Open mike 02/03/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 2nd, 2024 - 48 comments
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48 comments on “Open mike 02/03/2024 ”

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    • ianmac 1.1
      2 March 2024 at 9:44 am

      Yes Kay. I knew of the peers of my sons at University whose rich parents had their income screwed down to less than $60,000 so that their kids were eligible for the Student Allowance instead of Student loan. And in one case they bought a house for them to live in in Christchurch rent free.

      Luxon would happily do that too.

      • Kay 1.1.1
        2 March 2024 at 10:17 am

        Of course he would. I just don't understand it, there must be a degree of underlying sociopathy involved as well, to be able to behave in such a way without any conscience or remorse for their actions. And simultaneously beat up on people at the bottom of the heap with no comprehension of their hypocrisy.

        • Mikey 1.1.1.1
          2 March 2024 at 12:30 pm

          Luxo's version of 'Christianity' encourages avarice, I guess.

          • Obtrectator 1.1.1.1.1
            2 March 2024 at 1:06 pm

            "Render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar's …. " (and God can have the leftovers).

        • Anne 1.1.1.2
          2 March 2024 at 1:18 pm

          A quote from a comment of mine on yesterday's Daily Review:

          I'm starting to get a handle on Luxon's real character. In a nutshell, he's a dangerous evangelical in all aspects of life, not just his religious beliefs.

          In a way I think that is what happened today. He was so enamoured of his position as PM he really believed he had some God given right to seek accommodation costs to the tune of a $1000 per week whilst at the same time moving to throw thousands on the scrap heap and then apply sanctions on them when they ended up on a benefit as many of them will.

          Instead of "evangelical" I should have called him a "zealot".

          From my personal experience, zealots are sociopaths.

          • Kay 1.1.1.2.1
            2 March 2024 at 2:21 pm

            "From my personal experience, zealots are sociopaths."

            That's a good point, Anne. I follow -out of curiosity- the Evangelical movement in the US and came to the conclusion a long time ago that for the followers at least, it's on a par with psychotic delusions (having known people who experience diagnosed psychotic delusions). The leadership I'm pretty sure not, they know exactly what they're doing- and saying, and probably don't believe most of what they're telling their flock anyway.

            So yes- the zealots higher up are definitely sociopaths because they have no qualms about the harm they are doing. But it begs the question- why are right-wing environments so welcoming towards this type of personality trait, and do they openly encourage it?

          • bwaghorn 1.1.1.2.2
            2 March 2024 at 3:51 pm

            The guy took a limo 200 meters once, tosser of the highest type

            • Patricia Bremner 1.1.1.2.2.1
              2 March 2024 at 7:50 pm

              Yes bwaghorn, don't forget three women journalists running behind sarc and MuchMacKay said in the debates "Oh, I like your energy".

              I remember the snarling face teeth bared for PM Ardern in Question time.

              The man is calculating and has few empathy traits, so “bottom feeders” who take the scraps, or the rich elite who are his own.

    • Mike the Lefty 1.2
      2 March 2024 at 5:49 pm

      To add another insight.

      The rich always like to boast that they get rich through hard work, you know how they always claim towork 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for 40 odd years, yah de yah de yah…….

      Fact: you don't get rich by working hard, at best you can do well but not get rich.

      No.

      You get rich by paying your workers the minimum wage while you take the maximum profits.

      You get rich by not paying your fair share of tax.

      You get rich by speculating in property and assets.

      You keep rich by donating money to political parties that promise to make you richer.

      Doesn't this all sound very familiar and recent?
      My father always used to say that you can’t earn an honest million.
      Substitute billion for million and he is still right.
      But of course, I must just be bitter and twisted because I’m not rich.

  2. dv 2
    2 March 2024 at 8:05 am

    4m salary as a CEO and 500k as mp AND he has ONLY got 7 houses.

    Sounds like a crap economic manager,

  3. Adrian Thornton 3
    2 March 2024 at 8:41 am

    Good ol' George Galloway….on the right side of history yet again…while yet again another piece of shit Western Centrist (left) Labour Party show their complete lack of moral compass….it was asked on this site a few days ago "What is Left?"…..well standing in loud and proud solidarity with the most oppressed and tortured people on this planet in their time of need is a pretty good starting point I would say….

    George Galloway who campaigned against Gaza war wins UK by-election

    • weston 3.1
      2 March 2024 at 12:10 pm

      GG will cause havoc to starmer an his mates and good job like he is fond of saying labour an the torries are just two cheeks of the same backside gonna be great entertainment

      on the home front our not at all independent foreign policy has determined the Palestinian resistence group Hammas to be a "terrorist " entity an anyone supporting them criminals .What a crazy decision sure seems to me that the IDF is infinitely more guilty of the term Terrorist !! Israel can now be seen for what it is ie a paranoid ultra nationalist apartheid state with exceptionalism delusions seemingly every bit as bad as the natzis of old

      Peters has at least seen fit to sanction some of the particularly bad "settlers"from the west bank but if he noticed them how come he hasnt noticed the dayly attrocities meted out by the IDF ?? I would have thought 20,000 dead women an kids to have meant something but no apparently being a member of Five EYES means more

      What your gov does in your name makes you vomit sometimes

      /

      • Mikey 3.1.1
        2 March 2024 at 12:37 pm

        Hammass is history. They'll fight to the very last child/shield, but they are doomed. Bright side, maybe Gazans will actually receive food aid once their 'government' isn't able to requisition it.

        • weston 3.1.1.1
          2 March 2024 at 2:55 pm

          Dunno what the fuck u talking about mickey hammas isnt defeated and cant see how they will be you seem to be suggesting that hammas was getting any avail food before the people are ? have you got any evidence for that ?

          /

          • joe90 3.1.1.1.1
            2 March 2024 at 3:39 pm

            hammas (sic) isnt defeated

            lol

            Iran and Hezbollah intend sitting this one out. Hamas is done.

            /

            @IranIntl_En

            Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered a clear message to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh when they met in Tehran in early November, three senior officials told Reuters: You gave us no warning of your Oct. 7 attack on Israel and we will not enter the war on your behalf. Khamenei told Ismail Haniyeh that Iran would continue to lend the group its political and moral support, but wouldn't intervene directly. He also pressed Haniyeh to silence those voices in the Palestinian group publicly calling for Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah to join the battle against Israel in full force.

            https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1724801629504086099

            In a speech watched closely by observers in the U.S. and the Middle East, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah distanced the Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and exercised just enough restraint to show support for Gaza without declaring war.

            In his first speech since Hamas’ attack on Israel, Nasrallah emphasized that Iran was not involved, that it was “entirely Palestinian, for Palestine, its cause, its people” and “not related to any regional or international issue.”

            https://news.yahoo.com/hamas-wont-hezbollah-leaders-speech-192728070.html

            • weston 3.1.1.1.1.1
              2 March 2024 at 4:10 pm

              So not many coming to the party so far but so what ? hamas isnt defeated and i cant see how it will be since they are very diciplined well trained and extreamly resilient and for every resistence fighter killed a hundred young wannabees will surely step up to take their place .What else would you expect from a society with nothing left to lose?

              In exactly the same way the amazing Houthi,s fight on .They arnt fazed by American and british war ships etc or intimidated by bombs they will fight on undeterred

              Max Blumenthal interviews Mohammed el Bukhaiti spokesman for Yemens Ansarallah movement

              • joe90 …
                2 March 2024 at 5:05 pm

                In exactly the same way the amazing Houthi,s fight on

                A few years ago those amazing old men running the shop were recruiting 15-17 year old cannon fodder. Today it's 13 year old cannon fodder.

                Will they still be amazing when they resort to pitching 10 year old cannon fodder into their 21stC war?

                The Houthis say they have recruited thousands of people to their armed forces since October 7, 2023, and activists report the armed group recruiting children as young as 13, Human Rights Watch said today.

                https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/13/yemen-houthis-recruit-more-child-soldiers-october-7

                • weston …
                  2 March 2024 at 6:23 pm

                  Recruiting " children " etc

                  What choice do they have ??? when the poorest nation in the world faces off against the strongest bullies on the planet ??

                  When you,ve been bombed by the Saudis with the help of America and Britain for ten years what else can they do /?

                  They are the only country other than Lebanon to actively help the palestinians to try to stop the slaughter while every other country including NZ sits on its hands like compliant poodles of established hegemony.

                  Whats the matter joe ?cant make up your mind ?judging by recent comments of yours you seem to agree that the IDF and its supporting political zionist establishment are a pack of lying scum hell bent on carrying out a genocide but what ?Nobody should do anything about it ???

    • Visubversa 3.2
      2 March 2024 at 5:00 pm

      Turnout under 40%. Labour kneecapped their candidate because he spoke out against the genocide in Gaza.

      Obviously for the British Labour Party anything less than complete capitulation to the Israeli Government is classed as "anti Semitic". Just like anything not absolutely subservient to Gender Ideology is "transphobic".

  4. KJT 4
    2 March 2024 at 8:43 am

    The Government’s environmental vandalism ramping up.

    On fisheries, Australia must be prepared for NZ as opponent rather than ally (msn.com)

    The meeting in February was meant to agree on how to make the consensus decision a reality. But it was not to be. Now that NZ has withdrawn support, the original decision remains but without the mechanisms to make it happen. Bottom-trawling will likely continue in the South Pacific.

  5. mac1 5
    2 March 2024 at 9:27 am

    For those who see poets as a voice of conscience.

    “PITY THE NATION”
    Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Khalil Gibran) 2007

    Pity the nation whose people are sheep
    And whose shepherds mislead them

    Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
    Whose sages are silenced
    And whose bigots haunt the airwaves

    Pity the nation that raises not its voice
    Except to praise conquerors
    And acclaim the bully as hero
    And aims to rule the world
    By force and by torture

    Pity the nation that knows
    No other language but its own
    And no other culture but its own

    Pity the nation whose breath is money
    And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed

    Pity the nation oh pity the people
    who allow their rights to erode
    and their freedoms to be washed away

    My country, tears of thee
    Sweet land of liberty!

    • mac1 5.1
      2 March 2024 at 9:40 am

      George Bernard Shaw on NZ in 1934- "Altogether too many sheep."

      • Phillip ure 5.1.1
        2 March 2024 at 7:11 pm

        On his departure shaw said: 'if I showed my true feelings – I would cry..

        ..this is the best country I have been in..'

        I think if he saw it now..with all the child poverty.. homelessness.. environmental degradation..bleak future..he would also cry..

        ..but for different reasons…

        • mac1 5.1.1.1
          2 March 2024 at 11:30 pm

          Philip Ure, I find the poem itself names the reasons for pity, directed at America in 2007 but how so true for us here in Aotearoa/NZ in 2024?

          Verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.

          Your four failings are a result of lying leaders using fear and misinformation to mislead its citizens, creating ignorance and hostility, a racist mono-culturalism and the practice of othering, the worship of mammon and the rise of prosperity religion, the erosion of rights by bullies and sociopaths.

          The causes of the state of the nation the poem pities.

          I sent this poem to an old friend today. He replied. "I woke this morning filled with anger and despair. The behaviour I see in the world is so far beyond anything I could imagine. I play Bach and pray: I really don't know what else to do."

          Can we answer his despair and with what actions? Can we see our nation as Ferlinghetti saw America and find hope in acting for change?

          The poet has the descriptive vision and leaves the actions to us in all our ways and with all our means.

          • Phillip ure 5.1.1.1.1
            3 March 2024 at 9:35 am

            @ macl..

            I find 'hope' for two reasons..both political..

            One is that the travesties enacted by this radical far-right government..have the effect of focussing the minds of labour/greens/maori party…and they work together to present a coherent swivel away from neoliberal incrementalism – to a form of democratic socialism..and presenting this formula for positive change to the voters..at the next election..

            (For labour especially…they need to know that simply saying 'we aren't as bad as them'…falls well short of what is needed..)

            It pays to note that if the centre-left can't get their act together in this way..that we/they are fucked…and they will gift these handmaidens of the powerful/elites a second term/three more years to screw the rest of us over..

            What also gives me hope is how this far-right government has so abused the traditional checks and balances on the use of urgency..when passing legislation..

            And at the next election..voters should be faced by this brace of coherent policies..(including capital gains/wealth taxes..the reinstatement of our anti-smoking legislation..commitments to a major state house building program..living wage…etc..etc..)

            And because of the precedent set by the current govt..promises can be made to use urgency to pass a raft of this transformative package…in the first 100 days…

            And of course the opposition parties must start working on this…about now…

            And during this term of govt that we must endure…I see mass direct action..from the various actors.. as one of the few viable tools to hand..

            It's gonna blow-up…

            And harking back to those imperatives on the three opposition parties to get their act together (excuse the pun)..

            ..the sooner they tell us they are doing the required work…the better..

            • Phillip ure 5.1.1.1.1.1
              3 March 2024 at 9:45 am

              Why do my comments go to 'undefined'..?

              Are my comments in a form of automatic moderation..?

              If so..why..?

              And why do my comments not appear in the comment-sidebar..??

              Why did my edit on the reply not show..?

              Feels like censorship .. at first glance..

    • ianmac 5.2
      2 March 2024 at 9:47 am

      That springs out as us. Great mac1.

    • Matiri 5.3
      2 March 2024 at 10:03 am

      Or singer/songwriters.

      Lyin' Luxon (and his Tobacco Goons) from Darren Watson.

  6. Anne 6
    2 March 2024 at 10:52 am

    The insanity continues:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/brian-tamakis-freedom-and-rights-coalition-to-march-at-auckland-domain-call-for-luxon-to-defend-free-speech/LXPB3XCNUZBNHG5PFTEC4KUDLY/

    He said this protest was a response to his claim the Prime Minister was “destroying free speech” by “obstructing a referendum on Treaty of Waitangi issues” and “inviting the monster [Ardern] back in, at the taxpayer’s expense”.

  7. Robert Glennie 7
    2 March 2024 at 12:31 pm

    HAMAS were declared a terrorist entity on 29 February 2024 by this Government.

    HAMAS do not recognize Israel point blank. No one should be sorry that they have been declared a terrorist entity. As long as they refused to recognize Israel in any shape or form, and assume there to be a war on against "the Zionist entity" as they call it, there will not be peace.

    Unfortunately Bibi Netanyahu does not want peace either. He wants the absolute destruction of Palestine and anything Palestinian in general.

    I think the two state solution is dead in all but name. The designation of Israeli settlers as extremists comes too little too late. It is not that Israel would listen to us, but if we had been serious about pointing out the problems caused by settlers, we would have done so ages ago. Now is just half hearted almost.

    • Subliminal 7.1
      2 March 2024 at 2:21 pm

      The ANC was also declared a terrorist oganisation by the US and UK with Mandela himself not removed from the US terror list till 2008.

      In those days there were many people making the same arguments as you that boiled down to all the deaths of black people under the apartheid SA govt could be laid at the door of the ANC.

      Today, most people understand that caging black people in Bantustans is not a nice thing to do and that the system is not likely to be changed other than through violent struggle against those perpetuating the apartheid system.

      Today, the US has redesignated Hamas as a terrorist organisation and western allies are scrambling to do the same. As always, the US believes that it makes the rules but notably, the UN has not done the same and is unlikely to do so.

      Perhaps you could say why Hamas should recognise the apartheid state of Israel that cages Palestinians in ever smaller spaces and that now seeks the complete eradication of any functional Palestinian society?

      The count for dead Palestinian children has now gone over 13000. Thats the physically counted actual identified bodies. But of course, to people like yourself this is not terrorism but rather the fault of Hamas who in your opinion should just accept the cancer of settler infiltration and beatings under the watchful eye of the IDF, and allow the perimeter of the cage to be shrunk smaller and smaller.

      It is beyond doubt in international law that Palestinians have the right to resist and that right includes violence against the IDF. Any war crimes comitted by Hamas will need to be answered but this in no way removes their right to resist nor affects their legitimacy.

      The US is fully funding this Israeli genocide so taking their reckons on who in this conflict is a terrorist is somewhat absurd. Just like with Nelson Mandela over SA apartheid the US position on Palestinians is unsupportable.

      • Francesca 7.1.1
        2 March 2024 at 2:31 pm

        Thank you heart

      • SPC 7.1.2
        2 March 2024 at 2:39 pm

        But of course, to people like yourself this is not terrorism

        Nothing in the comment supports that conclusion.

        who in your opinion should just accept the cancer of settler infiltration and beatings under the watchful eye of the IDF, and allow the perimeter of the cage to be shrunk smaller and smaller.

        Nor that either.

    • Obtrectator 7.2
      2 March 2024 at 5:17 pm

      Unfortunately Bibi Netanyahu does not want peace either. He wants the absolute destruction of Palestine and anything Palestinian in general.

      Bit of an old-fashioned view, that. You're right about his not wanting peace, but not his ultimate objectives. Total eradication of the enemy used to be the aim way back when; not so much now. Extremists of any stripe need their enemy polar opposites to justify their own existence and the continuation of close control over "their" people. If Bibi wipes out Hamas, Israel's wartime footing is no longer necessary, regular politics resumes, Bibi eventually gets voted out, prosecuted, etc. As long as he's able to present Hamas as an ongoing threat, he's safe from all that.

  8. Barfly 8
    2 March 2024 at 12:45 pm

    Anyone able to recommend a free or cheap but effective anti-virus for an android phone?

  9. SPC 9
    2 March 2024 at 12:53 pm

    What is the difference between the $90,000 formerly claimed by Luxon while living in his own home and the $13,000 refunded since he became PM?

    The Remuneration Authority should end payment of the allowance to those "out of town" MP's and Ministers not paying either rent or mortgage on their Wellington residence. The money saved could go to Premier House for regular maintenance.

    It is generous enough to allow MP's to use the allowance to pay mortgage for ownership of a second home, no more after they pay it off. And as for those who can afford to own a second property without any mortgage when they arrive as an MP, well … if there is a budget surplus to disperse … and with food in schools, school and hospital buildings well maintained, sufficient income related rent housing, fully staffed wards and old age care homes and meeting the UN Declaration of Human Rights standards for education and health and income support provision …

  10. SPC 10
    2 March 2024 at 2:06 pm

    AI and the internet all over again.

    In the beginning the internet, as a public good, a service. Except for Microsoft – a professional service would deliver a better product, thus a monopoly was born (and did it fight to remain one).

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/02/musk-sues-openai-for-betrayal-of-its-goal-to-benefit-humanity/

  11. SPC 11
    2 March 2024 at 2:32 pm

    The burden of opposition. If they accept the voters are right, what do they oppose about the government programme? If not, is the opposition reduced to the argument voters got it wrong.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/02/john-campbell-when-will-hipkins-stop-drifting-and-start-leading/

    And from the right, typical gaslighting of Labour – from someone concerned the government will not be popular and it must appear TINA to the right wing agenda.

    https://archive.li/OHaRm

    • Ad 11.1
      2 March 2024 at 5:11 pm

      Both Edwards and Campbell quote my What's Left article .

      At least we are watched by the commentariat.

  13. joe90 13
    2 March 2024 at 6:31 pm

    Finland's come at me, bro, moment

    Ukraine can use weapons provided by Finland to hit targets on Russian soil, senior officials in Helsinki said.

    Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said his country has not set any restrictions on what Ukraine can do with the weapons it provides, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday. Häkkänen added that blocks have been imposed mainly by countries which have provided Ukraine with long-range weapons systems.

    “If necessary, Ukraine should also strike military targets on the Russian side. It is a completely legitimate defensive battle that Ukraine is waging. The U.N. Charter allows military targets to be attacked across land borders,” said Jukka Kopra, chair of the Finnish parliamentary defense committee.

    https://www.politico.eu/article/finland-ukraine-strike-russia-territory-provided-weapons-antti-hakkanen/

  14. SPC 14
    2 March 2024 at 9:13 pm

    It's looking like there might be a solution for some critical worker shortages down under – for us and Oz (and also North America).

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/03/what-the-climate-change-collapse-of-critical-atlantic-ocean-system-could-mean-for-new-zealand.html

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