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.
Hello all. Judith here to talk about how National are going to take the election in September. The National Party prides itself its unity and cohesion. We are working together to deliver for New Zealanders. First of all, ee are a strong team. We are a very strong team. Our ...
Parliament has just begun the adjournment debate, signalling the effective end of this Parliament. So it seems like an appropriate time to assess Labour's term in office. Unfortunately, its a pretty dismal assessment. Labour campaigned on one thing: change. Not just a change in who got the top jobs and ...
Our climate change policies are insufficient to achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, according to independent assessor Climate Action Tracker: New Zealand won’t be carbon neutral by 2050 without much stronger policies, says an independent analysis by Climate Action Tracker. The non-profit highlighted a lack of active ...
That was clearly a huge explosion. Just after the explosion, we see a cloud of ‘fog’ moving outwards at high speed. This is a shockwave, rather similar to that which causes a sonic boom. The ‘fog’ is caused by water condensing from the atmosphere in areas of intense low pressure ...
Can we postpone this year’s election? Quite frankly, the political parties don’t seem ready for it, and aren’t about to offer voters the necessary policy choices for the unprecedented times we’re in. We’ve ended up with a campaign focused on scandal, personality and leadership, with a policy void that’s worse ...
It is the last sitting day of Parliament, and the last question time before the House is dissolved. So, are there any questions about the damning findings of the Hit and Run inquiry, and how the government plans to bring the military back under democratic control? Of course not. ...
Property speculator - John KeyThe National Party must be in dire straits to have to rely on John Key to campaign on their behalf. Not only has the former PM been in the news claiming the recently released unemployment figures aren’t accurate, the fool has also been promoting the opening ...
Nothing Too Drastic: Few would dispute that the Left, today, are few in number. Is their failure to make the public aware of and act upon the manifest failures of the present system attributable to their lack of active energy and intelligence? Or, is it simply because the Left’s ideas ...
by Don Franks This talk was given to the Wellington Anti Capitalist Alliance, fifteen years ago. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction so far seen on this planet have been used just twice, 60 years ago this month. August 6 and August 9 1945 witnessed the US atomic bombing ...
After I noticed that my name had been taken yet again in vain by my friendly antagonist Tom Hunter over at No Minister, I went over to see what the fuss was about. Nothing much, but then I discovered a post about the Operation Burnham Inquiry by Psycho Milt. I ...
The COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 was extended today, until December 1st or the tenth sitting day following the resumption of Parliament after the election. It seems like a necessary extension. While we currently have eradicated the virus in New Zealand, it is still banging at the door, and ...
One of the government's key policies - extracted by NZ First as part of its coalition agreement - is the "Provincial Growth Fund": $1 billion a year spent on creating jobs in rural New Zealand. Yesterday the Auditor-General issued a report on the fund, finding that it lacks transparency, and ...
The Warehouse, one of New Zealand's biggest retailers, has decided to stop selling coal. Good. Coal is a dirty, polluting fossil fuel, and the less of it we have out there, the better. Retailers choosing not to sell it sends a clear message that this is not a fuel we ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and they show that unemployment actually dropped last quarter. All told, there are 111,000 unemployed - 15,000 fewer than when the government took office. But before anyone thinks that the pandemic hasn't put people out of work, remember that this is for ...
Judy KavanaghI’m OK with wearing a CovidCard. But are you? There’s no point me doing it alone.The author modelling a (fake) CovidCard. I didn’t know much about the CovidCard proposal until I read Dave’s latest blog post. You would wear the card visibly on your person. It ...
Climate 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 like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhy can’t I use the battery from my electric car ...
As many good things come in threes (as the saying goes), we are happy to announce a third partnership between Skeptical Science and other websites. Fakebook.eco in Brazil is joining Klimafakten.de in Germany and Nauka o Klimacie in Poland to leverage translated rebuttal material and to make the information readily available in other ...
This interview on RNZ with Ross Tucker, the scientist who headed a review of transgender athletes playing in women’s rugby, discusses the findings of the review and what it means for women in sports. The review that World Rugby undertook had a broad range of independent experts and included a ...
Siouxsie WilesThe restrictions in place for metropolitan Melbourne now are in some ways stricter than those that were in force during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown. A curfew is in place and most people have to wear masks when they leave their home – neither of which happened in New ...
On Friday the Hit and Run inquiry delivered a devastating report which found that NZDF had systematically misled Ministers over civilian deaths. The report called into question civilian control of the military (and indeed, military control of the military), a fundamental principle of our democracy. So you'd expect our politicians ...
Let's Do This Again: What else can Jacinda do in a political environment so bereft of imagination and courage but seek a continuance? If she trades upon the extraordinary personal qualities that she has, miraculously, carried with her into the office of Prime Minister, then I, for one, will offer ...
How corrupt are the New Zealand Police? This corrupt: On 10 February 2019, Police attended a family harm incident. The suspect attempted to run the attending officers over in a driveway with his car, narrowly missing them, before fleeing the scene. A short pursuit followed, ending when the suspect stopped ...
Parliament's triennial Review of Standing Orders was released today, and it contains a number of welcome, if minor, improvements. The ones that caught my are: A move to encourage "pre-legislative engagement" - the government consulting widely on legislation before it is introduced - by promising easier passage (e.g. with ...
Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonGlaciers around the world are melting — and for the first time, we can now directly attribute annual ice loss to climate change. We analysed two years in which glaciers in New Zealand melted the most in at least four ...
Caroline Shaw, Anja MizdrakE-bikes are everywhere. Sales are booming and predicted to overtake sales of new cars in a few years. There were three times as many e-bikes and e-scooters imported into NZ in 2019 alone as there are e-cars in the entire country. You can’t go out in ...
New Zealand First is facing a difficult struggle to get re-elected, but Josh Van Veen, who was once a researcher for Winston Peters, argues that there is still a very significant section of cultural conservatives who oppose mass immigration and political correctness and might yet be won back over to ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Many Americans these days seem unable to avoid controversy on practically any topic, so why not embrace the discord and wade into the especially volatile arena of nuclear energy? Advocates claim it’s the only way to meet global climate goals, ...
Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ...
In New Zealand, we've just had the report of the Hit and Run inquiry, which found that a New Zealand led raid had accidentally killed civilians, including a child. meanwhile, around the same time, the British SAS was conducting its own raids in Afghanistan, and theirs were a hell of ...
In addition to establishing a process for setting emissions reductions plans, the Zero Carbon Act established a process for managing the risks of climate change. The first part of this is the preparation of regular risk assessments, looking at the risks to our economy, society, environment, and ecology. The first ...
Over on The spinoff, Amnesty International's Meg de Ronde has a response to Friday's release of the Hit and Run report. And in response to Attorney-General David Parker's claim that the government was being "transparent" by releasing the report, its titled "we shouldn’t have to work this hard to get ...
Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study FindsAs climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will ...
There's an election next month, so you'd be expecting political parties to be telling us what they stand for and what they'd do if they'd win. But while the Greens have given us a detailed policy platform, and National has talked about roads and austerity, Labour, currently leading the polls ...
"Who's youse accusin' of innference?" Without the timely intervention of a team of top American political consultants and campaign experts, Boris Yeltsin would never have won his second term as President of the Russian Federation. The Russians waited 20 years to return the favour.WHEN IT COMES to the disinformation game, ...
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 26 through Sat, Aug 1, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe four types of climate denier, and why you should ignore them allThe shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological ...
Over the last few days, reports have emerged of people travelling from New Zealand and testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at their destination. First in South Korea and now in Australia. What might these positive tests mean?They’re false-positives As Toby Morris and I have explained before, there are ...
Former National Minister - Wayne MappYou could tell that the Hit and Run book by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was right on the money by the way former National Party Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, reacted to its now largely vindicated claims.Even though the recent inquiry into ...
So, the Hit and Run inquiry has reported back, and found some appalling shit at NZDF and NZSIS. And while they quibble a few of the details - the name of a dead child - they basicly uphold Hager and Stephenson's version of events. The SAS went to those villages. ...
We are failing to think though the interdependencies in an economy. We miss economist Bryan Philpott (1921-2000). I miss him personally – we used to have such great discussions – but this column is about how the nation misses his economic experience and wisdom. We tend to ...
Michelle Boag - LeakerThe Heron report (PDF) was released yesterday, and it was a bit disappointing to say the least. It correctly found that former National Party president Michelle Boag and National Party MP Hamish Walker were politically motivated in leaking peoples private medical information, but didn’t look further into ...
Adam Smith, Massey UniversityA recent global assessment of shark populations at 371 coral reefs in 58 countries found no sharks at almost 20% of reefs and alarmingly low numbers at many others. The study, which involved over 100 scientists under the Global FinPrint project, gave New Zealand a good ...
On different trajectories and from different ends of the political spectrum, last night’s One News/Colmar Brunton poll has the Green Party and ACT converging around the five percent mark. And, as odd as it may sound, they head into the election campaign with a lot in common.Putting the Greens and ...
Janet Stephenson, University of OtagoA proposed multibillion-dollar project to build a pumped hydro storage plant could make New Zealand’s electricity grid 100% renewable, but expensive new infrastructure may not be the best way to achieve this. New Zealand’s electricity generation is already around 80% renewable, with just over half ...
Truth In Advertising: Labour, it would seem, is the party that knows nothing about running the economy right up until the moment that it does. HOW DID LABOUR acquire its reputation for being a poor economic manager? As with most things political and historical, it’s a long story.In the beginning, the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Government rulemakers looking to decide how much money to spend to avoid adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere need a good estimate of what a warming climate will cost in social damages, for example through more extreme weather events. That point makes ...
Fact Check: New Zealand’s own relationship with China might, however, be salvageable if our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was willing to equip its minister, Winston Peters, with a few facts. Legislating for the protection of national security – the very action our Foreign Minister is decrying – ...
I hope we can all agree that charging only certain returning expats for isolation costs is the right call. Instead of a blanket fee, which may have resulted in a small number of Kiwis deciding not to return home because of financial reasons, the Government has chosen to implement a ...
Back at the beginning of this government, the Greens made a foolish decision to support the Electoral Integrity Act - demanded by Winston Peters to keep his own backbench in line as part of his coalition deal with Labour - as an act of good faith within the coalition. It ...
SATURDAY AUGUST 1Artefact (Prime, 7.30pm). The series presented by Dame Anne Salmond screened on Māori Television, but is totally worth revisiting if you saw it the first time. Dame Anne tells the stories of taonga that highlight the history of Aotearoa. Further reading: this 2013 interview with Dame Anne by the lovely ...
Have unions and the Government sold workers short with their attempt at fixing the so-called “Hobbit Law”? Unionist Ian Powell argues that the union movement has been outmanoeuvered, and the Government has agreed to a new piece of anti-worker legislation that retains the principles of the previous National Government’s hated ...
Most of the claims made by anti-fluoride propagandists are simply wrong. Image source:Fluoridation and the ‘sciency’ facts of critics Anti-fluoride propagandists continually cite studies from areas of endemic fluorosis in their arguments against ...
An article in the EETimes suggests that advances in autonomous vehicles are not moving as quickly as expected because those working on them have confused complicated problems with complex ones. Engineering can only take you so far in complex worlds. Complicated systems tend to have fairly predictable inputs, processes and outputs. Complex systems (like ...
Last week, after Judith Collins announced that National would be cruel and vicious to kiwis caught overseas by the pandemic, and rob them at the border if they returned home, Labour looked like it was falling all over itself to cry "me too". But now, it looks like kindness has ...
If entry into New Zealand from abroad is safe, it should be allowed. People arriving from places that are Covid-free, or no more risky than New Zealand, and who get here on flights that do not intersect with risky places, should return to normal travel arrangements. Currently, the Cook ...
Liz SlootenScientists from the University of Otago, working with colleagues from around the world, have found that New Zealand right whales are doing much better than right whales in other parts of the world. The research was published as the feature article in the journal Marine Ecology Progress ...
Back in 2019, the government asked for a comprehensive, independent review of the Resource Management Act and associated legislation. That review has now reported back and recommended a complete repeal and re-enactment. Despite the headlines, this is not a "scrapping" - we're still going to have a resource management law, ...
By Associate Professor Mik Black, Department of Biochemistry, University of OtagoThe increased availability of complex biological data sets means that analysis and computation are becoming critically important skills for New Zealand’s future scientists. Because of this, we need to be doing everything we can to help our students develop ...
Climate 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 like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzIs humanity doomed? If in 2030 we have not reduced ...
Britain's spy agencies are supposedly overseen by various watchdogs, including the investigatory powers tribunal. But it turns out that MI6 at least has contempt for those watchdogs, and attempted to interfere with the operations of the tribunal by concealing evidence from its judges: MI6 has been accused of “inappropriate interference” ...
Daphna Whitmore So far this year over 7.4 million people have died from preventable communicable diseases. There were 4.3 million children who died under the age of five. Nearly one million people have died of HIV/AIDS in the past six months. A similar number of people have died from malaria ...
Four weeks ago I wrote about the last time a sizable asteroid hit our planet – the ‘Tunguska Event’ of 1908, when an object about 50 metres across exploded above the Siberian taiga – but smaller cosmic rocks shoot close by Earth fairly frequently. In the past 42 hours ...
Last month, China imposed a new "national security law" on Hong Kong. The law imposes a penalty of life imprisonment for secession, subversion, and "colluding with foreign forces" - which basicly means peacefully advocating for democracy or independence. It has been used to crush peaceful protests and interpreted by the ...
Powerful Connection: Neoliberalism is the antithesis of everything that has traditionally been associated with the feminine aspects of human nature. Kindness and compassion, nurturance and inclusiveness: such qualities have no place in the neoliberal order. When Jacinda proclaimed her determination to practice the “politics of kindness”, she was, wittingly or ...
The bad news: Jacinda Ardern still wants to bill exiled kiwis for returning home. The good news: it would require a law change, which the Greens won't back, so she'll need to go grovelling to National. The other good news: she's running out of time to do it. This ...
. . For the mainstream media, today (22 July) was even a better day than yesterday. More Sex. More Politics. More Sex AND Politics. Yesterday, the msm dealt with Andrew Falloon. The obscure backbench MP had been found to have sent pornographic images to at least four women. The woman’s ...
If you want to understand what is happening in this year’s election campaign, it’s worth looking to the past for guidance. Colin James delves into recent contests and finds some interesting parallels. July 28 is 53 days before the 2020 election. Just 53 days before the 2017 election ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Wildfires burned much less acreage in the U.S. than average during the first half of the year, but with hot and dry conditions expected over much of the nation in the coming months, fire activity is likely to ramp up. ...
Today a full bench of the High Court is hearing Andrew Borrowdale's challenge to the legality of the COVID-19 lockdown. That lockdown ended two months ago, so the point seems moot - but it was never about ending it. Instead, as Andrew Geddis points out, its about a key principle ...
Kia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...
On 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory.Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party have secured legislative amendments in a bill expected to pass third reading this week, to ensure better rules for school teachers and staff, so they can de-escalate children with diverse needs and cognitive differences, such as autism, rather than using unnecessary and often traumatising force. ...
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party is honoured to be remembering former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today at a public memorial service in the heart of Wellington at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s. Following her passing in March, this celebration of her life brings together her friends, family and colleagues to honour her life ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced a $2.5 million boost for South Westland to help a regional alliance of local businesses and government agencies provide nature based jobs. ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
The Government has confirmed a community-wide trial of CovidCard technology as it explores options for COVID-19 contact tracing. “Effective contact tracing is a vital part of the COVID-19 response,” Minister of Health Chris Hipkins said. “While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can ...
The government is proposing changes to aquaculture legislation to improve the process for allocating and transferring aquaculture assets to iwi. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Amendment Bill to Parliament. It proposes a limited new discretionary power for Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Limited (ToKM). ...
The Minister of Justice has today introduced the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Bill – the next step in the ongoing programme of work to fix the failed 2014 Family Court reforms led by then Justice Minister Judith Collins. The Bill arises from the report of the Independent ...
A new Department of Conservation (DOC) action plan tackles the impacts of climate change on New Zealand’s biodiversity and DOC managed infrastructure including tracks, huts and cultural heritage. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage says extreme weather events around the country have really brought home our vulnerability to changing weather patterns. ...
A heavily scaled back international Antarctic season will commence this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods have confirmed. “Antarctica is the only continent that is COVID-19 free,” Mr Peters said. “Throughout the global pandemic, essential operations and long-term science have continued at ...
The Government is providing up to $30 million to help fund the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt - an investment that will create 244 jobs. “The sports hub is designed to be a world-leading shared service for a range of sports, offering the level of facilities ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today transport projects currently in construction will continue at pace due to extra Government support for transport projects to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. To keep the $16.9 billion 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme going the Government has allocated funding from the COVID Response and ...
$50 million for further rural broadband digital connectivity has been allocated from the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the COVID Response and Recovery Fund has been announced by Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure and Kris Faafoi, Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. The investment will go to boosting broadband ...
The Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media has congratulated the Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB) programme on its major milestone of connecting more than 1 million New Zealand households and businesses to UFB. “This milestone has been 10 years in the making and demonstrates the popularity of the UFB network. “Uptake ...
Landmark legislation passed today puts New Zealand on track to saving thousands of lives and having a smokefree generation sooner rather than later, Associate Health Minister, Jenny Salesa says. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill regulates vaping products and heated tobacco devices. “There has long been concern ...
A discriminatory law that has been a symbol of frustration for many people needing and providing care and support, has been scrapped by the Government. “Part 4A of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill (No 2) was introduced under urgency in 2013 by a National Government,” Associate ...
Kiwi motorists are set to reap the benefits of a more competitive fuel market following the passing of the Fuel Industry Bill tonight, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods says. “This Act is where the rubber meets the road in terms of our response to the recommendations made in the ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to New Zealanders to modernise tenancy laws with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill 2020 today, says Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing), Kris Faafoi. “The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 was out-dated and the reforms in the RTA modernise our ...
New rules to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater passed into law today. Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor welcomed the gazetting of the new national direction on freshwater management. “These regulations deliver on the Government’s commitment to stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointment of Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s new Consul-General in Los Angeles. “New Zealand and the United States share a close and dynamic partnership, based on a long history of shared values and democratic traditions,” Mr Peters said. “Mr Clarke-Watson is a ...
Victims of family violence can end a tenancy with two days’ notice Landlords can terminate tenancies with 14 days’ notice if tenants assault them Timeframe brought forward for limiting rent increases to once every 12 months Extension of time Tenancy Tribunal can hear cases via phone/video conference Reform of New ...
Two employment schemes – one new and one expanded – going live today will help tens of thousands of people continue training on the job and support thousands more into work, the Government has announced. Apprenticeship Boost, a subsidy of up to $12,000 per annum for first year apprentices and ...
The Government is funding a significant infrastructure package at Omokoroa which will create 150 new jobs and help transform the Western Bay of Plenty peninsula, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the Government is investing $14 million towards the $28 million roading and water package. This ...
The Bill allowing the Government to recover some costs for managed isolation and quarantine passed its third reading today, with charges coming into force as soon as regulations are finalised. Putting regulations into force is the next step. “The COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill and its supporting regulations will ...
Today’s unemployment data shows the Government’s plan to protect jobs and cushion the blow for businesses and households against the economic impact of COVID-19 was the right decision, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ said today that New Zealand’s unemployment rate in the June quarter – which includes the ...
A new role of New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young people is being established, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Internal Affairs and for Children, Tracey Martin announced today. The Reading Ambassador, announced at a Celebration of Reading event at ...
Community Law Centres will receive a funding boost to meet the increased need for free legal services due to COVID-19, Justice Minister Andrew Little said. The $3.5m funding is for the next three financial years and is additional to the almost $8 million for Community Law Centres announced in Budget ...
New Zealand has joined Canada and Chile in a new trade initiative aimed at increasing women’s participation in global trade. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker, together with Canada’s Minister for Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrés Allamand, and Chile’s Vice ...
Building owners around New Zealand have benefited from the latest round of Heritage EQUIP funding with grants totalling $2,230,166. “The Heritage EQUIP grants for seismic strengthening assist private building owners to get the professional advice they need to go ahead with their projects or support them to carry out the ...
• New paediatric facilities, including a Special Baby Care Unit • Up to 50 extra inpatient beds • New lab facilities Northland babies and their whānau will soon have access to improved hospital care when they need it with Health Minister Chris Hipkins today confirming new paediatric facilities and more ...
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The Smokefree Environments (Vaping) Amendment Bill passed into law last night will help keep people smoking cigarettes, and caves into big tobacco interests, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “The vaping ...
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Disabled people and their families have been returned the right to complain to the Human Rights Commission or seek redress through the Courts about discriminatory family funding policies they may face. Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero said ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Smith, Director, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University With new rules restricting Victorians’ activities and movements to try and stem the second wave of coronavirus cases comes the question of whether people will actually stick to them. There are at ...
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Welcome to Election Live for August 6, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch ...
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“Labour’s plan is to win the election at all costs by politicising the border and keeping New Zealanders in a state of fear,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “It’s putting politics above people by locking the border and wrecking the economy ...
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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.