Something that other developed nations, (including NZ, in 1938), delivered decades ago.
‘The Time for Medicare for All Has Come’
Visionary Bill to Remake US Healthcare System
Jake Johnson, staff writer,Jon Queally, staff writer – Common Dreams, February 27, 2019
Calling for a “complete transformation of our healthcare system,” Democratic congresswoman says what her legislation will mean is simple: “Everybody in, nobody out.”
The huge and entrenched US profit driven health care system in the is a travesty, no one can rightfully defend it. Yet it still exists. Built on the desperation of the ill and dying, the huge returns this system brings to wealthy investors and insurance companies, make sure it does.
Not only do American taxpayers pay more than most countries to subsidise their profit driven health system, they also pay exorbitant private insurance and up front costs before they can receive it. Keeping many millions of Americans who can’t afford it, from life saving care and needless suffering.
Bringing in single payer will cost the American people far less,.prevent needless suffering, and save countless lives.
There are two reasons that bill is going precisely nowhere. The first that everyone here should be aware of is the Repug-controlled Senate and Il Douche in the Oval Office.
The second and much more difficult obstacle is that the majority of Americans get their health insurance through their (or a family member’s) workplace where the employer pays the majority of the cost. In 2018 the average annual premium for an employer-sponsored family health plan was around $20,000. The employer paid on average around $15,000 of that.
So any proposal to transition the US to some kind of universal single-payer health system has to first persuade those currently covered by their employer-sponsored insurance that they’ll be better off with the proposed new system. That part should be easy given what an exorbitantly expensive clusterfuck the current system is, but won’t be given most people’s fear of change.
Second, the plan has to map out how the cost burden is going to change. If it’s just by expanding Medicare and paying for it by increasing the existing payroll taxes, then that’s going to be a massive and highly visible tax increase on wage-and-salary earners and a massive windfall cost reduction to employers that will go straight into owner profits. I didn’t spot anything in in the commondreams piece or the linked 10 page summary that even mentioned this aspect of it.
Something that other developed nations, (including NZ, in 1938), delivered decades ago.
‘The Time for Medicare for All Has Come’
Visionary Bill to Remake US Healthcare System
Jake Johnson, staff writer,Jon Queally, staff writer – Common Dreams, February 27, 2019
Calling for a “complete transformation of our healthcare system,” Democratic congresswoman says what her legislation will mean is simple: “Everybody in, nobody out.”
The huge and entrenched US profit driven health care system is a travesty, no one can rightfully defend it. Yet it still exists. Built on the desperation of the ill and dying, the huge returns this system brings to wealthy investors and insurance companies, make sure it does.
Not only do American taxpayers pay more than most countries to subsidise their profit driven health system, they also pay exorbitant private insurance and up front costs before they can receive it. Preventing many millions of Americans who can’t afford private treatment, from receiving life saving care or undergoing needless suffering.
Bringing in single payer will cost the American people far less,.prevent needless suffering, and save countless lives.
“America is the most expensive nation in the world to give birth. When things go wrong – – from pre-eclampsia to premature birth – costs can quickly spiral into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the data is limited, experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.
America is simultaneously the most expensive and one of the riskiest industrialized nations in which to have children.
as many as 56,000 families each year still go bankrupt from adding a new family member through birth or adoption.
“Why any society should let anyone be bankrupted by medical bills is beyond me, frankly,” said Woolhandler. “It just doesn’t happen in other western democracies.”
…………………………………………..
TPPA is a corporate attempt to export this usa disease ……….
People are suffering from trade war fatigue, BREXIT, TPP11 ect. Undeniably there is a desires for a conservative health system where the deserving and undeserving poor a denied the basics of life.
You fan boys were never able to produce an argument for it that added up, so don’t feign surprise when this incredibly lousy deal elicits speculation as to your motives for boosting it.
Whats absurd is listening to some-one who always leaves out half the information Wayne…………..
A leaked negotiating text shows what the US is demanding on behalf of its big drug companies (known as “Big Pharma”) and how the benefits New Zealanders enjoy under PHARMAC are threatened by the TPPA. Although PHARMAC itself will not be dismantled, under the leaked text PHARMAC would:
: not be able to negotiate a bulk discount for medicines
: have to give detailed reasons to the drug companies about every purchasing decision
: give pharmaceutical companies the right to appeal PHARMAC’s decisions
: publish the identities of all decision-makers around the purchasing of medicines.
If adopted, this text would strengthen Big Pharma’s leverage over PHARMAC. The drug companies’ would gain new rights and opportunities to lobby PHARMAC decision makers and challenge their credentials, demand reasons if PHARMAC rejects their ‘expert’ reports and data, and pressure its decisions by constant threats of appeal. The goal of the big pharmaceutical companies is to influence PHARMAC’s criteria and decisions in their favour at the expense of affordability for the public. If the leaked text is adopted then government would have to massively increase the health budget, reduce the availability of subsidised drugs, or increase the price paid by ordinary New Zealanders.” https://itsourfuture.org.nz/access-to-medicines/
The drug companies are some of the worst corporations around …. like rust and nationals incrimental privitization of our public health … those fuckers never sleep.
They profit gouge and dodge tax.
Apart from misrepresenting the corporate goals in regard to the TPPA …. your lack of comment and presumably concern for the cruelty of the usa health system is noted … “experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.”
To which I’d add there is a lot of the homeless people in the usa …. who have ended up that way after getting sick …. cancer treatments costing them their homes etc.
And that isn’t pointing a finger at you Gabby, like your stuff. It’s the someone else that wants to drown us in a deluge from the usa piddling pool.
I think people need to remember that us and usa are two different peoples in different places and sizes. What a difference an ‘a’ makes.
And you will note that google drops the ‘A’ which designates them as being in America. The ‘United States’ is just an adjective and a noun, and perhaps not restricting it to a location is a subtle hint that the US authorities consider it is short for ‘The Planet’.
Gosman the flaming penis posts a lot of Gosyrrhea …. a cross between Gonorrhea and Diarrhea.
I’ve previously asked him for a yes / no response to; “The NZ economy would shit itself and die if we got the Venezuelan treatment from the u.s.a …
Apart from repeated usa coup participation ….He ignores and denies the economic siege / sanctions weapons being used ,,,, and their effects.
Two examples :…”the US government added further sanctions that prevent Venezuela from doing what governments routinely do with much of their debt, which is “roll it over” by borrowing again when a bond matures.”
and …. “Major financial institutions have delayed the processing of all financial transfers from Venezuelan entities, significantly hampering the ability of Venezuelan companies to do business in the United States.”
If the NZ Govt could not roll over and refinance the 80+ Billion dollar Govt debt National left us with ,,,,, and if our companies like Fonterra could not get paid and trade …. Then our economy would shit itself and die.
The Aussie economy …. , the british economy ,,,, and even the usa economy itself ,,,, they would all shit themselves and die …. if given the Venezuelan treatment.
Gooseman ignores all that … and tells usa lies about socialism being more to blame than the hostile actions of the usa …
He tells more usa lies about the Venezuelan elections.
The election before last was called the most free and fair in the world by Jimmy Carter ….
The last election was boycotted by an opposition which knew it would not win, they attacked approximately 100 polling stations to try and stop people voting.
However UN observers from over 50 countries declared the actual election fair and valid …. its the usa and its coup govt in waiting … and gooseman who are bullshitting with invalid claims …. Venezuelan elections are which are probably more legit than the usa ones …. the usa and its puppet do not want more fair elections …. without usa voter purges of the poor, they can not get into power the electoral way.
They want a military coup …… backed by the usa of course.
Regarding socialism …. I’ve twice challenged GooseStepper or other right wing trolls to put up or shut up ……..by showing me / us a capitalist country which improved the living standards / health / education for its people …. as qucikly as Libya did using socialism.
It went from one of the poorest impoverished countries in the world up to No 67 in the human development index…. all in little over a generation …
Libya was then of course destroyed by the usa / Nato …. its modern society replaced with a civil war hell hole, that has slave markets ,,, crucifixion of christians ,,, the Lynching of the usa ambassador ,,, kidnappings ,,, mass murders ,,, rapes etc etc.
The usa seems to be threatening the same treatment for Venezuela
Unlike Gosman I’m interested in what works around the world …. he’s an idealog and wants to silence evidence that contradicts his beliefs.
I’m certainly not saying NZ should copy Libya … as our circumstances and society are very different.
But we should be able to look at examples that work in the world …. and respond to problems like homelessness …without fear of the usa fucking us over.,,,
Now Imagine if the usa had declared the national party the winner in our last election and told NZ first they had to partner them ,,,,
Who out of our trolls / dickpicks would have gone along in this goose step direction ,,,, how about nact politicians ?
I’ll finish with a positive link to another good woman who makes judith collins look like grubby greedy trash
Just have to shake your head sometimes. If you think Gosmans a troll (I dont) ignore him dont spray shit about place. Essentially the post makes it look like Gosmans under you skin and has you beat. Sti’s the shits and a Nazi reference all in one post so classy.
Goose stepping is a long tradition of south American fascist regimes …. Nazis are indeed a subset of fascists.
modern history lesson History ….. south america was flooded by nazis using ratlines to escape from europe …. 50,000 to Argentina alone…… the generals / facists / juntas took over a large part of south america from the mid 60’s to the 1980’s….. with usa support.
The usa provided the computers and equipment behind ” operation condor ” ….. much like IBM provided computers to the Nazis to help them keep on top of the huge logistics in running their Jewish and Slavic mass killings / Holocaust.
The Gosman thing is interesting. He is extreme right wing as far as I’m concerned. As much was apparent yesterday when talking about 6000 Auckland houses and apartments being listed on the disruptive app, Airbnb.
This USA based app has introduced a major shift in the usage of secondary property in the last 2 to 3 years and obviously is having an impact on the number of available rentals for families in Auckland.
Gosman simply would not comprehend that houses were a scarce resource which must be utilised for working Kiwi families in the current shortage. He would not comprehend that secondary house owners had a duty to follow through on their reason for owning multiple properties which is to provide housing.
Gosman is an extreme right wing libertarian who simply refuses to play his part in a healthy society and has no concept of what stable communities look like because that sort of thing has never bothered him.
In fact I’m sure Gosman has no idea of what a healthy society looks like. His world view stops at the standard roses flourishing at his front door.
Venezuela has become a religious talisman for the right. Finger the beads and repeat the immortal truths about the perfection of markets, and shut down the possibility of change by frothing about Satan/Venezuela.
I think you are a wasting your time arguing. Ignore them and move on.
The trouble with the Maggie Barrys of this world, they have been allowed to get away with their bully girl tactics for so many years they think it is normal behaviour.
She no doubt sees herself as firm but fair, plain spoken and refreshingly honest and to the point. Of course woe betide anyone being plain spoken and refreshingly honest and to the point right back at her.
I was the target of a woman like that. She considered herself honest and always told the truth. In truth, she didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘truth’. She administered her own version of punishments for misdemeanours she believed her targets had committed except they hadn’t.
She was the “nutter” but she convinced herself other people were the nutters. She and Barry are two of a kind.
But there’s a breed of right-wing women who are – as you say – spectacularly horrid. If my personal experiences of them are any guide, they have sociopathic tendencies and a total lack of empathy for anyone who has fallen on hard times. They are fundamentally racist and see themselves as a cut above everyone else. In reality they are just ignorant nobodies trying desperately to be somebodies.
Oh, and when you add a naturally spiteful streak they can also be quite dangerous.
I’m calling out gosman for his flaming posts…. he’s been shown evidence … so we know he;s dishonest ….. not ignorant.
How about being all wet on him ….
There is no verbal abuse which comes within a country mile of uncivilized barbarian actions leading to suffering or death….. or support for such actions.
Some things deserve rudeness and contempt ….. Like this usa guy promoted to do his stuff in Venezuela.
Being rude to him is out of order too ……….. tut tut
Well, he might have been better than the one who did end up in the job. Or not.
Tell me. Suppose you had to choose between Christie and Trump to be President?
Which would you have chosen. Fleeing the country is not an option.
I personally would have fled the country, but I’m not going to allow you the easy way out. I thought the best qualified person actually running was John Kasich, the then Governor of Ohio.
Problem is, courage and fresh thinking are beyond the majority.
. Earlier this month, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a Green New Deal resolution laying out an ambitious set of goals and principles aimed at transforming and decarbonizing the US economy.
The release prompted a great deal of smart, insightfulwriting, but also a lot of knee-jerk and predictable cant. Conservatives called it socialist. Moderates called it extreme. Pundits called it unrealistic. Wonks scolded it over this or that omission. Political gossip columnists obsessed over missteps in the rollout.
What ties the latter reactions together, from my perspective, is that they seem oblivious to the historical moment, like thespians acting out an old, familiar play even as the theater goes up in flames around them.
To put it bluntly: This is not normal. We are not in an era of normal politics. There is no precedent for the climate crisis, its dangers or its opportunities. Above all, it calls for courage and fresh thinking.
Joe90
Thanks for that link. These are words that should be written in capitals in front of everyone’s workplace, whatever.
What ties the latter reactions together, from my perspective, is that they seem oblivious to the historical moment, like thespians acting out an old, familiar play even as the theater goes up in flames around them.
To put it bluntly: This is not normal. We are not in an era of normal politics. There is no precedent for the climate crisis, its dangers or its opportunities. Above all, it calls for courage and fresh thinking.
” So when Wayne Mapp says he doesn’t want our foreignpolicy to be subject to a UN veto, what he is really saying is that he wants to wage war in contravention of international law and the UN charter – in other words, he wants us to be a rogue nation, just like the US… ” https://norightturn.blogspot.com/search?q=mapp+%2B+war
Q : Where does a bad mapp take you .???
A: Lost in child killing territory ….. so lost ,,, that medals of valor are awarded for killing children and civilians.
If we were to present Wayne mapp in front of Fatimas mother ….. would she be justified in judging him as a reckless uncaring savage of a man? ….
Wayne was in the position to prevent the murder of this mothers three year old girl … but he lacked the guts and probably the will …. to stop our invaders attack on her home and village …
booting his non-decision upstairs we discovered one of the few true things about key …. he was was indeed a smiling assassin.
Just to change to another foreign country. It is so much more interesting watching them than viewing our own disintegration. How do they do it, we must watch them so we can too only faster!
I was looking on TradeMe and saw the book Muldoon by Robert Muldoon, for $1.
Then there was a book on Thatcher for $12 and I wondered if the prices represented their political nous. I think we should be valuing Muldoon above $1.
I looked up the writer about Thatcher, Hugo Young. Besides his epitaph for her, he wrote a think piece on UK and the EU last century.* I thought Brexit followers might be interested in his opinions, which are Conservative I think. He tries to tap the zeitgeist of the people, and the politicians, and their divided sensibilities.
* • This is an extract trom This Blessed Plot: Britain and Europe from Churchill to Blair (1998), published by Macmillan
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/25/hugo-young-why-britain-never-sat-comfortably-in-europe The island people were not only different but, mercifully, separate, housed behind their moat. They were also inestimably superior, as was shown by history both ancient and modern: by the resonance of the Empire on which the sun never set, but equally by the immediate circumstances out of which the new Europe was born, the war itself. In that war, there had been only one unambiguous victor among European peoples, and she was not to be found on the mainland. The defence of historic uniqueness, against contamination from across the silver sea, was one powerful explanation for the course the British took during these 50 years.
But the plot was also tortuous. Little in the story was very straight. The nation’s thinking about itself lurched between different destinies. Hanging on to the past, in the form of the post-imperial Commonwealth, seemed for a time to be the answer. Remaining constant to the Anglo-American relationship, the most powerful bond in the English-speaking world, was apparently another necessity, which would be fatally compromised by the lure of something called the European Community. The idea that these amounted to alternative choices, the one necessarily imperilling the other, afflicted the decision of all leaders from Churchill to Margaret Thatcher, if not beyond.
Thatcher’s epitaph – ‘Days before he died in 2003, Guardian columnist and Thatcher biographer Hugo Young wrote an epitaph for the prime minister [died 8 April 2013 aged 87 years] who changed Britain forever.’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-hugo-young Thatcher is remembered for her achievements, but more for a presence, which was wrapped up with being a woman. Several strong women on the continent have risen to the top, but this British woman, in Britain of all places, became a phenomenon, first, through her gender.
The woman, however, changed. The gender remained, its artefacts deployed with calculation. But it was overlaid by the supposedly masculine virtues, sometimes more manly than the men could ever assemble….
Thatcher became a supremely self-confident leader. No gloves, or hats, except for royalty or at funerals, but feet on the table, whisky glass at hand, into the small hours of solitude, for want of male cronies in the masculine world she dominated for all her 11 years in power…
One also can’t forget what happened to the agency that made Thatcher world‑famous: the Conservative party, of which she seemed such an improbable leader. Without it, she would have been nothing. It chose her in a fit of desperation, hats and all – though it quite liked the hats. It got over a deep, instinctive hostility to women at the top of anything, and put her there. Yet her long-term effect seems to have been to destroy it. The party she led three times to electoral triumph became unelectable for a generation.
There are many reasons for this. But Thatcher was a naturally, perhaps incurably, divisive figure. It was part of her conspicuous virtue, her indifference to familiar political conventions. It came to a head over her most egregious policy failure, Europe. She lost seven cabinet ministers on the Europe question, a record that permeated the party for years afterwards. It still does. So the woman I met in Curzon Street, dimpling elegantly, can now be seen in history with an unexpected achievement to her credit. She wrecked her own party, while promoting, via many a tortuous turn, Labour’s resurrection.
The last time I met her was after all this was over. We had had a strange relationship. She continued for some reason to consider me worth talking to. Yet I wrote columns of pretty unremitting hostility to most of what she did. It became obvious that, while granting that I had “convictions”, she never read a word of my stuff.
Compared to what we admire in Ms Ardern, Thatcher was very different. In being different Hugo Thomas says, she wrecked her own Party. She went further than they ever would. Steely conviction that she knew best. I don’t think Ms Ardern thinks like that. Should she veer towards it more? And Trump. Is he wrecking the Republicans as well as the USA?
“The party she led three times to electoral triumph became unelectable for a generation.”.
They certainly seem to have very short generations in Britain, at least according to Mr Young.
Maggie Thatcher left office in 1990. She was succeeded by John Major as Leader of the Conservative Party and PM who then won the election of 1992 and remained PM until 1997. When Thatcher quit the party was obviously not “unelectable” was it?
Labor then became the Government from 1997 until 2010. That is 13 years which seems to be the shortest “generation” I have ever heard of. I would think of a generation as being about 25 years.
The Conservatives then resumed office in 2010 and are still there.
Mr Young also seems to think that, because Thatcher continued to talk to him even though he wrote columns of unremitting hostility about her she must not have read what he wrote. What Rubbish. Thatcher lasted 11 years as PM. Having someone say nasty things about her would not have bothered her in the slightest. She would have had skin like a battleship’s armour plate.
As for comparing her with Ardern. You must be joking. Arderrn will be remembered as a person who was totally out of her depth as PM and left office after a very short termterm with nothing memorable to how for her time in office.
Having a crack at the Prime Minister for having a baby now? You do realise some poor woman had to give birth to you at some point in the distant past. I bet she regrets that now! 🤣
But that’s ok because the bulk of voters will not agree with you. Initially the Nats weren’t going to touch Ardern on being a young mother because it would be political poison.
Now they (you) are so desperate you’ve decided to attack her on just that.
The idea that most men are women haters, when in reality they spend most of their lives trying to work out how to please the ones in their lives … remains an enduring mystery to me 🙂
We don’t both agree on this stuff as you know – I find most often I disagree with your take, based on your experience, of gender politics and sexuality. I have learned this through numerous arguments with you on this forum. I’m pretty sure you really don’t want to go there so just back away slowly, as will I.
RL
What sized foot do you have? Rather large I think, because you manage often to put your foot in something when you talk about women. Even when you are being quite innocent of any miss-demeanour it comes out wrong. Better to stay away from the subject while on the blog. You may intermingle and comment as you wish in other places without let or hindrance.
Implicitly I was commenting on the use of the word ‘misogyny’ which has a strong and powerful meaning, in contexts like this where I don’t see it as warranted.
In my experience most men do spend their lives trying to please the women in their lives, they often love them beyond all reason and sacrifice much of their adult lives to provide and protect for them and their children. That doesn’t feel like any kind of ‘hatred’ to me.
What does seem to be happening is the word has taken on a political meaning that denotes ‘anyone who does not identify as a third-wave feminist or agree with it’s dogma’. Yet a quick search shows that typically less than 20% of Western populations self-identify as ‘feminist’; that’s an awful lot of potential ‘political misogynists’ out there.
It impresses me that you should find this simple logic so disconcerting.
Raising a child and being Prime Minister are both exceptionally demanding roles. That Adern is undertaking both at the same time, with both aplomb and dignity, is something I can only admire. I wish her and her family the best with this.
And probably not a smart topic to use for cheap shots around here.
Also, we were assured by opponents of the government that the PM would use her baby for self promotion and for the promotion of the government. It would be grossly unfair, they said, for the government to have such an asset with which to woo voters.
But guess what, Ardern and Gayford have studiously keep their family life private. This is in stark contrast to the leader of the opposition who has indulged in multiple women’s magazine shoots, shopping his family around the country via cheap ink on cheap paper stock all in the name of self-promotion.
Do you scale? Your entire body of comments here are in question. Now your entire reason for being here is clear. Your agenda is to discredit The Prime Minister is New Zealand based on a series of comments that are fascile and ideological, I just debuncked your tax agenda, now you’re ducking. So before you continue along your agenda. What’s the Strongest Politician living past or present that can beat Jacinda in a straight up election. The conditions are equal MMP states. Labour42.5%, National42.5%, NZFirst5%, Greens5%, ACT5%. Economy steady @3%, unemployment 5%, inflation 3%. Who beats Jacinda and why?
“Your agenda is to discredit The Prime Minister is New Zealand based on…”
No, it isn’t. But if it was, I wouldn’t really have to try too hard. She’s doing a good job of discrediting herself without my assistance. I do have some sympathy for her, however. She became leader of Labour only out of the party’s utter desperation, and then only became PM by virtue of a bitter, but admittedly wily, old fox. She is and was woefully unqualified in terms of life experience, and it’s showing. Day after day.
I know the idea of actually consulting with the public, listening to experts and thinking carefully about policy, is a foreign concept to the “Masters of the Universe”.
Who prefer the peasants are just told what to do.
It is the sign of a good leader, to consider and reason.
The sign of a good leader is the ability to make good quality, timely decisions. Listening and consulting is important, if it is in order to inform a decision. When it is simply to kick decisions down the road, that is a sign of weakness.
But I’m quite happy for her to keep listening, because the decisions she has made so far haven’t been great.
In your, somewhat self interested and biased opinion.
I am not even a Labour supporter, but so far she is heading in the right direction. Difficult as it is with ignorant greedy arseholes, like yourself, making any progress an uphill battle.
There is zero requirement to agree with him, but so far Shadrach has generally engaged here in good faith and presented his case with reasoned argument and data.
Personal attacks like this invariably say more about the person making them …
Duck clap. That’s at least the secound time Iv seen you say that. Didn’t work the first time, what makes you think it will work a secound, Mr Logic?
In my book a blatant insult deserves a blatant insult. Shaddy maybe using sophisticated insults but they are insults. As long as health and education resources are equal to demand there isn’t a bad thing any one can say about Jacinda.
You know the problem with agnoring insults is it doesn’t work on those who aren’t payed to grab your attention or are just trying to grab your attention like journalist. Want to harm them then ignore them and reduce self deception and bullshit.
Praying on the other hand is the gospel of the weak and downtrodden. There’s something strange about preying I public.
In my view, a person is Christian if they says theyre Christian. Anything else leads to unending arguments over who is a “true Christian” and who isn’t, because there’s no objective standard to determine who is and who isn’t a true believer.
Don’t get over anxious on my account Sam, I’ve participated in literally thousands of conversation here in the past decade and I’ve developed some idea what works for me. For what it’s worth I tapered off on the ‘insult for insult’ approach at least five years back, given that it seemed counterproductive more often than not.
But you’d be wrong if you think I’m incapable of them.
Nor am I specifically a Christian either, although I’d like to think I can recognise wisdom regardless of what costume she’s wearing on the day.
A sobering and brutally honest column from Steve Braunias today. Quite hard to read because it reminds us we are only a short distance from fragility and loneliness – especially as we grow older.
What’s so special about that Steve Braunias. We are all on the same journey or parallel; at different stages. Like the ‘Spain’s Camino de Santiago ‘.* I’ve put the link down the bottom as it might be something to concentrate on doing while you reorient yourself.
Come and write here. Give us lessons on angst and how to market it. Everything is business these days – how to call out for other’s attention, successfully. We are not succeeding. Or are we; perhaps we get the attention of someone who takes a point from our writing that was not our intention. Can’t people out there concentrate on trying to understand, not go to the trouble of telling you that no-one says ‘whom’ these days! Tell me how you feel about my use of semi-colons Steve. Are they naff; too frequent?
Join the club Steve, perhaps there is already one formed for people who are trying, but find that others just regard them as very trying. We can laugh at ourselves ironically. We may not be getting far even slowly, but we are moving forward – that’s so ‘in’ these days. At the end of the day it is irony that brings some steel into your life,
and gives you strength to stagger on!
P>S> Tom Scott has drawn a cartoon showing himself in apparent safari shirt and shorts and giving an impression of leaving. Says something about a book and heroes. Probably like Muldoon he is going to write about himself. Both of them are heroes in their own ways. You too Steve.
Keep us fizzing you heroes – we’ll try to keep the water flowing, and perhaps turning it into wine if we have that special power, and you put the bubbles in. Okay? Deal?
Canada – the reporter in this Guardian article (thanks Guardian i must give you a donation regularly), says that watching Trudeau front up to behaviour below par is like watching a unicorn being run over! Such wonderful hyperbole.
To recap, Wilson-Raybould [former Attorney-General and Justice Minister]
was demoted to the position of veterans affairs minister in a cabinet shuffle earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, reports emerged that she and her staff had been subjected to a “sustained” campaign by the prime minister’s office over the handling of corruption charges against SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based engineering giant accused of bribing Libyan officials. It happens to be a large employer in Quebec, Trudeau’s home state – the prime minister’s office made sure to remind her of that, the job losses such charges might cause and the fact that it was an election year. There was a string of increasingly irate calls, texts and emails. Still, Wilson-Raybould held her ground. The prime minister lost the battle. Then she was demoted.
When the story broke, Trudeau denied any connection between the standoff and Raybould-Wilson’s political punishment. He denied having done anything inappropriate or wrong. The press and public howled. His principle secretary, Gerald Butts, who has been his bestie since their halcyon days in the 90s at McGill University, tried to take one for the team by resigning last week. But it was already too late. Now, Canada’s Tory opposition and many respected commentators are calling for Trudeau’s resignation. It’s a political bloodbath, Canadian style
Simplifying the Mainzeal collapse into one word: reckless.
Jenny Shipley is, was, and always will be reckless. She was leader of a reckless party, the National Party. Subsequent leaders have also been reckless – it is in their very nature.
The recklessness of John Key’s term is plain for all see. A housing crisis, corruption in the education sector, underfunding of health and infrastructure, poor immigration management, and worse environmental management.
These two and all their colleagues are cut from the same cloth and I hope people can finally see that truth.
I was thinking about the word, “reckless” the other night and realised that it stems from “reckon”, that is, thought/thinking/reckoning, therefore, I reasoned, “reckless” means acting without reckoning.
Nek minute nightmares at , 11pm, 12.20am, 4.30am, 6.23am. Tired grumpy kids are hard work. No devices today girls, mum needs a full nights sleep so she can be a good parent.
On the upside it could be a good way to explain to the girls how much social media trending fake news (momo ain’t real) can influence someone and change a persons thinking.
Better arm myself with some bad dream spray tonight, (perfume, air freshner, waving around some incense, what ever i can find at the time lolz) worked a treat on me when I was a kid lmao.
Hellooooo coffee 🙂 It’s a beautiful day here today.
The social credit system aims to incentivise “trustworthy” behaviour through penalties as well as rewards. According to a government document about the system dating from 2014, the aim is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.”
Social credit offences range from not paying individual taxes or fines to spreading false information and taking drugs. More minor violations include using expired tickets, smoking on a train or not walking a dog on a leash.
One thinks of Gilbert and Sullivan, and the line about the punishment fitting the crime!The chorus from a 2012 version of the Mikado which is Japanese but will carry the similar sentiments of this Chinese edict: Mikado:
A more humane Mikado never
Did in Japan exist,
To nobodys second,
I’m certainly reckoned
A true philanthropist.
It is my very humane endeavour
To make, to some extent,
Each evil liver
A running river
Of harmless merriment.
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!
I wonder if anyone has anecdotes of what it was like to live in Singapore where they introduced draconian rules post WW2 that sound similar to those in China.
Meanwhile our Christchurch police are arming themselves and a stray shot from a recent ‘episode’ went through a window in a nearby building, where there were a number of people felling terrified, as you would.
Two horrible truck fatalities over the last three days.
Trucks are now gridlocked on NZ roads causing higher casualties than Australia now. Back in 2017 it was bad but we now have had according to NZTA an 8% a year increase in trucks.
The country’s road toll has been declining for years, but after a series of horror crashes it is set to soar.
After a crash north of Taupō in which four people were killed, this year’s grim toll climbed to 297.
That’s already above than the toll for each of the past six calendar years and there are still more than two months to go.
Of course, the population has also been growing, but the per capita road toll has also been increasing in recent years and the ratio of fatalities to vehicles on the road has flatlined after declining almost every year since 2000.”
Here were the two latest fatal truck crashes last week.
• Last friday morning another truck and a car accident on Highway 1 near Turangi and Taupo.
• The day before three died in a four vehicle accident involving three trucks on highway 2 near Matata near Whakatane.
Rail would have saved four lives that NZTA cost each life lost at $3.4 million.
So rail would have saved us all almost $14 million.
Yeah, saw that last night and almost wrote a post on that but it was too getting too late. I’ll see how I go this weekend as there’s good fodder there to write about. Maybe you’d like to have a go at a Guest Post here?
No worries. I’m writing the post right now and I’m no good at writing either. In any case, people who disagree with your points but who have no real counter argument or simply can’t be bothered often resort to nit-picking about grammar, sentence structure (syntax), punctuation, and most of all semantics.
A proper green party should always be part of a government in an MMP environment, the fact the current Greens can’t work with anyone but Labour rules themselves out of that role.
Hopefully, Tava can develop and grow the Sustainable party into a position where the can take over from the current Greens and fullfill that role.
Yet at the same time the elimination of poverty and meeting the technical challenge of climate change both demand innovation and growth.
Take away ‘growth’, collapse our global economy back to the pre-Industrial, pre-capitalist era and not only will we entirely lack the tools to meet these challenges, we will have 7 billion mouths to feed and no obvious means to do so.
Take food, for example. Say we waste 30% of food globally. Someone innovates and halves that wastage. If we maintain production, people are better off. If we reduce production by 5%, actual consumed food still increases significantly. But how would that affect the food component of “growth”? You’d get an increase of GDP from the food that’s ploughed back into fields for whatever reason, but the food sent back to the restaurant kitchen, or that expires on the pantry shelf? Reducing that won’t affect GDP at all. Might even reduce it.
I’m not so sure about ‘growth’ either. KJT uses the word in a distinctively prerogative frame, yet this cannot be the whole story.
In part you’re absolutely correct about efficiency; there is so much we could and should do to minimise our existing resource use, just within our current technological framework.
On the face of it the simple notion of unlimited resource consumption on a fundamentally limited planet is absurd. Everyone understands this at some level. Yet as they say the Stone Age did not end because they ran out of stones; instead we developed Bronze which turned out to be a far more efficient use of the very limited energy resources available to us at the time.
Through a series of major stages we’ve progressed through the Iron Age, the Coal Age, and the Oil Age, In this sense ‘growth’ has a far more constructive meaning; it’s about how efficiently we utilise the energy and physical resources available to us.
Right now we are hard up against the limits of fossil carbon burning, and potentially some metals. Our agricultural systems consume too much land and our raping of the oceans is an abomination. Don’t mis-characterise me, I’m as vividly aware of the potential for total eco-collapse as the deepest shade of Greenie.
The only solution we know that will work is to progress beyond the limits of our current technologies, and leap once again up the efficiency ladder into completely new industrial forms. Forms perhaps dominated by solar, solid state lithium storage, fusion cells, new exotic materials like graphene and the like. There is a massive amount of R&D happening globally in all these areas; it only take a small fraction of it to make it from the lab to commercial products to utterly transform the world.
I don’t propose any guarantee this plan will work, but it is the only ethical bet in town.
“On the face of it the simple notion of unlimited resource consumption on a fundamentally limited planet is absurd.”
You understand the absurdity of continual growth, yet you argue for it to continue.
We talk about the “magic of compounding interest”. And, in a world capable of infinite expansion, yes.
In a finite world, infinitely compounding growth required for exponentially expanding returns, is a total impossibility.
Simple maths.
Then. The technological fix. We cannot even get the idiots to agree to a stop to oil drilling, in thirty years time.
Haven’t you seen the resistance to the current technological solutions. Vested interests are fighting alternative energy, public transport and reduced energy use, tooth and nail.
If the idiots had any ethics, we will have a chance. But they would rather the world end, than lose any money. They still have the delusion they can load all the costs on the already poor.
It appears to me you missapply the term growth in this context when what you actually mean is improvement/progress….although synonyms they are not the same .
Who the hell said anything about collapsing back to the pre industrial era.
As for growth. Continued using up of the environment simply cannot happen.
Or this argument will be moot, as a few desperate remnants of humanity cling onto an environment incompatible with human life.
Late stage Capitalism, has meant a huge amount of waste and mis -directed resources. The “competition” with Polytechnics, and ports, is but one small example.
The only hope, is that we stop spending our efforts into finding ever more elaborate ways of ripping other people off, which is the aim of the majority of businesses these days, and co-operate in solutions.
Those who are making plenty of money from business as usual have shown they will fight every step of the way.
The infinite growth required for our current system of finance, economy and social organization to continue, is an absurdity.
Modi has internationalised the Kashmir dispute. He has demonstrated to the world that Kashmir is potentially the most dangerous place on earth, the flash-point for nuclear war. Every person, country, and organisation that worries about the prospect of nuclear war has the right to intervene and do everything in its power to prevent it.
[…]
The attack that killed at least 40 men was yet another hideous chapter in the unfolding tragedy of Kashmir. Since 1990, more than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict, thousands have “disappeared,” tens of thousands have been tortured and hundreds of young people maimed and blinded by pellet guns. The death toll over the last 12 months has been the highest since 2009. The Associated Press reports that almost 570 people have lost their lives, 260 of them militants, 160 civilians and 150 Indian armed personnel who died in the line of duty.
i hate these forced birthers with a passion i can hardly put in words
how fucked up do you have to be to refuse an abortion to an 11 year old girl who was raped by the 65 year old partner of her grandmother on the grounds of your personal believes.
Like how fucked up do you have to be in your believes to force an 11 year old girl to carry a pregnancy to terms?
how fucked up do you have to be to ‘consider the mothers consent to the abortion not enough’ and yet request the ‘grandmothers consent as she lived with her grandmother, even tho she got raped at her grandmothers’, so that eventually the girl is over 20 weeks along, and you need a ‘cesarian’ to cut the baby out.
How fucked up, how mean, how petty and how cruel do you have to be to force an 11 year old girl through a pregnancy, and please fucking leave god out of it, cause if that is ok by god, then god is a fucking sadist and ok with baby rapists.
However, her request was delayed by almost five weeks, and some doctors refused to carry out the procedure.
Eventually doctors carried out a C-section instead, arguing it would have been too risky to perform the abortion.
The baby is alive but doctors say it has little chance of surviving.
The girl was 23 weeks pregnant when – after several delays – she was to have the abortion.”
” Local media report that the girl had been clear from the beginning that she wanted to terminate her pregnancy, telling officials: “I want this thing the old man put inside me taken out.””
just how fucked up does one have to be to not simply see all that is wrong with the forced birther crowd. For the unborn, and to hell with those born and ‘potential hosts’.
We’ve often disagreed in the past Sabine, but on this I share your anger. This is what happens when absolutists go mad.
It’s quite striking how attitudes toward abortion vary dramatically around the world; in many parts of Asia it’s virtually seen as a routine method of contraception, while parts Latin America, as in this horrible story, hold to the opposite extreme. In the West we tend to hover around the middle, generally accepting it as an unfortunate necessity, a last resort when all other better options have been exhausted.
Personally I’ve never engaged with the debate preferring to see it available, lightly regulated and a matter of personal conscience.
As the old saying goes, “if it bleeds, it breeds”. To me, those that refuse these procedures on grounds of morals simply refuse to see women and girls for that matter as nothing more as hosts, vessels, this is gods plan, blablabla.
fact is this girl could have/ would have been seriously damaged physically trying to carry this pregnancy to term, birth would have been potentially only possible via cesarean.
to give her the run around, completely and utterly ignoring her needs, her physical welfare, her mental welfare and simply not giving a fuck about the ‘host’, cause the morals only apply to the ‘unborn’. Once born, both the host and the unborn are on their own, and can you image the stigma of being a 15 year old with a three year old kid. Morals, no, this is not about morals, this is about putting this girl firmly in its place. Single, unmarried, with child. On your own.
look away from the act, and tell me how anyone can pretend that this stuff simply does not serve to dehumanize the women or girl in question. Be they pregnant by choice or wanting an abortion, all hosts.
We are set in the farming mould here in NZ. The jelly mould, and women must have their jellybabies. The farming types can’t decide whether women are like breeding stock and have an owner or whether they should be allowed to run free and graze on the long acre eking out a life. If they want to provide a secure family life with a role model of a capable, intelligent good mother and afford to provide things that other children have, the mother trying to get training will be made to jump through hoops. So perhaps unmarried women are sort of like circus animals.
I’ve been listening to this evening. Quite a fascinating and vivid discussion on depression with deep political implications. Warning, quite long at 1:25
Kia ora R & R whanau ora is just cyps rebranded with a Maori name. I say Bill set it up so his wife could setup a company to milk the people and the system it’s was not about fixing the problems that this raciest system has on minority culture.
I have seen no evidence that whanau ora is s delivering better our comes for our Mokopunas with LOST parents. The extended whanau is still there to look after the tamariki. I say we need a Maori approach to fixing our tamariki with parents lost to the system. But the real people in control of the system don’t want to give Maori any Mana if you pay good money you will get good carers pay peanuts and you get – – -. Ka kite ano P.S invest good money and have a simple system that holds people accountable for there actions if they don’t improve the tamariki lives
Kia ora The Hui it does not matter that difference age groups have a slightly different opinion on the main subject it’s democracy and the people have been educated on the truths of how the system operates and they have spoken to stop this system of harvesting Maoris into the justice system that provides jobs for old white men and legalise weed. 75%,is a good majority. I say a 18 year old ban is what is needed some people will consume it when they are younger but as people are like sheep the majority will obey the LAW. Correct it won’t fix the unjustice system but it is a start on the road to reforms of the unjustice system. Ka kite ano
Kia or a R & R People cannot predict Papatuanuku. But I’m pretty sure she will give plenty of warnings when a volcano is about to erupt it’s up to the rulers that these Waring be heard IE re tangata is education correctly . LOOK at climate change that is a way Bigger threat to Aotearoa than a volcanic eruption and the climate change deniers have that topic suppressed and we are talking about volcanoes just distracting tactics from the oil barons control MEDIA Ka kite Ano P.S were,s the concomedian GLOBAL WARMING IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE TAKING ABOUT
STRIKE FOR OUR CHILDREDS RIGHT TO BE LEFT A GOOD CLIMATE 15 MARCH .
Could everyone who cares about our mokopunas futures strike to kia kaha we will let the oil barrons know its no JOKE
Here you go WHANAU back to the Real issue the is going to make or BREAK our mokopunas futures not Volcanos .
Climate crisis and a betrayed generation
Activists behind recent youth-led climate protests say their views are being ignored in the debate about global warmin
We, the young, are deeply concerned about our future. Humanity is currently causing the sixth mass extinction of species and the global climate system is at the brink of a catastrophic crisis. Its devastating impacts are already felt by millions of people around the globe. Yet we are far from reaching the goals of the Paris agreement.
Young people make up more than half of the global population. Our generation grew up with the climate crisis and we will have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. Despite that fact, most of us are not included in the local and global decision-making process. We are the voiceless future of humanity.
We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and future victims of the climate crisis, and so we are rising up. Thousands of us have taken to the streets in the past weeks all around the world. Now we will make our voices heard. On 15 March, we will protest on every continent.
We finally need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis. It is the biggest threat in human history and we will not accept the world’s decision-makers’ inaction that threatens our entire civilisation. We will not accept a life in fear and devastation. We have the right to live our dreams and hopes. Climate change is already happening. People did die, are dying and will die because of it, but we can and will stop this madness.
We, the young, have started to move. We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not. United we will rise until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision-makers take responsibility and solve this crisis.
You have failed us in the past. If you continue failing us in the future, we, the young people, will make change happen by ourselves. The youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.
The global coordination group of the youth-led climate strike.
Links Below ka kite ano
I thought I would giving another on SUGAR as I seen one story blaming the bad effects of sugar on Pacific peoples genitics big companys control OUR media hence the truth about the bad thing in ones life are suppressed
Your Teeth
You probably rolled your eyes at age 12, but your mother was right: Candy can rot your teeth. Bacteria that cause cavities love to eat sugar lingering in your mouth after you eat something sweet.
Your Joints
If you have joint pain, here’s more reason to lay off the candy: Eating lots of sweets has been shown to worsen joint pain because of the inflammation they cause in the body. Plus, studies show that sugar consumption can increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Your Skin
Another side effect of inflammation: It may make your skin age faster. Sugar attaches to proteins in your bloodstream and creates harmful molecules called “AGEs,” or advanced glycation end products. These molecules do exactly what they sound like they do: age your skin. They have been shown to damage collagen and elastin in your skin — protein fibers that keep your skin firm and youthful. The result? Wrinkles and saggy skin.
Your Liver
An abundance of added sugar may cause your liver to become resistant to insulin, an important hormone that helps turn sugar in your bloodstream into energy. This means your body isn’t able to control your blood sugar levels as well, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Your Kidneys
If you have diabetes, too much sugar can lead to kidney damage. The kidneys play an important role in filtering your blood sugar. Once blood sugar levels reach a certain amount, the kidneys start to let excess sugar into your urine. If left uncontrolled, diabetes can damage the kidneys, which prevents them from doing their job in filtering out waste in your blood. This can lead to kidney failure.
Your Body Weight
This probably isn’t news to you, but the more sugar you eat, the more you’ll weigh. Research shows that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages tend to weigh more — and be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes — than those who don’t. One study even found that people who increased their sugar intake gained about 1.7 pounds in less than 2 months.
Your Sexual Health
You may want to skip the dessert on date night: Sugar may impact the chain of events needed for an erection. “One common side effect of chronically high levels of sugar in the bloodstream is that it can make men impotent,” explains Brunilda Nazario, MD, WebMD’s associate medical editor. This is because it affects your circulatory system, which controls the blood flow throughout your body and needs to be working properly to get and keep an erection.
Ka kite ano links below.
Kia ora Newshub Lighting strikes caused fires in Australia it must be dry there they would laugh at our droughts.
Some in the retirement industry don’t show the retired people the respect they deserve.
Yes democracy needed to be protected and all donations to political parties needed to be declared.
I won’t say who I am backing in the Auckland mayor race but you can work it out quite easily. It’s cool that lady is making dolls specially for children with disabilities that will lift there spirits.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show The Green Party has a better grasp of reality than the 2 neanderthal climate change denier. Adults YEA RIGHT.
national ran schools broke so they could have a private education system that only the rich could afford to get a decent education you know how it is its easier to CON a uneducated society than a education one. (O we don’t KNOW what is the main cause of obesity) .
Sitting on the fence.
If it was not for the POWER of social media our realitys would be buried under pile of oil barrons $$$$$$. Climate change has taken 30 years to get through that pile.
The youth should be heard as it is there futures we are SHITTING ON at the minute. Social media gives them the power for their VOICES to be heard. That’s the big picture leave Papatuanukue with a better or similar condition as we received it most people want their children to be better off than they have.
There you go kicking the poor people not everyone that is in prison is a big criminal minor crimes like being Maori and unpaid fines and the ujustice system will stich you up like they are trying to do to Me.
This same phenomenon happened other times Labour was in power strikes.
Well I tryed to use the unjustice system to stop my reputation being SHIT on but everyone now knows that the rich make the laws of our society to serve them and lock up the common poor people you need $20.000 to get a fair deal out of the system.
Im just going to ignore the new joke on the block give it no oxygen and it will disappear. Ka kite ano P.S LoL
I see the TROLLS are jumping all over Maori Mana once again blaming us for the Toheroa not recovering from that westen Thing of stipping a resorce untill it collapeses look at the Crafish in Auckland the Orange Roughy that fisheries started when I was a in my teens and it only lasted 10 to 15 years do you blame te Maori for this to fools . At Wai tahi spit there was heaps of Pipis now its skint blame those Maoris . For one a shellfish wont last long with a one ton car driving ontop of it two we know that all shellfish need clean water as the filter wai to get there food they are the filters of Tangaroa the person who wrote this story talks shit saying that he does not know the link between dirty water and the decline of the Toheroa YEA RIGHT just another put down of Maori Cultures . 3 THE ANONMOUS informants are most likley Kehuas Gost made up + just to give credibality to this persons bullshit story 4 I have never seen Toheroa at a Marae
Decades of fishing bans have not rescued seafood delicacy toheroa
Toheroa was a favourite NZ seafood delicacy of the 1900s. It was vastly over-harvested and collecting was banned in the 1970s. In the decades since, it has not recovered. Why not? Will Harvie reports.
It would probably appal Kiwis who feasted on toheroa in the last century that the seafood delicacy is now almost forgotten.
Until the 1960s, toheroa was New Zealand’s “great contribution to the epicurean world”.
The kai moana was “highly esteemed by the most fastidious gourmet” and a “gift of nature … that has done much to advertise the Dominion all over the world”, according to the NZ Railways Magazine in 1936.
Toheroa thrived on the western beaches of the North Island – Ninety Mile, Ripiro and Muriwai. It abounded on the beaches of Kāpiti-Horowhenua near Wellington. Mysteriously, it thrived on Oreti and Te Waewae beaches in Southland. There were pockets elsewhere.
The surf clam was a staple of the Māori diet for centuries. In the 20th century, it seemed to be an “almost inexhaustible resource” to many.
From 1928-69, Northland factories canned about 20 tonnes of toheroa a year. In 1940, they canned 77 tonnes, the record
In almost all discussions of the customary harvests of toheroa, words such as “limited” and “restricted” are used to indicate these are minor events.
But there’s evidence and testimony that customary catches of toheroa are neither.
“Based on our observations and communications with kaitiaki, honorary fisheries officers and residents at Ripiro, and to a lesser extent at other locations, it would appear that the levels of human harvesting are significant,” wrote Ross and co-authors in the main paper on toheroa to come out of the Marsden funding.
“Illegal harvesting is common,” they wrote.
“Poaching events range in size from residents or visitors just getting a feed every now and then – which may be once a year or once a week – to large-scale illegal harvesting for the black market
Fresh water comes up often. There’s both evidence and knowledge that toheroa probably need clean, fresh water coming onto beaches from inland. It probably cools them and they probably get nutrients from it.
In Northland, where many streams and seeps have dried up, there are questions from locals whether this has contributed to the decline.
“There are also accounts from elders of streams ‘running black’ after logging operations and this coinciding with the disappearance of the toheroa bed at the end of that particular stream,” he wrote in an email.
“There is clearly a relationship between toheroa and streams, we just don’t understand it yet. Which makes it difficult to advise land and environment managers. We are working on it.”
Across many North Island iwi, toheroa is closely tied to the dune grass pingao. There are several stories from Māori lore on the connection and Ross thinks the association is worth investigating further. Ka kite ano links below
Well its about time some more money was invested into Waka building look at all the flash yacth clubs the flash rowing clubs thanks anyway ka pai try getting funding like that for Maori cultures out of national they would SQUEAL like they were shitting bricks lol
$ 4.6m grant to make Sir Hek’s waka dream a reality
The government is to invest nearly $8 million in two major Far North projects, including a long-held dream of waka tohunga
he told the Waitangi Tribunal three years ago he would not be around forever, and his dearest wish was for the funding for a navigation school so that the traditional techniques of Pacific voyaging could be passed on to a younger generation.
“Sir Hek is truly an icon of the Far North,” Mr Davis said.
“The Kupe Waka centre will see his knowledge preserved and also bring people to the area from New Zealand and overseas to this incredible part of our country.”
The government is also investing $3m in a multi-use sports centre in Kaitaia. Participation in sport and fitness was a key part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and improving the wellbeing of whānau and communities, Mr Davis said.
“This facility will create jobs, attract people to live here and help retain workers, young people and athletes in Kaitaia.”
The investment package also includes support for three iwi: Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kahu and Te Rarawa, to make progress on major projects.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/383515/dollar4-6m-grant-to-make-sir-hek-s-waka-dream-a-reality
They include investigations into a water storage project for horticulture and exploring the potential for a barge to transport logs to Northport in Whangārei.
The package announced today is worth $8.2m, but the government has tagged more than $90m from the Provincial Growth Fund for Northland projects from Kaipara to the Far North. Ka kite ano links below
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Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – 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 is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
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. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
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More from the glorious Galloway. This time on Brexit.
Better late than never
Something that other developed nations, (including NZ, in 1938), delivered decades ago.
‘The Time for Medicare for All Has Come’
Visionary Bill to Remake US Healthcare System
Jake Johnson, staff writer,Jon Queally, staff writer – Common Dreams, February 27, 2019
Calling for a “complete transformation of our healthcare system,” Democratic congresswoman says what her legislation will mean is simple: “Everybody in, nobody out.”
The huge and entrenched US profit driven health care system in the is a travesty, no one can rightfully defend it. Yet it still exists. Built on the desperation of the ill and dying, the huge returns this system brings to wealthy investors and insurance companies, make sure it does.
Not only do American taxpayers pay more than most countries to subsidise their profit driven health system, they also pay exorbitant private insurance and up front costs before they can receive it. Keeping many millions of Americans who can’t afford it, from life saving care and needless suffering.
Bringing in single payer will cost the American people far less,.prevent needless suffering, and save countless lives.
It’s about time.
Better late than never
I’ll get right onto it.
Thanks Gabby so good of you to help the USA. They need and appreciate our foreign aid the sad, blighted things. /sarc
There are two reasons that bill is going precisely nowhere. The first that everyone here should be aware of is the Repug-controlled Senate and Il Douche in the Oval Office.
The second and much more difficult obstacle is that the majority of Americans get their health insurance through their (or a family member’s) workplace where the employer pays the majority of the cost. In 2018 the average annual premium for an employer-sponsored family health plan was around $20,000. The employer paid on average around $15,000 of that.
So any proposal to transition the US to some kind of universal single-payer health system has to first persuade those currently covered by their employer-sponsored insurance that they’ll be better off with the proposed new system. That part should be easy given what an exorbitantly expensive clusterfuck the current system is, but won’t be given most people’s fear of change.
Second, the plan has to map out how the cost burden is going to change. If it’s just by expanding Medicare and paying for it by increasing the existing payroll taxes, then that’s going to be a massive and highly visible tax increase on wage-and-salary earners and a massive windfall cost reduction to employers that will go straight into owner profits. I didn’t spot anything in in the commondreams piece or the linked 10 page summary that even mentioned this aspect of it.
Better late than never
Something that other developed nations, (including NZ, in 1938), delivered decades ago.
The huge and entrenched US profit driven health care system is a travesty, no one can rightfully defend it. Yet it still exists. Built on the desperation of the ill and dying, the huge returns this system brings to wealthy investors and insurance companies, make sure it does.
Not only do American taxpayers pay more than most countries to subsidise their profit driven health system, they also pay exorbitant private insurance and up front costs before they can receive it. Preventing many millions of Americans who can’t afford private treatment, from receiving life saving care or undergoing needless suffering.
Bringing in single payer will cost the American people far less,.prevent needless suffering, and save countless lives.
It’s about time.
Better late than never
Why does it cost $32,093 just to give birth in America? ‘
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/16/why-does-it-cost-32093-just-to-give-birth-in-america
“America is the most expensive nation in the world to give birth. When things go wrong – – from pre-eclampsia to premature birth – costs can quickly spiral into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the data is limited, experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.
America is simultaneously the most expensive and one of the riskiest industrialized nations in which to have children.
as many as 56,000 families each year still go bankrupt from adding a new family member through birth or adoption.
“Why any society should let anyone be bankrupted by medical bills is beyond me, frankly,” said Woolhandler. “It just doesn’t happen in other western democracies.”
…………………………………………..
TPPA is a corporate attempt to export this usa disease ……….
TPPA (CPTPP) was not an attempt to export the US health system onto everyone else. That is an absurd argument against CPTPP.
People are suffering from trade war fatigue, BREXIT, TPP11 ect. Undeniably there is a desires for a conservative health system where the deserving and undeserving poor a denied the basics of life.
Wait until we get sued, for closing down a US owned private health provider.
The you will see what the TPPA, is all about.
But like the Neo- liberal failed experiment, the perpetrators will never take responsibility.
You fan boys were never able to produce an argument for it that added up, so don’t feign surprise when this incredibly lousy deal elicits speculation as to your motives for boosting it.
Whats absurd is listening to some-one who always leaves out half the information Wayne…………..
A leaked negotiating text shows what the US is demanding on behalf of its big drug companies (known as “Big Pharma”) and how the benefits New Zealanders enjoy under PHARMAC are threatened by the TPPA. Although PHARMAC itself will not be dismantled, under the leaked text PHARMAC would:
: not be able to negotiate a bulk discount for medicines
: have to give detailed reasons to the drug companies about every purchasing decision
: give pharmaceutical companies the right to appeal PHARMAC’s decisions
: publish the identities of all decision-makers around the purchasing of medicines.
If adopted, this text would strengthen Big Pharma’s leverage over PHARMAC. The drug companies’ would gain new rights and opportunities to lobby PHARMAC decision makers and challenge their credentials, demand reasons if PHARMAC rejects their ‘expert’ reports and data, and pressure its decisions by constant threats of appeal. The goal of the big pharmaceutical companies is to influence PHARMAC’s criteria and decisions in their favour at the expense of affordability for the public. If the leaked text is adopted then government would have to massively increase the health budget, reduce the availability of subsidised drugs, or increase the price paid by ordinary New Zealanders.” https://itsourfuture.org.nz/access-to-medicines/
The drug companies are some of the worst corporations around …. like rust and nationals incrimental privitization of our public health … those fuckers never sleep.
They profit gouge and dodge tax.
Apart from misrepresenting the corporate goals in regard to the TPPA …. your lack of comment and presumably concern for the cruelty of the usa health system is noted … “experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.”
To which I’d add there is a lot of the homeless people in the usa …. who have ended up that way after getting sick …. cancer treatments costing them their homes etc.
Dammit jenns, I said I’ll get right onto it.
And repeat.
And repeat, again Gabby.
And that isn’t pointing a finger at you Gabby, like your stuff. It’s the someone else that wants to drown us in a deluge from the usa piddling pool.
I think people need to remember that us and usa are two different peoples in different places and sizes. What a difference an ‘a’ makes.
And you will note that google drops the ‘A’ which designates them as being in America. The ‘United States’ is just an adjective and a noun, and perhaps not restricting it to a location is a subtle hint that the US authorities consider it is short for ‘The Planet’.
Gosman the flaming penis posts a lot of Gosyrrhea …. a cross between Gonorrhea and Diarrhea.
I’ve previously asked him for a yes / no response to; “The NZ economy would shit itself and die if we got the Venezuelan treatment from the u.s.a …
Apart from repeated usa coup participation ….He ignores and denies the economic siege / sanctions weapons being used ,,,, and their effects.
Two examples :…”the US government added further sanctions that prevent Venezuela from doing what governments routinely do with much of their debt, which is “roll it over” by borrowing again when a bond matures.”
and …. “Major financial institutions have delayed the processing of all financial transfers from Venezuelan entities, significantly hampering the ability of Venezuelan companies to do business in the United States.”
If the NZ Govt could not roll over and refinance the 80+ Billion dollar Govt debt National left us with ,,,,, and if our companies like Fonterra could not get paid and trade …. Then our economy would shit itself and die.
The Aussie economy …. , the british economy ,,,, and even the usa economy itself ,,,, they would all shit themselves and die …. if given the Venezuelan treatment.
Gooseman ignores all that … and tells usa lies about socialism being more to blame than the hostile actions of the usa …
He tells more usa lies about the Venezuelan elections.
The election before last was called the most free and fair in the world by Jimmy Carter ….
The last election was boycotted by an opposition which knew it would not win, they attacked approximately 100 polling stations to try and stop people voting.
However UN observers from over 50 countries declared the actual election fair and valid …. its the usa and its coup govt in waiting … and gooseman who are bullshitting with invalid claims …. Venezuelan elections are which are probably more legit than the usa ones …. the usa and its puppet do not want more fair elections …. without usa voter purges of the poor, they can not get into power the electoral way.
They want a military coup …… backed by the usa of course.
Regarding socialism …. I’ve twice challenged GooseStepper or other right wing trolls to put up or shut up ……..by showing me / us a capitalist country which improved the living standards / health / education for its people …. as qucikly as Libya did using socialism.
It went from one of the poorest impoverished countries in the world up to No 67 in the human development index…. all in little over a generation …
Libya was then of course destroyed by the usa / Nato …. its modern society replaced with a civil war hell hole, that has slave markets ,,, crucifixion of christians ,,, the Lynching of the usa ambassador ,,, kidnappings ,,, mass murders ,,, rapes etc etc.
The usa seems to be threatening the same treatment for Venezuela
Unlike Gosman I’m interested in what works around the world …. he’s an idealog and wants to silence evidence that contradicts his beliefs.
I’m certainly not saying NZ should copy Libya … as our circumstances and society are very different.
But we should be able to look at examples that work in the world …. and respond to problems like homelessness …without fear of the usa fucking us over.,,,
Now Imagine if the usa had declared the national party the winner in our last election and told NZ first they had to partner them ,,,,
Who out of our trolls / dickpicks would have gone along in this goose step direction ,,,, how about nact politicians ?
I’ll finish with a positive link to another good woman who makes judith collins look like grubby greedy trash
stop trying to incite a flamewar.
and stop personalusing your attacks.
be civil.
Just have to shake your head sometimes. If you think Gosmans a troll (I dont) ignore him dont spray shit about place. Essentially the post makes it look like Gosmans under you skin and has you beat. Sti’s the shits and a Nazi reference all in one post so classy.
Goose stepping is a long tradition of south American fascist regimes …. Nazis are indeed a subset of fascists.
modern history lesson History ….. south america was flooded by nazis using ratlines to escape from europe …. 50,000 to Argentina alone…… the generals / facists / juntas took over a large part of south america from the mid 60’s to the 1980’s….. with usa support.
The usa provided the computers and equipment behind ” operation condor ” ….. much like IBM provided computers to the Nazis to help them keep on top of the huge logistics in running their Jewish and Slavic mass killings / Holocaust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Condor
The Gosman thing is interesting. He is extreme right wing as far as I’m concerned. As much was apparent yesterday when talking about 6000 Auckland houses and apartments being listed on the disruptive app, Airbnb.
This USA based app has introduced a major shift in the usage of secondary property in the last 2 to 3 years and obviously is having an impact on the number of available rentals for families in Auckland.
Gosman simply would not comprehend that houses were a scarce resource which must be utilised for working Kiwi families in the current shortage. He would not comprehend that secondary house owners had a duty to follow through on their reason for owning multiple properties which is to provide housing.
Gosman is an extreme right wing libertarian who simply refuses to play his part in a healthy society and has no concept of what stable communities look like because that sort of thing has never bothered him.
In fact I’m sure Gosman has no idea of what a healthy society looks like. His world view stops at the standard roses flourishing at his front door.
What the hell is going on here?
Are you claiming Gosman has been a giver of truth this whole time and not herpes?
Venezuela has become a religious talisman for the right. Finger the beads and repeat the immortal truths about the perfection of markets, and shut down the possibility of change by frothing about Satan/Venezuela.
I think you are a wasting your time arguing. Ignore them and move on.
The tendency is to choose a side. Left vs Right. I think an accurate view of Venezuelan woes lives somewhere between Reason and Gosman.
Meddling in a nation’s affairs gains easy traction when the regime is corrupt.
Which election reasy? The presidency or the national assembly? Or that constituent assembly end run?
What’s the reason for all this on the USA. I am sick of hearing and encountering stuff about the USA, is that you Jenny with a different monicker?
The trouble with the Maggie Barrys of this world, they have been allowed to get away with their bully girl tactics for so many years they think it is normal behaviour.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12208579
She no doubt sees herself as firm but fair, plain spoken and refreshingly honest and to the point. Of course woe betide anyone being plain spoken and refreshingly honest and to the point right back at her.
I was the target of a woman like that. She considered herself honest and always told the truth. In truth, she didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘truth’. She administered her own version of punishments for misdemeanours she believed her targets had committed except they hadn’t.
She was the “nutter” but she convinced herself other people were the nutters. She and Barry are two of a kind.
It must be time for gardening leave.
Right-wing women seem spectacularly horrid. Is that merely perception, or worse, misogyny? I have theories about this – but they are probably crap.
AB
I put up a comment about Margaret Thatcher piece from The Guardian which might add some perspective about right wing women.
Right-wing women seem spectacularly horrid.
Not all of them. Some are Just misguided.
But there’s a breed of right-wing women who are – as you say – spectacularly horrid. If my personal experiences of them are any guide, they have sociopathic tendencies and a total lack of empathy for anyone who has fallen on hard times. They are fundamentally racist and see themselves as a cut above everyone else. In reality they are just ignorant nobodies trying desperately to be somebodies.
Oh, and when you add a naturally spiteful streak they can also be quite dangerous.
They, not just the women, remind me of the admiring sycophants that followed the high school bully, who also happened to Captain the rugby team.
Inadequate people who will do anything to remain part of the “big boys club”.
Not noticing that their leader, only keeps them as “useful idiots, to be dumped the moment they are no longer useful.
I’m calling out gosman for his flaming posts…. he’s been shown evidence … so we know he;s dishonest ….. not ignorant.
How about being all wet on him ….
There is no verbal abuse which comes within a country mile of uncivilized barbarian actions leading to suffering or death….. or support for such actions.
Some things deserve rudeness and contempt ….. Like this usa guy promoted to do his stuff in Venezuela.
Being rude to him is out of order too ……….. tut tut
Seems they cant help themselves.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/01/justin-trudeau-disgrace-unicorn-political-scandal-canadian
I glad this guy didn’t get to president – yuck.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018684809/chris-christie-let-me-finish
Well, he might have been better than the one who did end up in the job. Or not.
Tell me. Suppose you had to choose between Christie and Trump to be President?
Which would you have chosen. Fleeing the country is not an option.
I personally would have fled the country, but I’m not going to allow you the easy way out. I thought the best qualified person actually running was John Kasich, the then Governor of Ohio.
Hmmm I see you present me with a Star Trek Kobayashi Maru no win scenario.
Ha I wouldn’t have voted for either! Ha ha I win again!!!
.
Agree.
Kasich would have been good.
Problem is, courage and fresh thinking are beyond the majority.
.
Earlier this month, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a Green New Deal resolution laying out an ambitious set of goals and principles aimed at transforming and decarbonizing the US economy.
The release prompted a great deal of smart, insightful writing, but also a lot of knee-jerk and predictable cant. Conservatives called it socialist. Moderates called it extreme. Pundits called it unrealistic. Wonks scolded it over this or that omission. Political gossip columnists obsessed over missteps in the rollout.
What ties the latter reactions together, from my perspective, is that they seem oblivious to the historical moment, like thespians acting out an old, familiar play even as the theater goes up in flames around them.
To put it bluntly: This is not normal. We are not in an era of normal politics. There is no precedent for the climate crisis, its dangers or its opportunities. Above all, it calls for courage and fresh thinking.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/2/23/18228142/green-new-deal-critics
Joe90
Thanks for that link. These are words that should be written in capitals in front of everyone’s workplace, whatever.
One thing leads to another …..
” So when Wayne Mapp says he doesn’t want our foreignpolicy to be subject to a UN veto, what he is really saying is that he wants to wage war in contravention of international law and the UN charter – in other words, he wants us to be a rogue nation, just like the US… ” https://norightturn.blogspot.com/search?q=mapp+%2B+war
Q : Where does a bad mapp take you .???
A: Lost in child killing territory ….. so lost ,,, that medals of valor are awarded for killing children and civilians.
If we were to present Wayne mapp in front of Fatimas mother ….. would she be justified in judging him as a reckless uncaring savage of a man? ….
Wayne was in the position to prevent the murder of this mothers three year old girl … but he lacked the guts and probably the will …. to stop our invaders attack on her home and village …
booting his non-decision upstairs we discovered one of the few true things about key …. he was was indeed a smiling assassin.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58bcc6ac893fc04255abbbcc/t/58cfb45a37c5819ccd2bfd50/1490014002150/?format=500w
Just to change to another foreign country. It is so much more interesting watching them than viewing our own disintegration. How do they do it, we must watch them so we can too only faster!
I was looking on TradeMe and saw the book Muldoon by Robert Muldoon, for $1.
Then there was a book on Thatcher for $12 and I wondered if the prices represented their political nous. I think we should be valuing Muldoon above $1.
I looked up the writer about Thatcher, Hugo Young. Besides his epitaph for her, he wrote a think piece on UK and the EU last century.* I thought Brexit followers might be interested in his opinions, which are Conservative I think. He tries to tap the zeitgeist of the people, and the politicians, and their divided sensibilities.
* • This is an extract trom This Blessed Plot: Britain and Europe from Churchill to Blair (1998), published by Macmillan
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/25/hugo-young-why-britain-never-sat-comfortably-in-europe
The island people were not only different but, mercifully, separate, housed behind their moat. They were also inestimably superior, as was shown by history both ancient and modern: by the resonance of the Empire on which the sun never set, but equally by the immediate circumstances out of which the new Europe was born, the war itself. In that war, there had been only one unambiguous victor among European peoples, and she was not to be found on the mainland. The defence of historic uniqueness, against contamination from across the silver sea, was one powerful explanation for the course the British took during these 50 years.
But the plot was also tortuous. Little in the story was very straight. The nation’s thinking about itself lurched between different destinies. Hanging on to the past, in the form of the post-imperial Commonwealth, seemed for a time to be the answer. Remaining constant to the Anglo-American relationship, the most powerful bond in the English-speaking world, was apparently another necessity, which would be fatally compromised by the lure of something called the European Community. The idea that these amounted to alternative choices, the one necessarily imperilling the other, afflicted the decision of all leaders from Churchill to Margaret Thatcher, if not beyond.
Thatcher’s epitaph – ‘Days before he died in 2003, Guardian columnist and Thatcher biographer Hugo Young wrote an epitaph for the prime minister [died 8 April 2013 aged 87 years] who changed Britain forever.’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-hugo-young
Thatcher is remembered for her achievements, but more for a presence, which was wrapped up with being a woman. Several strong women on the continent have risen to the top, but this British woman, in Britain of all places, became a phenomenon, first, through her gender.
The woman, however, changed. The gender remained, its artefacts deployed with calculation. But it was overlaid by the supposedly masculine virtues, sometimes more manly than the men could ever assemble….
Thatcher became a supremely self-confident leader. No gloves, or hats, except for royalty or at funerals, but feet on the table, whisky glass at hand, into the small hours of solitude, for want of male cronies in the masculine world she dominated for all her 11 years in power…
One also can’t forget what happened to the agency that made Thatcher world‑famous: the Conservative party, of which she seemed such an improbable leader. Without it, she would have been nothing. It chose her in a fit of desperation, hats and all – though it quite liked the hats. It got over a deep, instinctive hostility to women at the top of anything, and put her there. Yet her long-term effect seems to have been to destroy it. The party she led three times to electoral triumph became unelectable for a generation.
There are many reasons for this. But Thatcher was a naturally, perhaps incurably, divisive figure. It was part of her conspicuous virtue, her indifference to familiar political conventions. It came to a head over her most egregious policy failure, Europe. She lost seven cabinet ministers on the Europe question, a record that permeated the party for years afterwards. It still does. So the woman I met in Curzon Street, dimpling elegantly, can now be seen in history with an unexpected achievement to her credit. She wrecked her own party, while promoting, via many a tortuous turn, Labour’s resurrection.
The last time I met her was after all this was over. We had had a strange relationship. She continued for some reason to consider me worth talking to. Yet I wrote columns of pretty unremitting hostility to most of what she did. It became obvious that, while granting that I had “convictions”, she never read a word of my stuff.
Compared to what we admire in Ms Ardern, Thatcher was very different. In being different Hugo Thomas says, she wrecked her own Party. She went further than they ever would. Steely conviction that she knew best. I don’t think Ms Ardern thinks like that. Should she veer towards it more? And Trump. Is he wrecking the Republicans as well as the USA?
“The party she led three times to electoral triumph became unelectable for a generation.”.
They certainly seem to have very short generations in Britain, at least according to Mr Young.
Maggie Thatcher left office in 1990. She was succeeded by John Major as Leader of the Conservative Party and PM who then won the election of 1992 and remained PM until 1997. When Thatcher quit the party was obviously not “unelectable” was it?
Labor then became the Government from 1997 until 2010. That is 13 years which seems to be the shortest “generation” I have ever heard of. I would think of a generation as being about 25 years.
The Conservatives then resumed office in 2010 and are still there.
Mr Young also seems to think that, because Thatcher continued to talk to him even though he wrote columns of unremitting hostility about her she must not have read what he wrote. What Rubbish. Thatcher lasted 11 years as PM. Having someone say nasty things about her would not have bothered her in the slightest. She would have had skin like a battleship’s armour plate.
As for comparing her with Ardern. You must be joking. Arderrn will be remembered as a person who was totally out of her depth as PM and left office after a very short termterm with nothing memorable to how for her time in office.
“…with nothing memorable to how for her time in office.”
Other than large numbers of working groups. Oh, and a baby.
Having a crack at the Prime Minister for having a baby now? You do realise some poor woman had to give birth to you at some point in the distant past. I bet she regrets that now! 🤣
If you read what I wrote, you would have seen I listed it as an achievement. One of few, but an achievement none the less.
Your misogynist hatred blinds you.
But that’s ok because the bulk of voters will not agree with you. Initially the Nats weren’t going to touch Ardern on being a young mother because it would be political poison.
Now they (you) are so desperate you’ve decided to attack her on just that.
Good luck in 2026.
The idea that most men are women haters, when in reality they spend most of their lives trying to work out how to please the ones in their lives … remains an enduring mystery to me 🙂
You are the only one saying that ‘most men are women haters’ – why did you say that? Why is that idea in your head?
Well given how it’s a label that’s readily attached to ANY man with whom some women disagree with …
Don’t get me wrong here, misogyny is real and it exists, but it irks me to see it used so lazily as substitute for discussion.
I think you’re projecting.
@ marty
There may be some truth in that, we all project from our experiences to some degree.
“The idea that most men are women haters…”
That line is incendiary, unnecessary, incorrect and irrelevant to the discussion.
It is sad that that is what you think.
Well given that both of us agree that most men are not women haters, then why does the ‘misogyny’ word get used so frequently?
We don’t both agree on this stuff as you know – I find most often I disagree with your take, based on your experience, of gender politics and sexuality. I have learned this through numerous arguments with you on this forum. I’m pretty sure you really don’t want to go there so just back away slowly, as will I.
That’s ok. I’m happy for you to have a different view, and I don’t see this as personal.
RL
What sized foot do you have? Rather large I think, because you manage often to put your foot in something when you talk about women. Even when you are being quite innocent of any miss-demeanour it comes out wrong. Better to stay away from the subject while on the blog. You may intermingle and comment as you wish in other places without let or hindrance.
Do you disagree with my proposition above?
Implicitly I was commenting on the use of the word ‘misogyny’ which has a strong and powerful meaning, in contexts like this where I don’t see it as warranted.
In my experience most men do spend their lives trying to please the women in their lives, they often love them beyond all reason and sacrifice much of their adult lives to provide and protect for them and their children. That doesn’t feel like any kind of ‘hatred’ to me.
What does seem to be happening is the word has taken on a political meaning that denotes ‘anyone who does not identify as a third-wave feminist or agree with it’s dogma’. Yet a quick search shows that typically less than 20% of Western populations self-identify as ‘feminist’; that’s an awful lot of potential ‘political misogynists’ out there.
It impresses me that you should find this simple logic so disconcerting.
Raising a child and being Prime Minister are both exceptionally demanding roles. That Adern is undertaking both at the same time, with both aplomb and dignity, is something I can only admire. I wish her and her family the best with this.
And probably not a smart topic to use for cheap shots around here.
Also, we were assured by opponents of the government that the PM would use her baby for self promotion and for the promotion of the government. It would be grossly unfair, they said, for the government to have such an asset with which to woo voters.
But guess what, Ardern and Gayford have studiously keep their family life private. This is in stark contrast to the leader of the opposition who has indulged in multiple women’s magazine shoots, shopping his family around the country via cheap ink on cheap paper stock all in the name of self-promotion.
And his popularity is still plummeting!
I’m sure she’s doing a great job as a mum. As a PM, not so much.
Do you scale? Your entire body of comments here are in question. Now your entire reason for being here is clear. Your agenda is to discredit The Prime Minister is New Zealand based on a series of comments that are fascile and ideological, I just debuncked your tax agenda, now you’re ducking. So before you continue along your agenda. What’s the Strongest Politician living past or present that can beat Jacinda in a straight up election. The conditions are equal MMP states. Labour42.5%, National42.5%, NZFirst5%, Greens5%, ACT5%. Economy steady @3%, unemployment 5%, inflation 3%. Who beats Jacinda and why?
“Your agenda is to discredit The Prime Minister is New Zealand based on…”
No, it isn’t. But if it was, I wouldn’t really have to try too hard. She’s doing a good job of discrediting herself without my assistance. I do have some sympathy for her, however. She became leader of Labour only out of the party’s utter desperation, and then only became PM by virtue of a bitter, but admittedly wily, old fox. She is and was woefully unqualified in terms of life experience, and it’s showing. Day after day.
What do you scale?
I know the idea of actually consulting with the public, listening to experts and thinking carefully about policy, is a foreign concept to the “Masters of the Universe”.
Who prefer the peasants are just told what to do.
It is the sign of a good leader, to consider and reason.
The sign of a good leader is the ability to make good quality, timely decisions. Listening and consulting is important, if it is in order to inform a decision. When it is simply to kick decisions down the road, that is a sign of weakness.
But I’m quite happy for her to keep listening, because the decisions she has made so far haven’t been great.
In your, somewhat self interested and biased opinion.
I am not even a Labour supporter, but so far she is heading in the right direction. Difficult as it is with ignorant greedy arseholes, like yourself, making any progress an uphill battle.
ignorant greedy arseholes, like yourself,
There is zero requirement to agree with him, but so far Shadrach has generally engaged here in good faith and presented his case with reasoned argument and data.
Personal attacks like this invariably say more about the person making them …
Duck clap. That’s at least the secound time Iv seen you say that. Didn’t work the first time, what makes you think it will work a secound, Mr Logic?
In my book a blatant insult deserves a blatant insult. Shaddy maybe using sophisticated insults but they are insults. As long as health and education resources are equal to demand there isn’t a bad thing any one can say about Jacinda.
It’s the only way to teach EQ.
An hour ago you were saying that commenter was taking cheap shots.
Make up your mind, please.
@ Muttonbird
Maybe both of them were cheap shots ….
@ Sam
In my book a blatant insult deserves a blatant insult.
OK … in my book it doesn’t; wrestle with a pig and you will come up as dirty as the pig.
Also Mathew 5:44
You know the problem with agnoring insults is it doesn’t work on those who aren’t payed to grab your attention or are just trying to grab your attention like journalist. Want to harm them then ignore them and reduce self deception and bullshit.
Praying on the other hand is the gospel of the weak and downtrodden. There’s something strange about preying I public.
In my view, a person is Christian if they says theyre Christian. Anything else leads to unending arguments over who is a “true Christian” and who isn’t, because there’s no objective standard to determine who is and who isn’t a true believer.
Don’t get over anxious on my account Sam, I’ve participated in literally thousands of conversation here in the past decade and I’ve developed some idea what works for me. For what it’s worth I tapered off on the ‘insult for insult’ approach at least five years back, given that it seemed counterproductive more often than not.
But you’d be wrong if you think I’m incapable of them.
Nor am I specifically a Christian either, although I’d like to think I can recognise wisdom regardless of what costume she’s wearing on the day.
Safe travels.
You think.
Shadrack has so far spent hundreds of words trying to justify why, he shouldn’t pay tax on his income like the rest of us.
I am being kind. There are much worse words for people who are happy to get rich by causing homelessness and poverty.
“There are much worse words for people who are happy to get rich by causing homelessness and poverty.“
I am a landlord. I provide housing. That was not one of your more lucid comments, and that’s saying something.
…and about the paucity of any argument they may have.
I was a builder. I, provided houses.
You. Just make money from them.
And of course you sold those houses you built at cost, didn’t you.
A sobering and brutally honest column from Steve Braunias today. Quite hard to read because it reminds us we are only a short distance from fragility and loneliness – especially as we grow older.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12205688
Look after yourselves, people.
What’s so special about that Steve Braunias. We are all on the same journey or parallel; at different stages. Like the ‘Spain’s Camino de Santiago ‘.* I’ve put the link down the bottom as it might be something to concentrate on doing while you reorient yourself.
Come and write here. Give us lessons on angst and how to market it. Everything is business these days – how to call out for other’s attention, successfully. We are not succeeding. Or are we; perhaps we get the attention of someone who takes a point from our writing that was not our intention. Can’t people out there concentrate on trying to understand, not go to the trouble of telling you that no-one says ‘whom’ these days! Tell me how you feel about my use of semi-colons Steve. Are they naff; too frequent?
Join the club Steve, perhaps there is already one formed for people who are trying, but find that others just regard them as very trying. We can laugh at ourselves ironically. We may not be getting far even slowly, but we are moving forward – that’s so ‘in’ these days. At the end of the day it is irony that brings some steel into your life,
and gives you strength to stagger on!
https://www.planetjanettravels.com/walking-spain-camino-going-back-for-more/
P>S> Tom Scott has drawn a cartoon showing himself in apparent safari shirt and shorts and giving an impression of leaving. Says something about a book and heroes. Probably like Muldoon he is going to write about himself. Both of them are heroes in their own ways. You too Steve.
Keep us fizzing you heroes – we’ll try to keep the water flowing, and perhaps turning it into wine if we have that special power, and you put the bubbles in. Okay? Deal?
Canada – the reporter in this Guardian article (thanks Guardian i must give you a donation regularly), says that watching Trudeau front up to behaviour below par is like watching a unicorn being run over! Such wonderful hyperbole.
To recap, Wilson-Raybould [former Attorney-General and Justice Minister]
was demoted to the position of veterans affairs minister in a cabinet shuffle earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, reports emerged that she and her staff had been subjected to a “sustained” campaign by the prime minister’s office over the handling of corruption charges against SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based engineering giant accused of bribing Libyan officials. It happens to be a large employer in Quebec, Trudeau’s home state – the prime minister’s office made sure to remind her of that, the job losses such charges might cause and the fact that it was an election year. There was a string of increasingly irate calls, texts and emails. Still, Wilson-Raybould held her ground. The prime minister lost the battle. Then she was demoted.
When the story broke, Trudeau denied any connection between the standoff and Raybould-Wilson’s political punishment. He denied having done anything inappropriate or wrong. The press and public howled. His principle secretary, Gerald Butts, who has been his bestie since their halcyon days in the 90s at McGill University, tried to take one for the team by resigning last week. But it was already too late. Now, Canada’s Tory opposition and many respected commentators are calling for Trudeau’s resignation. It’s a political bloodbath, Canadian style
Simplifying the Mainzeal collapse into one word: reckless.
Jenny Shipley is, was, and always will be reckless. She was leader of a reckless party, the National Party. Subsequent leaders have also been reckless – it is in their very nature.
The recklessness of John Key’s term is plain for all see. A housing crisis, corruption in the education sector, underfunding of health and infrastructure, poor immigration management, and worse environmental management.
These two and all their colleagues are cut from the same cloth and I hope people can finally see that truth.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12208418
Does reckless include the meanings – irresponsible and delinquent?
If delinquent includes lacking in compassion and ethics, then yes
I was thinking about the word, “reckless” the other night and realised that it stems from “reckon”, that is, thought/thinking/reckoning, therefore, I reasoned, “reckless” means acting without reckoning.
Thanks momo for the sleepless night,
Because of the momo paranoia and coverage, it’s been popping up on the kids screens as it’s ‘trending’. It’s only popped up on their feeds in the last couple of days… https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/110953249/momo-challenge-everything-you-need-to-know
Nek minute nightmares at , 11pm, 12.20am, 4.30am, 6.23am. Tired grumpy kids are hard work. No devices today girls, mum needs a full nights sleep so she can be a good parent.
On the upside it could be a good way to explain to the girls how much social media trending fake news (momo ain’t real) can influence someone and change a persons thinking.
Better arm myself with some bad dream spray tonight, (perfume, air freshner, waving around some incense, what ever i can find at the time lolz) worked a treat on me when I was a kid lmao.
Hellooooo coffee 🙂 It’s a beautiful day here today.
Momo thing that was reported on Radionz looked nasty and frightening, was worse when I read about it.
China has a grip and is tightening it via ‘social credit’ passes.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/china-bans-23m-discredited-citizens-from-buying-travel-tickets-social-credit-system
The social credit system aims to incentivise “trustworthy” behaviour through penalties as well as rewards. According to a government document about the system dating from 2014, the aim is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.”
Social credit offences range from not paying individual taxes or fines to spreading false information and taking drugs. More minor violations include using expired tickets, smoking on a train or not walking a dog on a leash.
One thinks of Gilbert and Sullivan, and the line about the punishment fitting the crime!The chorus from a 2012 version of the Mikado which is Japanese but will carry the similar sentiments of this Chinese edict:
Mikado:
A more humane Mikado never
Did in Japan exist,
To nobodys second,
I’m certainly reckoned
A true philanthropist.
It is my very humane endeavour
To make, to some extent,
Each evil liver
A running river
Of harmless merriment.
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!
I wonder if anyone has anecdotes of what it was like to live in Singapore where they introduced draconian rules post WW2 that sound similar to those in China.
Meanwhile our Christchurch police are arming themselves and a stray shot from a recent ‘episode’ went through a window in a nearby building, where there were a number of people felling terrified, as you would.
Two horrible truck fatalities over the last three days.
Trucks are now gridlocked on NZ roads causing higher casualties than Australia now. Back in 2017 it was bad but we now have had according to NZTA an 8% a year increase in trucks.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/97785078/new-zealands-road-toll-in-five-charts
NZ road fatalities has 70 people die per Million and Australia has just 50 die per million.
New Zealand’s road toll in five charts
Andy Fyers 09:55, Oct 12 2017
“There have been 297 fatalities on New Zealand’s roads so far this year.
The country’s road toll has been declining for years, but after a series of horror crashes it is set to soar.
After a crash north of Taupō in which four people were killed, this year’s grim toll climbed to 297.
That’s already above than the toll for each of the past six calendar years and there are still more than two months to go.
Of course, the population has also been growing, but the per capita road toll has also been increasing in recent years and the ratio of fatalities to vehicles on the road has flatlined after declining almost every year since 2000.”
Here were the two latest fatal truck crashes last week.
• Last friday morning another truck and a car accident on Highway 1 near Turangi and Taupo.
• The day before three died in a four vehicle accident involving three trucks on highway 2 near Matata near Whakatane.
Rail would have saved four lives that NZTA cost each life lost at $3.4 million.
So rail would have saved us all almost $14 million.
Sorry if I am dominating the Open Mike. I will leave it to reason and Jenny-How.
Here we go, peeps. Natural possum control, no more 1080. Check this out, fresh from Peru.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spider-tarantula-eats-opossum_n_5c772d95e4b010e7c563bb06
Ewwwwwwww!
Simon Bridges driving around in a car, telling dad jokes and talking gibberish.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12207256
NZ needs a better opposition leader than this clown.
Don’t know if anyone one has posted this.
Great interview with Vernon Tava, very clever switched on guy.
if given coverage by the media, I can see the sustainable party doing very well in 2020.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2019/03/vernon-tava-shooting-for-10-percent-of-2020-vote.html
Yeah, saw that last night and almost wrote a post on that but it was too getting too late. I’ll see how I go this weekend as there’s good fodder there to write about. Maybe you’d like to have a go at a Guest Post here?
Thanks the offer, but writings not really my strong point, there are far more talented people here who could do justice to this topic
I’d get crucified for my poor grammar, sentence structure, etc and any points I was trying to make would be lost.
No worries. I’m writing the post right now and I’m no good at writing either. In any case, people who disagree with your points but who have no real counter argument or simply can’t be bothered often resort to nit-picking about grammar, sentence structure (syntax), punctuation, and most of all semantics.
There’s so much wrong with what Tava said.
Looking forward to a post and a chance to straighten out the bendy thinking.
In what way, I think he speaks a lot of sense.
A proper green party should always be part of a government in an MMP environment, the fact the current Greens can’t work with anyone but Labour rules themselves out of that role.
Hopefully, Tava can develop and grow the Sustainable party into a position where the can take over from the current Greens and fullfill that role.
Another one who thinks a sustainable environment can be separated from a sustainable society.
Blue/Greens cannot fulfill that role because their entire ideology depends on growth. Which is not compatible with an environment.
Yet at the same time the elimination of poverty and meeting the technical challenge of climate change both demand innovation and growth.
Take away ‘growth’, collapse our global economy back to the pre-Industrial, pre-capitalist era and not only will we entirely lack the tools to meet these challenges, we will have 7 billion mouths to feed and no obvious means to do so.
Unless you have some unspecified plan in mind …
I’m not so sure about growth.
Take food, for example. Say we waste 30% of food globally. Someone innovates and halves that wastage. If we maintain production, people are better off. If we reduce production by 5%, actual consumed food still increases significantly. But how would that affect the food component of “growth”? You’d get an increase of GDP from the food that’s ploughed back into fields for whatever reason, but the food sent back to the restaurant kitchen, or that expires on the pantry shelf? Reducing that won’t affect GDP at all. Might even reduce it.
I’m not so sure about ‘growth’ either. KJT uses the word in a distinctively prerogative frame, yet this cannot be the whole story.
In part you’re absolutely correct about efficiency; there is so much we could and should do to minimise our existing resource use, just within our current technological framework.
On the face of it the simple notion of unlimited resource consumption on a fundamentally limited planet is absurd. Everyone understands this at some level. Yet as they say the Stone Age did not end because they ran out of stones; instead we developed Bronze which turned out to be a far more efficient use of the very limited energy resources available to us at the time.
Through a series of major stages we’ve progressed through the Iron Age, the Coal Age, and the Oil Age, In this sense ‘growth’ has a far more constructive meaning; it’s about how efficiently we utilise the energy and physical resources available to us.
Right now we are hard up against the limits of fossil carbon burning, and potentially some metals. Our agricultural systems consume too much land and our raping of the oceans is an abomination. Don’t mis-characterise me, I’m as vividly aware of the potential for total eco-collapse as the deepest shade of Greenie.
The only solution we know that will work is to progress beyond the limits of our current technologies, and leap once again up the efficiency ladder into completely new industrial forms. Forms perhaps dominated by solar, solid state lithium storage, fusion cells, new exotic materials like graphene and the like. There is a massive amount of R&D happening globally in all these areas; it only take a small fraction of it to make it from the lab to commercial products to utterly transform the world.
I don’t propose any guarantee this plan will work, but it is the only ethical bet in town.
“On the face of it the simple notion of unlimited resource consumption on a fundamentally limited planet is absurd.”
You understand the absurdity of continual growth, yet you argue for it to continue.
We talk about the “magic of compounding interest”. And, in a world capable of infinite expansion, yes.
In a finite world, infinitely compounding growth required for exponentially expanding returns, is a total impossibility.
Simple maths.
Then. The technological fix. We cannot even get the idiots to agree to a stop to oil drilling, in thirty years time.
Haven’t you seen the resistance to the current technological solutions. Vested interests are fighting alternative energy, public transport and reduced energy use, tooth and nail.
If the idiots had any ethics, we will have a chance. But they would rather the world end, than lose any money. They still have the delusion they can load all the costs on the already poor.
We are not in the bronze age.
We are at the same stage as the Easter Islanders.
It appears to me you missapply the term growth in this context when what you actually mean is improvement/progress….although synonyms they are not the same .
Yes.
Who the hell said anything about collapsing back to the pre industrial era.
As for growth. Continued using up of the environment simply cannot happen.
Or this argument will be moot, as a few desperate remnants of humanity cling onto an environment incompatible with human life.
Late stage Capitalism, has meant a huge amount of waste and mis -directed resources. The “competition” with Polytechnics, and ports, is but one small example.
The only hope, is that we stop spending our efforts into finding ever more elaborate ways of ripping other people off, which is the aim of the majority of businesses these days, and co-operate in solutions.
Those who are making plenty of money from business as usual have shown they will fight every step of the way.
The infinite growth required for our current system of finance, economy and social organization to continue, is an absurdity.
Yeah great for those who are keen on electing a cross between Elon Mush and Maggie Barry into Parliament…
Arundhati Roy on Kashmir.
Modi has internationalised the Kashmir dispute. He has demonstrated to the world that Kashmir is potentially the most dangerous place on earth, the flash-point for nuclear war. Every person, country, and organisation that worries about the prospect of nuclear war has the right to intervene and do everything in its power to prevent it.
[…]
The attack that killed at least 40 men was yet another hideous chapter in the unfolding tragedy of Kashmir. Since 1990, more than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict, thousands have “disappeared,” tens of thousands have been tortured and hundreds of young people maimed and blinded by pellet guns. The death toll over the last 12 months has been the highest since 2009. The Associated Press reports that almost 570 people have lost their lives, 260 of them militants, 160 civilians and 150 Indian armed personnel who died in the line of duty.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/our-captured-wounded-hearts-arundhati-roy-on-balakot-kashmir-and-india_n_5c78d592e4b0de0c3fbf82bf
i hate these forced birthers with a passion i can hardly put in words
how fucked up do you have to be to refuse an abortion to an 11 year old girl who was raped by the 65 year old partner of her grandmother on the grounds of your personal believes.
Like how fucked up do you have to be in your believes to force an 11 year old girl to carry a pregnancy to terms?
how fucked up do you have to be to ‘consider the mothers consent to the abortion not enough’ and yet request the ‘grandmothers consent as she lived with her grandmother, even tho she got raped at her grandmothers’, so that eventually the girl is over 20 weeks along, and you need a ‘cesarian’ to cut the baby out.
How fucked up, how mean, how petty and how cruel do you have to be to force an 11 year old girl through a pregnancy, and please fucking leave god out of it, cause if that is ok by god, then god is a fucking sadist and ok with baby rapists.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47400819
“The girl became pregnant after being raped by her grandmother’s 65-year-old partner and had requested an abortion.
However, her request was delayed by almost five weeks, and some doctors refused to carry out the procedure.
Eventually doctors carried out a C-section instead, arguing it would have been too risky to perform the abortion.
The baby is alive but doctors say it has little chance of surviving.
The girl was 23 weeks pregnant when – after several delays – she was to have the abortion.”
” Local media report that the girl had been clear from the beginning that she wanted to terminate her pregnancy, telling officials: “I want this thing the old man put inside me taken out.””
just how fucked up does one have to be to not simply see all that is wrong with the forced birther crowd. For the unborn, and to hell with those born and ‘potential hosts’.
We’ve often disagreed in the past Sabine, but on this I share your anger. This is what happens when absolutists go mad.
It’s quite striking how attitudes toward abortion vary dramatically around the world; in many parts of Asia it’s virtually seen as a routine method of contraception, while parts Latin America, as in this horrible story, hold to the opposite extreme. In the West we tend to hover around the middle, generally accepting it as an unfortunate necessity, a last resort when all other better options have been exhausted.
Personally I’ve never engaged with the debate preferring to see it available, lightly regulated and a matter of personal conscience.
As the old saying goes, “if it bleeds, it breeds”. To me, those that refuse these procedures on grounds of morals simply refuse to see women and girls for that matter as nothing more as hosts, vessels, this is gods plan, blablabla.
fact is this girl could have/ would have been seriously damaged physically trying to carry this pregnancy to term, birth would have been potentially only possible via cesarean.
to give her the run around, completely and utterly ignoring her needs, her physical welfare, her mental welfare and simply not giving a fuck about the ‘host’, cause the morals only apply to the ‘unborn’. Once born, both the host and the unborn are on their own, and can you image the stigma of being a 15 year old with a three year old kid. Morals, no, this is not about morals, this is about putting this girl firmly in its place. Single, unmarried, with child. On your own.
and we have these people here, Bill English and Simon Bridges seem to have morals when it comes to abortion. It is a criminal in NZ, and at the very best one must declare oneself mentally ill in order to have access to an abortion. Think of that.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/12/sir-bill-english-joins-anti-abortion-activists-in-march-through-wellington.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104255007/simon-bridges-opposed-to-taking-abortion-out-of-the-crimes-act
not sure if anything other then paying lipservices is gonna happen.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/jacinda-ardern-committed-abortion-law-reform-but-nationals-leadership-candidates-all-object
We are the same, we just pretend to be more caring. Youngest in NZ, thirteen.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11953393
calling women ‘body hosts’ https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/03/01/florida-house-speaker-jose-oliva-called-pregnant-women-host-bodies-5-times-in-interview-on-anti-abortion-bill
look away from the act, and tell me how anyone can pretend that this stuff simply does not serve to dehumanize the women or girl in question. Be they pregnant by choice or wanting an abortion, all hosts.
Suffer, little children.
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1883598,00.html
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/apr/04/sengalese-law-bans-rape-survivor-aborting-twins
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rape-victim-14-dies-childbirth-forced-paraguay-abortion-rights-a8270131.html
suffer the little girls.
morals. yeah, right. tui.
We are set in the farming mould here in NZ. The jelly mould, and women must have their jellybabies. The farming types can’t decide whether women are like breeding stock and have an owner or whether they should be allowed to run free and graze on the long acre eking out a life. If they want to provide a secure family life with a role model of a capable, intelligent good mother and afford to provide things that other children have, the mother trying to get training will be made to jump through hoops. So perhaps unmarried women are sort of like circus animals.
We had an education fairly recently about the, all to common, attitude to young mothers. Especially brown ones.
To me it seems totally creepy.
I’ve been listening to this evening. Quite a fascinating and vivid discussion on depression with deep political implications. Warning, quite long at 1:25
Kia ora R & R whanau ora is just cyps rebranded with a Maori name. I say Bill set it up so his wife could setup a company to milk the people and the system it’s was not about fixing the problems that this raciest system has on minority culture.
I have seen no evidence that whanau ora is s delivering better our comes for our Mokopunas with LOST parents. The extended whanau is still there to look after the tamariki. I say we need a Maori approach to fixing our tamariki with parents lost to the system. But the real people in control of the system don’t want to give Maori any Mana if you pay good money you will get good carers pay peanuts and you get – – -. Ka kite ano P.S invest good money and have a simple system that holds people accountable for there actions if they don’t improve the tamariki lives
Kia ora The Hui it does not matter that difference age groups have a slightly different opinion on the main subject it’s democracy and the people have been educated on the truths of how the system operates and they have spoken to stop this system of harvesting Maoris into the justice system that provides jobs for old white men and legalise weed. 75%,is a good majority. I say a 18 year old ban is what is needed some people will consume it when they are younger but as people are like sheep the majority will obey the LAW. Correct it won’t fix the unjustice system but it is a start on the road to reforms of the unjustice system. Ka kite ano
Kia or a R & R People cannot predict Papatuanuku. But I’m pretty sure she will give plenty of warnings when a volcano is about to erupt it’s up to the rulers that these Waring be heard IE re tangata is education correctly . LOOK at climate change that is a way Bigger threat to Aotearoa than a volcanic eruption and the climate change deniers have that topic suppressed and we are talking about volcanoes just distracting tactics from the oil barons control MEDIA Ka kite Ano P.S were,s the concomedian GLOBAL WARMING IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE TAKING ABOUT
STRIKE FOR OUR CHILDREDS RIGHT TO BE LEFT A GOOD CLIMATE 15 MARCH .
Could everyone who cares about our mokopunas futures strike to kia kaha we will let the oil barrons know its no JOKE
Here you go WHANAU back to the Real issue the is going to make or BREAK our mokopunas futures not Volcanos .
Climate crisis and a betrayed generation
Activists behind recent youth-led climate protests say their views are being ignored in the debate about global warmin
We, the young, are deeply concerned about our future. Humanity is currently causing the sixth mass extinction of species and the global climate system is at the brink of a catastrophic crisis. Its devastating impacts are already felt by millions of people around the globe. Yet we are far from reaching the goals of the Paris agreement.
Young people make up more than half of the global population. Our generation grew up with the climate crisis and we will have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. Despite that fact, most of us are not included in the local and global decision-making process. We are the voiceless future of humanity.
We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and future victims of the climate crisis, and so we are rising up. Thousands of us have taken to the streets in the past weeks all around the world. Now we will make our voices heard. On 15 March, we will protest on every continent.
We finally need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis. It is the biggest threat in human history and we will not accept the world’s decision-makers’ inaction that threatens our entire civilisation. We will not accept a life in fear and devastation. We have the right to live our dreams and hopes. Climate change is already happening. People did die, are dying and will die because of it, but we can and will stop this madness.
We, the young, have started to move. We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not. United we will rise until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision-makers take responsibility and solve this crisis.
You have failed us in the past. If you continue failing us in the future, we, the young people, will make change happen by ourselves. The youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.
The global coordination group of the youth-led climate strike.
Links Below ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/01/youth-climate-change-strikers-open-letter-to-world-leaders
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/01/youth-climate-strikers-we-are-going-to-change-the-fate-of-humanity
I thought I would giving another on SUGAR as I seen one story blaming the bad effects of sugar on Pacific peoples genitics big companys control OUR media hence the truth about the bad thing in ones life are suppressed
Your Teeth
You probably rolled your eyes at age 12, but your mother was right: Candy can rot your teeth. Bacteria that cause cavities love to eat sugar lingering in your mouth after you eat something sweet.
Your Joints
If you have joint pain, here’s more reason to lay off the candy: Eating lots of sweets has been shown to worsen joint pain because of the inflammation they cause in the body. Plus, studies show that sugar consumption can increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Your Skin
Another side effect of inflammation: It may make your skin age faster. Sugar attaches to proteins in your bloodstream and creates harmful molecules called “AGEs,” or advanced glycation end products. These molecules do exactly what they sound like they do: age your skin. They have been shown to damage collagen and elastin in your skin — protein fibers that keep your skin firm and youthful. The result? Wrinkles and saggy skin.
Your Liver
An abundance of added sugar may cause your liver to become resistant to insulin, an important hormone that helps turn sugar in your bloodstream into energy. This means your body isn’t able to control your blood sugar levels as well, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Your Kidneys
If you have diabetes, too much sugar can lead to kidney damage. The kidneys play an important role in filtering your blood sugar. Once blood sugar levels reach a certain amount, the kidneys start to let excess sugar into your urine. If left uncontrolled, diabetes can damage the kidneys, which prevents them from doing their job in filtering out waste in your blood. This can lead to kidney failure.
Your Body Weight
This probably isn’t news to you, but the more sugar you eat, the more you’ll weigh. Research shows that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages tend to weigh more — and be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes — than those who don’t. One study even found that people who increased their sugar intake gained about 1.7 pounds in less than 2 months.
Your Sexual Health
You may want to skip the dessert on date night: Sugar may impact the chain of events needed for an erection. “One common side effect of chronically high levels of sugar in the bloodstream is that it can make men impotent,” explains Brunilda Nazario, MD, WebMD’s associate medical editor. This is because it affects your circulatory system, which controls the blood flow throughout your body and needs to be working properly to get and keep an erection.
Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
Kia ora Newshub Lighting strikes caused fires in Australia it must be dry there they would laugh at our droughts.
Some in the retirement industry don’t show the retired people the respect they deserve.
Yes democracy needed to be protected and all donations to political parties needed to be declared.
I won’t say who I am backing in the Auckland mayor race but you can work it out quite easily. It’s cool that lady is making dolls specially for children with disabilities that will lift there spirits.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show The Green Party has a better grasp of reality than the 2 neanderthal climate change denier. Adults YEA RIGHT.
national ran schools broke so they could have a private education system that only the rich could afford to get a decent education you know how it is its easier to CON a uneducated society than a education one. (O we don’t KNOW what is the main cause of obesity) .
Sitting on the fence.
If it was not for the POWER of social media our realitys would be buried under pile of oil barrons $$$$$$. Climate change has taken 30 years to get through that pile.
The youth should be heard as it is there futures we are SHITTING ON at the minute. Social media gives them the power for their VOICES to be heard. That’s the big picture leave Papatuanukue with a better or similar condition as we received it most people want their children to be better off than they have.
There you go kicking the poor people not everyone that is in prison is a big criminal minor crimes like being Maori and unpaid fines and the ujustice system will stich you up like they are trying to do to Me.
This same phenomenon happened other times Labour was in power strikes.
Well I tryed to use the unjustice system to stop my reputation being SHIT on but everyone now knows that the rich make the laws of our society to serve them and lock up the common poor people you need $20.000 to get a fair deal out of the system.
Im just going to ignore the new joke on the block give it no oxygen and it will disappear. Ka kite ano P.S LoL
I see the TROLLS are jumping all over Maori Mana once again blaming us for the Toheroa not recovering from that westen Thing of stipping a resorce untill it collapeses look at the Crafish in Auckland the Orange Roughy that fisheries started when I was a in my teens and it only lasted 10 to 15 years do you blame te Maori for this to fools . At Wai tahi spit there was heaps of Pipis now its skint blame those Maoris . For one a shellfish wont last long with a one ton car driving ontop of it two we know that all shellfish need clean water as the filter wai to get there food they are the filters of Tangaroa the person who wrote this story talks shit saying that he does not know the link between dirty water and the decline of the Toheroa YEA RIGHT just another put down of Maori Cultures . 3 THE ANONMOUS informants are most likley Kehuas Gost made up + just to give credibality to this persons bullshit story 4 I have never seen Toheroa at a Marae
Decades of fishing bans have not rescued seafood delicacy toheroa
Toheroa was a favourite NZ seafood delicacy of the 1900s. It was vastly over-harvested and collecting was banned in the 1970s. In the decades since, it has not recovered. Why not? Will Harvie reports.
It would probably appal Kiwis who feasted on toheroa in the last century that the seafood delicacy is now almost forgotten.
Until the 1960s, toheroa was New Zealand’s “great contribution to the epicurean world”.
The kai moana was “highly esteemed by the most fastidious gourmet” and a “gift of nature … that has done much to advertise the Dominion all over the world”, according to the NZ Railways Magazine in 1936.
Toheroa thrived on the western beaches of the North Island – Ninety Mile, Ripiro and Muriwai. It abounded on the beaches of Kāpiti-Horowhenua near Wellington. Mysteriously, it thrived on Oreti and Te Waewae beaches in Southland. There were pockets elsewhere.
The surf clam was a staple of the Māori diet for centuries. In the 20th century, it seemed to be an “almost inexhaustible resource” to many.
From 1928-69, Northland factories canned about 20 tonnes of toheroa a year. In 1940, they canned 77 tonnes, the record
In almost all discussions of the customary harvests of toheroa, words such as “limited” and “restricted” are used to indicate these are minor events.
But there’s evidence and testimony that customary catches of toheroa are neither.
“Based on our observations and communications with kaitiaki, honorary fisheries officers and residents at Ripiro, and to a lesser extent at other locations, it would appear that the levels of human harvesting are significant,” wrote Ross and co-authors in the main paper on toheroa to come out of the Marsden funding.
“Illegal harvesting is common,” they wrote.
“Poaching events range in size from residents or visitors just getting a feed every now and then – which may be once a year or once a week – to large-scale illegal harvesting for the black market
Fresh water comes up often. There’s both evidence and knowledge that toheroa probably need clean, fresh water coming onto beaches from inland. It probably cools them and they probably get nutrients from it.
In Northland, where many streams and seeps have dried up, there are questions from locals whether this has contributed to the decline.
“There are also accounts from elders of streams ‘running black’ after logging operations and this coinciding with the disappearance of the toheroa bed at the end of that particular stream,” he wrote in an email.
“There is clearly a relationship between toheroa and streams, we just don’t understand it yet. Which makes it difficult to advise land and environment managers. We are working on it.”
Across many North Island iwi, toheroa is closely tied to the dune grass pingao. There are several stories from Māori lore on the connection and Ross thinks the association is worth investigating further. Ka kite ano links below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/110671140/decades-of-fishing-bans-have-not-rescued-seafood-delicacy-toheroa
Is this a factor to the destruction of the Toheroa carbon in sea water O no blame those savage Maoris
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://youtu.be/34Na4j8AVgA
Well its about time some more money was invested into Waka building look at all the flash yacth clubs the flash rowing clubs thanks anyway ka pai try getting funding like that for Maori cultures out of national they would SQUEAL like they were shitting bricks lol
$ 4.6m grant to make Sir Hek’s waka dream a reality
The government is to invest nearly $8 million in two major Far North projects, including a long-held dream of waka tohunga
he told the Waitangi Tribunal three years ago he would not be around forever, and his dearest wish was for the funding for a navigation school so that the traditional techniques of Pacific voyaging could be passed on to a younger generation.
“Sir Hek is truly an icon of the Far North,” Mr Davis said.
“The Kupe Waka centre will see his knowledge preserved and also bring people to the area from New Zealand and overseas to this incredible part of our country.”
The government is also investing $3m in a multi-use sports centre in Kaitaia. Participation in sport and fitness was a key part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and improving the wellbeing of whānau and communities, Mr Davis said.
“This facility will create jobs, attract people to live here and help retain workers, young people and athletes in Kaitaia.”
The investment package also includes support for three iwi: Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kahu and Te Rarawa, to make progress on major projects.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/383515/dollar4-6m-grant-to-make-sir-hek-s-waka-dream-a-reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_7l0jLqGyw
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/383515/dollar4-6m-grant-to-make-sir-hek-s-waka-dream-a-reality
They include investigations into a water storage project for horticulture and exploring the potential for a barge to transport logs to Northport in Whangārei.
The package announced today is worth $8.2m, but the government has tagged more than $90m from the Provincial Growth Fund for Northland projects from Kaipara to the Far North. Ka kite ano links below
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute most of the wife,s whanau are working with the sandflys. Poukokohuia,s