But it should be ok because there is still the same amount of money in the world – it just needs a different means of distribution to ensure all are provided for …
Example: My bank owns $1 billion in shares or bonds or mortgages in a companies/farms which go bust. Yesterday the shares, bonds, and mortgages were worth $1 billion. Today it is worthless. $1 billion has disappeared from the bank’s balance sheet. Will the bank be able to cash my cheque? That’s how banks go bust. Deflation.
And in New Zealanders farmers are on the brink.
Dairy farm debt has reached $38 billion.
More than one in 10 are already under pressure from banks over their mortgage.
Part of the coming restructure of our crumbling ponzi scheme banking system may be to require bank lending to rise and fall alongside the activities of the organisation lent to…. like a form of equity return rather than flat interest return which bears no relation to the activities lent to.
The current system is, yet again, being highlighted as fundamentally flawed
Thats a damned good idea, vto. Only trouble is it would require GOVERNMENTS to re-take control of the economy. And the banks ain’t about to allow that!
Yep more deaths but it’s so much easier to blame everything and everybody else for road deaths – young people, 4 km over the limit people etc etc.
Now at least we know that the ACC levy reductions for safer cars are a complete load of tripe designed to benefit the those who can afford expensive late model cars -it’s what hits you that matters.
And how much more expensive bridge strengthening is going to be loaded onto us taxpayers and ratepayers so the extra tonnage can cross over – figures from the government please?
New Study Confirms: Private “Trade” Courts Serve the Ultra-Wealthy
Smaller companies and less-wealthy individuals don’t benefit nearly as much from these private courts as the extremely rich and powerful do. Other interested parties – whether they’re governments, children, working people, or the planet itself – are unable to benefit from these private courts at all.
The model of the global economy Peterson used, the study explains, “assumes that the TPP will affect neither total employment nor the national savings (or equivalently trade balances) of countries.”
Using these assumptions the following can be deduced
The money foreigners might have spent on our cars and other manufactured goods will instead be used to pay Pfizer higher prices for its drugs.
Likewise in NZ, the TPP favours financially just a few at the expense of the rest of the citizens. At same time, the TPP inflicts a host of rules and regulations requiring Government, Local Government, SOEs etc to pay for legal help to get through the potential litigation minefield. The “right to regulate” will be kneecapped by the extrajudicial ISDS “chill”.
TPP: Although not a new article, this piece is useful for those who are making submissions. I particularly like the way the author, Michael Reddell expresses his concerns.
Some of the things I’m most uneasy about are matters of principle. I think it is simply wrong that foreign investors should have access to different courts than New Zealand firms and individuals do in respect of issues relating to their activities in New Zealand. Equal and common access to justice should be a foundational principle of our longstanding democracy – no doubt things might be different in the brutal and corrupt communist regime that is our new treaty partner Vietnam . This isn’t an argument about how many claims there will ever be against New Zealand (probably few), but simply about differential access to justice. Our Courts should be open to all who seek justice in New Zealand (and open more generally), and there should be no special jurisdictions for favoured parties. And New Zealand law should be made by the New Zealand Parliament, with any interested parties (domestic or foreign) free to make their cases in the public debate here.
Maybe “they” see that we must accept the loss of sovereignty as being the price we pay for playing with the big boys of Global Market. But I doubt that Key and his team will even acknowledge that there is a loss.
English must already be involved in the background, but hasn’t been able to calm things down enough to prevent escalation. Not a good sign for Toddy Barclay’s political future.
Barclay could try to sweep staff resignation under carpet with statements about “employment matters” but when his Electorate Chairman ,who is a highly regarded salt of earth Southlander, walks a month before scheduled AGM then he is in real strife.
I don’t know that neck of the woods at all well, but I wonder if it has to do with town mouse-country mouse tensions within National. John Key is clearly a town mouse with town mouse priorities, and I wonder if they are putting up inexperienced people in places like Southland so that they have someone to blame when the good old country mouse gets shortchanged. If I am right, then it’s a bit tricky for English, who has a foot in both camps.
It’s very similar to Northland. Nats have taken Southland for granted and were content to blood an unsuitable but ultra abitious rookie who thought he could bide his time quietly doing photo ops until he qualified for cabinet. Unfortunately for him locals actually want someone to advocate for them. Times are due to get very tough in this neck of woods as the dairy and sheep downturn really starts to bite ,so we will see how Barclay measures up. Given his own comittee are abandoning him the signs aren’t good.
This is the conversation PR was at pains to derail the other day – whether the Key kleptocracy has served their country voter base well. I expect the 20% or so of farmers poised to lose their properties will not think so. Aspiring young farmers watching our land being inflated and snapped up by offshore buyers are probably not too happy either.
In regards to Act’s David Seymour arguing that ACT is more Green than the Green Party, I don’t know that anyone has looked deeply at his comment that there should be more private business involvement in the administration of the conservation estate.
“It’s unclear exactly what that will include, but is expected to centre on Government incentives to increase private environmental custodianship, and moves to better define ownership.”
I think this should be linked into what is happening in the United States where the Koch brothers (and others?) are actively funding groups like the Bundys who recently took over a nature reserve with the aim of privatising the conservation estate in the United States,
So if you put those words in a manifesto you somehow magically become super environmentalist do you? I think it is more to do with the outcome of your policies rather than what you say before hand.
Mike Yardley wrote this in relation to whether Key Team are shoulder tapping prominent people to support the flag change:
“They’ve clearly had to work a long way down the food chain, because even I was propositioned. A senior Government member telephoned me, to sound me out about overtly cheerleading for change. I declined – but was somewhat mystified , given my long-standing support for flag retention. ” http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-flag-debate/77381443/mike-yardley-flag-change-campaign-has-been-farcical
And spoken by a National Party voter too. There were a number of those in the comments section too, opposed to a flag change.
Key’s hypocrisy as a Royal schmoozer and the one to bring back the outdated knighthood system, as discussed in that article, hasn’t gone unnoticed by the left or right. Here’s an article from yesterday also referring to that:
“How else to explain the informal alliance of lifelong republicans and ageing anti-establishment boomers with monarchists and RSA traditionalists? If anything unites these camps it seems less likely to be a shared loathing of the prime minister than a nose for what you might call a false dichotomy – an unnecessary choice between two inadequate options.”
False dichotomy indeed. It IS an unnecessary choice between two inadequate options.
Can’t wait till March is over and we can get this flag hoopla over and done with and see how Key is going to handle the defeat of his vanity project. My guess he will go for the petulant sulky style.
Exactly. Everything about the man is as bullshit as his hairdo. Everybody arguing this guy should be US president should be required to see this video. If they still feel the same way afterward they should be taken out the back way, straitjacketed, and driven away in an ambulance for psychiatric evaluation.
He made his money… …inheriting it… …how could he lose in NY real estate… …the guy is all circumstance rather than substance, even become a name in reality tv.
I watched a bit over 10 mins of this and found it largely irrelevant in a nitpicking intellectual cleverly self congratulating lefty liberal kind of way.
Pretty much it is stuff like this which will push Trump over the line on general election day.
Hmm. You should really have watched it all the way through. It’s not just satirical. But never mind, I’ve phoned for the ambulance. Do you mind just taking off your jacket and putting this one on?
I do feel sorry for Americans. Their political system is obviously completely rooted.
You must be joking CV. Christ – his whole persona & business career is based on bullshit.
What a choice Americans have. A screaming fucking nutcase or a faux liberal neocon of extremely dodgy character who’s suffered from convenient alzheimers ever since she married serial philanderer Bill Clinton.
Trust me, they’re even nastier pieces of work, but they try to put prettier faces on it. With Trump, there’s at least a chance he’ll do something neutral or even positive now and then, whereas the rest are entirely nasty from start to finish.
I’ve got no argument with your assessment of Clinton. But I really don’t think you appreciate how unencumbered Trump is by empathy or even the need to fake any other behavioural norms. He really could do anything on a whim, given the opportunity.
But I really don’t think you appreciate how unencumbered Trump is by empathy or even the need to fake any other behavioural norms.
Exactly. I can agree with you on that.
Trump may be an uncaring mean mouthed sonofabitch, but IMO he’s not a clever civilian murdering nation destroying bankster embracing closet sociopath like Clinton has already proven she is.
Trump will just feel the need to prove he can do all those things too, but even more so. And he won’t even see why he should try to keep the sociopath in the closet.
Doesn’t matter mate, because the alternative is Clinton: the bankster embracing, civilian droning, country destroying, regime changing, Empire of Chaos member of the ruling oligarch who charges US$250K for her big corporate speeches.
The attack on Kosovo is hardly the extent of Sanders’ hawkishness. While it’s true he voted against the Iraq War, he also voted in favor of authorizing funds for that war and the one in Afghanistan. More recently, he voted in favor of a $1 billion aid package for the coup government Ukraine and supported Israel’s assault on Gaza. At a town hall meeting he admitted that Israel may have “overreacted”, but blamed Hamas for the entire conflict. After a woman asked why he refused to condemn Israel’s actions, he told critics: “Excuse me! Shut up! You don’t have the microphone.”
yeah ok, but so? She was working as a public defender at the time I guess? so it was her job.
more relevant to me is that the Clintons, both of them, have overseen foreign policy which has led to the death of millions, including supplying advanced US arms to Israel which used them to kill hundreds of Palestinian children.
Great comment on the flag change on a Stuff article yesterday:
“the NZ public has never had a vote to decide their flag.
therefore there was no robust process, other than parliamentarians debating in the House. Hardly a chance for the masses to have their say.
I have never stated the opinions of my grandparents, and i dare say if i did ask them, Since they all sailed to NZ in the early 1900’s, they would all swear allegiance to the Union Jack, and i do not begrudge them than.
My children on the other hand, were born here. All of the athletes that they hold as role models, Silver ferns, Black Caps, Rowing, Track and field and yes, the All Blacks etc wear the fern with Pride. Our national Airline, flys the fern on it’s tail. My passport is black, and has a fern motif on it.
So, so answer your question, have i considered the argument. Yes i have. I was born in NZ. i do associate with the Silver Fern more than i have ever associated with the Union jack. The Fern is on my money, my passport, my licence plate, the airline i use and the chests, hats and bags of athletes i cheer on.
I do not in anyway begrudge or hold contempt for the Union Jack flag in any way. It is a great flag for the people of Great Britan to fly and to rally to. But it is the flag of Great Britan….Even England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have their own flags to fly for their own people.”
I don’t understand your argument, are you saying we shouldn’t move to the silver fern and southern cross because it is more complicated than the union jack and southern cross?
Are you saying that you identify more as a NZer with the union jack on your flag than the silver fern?
Or are you saying we should just have the silver fern alone, like John Key wanted?
It’s only a “silver fern” because they call it a “silver fern”.
In reality it’s a stylised white fern frond that might be found on any continent (including Antarctica if you count fossils).
The thing about the current one is that it is two seperate and distinct symbols, both highly relevant to NZ (our government and our location) on a maritime blue background that sort of shows the expanse of ocean around us.
The alternative:
Black… coz rugby?
Generic fernly thing, NOT a silver fern
Weird bright blue/sky blue depending on printing errors, because… sky?
Southern cross – well they got that bit ok
And the symbols overlap messily, not being distinct elements of a whole.
Basically, a reasonable argument can be made about the symolism of the current flag. The alternative is more contrived.
Although my main reason for voting for the status quo is simply to fuck off tories.
Black – cos all blacks, black ferns, tall blacks, black caps, the black outfits almost all of our athletes wear when representing our country, the colour that most people outside of New Zealand would associate with us.
Generic fernly thing – Because all flags are stylised! Do you think the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is biologically accurate?
Blue – Again represents the ocean around us
Southern Cross – Points the way home
Messy overlap – Kind of like creating a flag then stuffing the union jack in the top left hand corner?
voting for the status quo is simply to fuck off tories – You’re doing it wrong, true tories are against the change, so you trying to be smart by being a fuckwit is actually supporting the people you claim to be against. That’s a bit like the TPP protestor lining up in McDonald’s for a feed, irony at its best.
black: the colour most people outside of NZ associate with ISIS and darth vader.
The maple leaf is stylised, but still distinctly a maple leaf. Not any one of 12,000-odd fern species
Blue: which blue? Bright blue? Pale blue? The ocean is dark blue. Deep dark blue in the deep seas surrounding us.
Messy overlap: clear separation between element sections in current flag. No horizontal or vertical separation in the alternative. Cluttered. Messy.
Voting for the status quo fucks key. He placed his support around the alternative. He is their only drawcard. He loses prestige, they lose the election. They get fucked off.
what ever, surely he will be better then Hillary and all the others cause he has yet to bomb someone.
Well, we get to see how trigger happy he is once he has got one of the largest nuclear arsenals at his disposition. 🙂 Fun games for all of us.
Trump has been resolutely resistant to demonising Putin and joining the Pentagon and NATO in sabre rattling against Russia. That’s a good start for avoiding WWIII.
Donald says Putin said Trump’s “a genius and he’s gonna be the leader of the party and he’s gonna be the leader of the world or something”.
The Trumpster then says that they’ll probably get along fine just as long as Putin doesn’t take advantage of him like he takes advantage of Obama; “Nobody’s gonna take advantage of me folks”.
Liberal lefties can scream at Trump all they want, it won’t make fuck all difference.
A lot of people in the US have had it with the post modern liberal lefty agenda.
Personally, I think Trump’s statements that Russia is doing a good job annihilating Islamic terrorists in Syria and the US shouldn’t be getting in the way of Putin hitting terrorist enemies of the US, is damn sensible.
Yes I think that’s a very smart approach as well. But…where do you think he thinks Putin is taking advantage of Obama? Because that’s the kind of weird, egotistical bully boy double-talk he comes out with all the time.
Just remember that Trump is trying to appeal to primary vote wielding Republican delegates at this stage. Hating on Obama for being “weak” is an instant winning message amongst this crowd.
Oh well, it’s the 2016 quadrennial US Presidential Electoral Cycle. Must be the biggest & longest running electoral circus in the world. The actual election’s not until 8 November. A lot can happen between now & then.
There’s nothing we can do meantime but sit back and watch the show. Way too early to tell who is gonna come out the winner. When it comes to digging up & chucking around dirt closer to the actual election Trump should have the edge on Hillers if they’re the two finalists. Just from reading Wikipedia there’s a lot of material to work with there.
Putin has a tremendous popularity in Russia. I was over in Moscow 2 years ago. I’ll tell you what, I tell you, you can get along with those people and get along with them well. You can do deals with them. But Obama can’t…I’d be willing to bet that I would have a great relationship with Putin.
And Trump is willing to say this to the red meat Republican crowd on Fox.
LOL yeah… real baaad gang that one! Drug dealers too… and they consume 2/3rds of the imports of Ibuprofen. Outrageous!
Actually Crusher got double value dog whistle from this one – with “gangs” and “beneficiaries” in the same sentence. The future PM is tough on lawn order, dontcha know.
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
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All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
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Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
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Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
The lead witness in Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater claim says the case raises an “existentialist question” for his people.“My greatest fear is that we will have our connection with our land and waterways extinguished,” Te Maire Tau (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāi Tūāhuriri) said in the Christchurch High Court, before Justice Melanie Harland. The university history ...
New Zealand employers are well-used to the constant evolution of employment and workplace health and safety law – but we think the scope of changes in this area may still surprise in 2025. In our view, the number of changes under active consideration and the potential practical impact of those ...
As New Zealand woke to Waitangi Day, 1600 athletes and their support crew began to descend on the sleepy west coast town of Greymouth, ready to take on the iconic multisport race, the Coast to Coast.Among the cars laden with kayaks, bikes and enough race food to feed a small ...
I collect sailing books, especially solo sailing adventures. I sail a lot and when in meetings, I think about sailing rather than focus on the dry PowerPoint presentations of earnest landlubbers. Just quietly, I also offer dead sailors drinks and occasionally good books over the side when I am at ...
Over the past few weeks, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has had public tiffs with the leaders of both the Cook Islands and Kiribati.The issues: first Peters put foreign aid to Kiribati under review after President Taneti Maamau cancelled a meeting with him. Then this week, Peters accused the PM of ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Street vending is a major economic activity in most of Ghana’s urban areas. The vendors bring everyday goods to residents and commuters at affordable prices in ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – The United States shares the pathologies of all dying empires with their mixture of buffoonery, rampant corruption, military fiascos, economic collapse and savage state repression.ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges The billionaires, Christian fascists, grifters, psychopaths, imbeciles, narcissists and deviants who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government has secured bipartisan support for a major new regime covering political donations and spending, after making significant concessions. The government agreed to increase the proposed threshold above which donations must be disclosed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With the election only months away, the Labor government finds itself suddenly battling with the Trump administration for an exemption from new US tariffs on steel and aluminium. The opposition has supported the effort, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julee McDonagh, Senior Research Fellow of Frailty Research, University of Wollongong PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Ageing is a normal part of the life course. It doesn’t matter how many green smoothies you drink, or how many “anti-ageing” skin care products you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University The Conversation, CC BY-SAAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. Colonial commemorations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Masarik/Shutterstock In some overseas countries, pets can travel with their owners in a plane’s cabin, in a carrier under a seat. In Australia, pets must travel in the ...
A raft of proposed legislation changes to the media and screen industry have been announced this morning – we read through it all all so you don’t have to. What’s all this then? This morning the Ministry for Culture and Heritage released its draft proposed changes to media and screen ...
David Seymour's recent off-road parliamentary excursion led to a reprimand from the Speaker, who also said the rules didn't apply to this instance. What are the rules? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Morgenbesser, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Griffith University Many Americans have watched in horror as Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has been permitted to tear through various offices of the United States government in recent ...
By Patrick Decloitre,RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls has announced he will travel to New Caledonia later this month to pursue talks on the French territory’s political future. These discussions on February 22 follow preliminary talks held last week in Paris in “bilateral” mode ...
As Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to resume war, Hamas outlines widespread Israeli ceasefire violations in document sent to the mediators.By Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous of Dropsite News Hamas officials submitted a two-page report to mediators yesterday listing a wide range of Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire since ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Print, Professor of Education, University of Sydney A federal parliamentary inquiry has just recommended civics and citizenship become a compulsory part of the Australian Curriculum, which covers the first year of school to Year 10. The committee also recommended a ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Claire Baylis, author of Dice and guest at the forthcoming HamLit programme at the Hamilton Arts Festival. The book I wish I’d writtenMy mind seems surprisingly unwilling ...
The courts should deal with illegal fishing, not the "court of public opinion", Shane Jones says, as he announces proposed changes to the Quota Management System. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan McElhone, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Monash University A London court has found Sam Kerr not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell. As captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, Kerr was widely condemned when ...
Could iwi and hapū be the unexpected solution to the government’s asset dilemma? David Seymour pressured the prime minister into an unwelcome conversation, and in the couple of weeks since the Act leader raised the issue in his state of the nation speech, privatisation has shifted from absent in the ...
Human rights advocates must uphold human dignity, rights and justice, while rejecting the discriminatory tactics we oppose, writes Taimor Hazou.Two weeks ago the Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) launched a campaign inviting New Zealanders to call a hotline if they suspected an Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldier that had ...
Immigration New Zealand figures shows more people have been looking at the ETA and visitor visa pages on the website, however fewer people have applied to come or to extend their stay. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology Debris on the surface of Mars from the Perseverance mission, captured on April 19 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech In his inauguration speech in January, United States President Donald Trump ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alix Woolard, Senior Research Fellow, The Kids Research Institute Australia Stock Unit/Shutterstock Have you ever asked someone how their day was, or been chatting casually with a friend, only to have them tell you a horrific story that has left you ...
1.8 million Chinese steel and coal workers being laid off. 15% of workforce.
Just another statistic to show to oncoming collapse of the world economy.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-employment-idUSKCN0W205X
But it should be ok because there is still the same amount of money in the world – it just needs a different means of distribution to ensure all are provided for …
No, there is not the same amount of money.
Example: My bank owns $1 billion in shares or bonds or mortgages in a companies/farms which go bust. Yesterday the shares, bonds, and mortgages were worth $1 billion. Today it is worthless. $1 billion has disappeared from the bank’s balance sheet. Will the bank be able to cash my cheque? That’s how banks go bust. Deflation.
The moment when someone realises that when it comes to “cash or cash equivalents”, the “cash equivalents” are not like cash at all.
China endures, Paul. China endures.
Yep. Worlds oldest bureaucracy.
And in New Zealanders farmers are on the brink.
Dairy farm debt has reached $38 billion.
More than one in 10 are already under pressure from banks over their mortgage.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/297776/fears-banks-will-leave-farms-in-the-cold
Part of the coming restructure of our crumbling ponzi scheme banking system may be to require bank lending to rise and fall alongside the activities of the organisation lent to…. like a form of equity return rather than flat interest return which bears no relation to the activities lent to.
The current system is, yet again, being highlighted as fundamentally flawed
Thats a damned good idea, vto. Only trouble is it would require GOVERNMENTS to re-take control of the economy. And the banks ain’t about to allow that!
The government’s and trucking sector’s desire for bigger and heavier trucks makes such sense eh….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/77382030/crash-between-a-car-and-a-truck-leaves-one-dead
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/77379469/patea-crash-tanker-driver-found-dead
more death coming soon to a town near you
………………………………………………………
Yep more deaths but it’s so much easier to blame everything and everybody else for road deaths – young people, 4 km over the limit people etc etc.
Now at least we know that the ACC levy reductions for safer cars are a complete load of tripe designed to benefit the those who can afford expensive late model cars -it’s what hits you that matters.
And how much more expensive bridge strengthening is going to be loaded onto us taxpayers and ratepayers so the extra tonnage can cross over – figures from the government please?
New Study Confirms: Private “Trade” Courts Serve the Ultra-Wealthy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/new-study-confirms-privat_b_9348238.html
“Op-Ed The jobs tradeoffs in the TPP trade deal”
Using these assumptions the following can be deduced
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0225-baker-trans-pacific-trade-20160225-story.html
Likewise in NZ, the TPP favours financially just a few at the expense of the rest of the citizens. At same time, the TPP inflicts a host of rules and regulations requiring Government, Local Government, SOEs etc to pay for legal help to get through the potential litigation minefield. The “right to regulate” will be kneecapped by the extrajudicial ISDS “chill”.
A good basis for a submission re TPPA. Only super big corporations stand to benefit from those insidious “private Trade Courts.” Well spotted TMM.
TPP: Although not a new article, this piece is useful for those who are making submissions. I particularly like the way the author, Michael Reddell expresses his concerns.
He then goes on in depth about Temporary Safeguard Measures in Chapter 29 Exceptions and General Provisions.
http://croakingcassandra.com/2015/11/09/temporary-safeguards-crises-and-tpp/
There is concern about this issue in Australia.
http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2016/02/29/Australias-national-interest-statement-on-TPP-neglects-capital-control-risks.aspx
Maybe “they” see that we must accept the loss of sovereignty as being the price we pay for playing with the big boys of Global Market. But I doubt that Key and his team will even acknowledge that there is a loss.
Todd Barclay haemorrhaging support in Clutha Southland.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77386997/national-party-cluthasouthland-chairman-stuart-davie-resigns
How long before Bill English is required to step in and steady the ship?
English must already be involved in the background, but hasn’t been able to calm things down enough to prevent escalation. Not a good sign for Toddy Barclay’s political future.
Up in low tar smoke.
medicinal cannabis for OZ, maybe now our Politicians find some guts and glory?
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/world/australia-to-legalise-growing-of-medicinal-marijuana
not holding my breath tho.
Wee Toddy would insist that his staff be part paid in snout, and made them promise to inhale.
Barclay could try to sweep staff resignation under carpet with statements about “employment matters” but when his Electorate Chairman ,who is a highly regarded salt of earth Southlander, walks a month before scheduled AGM then he is in real strife.
And that’s an understatement.
Would love to know if English is making calls around his old electorate on behalf of his protege.
I don’t know that neck of the woods at all well, but I wonder if it has to do with town mouse-country mouse tensions within National. John Key is clearly a town mouse with town mouse priorities, and I wonder if they are putting up inexperienced people in places like Southland so that they have someone to blame when the good old country mouse gets shortchanged. If I am right, then it’s a bit tricky for English, who has a foot in both camps.
It’s very similar to Northland. Nats have taken Southland for granted and were content to blood an unsuitable but ultra abitious rookie who thought he could bide his time quietly doing photo ops until he qualified for cabinet. Unfortunately for him locals actually want someone to advocate for them. Times are due to get very tough in this neck of woods as the dairy and sheep downturn really starts to bite ,so we will see how Barclay measures up. Given his own comittee are abandoning him the signs aren’t good.
This is the conversation PR was at pains to derail the other day – whether the Key kleptocracy has served their country voter base well. I expect the 20% or so of farmers poised to lose their properties will not think so. Aspiring young farmers watching our land being inflated and snapped up by offshore buyers are probably not too happy either.
Dead right Stuart and that will all be playing out around election time. Even Nathan Guy is starting to concede it.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/77414152/farmers-getting-increasingly-desperate-bank-signals-it-wont-finance-some-debt
This is the real story.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201790904/the-dairy-downturn-starts-to-bite-in-rural-new-zealand
Foreign investors will be all that stands in the way of a major land price correction. Either way its a major headache in the making for the Nats.
In regards to Act’s David Seymour arguing that ACT is more Green than the Green Party, I don’t know that anyone has looked deeply at his comment that there should be more private business involvement in the administration of the conservation estate.
“It’s unclear exactly what that will include, but is expected to centre on Government incentives to increase private environmental custodianship, and moves to better define ownership.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77288879/david-seymour-launches-attack-on-greens-says-theyre-doing-bugger-all-for-the-environment
I think this should be linked into what is happening in the United States where the Koch brothers (and others?) are actively funding groups like the Bundys who recently took over a nature reserve with the aim of privatising the conservation estate in the United States,
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/11/3748602/koch-brothers-funding-bundy-agenda/
Sections of the Republican Party are also supporting this.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/ken-ivory-federal-land-bundy
When ACT puts in their manifesto that protection of the environment is far more important than corporate profits I might start to listen to them.
So if you put those words in a manifesto you somehow magically become super environmentalist do you? I think it is more to do with the outcome of your policies rather than what you say before hand.
Mike Yardley wrote this in relation to whether Key Team are shoulder tapping prominent people to support the flag change:
“They’ve clearly had to work a long way down the food chain, because even I was propositioned. A senior Government member telephoned me, to sound me out about overtly cheerleading for change. I declined – but was somewhat mystified , given my long-standing support for flag retention. ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-flag-debate/77381443/mike-yardley-flag-change-campaign-has-been-farcical
National’s database ain’t perfect. I hope it includes a lot more errors.
I love the way he calls out Shipley for being the total fucking hypocrite she is.
+1. Exquisitely done.
And spoken by a National Party voter too. There were a number of those in the comments section too, opposed to a flag change.
Key’s hypocrisy as a Royal schmoozer and the one to bring back the outdated knighthood system, as discussed in that article, hasn’t gone unnoticed by the left or right. Here’s an article from yesterday also referring to that:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/297717/has-the-pm-mistaken-himself-for-a-flag
“How else to explain the informal alliance of lifelong republicans and ageing anti-establishment boomers with monarchists and RSA traditionalists? If anything unites these camps it seems less likely to be a shared loathing of the prime minister than a nose for what you might call a false dichotomy – an unnecessary choice between two inadequate options.”
False dichotomy indeed. It IS an unnecessary choice between two inadequate options.
Can’t wait till March is over and we can get this flag hoopla over and done with and see how Key is going to handle the defeat of his vanity project. My guess he will go for the petulant sulky style.
Bernie Sanders trounces Hillary Clinton at first Super Tuesday contest – in Wellington
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/77402782/bernie-sanders-trounces-hillary-clinton-at-first-super-tuesday-contest–in-wellington
These socialist leaning Kiwi Americans are practically communists…lol
They’re feeling the burn
https://youtu.be/XQP6nzhi4s8
And a singles dating website for Bernie Sanders supporters lol
Must be Clinton Derangement Syndrome, no other explanation for it!
Maybe the left should not get inspired by the Trump
Exactly. Everything about the man is as bullshit as his hairdo. Everybody arguing this guy should be US president should be required to see this video. If they still feel the same way afterward they should be taken out the back way, straitjacketed, and driven away in an ambulance for psychiatric evaluation.
“It’s the sound produced when a morbidly obese pigeon flies into the window of a foreclosed old lady: Drumpf!”
He made his money… …inheriting it… …how could he lose in NY real estate… …the guy is all circumstance rather than substance, even become a name in reality tv.
I watched a bit over 10 mins of this and found it largely irrelevant in a nitpicking intellectual cleverly self congratulating lefty liberal kind of way.
Pretty much it is stuff like this which will push Trump over the line on general election day.
Hmm. You should really have watched it all the way through. It’s not just satirical. But never mind, I’ve phoned for the ambulance. Do you mind just taking off your jacket and putting this one on?
I do feel sorry for Americans. Their political system is obviously completely rooted.
Here y’ go…. 🙂
http://www.monkeydungeon.com/images/white-6-d-straight-jacket.gif
Ha!!!
As I have said elsewhere, I’m for Trump and day in a head to head between him and that country destroying civilian droning closet sociopath Clinton.
With Trump he’s not pretending to be something he’s not.
You must be joking CV. Christ – his whole persona & business career is based on bullshit.
What a choice Americans have. A screaming fucking nutcase or a faux liberal neocon of extremely dodgy character who’s suffered from convenient alzheimers ever since she married serial philanderer Bill Clinton.
I didn’t say that Trump wasn’t full of shit.
I said that in a head to head against civilian droning, bankster embracing, Benghazi lying Hillary Clinton, I am going for Trump every time.
I know… I know… Would you please hold still so I can get these bloody straps done up properly…
You know, I don’t even know that much about the other Republican contenders. This clown Trump has sucked all the attention off everyone else.
Trust me, they’re even nastier pieces of work, but they try to put prettier faces on it. With Trump, there’s at least a chance he’ll do something neutral or even positive now and then, whereas the rest are entirely nasty from start to finish.
http://www.salon.com/2016/02/29/rubio_and_cruz_are_the_real_monsters_liberals_should_be_rooting_for_trump_and_hell_be_easier_to_beat_come_november/
Kasich is just as nasty as Cruz or Rubio, for all that he’s presented as “moderate”.
Cheers. I see your point.
“I do feel sorry for Americans. Their political system is obviously completely rooted.”
…this is why they have no faith in the Clintons or Bushes…
How to handle Trump (or should that be Drumpf?)…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-showed-how-to-take-down-donald-trump-five-years-ago-and-its-just-as-brutal-today_us_56d45adce4b0871f60ec03e6?utm_hp_ref=politics
Or even…
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/73fxht/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-don-t-forget–donald-trump-wants-to-bang-his-daughter
Yes, he went there.
If its Trump vs Clinton, my money is on Trump every time.
I’ve got no argument with your assessment of Clinton. But I really don’t think you appreciate how unencumbered Trump is by empathy or even the need to fake any other behavioural norms. He really could do anything on a whim, given the opportunity.
Exactly. I can agree with you on that.
Trump may be an uncaring mean mouthed sonofabitch, but IMO he’s not a clever civilian murdering nation destroying bankster embracing closet sociopath like Clinton has already proven she is.
Trump will just feel the need to prove he can do all those things too, but even more so. And he won’t even see why he should try to keep the sociopath in the closet.
Exactly. Plus, Trump probably thinks sociopath is just another name for pavement.
A bit like choosing between diarrhea and constipation, isn’t it?
Malaria or cholera
I choose the gin and soda water.
lol. +1
Great company you’re keeping dude.
/
http://archive.li/6Gnb7/a54009bccb9327b0530528e307f8c04755c3e681.png
Doesn’t matter mate, because the alternative is Clinton: the bankster embracing, civilian droning, country destroying, regime changing, Empire of Chaos member of the ruling oligarch who charges US$250K for her big corporate speeches.
And Sanders is a dove, righto…
/
The attack on Kosovo is hardly the extent of Sanders’ hawkishness. While it’s true he voted against the Iraq War, he also voted in favor of authorizing funds for that war and the one in Afghanistan. More recently, he voted in favor of a $1 billion aid package for the coup government Ukraine and supported Israel’s assault on Gaza. At a town hall meeting he admitted that Israel may have “overreacted”, but blamed Hamas for the entire conflict. After a woman asked why he refused to condemn Israel’s actions, he told critics: “Excuse me! Shut up! You don’t have the microphone.”
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-sanders-troubling-history-supporting-us-military-violence-abroad
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/08/31/3697175/bernie-sanders-wouldnt-end-obamas-drone-program-promises-to-use-it-very-selectively/
joe90, what’s your point? That Clinton is the best candidate for President out of some very limited options?
I would disagree with that position. Out of the Republicans Trump would be best for the world IMO, and out of the Democrats, it’s got to be Sanders.
Two old white men. But that’s the way it is this time around.
Not withstanding that Hillary Rodham defended a child rapist in 1975
yeah ok, but so? She was working as a public defender at the time I guess? so it was her job.
more relevant to me is that the Clintons, both of them, have overseen foreign policy which has led to the death of millions, including supplying advanced US arms to Israel which used them to kill hundreds of Palestinian children.
It’s all the same journey involving familiar names
All the candidates are establishment. That is not a question
The Clintons are compromised and controlled. That is not a question
Who will be the lesser evil doer as POTUS. That is not a question
How can all of this stopped. That is a question
Ahhhh, you are interested in the big question(s), not the question of which party/candidate represents the lesser evil.
This century, “how can all of this be stopped” is the biq question indeed. Because stop, it will, one way or another.
George H.W. Bush Throat Cut Gesture To Trump (CNN GOP Debate Houston, Texas)
https://youtu.be/rx35I7Yb2Xc
+100 The Chairman…the verdict of history has yet to be written on George H Bush , his sons and the Clintons
Trump is a threat alright!
An interview with Roger Stone on his recent book ‘Jeb! And the Bush Crime family’
https://www.rt.com/shows/watching-the-hawks/332840-petition-march-white-house/
Is there anyone on the NZ scene who gives answers in slightly ambiguous form but designed to suit what the audience wants to hear? No?
This one’s for b waghorn.
When I saw it, I was reminded of your rant about Fletcher’s a while ago. Vocabulary is a bit limited, but more than makes up for it with the delivery.
Definitely NSFW, especially since it’s best appreciated with the volume up loud.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/02/25/pebble-cockatoo-swearing-saskatoon_n_9322066.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green
Its a shame the parrots around here are not that funny.
Great comment on the flag change on a Stuff article yesterday:
“the NZ public has never had a vote to decide their flag.
therefore there was no robust process, other than parliamentarians debating in the House. Hardly a chance for the masses to have their say.
I have never stated the opinions of my grandparents, and i dare say if i did ask them, Since they all sailed to NZ in the early 1900’s, they would all swear allegiance to the Union Jack, and i do not begrudge them than.
My children on the other hand, were born here. All of the athletes that they hold as role models, Silver ferns, Black Caps, Rowing, Track and field and yes, the All Blacks etc wear the fern with Pride. Our national Airline, flys the fern on it’s tail. My passport is black, and has a fern motif on it.
So, so answer your question, have i considered the argument. Yes i have. I was born in NZ. i do associate with the Silver Fern more than i have ever associated with the Union jack. The Fern is on my money, my passport, my licence plate, the airline i use and the chests, hats and bags of athletes i cheer on.
I do not in anyway begrudge or hold contempt for the Union Jack flag in any way. It is a great flag for the people of Great Britan to fly and to rally to. But it is the flag of Great Britan….Even England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have their own flags to fly for their own people.”
But wait a moment. Its not the fern alone, the sourthern cross..
…canada simplicity of the maple leaf, is not clutered by two different symbols on one flag.
I don’t understand your argument, are you saying we shouldn’t move to the silver fern and southern cross because it is more complicated than the union jack and southern cross?
Are you saying that you identify more as a NZer with the union jack on your flag than the silver fern?
Or are you saying we should just have the silver fern alone, like John Key wanted?
It’s only a “silver fern” because they call it a “silver fern”.
In reality it’s a stylised white fern frond that might be found on any continent (including Antarctica if you count fossils).
The thing about the current one is that it is two seperate and distinct symbols, both highly relevant to NZ (our government and our location) on a maritime blue background that sort of shows the expanse of ocean around us.
The alternative:
Black… coz rugby?
Generic fernly thing, NOT a silver fern
Weird bright blue/sky blue depending on printing errors, because… sky?
Southern cross – well they got that bit ok
And the symbols overlap messily, not being distinct elements of a whole.
Basically, a reasonable argument can be made about the symolism of the current flag. The alternative is more contrived.
Although my main reason for voting for the status quo is simply to fuck off tories.
The alternatve:
Black – cos all blacks, black ferns, tall blacks, black caps, the black outfits almost all of our athletes wear when representing our country, the colour that most people outside of New Zealand would associate with us.
Generic fernly thing – Because all flags are stylised! Do you think the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is biologically accurate?
Blue – Again represents the ocean around us
Southern Cross – Points the way home
Messy overlap – Kind of like creating a flag then stuffing the union jack in the top left hand corner?
voting for the status quo is simply to fuck off tories – You’re doing it wrong, true tories are against the change, so you trying to be smart by being a fuckwit is actually supporting the people you claim to be against. That’s a bit like the TPP protestor lining up in McDonald’s for a feed, irony at its best.
black: the colour most people outside of NZ associate with ISIS and darth vader.
The maple leaf is stylised, but still distinctly a maple leaf. Not any one of 12,000-odd fern species
Blue: which blue? Bright blue? Pale blue? The ocean is dark blue. Deep dark blue in the deep seas surrounding us.
Messy overlap: clear separation between element sections in current flag. No horizontal or vertical separation in the alternative. Cluttered. Messy.
Voting for the status quo fucks key. He placed his support around the alternative. He is their only drawcard. He loses prestige, they lose the election. They get fucked off.
oh well, can’t make this shit up.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/trump-jr-offers-to-pay-for-black-celebrities-to-leave-us-when-president-trump-is-elected/
what ever, surely he will be better then Hillary and all the others cause he has yet to bomb someone.
Well, we get to see how trigger happy he is once he has got one of the largest nuclear arsenals at his disposition. 🙂 Fun games for all of us.
Trump has been resolutely resistant to demonising Putin and joining the Pentagon and NATO in sabre rattling against Russia. That’s a good start for avoiding WWIII.
Donald says Putin said Trump’s “a genius and he’s gonna be the leader of the party and he’s gonna be the leader of the world or something”.
The Trumpster then says that they’ll probably get along fine just as long as Putin doesn’t take advantage of him like he takes advantage of Obama; “Nobody’s gonna take advantage of me folks”.
http://www.reuters.com/video/2016/02/17/trump-putin-called-me-a-genius?videoId=367432272
Of course Putin’s gonna “take advantage” of this dork: then it’s anybody’s guess what the bombastic dickhead is likely to do.
*Shrug*
Liberal lefties can scream at Trump all they want, it won’t make fuck all difference.
A lot of people in the US have had it with the post modern liberal lefty agenda.
Personally, I think Trump’s statements that Russia is doing a good job annihilating Islamic terrorists in Syria and the US shouldn’t be getting in the way of Putin hitting terrorist enemies of the US, is damn sensible.
Yes I think that’s a very smart approach as well. But…where do you think he thinks Putin is taking advantage of Obama? Because that’s the kind of weird, egotistical bully boy double-talk he comes out with all the time.
Just remember that Trump is trying to appeal to primary vote wielding Republican delegates at this stage. Hating on Obama for being “weak” is an instant winning message amongst this crowd.
TL/DR Trump is playing primary politics.
Oh well, it’s the 2016 quadrennial US Presidential Electoral Cycle. Must be the biggest & longest running electoral circus in the world. The actual election’s not until 8 November. A lot can happen between now & then.
There’s nothing we can do meantime but sit back and watch the show. Way too early to tell who is gonna come out the winner. When it comes to digging up & chucking around dirt closer to the actual election Trump should have the edge on Hillers if they’re the two finalists. Just from reading Wikipedia there’s a lot of material to work with there.
So if Russia indiscriminately bombs civilians that’s ok, but if the USA does it (generally less discriminately), that is not?
One set of morals for Russia, a different set for the USA?
The US has caused the deaths of approx 2M Muslims since 1990. Most of them civilians.
Russia has also done some pretty unpleasant stuff in the same timeframe but its a rounding error.
bwhahahahashahahahahahah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Ng7PF7ru4
yeah right tui.
Trump says:
Putin has a tremendous popularity in Russia. I was over in Moscow 2 years ago. I’ll tell you what, I tell you, you can get along with those people and get along with them well. You can do deals with them. But Obama can’t…I’d be willing to bet that I would have a great relationship with Putin.
And Trump is willing to say this to the red meat Republican crowd on Fox.
+100 CV…to all your comments on this
Can I believe this?
Gangs cost $714m in welfare
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77419828/gangs-cost-714m-in-welfare-report-reveals-as-new-intelligence-centre-launched
Is it Collins dog whistle party leadership yada yada yada
Best set up a legalised market for drugs then, to tank the profits of gangs.
“Gangs cost $714m in welfare”
Around 9 out of 10 members in Grey Power are on a pension.
LOL yeah… real baaad gang that one! Drug dealers too… and they consume 2/3rds of the imports of Ibuprofen. Outrageous!
Actually Crusher got double value dog whistle from this one – with “gangs” and “beneficiaries” in the same sentence. The future PM is tough on lawn order, dontcha know.