for historical fact and truth with this tweet:
https://twitter.com/bayly_andrew/status/1564852462271401984
Lying for votes – The National Party since….. forever
To be fair promising 100000 Kiwibuild affordable homes was pretty close to a lie… albeit an aspirational one
Who should a Labour supporter vote for in the QueenstownLakes election?
Can't figure them out.
There was a website for the last local body elections that analysed candidates for political orientation – the blatant National Party candidates all say that they will keep rate rises low, but that does not catch all of them. Labour has endorsed candidates on their website. The website https://policy.nz/2022 lists candidates, but quite a few (including some Labour candidates) have not given details of policies. For the last local body elections there were some other websites that gave more considered analysis – are there any this time?
There's policy.nz
Here's my profile, for your amusement, but you could explore their site from this link:
https://policy.nz/2022/southland-regional-council-invercargill-rakiura-constituency/candidates/robert-guyton
Lovely but I don't need a website.
I need actual recommendations.
Anyone?
Jon Mitchell-not hard really at all.
Olivia has ACT tendencies and is backed by Rod Drury. There are rumours, which I could not possibly support of course, that she has already overspent the $30k limit permitted.
Glyn Lewers has probably been anointed by Boult which says it all.
The other mayoral candidates are no-hopers.
Appreciated BG
mmm I may be wrong…Neeta Shetty may be polling quite well…in fact the two women, her and Olivia Wensley are frontrunners according to a local poll though such polls are dubious.
Going to be an interesting race, three main contenders, Olivia Wensely, Jon Mitchell and Glyn Lewers.
Lewers is a sitting councillor who got on a coin toss last election. An engineer, very community focused, doesn't make a fuss and gets things done. Not much profile outside Frankton (which is the commercial and community heart of the Whakatipu now) which might hamper him in Wanaka. Some say he's Boult's appointment, but think it's more he has the confidence of the current council, most of which will be returned.
Jon Mitchell was Labour candidate in Clutha Southland last year and did quite well, especially in Whakatipu. Born in Queenstown at what's now Bungi Backpackers. Family had a photographic business in town and motels in Glenorchy. Has a background in emergency management and is a very capable guy with a future in politics, either local or national. Could be accused of being a carpetbagger as he lives in Garston and has been working mainly in Wellington lately, but a Mayor who's a little bit removed from this cliquey incestuous place wouldn't be a bad thing.
Olivia Wensly is the daughter of a failed property developer who went tits up in 2008 leaving a huge leaky mess for the Council, and ratepayers to pick up tab. Looks the part and very well presented with lots of expensive signs and patsy video interviews about how great she is. Electoral expense return could be interesting. Doesn't like Three Waters and development contributions, but really likes Council funded development agencies and lots of cheap housing. Also like to use the phrase 'having the debate', often after she's been shot down in flames. She will go down very well with people who have been here 3 – 5 years and really aren't doing that well, which is a sizeable constituency. Could get elected if her campaign doesn't blow up in her face, which is very likely given her family history in town. If elected can see it turning to custard fairly quickly.
Neeta Shetty will mobilise the South Asian vote but not much else, ex Council employee / contractor.
Al Angus is a regular, not a serious contender but asks the right questions and has some very pointed one liners. Usually accounts for at least one candidate's campaign each election.
Trashy Kainga Ora Tenants Strike Again
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/129731219/racist-graffiti-scrawled-over-familys-remuera-home
At least the racist on my street only yells insults, not paints them. Same psychological damage though. Same breaking of other tenants Right To Quiet Enjoyment.
How many thousands of lives are Kainga Ora continuing to subject to chronic abuse in order to virtue signal they're 'protecting the most vulnerable' or 'catering for complex needs'.
Who is the government that let all the mental health people back into the community? Were our institutions so utterly evil they were irredeemable. In that case you clean out the people, not the patients.
FFS.
Green Party doing green politics things
https://twitter.com/nzgreens/status/1564783335364145153
Forest & Bird outlines the reality (my bold):
https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/bill-end-new-mines-conservation-land-chance-fulfil-governments-promise
Jacinda promised to clean up the rivers too, but that comment was made before a general election so naturally it shouldn't be taken seriously.
Luxon has now done what everyone with any sense knew he would/should do: rule out Brian Tamaki.
Link provided, but it's Hosking so … you click, your choice.
It's the same stupid thought process as Labour and Kiwisaver GST. Why do politicians so often fail to ask themselves (and answer) the obvious question: where will this story go? How will it play out?
There are always 2 options:
1) Get out in front of the story and defend your choice. Take the flak, don't be surprised by the entirely predictable. If you believe it matters, then be committed, but don't be committed for a week or month and then be un-committed. (At least it was only a day for Parker). That's a double defeat.
or
2) Don't create the problem in the first place.
You don't need to be any kind of political genius to anticipate the questions when Luxon opens the door to Tamaki, and Labour open the door to an opposition attack on tax. In both cases the leader/party backed down. As they were always going to do.
Yes, I know these are two totally different issues but the problem is the same. Incompetence.
Does nobody have a Comms Dept anymore with at least 1 person in it who can look at a policy or an announcement and think "what is the worst way that some lying scumbag with a complete disregard for the truth can twist this for their political advantage – and how do we prevent that?"
Probably there are too many comms staff wouldnt be suprised if they tie themselves in knots.
Labour are bad at this. I think its a combination of some arrogance and an assumption they don't have to' dot the eyes and cross the tees' because the general public will work it out for themselves. The general public can't or don't want to work it out for themselves. You have to do it for them otherwise your opponents will do it and smash your 'story' in the process.
As for Luxon:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nationals-christopher-luxon-rules-out-joining-with-brian-tamaki-led-freedoms-nz-coalition/6W6HTIJFSMT5BSMURZYC6A7XLI/
Luxon will get kudos for this statement despite his dilly dallying around. He is using the language of ordinary everyday people. He comes out and says what most people think – they're crazy. (my bold)
I know people who get irritated with Jacinda Ardern's 'politically correct' language. They dislike her because of it. John Key was a master at the game. He called a spade a spade (even when it wasn't a spade) and the working man and woman loved it. Hence his longevity as PM.
Jacinda needs to the same. As an example, call the VFF/Destiny church crack-pots out for what they are and people should start to approve of her again.
During the Wednesday miscellaneous business debate, Robertson gave Luxon a real serve about his inability to call out Tamaki et al. especially when Tamaki blamed natural phenomena upon the gay community.
"Now, it's probably in the Labour Party's interest for Christopher Luxon to go on deciding that he does not want to rule out Brian Tamaki. I am pleading with Mr Luxon to do the right thing. Do not say to young, gay New Zealanders that they don't matter. Do not say to the women of New Zealand that they don't have a place in leadership. Because, Mr Luxon, you will be judged by the company you keep. You have a chance and you have an opportunity to stand up for New Zealanders' values. Do the right thing, Mr Luxon, rule out working with Brian Tamaki, or else New Zealanders will continue to believe you stand for extremism, you stand for bigotry. Rule out Brian Tamaki."
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansD_20220831_20220831
Very probably why he decided to take a side!
Not from any moral conviction – he is a fundy after all!
It seems to be true of all politicians – when their personal moral convictions collide with the 'politically acceptable' attitudes which make you electable.
Right, or Left. Ethics don't hold a candle when it comes to electibility.
Here's an overview of Luxon, Mahuta and Efeso Collins – all doing the same thing – publicly walking back what is clearly a deeply held ethical opinion, when it becomes politically advisable to do so
https://www.todayfm.co.nz/home/opinion/2022/06/where-do-we-draw-the-line-at-politicians-being-disingenuous-hypocritical-even.html
[link fixed]
That rubbish link of yours trawling through it for what ?
If you can't be bothered reading, that's your problem.
If you don't like the message, then that's also your problem.
The point – labouring the issue for the terminally dense – is that politicians from *all* parties walk back their personal ethics when it conflicts with their electability.
If you want to accuse Luxon of doing this – then you should be prepared to also accuse Mahuta & Efeso Collins of doing the same.
If you actually have a perspective to share – I'd be interested to read it.
But, spray and walk away accusations really don't impress.
Do you need help ? clearly your becoming unhinged,have no interest in debating with the likes of you,just pointing out a poor link.If you had an article in mind,link to it!
Gosh, I had no idea that you were commenting on a link not working. Not being a mind reader (yuck – what a nasty thought).
Perhaps you could practice using sentences to communicate.
Because you frequently verge on incoherence – and clearly crossed the line this time.
Try this link
https://www.todayfm.co.nz/home/opinion/2022/06/where-do-we-draw-the-line-at-politicians-being-disingenuous-hypocritical-even.html
It seems as though the final 'l' was missing off the original – however, a simple google search of the keywords would have found it.
Or, a simple comment that the link wasn't working would have prompted me to check and correct.
How many other people do you treat like this,stay on your med's.
Chill, please!
"Robertson gave Luxon a real serve about his inability to call out Tamaki et al…"
Good for Grant.
Trouble is Mac1, the vast majority of people do not listen to parliament. And those that do are better informed than most. That is why it is so important to speak frankly outside of parliament and to call the NActs out in language that your every day Joe Bloggs and his missus readily understand.
Fair enough, Anne. I expect that the plain speaking will increase as first, the need to react to the mind-boggling stupidity increases as the examination of their behaviour and beliefs increases, (such as Fire and Fury, and the media's focus on loopy local election candidates), and second, the election in 2023 gets closer and the opportunity and style of debate changes.
Yes. Watched whatsername, Nicola Willis(?) trying to give Grant a serve today. Belligerence is her middle name. Labour needs to start the plain speaking imo, and that includes the dipsticks and crackpots currently running riot over NZ's green and pleasant land.
The only honest politician, on the opposition side, seems to have been David Seymour, who at least acknowledged that the move was reasonable if one wished to have GST consistency. The National Party seem to be dishonestly attempting to make political capital out of the affair.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129742208/how-the-wrongheaded-kiwisaver-fees-tax-backfired-for-labour
This move by Labour may have been unwise for political reasons, but having made it I think they should have pressed ahead with it. Backing down just makes them look as though they've been caught out doing something naughty.
Yes – it lends undeserved credibility to National.
US life expectancy drop largest 2 year fall in a century.Fall is due to both covid and opioids.
https://twitter.com/markets/status/1564850735791177729
Australia sees excess deaths at 12% for first 5 months of 2022,with around half due to covid,and forecasts for rest of year suggest 9% for Covid alone.As Australia relaxes rules on masks on planes,and isolation rules.
https://twitter.com/KarenCutter4/status/1564754050620350464
NZ has a similar slope with excess deaths,(an absolute figure that is undeniable )
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-mortality-p-scores-average-baseline?country=NZL~AUS
Will the government Greenlight a higher excess death rate for the future? The minister for covid is struggling,Is it a good time to start shorting the aged care providers?
It is Blue September – prostate cancer awareness month. Look out for all the advertisements aimed at "prostate havers", "penis owners", " ejaculators" etc. Just kidding – so far it is 'blokes", "men" and "he/him" all the way. Advertising naming the people they actually know will be effected by this disease, and the people who love and support them actually works! Remember this next time you see "person with a cervix".
Like this?
https://prostate.org.nz/rainbow-blue/
Yes, just like that. Still taking about men – (but with the obligatory kiss up to gender ideology). On a specialised page and doing its best to identify exactly who is likely to be affected.
Oh my, how terrible.
can you honestly not see the sexism? Women's health messaging is remove the word woman, men's isn't removing the word man. There are a myriad of examples of this now, including on major health websites where women are referred to as body parts and men are called men.
There is a discrepancy there for sure but in my experience the messaging that is coming from official sources (not companies) is 'women and …' rather than the removal of the word entirely.
Sexism imbues all aspects of our society as we are still a patriarchal society, one that privileges straight men above all others and that includes in health messaging in particular. Masculinity, as our society defines it, is fragile; insecure about and fearful of perceived frailness or weakness, read: femininity (as our patriarchal system defines it), and so don't look after their health, avoid seeking diagnosis or advice and ignore messaging that they perceive to not apply to them. This is certainly a consideration of those who write this type of messaging.
All this said, my concern is that we must work to dismantle the patriarchy together and people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc are helping to do just that. I just feel the focus is wrong.
Sexism is based on expectations of behaviour, presentation, competence and achievement based on the material reality of biological sex.
It has nothing to do with the performative stereotypes adopted by those who want to appropriate a fascimile of oppression by declaration.
As pointed out many times, medical treatment and protocols based on male bodies, have bee detrimental to women's outcomes, and this disparity has only recently been acknowledged.
Biological sex is not the same as gender identity. Gender ideology requires this distinction to exist, YET, it also demands the removal of that distinction in all language use. Even in cases where the topic is only about biological sex – such as in medicine and health.
Women/woman is sufficient and accurate.
The reassurances about no impact on women from the 'Be Kind' and inclusive crowd, are constantly shown to be lies, but instead of being changed – continue to be repeated.
This is precisely what I meant by a patriarchal definition of gender roles; fixed in stone by 'material realities', unchanging, inflexible and deliberately ignorant and dismissive of the innumerable exceptions to these supposed 'realities' that have always existed.
You also said this:
"All this said, my concern is that we must work to dismantle the patriarchy together and people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc are helping to do just that. I just feel the focus is wrong."
Which has nothing to do with sexism based on material reality.
By treating gender stereotypes as fixed and immutable, and denying the reality of material sex differences, the excuse of "dismantling the patriachy", is further diminishing of women's sex based realities and a distortion of both cause and effect of sexism.
To say that transgender concerns can be expressed separately, and are distinct is accurate, but seemingly not permitted.
The concerns of women in respect to sexism and patriachy are not the same of those of men. They should not be conflated, and therefore adjusted to accommodate an inclusion of males.
It is the view of the patriarchy that gender stereotypes are fixed and immutable.
Is physical strength exclusive to men? Is compassion exclusive to women? Aren’t women already logical, analytical, or rebellious or uncompromising or doctors or engineers or farmers or whatever else is seen by our patriarchal society as the realm of men?
Are men incapable of gentleness, of caring or supporting or nursing or teaching or child-rearing and household labour or whatever else is seen by our patriarchal society as women’s role?
Are you saying the reality of material sex differences means these stereotypes should be maintained and enforced?
I will reiterate that I believe that people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc. just by existing, are helping to undermine those patriarchal stereotypes, and that is a positive step towards achieving social, political and economic equality of the sexes. They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely.
@arkie
Don't understand the point you are making in your first two paragraphs, or your definition of 'patriachy'. However, can reply to the remainder.
"Are you saying the reality of material sex differences means these stereotypes should be maintained and enforced?"
No, the majority gender critical view is diametrically opposed to this premise. It is gender ideology that connects gender stereotypes to definitive expressions of sex.
"I will reiterate that I believe that people who are queer, gender-diverse, trans etc. just by existing, are helping to undermine those patriarchal stereotypes, and that is a positive step towards achieving social, political and economic equality of the sexes. They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely."
You can reiterate this opinion all you like.
To persuade or convince, it is helpful for you to explain how.
1. What is your definition of 'patriarchy'?
2. How does it impact on the groups you identify?
3. Do those impacts overlap, or are they discrete or a combination of the two?
4. What is this magical component or effect associated with "just by existing"?
5. As an final question about language, what are your definitions of the terms you have used:
a)queer, b]gender-diverse, c)trans
"They are, at the very least, allies of feminism surely."
Not necessarily, examples that contradict that assumption are easily found.
Eg. Here's an example of a prominent, feted gender ideology activist's take on misogyny. (Jeffrey Marsh – website and links).
https://twitter.com/Marianneradfem/status/1564734227618439169
If you take time to research, you will find multiple instances of gender activists telling women how they are doing feminism wrong, how their insistence on biological sex realities supports the patriarchy, sexism, is self-inflicted etc.
I'm interested to see how you come to your position.
I feel I have defined the terms suitably enough throughout this thread but I am also keenly aware that definitions do not always provide us with strict rules or boundaries, in fact they very rarely do, the story of Plato and Diogenes is a good example: Plato was asked to define a man and said; “A featherless biped.” Later Diogenes burst in, brandishing a plucked chicken, exclaiming; “Behold, a man!”
As a thought experiment, are you able come up with a succint definition of a chair, that includes all chairs while also excluding all things that are not chairs?
@arkie.
So, the chair analogy….Let's park that word game with the prevalence of left-handedness ho-hum and move on.
As is often the case, when provided with the opportunity to be succinct and provide clarity, words and language is treated as a movable feast in explanations rather than an effective tool for clear communication.
"I feel I have defined the terms suitably enough throughout this thread "
Yes. I am assured you feel that way. However, the reality is you haven't defined them at all.
You are not only failing to convince me of the common ground between women and other demographics. I remain critical of your coherence in what you believe to be the effects of patriachy, or indeed of those groups you have named but not defined in any meaningful way.
(No comment on the example of Jeffrey Marsh as women's rights ally? Oh, well. )
What you call a ho-hum word game is very much essential to effective and clear communication, in that we cannot rely on definitions alone to be accurate about the meaning of words; we more often understand things by what Wittgenstein called family resemblances; similarities, affinities and correspondences. One particular affinity, relevant to this discussion is that our patriarchy disempowers all those who are not straight cis white men, so all those demographics that do not have those qualities are largely prevented from exerting social, political or economic power and thus are allies in the struggle for equality.
@arkie.
I appreciate you taking time to reply.
Unfortunately, I find within your answers nothing to engage with on this issue. I'm not interested in tossing word salads.
That is a shame, despite the barbed vulgarity.
I, likewise, am uninterested in dueling definitions with those unwilling to engage in a simple demonstration of the limitations of language.
Ho-hum.
@arkie "Barbed vulgarity?" (where?) and "dueling definitions" (interesting concept when you have provided none to query…).
Bah humbug indeed.
Clutch that pearl necklace.
One constant, I've noticed, is that men who are particularly vehement about the acceptance on the slogan 'Trabswomen are Women', are usually also quick to draw on particularly sexist dismissive terms to negate or refute women's concerns.
Very few women would wear pearls nowadays, Sacha. It is possibly, more likely they will be found on the necks of those men who enjoy cross-dressing like fifties housewives, rather than the grown women of today.
However that is by the by.
The other suspicion I have about men who so emphatic about other men being accepted as women, is this:
For all their talk about acceptance, inclusion and kindness, and let's admit it – complete ignorance about being female, a girl or a woman – their insistence that transvestitites, autogynophiles, men who just declare themselves as women MUST BE accepted in all ways as women, is because they are both unable and unwilling to accommodate such men alongside themselves as 'men'.
That is why, they choose to abuse women who say they accept that diversity of trans people, but not the lie of biological sex change. They are unable to accept transwomen as men, because their idea of men is limited, so any variation must belong in the non-men category. Is this descriptive of you?
(In other words, contribute something better than snide sexist dismissals. Pearl clutching…?)
there are no limitations of language Arkie. Women -= adult human female. End of. Men are free to identify as women all they like. But they can never be women. You can't change biological reality.
You have a bloody nerve talking about breaking down the patriarchy. In all my years I have never felt so patronized and gas lit as I have by the trans rights activists. Listen to you. The prioritizing of the rights of male bodied people over women to enter their change rooms, sports competitions prisons etc etc, is a f…g outrage and the most sexist thing I have ever experienced in my lifetime.
Well, Anker. I find your language to be clear and to the point, without equivocation, so find myself agreeing.
It always interests me when people are unable to provide definitions for words they themselves introduce to conversations, particularly on this topic. When provided with opportunities to clarify themselves, they divert off into discussions about how language is fluid and needs to be observed out of context. (Taking the piss, is the more abbreviated term I associate with this approach.) Because THEY are unable to be clear, they assume the problem lies within language, not their misuse of language, or lack of coherent thought.
(I've never before come across the idea of magical influence on women's oppression by "just existing" before. I imagine it is similar to a unicorn manifestation which grateful women should welcome with open arms. I wonder why so many women wasted time on consciousness raising, protesting and activism in the past. All we needed was a coterie of magical gender identities…)
Yep, we had a nice billbord about cancer and blokes. It was actually quite well done, and it was quite clear at whom it was aimed.
And no one gives a fuck about the well being of the domesticated mental support providing therapy animal that used to have a name but can't be named anymore lest some people who like to appear non male or people who like to appear male but are non male pack a sad.
Talk Peach, a charity focused on women's gynaecological cancers actually does have two hit's for the word "women" when doing a site search:
site: https://www.talkpeach.org.nz/ women
Fear not. Those hits are outdated. The dreaded word has now almost been edited out entirely. but still remains in the "Our Story' precis. Give it time.
I think this is the group that advertised for donations to beat that mythical cancer that some people who can not be named have. So i emailed them to inquire about the mythical human being that would get gynecological cancers . I have yet to receive an answer.
I did receive an answer.
Along the lines of "Meanie. Why are you being mean when I'm just trying to be kind? Also, I have cancer, and you're mean."
Not wishing to engage in any form of one-upmanship in terms of kindness, meanness or sickness, I repeated my concern and wished her well.
It seems the word 'women' was a step too far when discussing gynaecological cancers.
Brilliant Molly and Sabine as always
Good God. Someone better tell them what a woman is as soon as possible.
Apparently, there is some confusion that may result in a long waiting list for healthcare for chairs…. Stool samples may take on a completely different meaning.
Probably just working out how to protect all people.
Hard to know because you gave fuck all context and zero links.
The context Muttonbird is of a public service captured by gender ideology.
I said it was a rumour/. Would it bother you if it were true?