So far things are working really well. John Key is accepted by enough to be an ordinary kiwi despite his immense wealth and despite the fact that the only people who have done well under his reign are the very wealthy. Swinging voters are so gullible!
Our attack on Phil Goff’s credibility is working well. We even managed to persuade the MSM that he was told about the Israeli spies in Christchurch, despite the fact that if he had an inkling about what had happened he would have been apoplectic with the attack on New Zealand’s sovereignty. Of course he was not told. We are doing well by persuading some that he may have been briefed on what happened. The meme that he is not able to lead, despite decades of competent governance, is gaining momentum.
And we have managed to create a sense of disunity in Labour’s ranks even though there is actually none. David Cunliffe is loyal to Phil but the media have bought the line that if David says nothing he wants to depose Phil and if he denies wanting to depose Phil then he wants to depose Phil. Excellent work!
We also have some very helpful weapons. Rupert Murdoch’s recent poll was great and provided our supporters with an excellent weapon to attack Goff and Labour with. The MSM fell for it hook line and sinker. Instead of trying to work out how it had Labour’s Auckland’s support at half the level of a poll the day before they reported it as further evidence that Goff is stuffed. Remember to remind our supporters that the truth does not matter, if they are able to spin and bash with an idea then they should do so, no matter how false the idea is.
And it is vital that we do not talk about policy, at least significant policy. If National has to justify the huge budget deficit and talk about selling assets at the same time then our focus groups suggest that support will take a serious hit. Avoid discussions about important policy areas at all cost.
And remember. It does not matter what the reality is. If something arises spin it with conviction. After all, the secret to success is sincerity and conviction, once you can fake that you’ve got it made.
It is incredible that “they” can get away with the dirty tricks. You would think that there would be the odd journalist with integrity. Somewhere? Mickey you have told it the way we see it.
What’s incredible is how cheap voters are. If voters had a clue they’d all start a
co-op right now, that would borrow money on the soon to be privatized assets
and each of them would be rmuch much richer and not have to personally
borrow any money! All those DPB mothers could rush out right now, form a
collective, and buy these National giveaway shares.
Of course Key is trusting that voters are too lazy and think.
My take is if NZ wants good economics of growth, vote Labour. CGT will
means we will invest and grow, but if the voters re-elect Key, then bring it on,
buy the shares, sell them at a profit and have to pay even higher taxes,
few opportunities, greater inequality in the future. That’s the choice,
quick profit now. I know kiwis well enough now to know they are
very individualistic and rather naive about the advantages of collective action
whether in the public sector or private, but this is hardly surprising since
the MSM does a fine job of include the most hardline rightwing rich
people are good for the economy and don’t listen to those lefties who
say that rich people make their money by exploiting distortions and
people at the bottom.
Spot on mickeysavage. Thank-you.
The most discouraging aspect is when you are talking with someone who starts to spout the C/T memes. As soon as you try to explain the reality their eyes glaze over. They don’t want to be confronted with the truth. Very sad.
Is that the extent of your argument insider? Pathetic!
The taxpayer has footed the bill for the likes of Paula Bennett to go off and get trained in how to spin. That’s all National can do because the statistics and reality don’t lie. National has no plan apart from tax cuts for the wealthy and beneficiary bashing. Flogging off assets is a dead end street off a very long road.
National is failing New Zealand when strong leadership is required. Instead of a government that gives a damn about kiwi’s, we get the same old cronyism, growing inequality, a mass exodus, budget cuts, higher costs and hollow rhetoric.
A smile and wave doesn’t cut the mustard when you look at the facts of New Zealand’s situation.
Micky, while its easy make jokes like that one above (very nice btw) when you read comments like:
“when it was put to him [Goff] that National would have had to blunder on a monumental scale to lose after just three years in office, his answer was curiously telling.
“They would have to have had Ruth Richardson running the finance portfolio,” was his response.
And we have managed to create a sense of disunity in Labour’s ranks even though there is actually none. David Cunliffe is loyal to Phil but the media have bought the line that if David says nothing he wants to depose Phil and if he denies wanting to depose Phil then he wants to depose Phil. Excellent work!
This is exactly what Patrick Gower was saying the other night! I was furious..
I don’t get you. If I were served by a person who demanded I prove I did something
wrong, and I have no tech ability, I’m going to be raging that I had to pay a
fine, or had my credit rating hurt, or put on a watch list at the ISP. It
won’t take much time at all before those that send these notices that you have
downloaded somethingyou should not of for everyone to start avoding those
companies. Start a boycott on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of
Cinemas, if Hollywood gets slap happy. Over time this law is a shit law
and people will get fed up.
and think about it students who have little spare cash having to find alternative
types of media to entertain themselves, what happens when they leave uni,
what’s the chances they don’t get all that attached to hollywood but
continue their alternative free entermain behaviors.
So who wins having a distorted bad law, National a few voters for clamping
down in Nanny state ways.
I wouldn’t recommend this unless you know you can trust the proxy. The proxy hides your real IP address from others, but not the proxy itself. Stacking proxies might help, but if there is no encryption involved any one of them could easily log what you are up to.
Hi Aero, Clandestino is onto it, proxy IPs…the net is a dark and mysterious world. The buggers cant enforce anything if we play “dirty”. Which is why the law is an ass.
Heh, DC++ networks are pretty common in uni’s, so all that’s needed are a couple of people bringing in files via sneakernet, onion routing, private DC++ servers on the net, private torrent trackers, or various file downloading sites, such as rapidshare and they’ll be fine.
And also where does the ‘fine’ go??? if it’s to a company then is it restitution? or what? or is it a civil matter??? in which case cant we just tell em to go blow?
Well there are some nifty tools out there to keep the nasties away, lol. And now a lot of VPN companies are going to make some good money now. maybe they’ll have a special. Mine says I am in Miami.
Hang on! I think he’s talking about the Labour/UN joint venture retirement plan!
Sick of Business Class?? Spent a political career studying corruption? – just get kicked out of Labour caucus and enjoy life in the UN, First Class airfares, stay in the hotels you only dreamed of. Emulate your heroes like DS-K – you’ve got it made!
Precisely Mickey, note the time being devoted to how kiwis are getting assets first and fund managers lining up to back the govts line that it’s kiwis first and watch them froth up over Carters UN job taking any opportunity to rehash his implosion and place Helens name out there again oh and we’ve got a story about someone with links to something to put sideshow John on saying no comment…speculation at best….whereas that 10bill budget hole and other current issues get ignored.
Chris73 yes some on the left are jealous they don’t possess the ability the deceive, diffuse spin and generally fail to engage in anything which will highlight the true agenda….no plan or vision, NZ for sale, ahoy the wealthy and powerful….screw the rest.
Deception, media manipulation, avoidance of wide public scrutiny, ‘bait and switch’, employing drones to blog and general fear and loathing are not really the type of politics the left is envious of #73.
No.s #1 to #72 have different names I suppose but the same tory story. The likes of the Hollow Men really do piss on this country, so it has been good the last couple of days to remind people of their true colours.
I, too, have noticed that there has been a sudden uprise of financiers and fund managers singing in chorus in the media about how the shares would stay in ‘NZ ownership’.
Sadly, Russel Norman on Morning Report today didn’t make the point that it’s not just about foreign ownership but about private ownership of the assets. He got trapped into saying “it’s great that iwi are ambitious” to own some shares but that there’s no guarantee that they won’t end up in foreign hands.
Yes, if there’s going to be private, corporate ownership of these shares then it may as well be iwi corporates but that shouldn’t distract from the fundamental argument against privatisation in the first place.
The main point is that these assets will cease to be publicly owned and run in the ‘national interest’.
Frankly, all the Tower executives and Kiwisaver ‘advisors’ telling us that NZ corporates have sufficient capital to purchase the shares should be countered by pointing out that (a) those institutions aren’t the ‘mum and dad shareholders’ that Key and English have been talking about, and (b) the fact that they are ‘NZ owned’ is not the main concern.
Norman did, however, make the important point that this would have no impact on NZ’s savings/investment rate since it just shuffles ownership around within NZ.
If I get 9.9% of the shares. My wife gets 9.9% of the shares and my son and my daughter and my father-in-law I will own 49% of a SOE. So might John Key act. (Then sell overseas to a Chinese Consortium for 250% profit.)
Perhaps we could all do what I intend to do, buy solar panels. If they’re going to sell our strategic assets then I intend to be strategic about my own energy production.
If it was just a call for individual ‘consumers’ to install solar panels to meet their own, private energy needs then I would disagree.
‘Privatisation’ is not just an economic term. It concerns the increasing tendency to turn our social world into a set of materially discrete private spheres, with a diminishing number of people within each sphere. Connections between these spheres then reduce to contractual arrangements enforced by some coercive system (e.g., the police and judiciary).
Think about what you’d do if someone from the poorer, ‘less wise’ parts of town (who had ‘chosen’ not to install solar panels) came to your place and wanted some of your energy and was in no mind to take ‘no’ for an answer. Would the reactionary individualist come to the fore? (You know, “Well, if they didn’t think ahead, more fool them. I’ll set the cops onto them if they want some of my energy!”)
To add a further step to my points above – my opposition to privatisation is not just about corporate private ownership; it’s about the ills of any solely private ownership of something so necessary to all of us. (That’s not to say that individuals shouldn’t have their own energy supply, just that there also has to be a collective energy supply – or collective means of providing energy – over which we have control and access, together.)
Agreed, but then unfortunately is the real world that we are being confronted with.
Our Government is about to sell our strategic energy resources and as much as I’d like to act collectively to prevent that, the media, polls, apathy, stupidity, self interest, stupidity and so on and so forth are very likely to prevent that sort of collective action.
So, rather than be subject to ever increasing power and water prices, I’ll stand accused of being a self serving individualist and ensure that my children have power from solar and water from the roof and will be happy- if the events that AFKTT predicts happen, as I’m fairly convinced is likely – I’ll be happy to be a hub for the street for power and cooking, if I haven’t managed to get a piece of land before then or am not running fromthe city before he blows the bridges.
But in the meantime, a lack of leadership and governance, from any political party mean I have no option but to act privately. My first intention of coarse is to do all I can to work towards achieving a government in November that won’t sell our assets, but as much as admire the optimism of a Loy of the loyalists on thi blog, I’m not sure I’m feeling quite so sure.
Completely agree and completely understandable – and I wouldn’t want to accuse you of being a self-serving individualist, so my apologies for that implication.
I’m a bit into self-serving self-sufficiency myself, if the truth be known. An old-fashioned section with some fruit trees at the back, a vege garden, greenhouse, worm farm, composting … all very amateurish but making a bit of progress.
Quite. The foreign ownership issue is a red herring. The issue must be to keep those companies in public ownership.
In fact, if I had my way, the energy companies would be turned back into the old ECNZ, and the Bradford reforms rolled back. The electricity is a total mess with ticket clipping and duplication galore. The only good thing about it, is that it gives me a job 🙂
One of the requirements is living in Ireland, TM, and if Sinead is prepared to pay my fare, I’m off, to be sure, to be sure!
Ropata, look again or even better, check her blog, which is linked to in the article. I’m assuming she’s still a christian. Last time I heard, she’d formed her own church and ordained herself as a minister, after considerable earlier difficulties with the Catholic hierarchy.
Whatev millsy, everyone has their own style to be sure, and I am Irish, 4th gen kiwi but not that keen on Guinness or being Sinead’s kept companion slash bonker, but kudos to Voice for posting like it was 1999, or at least a Friday arvo.
I may have been a bit obscure, TM. I posted it as a riposte to a christian commenter who had a bit of an anti-gay meltdown on an earlier open mike. But I’d still be on the first flight to Shannon if Sinead’d have me!
The hair’s longer now, btw, an eton crop, I think it’s called in the salons.
If you define Sinead O’Connor as a Christian, no wonder you have so many problems with understanding the point of view of anyone who doesn’t agree with you!
Bitter and vengeful much, are you? You’ve caused enough trouble for this year – why not sod off to the Dawkins site? You’d never have to deal with contrary views there.
It’s not a question of my definition of a Christian, it’s Sinead’s. If she, or you, claim to be Christian, then that is fine by me. It’s no more my business than what name you prefer to be called by. You claim to be a Christian, but there is little evidence of Christian virtue or values in the abuse you hurl so gaily around this site.
And as for bitter and vengeful, well, as the world’s best selling work of fiction says, let he who is without sin caste the first stone. You stitched yourself up, Vicky32, with bugger all help from me.
You claim to be a Christian, but there is little evidence of Christian virtue or values in the abuse you hurl so gaily around this site.
I don’t fling abuse. You fling abuse… but hell will freeze over before you admit that… Your main issue with me, is that I don’t believe that Christian = doormat, and I won’t put up with lies and insults. Neither do I believe that women should always be subordinate to men and silent in their presence.
And as for bitter and vengeful, well, as the world’s best selling work of fiction says, let he who is without sin caste (sic) the first stone. You stitched yourself up, Vicky32, with bugger all help from me.
Not true, but whatever. Have it your own way. (It’s the only thing that will make you happy, and above all, make you stop harassing me from day to day to tiresome day!) Leave it out – even your sycophants will be getting bored with it soon.
Don’t take everything so personally Vicky, I am Christian also, but I’ve been hanging around the blogs long enough that personal stuff doesn’t get under my skin (much).
Also the USA has amply demonstrated that a nominal “christian” society is not immune from greed and tyranny. Religion is all too often the refuge of scoundrels, so when it’s criticised as such there’s not much argument.
Much of what passes for Christianity these days is indeed fiction. I believe God is working in subtle ways to restore our broken world, but humans are his agents and not the easiest material to work with!
Don’t take everything so personally Vicky, I am Christian also, but I’ve been hanging around the blogs long enough that personal stuff doesn’t get under my skin (much).
Thank you Ropata! I have a tendency to take this kind of thing much too personally – I admit I am a marshmallow and I let it get far too far under my skin!
You are very correct in what you have said.. Bless you!
Little message for the Labour front bench. There’s a rumour some of you drop in here from time to time. You might be familiar with the song from when you were young and believed in something:
Whatever happened to all the heroes?
All the Shakespearoes? They watched their Rome burn
Whatever happened to the heroes?
Whatever happened to the heroes?
Heard it this morning and it reminded me of the situation with Labour, especially the line “they watched their Rome burn”. Thought it must be about the right vintage for most of the front bench…
Shorter version of the comment: F$%#king do something.
I think you’ll find Labour are going to roll out actual policy over the next few months that builds up into a compelling campaign for change. National will continue to smile and wave, and the rest of us get to smile and wave goodbye to our assets.
Hmmm, I didn’t actually ask a question. Back to blog commenting 101 for you, just saying!
You suggested in your shortened version that Labour need to effing do something. This is clearly something and there’s more to come. NZ is going to be asked to make a choice between practical steps to turn the country around or letting Key smile and wave us into poverty.
In one way I’m really quite close to David Cunliffe, according to his political perception as indicated at Vote Chat last week, and my political compass.
Cunliffe placed himself quite close to where the Greens were placed in 2008.
“Prime Minister John Key said it was inevitable there would be some foreign ownership, but local investors would be long-term holders and there was no reason to think they would all sell out. “Our view always has been it’s absolutely critical that majority ownership is held by the New Zealand Government,” he said.
However, that would not be passed into law
“When I say I won’t sell more than 49 per cent … I think New Zealanders will take me at my word,” he said. ”
– just like “no increase in g.s.t ” and “tax cuts north of $50 a week”
We know we can trust him because John’s word is his BondShare
Black border for NZPA. The closing of this agency is an example of how New Zealand is losing its way as a country, our news supply being dominated and shrunk by Australians through Fairfax ownership. Our NZ ownership and control of the majority our newspapers has been lost. Our ability to be informed, to get unslanted background on current topics and reliable history and thoughtful, knowledgable future projections has been decimated. This is made worse as we now have no television that is under public ownership. In the place of such intelligent reports and serious comment we have people who pass themselves off as commentators who are attractive, quirky, or grumpy talking heads, both fluent and confident, offering us a mirror on our country. But mirrors’ reflections depend on their angle!
Australian owners have most of our banks, and our NZ one was achieved after only a fight with the right wing Nationals. Australians own the biggest chunk of our supermarkets, Australian interests own most of our appliance and large furnishing stores.
If there is a Pacific free trade agreement, which includes USA, signed up we will have the coup de grace to our freedom to operate in our interests and to retain our own profits. We are losing the ability to achieve the realisable dreams and plans of our tupuna, through overseas takeover and control of the core businesses of our country’s infrastructure and our main businesses now, and future ones. We will have a case of country osteoporosis, and gradually crumble away. Or we may be destroyed as Mexico has been, their existing problems exacerbated by huge drug deals being rerouted through the country to USA from Columbia.
NZ is being re-colonised courtesy of the FTAs that we’ve signed. Our wealth will be stripped from us by laws that are detrimental to us and given to our new foreign owners.
Were we ever de-colonised in that sense? Haven’t we always had large scale foreign investment? The meat industry was dominated by Vesteys and others for most of last century. Oil by British and US companies, banking and insurance by Australians, shipping by Brits. Plus ca change
@insider – You mention last century – now we are in this century with different things to think about. Looking at the foreign-owned list – you have shipping from Britain, we let our own small shipping fleet go, we are thinking of selling part of our airline, which if we do will see our interests become secondary to a foreigners profit. We have tried to build our own agricultural industries but need to watch that red-hen johhnies come lately don’t break our sector solidity into little shards or that a landslide of foreign investment doesn’t strip us of that. Oil is on its way out and we are hoping to carry on as usual as long as poss no matter what the danger to our water ecology.
It’s not just the same, though a trend shows up for sure for those who are ready to look at it, see it and understand it.
This is a quote from a book by a war journalist Erik Durschmied about the change of commitment and style by the big media networks around 1986. – Company hr departments cut staff with the sensitivity of a chain saw. Decisions were taken by computer printouts: The list! Who’s on the list? went up the anxious cry. Long-termers in seemingly untouchable positions walked into their offices to be told by their secretaries that they had to clear out their desks by noon and hand in their credit cards. The catch phrase was ‘Lean and mean’ and it meant – I want it closed – now.
“A period had come to an end. Once the money-changers took over from creative talent, stock market reports replaced the importance of news reports. A heritage was squandered. Without fanfare, the beacons of information were laid to rest, and with them the influence the networks exerted over millions of faithful viewers. The once supreme CBS lost its number one rating, but its share price doubled within a year.”
Why is it always so depressingly true that to get to the truth you have to follow the money?
I remember some on the right saying that the Treaty process created a “grievance industry” that had an interest in maintaining grievances. Well, I suppose now they’ll be pointing out that the secret rendition process has created a torture facilitation industry that has an interest in perpetuating torture?
Tourettes Sydrome. How do Police manage those who have it?
Could the defense of provocation have been used if the victim had
Tourettes? In light of the light bulb thief what is Police procedure
when dealing with people with mental aberrations? Shouldn’t Doctors
who have the confidence of their patients be in the loop so to speak.
Give the death of a man in state housing, that was not discovered for a year,
why wasn’t their Doctor aware of their reculsive lifestyle and had
a duty of care to insure some way of checking they were okay?
Can you imagine someone running out into traffic and you unwilling to
go to their aid for fear of being run over, only then to be charged with
not going to their aid.
@NickS That was informative. I think I remember right, one study shows infants born at home were three times more likely to die than those born in hospital. Not a comfortable thought.
Although newborn death rates have decreased over the last 20 years, a new study shows that the U.S. neonatal mortality rankings have plummeted by 26 percent. The U.S. is now tied for having the 41st lowest risk of newborn death, down from a ranking of 28th two decades ago, with a current neonatal death rate of 4.3 per 1,000 live births
The study shows that babies born in countries including South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel are now more likely to survive than those born in the United States.
broad brush figures here: 2-2500home births/yr, and about 60-65k live births in NZ per year (statsNZ). So only a few% home births.
I’d be reluctant to extrapolate stats from the States, though, simply because the gap is thin and the confidence intervals on the NZ numbers would be quite wide, even if we were talking about translatable conditions. We’re probably not talking about playing russian roulette with newborns, if you get my drift.
Vaccination is definitely a demonstrable treatment/wellness gap, but I can probably think of bigger issues to get knicker-twisted about than home births. Besides, it would only reopen the obs/mids argument, and everyone seems to have been on good behaviour the last few years, even beginning to work together constructively. THAT is a major benefit to child health in NZ.
Polly Higgins, author of Ecocide (People’s Book Prize Winner, 2011), is in the country to give a few presentations: Wellington (tomorrow 12:30pm, Spectrum Theatre), Nelson (tomorrow evening), Auckland (Sunday & Monday).
Making ecocide a crime is fast gaining international support. Polly is the lawyer who has proposed the Law of Ecocide to the UN and is on a tour to speak with lawyers, ministers, universities and environmentalists. Polly Higgins has been hailed as one of the world’s top 10 visionaries. She will be speaking about Making Ecocide the 5th Crime Against Peace, to sit alongside Genocide, and how it will stop dangerous industrial and agricultural practices. Her proposal has long-term and far-reaching consequences for business and banks.
Her work is regarded as a very significant initiative building on the work of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962).
I have heard her speak and she is brilliant. I would recommend her very highly.
I understand James Shaw, Green Party’s Wellington Central candidate, is hosting her Wellington presentation. Would be good for Labour to be clued up on this. Also, can someone connect her up to Helen Clark, Geoffrey Palmer & UN folks?
Polly’s framing of the issues in terms of the well-established concept of trusteeship in the international law context, to broaden the issues beyond just notions of property rights, is in alignment with kaitiakitanga and should also interest iwi groups. Greens, Fabians and any thinking and feeling person should lend an ear or a helping hand to Polly’s initiative.
p.s. I am posting his as an interested member of public and don’t receive a commission or any financial benefit from generating awareness about this.
Latest Roy Morgan out, Labour down a couple, Greens up a couple. The left still at 44, but as I’ve said before, if the Maori Party, ACT and YourNZ, sorry, UF only get 3 seats between them, it’s all on.
Yep – still very much “all or nothing” for national. They’d be praying there’s no systematic conservative bias in the polling, even of only a few percent.
Because of course there’s no chance the Greens will go with National (sarc).
Now you might think that David Farrar has plucked the 11-09-2032 (for when people are no longer banned from Kiwibog) out of his rather large posterior. Not so… it happens to be his 65 birthday…
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Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
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Memo from Crosby Textor
To the hollow men
So far things are working really well. John Key is accepted by enough to be an ordinary kiwi despite his immense wealth and despite the fact that the only people who have done well under his reign are the very wealthy. Swinging voters are so gullible!
Our attack on Phil Goff’s credibility is working well. We even managed to persuade the MSM that he was told about the Israeli spies in Christchurch, despite the fact that if he had an inkling about what had happened he would have been apoplectic with the attack on New Zealand’s sovereignty. Of course he was not told. We are doing well by persuading some that he may have been briefed on what happened. The meme that he is not able to lead, despite decades of competent governance, is gaining momentum.
And we have managed to create a sense of disunity in Labour’s ranks even though there is actually none. David Cunliffe is loyal to Phil but the media have bought the line that if David says nothing he wants to depose Phil and if he denies wanting to depose Phil then he wants to depose Phil. Excellent work!
We also have some very helpful weapons. Rupert Murdoch’s recent poll was great and provided our supporters with an excellent weapon to attack Goff and Labour with. The MSM fell for it hook line and sinker. Instead of trying to work out how it had Labour’s Auckland’s support at half the level of a poll the day before they reported it as further evidence that Goff is stuffed. Remember to remind our supporters that the truth does not matter, if they are able to spin and bash with an idea then they should do so, no matter how false the idea is.
And it is vital that we do not talk about policy, at least significant policy. If National has to justify the huge budget deficit and talk about selling assets at the same time then our focus groups suggest that support will take a serious hit. Avoid discussions about important policy areas at all cost.
And remember. It does not matter what the reality is. If something arises spin it with conviction. After all, the secret to success is sincerity and conviction, once you can fake that you’ve got it made.
This.
It is incredible that “they” can get away with the dirty tricks. You would think that there would be the odd journalist with integrity. Somewhere? Mickey you have told it the way we see it.
What’s incredible is how cheap voters are. If voters had a clue they’d all start a
co-op right now, that would borrow money on the soon to be privatized assets
and each of them would be rmuch much richer and not have to personally
borrow any money! All those DPB mothers could rush out right now, form a
collective, and buy these National giveaway shares.
Of course Key is trusting that voters are too lazy and think.
My take is if NZ wants good economics of growth, vote Labour. CGT will
means we will invest and grow, but if the voters re-elect Key, then bring it on,
buy the shares, sell them at a profit and have to pay even higher taxes,
few opportunities, greater inequality in the future. That’s the choice,
quick profit now. I know kiwis well enough now to know they are
very individualistic and rather naive about the advantages of collective action
whether in the public sector or private, but this is hardly surprising since
the MSM does a fine job of include the most hardline rightwing rich
people are good for the economy and don’t listen to those lefties who
say that rich people make their money by exploiting distortions and
people at the bottom.
Spot on mickeysavage. Thank-you.
The most discouraging aspect is when you are talking with someone who starts to spout the C/T memes. As soon as you try to explain the reality their eyes glaze over. They don’t want to be confronted with the truth. Very sad.
Wow. You guys really believe this? Says it all…
Is that the extent of your argument insider? Pathetic!
The taxpayer has footed the bill for the likes of Paula Bennett to go off and get trained in how to spin. That’s all National can do because the statistics and reality don’t lie. National has no plan apart from tax cuts for the wealthy and beneficiary bashing. Flogging off assets is a dead end street off a very long road.
National is failing New Zealand when strong leadership is required. Instead of a government that gives a damn about kiwi’s, we get the same old cronyism, growing inequality, a mass exodus, budget cuts, higher costs and hollow rhetoric.
A smile and wave doesn’t cut the mustard when you look at the facts of New Zealand’s situation.
Re insider
As I said….
Micky, while its easy make jokes like that one above (very nice btw) when you read comments like:
“when it was put to him [Goff] that National would have had to blunder on a monumental scale to lose after just three years in office, his answer was curiously telling.
“They would have to have had Ruth Richardson running the finance portfolio,” was his response.
He went on to suggest that the National Government had had “some pretty good alibis” in the past three years, including the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5536300/Voters-pick-up-the-dog-tucker-signals
You have to start wondering what is Goff doing?
Perhaps Crosby Textor have kidnapped Goff and replaced him with a Right Wing look a like.
Cheere Pete.
Like the rest of us Phil has some very good days and some not so good days …
This is exactly what Patrick Gower was saying the other night! I was furious..
The file sharing law comes into effect today, and thus its back to the $9.99 bins at The Warehouse for me…
Shadow servers, hijacked IP addresses, etc…..hear the evil, cant see it…
I don’t get you. If I were served by a person who demanded I prove I did something
wrong, and I have no tech ability, I’m going to be raging that I had to pay a
fine, or had my credit rating hurt, or put on a watch list at the ISP. It
won’t take much time at all before those that send these notices that you have
downloaded somethingyou should not of for everyone to start avoding those
companies. Start a boycott on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of
Cinemas, if Hollywood gets slap happy. Over time this law is a shit law
and people will get fed up.
and think about it students who have little spare cash having to find alternative
types of media to entertain themselves, what happens when they leave uni,
what’s the chances they don’t get all that attached to hollywood but
continue their alternative free entermain behaviors.
So who wins having a distorted bad law, National a few voters for clamping
down in Nanny state ways.
Wellington CBD is now wifi for free. Download your files in the CBD and leave the council to sort it out. Or our Public Library. Or the Motel Or…
Not going to work I don’t think. Download speeds and data are assigned and limited. Just use proxy IPs, which you can find for your bittorrent client.
I wouldn’t recommend this unless you know you can trust the proxy. The proxy hides your real IP address from others, but not the proxy itself. Stacking proxies might help, but if there is no encryption involved any one of them could easily log what you are up to.
Or private trackers…
Hi Aero, Clandestino is onto it, proxy IPs…the net is a dark and mysterious world. The buggers cant enforce anything if we play “dirty”. Which is why the law is an ass.
Heh, DC++ networks are pretty common in uni’s, so all that’s needed are a couple of people bringing in files via sneakernet, onion routing, private DC++ servers on the net, private torrent trackers, or various file downloading sites, such as rapidshare and they’ll be fine.
IRC. Newsgroups.
Can’t beat the oldies.
And also where does the ‘fine’ go??? if it’s to a company then is it restitution? or what? or is it a civil matter??? in which case cant we just tell em to go blow?
Well there are some nifty tools out there to keep the nasties away, lol. And now a lot of VPN companies are going to make some good money now. maybe they’ll have a special. Mine says I am in Miami.
Wow, jealous much?
Slither back under your rock you silly man.
Hang on! I think he’s talking about the Labour/UN joint venture retirement plan!
Sick of Business Class?? Spent a political career studying corruption? – just get kicked out of Labour caucus and enjoy life in the UN, First Class airfares, stay in the hotels you only dreamed of. Emulate your heroes like DS-K – you’ve got it made!
Precisely Mickey, note the time being devoted to how kiwis are getting assets first and fund managers lining up to back the govts line that it’s kiwis first and watch them froth up over Carters UN job taking any opportunity to rehash his implosion and place Helens name out there again oh and we’ve got a story about someone with links to something to put sideshow John on saying no comment…speculation at best….whereas that 10bill budget hole and other current issues get ignored.
Chris73 yes some on the left are jealous they don’t possess the ability the deceive, diffuse spin and generally fail to engage in anything which will highlight the true agenda….no plan or vision, NZ for sale, ahoy the wealthy and powerful….screw the rest.
Deception, media manipulation, avoidance of wide public scrutiny, ‘bait and switch’, employing drones to blog and general fear and loathing are not really the type of politics the left is envious of #73.
No.s #1 to #72 have different names I suppose but the same tory story. The likes of the Hollow Men really do piss on this country, so it has been good the last couple of days to remind people of their true colours.
I, too, have noticed that there has been a sudden uprise of financiers and fund managers singing in chorus in the media about how the shares would stay in ‘NZ ownership’.
Sadly, Russel Norman on Morning Report today didn’t make the point that it’s not just about foreign ownership but about private ownership of the assets. He got trapped into saying “it’s great that iwi are ambitious” to own some shares but that there’s no guarantee that they won’t end up in foreign hands.
Yes, if there’s going to be private, corporate ownership of these shares then it may as well be iwi corporates but that shouldn’t distract from the fundamental argument against privatisation in the first place.
The main point is that these assets will cease to be publicly owned and run in the ‘national interest’.
Frankly, all the Tower executives and Kiwisaver ‘advisors’ telling us that NZ corporates have sufficient capital to purchase the shares should be countered by pointing out that (a) those institutions aren’t the ‘mum and dad shareholders’ that Key and English have been talking about, and (b) the fact that they are ‘NZ owned’ is not the main concern.
Norman did, however, make the important point that this would have no impact on NZ’s savings/investment rate since it just shuffles ownership around within NZ.
If I get 9.9% of the shares. My wife gets 9.9% of the shares and my son and my daughter and my father-in-law I will own 49% of a SOE. So might John Key act. (Then sell overseas to a Chinese Consortium for 250% profit.)
Perhaps we could all do what I intend to do, buy solar panels. If they’re going to sell our strategic assets then I intend to be strategic about my own energy production.
If we did that collectively I’d agree.
If it was just a call for individual ‘consumers’ to install solar panels to meet their own, private energy needs then I would disagree.
‘Privatisation’ is not just an economic term. It concerns the increasing tendency to turn our social world into a set of materially discrete private spheres, with a diminishing number of people within each sphere. Connections between these spheres then reduce to contractual arrangements enforced by some coercive system (e.g., the police and judiciary).
Think about what you’d do if someone from the poorer, ‘less wise’ parts of town (who had ‘chosen’ not to install solar panels) came to your place and wanted some of your energy and was in no mind to take ‘no’ for an answer. Would the reactionary individualist come to the fore? (You know, “Well, if they didn’t think ahead, more fool them. I’ll set the cops onto them if they want some of my energy!”)
To add a further step to my points above – my opposition to privatisation is not just about corporate private ownership; it’s about the ills of any solely private ownership of something so necessary to all of us. (That’s not to say that individuals shouldn’t have their own energy supply, just that there also has to be a collective energy supply – or collective means of providing energy – over which we have control and access, together.)
Agreed, but then unfortunately is the real world that we are being confronted with.
Our Government is about to sell our strategic energy resources and as much as I’d like to act collectively to prevent that, the media, polls, apathy, stupidity, self interest, stupidity and so on and so forth are very likely to prevent that sort of collective action.
So, rather than be subject to ever increasing power and water prices, I’ll stand accused of being a self serving individualist and ensure that my children have power from solar and water from the roof and will be happy- if the events that AFKTT predicts happen, as I’m fairly convinced is likely – I’ll be happy to be a hub for the street for power and cooking, if I haven’t managed to get a piece of land before then or am not running fromthe city before he blows the bridges.
But in the meantime, a lack of leadership and governance, from any political party mean I have no option but to act privately. My first intention of coarse is to do all I can to work towards achieving a government in November that won’t sell our assets, but as much as admire the optimism of a Loy of the loyalists on thi blog, I’m not sure I’m feeling quite so sure.
Completely agree and completely understandable – and I wouldn’t want to accuse you of being a self-serving individualist, so my apologies for that implication.
I’m a bit into self-serving self-sufficiency myself, if the truth be known. An old-fashioned section with some fruit trees at the back, a vege garden, greenhouse, worm farm, composting … all very amateurish but making a bit of progress.
No offense taken, I’d much rather a society wide approach, but I’m not gonna wait.
Quite. The foreign ownership issue is a red herring. The issue must be to keep those companies in public ownership.
In fact, if I had my way, the energy companies would be turned back into the old ECNZ, and the Bradford reforms rolled back. The electricity is a total mess with ticket clipping and duplication galore. The only good thing about it, is that it gives me a job 🙂
Thanks Millsy, so true. The underlying issue is how to avoid rent taking behavoir by capital. Make the buggers take risk if they want reward.
AND I suppose we are expected to borrow to buy these shares, as most Kiwi’s have not been paid enough to save since the mid 80’s..
Christian woman likes anal sex shock!
Nothing about christianity or anal sex in that weird article..
Maybe Voice is thinking of replying to Sineads ad….
One of the requirements is living in Ireland, TM, and if Sinead is prepared to pay my fare, I’m off, to be sure, to be sure!
Ropata, look again or even better, check her blog, which is linked to in the article. I’m assuming she’s still a christian. Last time I heard, she’d formed her own church and ordained herself as a minister, after considerable earlier difficulties with the Catholic hierarchy.
I would like to apply also .. I’m off to check my family tree for Irish ancestry
(Although Sinead seems to inhabit a parallel universe of her own)
No chance … nothing compares, nothing compares … to me!
Why the fuck would anyone be attracted to a woman with a shaved head. Too masculine for me…
Yuk..might as well go pick up a bloke…
Whatev millsy, everyone has their own style to be sure, and I am Irish, 4th gen kiwi but not that keen on Guinness or being Sinead’s kept companion slash bonker, but kudos to Voice for posting like it was 1999, or at least a Friday arvo.
I may have been a bit obscure, TM. I posted it as a riposte to a christian commenter who had a bit of an anti-gay meltdown on an earlier open mike. But I’d still be on the first flight to Shannon if Sinead’d have me!
The hair’s longer now, btw, an eton crop, I think it’s called in the salons.
If you define Sinead O’Connor as a Christian, no wonder you have so many problems with understanding the point of view of anyone who doesn’t agree with you!
Bitter and vengeful much, are you? You’ve caused enough trouble for this year – why not sod off to the Dawkins site? You’d never have to deal with contrary views there.
“sod off”?
Nope, no bigotry there…
If you think ‘sod off’ is some kind of bigotry, you need to improve your knowledge of non-American idiom… 😀
And you should think about why the word is what it is.
It’s not a question of my definition of a Christian, it’s Sinead’s. If she, or you, claim to be Christian, then that is fine by me. It’s no more my business than what name you prefer to be called by. You claim to be a Christian, but there is little evidence of Christian virtue or values in the abuse you hurl so gaily around this site.
And as for bitter and vengeful, well, as the world’s best selling work of fiction says, let he who is without sin caste the first stone. You stitched yourself up, Vicky32, with bugger all help from me.
(Puns very much intended).
I don’t fling abuse. You fling abuse… but hell will freeze over before you admit that… Your main issue with me, is that I don’t believe that Christian = doormat, and I won’t put up with lies and insults. Neither do I believe that women should always be subordinate to men and silent in their presence.
Not true, but whatever. Have it your own way. (It’s the only thing that will make you happy, and above all, make you stop harassing me from day to day to tiresome day!) Leave it out – even your sycophants will be getting bored with it soon.
Don’t take everything so personally Vicky, I am Christian also, but I’ve been hanging around the blogs long enough that personal stuff doesn’t get under my skin (much).
Also the USA has amply demonstrated that a nominal “christian” society is not immune from greed and tyranny. Religion is all too often the refuge of scoundrels, so when it’s criticised as such there’s not much argument.
Much of what passes for Christianity these days is indeed fiction. I believe God is working in subtle ways to restore our broken world, but humans are his agents and not the easiest material to work with!
Thank you Ropata! I have a tendency to take this kind of thing much too personally – I admit I am a marshmallow and I let it get far too far under my skin!
You are very correct in what you have said.. Bless you!
Millsy, take it over to Kiwiblog you homophobic tosser.
Little message for the Labour front bench. There’s a rumour some of you drop in here from time to time. You might be familiar with the song from when you were young and believed in something:
Whatever happened to all the heroes?
All the Shakespearoes?
They watched their Rome burn
Whatever happened to the heroes?
Whatever happened to the heroes?
They got strangled…….
Always prefered the sentiments of ‘Kill yr Idols’ anyway… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYSnZRDe7h4
Cheers, Bill, that hits the spot. The Stranglers were always a bunch of misogynist old tories and bandwagon jumpers anyway.
Heard it this morning and it reminded me of the situation with Labour, especially the line “they watched their Rome burn”. Thought it must be about the right vintage for most of the front bench…
Shorter version of the comment: F$%#king do something.
Well, you might like this, JS.
I think you’ll find Labour are going to roll out actual policy over the next few months that builds up into a compelling campaign for change. National will continue to smile and wave, and the rest of us get to smile and wave goodbye to our assets.
If that article was largely purloined from a Labour press release, send the writer back for retraining journalism 101.
If it was an entirely unscripted report from the journalist, all I can say is typical.
Oh and in reply to your question VoR
-And?
Hmmm, I didn’t actually ask a question. Back to blog commenting 101 for you, just saying!
You suggested in your shortened version that Labour need to effing do something. This is clearly something and there’s more to come. NZ is going to be asked to make a choice between practical steps to turn the country around or letting Key smile and wave us into poverty.
Two words: work schemes
In one way I’m really quite close to David Cunliffe, according to his political perception as indicated at Vote Chat last week, and my political compass.
Cunliffe placed himself quite close to where the Greens were placed in 2008.
Busload of Kids placed at risk:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10748617
The benefits of privatisation…?
The privatisation of our school bus system is a sleeping scandal.
I really dont see how evil the old system was, with the old DoE buses doing the main routes with small private operators filling in the gaps.
“Prime Minister John Key said it was inevitable there would be some foreign ownership, but local investors would be long-term holders and there was no reason to think they would all sell out. “Our view always has been it’s absolutely critical that majority ownership is held by the New Zealand Government,” he said.
However, that would not be passed into law
“When I say I won’t sell more than 49 per cent … I think New Zealanders will take me at my word,” he said. ”
– just like “no increase in g.s.t ” and “tax cuts north of $50 a week”
We know we can trust him because John’s word is his BondShare
Just remember: When a banker speaks he lies!
Black border for NZPA. The closing of this agency is an example of how New Zealand is losing its way as a country, our news supply being dominated and shrunk by Australians through Fairfax ownership. Our NZ ownership and control of the majority our newspapers has been lost. Our ability to be informed, to get unslanted background on current topics and reliable history and thoughtful, knowledgable future projections has been decimated. This is made worse as we now have no television that is under public ownership. In the place of such intelligent reports and serious comment we have people who pass themselves off as commentators who are attractive, quirky, or grumpy talking heads, both fluent and confident, offering us a mirror on our country. But mirrors’ reflections depend on their angle!
Australian owners have most of our banks, and our NZ one was achieved after only a fight with the right wing Nationals. Australians own the biggest chunk of our supermarkets, Australian interests own most of our appliance and large furnishing stores.
If there is a Pacific free trade agreement, which includes USA, signed up we will have the coup de grace to our freedom to operate in our interests and to retain our own profits. We are losing the ability to achieve the realisable dreams and plans of our tupuna, through overseas takeover and control of the core businesses of our country’s infrastructure and our main businesses now, and future ones. We will have a case of country osteoporosis, and gradually crumble away. Or we may be destroyed as Mexico has been, their existing problems exacerbated by huge drug deals being rerouted through the country to USA from Columbia.
NZ is being re-colonised courtesy of the FTAs that we’ve signed. Our wealth will be stripped from us by laws that are detrimental to us and given to our new foreign owners.
Were we ever de-colonised in that sense? Haven’t we always had large scale foreign investment? The meat industry was dominated by Vesteys and others for most of last century. Oil by British and US companies, banking and insurance by Australians, shipping by Brits. Plus ca change
@insider – You mention last century – now we are in this century with different things to think about. Looking at the foreign-owned list – you have shipping from Britain, we let our own small shipping fleet go, we are thinking of selling part of our airline, which if we do will see our interests become secondary to a foreigners profit. We have tried to build our own agricultural industries but need to watch that red-hen johhnies come lately don’t break our sector solidity into little shards or that a landslide of foreign investment doesn’t strip us of that. Oil is on its way out and we are hoping to carry on as usual as long as poss no matter what the danger to our water ecology.
It’s not just the same, though a trend shows up for sure for those who are ready to look at it, see it and understand it.
This is a quote from a book by a war journalist Erik Durschmied about the change of commitment and style by the big media networks around 1986. – Company hr departments cut staff with the sensitivity of a chain saw. Decisions were taken by computer printouts: The list! Who’s on the list? went up the anxious cry. Long-termers in seemingly untouchable positions walked into their offices to be told by their secretaries that they had to clear out their desks by noon and hand in their credit cards. The catch phrase was ‘Lean and mean’ and it meant – I want it closed – now.
“A period had come to an end. Once the money-changers took over from creative talent, stock market reports replaced the importance of news reports. A heritage was squandered. Without fanfare, the beacons of information were laid to rest, and with them the influence the networks exerted over millions of faithful viewers. The once supreme CBS lost its number one rating, but its share price doubled within a year.”
Why is it always so depressingly true that to get to the truth you have to follow the money?
I remember some on the right saying that the Treaty process created a “grievance industry” that had an interest in maintaining grievances. Well, I suppose now they’ll be pointing out that the secret rendition process has created a torture facilitation industry that has an interest in perpetuating torture?
Isn’t that the ironic thing about the right though? Ideologically pure while they’re making money, inconsistent moralists when they’re not.
Tourettes Sydrome. How do Police manage those who have it?
Could the defense of provocation have been used if the victim had
Tourettes? In light of the light bulb thief what is Police procedure
when dealing with people with mental aberrations? Shouldn’t Doctors
who have the confidence of their patients be in the loop so to speak.
Give the death of a man in state housing, that was not discovered for a year,
why wasn’t their Doctor aware of their reculsive lifestyle and had
a duty of care to insure some way of checking they were okay?
Can you imagine someone running out into traffic and you unwilling to
go to their aid for fear of being run over, only then to be charged with
not going to their aid.
And here’s your daily dose of rational, arse kicking feminism:
Your Home Birth is Not a Feminist Statement
@NickS That was informative. I think I remember right, one study shows infants born at home were three times more likely to die than those born in hospital. Not a comfortable thought.
Does anyone know how prevalent home birth is in NZ?
The land of the free and neonatal mortality.
Although newborn death rates have decreased over the last 20 years, a new study shows that the U.S. neonatal mortality rankings have plummeted by 26 percent. The U.S. is now tied for having the 41st lowest risk of newborn death, down from a ranking of 28th two decades ago, with a current neonatal death rate of 4.3 per 1,000 live births
The study shows that babies born in countries including South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel are now more likely to survive than those born in the United States.
broad brush figures here: 2-2500home births/yr, and about 60-65k live births in NZ per year (statsNZ). So only a few% home births.
I’d be reluctant to extrapolate stats from the States, though, simply because the gap is thin and the confidence intervals on the NZ numbers would be quite wide, even if we were talking about translatable conditions. We’re probably not talking about playing russian roulette with newborns, if you get my drift.
Vaccination is definitely a demonstrable treatment/wellness gap, but I can probably think of bigger issues to get knicker-twisted about than home births. Besides, it would only reopen the obs/mids argument, and everyone seems to have been on good behaviour the last few years, even beginning to work together constructively. THAT is a major benefit to child health in NZ.
Former Powell Chief of Staff: Cheney “Fears Being Tried as a War Criminal”.
Good.
even if he’s never tried, at least he’s constantly waiting for the knock on the door.
I wonder what the MSM and politicians [of both hue] will make of Nicky Hager’s latest book, which I must read!
Hi to inhabitants of this planet
“Ecocide”
Polly Higgins, author of Ecocide (People’s Book Prize Winner, 2011), is in the country to give a few presentations: Wellington (tomorrow 12:30pm, Spectrum Theatre), Nelson (tomorrow evening), Auckland (Sunday & Monday).
Making ecocide a crime is fast gaining international support. Polly is the lawyer who has proposed the Law of Ecocide to the UN and is on a tour to speak with lawyers, ministers, universities and environmentalists. Polly Higgins has been hailed as one of the world’s top 10 visionaries. She will be speaking about Making Ecocide the 5th Crime Against Peace, to sit alongside Genocide, and how it will stop dangerous industrial and agricultural practices. Her proposal has long-term and far-reaching consequences for business and banks.
Her work is regarded as a very significant initiative building on the work of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962).
I have heard her speak and she is brilliant. I would recommend her very highly.
NZ & Australian presentation details:
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/08/18/polly-higgins-speaking-tour-australia-new-zealand-eradicating-ecocide-laws-and-governance-to-prevent-the-destruction-of-our-planet/
Her website:
http://www.pollyhiggins.com/Polly_Higgins/Welcome.html
Website for her book:
http://www.eradicatingecocide.com/
I understand James Shaw, Green Party’s Wellington Central candidate, is hosting her Wellington presentation. Would be good for Labour to be clued up on this. Also, can someone connect her up to Helen Clark, Geoffrey Palmer & UN folks?
Polly’s framing of the issues in terms of the well-established concept of trusteeship in the international law context, to broaden the issues beyond just notions of property rights, is in alignment with kaitiakitanga and should also interest iwi groups. Greens, Fabians and any thinking and feeling person should lend an ear or a helping hand to Polly’s initiative.
p.s. I am posting his as an interested member of public and don’t receive a commission or any financial benefit from generating awareness about this.
p.p.s. Nelson talk just added to her speaking schedule:
Fri 2 Sep, 7:00- 8:30pm
Making Ecocide a Crime
Eden Foundation, Nelson
http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2011/sep/nelson/eradicating-ecocide-public-talk-by-polly-higgins
Latest Roy Morgan out, Labour down a couple, Greens up a couple. The left still at 44, but as I’ve said before, if the Maori Party, ACT and YourNZ, sorry, UF only get 3 seats between them, it’s all on.
Yep – still very much “all or nothing” for national. They’d be praying there’s no systematic conservative bias in the polling, even of only a few percent.
Because of course there’s no chance the Greens will go with National (sarc).
11th September 2032
Now you might think that David Farrar has plucked the 11-09-2032 (for when people are no longer banned from Kiwibog) out of his rather large posterior. Not so… it happens to be his 65 birthday…