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.
Before Jacingrant There Was Gracinda: Grant Robertson and his 2014 running mate, Jacinda Ardern. She stood at his side: loyal and obliging, as she had ever been. The media dubbed this duo “Gracinda” – a sort of political “Brangelina”. The other young people who worked alongside Robertson were also ambitious ...
. . Just when you thought Simon Bridges couldn’t sink any lower – he has. After the March 15th Christchurch terror attack, the (current) Leader of the National Party issued strong committments to support urgently needed gun law reform; “We will be ready and prepared to be constructive and to ...
We all know that bad parents simply don’t care about their children’s education. Most truants have loser parents, and grow up to be involved with crime, or in low paid employment usually like their parents. The nonsense so-called “climate strike” coming up will be attended mostly by the least intelligent ...
Is the terrorist Organisation Greenpeace and the loony Green parties around the World hiring professional internet trolls? I have noticed a trend lately where if you post research, news articles or even comments that show the manmade climate change scam to be just that, you are immediately attacked, often within ...
Today is the first day of the global climate strike. Led by schoolkids, people all around the world are going to protest to demand action on climate change. New Zealand isn't doing it till next Friday (join us!), but if you want to get active early, there's plenty to do ...
The Herald has a story today about the 400 MW of wind power currently under construction. Good news, right? Except that none of it is being driven by policy (instead, its about replacing Contact Energy's Taranaki Combined Cycle gas-fired power plant, due to shut down in 2022), and most of ...
To Protect and Serve: When the Prime Minister finds herself enmeshed in the coils of a full-blown political scandal, her colleagues and party comrades have only one priority: to release her as swiftly – and with as little lasting injury – as possible. Is this what Jacinda Ardern’s colleagues and ...
When military leaders cover up and lie to elected civilian authorities, the foundation of democratic civil-military relations is undermined because it is those authorities who are entrusted to hold the military accountable to the public that they mutually serve. But this is only true if civilian political authorities take their ...
The Make It 16 campaign to lower the voting age is launching this afternoon, and they have already announced plans to challenge the law in court:The campaign, named "Make it 16" will launch at Parliament on Friday, with plans to take their case to the High Court, testing the rights ...
by Daphna Whitmore The long years of Netanyahu’s reign are drawing to an end. For years he has epitomized reactionary zionism as he oversaw hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers seize land in the West Bank. There are now 700,000 settlers, putting an end to the myth that Israel was ...
BP, Z and Mobil all insist that petrol price hikes are temporary, “in a very literal sense.” The nation’s major petrol providers are trying to allay customer fears over prices, promising that they’ll move to lower them again “immediately” when the Middle East is returned to its formerly peaceful state. ...
South African coach Rassie Erasmus says he has no idea what they’re going to do about the boat. In a highly anticipated press conference this afternoon, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has finally unveiled the team’s boat for its Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign. In a press conference that went ...
The Operation Burnham inquiry continued to question senior NZDF staff today, and their shoddy coverup over their knowledge of civilian casualties continue to fall apart. If you recall, first, we were asked to believe that it was all a series of "mistakes and errors": a senior officer with multiple degrees ...
The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No 2) had part of its committee stage yesterday. its a generally tedious bill about the nitty-gritty of local government reorganisation. But it includes a clause making the Local Government Commission subject to the Ombudsmen Act, and hence the OIA. Great! Except of ...
Yesterday Ihumātao's mana whenua reached a consensus that they would like their land back, and asked the government to negotiate with Fletcher's for its return. The government's response? Try and undermine that consensus, while talking about how doing anything would undermine existing Treaty settlements. The first is just more bad ...
Its Suffrage Day, the 126th anniversary of women winning the right to vote (but not stand in elections) in New Zealand. And to celebrate, the government has bought Kate Sheppard's house in Christchurch:The government has bought Kate Sheppard's former home in Christchurch for more than $4 million. The Ilam villa ...
The UN climate summit is happening in new York next week, and unlike previous years, coal-burners and denier-states are not being invited to speak:Leading economies such as Japan and Australia will not be invited to speak at next week’s crunch UN climate change summit, as their continued support for coal ...
Get Back Jojo! The elation in Mayor Phil Goff’s camp may be easily imagined as they watched social media light up in indignation at challenger John Tamihere’s "Sieg Heil to that" quip. Just when JT’s notoriously right-wing, sexist and homophobic stains were beginning to fade back into his ‘colourful’ past, ...
Patrick Gower is good value when he's high. Not that I've ever, you know, got stoned with him. But in the second part of his documentary Patrick Gower on Weed, he does what you'd expect in a modern weed documentary and immerses himself – first with a doctor, then a ...
We surveyed candidates on their attitudes to issues facing the Western Bay Region, find out what they think: “Closing the Gap” Tauranga, one of the area groups of Income Equality Aotearoa NZ Inc., has surveyed all candidates in the three local body elections to discover attitudes to some basic issues ...
Please spread widely, and sign, to support science and rationalism over the new irrationalism sweeping universities and institutions. PROJECT NETTIE Sexual reproduction, the generation of offspring by fusion of genetic material from two different individuals, evolved over 1 billion years ago. It is the reproductive strategy of all higher animals ...
Just when I was thinking that Palmerston North's mayoral race (which includes a convicted child molester / public wanker and a convicted child beater) was the worst in the country, Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere opened his mouth:Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere is being slammed for using the words "sieg ...
We reprint below an article from the excellent website the Economics of Imperialism by Tony Norfield This is an update of the statistics for my Index of Power, using data for 2018-19 and discussing what a country’s ranking reflects. The major change is that China’s rank has shifted up and ...
The All Blacks have been, for more than a century, arguably the most successful International sports team in the world. But they are more than that; even for those Kiwis who are immune to the charms of rugby (and there are more than a few), the All Blacks are ambassadors ...
Alone, Alone, All, All, Alone: To argue that the Prime Minister is the victim of her advisers’ failure to keep her informed may offer Jacinda some measure of exoneration – but only at the cost of casting her as a hopeless political ingénue. A star-dusted muppet, whose only purpose is to ...
In times of hysteria about the “World coming to an end” and “rising sea levels” so-called ‘Journalists’ who can barely spell words longer than four letters are having a ball! Though the majority of the Public have worked out that manmade climate change is nothing short of pseudo-science, and the ...
I don't want to give pblicity to certain parts of the internet that are better left to fester in their own irrelevance (I know, a bit like this place) but the listing of Chris Trotter as a 'author' on Cameron Slater's spinoff website, the BFD requires some explanation.Now, I don't ...
The text below is a Twitter thread by Heather Heying that explains the essence of sexual reproduction and it long evolutionary history. She is an evolutionary biologist and a “professor-in-exile” after she and her husband, Bret Weinstein, stood up to supporters of an enforced “Day of Absence” for white staff and teachers ...
With crunch time for new Zealand climate policy approaching, most of the New Zealand media have got on board with a global reporting effort to cover the issue. There's one strand of stories today about polling and what it shows about changing public attitudes to the crisis, but the strand ...
Dangerous Foes: For those readers of Bowalley Road who feel disposed to dismiss any prospect of an Israeli destabilisation of New Zealand politics, the example of the United Kingdom repays close attention. Ever since the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party, the Israelis have sanctioned, funded and ...
Make It 16, the youth-led campaign to lower New Zealand's voting age, is holding an official campaign launch at Parliament this Friday from 16:30. If you'd like to attend, you can register using EventBrite here. ...
by Don Franks It was a lovely sunny Wellington afternoon with blue skies above the beaches. In Courtenay Place, political activists packed out a stuffy upstairs room for an important meeting. The assembled pacifists, anarchists, communists and independent young radicals of Peace Action Wellington felt the need for a mission ...
Current and former NZDF top brass are being publicly grilled this week by the hit and run inquiry over their public responses to allegations of civilian casualties. Previously, they've claimed there were no casualties, a position which led them to lie to Ministers and to the public. Now, they're saying ...
by Rafael D. Quiles (gender-critical gay man from Puerto Rico) The writing on the wall is right in people’s faces and people just don’t see it or don’t want to. What could actually possess a heterosexual male to want to feminize himself and claim that he is a lesbian? Because ...
From the Wall Street Journal:Inside a room of the ornately decorated Hotel du Palais during last month’s Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France, President Trump awaited a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. Mr. Trump looked over a gathering of American and Egyptian officials and called out in ...
by the Redline blog collective At Redline we are very saddened to hear of the death of Magdalen Burns who passed away on the morning of Friday, September 13 (British time). Magdalen was a great fighter for the rights of women in general and lesbian women in particular, a defender ...
The Brexit issue has certainly brought with it a series of apparently difficult constitutional issues, many of them concerning the respective roles of the executive and parliament. Most of them arise because of the unwillingness of MPs, despite their professions to the contrary, to be bound by a constitutional rarity ...
. . This blogpost is different to my usual format of reporting on issues… Since July 1011, I have blogged on a variety of political issues; near always political and/or environmental; mostly highly critical of the previous National Government. Other issues included Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and repression of ...
Those close to the Police Minister believe the initiative may be the result of Nash “seeing a great deal” on AliExpress. In a move that comes seemingly out of nowhere, Police Minister Stuart Nash announced this afternoon that he expects all frontline staff to don bearskin hats, famously worn by ...
The government has released its Arms Legislation Bill, containing the second tranche of changes to gun laws following the March 15 massacre. And it all looks quite sensible: a national gun register, higher penalties for illegal possession and dealing, tighter restrictions on arms dealers and shooting clubs, and a shorter ...
Private prisons are a stain on humanity. Prison operators explicitly profit from human misery, then lobby for longer prisons terms so they can keep on profiting. And in the US, prison companies run not only local and state prisons, but also Donald Trump's immigration concentration camps. Faced with this moral ...
When National was in power, they were very keen on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) - basicly, using private companies to finance public infrastructure as a way of hiding debt from the public. They were keen on using them for everything - roads, schools, hospitals. But as the UK shows, that "service" ...
Moving And Shaking: There was a time when people spoke matter-of-factly about the “labour movement” – a political phenomenon understood to embrace much more than the Labour Party. Included within the term’s definition was the whole trade union movement – many of whose members looked upon the Labour Party as ...
by Philip Ferguson Much of the left, even people who formally identify as marxists, have collapsed politically in the face of postmodern gender theory of the sort pioneered by American philosopher Judith Butler. For Butler even biological sex is socially constructed. “If the immutable character of sex is contested, perhaps ...
The media is reporting that the (alleged) Labour party sexual assaulter has resigned from their job at Parliament, which means hopefully he won't be turning up there making people feel unsafe in future. Good. But as with everything about this scandal, it just raises other questions. Most significantly: why the ...
By Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern I am every bit as angry as you are. I am every bit as disappointed as you must be. The people with power, oversight and the ability to do something about these processes within the Labour Party should be ashamed. Whoever those people are, I ...
Property developers think there is an "oversupply" of houses in Auckland:High turnover rates and falling prices may be a sign that there are too many new houses going in to some parts of Auckland, commentators say. [...] Property developer David Whitburn said there was a "bit of an oversupply" in ...
Labour Party president Nigel Haworth resigned yesterday over the party's sexual assault scandal. But while that's good news, its unlikely to take away the stench of a coverup. Because according to Paula Bennett in Parliament yesterday, pretty much everyone in the Prime Minister's office was involved as well:I have been ...
Two-Faced? Labour insiders' commitment to the neoliberal status quo puts them at odds with their party’s membership; its trade union affiliates; and a majority of Labour voters, but this only serves to strengthen the perception they have of themselves as a special elite. Among the lesser breeds, they’ll talk up a ...
There has been a lot of talk about Boris Johnson wanting an election, and he has blustered with great gusto about 'chicken' Jeremy Corbyn refusing one, but I think there are many reasons why he is secretly glad he has been refused the opportunity:The Tories are an utter rabble,tearing themselves ...
Scottish appeal court judges have declared that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to the October Brexit deadline is unlawful. The three judges, chaired by Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge, overturned an earlier ruling that the courts did not have the powers to interfere in the prime ...
By Simon Bridges. The following is a press release from the office of Simon Bridges, leader of The National Party. Key ora, New Zealand. Happy Maori Language Week. Look, I’m writing to you today because I want to clear something up. There’s been a lot of kerfuffle around some things ...
I understand there's some stuff going round about how the SIS "was removed from the list of public offices covered by the Public Records Act in 2017". The context of course being their records derived from US torture, which will be disposed of or sealed. The good news is that ...
Dr. Christopher Labos and Jonathan Jarry discuss the recent Canadian fluoride/IQ research. They provide an expert analysis of the paper and its problems. Click on image to go to podcast. The critical debate about the recent ...
Australia is burning down again, and meanwhile its natural disaster minister is denying climate change:Australia’s minister responsible for drought and natural disasters, David Littleproud, has said that he doesn’t “know if climate change is manmade”. Clarifying earlier comments that the question is “irrelevant” when considering the Coalition government’s response to ...
Auckland Philippines Solidarity is excited to host Professor Judy Taguiwalo for a speaking tour of NZ in September. She is a well-known activist in the Philippines and was a political prisoner under the Marcos dictatorship. Professor Taguiwalo briefly served as a Cabinet member under President Duterte but was forced from ...
This open letter to the Green Party was penned after an opinion piece by Jill Abigail, a feminist and founding member of the party, was censored by the Greens’ leadership. (Redline has reprinted her article here).The intolerance of the Green Party leaders and their acceptance of the misogyny of gender ...
Today is a Member's day, and David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill continues its slow crawl through its committee stage. They're spending the whole day on it today, though the first hour is likely to be spent on voting left over from last time. After that they'll move on ...
An ambitious plan to fly to Los Angeles petered out into a brief sight-seeing trip and a desire to return home and get some sleep before work tomorrow. Air New Zealand has confirmed a flight to Los Angeles last night was turned back about a quarter of the way into ...
There appears to be consensus – by omission – that the concept of indigenous futures should be accepted at face value. So I scavenged the internet to see if I could locate an academic descriptor or a framework around how we think about it as a concept, and whether it ...
Here’s another novelty chocolate to shove in your gob, New Zealand Cadbury could be seeking to make itself great again with a rumoured new release: Pineapple Trumps, a spin on its classic chocolate-encased pineapple treat and do-it-yourself tooth remover. The global confectionery manufacturer and bumbling “before” character in an infomercial, ...
During my time in the Pentagon I had the privilege of sitting down with military leaders and defence and security officials from a variety of Latin American nations. Sometimes I was present as a subordinate assistant to a senior US defence department official, sometimes as part of a delegation that ...
Kia ora, Aotearoa. It’s that magical time of year. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. In English, the week that frightens talk radio. As you probably know by now, all your favourite media outlets are participating, some more successfully than others. Stuff has changed its name to Puna for the ...
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. So how's that going? I was curious, so I asked for all advice about the proposal. ...
As the Brexit saga staggers on, the focus is naturally enough on the Prime Minister and his attempts to achieve Brexit “do or die”. But the role played by the Leader of the Opposition is of almost equal interest and complexity. The first problem for Jeremy Corbyn is that he ...
Last week, English Prime Minister Boris Johnson boldly declared that he would rather die be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit. Unfortunately for him, the UK parliament accepted the challenge, and promptly dug one for him. The "rebellion bill" requires him to ask for and secure yet another temporary ...
It has been two years since Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called climate change her generation's nuclear free moment. And on Monday, against a backdrop of global climate protest, she will give the opening speech at the United Nation's climate ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson is under intense scrutiny. New figures show economic growth has slowed to levels not seen for six years. And he has chosen not to answer questions about when he heard about serious allegations of a sexual assault cover-up ...
NZDF Attends Commemorations to Mark International Mission in East Timor A New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent participated today in the 20th anniversary commemorations of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) mission in Dili. The commemoration ...
They’ve only been up and running for a few months, but a New Zealand not-for-profit has already made a big impact on period poverty in New Zealand. ...
The allocation of money for publicly funded broadcasting for election campaigns should be turned on it's head according to Massey University professor of communication design Claire Robinson. ...
Disappointment expressed by Fletcher Building CEO, Ross Taylor, reflects the increasing frustration held by many with this Government’s failure to protect private property rights.[1] ...
The independent Interim Climate Change Committee today launched an eight-week, nationwide call for evidence on options available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Social Credit has lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman over the way the Overseas Investment Office is handling its official information request for disclosure of documents on the sale of Westland Milk Products to Chinese company Inner Mongolian ...
This Friday in Solidarity with the Global Climate Strike All of the SodaStream’s e-commerce platforms and head office operations will be closed to kick-off the week-long event, and employees will march the #CLIMATESTRIKE in Auckland on 27 September. ...
Federated Farmers congratulates the Auditor-General’s office on its release today of its report Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges and Opportunities. ...
Growth has now slowed to a 6-year low, and downside risks are dominating. June quarter GDP growth came in at 0.5%qoq, in line with our expectation, and slightly above consensus. Although there were a few sensational reports of the chance of a negative print. ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is calling the release of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) framework a good first step in balancing New Zealand’s response to climate change. ...
Family First NZ says that a new Colorado report compiled by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area finds marijuana-positive traffic fatalities, hospitalisations, marijuana use, and illegal market activity have exploded since marijuana legalization. ...
This year’s Ratepayers’ Report , local government league tables released yesterday, reveals which local councils owe the most and which owe the least. ...
Rachel MacGregor welcomes the decision released today by Justice Hinton. The key issue on which all the various litigation has been based is the question, did Colin Craig sexually harass Rachel. That question has been answered – he did. Justice ...
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) has today ratified a ground breaking pay deal with Dunedin Railways which will see all union members being paid a living wage and the lowest paid receiving an 18% wage increase. Higher paid RMTU members ...
Inclusion for trans women/men and non-binary peoples has today been announced as the cornerstone of a new resolution for the National Council of Women New Zealand (NCWNZ). ...
It took a testy Morning Report interview this week to remind me that Simon Bridges was still the Leader of the Opposition. Until then, he had been largely invisible as the events of recent weeks unfolded. ...
The National Council of Women NZ has today welcomed the news that the Government has purchased Kate Sheppard’s house in Christchurch, the base for the NZ suffrage campaign. ...
The Māori Party supports mana whenua of Ihumātao and acknowledges their coming together to reach consensus on the future of their whenua. “We also acknowledge the leadership of the Kīngitanga who have played an important role in supporting ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning why, for the second time, Jacinda Ardern has appointed a Crown-owned company Chief Executive to Chair her “Business Advisory Council”, following her announcement that Mercury CEO Fraser Whineray ...
Responding to the Government’s decision to give around $300 million to Amazon as a sweetener for filming a TV series in New Zealand, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “As a matter of simple waste, this is striking, ...
I am very pleased with Air New Zealand’s Decision to backdown and withdraw their application to trademark into a logo Kia Ora. I said at the time that it was an ill conceived idea and poorly thought out – more importantly it should never have been ...
NZEI Te Riu Roa members will be joining with others across the union movement by wearing black and white in support of pay equity on Suffrage Day tomorrow, and urging the Government to commit to a settlement for teacher aides this year. ...
Yesterday’s announcement from the Minister for Immigration, to improve temporary work visas for migrant workers, provides some positive changes but more detail is needed. The Council of Trade Unions fundamentally supports the principle of making ...
FIRST Union today welcomed Westpac’s public admission of the significant gender pay gap in its workforce and reiterated its call for employers to work with unions to close this disparity, arguing that this work must begin at the bottom of the pay ...
Changes to the work visa system announced by the Minister of Immigration are not all positive for employers or migrants, comments Ms June Ranson, chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI) , a leading voice in the ...
The Dairy Workers Union (DWU) has welcomed the announcement from dairy company, Synlait, that they will be boosting parental leave entitlements significantly for working parents. ...
In June, the Children’s Commissioner announced a thematic review into Oranga Tamariki’s policies, processes and practice relating to care and protection issues for tamariki Māori aged 0-3 months. Today the Children’s Commissioner has released the full ...
“Closing the Gap” Tauranga, one of the area groups of Income Equality Aotearoa NZ Inc., has surveyed all candidates in the three local body elections to discover attitudes to some basic issues of the Western Bay region. We believe that this is ...
In response to DairyNZ's attempt to dismiss an economic report that highlighted dairy's role in the New Zealand economy is only three per cent of GDP, Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says: "If DairyNZ wishes to reject a report ...
Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has successfully guided the mana whenua of lhumaatao to reach a consensus on the future of their whenua. ...
Two activists disguised as shareholders interrupted the AGM of a gold mining company in central Auckland this morning to inform shareholders their plans to mine for gold in conservation estate in the Karangahake Gorge were unwelcome. ...
The Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) has been labelled ‘NATO’ (no action, talk only) when it comes to child mental health, with just 0.6 full time staff (24 hours per week) for inpatient child psychology and just 0.8 full time staff ...
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has awarded three New Zealand climate youth groups with its Ambassador of Conscience award, its highest recognition for human rights work, previously given to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Ai Weiwei and Malala Yousafzai. ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union , in partnership with the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance , has today published this year's Ratepayers' Report – online local government league tables – at www.ratepayersreport.nz . ...
NZUS Council executive director Jordan Small welcomes the news New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with US President Donald Trump in New York next week. ...
The recent NZIER report trivialises the significant role the dairy sector plays in New Zealand’s economy – and fails to look at the specifics of the Government’s freshwater package, according to DairyNZ. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said ...
This week, the New Zealand Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will jointly host a seminar on tackling the global spread of illicit weapons. ...
By Michael Andrew Social media and tech industries have been replicating the ugliest aspects of capitalism from the 1800s, according to an AUT computer science lecturer. Associate Professor Tony Clear says that social media and tech executives are taking advantage of unregulated markets in a similar way as wealthy ...
Covering Climate Now: There’s a range of dairy-free ice creams available these days, but it’s a fair bet none will be as delicious – or satisfying – as making your own. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here!If the latest stats ...
Covering Climate Action: Ahead of the UN’s Climate Action Summit, artist Joseph Michael and composer Rhian Sheehan teamed up to create Voices For The Future, a 30-minute installation projected onto the UN buildings.The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here!Joseph Michael is ...
New Zealand banning Huawei’s 5G network equipment won’t impact you nearly as much as the US’s recent moves against Huawei phones, writes Henry Burrell. Twenty years ago, you would have shown off your flash new Ericsson or Nokia. How times change. Now, those two entities exist only to provide mobile network ...
Op-Ed by Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)Kaveh Zahedi is Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).In less than ten days world leaders will be ...
Grant McDougall reviews Kilgour’s new solo album, Bobbie’s A Girl, which sees him reflecting on the deaths of his friend and former bandmate, Peter Gutteridge and his own mother, Helen Kilgour. There is a passage in Shayne Carter’s excellent recent autobiography, Dead People I Have Known, in which he describes ...
New Zealand painter-poet Gregory O’Brien has just published a new collection of essays and art; pitched as a “field notebook … my whale survey”, Always Song in the Water drifts from his own front lawn in Hataitai, up to Northland and way, way across the Pacific. It’s the sort of ...
Ruby Porterlooks into New Zealand’s future when the sea level rises 10, 25 and 80 metres, and finds out how much of Auckland will be left.I grew up in Ponsonby, but the only bay I knew around here was Cox’s. It’s fed by a creek which was once a mahinga ...
Opening up a skid pad, create more housing for single people and make the central city dog friendly: policies from Christchurch's lesser-known mayoral candidates. ...
Josie Adams, Hayden Donnell, and Alice Webb-Liddall read thousands of policy statements to find the climate change deniers, fudgers, prevaricators (and believers) running in our local elections.The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The SpinoffMembers. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here.One of the problems ...
The paintings of Colin McCahon convey dissonance and uncertainty, writes Shannon Te Ao. So what does this say about us? And why are we maintaining this Pākehā male narrative at the expense of more inclusive representation?Colin McCahon would have turned 100 on August the 1st. If you keep one eye ...
Amanda Thompson spends a day with the New Zealand men’s roller derby squad as they prepare for next year’s world champs in the US.Let’s play a word game. Let’s list some contact sports and the top teams in those codes.Say rugby. Are you thinking about the All Blacks yet? What ...
Covering Climate Now:Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we go crazy for crickets in a climate week special.The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. ...
To mark International Day of Peace, Dr Rebecca Dudley of the New Zealand Red Cross explores the role that New Zealanders play in the global story of war and peace. Personal stories about war almost always begin with a memory.A humid afternoon in South Sudan.A calm Wednesday evening in Beirut.A bustling ...
The history of tattoo art in Japan is deep-rooted and complex – and so is the cultural aversion to tattooed bodies, explains Brian Ashcraft, the author of a book on subject.Tonight, when the All Blacks take the field, they’ll be covering up. In order not to run afoul of Japanese ...
Covering Climate Now: Saying climate change is important is one thing. So why are we so incapable of having a real conversation about what actually addressing it will mean? Sam McGlennon investigates. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here!Up until a week ago, ...
"This is what Wellington boy said, after he finished his quick and bloody deed. You know what your problem is? Once a slut, always a slut": a short story by Auckland writer Eileen Merriman. ...
Michael Mann, a climatologist and famous press critic, talks to the Columbia Journalism Review about the dangers of both understating and overstating the dangers of climate change. ...
Ahead of the All Blacks first game Trevor McKewen makes some his fanciful, fraught and some hopefully on-point predictions for the Rugby World Cup.Can you take one for the team? Could you cope with the All Blacks coming up short in achieving an unprecedented third straight World Cup if it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Leigh Sullivan discusses Scott Morrison’s new family law inquiry with Michelle Grattan. They also speak of the developments in the Tamil family from Biloela’s case, and the UN barring ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern heads for the UN as the sexual assault scandal rumbles on at home, and Simon Bridges says he isn't going to ease off his personal attacks on the PM. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dries Verstraete, Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Design and Propulsion, University of Sydney CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d ...
In this episode of our new tarot reading show Wild Card, The Spinoff’s resident psychic divines the outcome of the All Blacks’ opening match against the Springboks on Saturday.In the first and potentially only episode of Wild Card, we have a focus on sport. The Spinoff’s psychic-in-residence, Jo Sees, specialises ...
Recently-retired Sky TV chief executive John Fellet talks to Newsroom business editor Nikki Mandow about baseball, media, goldfish, accountancy - and more baseball. ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.With Duncan enjoying a MAFS-style beach holiday in Bali, Alex and Jane are left to cover another crazy week in reality television. Shannon Ryan has gone full beast-mode in Celebrity Treasure Island, Married ...
Dr Bryce Edwards“Diversity” is a central theme of the current local government elections – with the common criticism that incumbent politicians are generally too “stale, male, and pale” (or variations on that). Numerous commentators and candidates have lamented the lack of women, ethnic minorities, and youth in local government. ...
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Open mike 02/08/2014 
Open mike is your post.
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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.