The ongoing massacres in Gaza are too shocking for words.
The world is demanding a ceasefire.
Someone needs to tell the US backers of Israel that ceasefire, means ceasefire.
Under the truce negotiated by the US, Israel reserved the right to continue their military offensive against the Palestinian tunnels.
This was a recipe for disaster.
As you would expect the Palestinian defenders resisted the destruction of the tunnels, exchanging fire with the Israeli attackers. To which the Israelis responded by restarting their shelling of civilian areas.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment but media reports said the shelling began after Hamas fighters exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers on a mission to destroy infiltration tunnels.
Under the terms of the partial truce, the fighting should have been restricted to the tunnels. But even though there were no reports of Israeli casualties in the ‘exchange of gunfire’. In revenge at the return gunfire, Israel resumed shelling of civilian areas, killing 40.
In response to this massacre, conducted outside the conditions of the partial truce, Palestinians resumed their rocket fire on Israel, launching 8 unguided projectiles at Israel, which as usual proved ineffective, seven landing in open areas and one being intercepted by Israel’s hi tech. ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence system.
As well as shelling and bombing civilian areas, the Israelis as they have done in past attacks and continue to do, have been targeting the territory’s infrastructure, and have destroyed the territory’s only power station leaving 1.5 million city dwellers without electricity. The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure including farms, alongside the permanent blockade restricting the entry of food and medicine amounts to a slow motion genocide. UN reports are that the destruction of the water and waste water systems by Israel is causing sickness and death in the blockaded territory. And the UN also report that the amount of food available to the citizens of Gaza is approaching famine levels with over 61% facing severe food insecurity. And this was even before the latest hostilities erupted.
Israel must stop their brutal attacks on civilians and lift their illegal blockade, or be found guilty of conducting genocide against the Palestinians.
Our Government need to warn the Israelis that we will cut off all diplomatic ties.
And if the government won’t do it then the opposition parties should promise it.
Hamas fired at IDF forces in southern Gaza at 9:30 this morning in violation of the humanitarian ceasefire. IDF soldier suspected kidnapped.
The IDF were given the right to carry on military operations against the tunnels under the terms of the US arranged ceasefire. I understand that.
According to the IDF and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the terms of this ceasefire agreement, the Palestinians defending these tunnels were also supposed to disarm themselves and allow themselves to be helplessly killed or taken into indefinite detention by the armed IDF attackers.
Now let’s get this straight, The IDF seem to think that under the terms of this ceasefire as well as having the right to carry out military attacks against the Palestinian tunnelers they also had a free pass to kill or capture the Palestinian defenders without them proffering any resistance. And because they faced armed resistance they had a right to resume shelling unarmed civilians.
According to the same website I also see that these military operations against the tunnels were carried out on Gazan territory.
In this case you would think that the Palestinians would have a fully justified and equal right to defend themselves from the Israeli attackers in their own territory. But it seems not.
UN special envoy Robert Serry issues statement: He was informed by Israel of “a serious incident this morning” during the truce involving “a tunnel behind IDF lines in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip.” If confirmed “this would constitute a serious violation of the humanitarian ceasefire in place since 8 am this morning by Gazan militant factions, which should be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Israeli proganda tells us that their operations are to destroy infiltration tunnels into Israel.
Even the most ignorant of commentators know that Rafah is nowhere near Israel.
In fact Rafah is in the Sinai desert on the Egyptian border in the far south of Gaza, far removed from Israeli territory. Rafah is the site of the smuggling tunnels which have been Gaza’s only lifeline to the outside world since Egypt, Israel’s ally keeps the official Rafah surface crossing firmly closed except for the most basic of medical aid shipments.
So lets understand this: Fully armed IDF soldiers were allowed to use lethal force to destroy smuggling tunnels in the South of Gaza far removed from Israeli territory and kill or capture any Palestinians who resisted, but the Palestinians did not have equal rights to defend themselves from these attacks?
And for daring to defend themselves and because they captured one IDF soldier the IDF massacred 40 Palestinians with shell fire into a civilian area?
Hamas claim that the prisoner of war was captured before the ceasefire took effect. Their claim seems plausible. Why do the Zionists use the misleading term “kidnapping”? Kidnapping is more descriptive of what they do to young Palestinians on the West Bank. As for the care of the captured invader, he’ll probably be better looked after than many Arabs in Israeli interrogation centres.
+100 Jenny….good post…it really is shocking!…we are witness to crimes against humanity
‘A brief word on “We tortured some folks” ‘
By Martyn Bradbury / August 2, 2014
“We’ll just add these State sanctioned tortures alongside the state sanctioned drone assassinations and state sanctioned coups and invasions shall we?…
“Pressure needs to be brought to bear by the US, UN, European Union and Arab States on both sides to stop.
“That settlement must address the potential for future violence, but also the long term issues of the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza has 40% unemployment, a collapsed economy, food shortages and an infrequent electricity supply that sees untreated sewage piped into the sea.
“These conditions will inevitably sow the seeds for further conflict if they’re not resolved. Young people need hope, not a future of where fighting is considered normal,” says David Shearer
What is most noticeable about this statement from David Shearer is that like a lot of Labour Party press statements it does not put any demands on our government to do anything. Nor does it commit the Labour Party to do anything.
@Anonymous Bloke. Your weak defence of Labour’s fence sitting has no substance and does not address the point I was making.
I didn’t quote the first part of Shearer’s statement because it is self evident. And has been said many times by many people. I also didn’t give the full quote because the moderator generally frowns on people giving full quotes, and usually wants us to give the link to get the full quote. Which I did.
But just for you Anonymous Bloke, I will put in the full quote and let the readers judge if it adds or subtracts anything from my point that Labour is refusing to commit themselves to do anything to stop this appalling slaughter.
Unconditional Gaza ceasefire needed now
by David Shearer on July 30, 2014
The Israeli response in Gaza is disproportionate and with the firing of tanks and mortars into civilian areas, increasingly indiscriminate, says Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson David Shearer.
“Eight children were killed in Gaza last night, they were playing in an area they believed to be safe.
“Israel says that no normal state would tolerate rockets being fired into their civilian areas. They are right, Hamas rockets are also indiscriminate.
“But it is also not normal for 1.6 million Palestinians to be blockaded into a narrow strip of land, a situation that aptly fits its description as the largest prison camp in the world.
“Around 1,100 Gazans have now been killed, the overwhelming majority of them civilians. Fifty Israelis have been killed, three civilians and the remainder, soldiers.
“There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, without conditions, to stop further unnecessary deaths. Both sides, without exception, need to stick to it. Only then can an ongoing settlement of the situation be arranged.
“Pressure needs to be brought to bear by the US, UN, European Union and Arab States on both sides to stop.
“That settlement must address the potential for future violence, but also the long term issues of the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza has 40% unemployment, a collapsed economy, food shortages and an infrequent electricity supply that sees untreated sewage piped into the sea.
“These conditions will inevitably sow the seeds for further conflict if they’re not resolved. Young people need hope, not a future of where fighting is considered normal,” says David Shearer.
I presume this is the quote you wanted me to look at?
The Question is Anonymous; Is it OK to identify something as appalling and call on others to do something about it but refuse to commit to do anything about it yourself?
In effect David Shearer’s statement is meaningless and insincere. David Shearer might as well have not bothered. Just like David Shearer nor any other Labour Party official has ever bothered to take up the invitation by the organisers to address the large peace rallies that have been held every Saturday for the last three weeks, just in case they wind up having to commit themselves to something.
The Greens are proposing that the Israeli ambassador be expelled, Mana are calling for a boycott and an end to special visa arrangements too.
What are you proposing?
One Anonymous Bloke
I thought that was obvious. I am proposing that Labour stop their insincere handwringing and take up these demands too.
You are moving the goalposts Jenny. Firstly you said:
“What is most noticeable about this statement from David Shearer is that like a lot of Labour Party press statements it does not put any demands on our government to do anything. Nor does it commit the Labour Party to do anything.”
Then when it was pointed out to you that you had weakened the intent of the Labour’s press release by cutting out the really grunt part you then demanded that Labour expel the Israeli diplomat.
National is not responsible for what is happening in Gaza. Demanding they do something is not going to achieve anything.
And expelling the Israeli diplomat? How would we then express our disgust at the innocent murder of women and children the next time it happens? Making Israel into an even more rogue state will not help.
Maybe some sanctions aka Russia ? Oh that’s right the old Israeli’s own the American poolitical system. Israel, just gets it’s rich poolitical backers to ring up the local senator and threaten to take away their funding. Sanctions what sanctions? And when you are up against that, then only the outrage of billions of people will get them to stop. But when?
I did email Key’s office early on in the Gaza offensive to ask if we’re following the US lead rather than using any influence we may otherwise have as an independent nation a, that could maybe soften the Israeli determination to bomb the smithereens out of Gaza.
No reply as yet…. he’s good at the hand-wringing for the press, but.
Again with the thin defence and quibbling over Labour’s fence sitting.
What “really grunt part” are you talking about? I have read this several times and can see no demand that Labour made on anyone that I left out in my first statement. The only demand that David Shearer made and I which I covered in the first line of my first quote of his words was this: ““Pressure needs to be brought to bear by the US, UN, European Union and Arab States on both sides to stop.”
In my opinion a completely hollow demand, because how can we hope to influence these big powers if we refuse to do anything ourselves?
What I have mentioned several times now and is the issue you still refuse to address is the point that Labour refuses to commit themselves to do anything or even demand that the current government do something. Instead you join open partisan bigots like grumpy attacking me with confused pedantic quibbles that don’t stack up.
I think you need to back up your quibbling by quoting exactly what “really grunt part” I left out.
“And expelling the Israeli diplomat? How would we then express our disgust at the innocent murder of women and children the next time it happens? Making Israel into an even more rogue state will not help.”
mickysavage
Come on Glen. Your argument doesn’t even make sense. The innocent murder of women and children is going on now!
Your argument is the same “building bridges” argument that the Rugby Union and the Muldoon government used to justify links to the Apartheid regime of South Africa. It flies in the face of calls for an international boycott of this vicious and racist apartheid regime.
Look Greg to turn your crazy logic around if we expel the Israeli ambassador and cut diplomatic ties we can always reinstate them if they change. Just as we did with South Africa when that country rejected apartheid,. And they will have an incentive to do so. Especially if more and more countries join the international boycott against them.
Labour and National Party activists and politicians must have a much higher tolerance level for genocide than most people.
And expelling the Israeli diplomat? How would we then express our disgust at the innocent murder of women and children the next time it happens?
mickysavage
Most people would reject the murder of innocent women and children on the first instance.
Come on Greg you can be better than this.
Stand up to the extreme Right pressure in your own party.
Do what ever it takes. Demand in the strongest terms possible (either privately or publicly), that your party leader David Cunliffe make a statement promising to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.
Political life of late has been eventful, exciting and at times fraught. For some it will get more intense as campaigning moves up a gear.
It’s been a long time between weekend socials. It may be an ideal time for letting off steam or finding a tranquil place of relaxation (Tranquil may not be the most suitable word to describe a Standard post)
Any authors have a moment in their busy lives to put our old familiar “time out” post up?
Well worth a visit as the the tourist brochures say. Will look into that this arvo – interested to see what the line up is.
Part weekend social part open mike, my offering is a news flash for candidates: Cafes are not private places to hold campaign update and strategy meetings. (Tea tapes anyone?)
Old flappy ears here was intrigued and amused that the nat candidate for Ohariu sat down behind me at a cafe yesterday and proceeded to tell his coffee buddy all the news of the nat campaign. I only got one paltry piece of interesting stuff.
I was mostly frustrated because of two things: I have this social deafness thing going on where I can’t hear conversation where there is background noise such as other conversations and music and Mr R was trying to have a conversation with me, which I had to pay attention to.
Theres most likely an old war propaganda poster about keeping conversations private because you never know when your enemy might be listening.
Am going to be in town the same time as the Palestine solidarity rally today so will most likely attend that if the gales don’t put people off – but even so some “social” would definitely be welcome, along side the political.
I’m balancing the intensity with music, big blasts of it at the end of the day!
Rosie, i think ‘Weekend Social’ had so little patronage in the way of comments some weekends that a decision might have been made to ‘can’ it?,
‘Open Mike’ tho is for discussing ‘anything’ so i see no reason why, especially on the weekends, that stuff like the ‘gardening’, what we re reading, what we are eating, and, all the other bits and pieces that may have got an airing in ‘weekend social’ shouldn’t be discussed here,
(Lolz, even when the odd commenter objects to our discussions of our eating habits, ok, Bank’s eating habits might be a bit over the top)…
“Fuck me, that Sean Hannity and Fox News is unbelievable.”
John Key disagrees. He says Fox News is a source of education.
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well, for one thing, thank goodness David Parker is watching Fox News, because he might learn something, as opposed to that lefty stuff he seems to be embroiled in normally.
Armstrong, ever the National party toadie gives in His piece in today’s Granny Herald 101 reasons why NZFirst will opt for a coalition with National after the September election,
Just as easily read as 101 reasons why the self respecting left leaning voter should not vote for NZFirst at the fast approaching ballot to find the next Government, Armstrong has failed to address the two points that will queer the pitch that He makes in an effort at back of the envelope possible coalition permutations,
The first, election 2011 as the actual poll neared had the possibility talked up by the likes of Armstrong and the media polls of a National Party so fatted with votes it would have been able to form a Government in its own right,
Enter the ‘strategic voter’, after Slippery the Prime Minister had effectively made a vote for NZFirst ‘safe’ by ruling Peters and NZFirst out of inclusion in any coalition, such ‘strategic voters’ took the side of NZFirst and the % of votes which brought NZFirst back from political oblivion while being ‘unmeasurable’ will again be crucial at election 2014,
IF, we ascribe to NZFirst the 5% of the vote allocated by the recent Morgan poll as an accurate reading of the electorate, then subtract any old %, half a %, quarter of a %, however large or small the departing ‘tactical voters’ NZFirst enjoyed in 2011, and depart they will be en masse looking for that where their votes will ensure a Government of the left in September,
Then there is one inescapable conclusion to be drawn, NZFirst will not enjoy 5% of the vote in September,
Second, enter the Elephant in the room, admittedly a scrawny looking ‘beast’ with eyes best described as madly staring, the butt of everyone’s skeptical humor, who might, admittedly, albeit
accidently, just be the lefts best friend at election 2014, Colon and the Conservatives,
Busily campaigning in the heart of NZFirst’s turf, Grey-Power meetings, should, and this is said again using the latest Roy Morgan polling of NZFirst 5% as reference, should Colon’s Conservatives abscond with any small %, half %, quarter %, of the vote previously farmed from among the Grey-Power retiree demographic by Peters then NZFirst is i would suggest again, history,
Armstrong is today delivering the ‘soothie’ of a done and dusted 2014 election, a foregone conclusion of a National/NZFirst coalition being the result, i would say ”only in your dreams John”, NZFirst are facing the shaky ground of an election result which matches that of 2008,
InternetMana, the new kid on the block, an unknown electoral equation might just produce a 50% result for the left in September,
Labour 33%, Greens 12%, InternetMana 5%, read like that are not a huge ask, those numbers tho in September would add up to a Government of the left, lets do it…
Aha, any Left leaning voter who is also a supporter of NZFirst should read the Armstrong piece in the NZHerald today and ask themselves how having a third term National Government propped up by NZFirst will sit with their left leaning ideals,
According to Armstrong a vote for NZFirst is a definite vote for a National Government, there’s an easy fix to that…
Without kims illegal loot propping up the bar, not so much though.
The biggest laugh is still at your expense. If kim was backing Banks or ultra right wingers like act, again, you’d be all over it as a disgrace and buying politicians for cash etc…
Your principles must cost less than hh’s, ’cause you won’t even see a penny of it. 😆
imagine? don’t have to because I’m dealing with reality not second hand right wing spin like you. Do you look but not see, do you listen but not hear, do you touch but not feel, do you allen, do you? – riddle me that bud.
Right, so no serious contribution, mars. Fair do’s mate, but if kim was rodder’s king maker you like most, if not all, would be over it like a rash as dodgy millionaire buying politicians and you know it, even if it’s not expedient for you to say so.
Alien, don’t let rational thought get in the way of your little playschool fantasies will you,
Kim DotCom ISN’T attempting to prop up ACT or any other right wing absurdity is He so you are in fact dribbling drivel,
If DotCom’s coin helps deliver a Government of the left, that delivers actual left wing policy and outcomes to the country all power to Him i say,
30 years of Neo-liberal dominance of politics both on the left and right of the spectrum has to be broken somehow, if it takes the large Germans money to do just that then so be it…
allen, regurgitating second hand right wing memes thinking they are original ‘serious’ ideas is so weak really. I just thought BG had it correct with IMP at 7% – get over it.
plus I agree with bad’s comment – we need to change the government and winnie is not the man for that job.
“regurgitating second hand right wing memes thinking they are original ‘serious’ ideas is so weak really.”
It’s not a right wing meme as far as I’m aware, but even if it is, it’s a valid point to the legitimacy of hh grabbing at kims loot and your credibility in not opposing it, but being openly supportive. Like I said, other way round and you’d be apoplectic.
The ‘serious’ bit is you deflecting, to which I am aware of and subsequently not giving a rats arse over.
I just thought BG had it correct with IMP at 7% – get over it.
” we need to change the government and winnie is not the man for that job.”
So says you, Bad and depending on which polls you read, 1 – 2.5% of kiwis.
But that’s the good thing about politics, kim buying influence aside, everyone, even minorities have a say.
Kim’s ‘illegal’ loot? Has that been proven? Do you know what ‘cloud’ storage is? Is cloud storage wide spread and is it illegal? Is so, tell that to thousands of such websites around the world, including YouTube.
KDC donated to Bank’s ‘mayoral’ election fund. Not to ACT. Banks wasn’t even in the ACT party at that time.
A vote for NZF is not a GUARANTEE that NZF will DEFINITELY go with Key/National.
Winston is a very astute, intelligent and crafty politician. He will grab votes from lots of his usual supporters, from lots of unhappy National supporters and from some soft Labour camp. Left, right and centre.
On the Nation today, he has taken a vote attracting strong stand against sale of Kiwi land and property, including the Lochinver Station, to foreigners, thus gazumping Colin Craig’s cunning bound to fail foray into Winston’s political territory.
Winston is one of the most masterly politician of this country. Don’t ever underestimate his ability and cleverness.
I think he is more IN than OUT on Sept 20.
But WHO he is in WITH is a 2c worth question, that no one really knows the answer to, including the high priest, Chief Matai Vaovasamanaia Winston !
[P.S as an aside re Chief Matai Vaovasamanaia Winston: From an old report through Google:
“It’s all a total surprise, I’ve been caught unawares here. I am totally unprepared for it,” Mr Peters told NZPA.
‘He was good humoured as local woman dressed him up to look more special for the occasion wrapping him in a woven mat skirt and adorning his head with a sequined band’.]
Yesterday I read a post in Standard by a writer who speculated that ACT might get 4%!
ACT on 4%?!…..THAT would be the biggest political miracle of this century!
Even Roger Douglas, Ruth Richardson and Don Brash would be turning in their graves!
Congratulations to Colin Craig for exposing the secretive sale of Lochinver Station.
“..Craig who was shunned this week by by National revealed…..” (ChCh Press-Saturday) and
He ..”took the fight to the National Party yesterday..”
One wonders if he had not been shunned by National as superfluous or even damaging to it’s needs, would he have been so keen to take the fight to National -or would he have kept quiet.
I think the latter. After all, what are friends for?
Colon ”i beg you to believe me, we are not loonies”, the Conservative channels Winston Peters flaming the land ownership question into a quisling racist query,
Not only is the ‘pinhead’ diving into Winston’s form of hate speech, He’s gone after NZFirst’s voter base with a series of addresses to Grey-Power,
Both parties are now locked into a dance of death election struggle, Colon knows deep down He cannot win and will now attempt to take Peters and NZFirst with Him,
National are standing on far shakier electoral ground then anyone is letting on to…
Who told cc about the secret land sale?
I’d bet it was on key’s say so, in the hope the conservatives pinch enough votes of NZ1st to snuff Winston out of post election talks with Labour and the Greens.
Alien, it is unlike you to sound like you live a delusion from prior to 2008, a vote for Winston Peters is as likely to be a vote for National, at best a 50/50 gamble,
As Peters will talk to National first it is obvious that should the numbers require it to, National will give Peters whatever large bauble He demands up to what i see as His opening demand, the Office of Prime Minister that is,
Peters may have gone silent on His Green hatred recently but that is only to fool the lightweight thinkers who have previously voted for NZFirst,
Is that you Alien, a lightweight thinker willing to gamble a vote for NZFirst isn’t a vote to prop up a third term National Govrnment…
Not on planet Earth Alien?, or just putting forward bullshit as a point of debate, Winston Peters has repeatedly said He will talk to the Party that gains the most votes First after the election,
Do i need provide a link that proves the above point???,
Rather than a 50/50 gamble on which side of the political divide Peters will opt for, and, even should He opt for supporting Labour you then have to ask ”what’s the point” another Government of ”Business as Usual”???,
The better 50/50 is to be rid of NZFirst, don’t worry Alien the ‘tactical voters’ and those who switch their votes from NZFirst to Colons Conservatives will do it for you without you even having to spend a moment of time in actual thought,
That better 50/50 will be the chance of Labour/Green/InternetMana to then gather between them the vote to enable a left leaning Government to be formed without the sea-anchor of NZFirst holding it firmly in the grasp of ”Business as Usual” which despite all the flourishing rhetoric is where NZFirst ‘in Government’ has proven to be…
That tactic from Key, if true, would be a double edged sword and quite stupid because it could enrage the general public sentiment against Key and Nats including from the Nats, which might actually take away more soft or patriotic votes from National towards Labour, Greens, NZF or the Cons.
So, no, I doubt they ‘fed’ or ‘asked Collin’ to make this huge sale an issue. some one disgruntled with Key or someone patriotic may have, though
He was unbelievable wasn’t he? Not content with talking over Grant Robertson’s every word and constantly sneering, he then proceeded to talk over the host Lisa Owen, who couldn’t even get him to shut up when she was announcing they were taking a break! What a boor and a bully, it was very like his behaviour every week on Newstalk ZB with Annette King! He is the personification of an uncouth bully! Bye-Bye to ever being National Party Leader, Mr Joyce!
I thought Robertson did well in what was a difficult interview (due to Mr Joyce’s complete lack of courtesy).
It was good to see Robertson fighting back.
That Act candidate from Epsom conducted himself in a similarly bulldozing ‘wall-of-words’ way a few weeks ago.
What is it with the right-wing and their complete lack of respect? These are not people who are capable of governing a country with a wide view to the interests of many. I really don’t know why anyone would vote for such boors.
Oh I don’t know… the Right like bullies. That’s why you’ve got two bullies vying for the Nat. leadership. They’re supporters equate bullying with strength.
He’ll need plastic surgery on his ball sak if he keeps it up (horrible thought I know and I’m not sure how many micro-surgeons are available), but obviously something had the squeeze on – he was damn near squealing.
I LIKED the way Joyce debated today, like in a street brawl, shouting, being stupid, arrogant, being a twit, like a drunken lousy lout and not letting the other smaller guy talk. All good, I say, because the rest of the audience in the country saw what I saw too !
Well, Robertson did interrupt quite a bit from the beginning of the discussion as well. Joyce, though, was arrogant and sneering and into the more personal type of insults, and he did go on with his spin a lot.
Maybe for other uncouth boors – women don’t like that kind of man however! People with good policies and good arguments don’t need to talk over others!
‘BLOG WATCH: Realising what Pundit Blog and Phil Quin are’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 2, 2014
“It was a recent farcical column by ‘Labour Party activist’ Phil Quin that suddenly helped me understood what Pundit Blog actually was – it’s the unofficial blog for the right wing of the Labour Party…
Does he mind this line of questioning? Not at all, he says. “I want to know who the person is that I’m voting for. People should identify who they are … the question is, where to draw the line.”
Where would he draw the line? “I’ll give you a perfectly good example. You can’t ask me about my sex life. You can’t ask me what I get up to in my bedroom. I don’t think that’s anyone’s business.”
Okay. What does he get up to in his bedroom? A pause. “Read books. Read philosophy books.”
and this was funny
Whether it’s stage-managing a picture in a bar or discussing philosophical stances on incest, he just can’t be properly honest any more, can he?
A long pause. “Ah, yeah. That is the worst aspect of it. That is the bit – that’s the most potentially painful aspect of it. And I need to find a way of handling that efficiently. So. Richard Prebble [now Act campaign manager] suggested that the right way to think about it was: you ask me an opinion as a philosopher, but I don’t have any opinions as a philosopher any more. I’m the leader of the Act Party. I may have those opinions, but they’re not coming out … I don’t think that’s completely corrupt.”
unplugged indeed – although this week i have felt some sympathy for him – he reminds me of blinkingDon in the headlights.
More, more, more weirdos into politics please – they make it interesting and sieve effectivelly plus we are all a bit weirder than we would like people to think imo
Tom Jackson , good call.
“NZ ought to cut off diplomatic relations with these racist animals.”
We ought to also cut off diplomatic relations with these racist animals in (Natz) National Party also.
Especially those scheming pundits, Joyce is the tall poppy here as campaigning for National that are using TVNZ as a pubic funded Nazi style (Goebbels circa 1933) propaganda whitewashing machine against opposition parties.
Did Joyce study Goebbels? They were similar lovers of media power.
The latest example is using the outspoken NATZ Mike Hoskings at a moderator during the TVNZ leaders debate, while Hoskings is yesterday on media putting the boot into David Cunliffe yet again.
There is something deeply ROTTEN with TVNZ. They are now no more than a tightly-integrated cog in the National Party
Evidence of National meddling in our press freedom has been raised on this blog before in 2012 and other times so we are now seeing the raw effect this election with Joyce’s fingers all over it.
Like Hitler did with Goebbels the Key/Joyce club is replicating the same model today.
Next we will loose all traces of democracy and free speech altogether, as they cuddle up with TPPA, five eyes global surveillance and Bilderberg also of course?
Key has been to the highly secretive Global elitist power hungry control group called “The Bilderberg Group”.
Key was once apparently in attendance already as he was on the 2012 invitation list, but refuses to acknowledge involvement with this fascist regime born by the NAZI Party in late 1943 when NAZI power was diminishing.
Why is our PM on this list? maybe Mike Moore could tell us eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bilderberg_participants#New_ Zealand
Nasty friends the NATZ have eh!
My Son in Germany says the NAZI are on the rise again.
What have we got to loose say the Nat’s’?
I think its called “democracy” you know the thing we all went to war over time and time again, and many of our brave never came home?.
And now again it seems we are fighting a home battle, so why do these neo-liberals think they can take our liberty free press & free to air TVNZ voice away and democracy away without any law invoked as yet?
Perhaps that is the secret next law change if they get back in, make it a criminal offense to speak against the Government.
Didn’t they use force to close down the “Occupy wall street protest group” by enacting a law against them and using the police? Maybe we have lost democracy and freedom already now and just don’t realise it?
Yes Mike Hoskings post is over on the The Daily Blog. Critical of Cunliffe, but denies bias! FFS.
I am resurrecting this petition. We now have close to 5000 signatures, so that’s too good to waste. I know the issue has gone a bit quiet, but I think we need to keep going. Please sign and circulate. I know Cunliffe has said he has accepted Hoskings, which was the right call, I think we need to give TVNZ and the other msm who are bias, the clear message that we see through it and we will protest against it.
On the same note, I went to Parliament for the last session for the year. I admit, I didn’t stay for the full session, but I saw Claire Trevitt and co in the Press Gallery and when I read her commentary I was gobsmacked. The most notable omission of Meteria clearly and persistently challenging Bill English on child poverty and Bill giving disgraceful, non answers……….Shame on you Bill. To think you are a practicing Catholic.
The report from Civitas found that large-scale immigration will have a negative effect on standards of living as any economic benefits will be outweighed by pressures
The usual conflating of financials with economics. Basically, lots of people make it easier to have lots of money but the economic strain placed upon the countries resources make it economically negative.
Media Bias for Israel Masks Israeli Aggression against Palestinians
The comments by the vicious and ignorant hosts at CNN will be familiar to anyone who has endured the comments of Jim Mora and his befuddled Panelists over the last three weeks….
As for the thick American talkback host Mark Levin: I’m not sure if he reminds me more of Leighton Smith or Larry “Lackwit” Williams…..
The prime minister today called the NZ public liars today, and I quote, “there’s a perception amongst…ahhh…the public at large that politicians…ah…mislead people and akshully it’s not true”.
Note he spread the load to all politicians instead of just himself which is what the question put to him was about.
That’s it, I’m not voting for this guy, he just called me a liar.
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Prisons are places of unceasing emotional and physical violence, unrelieved despair and unforgivable human waste.IT WAS NATIONAL’S Bill English who accurately described New Zealand’s prisons as “fiscal and moral failures”. On the same subject, Labour’s Dr Martyn Findlay memorably suggested that no prison ...
This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
. . American Burlesque As I write this (Wednesday evening, 6 January), the US Presidential election is all but resolved, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the (Dis-)United State of America. Trump’s turbulent political career has lasted just four years – one of the few single-term US presidents ...
The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
In a recent column I wrote for local newspapers, I ventured to suggest that Donald Trump – in addition to being a liar and a cheat, and sexist and racist – was a fascist in the making and would probably try, if he were to lose the election, to defy ...
When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
When I went to bed last night, I was expecting today to be eventful. A lot of pouting in Congress as last-ditch Trumpers staged bad-faith "objections" to a democratic election, maybe some rioting on the streets of Washington DC from angry Trump supporters. But I wasn't expecting anything like an ...
Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President respectively for the US 2020 Election, may have dispensed with the erstwhile nemesis, Trump the candidate – but there are numerous critical openings through which much, much worse many out there may yet see fit to ...
I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the ...
Frances Williams, King’s College LondonFor most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”. Scientists are ...
Last night, a British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. Unfortunately, its not because all he is "guilty" of is journalism, or because the offence the US wants to charge him with - espionage - is of an inherently political nature; instead the judge accepted ...
Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
So, Boris Johnson has been footering about in hospitals again. We should be grateful, perhaps, that on this occasion the Clown-in-Chief is only (probably) getting in the way and causing distractions, rather than taking up a bed, vital equipment and resources and adding more strain and danger to exhausted staff.Look at ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to ZeroThat’s one of several recent ...
The situation in the UK is looking catastrophic.Cases: over *70,000* people who were tested in England on 29th December tested positive. This is *not* because there were more tests on that day. It *is* 4 days after Christmas though, around when people who caught Covid on Christmas Day might start ...
by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Bartlett, Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle Reports of about 30 deaths among elderly nursing home residents who received the Pfizer vaccine have made international headlines. With Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) expected to approve the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Culum Brown, Professor, Macquarie University How do gills work? Tully, aged 7 Great question, Tully! Animals on land breathe air, which is made up of different gasses. Oxygen is one of these gases, and is made by plants (hug ...
Dairy prices increased by 3.9% across the board at the latest Fonterra global auction. The lift followed rises of 1.3% and 4.3% in the December auctions which took dairy prices to their highest level in 11 months, defying those analysts who believed Covid-19 had disrupted dairy markets. In the latest ...
America's Cup team American Magic has spoken publicly after their boat Patriot capsized when on its way to their first win of the Challenger Selection Series yesterday. Patriot dramatically capsized yesterday, becoming temporarily airborne before crashing back into the water and tipping. The boat, helmed by New Zealander Dean Barker, could not be ...
It’s a seemingly age old question: why do Auckland’s beaches become unswimmable after every single downpour? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates.Ah, the beach. A staple of the New Zealand summer. Unless, of course, you’re based in Auckland and it’s raining. The start of 2021 has been a lot like every other New ...
We have opened a book, among members of the Point of Order team, on how long it will be before the PM offers to sort out the land dispute at Wellington’s Shelly Bay and (to win the double) how much the settlement will cost taxpayers. Just a few weeks ago ...
Breakfast TV news is back for 2021, and Tara Ward got up early to watch. “Thank god it’s almost Christmas,” John Campbell said during the opening minutes of Breakfast’s premiere episode of the year. “2021’s been rough so far. I’m buggered”. We’re all buggered, to be fair, but I’m worried that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism and Social Media, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Griffith University The blame for the recent assault on the US Capitol and President Donald Trump’s broader dismantling of democratic institutions and norms can be ...
Despite a popular and unifying leader of the governing party, divisions both in policy and culture will test the progressive movement, writes Peter McKenzie.‘I think we’re confused.” Marlon Drake is an organiser for the Living Wage Movement. His job takes him all over Wellington, trying to convince businesses to increase ...
Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins says vaccinations should be available to the public by the middle of the year, but other countries are prioritised. ...
It’s as true now as it ever has been: nowhere else offers an education experience like that of Dunedin. But rather than resting on their laurels, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic have plans to make the city an even more inspiring place for students.From high in the summit ...
Haggis, neeps and tatties and whisky may not be a traditional spread for a summer gathering in NZ, but trust Auckland city councillor and Kiwi-Scot Cathy Casey on this one. Gie it laldy! Rule one: Hold it on (or near) January 25Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759. Since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University It could be argued artificial intelligence (AI) is already the indispensable tool of the 21st century. From helping doctors diagnose and treat patients to rapidly advancing new drug discoveries, it’s our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Health workers are at higher risk of COVID infection and illness. They can also act as extremely efficient transmitters of viruses to others in medical and aged care facilities. That’s why health workers have been prioritised to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Orchard, Adjunct Lecturer, Monash University Last week, somewhat overshadowed by the events in Washington, the Democrats took control of the US Senate. The Democrats now hold a small majority in both the House and the Senate until 2022, giving President-elect Joe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mittul Vahanvati, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Heatwaves, floods, bushfires: disaster season is upon us again. We can’t prevent hazards or climate change-related extreme weather events but we can prepare for them — not just as individuals ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University Starting school is an important event for children and a positive experience can set the tone for the rest of their school experience. Some children are excited to attend school for the first ...
Some families in emergency housing are reporting their children are becoming emotionally distressed because of their living conditions. Demand for emergency accommodation has escalated this past year with the number of emergency housing grants increasing by half. Data showed nearly 10,000 people were given an Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant between ...
Summer reissue: Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden are back for a second season of On the Rag, and where better to start than with the mysterious, exhausting world of wellness?First published June 23, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
With few Covid-19 infections and negiligible natural immunity, New Zealand faces being a victim of its own success when it is left till last to get the vaccines, argues Dr Parmjeet Parmar. ...
Steve Braunias reports on a literary cancelling. The Corrections department has refused to allow Jared Savage's best-selling book Gangland inside prison on the grounds that it "promotes violence and drug use". An inmate at Otago Corrections Facility in Dunedin was sent a copy of the book – but it was ...
New data from the CTU’s annual work life survey shows a snapshot of working people’s experiences and outlook heading out of 2020 and into the new year. Concerningly 42% of respondents cite workplace bullying as an issue in their workplace - a number ...
An international player, selector and self-confessed cricket stats nerd, Penny Kinsella has now played a hand in recording the rich history of the women's game in New Zealand. Penny Kinsella’s cricketing career was perched on the cusp of change for the White Ferns. “My first tour to Australia, we ...
The dramatic capsize of American Magic brought out the best in the America's Cup sailing fraternity. But, Suzanne McFadden asks, what does it mean to the crippled New York Yacht Club campaign and to the Prada Cup? It was a scene as unreal as it was calamitous. Right at the moment the ...
The current number of members of parliament is starting to get too low for the job we expect them to do, argues Alex Braae. As a general rule, with the possible exception of their families, nobody likes backbench MPs. But it’s nevertheless time we accepted that parliament should have more of ...
The experience in the Brazilian city of Manaus reveals how mistaken, and dangerous, the herd-immunity-by-infection theory really is. As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop ...
As New Zealand gears up to fight climate change, experts warn that we need to actually reduce emissions, not just plant trees to offset our greenhouse gases. ...
A nationwide poll has found majority support for the government to continue to closely monitor abortions in New Zealand and the reasons for it, despite the Ministry of Health recently suggesting that there is not a use for collecting much of this information. ...
The out-of-control growth in gangs, gun crime, and violent gang activity is exposing our communities to dangerous levels of violence that will inevitably end in tragedy, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The recent incidents of people being shot and ...
Successive governments have paid lip service to our productivity challenge but have failed to deliver. It's time to establish a Productivity Council charged with prioritising efforts. ...
Understanding the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long Covid’ might be helpful in treating symptoms that doctors will find all too easy to dismiss.When people began to report signs of “long Covid”, characterised by a lack of full recovery from the virus and debilitating fatigue, I recognised their stories. ...
Nadine Anne Hura, who never considered herself an artist, reflects on what art and making has taught her.I couldn’t clean or cook or wash the clothes, but I could sew. That’s a lie, I’m a terrible sewer, but I left work early to fossick around in the $1 bin of ...
Summer reissue: In the final episode of this season of Bad News, Alice is joined by Billy T award winner Kura Forrester to look at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2020.First published September 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The ...
Lucy Revill’s The Residents is a blog about daily life in Wellington that has morphed into a stylish, low-key coffee-table book featuring interviews and photographic portraits of 38 Wellingtonians. In this extract, Revill profiles Eboni Waitere, owner and executive director of Huia Publishers. The Residents features names like Monique Fiso ...
Pacific Media Watch correspondent The pro-independence conflict in West Papua with a missionary plane reportedly being shot down at Intan Jaya has stirred contrasting responses from the TNI/POLRI state sources, church leaders and an independence leader. A shooting caused a plane to catch fire on 6 January 2021 in the ...
“Last year ACT warned that rewarding protestors at Ihumātao with taxpayer money would promote further squatting. We just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it is in Shelly Bay” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The prosperity of all ...
Our kindly PM registered her return to work as leader of the nation with yet another statement on the Beehive website, the second in two days (following her appointment of Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council on Wednesday). It’s great to know we don’t have to check with ...
A Pūhoi pub is refusing to remove a piece of memorabilia bearing the n-word from its walls. Dr Lachy Paterson looks at the history of the word here, and New Zealand’s complicity in Britain’s shameful slave trading past.Content warning: This article contains racist language and images.On a pub wall in ...
Supermarket shoppers looking for citrus are seeing a sour trend at the moment – some stores are entirely tapped out of lemons. But why? Batches of homemade lemonade will be taking a hit this summer, with life not giving New Zealand shoppers lemons. Prices are high at supermarkets and grocers that ...
You’re born either a cheery soul or a gloomy one, reckons Linda Burgess – but what happens when gene pools from opposite ends of the spectrum collide?In our shoeboxes of photos that we have to sort out before we die or get demented – because who IS that kid on ...
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Genocide in Gaza.
The ongoing massacres in Gaza are too shocking for words.
The world is demanding a ceasefire.
Someone needs to tell the US backers of Israel that ceasefire, means ceasefire.
Under the truce negotiated by the US, Israel reserved the right to continue their military offensive against the Palestinian tunnels.
This was a recipe for disaster.
As you would expect the Palestinian defenders resisted the destruction of the tunnels, exchanging fire with the Israeli attackers. To which the Israelis responded by restarting their shelling of civilian areas.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/world/10336166/Gaza-ceasefire-over-within-hours
Under the terms of the partial truce, the fighting should have been restricted to the tunnels. But even though there were no reports of Israeli casualties in the ‘exchange of gunfire’. In revenge at the return gunfire, Israel resumed shelling of civilian areas, killing 40.
In response to this massacre, conducted outside the conditions of the partial truce, Palestinians resumed their rocket fire on Israel, launching 8 unguided projectiles at Israel, which as usual proved ineffective, seven landing in open areas and one being intercepted by Israel’s hi tech. ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence system.
As well as shelling and bombing civilian areas, the Israelis as they have done in past attacks and continue to do, have been targeting the territory’s infrastructure, and have destroyed the territory’s only power station leaving 1.5 million city dwellers without electricity. The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure including farms, alongside the permanent blockade restricting the entry of food and medicine amounts to a slow motion genocide. UN reports are that the destruction of the water and waste water systems by Israel is causing sickness and death in the blockaded territory. And the UN also report that the amount of food available to the citizens of Gaza is approaching famine levels with over 61% facing severe food insecurity. And this was even before the latest hostilities erupted.
Israel must stop their brutal attacks on civilians and lift their illegal blockade, or be found guilty of conducting genocide against the Palestinians.
Our Government need to warn the Israelis that we will cut off all diplomatic ties.
And if the government won’t do it then the opposition parties should promise it.
So Hamas break the ceasefire after only 3 hours, firing rockets, killing and kidnapping an Iraeli soldier.
http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Pages/Rise-in-rocket-fire-from-Gaza-3-Jul-2014.aspx
Who would have thought. Bet all these nice peaceful Palestinian terrorists are taking good care of him…..yeah, right.
Let’s quote the article in the link to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that Grumpy gives us:
http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Pages/Rise-in-rocket-fire-from-Gaza-3-Jul-2014.aspx
The IDF were given the right to carry on military operations against the tunnels under the terms of the US arranged ceasefire. I understand that.
According to the IDF and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the terms of this ceasefire agreement, the Palestinians defending these tunnels were also supposed to disarm themselves and allow themselves to be helplessly killed or taken into indefinite detention by the armed IDF attackers.
Now let’s get this straight, The IDF seem to think that under the terms of this ceasefire as well as having the right to carry out military attacks against the Palestinian tunnelers they also had a free pass to kill or capture the Palestinian defenders without them proffering any resistance. And because they faced armed resistance they had a right to resume shelling unarmed civilians.
According to the same website I also see that these military operations against the tunnels were carried out on Gazan territory.
In this case you would think that the Palestinians would have a fully justified and equal right to defend themselves from the Israeli attackers in their own territory. But it seems not.
Israeli proganda tells us that their operations are to destroy infiltration tunnels into Israel.
Even the most ignorant of commentators know that Rafah is nowhere near Israel.
In fact Rafah is in the Sinai desert on the Egyptian border in the far south of Gaza, far removed from Israeli territory. Rafah is the site of the smuggling tunnels which have been Gaza’s only lifeline to the outside world since Egypt, Israel’s ally keeps the official Rafah surface crossing firmly closed except for the most basic of medical aid shipments.
So lets understand this: Fully armed IDF soldiers were allowed to use lethal force to destroy smuggling tunnels in the South of Gaza far removed from Israeli territory and kill or capture any Palestinians who resisted, but the Palestinians did not have equal rights to defend themselves from these attacks?
And for daring to defend themselves and because they captured one IDF soldier the IDF massacred 40 Palestinians with shell fire into a civilian area?
And the world is supposed to accept this?
They should offer to give him up in return for your beloved IDF stopping the slaughter of innocent civilians.
I bet you approved of the 1968 My Lai Massacre.
Hamas claim that the prisoner of war was captured before the ceasefire took effect. Their claim seems plausible. Why do the Zionists use the misleading term “kidnapping”? Kidnapping is more descriptive of what they do to young Palestinians on the West Bank. As for the care of the captured invader, he’ll probably be better looked after than many Arabs in Israeli interrogation centres.
Last I heard the IDF dropped a 1000kg munition on his last known location, probably killing him and the Hamas fighters with him.
Of course, the official story is that the IDF were only aiming for the Hamas fighters…
Serves him right for using Hamas as human shields.
+100 Jenny….good post…it really is shocking!…we are witness to crimes against humanity
‘A brief word on “We tortured some folks” ‘
By Martyn Bradbury / August 2, 2014
“We’ll just add these State sanctioned tortures alongside the state sanctioned drone assassinations and state sanctioned coups and invasions shall we?…
Well said. This is a truly appalling situation.
What have Labour got to say about Gaza?
Did you check their press release feed on the right hand side of this page? Or is someone else to do it for you?
You mean this one?
http://campaign.labour.org.nz/unconditional_gaza_ceasefire_needed_now
What is most noticeable about this statement from David Shearer is that like a lot of Labour Party press statements it does not put any demands on our government to do anything. Nor does it commit the Labour Party to do anything.
What is most noticeable about your comment is the way you don’t quote the beginning of the press release at all.
I guess it doesn’t suit your agenda.
The Greens are proposing that the Israeli ambassador be expelled, Mana are calling for a boycott and an end to special visa arrangements too.
What are you proposing?
NZ ought to cut off diplomatic relations with these racist animals.
@Anonymous Bloke. Your weak defence of Labour’s fence sitting has no substance and does not address the point I was making.
I didn’t quote the first part of Shearer’s statement because it is self evident. And has been said many times by many people. I also didn’t give the full quote because the moderator generally frowns on people giving full quotes, and usually wants us to give the link to get the full quote. Which I did.
But just for you Anonymous Bloke, I will put in the full quote and let the readers judge if it adds or subtracts anything from my point that Labour is refusing to commit themselves to do anything to stop this appalling slaughter.
I presume this is the quote you wanted me to look at?
The Question is Anonymous; Is it OK to identify something as appalling and call on others to do something about it but refuse to commit to do anything about it yourself?
In effect David Shearer’s statement is meaningless and insincere. David Shearer might as well have not bothered. Just like David Shearer nor any other Labour Party official has ever bothered to take up the invitation by the organisers to address the large peace rallies that have been held every Saturday for the last three weeks, just in case they wind up having to commit themselves to something.
I thought that was obvious. I am proposing that Labour stop their insincere handwringing and take up these demands too.
You are moving the goalposts Jenny. Firstly you said:
“What is most noticeable about this statement from David Shearer is that like a lot of Labour Party press statements it does not put any demands on our government to do anything. Nor does it commit the Labour Party to do anything.”
Then when it was pointed out to you that you had weakened the intent of the Labour’s press release by cutting out the really grunt part you then demanded that Labour expel the Israeli diplomat.
National is not responsible for what is happening in Gaza. Demanding they do something is not going to achieve anything.
And expelling the Israeli diplomat? How would we then express our disgust at the innocent murder of women and children the next time it happens? Making Israel into an even more rogue state will not help.
Maybe some sanctions aka Russia ? Oh that’s right the old Israeli’s own the American poolitical system. Israel, just gets it’s rich poolitical backers to ring up the local senator and threaten to take away their funding. Sanctions what sanctions? And when you are up against that, then only the outrage of billions of people will get them to stop. But when?
+1 David H
I did email Key’s office early on in the Gaza offensive to ask if we’re following the US lead rather than using any influence we may otherwise have as an independent nation a, that could maybe soften the Israeli determination to bomb the smithereens out of Gaza.
No reply as yet…. he’s good at the hand-wringing for the press, but.
@mickysavage:
Again with the thin defence and quibbling over Labour’s fence sitting.
What “really grunt part” are you talking about? I have read this several times and can see no demand that Labour made on anyone that I left out in my first statement. The only demand that David Shearer made and I which I covered in the first line of my first quote of his words was this: ““Pressure needs to be brought to bear by the US, UN, European Union and Arab States on both sides to stop.”
In my opinion a completely hollow demand, because how can we hope to influence these big powers if we refuse to do anything ourselves?
What I have mentioned several times now and is the issue you still refuse to address is the point that Labour refuses to commit themselves to do anything or even demand that the current government do something. Instead you join open partisan bigots like grumpy attacking me with confused pedantic quibbles that don’t stack up.
I think you need to back up your quibbling by quoting exactly what “really grunt part” I left out.
Come on Glen. Your argument doesn’t even make sense. The innocent murder of women and children is going on now!
Your argument is the same “building bridges” argument that the Rugby Union and the Muldoon government used to justify links to the Apartheid regime of South Africa. It flies in the face of calls for an international boycott of this vicious and racist apartheid regime.
oops sorry Greg typo
Look Greg to turn your crazy logic around if we expel the Israeli ambassador and cut diplomatic ties we can always reinstate them if they change. Just as we did with South Africa when that country rejected apartheid,. And they will have an incentive to do so. Especially if more and more countries join the international boycott against them.
‘
Labour and National Party activists and politicians must have a much higher tolerance level for genocide than most people.
Most people would reject the murder of innocent women and children on the first instance.
Come on Greg you can be better than this.
Stand up to the extreme Right pressure in your own party.
Do what ever it takes. Demand in the strongest terms possible (either privately or publicly), that your party leader David Cunliffe make a statement promising to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel.
Political life of late has been eventful, exciting and at times fraught. For some it will get more intense as campaigning moves up a gear.
It’s been a long time between weekend socials. It may be an ideal time for letting off steam or finding a tranquil place of relaxation (Tranquil may not be the most suitable word to describe a Standard post)
Any authors have a moment in their busy lives to put our old familiar “time out” post up?
here ya go rosie..
..i’ll kick it off..
..how about a live-stream of lollapalooza..happening now..?
..and over the next three days..?
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/01/lollapalooza-livestream-arctic-monkeys-outkast-kings-of-leon
Good heads up phil.
Well worth a visit as the the tourist brochures say. Will look into that this arvo – interested to see what the line up is.
Part weekend social part open mike, my offering is a news flash for candidates: Cafes are not private places to hold campaign update and strategy meetings. (Tea tapes anyone?)
Old flappy ears here was intrigued and amused that the nat candidate for Ohariu sat down behind me at a cafe yesterday and proceeded to tell his coffee buddy all the news of the nat campaign. I only got one paltry piece of interesting stuff.
I was mostly frustrated because of two things: I have this social deafness thing going on where I can’t hear conversation where there is background noise such as other conversations and music and Mr R was trying to have a conversation with me, which I had to pay attention to.
Theres most likely an old war propaganda poster about keeping conversations private because you never know when your enemy might be listening.
Oh, here’s one:
http://anglotopia.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/carlesstalk.jpg
and if you need a wknd-laff…this will do the trick..
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/01/sinner-top-10-guide-happiness-pope-francis
or zip it sweetie
http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4fdb4ccaeab8ea1425000008-1200/zipp-it.jpg
Quite agree Rosie, some weekend respite from war and elections would be relaxing. Maybe one of the mods would put the Weekend Social back.
Am going to be in town the same time as the Palestine solidarity rally today so will most likely attend that if the gales don’t put people off – but even so some “social” would definitely be welcome, along side the political.
I’m balancing the intensity with music, big blasts of it at the end of the day!
Rosie, i think ‘Weekend Social’ had so little patronage in the way of comments some weekends that a decision might have been made to ‘can’ it?,
‘Open Mike’ tho is for discussing ‘anything’ so i see no reason why, especially on the weekends, that stuff like the ‘gardening’, what we re reading, what we are eating, and, all the other bits and pieces that may have got an airing in ‘weekend social’ shouldn’t be discussed here,
(Lolz, even when the odd commenter objects to our discussions of our eating habits, ok, Bank’s eating habits might be a bit over the top)…
Russell Brand has been putting out some rather witty dissections of the media on his Youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/russellbrand
One episode where he hilariously Fisked Fox news (w)anchor Sean Hannity has lead to a cross Atlantic tit for tat: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/01/russell-brand-takes-on-sean-hannity-in-gaza-spat.
They’re all rather good (and hat tip to Sable, who spotted them a couple of days ago).
@ trp..
..ahem..!..@ whoar ‘a couple of days ago’..
..http://whoar.co.nz/2014/russell-brand-takes-down-sean-hannity-video/
..so often first with the best..that whoar..eh..?
In solidarity with the English language, I’m currently boycotting Whoar, Phil,
may the glow of ignorance envelop you..
..back to the herald..eh..?
..heh..!..
..that’s some thin gruel there…
“may the glow of ignorance envelop you..”
Irony roflmao
Fuck me, that Sean Hannity and Fox News is unbelievable.
Next those extreme Americans will be holding Nuremberg type rallies
Mad americans.
Idiot americans
Bastard americans
You want to try relinquishing American (i.e. U.S.) citizenship! The Land of the Free just can’t cope nor understand why anyone would want to.
“Fuck me, that Sean Hannity and Fox News is unbelievable.”
John Key disagrees. He says Fox News is a source of education.
(Question 1, Wednesday November 14 2012)
Armstrong, ever the National party toadie gives in His piece in today’s Granny Herald 101 reasons why NZFirst will opt for a coalition with National after the September election,
Just as easily read as 101 reasons why the self respecting left leaning voter should not vote for NZFirst at the fast approaching ballot to find the next Government, Armstrong has failed to address the two points that will queer the pitch that He makes in an effort at back of the envelope possible coalition permutations,
The first, election 2011 as the actual poll neared had the possibility talked up by the likes of Armstrong and the media polls of a National Party so fatted with votes it would have been able to form a Government in its own right,
Enter the ‘strategic voter’, after Slippery the Prime Minister had effectively made a vote for NZFirst ‘safe’ by ruling Peters and NZFirst out of inclusion in any coalition, such ‘strategic voters’ took the side of NZFirst and the % of votes which brought NZFirst back from political oblivion while being ‘unmeasurable’ will again be crucial at election 2014,
IF, we ascribe to NZFirst the 5% of the vote allocated by the recent Morgan poll as an accurate reading of the electorate, then subtract any old %, half a %, quarter of a %, however large or small the departing ‘tactical voters’ NZFirst enjoyed in 2011, and depart they will be en masse looking for that where their votes will ensure a Government of the left in September,
Then there is one inescapable conclusion to be drawn, NZFirst will not enjoy 5% of the vote in September,
Second, enter the Elephant in the room, admittedly a scrawny looking ‘beast’ with eyes best described as madly staring, the butt of everyone’s skeptical humor, who might, admittedly, albeit
accidently, just be the lefts best friend at election 2014, Colon and the Conservatives,
Busily campaigning in the heart of NZFirst’s turf, Grey-Power meetings, should, and this is said again using the latest Roy Morgan polling of NZFirst 5% as reference, should Colon’s Conservatives abscond with any small %, half %, quarter %, of the vote previously farmed from among the Grey-Power retiree demographic by Peters then NZFirst is i would suggest again, history,
Armstrong is today delivering the ‘soothie’ of a done and dusted 2014 election, a foregone conclusion of a National/NZFirst coalition being the result, i would say ”only in your dreams John”, NZFirst are facing the shaky ground of an election result which matches that of 2008,
InternetMana, the new kid on the block, an unknown electoral equation might just produce a 50% result for the left in September,
Labour 33%, Greens 12%, InternetMana 5%, read like that are not a huge ask, those numbers tho in September would add up to a Government of the left, lets do it…
What Armstrong is arguing a vote for NZ1 is a vote for nats
Aha, any Left leaning voter who is also a supporter of NZFirst should read the Armstrong piece in the NZHerald today and ask themselves how having a third term National Government propped up by NZFirst will sit with their left leaning ideals,
According to Armstrong a vote for NZFirst is a definite vote for a National Government, there’s an easy fix to that…
Since when do any of us listen to and take seriously what Armstrong has to say?
Since when???, Armstrong tho isn’t addressing commenters here at the Standard is He…
Point being that Armstrong is a tory schill and what ever he writes, the opposite should probably be believed.
Labour’s vote crumbling says Armstrong twice-23.5%, 24.9%, 26.5%, 26.7%, 28%, 30% has been Labour in the last 6 polls-spot a trend?
My prediction remains 31/11/7=Cunliffe.
But if necessary IMP and Greens can support Lab/NZF on confidence and supply.
I think Labour and the Greens will score a bit higher and NZ1st won’t quite reach 7%
Allen-the 7% is IMP
Not in my scenario 😉
Allen I think you may mean scarenario
Nice one BG 🙂
Quelle surprise 😆
consistent riser – just like IMP and the polls
Without kims illegal loot propping up the bar, not so much though.
The biggest laugh is still at your expense. If kim was backing Banks or ultra right wingers like act, again, you’d be all over it as a disgrace and buying politicians for cash etc…
Your principles must cost less than hh’s, ’cause you won’t even see a penny of it. 😆
🙄
So imagine kdc setting up Rodney Hide in a new party to take down Cunliffe’s government – What do you do and say?
Yeah, you roll ’em, I’ll poke ’em. 😉
imagine? don’t have to because I’m dealing with reality not second hand right wing spin like you. Do you look but not see, do you listen but not hear, do you touch but not feel, do you allen, do you? – riddle me that bud.
Right, so no serious contribution, mars. Fair do’s mate, but if kim was rodder’s king maker you like most, if not all, would be over it like a rash as dodgy millionaire buying politicians and you know it, even if it’s not expedient for you to say so.
Principled, oh yeah.
Alien, don’t let rational thought get in the way of your little playschool fantasies will you,
Kim DotCom ISN’T attempting to prop up ACT or any other right wing absurdity is He so you are in fact dribbling drivel,
If DotCom’s coin helps deliver a Government of the left, that delivers actual left wing policy and outcomes to the country all power to Him i say,
30 years of Neo-liberal dominance of politics both on the left and right of the spectrum has to be broken somehow, if it takes the large Germans money to do just that then so be it…
allen, regurgitating second hand right wing memes thinking they are original ‘serious’ ideas is so weak really. I just thought BG had it correct with IMP at 7% – get over it.
plus I agree with bad’s comment – we need to change the government and winnie is not the man for that job.
“Kim DotCom ISN’T attempting to prop up ACT or any other right wing absurdity is He so you are in fact dribbling drivel,”
“So imagine” was the lead in to the point.
“regurgitating second hand right wing memes thinking they are original ‘serious’ ideas is so weak really.”
It’s not a right wing meme as far as I’m aware, but even if it is, it’s a valid point to the legitimacy of hh grabbing at kims loot and your credibility in not opposing it, but being openly supportive. Like I said, other way round and you’d be apoplectic.
The ‘serious’ bit is you deflecting, to which I am aware of and subsequently not giving a rats arse over.
I just thought BG had it correct with IMP at 7% – get over it.
” we need to change the government and winnie is not the man for that job.”
So says you, Bad and depending on which polls you read, 1 – 2.5% of kiwis.
But that’s the good thing about politics, kim buying influence aside, everyone, even minorities have a say.
”And don’t let rational thought get in the way of your playschool fantasies” was the lead into the part of my comment you reproduce Alien,
i do not need to ‘imagine’ DotCom backing ACT because it is glaringly obvious that He is not,
So debating your fantasies is pointless in the context of the election campaign, a deliberate attempt to derail what is being discussed Alien???…
Kim’s ‘illegal’ loot? Has that been proven? Do you know what ‘cloud’ storage is? Is cloud storage wide spread and is it illegal? Is so, tell that to thousands of such websites around the world, including YouTube.
KDC donated to Bank’s ‘mayoral’ election fund. Not to ACT. Banks wasn’t even in the ACT party at that time.
Go on, just for you – kim’s alleged illegal loot.
And Banks, that paragon of left wing politics. He bought what he paid for.
In my opinion NZF will cross the 5% threshold.
A vote for NZF is not a GUARANTEE that NZF will DEFINITELY go with Key/National.
Winston is a very astute, intelligent and crafty politician. He will grab votes from lots of his usual supporters, from lots of unhappy National supporters and from some soft Labour camp. Left, right and centre.
On the Nation today, he has taken a vote attracting strong stand against sale of Kiwi land and property, including the Lochinver Station, to foreigners, thus gazumping Colin Craig’s cunning bound to fail foray into Winston’s political territory.
Winston is one of the most masterly politician of this country. Don’t ever underestimate his ability and cleverness.
I think he is more IN than OUT on Sept 20.
But WHO he is in WITH is a 2c worth question, that no one really knows the answer to, including the high priest, Chief Matai Vaovasamanaia Winston !
Watch what Winston says here:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Govt-under-fire-over-Chinese-farm-bid/tabid/1607/articleID/355126/Default.aspx
[P.S as an aside re Chief Matai Vaovasamanaia Winston: From an old report through Google:
“It’s all a total surprise, I’ve been caught unawares here. I am totally unprepared for it,” Mr Peters told NZPA.
‘He was good humoured as local woman dressed him up to look more special for the occasion wrapping him in a woven mat skirt and adorning his head with a sequined band’.]
Yesterday I read a post in Standard by a writer who speculated that ACT might get 4%!
ACT on 4%?!…..THAT would be the biggest political miracle of this century!
Even Roger Douglas, Ruth Richardson and Don Brash would be turning in their graves!
Congratulations to Colin Craig for exposing the secretive sale of Lochinver Station.
“..Craig who was shunned this week by by National revealed…..” (ChCh Press-Saturday) and
He ..”took the fight to the National Party yesterday..”
One wonders if he had not been shunned by National as superfluous or even damaging to it’s needs, would he have been so keen to take the fight to National -or would he have kept quiet.
I think the latter. After all, what are friends for?
Colon ”i beg you to believe me, we are not loonies”, the Conservative channels Winston Peters flaming the land ownership question into a quisling racist query,
Not only is the ‘pinhead’ diving into Winston’s form of hate speech, He’s gone after NZFirst’s voter base with a series of addresses to Grey-Power,
Both parties are now locked into a dance of death election struggle, Colon knows deep down He cannot win and will now attempt to take Peters and NZFirst with Him,
National are standing on far shakier electoral ground then anyone is letting on to…
+1 bad. Colon was severely piss-taken on 7-Days last night. Worth a watch.
Who told cc about the secret land sale?
I’d bet it was on key’s say so, in the hope the conservatives pinch enough votes of NZ1st to snuff Winston out of post election talks with Labour and the Greens.
Alien, it is unlike you to sound like you live a delusion from prior to 2008, a vote for Winston Peters is as likely to be a vote for National, at best a 50/50 gamble,
As Peters will talk to National first it is obvious that should the numbers require it to, National will give Peters whatever large bauble He demands up to what i see as His opening demand, the Office of Prime Minister that is,
Peters may have gone silent on His Green hatred recently but that is only to fool the lightweight thinkers who have previously voted for NZFirst,
Is that you Alien, a lightweight thinker willing to gamble a vote for NZFirst isn’t a vote to prop up a third term National Govrnment…
“As Peters will talk to National first”
No indication of that Bad. Not saying it won’t happen, but it’s not been flagged thus far in this campaign.
“National will give Peters whatever large bauble He demands”
And DC, MT and RN won’t?
“Is that you Alien, a lightweight thinker”
I’d never be so modest or bold to confirm or deny.
“willing to gamble a vote for NZFirst isn’t a vote to prop up a third term National Govrnment”
I’m not voting NZ1st, and wouldn’t, and I can’t believe there are many Winston voters on here.
Not on planet Earth Alien?, or just putting forward bullshit as a point of debate, Winston Peters has repeatedly said He will talk to the Party that gains the most votes First after the election,
Do i need provide a link that proves the above point???,
Rather than a 50/50 gamble on which side of the political divide Peters will opt for, and, even should He opt for supporting Labour you then have to ask ”what’s the point” another Government of ”Business as Usual”???,
The better 50/50 is to be rid of NZFirst, don’t worry Alien the ‘tactical voters’ and those who switch their votes from NZFirst to Colons Conservatives will do it for you without you even having to spend a moment of time in actual thought,
That better 50/50 will be the chance of Labour/Green/InternetMana to then gather between them the vote to enable a left leaning Government to be formed without the sea-anchor of NZFirst holding it firmly in the grasp of ”Business as Usual” which despite all the flourishing rhetoric is where NZFirst ‘in Government’ has proven to be…
That tactic from Key, if true, would be a double edged sword and quite stupid because it could enrage the general public sentiment against Key and Nats including from the Nats, which might actually take away more soft or patriotic votes from National towards Labour, Greens, NZF or the Cons.
So, no, I doubt they ‘fed’ or ‘asked Collin’ to make this huge sale an issue. some one disgruntled with Key or someone patriotic may have, though
steven joyce channeled muldoon..again…on the nation..
..he should go to thailand..and get some plastic-surgery..
..a dimple/chin-implant..
..that..and a bit of voice-coaching..
..and he will become muldoon…
..and he is likely the next leader of the tories..(!)
..arrogance on a stick…
..the perception of this govt being arrogant and out of touch..and uncaring..
..and now that the asset-stripping has been completed..
..an idea-free zone..
..is all further embedded in..
..thank you mr joyce..
He was unbelievable wasn’t he? Not content with talking over Grant Robertson’s every word and constantly sneering, he then proceeded to talk over the host Lisa Owen, who couldn’t even get him to shut up when she was announcing they were taking a break! What a boor and a bully, it was very like his behaviour every week on Newstalk ZB with Annette King! He is the personification of an uncouth bully! Bye-Bye to ever being National Party Leader, Mr Joyce!
Seems that they need to start turning their microphone off.
I thought that too!…But then the public will miss seeing what sort of lying crooks and idiots these rich prick Nat RWNjobs actually are!
@ dv..
..nah..!..i wd rather their hubris hangs out in the open…for all to see…
and his bullying of/ignoring of/talking over of/mansplaining all over..lisa owen…
..wouldn’t have done a lot to shore-up support for national amongst women..
..you’d think..?
+1 Hami Shearlie
I thought Robertson did well in what was a difficult interview (due to Mr Joyce’s complete lack of courtesy).
It was good to see Robertson fighting back.
That Act candidate from Epsom conducted himself in a similarly bulldozing ‘wall-of-words’ way a few weeks ago.
What is it with the right-wing and their complete lack of respect? These are not people who are capable of governing a country with a wide view to the interests of many. I really don’t know why anyone would vote for such boors.
Right-Wing means Tory and as the old but true saying goes “There is only one good Tory ”
I will leave al mthe elderly Lefties to finish it off.
Oh I don’t know… the Right like bullies. That’s why you’ve got two bullies vying for the Nat. leadership. They’re supporters equate bullying with strength.
He’ll need plastic surgery on his ball sak if he keeps it up (horrible thought I know and I’m not sure how many micro-surgeons are available), but obviously something had the squeeze on – he was damn near squealing.
I LIKED the way Joyce debated today, like in a street brawl, shouting, being stupid, arrogant, being a twit, like a drunken lousy lout and not letting the other smaller guy talk. All good, I say, because the rest of the audience in the country saw what I saw too !
For those who did not see The Nation programme today,
Watch
the Jabbering Joker Joyce, here!
http://www.3news.co.nz/Debate-Grant-Robertson-and-Steven-Joyce-on-the-wealth-of-the-nation/tabid/1348/articleID/355158/Default.aspx
Enjoy! You are welcome!
Well, Robertson did interrupt quite a bit from the beginning of the discussion as well. Joyce, though, was arrogant and sneering and into the more personal type of insults, and he did go on with his spin a lot.
Joyce will never win a charm offensive.
Sounds like he has the perfect qualifications Hami
Maybe for other uncouth boors – women don’t like that kind of man however! People with good policies and good arguments don’t need to talk over others!
Sorry Hami-it was meant to be sarcasm
‘BLOG WATCH: Realising what Pundit Blog and Phil Quin are’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 2, 2014
“It was a recent farcical column by ‘Labour Party activist’ Phil Quin that suddenly helped me understood what Pundit Blog actually was – it’s the unofficial blog for the right wing of the Labour Party…
Witty article on whyte – toby is good at this
and this was funny
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/election-2014/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503581&objectid=11302751
unplugged indeed – although this week i have felt some sympathy for him – he reminds me of blinkingDon in the headlights.
More, more, more weirdos into politics please – they make it interesting and sieve effectivelly plus we are all a bit weirder than we would like people to think imo
I see the Russians are planning to train and arm the Cuban and Mexican defence forces.
And the yanks aren’t going to do anything about it.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/10341050/US-to-train-and-arm-Ukraine-army
What about Canada?
A couple of outstanding comments on current global chaos
Michael Roberts Blog on a 1937 redux (i.e. forget 1914). http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/the-risk-of-another-1937/
and
James Petras on the global Chaos and where it leads (socialism or death).
http://t.co/S42GjR1AOT
Tom Jackson , good call.
“NZ ought to cut off diplomatic relations with these racist animals.”
We ought to also cut off diplomatic relations with these racist animals in (Natz) National Party also.
Especially those scheming pundits, Joyce is the tall poppy here as campaigning for National that are using TVNZ as a pubic funded Nazi style (Goebbels circa 1933) propaganda whitewashing machine against opposition parties.
Did Joyce study Goebbels? They were similar lovers of media power.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/…locaust/goebbels.html
The latest example is using the outspoken NATZ Mike Hoskings at a moderator during the TVNZ leaders debate, while Hoskings is yesterday on media putting the boot into David Cunliffe yet again.
There is something deeply ROTTEN with TVNZ. They are now no more than a tightly-integrated cog in the National Party
Evidence of National meddling in our press freedom has been raised on this blog before in 2012 and other times so we are now seeing the raw effect this election with Joyce’s fingers all over it.
Like Hitler did with Goebbels the Key/Joyce club is replicating the same model today.
Next we will loose all traces of democracy and free speech altogether, as they cuddle up with TPPA, five eyes global surveillance and Bilderberg also of course?
Key has been to the highly secretive Global elitist power hungry control group called “The Bilderberg Group”.
Key was once apparently in attendance already as he was on the 2012 invitation list, but refuses to acknowledge involvement with this fascist regime born by the NAZI Party in late 1943 when NAZI power was diminishing.
Why is our PM on this list? maybe Mike Moore could tell us eh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bilderberg_participants#New_ Zealand
Nasty friends the NATZ have eh!
My Son in Germany says the NAZI are on the rise again.
What have we got to loose say the Nat’s’?
I think its called “democracy” you know the thing we all went to war over time and time again, and many of our brave never came home?.
And now again it seems we are fighting a home battle, so why do these neo-liberals think they can take our liberty free press & free to air TVNZ voice away and democracy away without any law invoked as yet?
Perhaps that is the secret next law change if they get back in, make it a criminal offense to speak against the Government.
Didn’t they use force to close down the “Occupy wall street protest group” by enacting a law against them and using the police? Maybe we have lost democracy and freedom already now and just don’t realise it?
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/television-new-zealand-calling-to-have-mike-hosking-dropped-from-moderatingthe-political-debates#share
Yes Mike Hoskings post is over on the The Daily Blog. Critical of Cunliffe, but denies bias! FFS.
I am resurrecting this petition. We now have close to 5000 signatures, so that’s too good to waste. I know the issue has gone a bit quiet, but I think we need to keep going. Please sign and circulate. I know Cunliffe has said he has accepted Hoskings, which was the right call, I think we need to give TVNZ and the other msm who are bias, the clear message that we see through it and we will protest against it.
On the same note, I went to Parliament for the last session for the year. I admit, I didn’t stay for the full session, but I saw Claire Trevitt and co in the Press Gallery and when I read her commentary I was gobsmacked. The most notable omission of Meteria clearly and persistently challenging Bill English on child poverty and Bill giving disgraceful, non answers……….Shame on you Bill. To think you are a practicing Catholic.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/08/01/you-wont-believe-mike-hoskings-latest-column/
This is the post I referred to in my comment above urging people to sign the petition.
Mass immigration could see water shortages, failing hospitals – and we won’t feel richer, says Civitas
The usual conflating of financials with economics. Basically, lots of people make it easier to have lots of money but the economic strain placed upon the countries resources make it economically negative.
Media Bias for Israel Masks Israeli Aggression against Palestinians
The comments by the vicious and ignorant hosts at CNN will be familiar to anyone who has endured the comments of Jim Mora and his befuddled Panelists over the last three weeks….
As for the thick American talkback host Mark Levin: I’m not sure if he reminds me more of Leighton Smith or Larry “Lackwit” Williams…..
The prime minister today called the NZ public liars today, and I quote, “there’s a perception amongst…ahhh…the public at large that politicians…ah…mislead people and akshully it’s not true”.
Note he spread the load to all politicians instead of just himself which is what the question put to him was about.
That’s it, I’m not voting for this guy, he just called me a liar.