"Labour leftwingers have been frustrated at the party’s refusal to seize on the crisis as a moment to propose a radical overhaul of the economy and society. Jon Trickett, now relegated to the backbenches from his position of shadow cabinet office minister, says: “The country’s crying out for a longer-term vision. We need to map out a great vision for the kind of new normal that can exist after this pandemic."" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/01/labour-keir-starmer-coronavirus-covid-19-new-era
I agree with the UK leftists. Which hardly ever happens. I get that the new Labour leader prefers a cautious approach, and it is indeed understandable that in these fraught times Sir Keir would rather not hit the ground running. Problem is, the opposition is there to provide a viable alternative to the govt. There's a real danger the public will get irritated by the lack thereof. Timidity is a prescription for failure.
"These meetings, and polling seen by Labour strategists, are telling them the public don’t want to hear knee-jerk criticism of the government. “The approach we’re getting from the public is, ‘All of us need to be together, getting through this,’” said a party source."
Yeah, folks hate partisans. Being reasonable is the right way to go, but there are better ways to do that. You can actually be respectful and helpful while signalling the path to the future. I'm puzzled UK Labour is failing to comprehend this. Seems elementary.
I get that the new Labour leader prefers a cautious approach….
???? Caving in to ceaseless bullying by the most brutal and implacable pressure group on earth is not "cautious". There are other "c" words to describe such a person: careerist, cynical, compromised….
So he's a zionist, eh? Well, that does change my view of him for the worse. A lot. But I presume Trump will thump the table with glee when he discovers it, and acclaim him as a sensible leftist.
The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke. He got done by the electorate in the usual Shakespearean fashion (character flaws). His own worst enemy. Like Sanders, his inner narcissist prevailed over his political acumen. How many times did I express my wish here that they would realise socialism will only fly with younger generations if it is reframed to suit the new millennium? I lost count. Their intellectual laziness doomed them.
No, he's a supporter—however reluctantly, under a horrendous amount of pressure—of the state of Israel. The distinction is important.
The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke.
???? Your assessment is at odds with the facts. The initial attempts to ridicule and marginalize Corbyn—"Traingate", the sneering at his riding a bicycle, the scoffing his dress sense, and the attempts to portray him as a "traitor"—all failed to gain any traction.
Then the fantastical denunciations really started. Jamie Stern-Weiner sums it up:
Throughout the “Labour antisemitism” controversy, mainstream Jewish organizations demanded deference on issues of antisemitism, on the basis that they represented the affected constituency. These bodies in fact lack substantial democratic legitimacy: the JLC is unelected; BOD elections are largely uncontested, and do not engage either ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews or most Jews who do not attend synagogue. But even if they did speak for a majority of British Jews in what they said about Corbyn, Labour, and antisemitism, that did not change the fact that it was wrong — just as British Hindu groups were also wrong to ascribe Labour’s support for human rights in Kashmir to anti-Hindu racism.
One of the ugliest aspects of this entire affair has been the scorn and contempt heaped by Britain’s Jewish establishment on Jewish Labour supporters, who have been marginalized and dismissed as “fake Jews” or collaborators. Corbyn’s association with left-wing Jewshas itself been cited as evidence of his malice, while the BOD’s pledges includes the demand that Labour “engage with the Jewish community via its main representative groups, and not through fringe organizations.”
No ground should be given to such authoritarian blackmail. ….
… The main objective of the “Labour antisemitism” campaign was never to reduce antisemitism, but rather to bog Labour down in a time-consuming, soul-destroying internecine conflict. It succeeded because, for honorable as well as cynical reasons, Labour leaders allowed it to.
Yeah, I did read Finkelstein's analysis a while back and found no reason to dispute it. However while the Israel lobby played the divide within Labour effectively, I don't agree that they defeated Corbyn in the public mind. I do agree he was not sufficiently adept to control the narrative. I just see it as a side-issue in the minds of most voters.
It wasn't a side issue, it was a non-issue. The charges were ludicrous, fantastical from the beginning. I agree with you about Corbyn's ineptness: would you or anyone else here try to placate people accusing you of imaginary crimes the way Corbyn tried to placate his accusers? His passivity in the face of those mobs astonished Max Blumenthal when he visited Britain in 2015.
"The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke".
No it's not Dennis. I suggest you take a look at some of the investigative journalism thecanary.co has done on this issue. Accepting that this site has a left wing bias (how terrible) it has demonstrated that there is a mass of proof that Israel has lobbied long and hard against Corbyn.
But much worse, and probably much more damaging to Corbyn, is spelt out in the Labour Party report recently leaked. This shows that there were high-up Labour Party members who were willing to sabotage Corbyn winning the last election because they hated him and his somewhat radical left-wing policies.
They were willing to put an extreme right-wing idiot into power for 5 years and sabotage the (majority) anti-Brexit campaign simply to satisfy this Corbyn hatred.
Starmer's reaction-trying to shoot the messenger (the leaker(s))-rather than listen to the message says it all about him.
Corbyn and Sanders had heart. The right idea about the people when everyone else had lost themselves. They are heroes and will be looked to as such for ever.
They are also object lessons for any of us here who're ever tempted to imagine the task of a serious political leader is either easy or one that any of us could do better.
These meetings, and polling seen by Labour strategists, are telling them the public don’t want to hear knee-jerk criticism of the government.
And that precludes promoting vision and ideas that would contribute to "a radical overhaul of the economy and society"….how?
No need to debate the merits and demerits of the play being acted out by government – change the script in a way that captures the moment. Maybe that's a 'step beyond' for myopic tribalists who are lacking in imagination and only concerned with 'getting a turn' at playing boss?
Yeah, you put your finger on the problem alright. Those who get to have a political career as servants of the status quo while pretending to be progressive. Democracy keeps promoting the pretenders – because most voters are easily suckered.
Yeah, folks hate partisans. Being reasonable is the right way to go, but there are better ways to do that. You can actually be respectful and helpful while signalling the path to the future. I'm puzzled UK Labour is failing to comprehend this. Seems elementary.
Everything you are saying on this theme resonates with me strongly. In the current atmosphere reasonableness seems an quixotic, suicidal ask, but that will only make the small victories along the way, all the sweeter.
Do you have a link for that? I downloaded the app on to my Telstra only phone the other day. Telstra is Austalia's biggest network. The only problem is that I didn't have a working SIM on it and my older Samsung smartphone won't accept the app. Just over 3 million Aussies have downloaded the app so far, but no idea how many actually use it. Seems a bit fiddly and annoying. Can imagine that many won't bother or may give up if there are technological problems. Seems easier just keeping away from everybody and remembering who you have been close to. Rules are 1.5m distancing here, not 2 m like NZ. Wonder if Aussie coronaviruses can't jump as far?
"Behavioural economics looks at how people make decisions in the real world – warts, irrational biases and all – and applies this to public policy. Its signature policy is set out in the 2008 book Nudge, by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler. The central insight is that changing the way choices are presented to people can have a huge impact."
Haven't read it but I suspect nudges work via framing. The frame you create can focus the attention of others on whatever you want.
"Coming just as the financial crisis hit, Nudge was perfectly timed to achieve maximum traction by offering politicians the chance to reap savings through low-cost policy. Sunstein was quickly appointed to a senior job in the Obama administration, while David Cameron set up the behavioural insights team, dubbed the “nudge unit”, led by psychologist turned policy wonk David Halpern."
"The nudge unit has since had a mixed track record: there have been some real successes on pensions and tax payments but in other areas it’s been a bit of a damp squib. So I was surprised when Halpern popped up to talk about the government’s pandemic strategy in the press in early March. It was he who first publicly mentioned the idea of “herd immunity” as part of an effective response to Covid-19 (the government has since denied this was ever the strategy)." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/26/nudge-theory-is-a-poor-substitute-for-science-in-matters-of-life-or-death-coronavirus
"Halpern is reportedly on Sage, the government’s scientific advisory committee for emergencies, and he is also the government’s What Works national adviser, responsible for helping it apply evidence to public policy. So one might expect there to be something substantial behind the idea of behavioural fatigue."
Well, yes. Obviously the hundreds of breaches of the lockdown here, and consequent prosecutions, suggest there's behavioural fatigue out there in Aotearoa. "Goddam, I've been doing this isolation shit too long already, I'm tired of it."
"But evidence presented to government by the Sage behavioural subcommittee on 4 March, representing the views of a wider group of experts, was non-committal on the behavioural impact of a lockdown, noting that the empirical evidence on behavioural interventions in a pandemic is limited. Shortly after Halpern’s interviews, more than 600 behavioural economists wrote a letter questioning the evidence base for behavioural fatigue."
Clever buggers. The evidence is out there, but if nobody collects & collates it, then you can dismiss it as anecdotal. Social science 1.01 – and who wants to pay for the research? No govt would do that while mired in lockdown admin.
"“Behavioural fatigue is a nebulous concept,” the review’s authors later concluded in the Irish Times." Ah, smart move. Nobody does nebulous better than the Irish. Readers would resonate with the critique big-time.
The writer suggests "you understand that the Behavioural Insights Team is a multimillion-pound profitable company, which pays Halpern, who owns 7.5% of its shares, a bigger salary than the prime minister." You should. Psychologists with that much leverage in commerce and politics are extremely rare.
"The Washington Post, citing two people with knowledge of internal discussions, reported on Thursday that some officials had discussed the idea of canceling some of the massive U.S. debt held by China as a way to strike at Beijing for perceived shortfalls in its candidness on the COVID-19 pandemic."
Is self-testing even legitimate? If it's the same test used here I can't imagine people are going to do that to themselves with any degree of accuracy.
"Bridges has also drawn attention for repeatedly saying the confusing phrase “the medicine is worse than the cure”.
Advertising works if you keep repeating the message. He gets that part. The part he doesn't get is that the message is meant to sell something. The Leader of the Opposition is expected to sell the idea that the Opposition would make a better govt than the current one to the public. I don't see how telling them that the medicine is worse than the cure is gonna achieve that.
Kids learn that you endure the medicine to get the cure. Adults are supposed to have moved on from that phase. Wrestle with more complex problems. Politicians are meant to solve the difficult commonly-experienced problems. Perhaps his minders forgot to take off his training wheels?
Starmer cameunder criticism for not disclosing all his donors during the campaign itself, when Labour members were deciding who should replace Jeremy Corbyn.
The donation from Chinn was not registered until five days after Starmer won the election, although it was received in February.
Although there is no suggestion of illegality, Labour members may consider this a violation of their trust.
In 2018, Chinn co-hosted a high-profile celebration of the life of late Israeli president Chaim Herzog, attended by Israeli ambassador Mark Regev. Published photos show that Tony Blair also attended.
He can call himself Keir as much as he likes but this is the end for me. Just describing yourself as a Zionist, which is the same as being in favour of the conquest of India, is too much.
Apparently this is the Best the Democratic party can offer the world…although I guess it does illustrate just how shallow their pool of talent has become…what a joke.
I'm curious what you think you'll achieve by spamming the site with the same March 26 clip over and over again after others had also spammed us multiple previous times with it.
Nevertheless, if anyone's curious about the bigger picture but not enough to actually go looking, here's a piece that looks into the background of the allegations.
The author of your link is a shameless Democratic Party careerist and, not surprisingly, a Russiagate truther. He recently praised that empty bag of wind Pete Buttigieg: "Pete's intellect, empathy and ability to articulate his sound policies place him a cut above decades of politicians on both sides of the aisle."
No doubt this smear against Tara Reade will advance his own career.
Even if that were a fair assessment of the author, how does that affect the facts he's pointed to that raise red flags around the credibility of Reade's allegations?
Also, what purpose do you think is achieved by spamming this site over and over again with the same month-old clip?
He doesn't raise any red flags. All he does is try to smear her. I guess you have to admire his dogged persistence, given that he wrote his hit piece after the tape of her mother ringing up Larry King came to light.
Where have I "fulminated", Baggers? The only fulmination in this discussion, other than that by our friend Andre, is by Michael Stern, that former prosecutor-cum-Democratic Party careerist and conspiracy theorist.
Christ Andre! The guy starts off with a false sub-header. (Only rabid idiots have ever said we must blindly accept every allegation of sexual assault)
And in case you missed it, the #metoo movement has hardly covered itself in glory when it's come to Tara Reade. For example, see this piece on Time's Up.
The NYT took weeks to report on the story at all even though there is far more corroborating evidence for her allegation that there was for Christine Blasey Ford – and allowed the Biden team to edit their piece when they finally did run something.
Biden could put the entire thing to rest by having the seal broken on the University of Delaware files of his senatorial papers. (He has publicly refused to do that)
Trotting out nonsense about Russia in an attempt to discredit her is straight up fucking woeful.
It's not as if there are have not been other concerns raised about Biden's behaviour around women, right? And it's not as if the only time women claiming sexual harassment are to be taken seriously is when the allegation is against a perceived 'bad guy', right?
Anyway. I'm not a US voter, but the idea that a nation gets to choose between two alleged sexual predators for their president is …actually, I'm at a loss for words.
I think that anyone who is actually serious in examining these allegations ( unlike our Biden or bust boy here Andre) would do themselves more a service in reading the links provided below from from some serious jurno's instead of the Dem hack that speaks to and confirms Andres well known bias…
Of course what is really the problem here is Andre, just like many of his centrerist cohorts on this site are just to dishonest and spinless to come out and say what we all know they are thinking, yeah Biden could well be a rapist, but I still think he's is better than Trump…but then again after the way they all lost their shit over the kavanaugh rape allegations or the way they went feral on Assange allegations I guess they can't..LOL!!!…man talk about the chickens coming home to roost…it's fucking hilarious.
Ryan Grim: Dems Will Back Biden As Long As They Think He’ll Beat Trump
The allegations against Kavanaugh, Trump, Biden, and Clinton were all backed up with credible evidence. The ludicrous "allegations" against Assange were concocted by British and U.S. black ops.
Yes I agree with you (Assange was probably the wrong example) what I was getting at is that liberal MSM and their supporters like Andre have, and without even the slightest hint of embarrassment or even a blush, used one set of standards in reporting on the allegations against Kavanaugh, Trump etc than they have with these allegations against Biden, the blatant hypocrisy is just jaw dropping..
Na, the allegations against Assange were genuine enough – but the prosecution side of it in Sweden became political. The claim that requiring a guy to use a condom each time, or get consent each time, was part of a political entrapment is conspiracy theory and based on nothing more than the now ironic and embarrasing word association of wiki leak to lack of use of a condom.
In the real world, as opposed to the world of “Never Trump” Republican factionalists, Russiagate conspiracy theorists and Twitter trolls that you inhabit, WikiLeaks refers to the site that angered the U.S. and many other rogue states by revealing their crimes to the public.
RIP wikileaks the site for holding shitty governments to account. Such a promising youth with massive potential for brilliance, brought low by narcissism and power intoxication. Now a mere empty husk of what could have been.
Wikileaks hasn't faded because of any personal defects Assange may or may not have. Wikileaks has faded because corporate/liberal outlets and their journalists jumped on board with states and went all out to discredit and marginalise it as a credible source for news.
The idea that Assange is solely responsible for his own downfall, and the 'husking' of WikiLeaks, is convenient, but feeble.
'Narcissism' and 'power intoxication' descriptors are better directed at the leader of the country seeking to extradite Assange for his 'crimes'.
It is very much to Melzer’s credit that he admits that he was himself initially taken in by the propaganda campaign. He reveals that, in December 2018, he was asked by Assange’s lawyers to intervene. He declined:
"I was overloaded with other petitions and wasn’t really familiar with the case. My impression, largely influenced by the media, was also colored by the prejudice that Julian Assange was somehow guilty and that he wanted to manipulate me."
'Narcissism' and 'power intoxication' descriptors are better directed at the leader of the country seeking to extradite Assange for his 'crimes'.
Also directed. Not necessarily better directed. Which just adds to the irony of his actions to help boost the Douche ex Machina into the Oval Office.
Since Hillary and whomever she appointed to Attorney General would have been much more likely to agree with Holder and Obama's 2013 conclusion that the "New York Times problem" meant it would be against the interests of the US as a whole to go after him.
The U.S. authorities say he is wanted not because he embarrassed them but because he endangered informants, dissidents and rights activists in several countries, including Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan by illegal actions.
I'm sure if they all whinge just a few more days, Biden will pull out and only Sanders will reactivate his campaign and walk into the convention upon a path of rosepetals as the sole candidate for the dem nom. It is destiny.
@ McFlock, what the fuck are you talking about? what has this got to do with Sanders?…look if you think it's OK voting for an alleged rapist because he is a better sort of alleged rapist than the guy from the other party then just say so and stop beating round the damn bush..and don't blame us that your people are usually seriously dodgy in some way shape or form…it is just the natural result of selling out your principles and values for power…in case you hadn't noticed.
I've said repeatedly that it's not okay. Even less than 24hrs ago. But it is the situation: vote for Biden, or do nothing to get rid of Trump. Clear enough for you?
What you guys have never answered is "what do you you expect a US voter to do?" They have three options: vote Biden, vote Trump, or abstain/3rdparty (same diff: only helps the incumbent). No option is ideal, or even "okay". But whatever they do in November will be one of those three.
So please do me the courtesy of answering me as clearly as I answered you.
Amazing how easily some were convinced of the allegations of rape against Assange, yet find the allegations of known creep Biden so difficult to believe
Are these the same people who cried rape apologist! Women dont lie?
How depressingly partisan the whole thing is, no real underlying empathy, just point scoring
… some were convinced of the allegations of rape against Assange …
They weren't convinced of the allegations, francesca. Nobody who looks at that shameful business believes a word of those fantasies. As you rightly point out, it’s partisanship, and involves as much regard for the truth as supporting a sports team.
So, pointing to an article that discusses some relevant facts that were conveniently ignored in the one-sided story-making by hard-core Berners, and asking for clarification on the status of an unsourced assertion makes me a "camp guard"?
Cool bananas.
I'm still curious what you think will be achieved by spamming us with the same month-old clip over and over again.
I'm use to right wing trolls attempts at wit falling flat, but man that was sad.
My point was simple – argue the point, which is a case of sexual assault has been leveled at Biden. A pretty serious case, which you have been hell bent to undermine at every turn. Mostly with slurs and personal attacks, I'll give you it's a normal response for this sort of thing.
Rich McHugh (one of the journalists who has reported on Tara Reade's allegations) claims he has spoken to the National Archive, and they say they would not hold any such record.
Add that to the fact others have previously pointed out (before Biden's little diversion tactic), that the University of Delaware has Biden's congressional papers under seal, and that is where a filed report of sexual harassment would be held.
Biden or the University of Delaware could unseal the records, but seem hell bent on keeping them sealed until two years after Biden exits public life or some such.
So, a second-hand assertion that they would not be in the National Archives, one of the three places suggested so far where such a record, if one existed, might be stored. Not a refutation of the possibility that it might be stored within the Senate's own administrative system, as suggested by the letter Macro posted.
All journalism is second hand assertion now is it?
And when the National Archives say they have no such record, are you going to argue the University of Delaware lift the seal on their records, or run around forums like this one proclaiming Biden's innocence and Tara Reade's malevolence?
Well we shall await the advice back from the Secretary of the Senate with interest wont we.
Even if she was an intern, the employing authority would still be the Senate, and the immediate office for reporting such an occurrence would be the The Office of Fair Employment Practices
I've added the bold for those who are experiencing problems digesting pretty basic info….
And @UDelaware — which houses the collection of Joe Biden's senatorial papers — just confirmed to me that the papers "will remain closed to the public until two years after Mr. Biden retires from public life."
I've never worked for the US Senate, but everywhere I have worked in the US, personnel records have been kept very distinct from the records generated by my actual work.
To the extent that when the division I worked for was sold off to another company, my personnel records stayed with the original parent company, while all my engineering calc sheets, drawings, test reports etc went to the new owner.
So it's entirely plausible, probable even, that the personnel records for the staff in Biden's office are stored separately to the intellectual information generated by his work duties as a senator.
Which sounds plausible, until one considers whether the only copy of his senatorial paycheques are in his papers at Delaware. Is it more likely that HR stuff will kept by the senate, too? Including complaints?
Maybe parents are right to fear sending their children back to school or early learning centres. In the US a small number of children and other under 20s have died from C-19. There are also a minority of children with serious symptoms linked to C-19.
The problem is complicated because those under 20yrs in the US are not being tested. Some of the children with serious conditions are maybe being misdiagnosed with other conditions that have similar symptoms. Latino children are a significant proportion of children diagnosed with C-19.
80% or C-19 recorded deaths in the US are for people over 65yrs. At least 20 people under 20 yrs have died from C-19. In New York state by end April 30 C-19 positive children died and 56 were admitted to pediatric ICUs.
Doctors in several countries are reporting inflammatory syndromes in children linked to C-19. Symptoms include diarrhea, cough, fever, sore throats, vomiting, and can look like aseptic meningitis or Kawasaki disease.
The Guardian have picked up on this story as well.
In an article entitled 'European schools get ready to reopen despite concern about pupils spreading Covid-19, the writer points to Christian Drosten, 'a virologist and Germany’s leading coronavirus expert', has conducted research which 'found that the viral loads in children differed little from those in adults.'
'Drosten’s study, which was released this week, examined the viral loads in the throats of 3,721 people, including more than 100 children, who tested positive for coronavirus in Berlin between January and April.'
“The end result is as clear as glass,” Drosten said “Children do not have significantly different concentrations of the virus in their respiratory passages compared to adults.”
I wonder if our health experts are investigating this.
The research report referred to in Ed's Guardian article doesn't break it down by age specifically, but uses the term Kindergarten age youngest age group. It seems to be a German-based research, and in Germany, the kindergarten age is 3-6 years.
In that age group, 1749 children were tested, with 37 testing positive ie 2.10% of the group. This compares with 2.25% of 1-10 year olds. Compares with 6-11% approx of over 60s.
The Intercept article I linked to above, refers to the Covid research project in the US. It breaks the 1-10 ages down to 0-2 & 2-11yrs.
They have a chart showing the estimated numbers of under 2s positive for C-19 (83,333), and the numbers in a critical condition in ICUs (35); 2-11 year olds = estimated 11667 positive & 49 in ICUs
Whereas the attack rate in children seems to correspond to that in adults (2), it is obvious that children are under-represented in clinical studies and less frequently diagnosed due to mild or absent symptoms.
And
An estimate based on the number of symptomatic admissions in a specialist pediatric hospital assumes that thousands of pediatric cases were missed during the early phase of the Wuhan outbreak, at a time at which only ca. 10,0000 adult patients were registered (13). Because they are mostly asymptomatic, children may not be presented at testing centers even if they belong to households with a confirmed index case.
This
There are many other factors that complicate the determination of infection rates in, and transmission rates from children. For instance, the age profile during the early phase of the outbreak in many European countries makes it difficult to derive transmission rates from household contact studies. Early transmission clusters were started by travellers of adult age, making children less likely to be index cases in households (4). Another circumstance making children less likely to carry the virus into households is that kindergartens and schools were closed early in the outbreak in Germany.
So
These combined effects will cause children to be more likely to receive rather than spread infections in households for purely circumstantial reasons. This observation may be misunderstood as an indication of children being less infectious.
Which should lead to younger teachers overseeing the primary school age children during the on-line phase and pre schools using younger teachers only while the numbers are still small.
Maybe parents are right to fear sending their children back to school or early learning centres.
My fear with kids is somewhat more basic. This is an almost unknown disease that we're just starting to get information on. Like all unknown diseases or for that matter unknown drug or any unknown environmental change, it isn't just the obvious effects that you need to worry about. It is also the ones that haven't been picked up yet.
For instance blood clots with covid-19. In the hospitals on lifer supports. In the lungs. In young adults. And even in 'covid toes' of children.
These are all relatively immediate symptoms. But as a species we have no idea of where this disease is getting to or its full range of behaviours – especially over the longer term. After all we’ve only known about it for (at most) 4 and half months.
I was reading about an autopsy reports of residual covid-19 RNA in the lungs of a recovered patient (who died of something else). There wasn't anything about if it was active or not.
One of the things I've been worried about is if covid-19 is one of the stealth viruses. After all this damn thing has 30,000 base pairs – which for a virus is one hell of a lot of code, and presumably very little of it is unused because virus evolution tends to be ruthless about ‘junk’.. The host species, bats, are well known for how ferocious their immune systems are. As they'd have to be given their communal nesting habits.
You have to wonder about what the longer-term effects of having the virus are, and especially in a child that has 60+ years of life ahead of them.
Thank you lprent. I am but a simple teacher of languages, yet (or maybe because of that) I find your comment above most compelling evidence as to why we should wait, and not follow the short-sighted advice of those concerned mainly with commerce – eg, dear young Simon Bridges and his supporting cortège…. (Not sure whether I got the right French word there. Time will tell.)
So if schools remain closed when we move to the next level – what do those families who have all adults working do ?
Unfortunately when we reach level 2 – a consequence will be schools and ECE centres opening – due to necessity. An unfortunate consequence of our economic system that requires multi incomes to sustain a family.
Extend lock down and Labour replicates the 2013 team NZ sailing: losing what is "Not Losable".
Barfly he would complain if the Coalition put forward such a Stupid Policy.Goldsmith would be saying why should viable non subsidized businesses tax be going to failing businesses.
I don't quite get this one – does anybody know anything more? Is the NZ government subsidising overseas airlines ( some state owned with no profit incentives)? Are these markets that Airnz is unable to fly to for some reason? Yes we need to get the goods home and away but use our own carrier first?
For those who are interested, here is a list of some countries and their Covid-19 tests per one million population. New Zealand's testing rate is quite impressive.
Israel 42,108
Italy 33,962
Spain 32,699
Ireland 31,179
Germany 30,400
New Zealand 30,191
Russia 25,354
Singapore 24,600
Australia 23,770
Canada 22,050
USA 20,241
UK 15,082
South Korea 12,153
Sweden 11,833
Saudi Arabia 9,392
Iran 5,656
South Africa 3,668
Taiwan 2,659
Pakistan 878
India 708
The complete list of countries and their stats are on the worldometer website.
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Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
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. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
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"Labour leftwingers have been frustrated at the party’s refusal to seize on the crisis as a moment to propose a radical overhaul of the economy and society. Jon Trickett, now relegated to the backbenches from his position of shadow cabinet office minister, says: “The country’s crying out for a longer-term vision. We need to map out a great vision for the kind of new normal that can exist after this pandemic."" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/01/labour-keir-starmer-coronavirus-covid-19-new-era
I agree with the UK leftists. Which hardly ever happens. I get that the new Labour leader prefers a cautious approach, and it is indeed understandable that in these fraught times Sir Keir would rather not hit the ground running. Problem is, the opposition is there to provide a viable alternative to the govt. There's a real danger the public will get irritated by the lack thereof. Timidity is a prescription for failure.
"These meetings, and polling seen by Labour strategists, are telling them the public don’t want to hear knee-jerk criticism of the government. “The approach we’re getting from the public is, ‘All of us need to be together, getting through this,’” said a party source."
Yeah, folks hate partisans. Being reasonable is the right way to go, but there are better ways to do that. You can actually be respectful and helpful while signalling the path to the future. I'm puzzled UK Labour is failing to comprehend this. Seems elementary.
I get that the new Labour leader prefers a cautious approach….
???? Caving in to ceaseless bullying by the most brutal and implacable pressure group on earth is not "cautious". There are other "c" words to describe such a person: careerist, cynical, compromised….
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/keir-starmer-tilts-labour-sharply-towards-israel
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/union-demands-keir-starmer-clamps-down-on-anticorbyn-wreckers-after-leaked-report-sparks-major-party-row-73838
https://twitter.com/Jackiew80333500/status/1256134369955188736
So he's a zionist, eh? Well, that does change my view of him for the worse. A lot. But I presume Trump will thump the table with glee when he discovers it, and acclaim him as a sensible leftist.
The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke. He got done by the electorate in the usual Shakespearean fashion (character flaws). His own worst enemy. Like Sanders, his inner narcissist prevailed over his political acumen. How many times did I express my wish here that they would realise socialism will only fly with younger generations if it is reframed to suit the new millennium? I lost count. Their intellectual laziness doomed them.
So he's a zionist, eh?
No, he's a supporter—however reluctantly, under a horrendous amount of pressure—of the state of Israel. The distinction is important.
The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke.
???? Your assessment is at odds with the facts. The initial attempts to ridicule and marginalize Corbyn—"Traingate", the sneering at his riding a bicycle, the scoffing his dress sense, and the attempts to portray him as a "traitor"—all failed to gain any traction.
Then the fantastical denunciations really started. Jamie Stern-Weiner sums it up:
Yeah, I did read Finkelstein's analysis a while back and found no reason to dispute it. However while the Israel lobby played the divide within Labour effectively, I don't agree that they defeated Corbyn in the public mind. I do agree he was not sufficiently adept to control the narrative. I just see it as a side-issue in the minds of most voters.
It wasn't a side issue, it was a non-issue. The charges were ludicrous, fantastical from the beginning. I agree with you about Corbyn's ineptness: would you or anyone else here try to placate people accusing you of imaginary crimes the way Corbyn tried to placate his accusers? His passivity in the face of those mobs astonished Max Blumenthal when he visited Britain in 2015.
"The idea that the Israel lobby slaughtered Corbyn is a joke".
No it's not Dennis. I suggest you take a look at some of the investigative journalism thecanary.co has done on this issue. Accepting that this site has a left wing bias (how terrible) it has demonstrated that there is a mass of proof that Israel has lobbied long and hard against Corbyn.
But much worse, and probably much more damaging to Corbyn, is spelt out in the Labour Party report recently leaked. This shows that there were high-up Labour Party members who were willing to sabotage Corbyn winning the last election because they hated him and his somewhat radical left-wing policies.
They were willing to put an extreme right-wing idiot into power for 5 years and sabotage the (majority) anti-Brexit campaign simply to satisfy this Corbyn hatred.
Starmer's reaction-trying to shoot the messenger (the leaker(s))-rather than listen to the message says it all about him.
I tried but couldn't see any. Their front page features contained no current stuff. Strange. I did find this, which is a reasonable analysis: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2020/04/25/as-the-dust-settles-over-the-corbyn-and-sanders-era-we-must-remember-one-crucial-reality/
You have to look through their historical stuff.
Corbyn and Sanders had heart. The right idea about the people when everyone else had lost themselves. They are heroes and will be looked to as such for ever.
And character.
They are also object lessons for any of us here who're ever tempted to imagine the task of a serious political leader is either easy or one that any of us could do better.
These meetings, and polling seen by Labour strategists, are telling them the public don’t want to hear knee-jerk criticism of the government.
And that precludes promoting vision and ideas that would contribute to "a radical overhaul of the economy and society"….how?
No need to debate the merits and demerits of the play being acted out by government – change the script in a way that captures the moment. Maybe that's a 'step beyond' for myopic tribalists who are lacking in imagination and only concerned with 'getting a turn' at playing boss?
Yeah, you put your finger on the problem alright. Those who get to have a political career as servants of the status quo while pretending to be progressive. Democracy keeps promoting the pretenders – because most voters are easily suckered.
Yeah, folks hate partisans. Being reasonable is the right way to go, but there are better ways to do that. You can actually be respectful and helpful while signalling the path to the future. I'm puzzled UK Labour is failing to comprehend this. Seems elementary.
Everything you are saying on this theme resonates with me strongly. In the current atmosphere reasonableness seems an quixotic, suicidal ask, but that will only make the small victories along the way, all the sweeter.
Australias mobile tracing app doesn't work on Australias largest network plus other problems especially with I phones.
Do you have a link for that? I downloaded the app on to my Telstra only phone the other day. Telstra is Austalia's biggest network. The only problem is that I didn't have a working SIM on it and my older Samsung smartphone won't accept the app. Just over 3 million Aussies have downloaded the app so far, but no idea how many actually use it. Seems a bit fiddly and annoying. Can imagine that many won't bother or may give up if there are technological problems. Seems easier just keeping away from everybody and remembering who you have been close to. Rules are 1.5m distancing here, not 2 m like NZ. Wonder if Aussie coronaviruses can't jump as far?
The heat slows em down. 🙂
Horeskin will be demanding we adopt it immediately.
"Behavioural economics looks at how people make decisions in the real world – warts, irrational biases and all – and applies this to public policy. Its signature policy is set out in the 2008 book Nudge, by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler. The central insight is that changing the way choices are presented to people can have a huge impact."
Haven't read it but I suspect nudges work via framing. The frame you create can focus the attention of others on whatever you want.
"Coming just as the financial crisis hit, Nudge was perfectly timed to achieve maximum traction by offering politicians the chance to reap savings through low-cost policy. Sunstein was quickly appointed to a senior job in the Obama administration, while David Cameron set up the behavioural insights team, dubbed the “nudge unit”, led by psychologist turned policy wonk David Halpern."
"The nudge unit has since had a mixed track record: there have been some real successes on pensions and tax payments but in other areas it’s been a bit of a damp squib. So I was surprised when Halpern popped up to talk about the government’s pandemic strategy in the press in early March. It was he who first publicly mentioned the idea of “herd immunity” as part of an effective response to Covid-19 (the government has since denied this was ever the strategy)." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/26/nudge-theory-is-a-poor-substitute-for-science-in-matters-of-life-or-death-coronavirus
"Halpern is reportedly on Sage, the government’s scientific advisory committee for emergencies, and he is also the government’s What Works national adviser, responsible for helping it apply evidence to public policy. So one might expect there to be something substantial behind the idea of behavioural fatigue."
Well, yes. Obviously the hundreds of breaches of the lockdown here, and consequent prosecutions, suggest there's behavioural fatigue out there in Aotearoa. "Goddam, I've been doing this isolation shit too long already, I'm tired of it."
"But evidence presented to government by the Sage behavioural subcommittee on 4 March, representing the views of a wider group of experts, was non-committal on the behavioural impact of a lockdown, noting that the empirical evidence on behavioural interventions in a pandemic is limited. Shortly after Halpern’s interviews, more than 600 behavioural economists wrote a letter questioning the evidence base for behavioural fatigue."
Clever buggers. The evidence is out there, but if nobody collects & collates it, then you can dismiss it as anecdotal. Social science 1.01 – and who wants to pay for the research? No govt would do that while mired in lockdown admin.
"“Behavioural fatigue is a nebulous concept,” the review’s authors later concluded in the Irish Times." Ah, smart move. Nobody does nebulous better than the Irish. Readers would resonate with the critique big-time.
The writer suggests "you understand that the Behavioural Insights Team is a multimillion-pound profitable company, which pays Halpern, who owns 7.5% of its shares, a bigger salary than the prime minister." You should. Psychologists with that much leverage in commerce and politics are extremely rare.
Global reserve currency?
"The Washington Post, citing two people with knowledge of internal discussions, reported on Thursday that some officials had discussed the idea of canceling some of the massive U.S. debt held by China as a way to strike at Beijing for perceived shortfalls in its candidness on the COVID-19 pandemic."
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/05/01/business/01reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-china.html
the criminally insane running the asylum have stopped taking their medication.
That would involve risk of higher cost of debt when issuing future boinds – it also implies USA QE is open-ended.
would involve more risk than that….it would collapse all markets.
If the US decided to arbitrarily not honour its bonds they become worthless and consequently who would wish to hold them?
It implies (should they do so) that the US is going full autarky…no trade with outside world.
An alternative would eventually be found but the damage meantime would make covid look like a stroll in the park.
But possibly even more concerning is grand scale defaults such as that would be, precede and provoke wars.
It would appear that Boris Johnson and his motley crew are tinkering with the numbers again.
First, they did not count COVID deaths in rest homes and at home. Now they are creating magical figures for testing.
Donald Trump's U.S is the pits.
And Boris Johnson's U.K. is chasing it hard as a rogue nation.
Government counts mailouts to hit 100,000 testing target
Is self-testing even legitimate? If it's the same test used here I can't imagine people are going to do that to themselves with any degree of accuracy.
I doubt it is Muttonbird, but just an easy way for the govt to do "something".
Justin Trudeau: "There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada."
He was talking, slowly and solemnly and not in blackface on this occasion, about assault weapons. The place to use them is, of course, Venezuela.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-announces-53-million-in-aid-for-venezuela-and-refugees/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-04/trudeau-backs-guaido-and-pledges-aid-for-venezuelan-transition
I love that Stuff headline, "Simon Bridges wants lockdown to end now.", he comes across as an unreasonable toddler.
"Bridges has also drawn attention for repeatedly saying the confusing phrase “the medicine is worse than the cure”.
Advertising works if you keep repeating the message. He gets that part. The part he doesn't get is that the message is meant to sell something. The Leader of the Opposition is expected to sell the idea that the Opposition would make a better govt than the current one to the public. I don't see how telling them that the medicine is worse than the cure is gonna achieve that.
Kids learn that you endure the medicine to get the cure. Adults are supposed to have moved on from that phase. Wrestle with more complex problems. Politicians are meant to solve the difficult commonly-experienced problems. Perhaps his minders forgot to take off his training wheels?
He's just showing how ineffective he is by his shouting, "liberate Tauranga" & no one is listening.
Israel lobbyist funded Labour’s new leader
by ASA WINSTANLEY, 22 April 2020
A multi-millionaire pro-Israel lobbyist donated $62,000 to help Keir Starmer win the UK Labour Party’s leadership election, it was revealed last week.
The official register of lawmakers’ financial interests shows that Trevor Chinn donated the sum as part of Starmer’s leadership campaign.
During the campaign Starmer said “I support Zionism without qualification.” Since his election he hastilted the party sharply towards Israel.
Starmer came under criticism for not disclosing all his donors during the campaign itself, when Labour members were deciding who should replace Jeremy Corbyn.
The donation from Chinn was not registered until five days after Starmer won the election, although it was received in February.
Although there is no suggestion of illegality, Labour members may consider this a violation of their trust.
Trevor Chinn
A retired auto industry mogul, Chinn has in the past funded both Labour Friends of Israel andConservative Friends of Israel.
He also plays a leading role in the Israel lobby groups BICOM and the Jewish Leadership Council.
In 2018, Chinn co-hosted a high-profile celebration of the life of late Israeli president Chaim Herzog, attended by Israeli ambassador Mark Regev. Published photos show that Tony Blair also attended.
Read more….
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-lobbyist-funded-labours-new-leader
He can call himself Keir as much as he likes but this is the end for me. Just describing yourself as a Zionist, which is the same as being in favour of the conquest of India, is too much.
Kim Jong Un is up and about, apparently.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1256347431240900611
North Korea is an easy source of shock horror stories to generate clickbate and feed gullible minds on junk
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-04-28/a-look-at-past-disappearances-of-nkorean-leaders-officials
North Korea, and (up until Mueller's disastrous showing at those farcical Congressional hearings) the Russiagate conspiracy.
Something for the Dear Leader to read as he recuperates. In fact, everyone should read this, or at least marvel at the beauty of the artwork….
https://archive.org/details/LittleNemo1905-1914ByWinsorMccay/page/n5/mode/2up
Apparently this is the Best the Democratic party can offer the world…although I guess it does illustrate just how shallow their pool of talent has become…what a joke.
Biden’s Touching Behavior
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/joe-bidens-history-touching-women/
Here are all the times Joe Biden has been accused of acting inappropriately toward women and girls
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/joe-biden-allegations-women-2020-campaign-2019-6?r=US&IR=T
John Stewart Calls Out Joe Biden For Groping in 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uGBRDcJESQ
(Creepy) joe Biden accuser Tara Reade speaks out….
I'm curious what you think you'll achieve by spamming the site with the same March 26 clip over and over again after others had also spammed us multiple previous times with it.
Nevertheless, if anyone's curious about the bigger picture but not enough to actually go looking, here's a piece that looks into the background of the allegations.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/04/29/joe-biden-sexual-assault-allegation-tara-reade-column/3046962001/
The author of your link is a shameless Democratic Party careerist and, not surprisingly, a Russiagate truther. He recently praised that empty bag of wind Pete Buttigieg: "Pete's intellect, empathy and ability to articulate his sound policies place him a cut above decades of politicians on both sides of the aisle."
No doubt this smear against Tara Reade will advance his own career.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/03/02/pete-buttigieg-exits-presidential-race-lgbt-yes-you-can-column/4928399002/
So?
Even if that were a fair assessment of the author, how does that affect the facts he's pointed to that raise red flags around the credibility of Reade's allegations?
Also, what purpose do you think is achieved by spamming this site over and over again with the same month-old clip?
He doesn't raise any red flags. All he does is try to smear her. I guess you have to admire his dogged persistence, given that he wrote his hit piece after the tape of her mother ringing up Larry King came to light.
The yankers will end up with a bigmoney guy as prez no matter how much you fulminate.
Where have I "fulminated", Baggers? The only fulmination in this discussion, other than that by our friend Andre, is by Michael Stern, that former prosecutor-cum-Democratic Party careerist and conspiracy theorist.
Christ Andre! The guy starts off with a false sub-header. (Only rabid idiots have ever said we must blindly accept every allegation of sexual assault)
And in case you missed it, the #metoo movement has hardly covered itself in glory when it's come to Tara Reade. For example, see this piece on Time's Up.
The NYT took weeks to report on the story at all even though there is far more corroborating evidence for her allegation that there was for Christine Blasey Ford – and allowed the Biden team to edit their piece when they finally did run something.
Biden could put the entire thing to rest by having the seal broken on the University of Delaware files of his senatorial papers. (He has publicly refused to do that)
Trotting out nonsense about Russia in an attempt to discredit her is straight up fucking woeful.
It's not as if there are have not been other concerns raised about Biden's behaviour around women, right? And it's not as if the only time women claiming sexual harassment are to be taken seriously is when the allegation is against a perceived 'bad guy', right?
Anyway. I'm not a US voter, but the idea that a nation gets to choose between two alleged sexual predators for their president is …actually, I'm at a loss for words.
I think that anyone who is actually serious in examining these allegations ( unlike our Biden or bust boy here Andre) would do themselves more a service in reading the links provided below from from some serious jurno's instead of the Dem hack that speaks to and confirms Andres well known bias…
Ryan Grim
https://theintercept.com/2020/03/24/joe-biden-metoo-times-up/
https://theintercept.com/2020/04/24/new-evidence-tara-reade-joe-biden/
Rich McHugh
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/former-neighbor-corroborates-joe-bidens-accuser-2020-4?r=US&IR=T
Of course what is really the problem here is Andre, just like many of his centrerist cohorts on this site are just to dishonest and spinless to come out and say what we all know they are thinking, yeah Biden could well be a rapist, but I still think he's is better than Trump…but then again after the way they all lost their shit over the kavanaugh rape allegations or the way they went feral on Assange allegations I guess they can't..LOL!!!…man talk about the chickens coming home to roost…it's fucking hilarious.
Ryan Grim: Dems Will Back Biden As Long As They Think He’ll Beat Trump
https://therealnews.com/stories/ryan-grim-democrats-back-biden-trump-hillary-clinton-endorse
… the way they went feral on Assange allegations…
The allegations against Kavanaugh, Trump, Biden, and Clinton were all backed up with credible evidence. The ludicrous "allegations" against Assange were concocted by British and U.S. black ops.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/22/brazils-greenwald-prosecution-evokes-assanges-continued-imprisonment-uk-say
Yes I agree with you (Assange was probably the wrong example) what I was getting at is that liberal MSM and their supporters like Andre have, and without even the slightest hint of embarrassment or even a blush, used one set of standards in reporting on the allegations against Kavanaugh, Trump etc than they have with these allegations against Biden, the blatant hypocrisy is just jaw dropping..
Na, the allegations against Assange were genuine enough – but the prosecution side of it in Sweden became political. The claim that requiring a guy to use a condom each time, or get consent each time, was part of a political entrapment is conspiracy theory and based on nothing more than the now ironic and embarrasing word association of wiki leak to lack of use of a condom.
You really need to do some reading, my friend. And thinking.
Just a few months ago, you were posting humane and thoughtful views on this outrage. Why the change?
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28-11-2019/#comment-1669458
your first post
The claims against your hero are non existent but others are all credible – yeah sure. Right. Got it.
Your edited second post
And the old, we who are better read and who do more thinking are right – so there. An all time classic.
Your edited third post
My opine has not changed. My politiical support for Assange is not influenced by the events in Sweden.
No you haven't "got it", at all. Your representation of my views is as devoid of merit as your NewstalkZB level comments on the case.
A wikileak now refers to condom malfunction or absence?
*checks Urban Dictionary*
Well, waddaya know, indeed it does.
In the real world, as opposed to the world of “Never Trump” Republican factionalists, Russiagate conspiracy theorists and Twitter trolls that you inhabit, WikiLeaks refers to the site that angered the U.S. and many other rogue states by revealing their crimes to the public.
RIP wikileaks the site for holding shitty governments to account. Such a promising youth with massive potential for brilliance, brought low by narcissism and power intoxication. Now a mere empty husk of what could have been.
Wikileaks hasn't faded because of any personal defects Assange may or may not have. Wikileaks has faded because corporate/liberal outlets and their journalists jumped on board with states and went all out to discredit and marginalise it as a credible source for news.
The idea that Assange is solely responsible for his own downfall, and the 'husking' of WikiLeaks, is convenient, but feeble.
'Narcissism' and 'power intoxication' descriptors are better directed at the leader of the country seeking to extradite Assange for his 'crimes'.
'Narcissism' and 'power intoxication' descriptors are better directed at the leader of the country seeking to extradite Assange for his 'crimes'.
Also directed. Not necessarily better directed. Which just adds to the irony of his actions to help boost the Douche ex Machina into the Oval Office.
Since Hillary and whomever she appointed to Attorney General would have been much more likely to agree with Holder and Obama's 2013 conclusion that the "New York Times problem" meant it would be against the interests of the US as a whole to go after him.
The establishment would never forgive Assange for showing up the true nature of imperialism.
https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/julian-assanges-life-is-in-danger-in-london-prison-partner-says/
So their legal action was in the service of humanity – so there …
As to the consequences for women in Afghanistan (US support for the mujahadeen takeover) and Iraq (US invasion) since secular regimes were deposed ….
I'm sure if they all whinge just a few more days, Biden will pull out and only Sanders will reactivate his campaign and walk into the convention upon a path of rosepetals as the sole candidate for the dem nom. It is destiny.
@ McFlock, what the fuck are you talking about? what has this got to do with Sanders?…look if you think it's OK voting for an alleged rapist because he is a better sort of alleged rapist than the guy from the other party then just say so and stop beating round the damn bush..and don't blame us that your people are usually seriously dodgy in some way shape or form…it is just the natural result of selling out your principles and values for power…in case you hadn't noticed.
I've said repeatedly that it's not okay. Even less than 24hrs ago. But it is the situation: vote for Biden, or do nothing to get rid of Trump. Clear enough for you?
What you guys have never answered is "what do you you expect a US voter to do?" They have three options: vote Biden, vote Trump, or abstain/3rdparty (same diff: only helps the incumbent). No option is ideal, or even "okay". But whatever they do in November will be one of those three.
So please do me the courtesy of answering me as clearly as I answered you.
Perhaps you should read this:
The filed allegation would be in the sealed files of the University of Delaware, not the National Archives.
Amazing how easily some were convinced of the allegations of rape against Assange, yet find the allegations of known creep Biden so difficult to believe
Are these the same people who cried rape apologist! Women dont lie?
How depressingly partisan the whole thing is, no real underlying empathy, just point scoring
… some were convinced of the allegations of rape against Assange …
They weren't convinced of the allegations, francesca. Nobody who looks at that shameful business believes a word of those fantasies. As you rightly point out, it’s partisanship, and involves as much regard for the truth as supporting a sports team.
How depressingly partisan the whole thing is, no real underlying empathy, just point scoring
I think that's about all that needs saying. Thank you.
Is that independently verifiable fact, opinion, unsubstantiated assertion, or something else?
Mate you would make the most awesome camp guard…no training needed for this guy, he's perfect right out of the box!.
So, pointing to an article that discusses some relevant facts that were conveniently ignored in the one-sided story-making by hard-core Berners, and asking for clarification on the status of an unsourced assertion makes me a "camp guard"?
Cool bananas.
I'm still curious what you think will be achieved by spamming us with the same month-old clip over and over again.
"hard-core berners" – that right wing smear again.
But have you actually got anything but your usual slurs?
If I was motivated, I could come up with a lot more slurs than just that. But you're not worth it.
I'm use to right wing trolls attempts at wit falling flat, but man that was sad.
My point was simple – argue the point, which is a case of sexual assault has been leveled at Biden. A pretty serious case, which you have been hell bent to undermine at every turn. Mostly with slurs and personal attacks, I'll give you it's a normal response for this sort of thing.
Rich McHugh (one of the journalists who has reported on Tara Reade's allegations) claims he has spoken to the National Archive, and they say they would not hold any such record.
That's at the 11min 20sec mark in this Democracy Now interview.
Add that to the fact others have previously pointed out (before Biden's little diversion tactic), that the University of Delaware has Biden's congressional papers under seal, and that is where a filed report of sexual harassment would be held.
Biden or the University of Delaware could unseal the records, but seem hell bent on keeping them sealed until two years after Biden exits public life or some such.
So, a second-hand assertion that they would not be in the National Archives, one of the three places suggested so far where such a record, if one existed, might be stored. Not a refutation of the possibility that it might be stored within the Senate's own administrative system, as suggested by the letter Macro posted.
All journalism is second hand assertion now is it?
And when the National Archives say they have no such record, are you going to argue the University of Delaware lift the seal on their records, or run around forums like this one proclaiming Biden's innocence and Tara Reade's malevolence?
Andre, the Left that requires the approval of the powerful, isn't.
Well we shall await the advice back from the Secretary of the Senate with interest wont we.
Even if she was an intern, the employing authority would still be the Senate, and the immediate office for reporting such an occurrence would be the The Office of Fair Employment Practices
I've added the bold for those who are experiencing problems digesting pretty basic info….
And @UDelaware — which houses the collection of Joe Biden's senatorial papers — just confirmed to me that the papers "will remain closed to the public until two years after Mr. Biden retires from public life."
I've never worked for the US Senate, but everywhere I have worked in the US, personnel records have been kept very distinct from the records generated by my actual work.
To the extent that when the division I worked for was sold off to another company, my personnel records stayed with the original parent company, while all my engineering calc sheets, drawings, test reports etc went to the new owner.
So it's entirely plausible, probable even, that the personnel records for the staff in Biden's office are stored separately to the intellectual information generated by his work duties as a senator.
Which sounds plausible, until one considers whether the only copy of his senatorial paycheques are in his papers at Delaware. Is it more likely that HR stuff will kept by the senate, too? Including complaints?
Maybe parents are right to fear sending their children back to school or early learning centres. In the US a small number of children and other under 20s have died from C-19. There are also a minority of children with serious symptoms linked to C-19.
The problem is complicated because those under 20yrs in the US are not being tested. Some of the children with serious conditions are maybe being misdiagnosed with other conditions that have similar symptoms. Latino children are a significant proportion of children diagnosed with C-19.
Intercept article:
80% or C-19 recorded deaths in the US are for people over 65yrs. At least 20 people under 20 yrs have died from C-19. In New York state by end April 30 C-19 positive children died and 56 were admitted to pediatric ICUs.
Doctors in several countries are reporting inflammatory syndromes in children linked to C-19. Symptoms include diarrhea, cough, fever, sore throats, vomiting, and can look like aseptic meningitis or Kawasaki disease.
The Guardian have picked up on this story as well.
In an article entitled 'European schools get ready to reopen despite concern about pupils spreading Covid-19, the writer points to Christian Drosten, 'a virologist and Germany’s leading coronavirus expert', has conducted research which 'found that the viral loads in children differed little from those in adults.'
'Drosten’s study, which was released this week, examined the viral loads in the throats of 3,721 people, including more than 100 children, who tested positive for coronavirus in Berlin between January and April.'
“The end result is as clear as glass,” Drosten said “Children do not have significantly different concentrations of the virus in their respiratory passages compared to adults.”
I wonder if our health experts are investigating this.
Link to Guardian article is here.
How many under 5?
The research report referred to in Ed's Guardian article doesn't break it down by age specifically, but uses the term Kindergarten age youngest age group. It seems to be a German-based research, and in Germany, the kindergarten age is 3-6 years.
In that age group, 1749 children were tested, with 37 testing positive ie 2.10% of the group. This compares with 2.25% of 1-10 year olds. Compares with 6-11% approx of over 60s.
The Intercept article I linked to above, refers to the Covid research project in the US. It breaks the 1-10 ages down to 0-2 & 2-11yrs.
They have a chart showing the estimated numbers of under 2s positive for C-19 (83,333), and the numbers in a critical condition in ICUs (35); 2-11 year olds = estimated 11667 positive & 49 in ICUs
From the account
And
This
So
Which should lead to younger teachers overseeing the primary school age children during the on-line phase and pre schools using younger teachers only while the numbers are still small.
My fear with kids is somewhat more basic. This is an almost unknown disease that we're just starting to get information on. Like all unknown diseases or for that matter unknown drug or any unknown environmental change, it isn't just the obvious effects that you need to worry about. It is also the ones that haven't been picked up yet.
For instance blood clots with covid-19. In the hospitals on lifer supports. In the lungs. In young adults. And even in 'covid toes' of children.
These are all relatively immediate symptoms. But as a species we have no idea of where this disease is getting to or its full range of behaviours – especially over the longer term. After all we’ve only known about it for (at most) 4 and half months.
I was reading about an autopsy reports of residual covid-19 RNA in the lungs of a recovered patient (who died of something else). There wasn't anything about if it was active or not.
One of the things I've been worried about is if covid-19 is one of the stealth viruses. After all this damn thing has 30,000 base pairs – which for a virus is one hell of a lot of code, and presumably very little of it is unused because virus evolution tends to be ruthless about ‘junk’.. The host species, bats, are well known for how ferocious their immune systems are. As they'd have to be given their communal nesting habits.
You have to wonder about what the longer-term effects of having the virus are, and especially in a child that has 60+ years of life ahead of them.
Thank you lprent. I am but a simple teacher of languages, yet (or maybe because of that) I find your comment above most compelling evidence as to why we should wait, and not follow the short-sighted advice of those concerned mainly with commerce – eg, dear young Simon Bridges and his supporting cortège…. (Not sure whether I got the right French word there. Time will tell.)
So if schools remain closed when we move to the next level – what do those families who have all adults working do ?
Unfortunately when we reach level 2 – a consequence will be schools and ECE centres opening – due to necessity. An unfortunate consequence of our economic system that requires multi incomes to sustain a family.
Extend lock down and Labour replicates the 2013 team NZ sailing: losing what is "Not Losable".
Paul Goldsmith now making a Dick of himself by saying cash should be given to failing businesses only
Since When have National ever supported this strategy.Canterbury Earthquakes No.Droughts No.GFC No.
Never before desperation setting in for National !
Perhaps Goldsmith is thinking the National Party is a"business"?
Barfly he would complain if the Coalition put forward such a Stupid Policy.Goldsmith would be saying why should viable non subsidized businesses tax be going to failing businesses.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/121386102/coronavirus-cargo-flights-could-be-used-to-repatriate-kiwis-stuck-overseas
I don't quite get this one – does anybody know anything more? Is the NZ government subsidising overseas airlines ( some state owned with no profit incentives)? Are these markets that Airnz is unable to fly to for some reason? Yes we need to get the goods home and away but use our own carrier first?
Cargo orientated planes I would imagine are limited in number
This has been doing the rounds…
The headline doesn't really match the story. Looks like 380 complaints out of total of 991 are still active.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/415651/few-level-3-business-breaches-despite-almost-1000-complaints-this-week-association
Gotta say, Radio NZ is a national treasure. "Music 101" is such a cool programme. Today they're playing a Breaks Co-op concert from Leigh in 2007(ish)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national
A comparison – German efficiency and the UK in Sars Cov2 testing.
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/germany-covid-19-masterclass-testing-tracing-uk
Pablo’s always an interesting read.
http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2020/05/thinking-of-a-post-pandemic-future/
Good read, it's encouraging how many people are rediscovering geopolitics.
Thanks for the link, I read a few of his essays.
Good food for thought.
For those who are interested, here is a list of some countries and their Covid-19 tests per one million population. New Zealand's testing rate is quite impressive.
Israel 42,108
Italy 33,962
Spain 32,699
Ireland 31,179
Germany 30,400
New Zealand 30,191
Russia 25,354
Singapore 24,600
Australia 23,770
Canada 22,050
USA 20,241
UK 15,082
South Korea 12,153
Sweden 11,833
Saudi Arabia 9,392
Iran 5,656
South Africa 3,668
Taiwan 2,659
Pakistan 878
India 708
The complete list of countries and their stats are on the worldometer website.