"The obvious explanation for wealth growing during the pandemic is that we are simply seeing the effect of businesses and consumers buying into the central banks’ confidence trick.
Monetary easing has inflated the value of house prices, shares and pension schemes beyond their fundamentals, making us collectively better off on paper – but not in actuality."
A lot of it will be the effects of the border being closed to tourism. The money we would have spent travelling the world has been spent in New Zealand, with multiplier effects as that moves around the economy, or saved. So individually and collectively we get richer.
I wouldn't be surprised if one of the 'learnings' once the washup is done of our Covid experience is that tourism, both outbound and inbound was a major net negative to our economy.
The 'fundamentals' he references is essentially productivity .
Productivity is essentially more efficient use of energy.
EROI is decreasing so productivity must decrease.
And yet we waste that energy on consumerism.
Having said I agree that we may belatedly realise that our 'biggest export earner' was in fact simply a swap to enable the few to live the life of Riley
yes, many in my circle of aquantainances have spent up large on toys(boats, motorcycles,cars, spa pools etc) with $$$ that would otherwise be taken offshore. too many of our local tourism ventures are overseas owned and many busloads of asian tourists spend there money in asian owned facilities, so NZ really only benefits from gst, not the whole pie.I think you are on point graeme.
Pot calling the kettle black just nibbles at the edges of this one, an outright disinformation tool of the expansionist kremlin calling anyone else a propaganda tool.
How about we recognise that all the major nation's use soft power projection? And media channels which selectively distort and misinform are just part of this game? And that relying on any one of them to try and gain an objective sense of reality is just going to disappoint.
And at the same time there is still a remarkable amount of usable information out there, most sources don't make up shit all of the time, they cannot entirely disconnect from reality. Even uncritical people notice that.
Right now the media world is in a tough place, with reliable professionalism under siege from multiple directions. It's very difficult for any individual in the system to write fearlessly on all topics. But most of the time they do their best, and if in sum the ‘media’ falls short of our ideals, we can be grateful that we have literally at our fingertips a torrent of information that was unimaginable even just 30 years ago.
And it's a wild torrent that demands some effort if you want to swim in it.
It's also a torrent that is impossible to navigate without some structural understanding of how the world works. That this understanding can harden into ideology doesn't mean that we don't need it. The proliferation of lunacy we see everywhere parallels the proliferation of information.
It's also why I've shifted my attention away from ideologies and toward the geopolitical and demographic realities that determine the fate of nations in the long run.
And one of the few good things about getting older is that I can look back and observe the things I used to believe, which have turned out to be not so true. And then contemplate that a fair chunk of what I believe now will likely have the same fate.
We all need some kind of belief and values system as a framework to conceive, grow, and store and share our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for and about the world and ourselves. This will give is a relatively safe haven to anchor and moor without which we will be pounded and pummelled by the waves and tidal currents of time and smashed on the rocks of reality. However, from time to time, we have to lift the anchor and leave the familiar small surroundings and seek other new places before they turn into a bay of boredom and we lose our mobility and become stale and fixated. After all, we are all sailors on an ocean of possibilities and fishermen of the sea.
Bit unclear as to what the mod meant by "you two".
Gabby definitely one, replying to RL, but there also seemed to be a comment that didn't get past premod or got deleted? but then Adrian has also been commenting today.
Very few comments never make it through to the front-end. This can happen when a ‘new’ commenter does not get past the Pre-Mod filter, e.g. when it is spam, utter vile crap, or an existing user trying to bypass a ban. Sometimes, commenters are put in Pre-Mod for a specific reason, but this always comes with a warning.
We never delete a comment from an existing user after it has actually appeared in the front-end without telling; it’ll show up as [deleted] and often is self-explanatory to the commenter and/or comes with a brief explanation – all this takes up Moderator time.
I’d like to think that Moderators here act with honesty and integrity and we can get a bit shitty when we’re accused of ‘censorship’ in all its gory forms.
Well, Gabby and the Easter bunny did get it. So, obviously, it was obvious enough to them; your miscomprehension is irrelevant regardless unless you thought that RL was or should have been banned, which is also misplaced and irrelevant regardless.
Neither McFlock nor myself 'got it' so, yeah. Part of the problem for commenters is cryptic moderation notes.
[Part of the problem for Moderators is that you keep on creating problems here and that you don’t take a hint. In other words, stubborn obnoxious recidivist behaviour that is wasting time. I’m not going to waste my time repeating what I’ve written to you in recent comments and Moderation notes, one of which was a particularly clear Moderation note (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30-03-2021/#comment-1785916). Stop digging a hole or meet that molehill that you seem to be seeking so desperately; the signpost is clearly labelled: molehill or freedom to comment here. This is your warning – Incognito]
First time I've seen that "particularly clear" moderation note.
You didn't follow my comment very closely if you think I labelled RL's comment "woke-left". My entire position was that the use of the term right wing was for some reason frowned upon yet RL uses the pejorative "woke-left" on a daily basis in order to wind up commenters here.
[The onus is on you to read the replies to your comments and the alerts to Moderation notes.
You’re still trying to manipulate me into taking sides in your personal vendetta against RL. In fact, I’m starting to think that you’re trying to deliberately wind up RL and me as well.
You’re still ignoring the fact that you’re being moderated for your behaviour and conduct here on this site.
Stop wasting my time; this is your final warning – Incognito]
I can look back and observe the things I used to believe, which have turned out to be not so true. And then contemplate that a fair chunk of what I believe now…
It's a by product of getting old RL.
Another way of saying;
If only I knew then what I know now things might have been different. 😉
The proliferation of lunacy has less to do with the proliferation of information, but more to do with the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation.
To take the favourite example of the convergence moonbats trying to discredit mainstream media, the Iraq WMD lies (disinformation), the mainstream media were correctly and reporting the (evidence free) assertions of the Shrub and Blair administrations as assertions, and the misinformation reports originating from Ahmed Chalabi via Chris Hedges and Judith Miller and others, they were also reporting the (valid information as it turned out) leaks from the intelligence communities that those claims were a crock of crap, and also reporting the valid information that Hans Blix and his team of UN inspectors were finding nothing of significance that might justify an invasion.
Sorting the valid information from the crap is the difficult bit. It becomes a bit easier when you just don't give those in the habit of flooding the zone with shit an entry into your news stream.
And then there are those in the habit of not telling you that which they don't want you to know. That's a lot harder to detect if you only pay attention to a few 'good' channels that you happen to like. The absence of something is always much less apparent.
Thing is, on the rare (very rare) occasions Sputnik and RT have some sort of actual connection with reality, it's because reality just happens to align with what the Kremlin wants others to think.
The rarity of those occasions in the zone that's otherwise flooded with shit disinformation makes it a waste of time trying to filter through it, unless one has a particular interest in trying to sift through the sewage to glean what might be current Kremlin motivations.
It's a shame, because in the first couple of years, before the state agenda began to dominate reporting, they really were a breathe [sic] of fresh air.
You're correct to note the heavy bias of RT. I'm really appalled by the way they routinely use the most extreme right wing British and American talk radio boofheads to comment on British and American politics. Peter Lavelle's Crosstalk often threatens to be an interesting and informative program but is frequently derailed by the host himself unleashing some crazed extreme right wing opinions that ruin the rest of the program. On the plus side, however, RT regularly features real journalists and academics of unimpeachable integrity, such as Chris Hedges, Norman Finkelstein, and Noam Chomsky.
So does that description imply to you a primary editorial inclination towards truth, a primary editorial inclination towards clickbait, or a primary editorial inclination towards supporting internal criticism within the US and "West"?
Or some other primary editorial inclination?
Because it seems to me that their main role in regards to international affairs is to confuse reporting of Russian actions and motives while providing handy links and "evidence" for americans and western europeans to sow discontent within america and western europe. And any similarity with real people or events is purely coincidental.
Thing is, on the rare (very rare) occasions Sputnik and RT have some sort of actual connection with reality, it's because reality just happens to align with what the Kremlin wants others to think.
A mirror image, then, of the British state broadcaster, the BBC.
Nope, not a mirror image. The BBC frequently reports things that the UK government of the day would prefer were left unaired.
The bias in the BBC is merely consistent with its decision makers having the UK's best interests at heart, which is quite different to the way RT and Sputnik act as propaganda organisations promoting whatever disinformation the Kremlin is pushing at that moment.
The BBC frequently reports things that the UK government of the day would prefer were left unaired.
That was the case briefly at the beginning of this century. That period of independence came to a brutal end in 2003, after Andrew Gilligan plainly stated live on radio that the intelligence used to justify the attack on Iraq was "sexed up", i.e. manipulated and untrustworthy. Blair's chief enforcer, Alistair Campbell, instigated a jihad against the BBC, ensuring that the insubordinate and awkward director-general Greg Dyke—he believed his duty was to serve the public, not the Blair regime—was forced out and replaced by the compliant and reliable functionary Mark Thompson. The rest is gloomy and infuriating history.
Yes, the BBC publishes articles containing critique of the UK government, it's actions and policies. I've asked before from those spouting the editorial 'independence' of RT etc. to link to stories criticising Putin or what he does in a negative light, but no joy as yet.
Today on the BBC UK politics page there are pieces on the outcry against the governments plan for covid passports for pubs and the Tory reception of the racial disparity report.
Not to mention TV programs like Panorama, which regularly put the boot in to the annoyance of number 10.
TBH, I don't pay much attention to the UK. It's just that there's been a bunch of times some topic has caught my eye and I've followed a BBC link for more info, and thought 'ooh, [prominent UK government figure] isn't going to like that getting out'.
The BBC is in a spot of bother if the documentary about the famous Princess Diana interview some 25 plus years the other night on TV1 is to be believed.
Its shaping up to be a story full of lies, deceit and dirty tricks followed by the inevitable cover-up by management.
Well the police have decided to rule out a criminal investigation into Bashir, the interviewer, over allegations from the Spencer family about the alleged use of false documentation to get HRH to do the sit down, so looks like bother gone.
Though if it were true, surely it would be a case of the Beeb going against the establishment and, not doing it's bidding, which is the opposite of what some people are saying.
With regards to the BBC making content against the government's party lines, I'd suggest you seek out the Panorama episode about their mismanagement of ppe supplies from last year. Shockingly on target.
The BBC then came under fire for using ‘labour activists’ to push the message in the program.
The BBC then came under fire for using ‘labour activists’ to push the message in the program.
So, if they had been 'tory activists' pushing a line then I presume they would not come under fire – at least not to the same extent.
If 'the state' decrees there is to be no investigation then the police will not investigate. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened and it won't be the last.
You'll have to put it in context with what's been written above.
The notion being that the BBC is a total shill for the British government. Using the examples I've given, that is very much open to debate. It certainly isn't an organisation in any way equivalent to those pushing Russian propaganda.
The BBC World service is most certainly a propaganda tool of the UK government..
" BBC World Service is not regulated by Ofcom. Instead the BBC is responsible for setting its overall strategic direction, the budget and guarding its editorial independence for World Service. It must set and publish a Licence for the World Service, which defines its remit, scope, annual budget and main commitments, as well as "objectives, targets and priorities" which are agreed with the Foreign Secretary."
But as I mentioned only yesterday on OP, there are a bunch of regular commentors here on TS whom, as it turns out have a world view that aligns up with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his UK conservative party like a hand in a glove…go figure, yet for some reason only known to them, they insist on thinking themselves Left or Left leaning, when in reality they are more like some sort of post modernist colonialist hybrid, who also it seems, have a very distinct attraction to western authoritarianism (as long as it if coated in liberal sensibilities).
"….. as I mentioned only yesterday on OP, there are a bunch of regular commentors here on TS whom, as it turns out have a world view that aligns up with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his UK conservative party like a hand in a glove…go figure, yet for some reason only known to them, they insist on thinking themselves Left or Left leaning, when in reality they are more like some sort of post modernist colonialist hybrid, who also it seems, have a very distinct attraction to western authoritarianism (as long as it if coated in liberal sensibilities)."
Adrian Thornton
It is a fear of engaging in open debate with someone who actually has experience of Syria, that is a noticable defining feature of supporters of the Assad regime at this website.
Back in 2017 I also wrote this:
"In my opinion it can be reasonably argued that the failure of the Liberal Centre Left to show solidarity with the Syrian people, and instead side with the regime that is oppressing and murdering them, has helped prolong this war on the Syrian people by the Assad regime and its foreign allies, and helped fuel islamaphobia here."
Jenny
March 15 is the globally recognised anniversary date of the start of the Syrian revolution. Two years after I made the above observation, in March 2019, as Syrian refugees from the Assad regime and their supporters were preparing to mark this anniversary, the anti-Islamic terrorist chose this date to launch his murderous attack in Christchurch.
Don't support fascism. It really shouldn't have to be said.
No, because as usual you seem to intentionally not address the outrageous western Weaponizing of the OCPW….which is what I have been posting about. I can’t believe I have to go over this again FFS..I have never uttered one word of support for Assad…but you people seem to think that all of a sudden the CIA and the western military industrial complex are the friends of the Left, and freedom fighters around the world (WTF!)…it is actually people like you who through your blinkered support for a legitimate uprisings, have wilfully allowed yourselves to be turned into useful idiots to western military/corporate hegemony..well done.
You hit the nail on the head.." Don't support fascism. It really shouldn't have to be said."…quite right, maybe you should stop doing it then.
Perhaps you should explain this particularly gross misrepresentation, Adrian. You have one or possibly two very marginal instances of possible OPCW error, out of hundreds of events. The OPCW moreover went to considerable lengths to try to satisfy the complainants, but was obliged to face the fact that ultimately their sole objective was to discredit the organization and the mission.
The Russian media have beaten it up to the skies, and dupes like you parrot that incessantly – but essentially the OPCW is on the ground to clean up the chemical weapons made by Russia and accumulated by the Assad regime. Just as they spent some years in Russia at US & UN expense cleaning up multiple soviet era chemical weapon sites.
The only outrageous weaponising of the OPCW is by you and your fellow dupes.
There you go again Adrian, actively ignoring/denying genocide.
Genocide denial, like Holocaust denial, is an expression of support for fascism.
Let me repeat that; 'Genocide denial is support for fascism'.
That the Assad regime has been committing genocide against its own people is an absolute fact that you refuse to face.
Instead of addressing this fact you choose to throw up dust around the gas attacks.
I put up a link to a video which goes in depth to expose the conspiracy theories around the gas attacks being spread about by the Assad regime and Russia and their useful idiots, that variously claim, (a) the gas attacks didn't happen at all or, (b). were the work of the opposition who gassed their own supporters to discredit your fascist hero.
But I am not going to debate with you the various weaknesses of fascist propaganda around the sarin and chlorine gas attacks against Syrian civilians, that most definitely did happen.
Instead I put up a video of the destruction of the revolutionary city of Homs by the Assad regime.
Every single one of the genocide deniers and pro-Assad apologists on this site, have to date repeatedly refused to answer the simple question I have posed. Every single one.
Maybe you are different Adrian, maybe you might have enough conscience to look into the abyss and admit that you are playing a game of interference in support of a genocidal fascist style regime.
I am not going to keep on going around in circles with you, this is a pointless and a waste of time, you and Stuart Munro are just too far gone to have any kind of rational debate with…well too far gone.
Rationally and reasonably, you would then stop reading their comments and stop replying to them. But you don’t and you won’t. You’re a walking card-carrying self-contradiction and don’t want to see it and/or admit it.
Thanks for your insightful phycology lesson there Incognito, maybe you would do well to turn that lens on yourself and see what it is inside of you that makes you compulsively want to control all those in your orbit..now that would be something interesting to get to the bottom of, don’t you think?
BTW every human being on this planet is a “walking card-carrying self-contradiction” and so as you have obviously never been self-aware enough to have ever acknowledge that about yourself…welcome to the club, I think we will get along just fine LOL!!!
[RL: The role of moderators is essential. Their purpose is to put limits on people’s behaviour and attempt to instill a culture of constructive conversation. The deal is that if you want to continue to comment here, you respect that role.
Having done it intensively for a number of years here I’m vividly aware of how much goes into good moderation, and how much everyone else benefits from it. The two primary mods we have here at present, weka and Incognito, are doing a way better job of it than I ever did. While it’s a job that can never make everyone happy, I’m fed up seeing this kind of casual undermining. It’s not a game worth playing.
Get this through your head – no-one, but no-one ever enjoyed being moderated, and you are certainly not the first. But it’s a fact of life and you either suck it up like a big boy or sulk off elsewhere.]
Something we should all be aware of and try and guard against and take notice of and continually check ourselves on.
'Confirmation Bias'
Adrian it's disapointing that you refuse to answer the question, and instead run away from the debate. But, I've come to expect it. The reason you, and others like you will not answer the question, is because it challenges your preconceived black and white assumptions.
Reading up on the fixed views of conservatives like Ted Cruz, I came across the following quote.
"It’s part of human nature to want to resist information that contradicts with the way we see the world. Psychologists call the practice confirmation bias, and define it as the tendency to interpret information in ways that support our preconceptions."
A few people read my debates with Assad apologists here, the feedback I get is how can be so tolerant as to engage with people who excuse genocide?
The answer is; I could be where you are, that is if I had not had the life changing privilege to be in the Middle East at the time to be witness to the first stirrings of the Arab Spring.
From comments found under a piece by Novara Media concerning the bbc a quite choice quote by Arundhati Roy : on national flags " First they use them as shrinkwrap for your brain ,then as ceremonial shrouds for their war dead "
Great quote, plenty of people on this site have never seen a western regime change war that hasn't got them all juiced up….these free market liberals are just as jingoistic, ruthless and bloodthirsty as any right wing conservative as it turns out….guess that's why they line up with the UK conservatives so well….a perfect fit.
The funny thing is, Michele Bachmann turned out to be a very focused, hardworking member—even though she spent a few months later in 2011 on a short-lived campaign for president. She showed up to the committee, did her homework, and ended up winning over her fellow members with her dedication. Mike Rogers was impressed—and I have to admit, so was I. The whole situation ended up working out well for everyone. As one of those old Boehnerisms goes, “Get the right people on the bus, and help them find the right seat.”
An exercise in getting a loose cannon pointed in a less dangerous direction, actually turned out quite well. It's why I tend to think of at least 95% of people as pretty decent really, with the potential to be great in the right circumstances.
'Zero Covid' strategy far better for economy, European think-tank concludes
Pursuing a “zero Covid” strategy is best for health outcomes and the economy.
Everyone in NZ except for the National Party and David Seymour knew this to be true. Multiple studies, including this one, have confirmed that the New Zealand government's Covid strategy (with fast financial support) is better for both health and economic outcomes.
But more countries need to commit to the programme for the leaders to get the full benefit, a European think-tank has concluded.
Recovery in zero-Covid countries was to some extent at the mercy of policies in countries where that was not the goal, the institute suggested.
“The recovery is limited only by the failure of other countries to achieve this goal and this should motivate better global collaboration for achieving a shared end.”
This is now the concern. Conservative countries which are bizarrely wedded to 'freedom at any cost' will continue to drag the chain and jeopardise not only their own populations but the world as a whole. Their disastrous Covid-19 response damages those who have done well.
But the Easter Bunny came along and looked up at Boris and said – Que? (it was Manuel’s pet). And so Boris has had to buckle down and face off his mates while he sets another lockdown to end all lockdowns
Que is the most common word in Spanish, according to one study I read. It’s most often used as a conjunction and/or relative pronoun, then (with tilde) as interrogative “What” (Qué). It has many uses, and like a chameleon, can change its meaning to suit the context of the sentence. https://www.spanishdict.com/answers/181220/so-much-trouble-understanding-when-que-is-used-
As I understand it, the word que in latin means and. As in senatus populusque romanus (the senate and the roman people). I'm not how this differs from the word et. Perhaps this word is used in the sense of also as in et te Brute, (You too, Brutus?)
"…. more countries need to commit to the programme for the leaders to get the full benefit, a European think-tank has concluded."
One country that won't commit to the program is Australia, which has an official policy of 'suppression' rather than 'elimination', New Zealand's policy.
New Zealand is preparing to open a quarantine free travel bubble with Australia, unless Australia agrees to adopt New Zealand's policy of elimination, (which Scott Morrison has said Australia will never do), New Zealand will be defacto adopting Australia's policy of suppression.
Their disastrous Covid-19 response damages those who have done well.
One of the big stories over the next 12-18 months will be whether or not these nations will bite the bullet or let the pandemic run through, hoping vaccines do the work for them. Which they may not.
All lively lads and lasses who work in ways and places that NZ needs, that earns its own money from graft not grift, and who appreciate having a life and a society with standards and fairness; a country to be proud of living in for ordinary people as well as the 'swells'. I suggest that a few of you who are motivated with these sorts of ideas do this. Start a facebook page, capture a domain name, and the rights to the name wherever you have to apply to legally acquire it. And become a centre for go-ahead people who are trying to downsize consumption, buy local, get out of 4WDs and large people movers not needed, be into conservation and conversation, a helping hand for others and all families and children, and practical kindness.
You need to get together – in the old saying 'Birds of a feather flock together' – seen the starling images when they fly off? I will put my idea for a name for you on this blog on Tuesday night after seven after you have had Easter to think about this idea. If the active amongst you haven't thought of better, I suggest that someone with the vitals grab it and run with it as I have suggested. I think a lot of us are into 'rolling up our sleeves and doing' – we've all heard, read, done enough talking, chewing the cud! Things have to be moved with people power or what we want won't happen at all, and machines will fill the slack with empty promises and hype that fools people into thinking the answer is going to come from the tech direction.
I see that projections are for Auckland to inflate to 2 million from present 1.7m by early 2030s. Why wait till then, stacks on the mill, as the kids' game used to chant. An extra 1900 people a month appears somewhere in the item in Stuff p.12 Apr.1/21.
It was short and didn't have room to state guesses on when gridlock will be reached, or when police will start evicting people from favelas along motorways and under bridges. (They have already closed down a caravan park in the last decades because some criminals lived there.)
And will people in Auckland fund a charity hospital as they do in Christchurch for the large number of uncared for people? It may be that the Aucklanders will have no money left over after paying for their houses if they have managed to get their fingertips on one, and won a loan in the Australian bank's monthly lottery which they will probably set up soon.
I had a look at the on-line link incognito. It is really upsetting to read the way this article is slanted – that growth in population is automatically good, and the bigger the better. Despite a small mention of problems.
...The medium projection is considered suitable for assessing future population changes, and this week’s release contained the usual gloom about a higher proportion of older people and a declining percentage of children…
(Anyone who is aware knows that NZ is no longer a good place to bring up children as was once proclaimed. In fact it seems that the government finds them a burden with all their needs from start to adulthood. It's more efficient to bring in families from overseas where they have been educated at the family's expense or of that country.)
But beyond that, the cities of Hamilton and Tauranga – the other two hubs in the golden triangle – are expected to grow at the same rate as Auckland.
…By 2033, the projected population for the three regions is put at 2.93m – 51.7 per cent of the national total of 5.68m. For 2048, the figure is 3.32m – 53.4 per cent of the New Zealand population of 6.21m.
Further south, Christchurch, when combined with the adjacent districts where much of the area’s new housing is going – is thought likely to stay close to the leading bunch.
(Sounds like a racing commentary. Listen to Spike Jones' one – 'and Banana is coming through the bunch!').
Christchurch City had a 2018 population of 383,800, and on its own has an unspectacular annual growth projection of 0.6 per cent.
But the South Island’s main centre has a more robust look to it when the Waimakariri District – projected average annual growth 1 per cent – and Selwyn District -1.7 per cent – are added. Combined, the three territorial authorities had a population of 508,400 in 2018 – 10.4 per cent of the national total.
(Like a faster growing population makes a place More Robust! Weak minds repeating weak ideas here.)
And at the bottom, a message from Stuff: …'Why? Because with the pandemic situation constantly changing, it’s easy for misinformation and rumours to take hold. You can rely on Stuff’s journalists to question the decision-makers, interview experts, and use eyewitness reporting to answer your key questions with facts and context.'
It certainly is hard to keep on top of the tide of information, checking for tainted facts and what environment they arise from.
The Mayor announced some years after the quakes that she had a target of increasing (greater) Christchurch's population to one million within (if I recall correctly) 20 years……she never mentioned it again.
What a horrible projection. Now I understand the property investor who commented yesterday that the prices of houses would not be coming down (in fact not for the forseeable future, the changes in his opinion would only temporarily slow things). How depressing.
edit
The experiment of government central and local contracting business carry out its services should now draw to a close. It was an expensive one in the long term, and while it did lead to some improvements it appears that it cannot cope with the constant ramifications that arise in the fast-changing social and physical environment. While tied down to tight contracts and a business case that forces it to answer to shareholders requirements for profit, it cannot meet needs when presenting in reality which can multiply daily.
(Paragraph from a yet-to-be presented report from someone who has a bigger brain than the average bear.)
Opinion from Metlink
Passengers travelling on Metlink services operated by NZ Bus experienced almost 70 last-minute cancellations on Wednesday. Metlink General Manager Scott Gallacher said the recent service from NZ Bus simply wasn’t good enough.
Oh do you mean the racist nationalist Alexey Navalny that Amnesty International dropped because of his known racist rhetoric…the Navalny who was funded by the US backed National Endowment for Democracy (a known funding route for the CIA) in his Russian election run?…(isn't that kind of like election interference? and here I was thinking you guys hated it when countries meddled in other peoples elections, guess you don't give a shit about that after all)
Oh – you mean Putin is not nationalist? Or racist?
Lacking decades of exposure to a reforming activist base, Russia is as racist as it gets – hence the war of extermination in Chechnya.
To feed your own nonsense back at you: since Russia doesn't give a flying finangle about racism, and is cheerfully nationalist, shouldn't they love Navalny?
But Navalny has committed the unforgiveable crime of revealing the truth about Putin's republic of thieves – something RT will never do.
Have you no shame though, as a professed lefty, supporting this murderous kleptocrat? What would Putin have to do to disabuse you of your infatuation? He's already a genocide, an autocrat, a rigger of elections and a poisoner of political alternatives. Does he have to eat babies live onscreen, or would that too be America's fault?
FFS man "Oh – you mean Putin is not nationalist? Or racist?"…I know Putin is a probably a racist and is definitely a nationalist…but he is not the man that the west and you guys are spouting as some sort of Russian arch angle ready to free the Russian people from their evil overlord… maybe you should check out Putin's popularity stats in his own country once and while to get a grip on the reality over there…but I can tell you this for sure, any politician so obviously backed by the USA is never going to get any real in traction in Russia…sort of like your man Guaido in Venezuela.
If the Russians are ever going to break free from Putin, it will be from an organic rising from within Russia, supported by the Russian people…and not some Western backed Instagram sensation, that would be like you backing a politician in NZ that you knew was backed by Xi Jinping and funded by the MSS. https://www.statista.com/statistics/896181/putin-approval-rating-russia/
The funny thing is I never (or if so, rarely) saw any of you 'lefties' utter a murmur when an actual Left wing leader, Lula was outrageously imprisoned by an outright right wing authoritarian..in fact now I think about it, I don’t believe I have ever (or very rarely if so) seen any of you so called lefties show even the slightest sign of support for any actual Left Wing project around the world, or voice your concern when they are regularly threatened….
It really has become quite apparent to me over the previous few days, that you, Mcflock, Joe90, Al1en and a couple of others on TS are in fact, in your geopolitical beliefs (the ones you express on TS anyway) for want of a better description, are some sort of postmodern (liberal) imperialists. It was always obvious that you guys had some pretty seriously flawed world views, but when I saw recently, exactly how closely nearly all your geopolitical standpoints matched with the UK Conservative parties own positions…I guess the penny dropped…holy crap…I mean did you even realize yourself how far right you had drifted?
in the meantime I am committing the music to red haired boy to memory. at slow speed it is like this scottish lament but brightens up when played fast. stroke of luck I have this country instrumental compilation by NASHVILLE session pickers with this tune and old joe clark on it. nifty stuff. And the music by Steve Carr on bluegrassguitar.com and dude you are swinging . yee hahhh
@ Eco Maori , thanks for that. I really love that Folkways stuff, have been collecting it for many years.,,haven't got that one though, strangely I haven't even seen it in NZ, and I have been a record collector since I was a young man….just found one on Ebay, going to fill that hole in my collection.
Great record too, listening to it now on youtube..thanks again.
Here is a good interview on the history of Folkways that might interest you…
'Worlds Of Sound' A Tribute To Folkways
"Sixty years ago, Moses Asch set out with the lofty ambition to record "all the sound of the world." He established Folkways Records — "the little label that could" — and in the decades that followed, Folkways recorded everything from folk singers, to jazz greats, to sounds of the natural world."
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
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Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
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Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
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Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
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Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
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The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
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The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
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"The obvious explanation for wealth growing during the pandemic is that we are simply seeing the effect of businesses and consumers buying into the central banks’ confidence trick.
Monetary easing has inflated the value of house prices, shares and pension schemes beyond their fundamentals, making us collectively better off on paper – but not in actuality."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/124468085/covid-seems-to-have-left-us-wealthier-but-less-productive-and-that-cant-add-up
And the million dollar question is will widespread realisation be sudden or gradual?…..I’d suggest the former.
A lot of it will be the effects of the border being closed to tourism. The money we would have spent travelling the world has been spent in New Zealand, with multiplier effects as that moves around the economy, or saved. So individually and collectively we get richer.
I wouldn't be surprised if one of the 'learnings' once the washup is done of our Covid experience is that tourism, both outbound and inbound was a major net negative to our economy.
Ahem. Correct management-speak is 'learnings going forwud'.
The multiplier effect works in both directions.
The 'fundamentals' he references is essentially productivity .
Productivity is essentially more efficient use of energy.
EROI is decreasing so productivity must decrease.
And yet we waste that energy on consumerism.
Having said I agree that we may belatedly realise that our 'biggest export earner' was in fact simply a swap to enable the few to live the life of Riley
yes, many in my circle of aquantainances have spent up large on toys(boats, motorcycles,cars, spa pools etc) with $$$ that would otherwise be taken offshore. too many of our local tourism ventures are overseas owned and many busloads of asian tourists spend there money in asian owned facilities, so NZ really only benefits from gst, not the whole pie.I think you are on point graeme.
https://sptnkne.ws/FP7Z
A comment on the BBC.
British tax payers compulsory funding of this Imperialist propaganda tool.
Buwaaaahaha!
Pot calling the kettle black just nibbles at the edges of this one, an outright disinformation tool of the expansionist kremlin calling anyone else a propaganda tool.
How about we recognise that all the major nation's use soft power projection? And media channels which selectively distort and misinform are just part of this game? And that relying on any one of them to try and gain an objective sense of reality is just going to disappoint.
And at the same time there is still a remarkable amount of usable information out there, most sources don't make up shit all of the time, they cannot entirely disconnect from reality. Even uncritical people notice that.
Right now the media world is in a tough place, with reliable professionalism under siege from multiple directions. It's very difficult for any individual in the system to write fearlessly on all topics. But most of the time they do their best, and if in sum the ‘media’ falls short of our ideals, we can be grateful that we have literally at our fingertips a torrent of information that was unimaginable even just 30 years ago.
And it's a wild torrent that demands some effort if you want to swim in it.
It's also a torrent that is impossible to navigate without some structural understanding of how the world works. That this understanding can harden into ideology doesn't mean that we don't need it. The proliferation of lunacy we see everywhere parallels the proliferation of information.
Yes that's a really good way of putting it.
It's also why I've shifted my attention away from ideologies and toward the geopolitical and demographic realities that determine the fate of nations in the long run.
And one of the few good things about getting older is that I can look back and observe the things I used to believe, which have turned out to be not so true. And then contemplate that a fair chunk of what I believe now will likely have the same fate.
We all need some kind of belief and values system as a framework to conceive, grow, and store and share our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for and about the world and ourselves. This will give is a relatively safe haven to anchor and moor without which we will be pounded and pummelled by the waves and tidal currents of time and smashed on the rocks of reality. However, from time to time, we have to lift the anchor and leave the familiar small surroundings and seek other new places before they turn into a bay of boredom and we lose our mobility and become stale and fixated. After all, we are all sailors on an ocean of possibilities and fishermen of the sea.
A very apt metaphor.
This is weird. I thought you were banned for abuse until after Easter. How is it you are still able to comment here today?
Bit unclear as to what the mod meant by "you two".
Gabby definitely one, replying to RL, but there also seemed to be a comment that didn't get past premod or got deleted? but then Adrian has also been commenting today.
FYI
Very few comments never make it through to the front-end. This can happen when a ‘new’ commenter does not get past the Pre-Mod filter, e.g. when it is spam, utter vile crap, or an existing user trying to bypass a ban. Sometimes, commenters are put in Pre-Mod for a specific reason, but this always comes with a warning.
We never delete a comment from an existing user after it has actually appeared in the front-end without telling; it’ll show up as [deleted] and often is self-explanatory to the commenter and/or comes with a brief explanation – all this takes up Moderator time.
I’d like to think that Moderators here act with honesty and integrity and we can get a bit shitty when we’re accused of ‘censorship’ in all its gory forms.
HTH
A textbook example of wishful thinking AKA believing is seeing 😀
When I said “you two”, I obviously referred to Gabby and the Easter bunny. Doh!
It wasn't obvious at all.
Silly of me to expect that particular moderator to be held to the same standard as we mortals.
Well, Gabby and the Easter bunny did get it. So, obviously, it was obvious enough to them; your miscomprehension is irrelevant regardless unless you thought that RL was or should have been banned, which is also misplaced and irrelevant regardless.
Stop digging a hole for yourself.
Neither McFlock nor myself 'got it' so, yeah. Part of the problem for commenters is cryptic moderation notes.
[Part of the problem for Moderators is that you keep on creating problems here and that you don’t take a hint. In other words, stubborn obnoxious recidivist behaviour that is wasting time. I’m not going to waste my time repeating what I’ve written to you in recent comments and Moderation notes, one of which was a particularly clear Moderation note (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30-03-2021/#comment-1785916). Stop digging a hole or meet that molehill that you seem to be seeking so desperately; the signpost is clearly labelled: molehill or freedom to comment here. This is your warning – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 4:04 PM.
First time I've seen that "particularly clear" moderation note.
You didn't follow my comment very closely if you think I labelled RL's comment "woke-left". My entire position was that the use of the term right wing was for some reason frowned upon yet RL uses the pejorative "woke-left" on a daily basis in order to wind up commenters here.
[The onus is on you to read the replies to your comments and the alerts to Moderation notes.
You’re still trying to manipulate me into taking sides in your personal vendetta against RL. In fact, I’m starting to think that you’re trying to deliberately wind up RL and me as well.
You’re still ignoring the fact that you’re being moderated for your behaviour and conduct here on this site.
Stop wasting my time; this is your final warning – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 6:36 pm.
Brilliant!
It's a by product of getting old RL.
Another way of saying;
If only I knew then what I know now things might have been different. 😉
The proliferation of lunacy has less to do with the proliferation of information, but more to do with the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation.
To take the favourite example of the convergence moonbats trying to discredit mainstream media, the Iraq WMD lies (disinformation), the mainstream media were correctly and reporting the (evidence free) assertions of the Shrub and Blair administrations as assertions, and the misinformation reports originating from Ahmed Chalabi via Chris Hedges and Judith Miller and others, they were also reporting the (valid information as it turned out) leaks from the intelligence communities that those claims were a crock of crap, and also reporting the valid information that Hans Blix and his team of UN inspectors were finding nothing of significance that might justify an invasion.
Sorting the valid information from the crap is the difficult bit. It becomes a bit easier when you just don't give those in the habit of flooding the zone with shit an entry into your news stream.
And then there are those in the habit of not telling you that which they don't want you to know. That's a lot harder to detect if you only pay attention to a few 'good' channels that you happen to like. The absence of something is always much less apparent.
Thing is, on the rare (very rare) occasions Sputnik and RT have some sort of actual connection with reality, it's because reality just happens to align with what the Kremlin wants others to think.
The rarity of those occasions in the zone that's otherwise flooded with shit disinformation makes it a waste of time trying to filter through it, unless one has a particular interest in trying to sift through the sewage to glean what might be current Kremlin motivations.
It's a shame, because in the first couple of years, before the state agenda began to dominate reporting, they really were a breathe of fresh air.
It's a shame, because in the first couple of years, before the state agenda began to dominate reporting, they really were a breathe [sic] of fresh air.
You're correct to note the heavy bias of RT. I'm really appalled by the way they routinely use the most extreme right wing British and American talk radio boofheads to comment on British and American politics. Peter Lavelle's Crosstalk often threatens to be an interesting and informative program but is frequently derailed by the host himself unleashing some crazed extreme right wing opinions that ruin the rest of the program. On the plus side, however, RT regularly features real journalists and academics of unimpeachable integrity, such as Chris Hedges, Norman Finkelstein, and Noam Chomsky.
So does that description imply to you a primary editorial inclination towards truth, a primary editorial inclination towards clickbait, or a primary editorial inclination towards supporting internal criticism within the US and "West"?
Or some other primary editorial inclination?
Because it seems to me that their main role in regards to international affairs is to confuse reporting of Russian actions and motives while providing handy links and "evidence" for americans and western europeans to sow discontent within america and western europe. And any similarity with real people or events is purely coincidental.
Thing is, on the rare (very rare) occasions Sputnik and RT have some sort of actual connection with reality, it's because reality just happens to align with what the Kremlin wants others to think.
A mirror image, then, of the British state broadcaster, the BBC.
Nope, not a mirror image. The BBC frequently reports things that the UK government of the day would prefer were left unaired.
The bias in the BBC is merely consistent with its decision makers having the UK's best interests at heart, which is quite different to the way RT and Sputnik act as propaganda organisations promoting whatever disinformation the Kremlin is pushing at that moment.
The BBC frequently reports things that the UK government of the day would prefer were left unaired.
That was the case briefly at the beginning of this century. That period of independence came to a brutal end in 2003, after Andrew Gilligan plainly stated live on radio that the intelligence used to justify the attack on Iraq was "sexed up", i.e. manipulated and untrustworthy. Blair's chief enforcer, Alistair Campbell, instigated a jihad against the BBC, ensuring that the insubordinate and awkward director-general Greg Dyke—he believed his duty was to serve the public, not the Blair regime—was forced out and replaced by the compliant and reliable functionary Mark Thompson. The rest is gloomy and infuriating history.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/02/bbc-defends-distinctive-programmes-against-government-criticism
Yes, the BBC publishes articles containing critique of the UK government, it's actions and policies. I've asked before from those spouting the editorial 'independence' of RT etc. to link to stories criticising Putin or what he does in a negative light, but no joy as yet.
Today on the BBC UK politics page there are pieces on the outcry against the governments plan for covid passports for pubs and the Tory reception of the racial disparity report.
Not to mention TV programs like Panorama, which regularly put the boot in to the annoyance of number 10.
TBH, I don't pay much attention to the UK. It's just that there's been a bunch of times some topic has caught my eye and I've followed a BBC link for more info, and thought 'ooh, [prominent UK government figure] isn't going to like that getting out'.
The BBC is in a spot of bother if the documentary about the famous Princess Diana interview some 25 plus years the other night on TV1 is to be believed.
Its shaping up to be a story full of lies, deceit and dirty tricks followed by the inevitable cover-up by management.
Well the police have decided to rule out a criminal investigation into Bashir, the interviewer, over allegations from the Spencer family about the alleged use of false documentation to get HRH to do the sit down, so looks like bother gone.
Though if it were true, surely it would be a case of the Beeb going against the establishment and, not doing it's bidding, which is the opposite of what some people are saying.
With regards to the BBC making content against the government's party lines, I'd suggest you seek out the Panorama episode about their mismanagement of ppe supplies from last year. Shockingly on target.
The BBC then came under fire for using ‘labour activists’ to push the message in the program.
So, if they had been 'tory activists' pushing a line then I presume they would not come under fire – at least not to the same extent.
If 'the state' decrees there is to be no investigation then the police will not investigate. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened and it won't be the last.
You'll have to put it in context with what's been written above.
The notion being that the BBC is a total shill for the British government. Using the examples I've given, that is very much open to debate. It certainly isn't an organisation in any way equivalent to those pushing Russian propaganda.
That is all.
The BBC World service is most certainly a propaganda tool of the UK government..
" BBC World Service is not regulated by Ofcom. Instead the BBC is responsible for setting its overall strategic direction, the budget and guarding its editorial independence for World Service. It must set and publish a Licence for the World Service, which defines its remit, scope, annual budget and main commitments, as well as "objectives, targets and priorities" which are agreed with the Foreign Secretary."
https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/regulation
But as I mentioned only yesterday on OP, there are a bunch of regular commentors here on TS whom, as it turns out have a world view that aligns up with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his UK conservative party like a hand in a glove…go figure, yet for some reason only known to them, they insist on thinking themselves Left or Left leaning, when in reality they are more like some sort of post modernist colonialist hybrid, who also it seems, have a very distinct attraction to western authoritarianism (as long as it if coated in liberal sensibilities).
"
"….. as I mentioned only yesterday on OP, there are a bunch of regular commentors here on TS whom, as it turns out have a world view that aligns up with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his UK conservative party like a hand in a glove…go figure, yet for some reason only known to them, they insist on thinking themselves Left or Left leaning, when in reality they are more like some sort of post modernist colonialist hybrid, who also it seems, have a very distinct attraction to western authoritarianism (as long as it if coated in liberal sensibilities)."
Adrian Thornton
3 April 2021 at 12:42 pm
I admit I could be wrong, but I am guessing, that you are referring here Adrian, to my and others comments yesterday.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-04-2021/#comment-1786446
Instead of replying to my comments and debating directly, you have slunk away from open debate and resorted to making sly digs in other threads.
As I said in reply to Bill's accusation that I am guilty of not "engaging or debating".
"it is you and the other supporters of the Syrian regime who refuse to engage or debate"
Jenny
14 February 2017 at 5:36 am
It is a fear of engaging in open debate with someone who actually has experience of Syria, that is a noticable defining feature of supporters of the Assad regime at this website.
Back in 2017 I also wrote this:
"In my opinion it can be reasonably argued that the failure of the Liberal Centre Left to show solidarity with the Syrian people, and instead side with the regime that is oppressing and murdering them, has helped prolong this war on the Syrian people by the Assad regime and its foreign allies, and helped fuel islamaphobia here."
Jenny
14 February 2017 at 5:20 am
March 15 is the globally recognised anniversary date of the start of the Syrian revolution. Two years after I made the above observation, in March 2019, as Syrian refugees from the Assad regime and their supporters were preparing to mark this anniversary, the anti-Islamic terrorist chose this date to launch his murderous attack in Christchurch.
Don't support fascism. It really shouldn't have to be said.
No, because as usual you seem to intentionally not address the outrageous western Weaponizing of the OCPW….which is what I have been posting about. I can’t believe I have to go over this again FFS..I have never uttered one word of support for Assad…but you people seem to think that all of a sudden the CIA and the western military industrial complex are the friends of the Left, and freedom fighters around the world (WTF!)…it is actually people like you who through your blinkered support for a legitimate uprisings, have wilfully allowed yourselves to be turned into useful idiots to western military/corporate hegemony..well done.
You hit the nail on the head.." Don't support fascism. It really shouldn't have to be said."…quite right, maybe you should stop doing it then.
the outrageous western Weaponizing of the OCPW….
Perhaps you should explain this particularly gross misrepresentation, Adrian. You have one or possibly two very marginal instances of possible OPCW error, out of hundreds of events. The OPCW moreover went to considerable lengths to try to satisfy the complainants, but was obliged to face the fact that ultimately their sole objective was to discredit the organization and the mission.
The Russian media have beaten it up to the skies, and dupes like you parrot that incessantly – but essentially the OPCW is on the ground to clean up the chemical weapons made by Russia and accumulated by the Assad regime. Just as they spent some years in Russia at US & UN expense cleaning up multiple soviet era chemical weapon sites.
The only outrageous weaponising of the OPCW is by you and your fellow dupes.
There you go again Adrian, actively ignoring/denying genocide.
Genocide denial, like Holocaust denial, is an expression of support for fascism.
Let me repeat that; 'Genocide denial is support for fascism'.
That the Assad regime has been committing genocide against its own people is an absolute fact that you refuse to face.
Instead of addressing this fact you choose to throw up dust around the gas attacks.
I put up a link to a video which goes in depth to expose the conspiracy theories around the gas attacks being spread about by the Assad regime and Russia and their useful idiots, that variously claim, (a) the gas attacks didn't happen at all or, (b). were the work of the opposition who gassed their own supporters to discredit your fascist hero.
But I am not going to debate with you the various weaknesses of fascist propaganda around the sarin and chlorine gas attacks against Syrian civilians, that most definitely did happen.
Instead I put up a video of the destruction of the revolutionary city of Homs by the Assad regime.
Every single one of the genocide deniers and pro-Assad apologists on this site, have to date repeatedly refused to answer the simple question I have posed. Every single one.
Maybe you are different Adrian, maybe you might have enough conscience to look into the abyss and admit that you are playing a game of interference in support of a genocidal fascist style regime.
So I will pose the question again,
Who did this?
And is it not evidence of genocide?
I am not going to keep on going around in circles with you, this is a pointless and a waste of time, you and Stuart Munro are just too far gone to have any kind of rational debate with…well too far gone.
Rationally and reasonably, you would then stop reading their comments and stop replying to them. But you don’t and you won’t. You’re a walking card-carrying self-contradiction and don’t want to see it and/or admit it.
Thanks for your insightful phycology lesson there Incognito, maybe you would do well to turn that lens on yourself and see what it is inside of you that makes you compulsively want to control all those in your orbit..now that would be something interesting to get to the bottom of, don’t you think?
BTW every human being on this planet is a “walking card-carrying self-contradiction” and so as you have obviously never been self-aware enough to have ever acknowledge that about yourself…welcome to the club, I think we will get along just fine LOL!!!
[RL: The role of moderators is essential. Their purpose is to put limits on people’s behaviour and attempt to instill a culture of constructive conversation. The deal is that if you want to continue to comment here, you respect that role.
Having done it intensively for a number of years here I’m vividly aware of how much goes into good moderation, and how much everyone else benefits from it. The two primary mods we have here at present, weka and Incognito, are doing a way better job of it than I ever did. While it’s a job that can never make everyone happy, I’m fed up seeing this kind of casual undermining. It’s not a game worth playing.
Get this through your head – no-one, but no-one ever enjoyed being moderated, and you are certainly not the first. But it’s a fact of life and you either suck it up like a big boy or sulk off elsewhere.]
I hate rock snot.
What makes you think Adrian hasn't stopped? I think he just indicated he's walking away from this one.
Oh dear, you go me there
Au revoir Adrian,
As you depart the scene.
Something we should all be aware of and try and guard against and take notice of and continually check ourselves on.
'Confirmation Bias'
Adrian it's disapointing that you refuse to answer the question, and instead run away from the debate. But, I've come to expect it. The reason you, and others like you will not answer the question, is because it challenges your preconceived black and white assumptions.
Reading up on the fixed views of conservatives like Ted Cruz, I came across the following quote.
"It’s part of human nature to want to resist information that contradicts with the way we see the world. Psychologists call the practice confirmation bias, and define it as the tendency to interpret information in ways that support our preconceptions."
https://www.salon.com/2015/04/07/ted_cruz_is_dangerous_why_liberals_scoff_at_his_campaign_at_their_peril_partner/
A few people read my debates with Assad apologists here, the feedback I get is how can be so tolerant as to engage with people who excuse genocide?
The answer is; I could be where you are, that is if I had not had the life changing privilege to be in the Middle East at the time to be witness to the first stirrings of the Arab Spring.
I wish I had stayed.
From comments found under a piece by Novara Media concerning the bbc a quite choice quote by Arundhati Roy : on national flags " First they use them as shrinkwrap for your brain ,then as ceremonial shrouds for their war dead "
Great quote, plenty of people on this site have never seen a western regime change war that hasn't got them all juiced up….these free market liberals are just as jingoistic, ruthless and bloodthirsty as any right wing conservative as it turns out….guess that's why they line up with the UK conservatives so well….a perfect fit.
Former Repug Speaker of the House John Boehner has his say on the crazies of the past decade and Faux News' part in fomenting the crazy.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/02/john-boehner-book-memoir-excerpt-478506
An interesting quote from that link:
An exercise in getting a loose cannon pointed in a less dangerous direction, actually turned out quite well. It's why I tend to think of at least 95% of people as pretty decent really, with the potential to be great in the right circumstances.
Everyone in NZ except for the National Party and David Seymour knew this to be true. Multiple studies, including this one, have confirmed that the New Zealand government's Covid strategy (with fast financial support) is better for both health and economic outcomes.
This is now the concern. Conservative countries which are bizarrely wedded to 'freedom at any cost' will continue to drag the chain and jeopardise not only their own populations but the world as a whole. Their disastrous Covid-19 response damages those who have done well.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124739946/zero-covid-strategy-far-better-for-economy-european-thinktank-concludes
edit
UK goes its own way at its peril, and that of its hapless population. People in UK need more 'hap' before they can get happy.
At the Covid 19 start. Easy-peasy will do it suggests Boris.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/03/16/report-boris-johnson-said-uk-should-ignore-covid-19-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/?sh=56542f144285
(Bill Bailey talked about Johnson as being a mobile haystack! So good.)
Boorish hasn't improved. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/27/data-still-supports-lifting-covid-19-restrictions-insists-boris-johnson
But the Easter Bunny came along and looked up at Boris and said – Que? (it was Manuel’s pet). And so Boris has had to buckle down and face off his mates while he sets another lockdown to end all lockdowns
Que is the most common word in Spanish, according to one study I read. It’s most often used as a conjunction and/or relative pronoun, then (with tilde) as interrogative “What” (Qué). It has many uses, and like a chameleon, can change its meaning to suit the context of the sentence.
https://www.spanishdict.com/answers/181220/so-much-trouble-understanding-when-que-is-used-
As I understand it, the word que in latin means and. As in senatus populusque romanus (the senate and the roman people). I'm not how this differs from the word et. Perhaps this word is used in the sense of also as in et te Brute, (You too, Brutus?)
I looked up google and it gave me Manuel (Fawlty Towers) meaning. Sorry I'm just one of the hoi polloi with language, learning as I go.
Zero Covid seems unlikely.
It's 'Zero Covid strategy', KSays. Read and understand the link please.
"…. more countries need to commit to the programme for the leaders to get the full benefit, a European think-tank has concluded."
One country that won't commit to the program is Australia, which has an official policy of 'suppression' rather than 'elimination', New Zealand's policy.
New Zealand is preparing to open a quarantine free travel bubble with Australia, unless Australia agrees to adopt New Zealand's policy of elimination, (which Scott Morrison has said Australia will never do), New Zealand will be defacto adopting Australia's policy of suppression.
Private Wealth vs. Public Health
Suppression not elimination
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6836358/elimination-risky-and-illusory-scott-morrison/
Elimination not suppression
http://isocracy.org/content/elimination-not-suppression
One of the big stories over the next 12-18 months will be whether or not these nations will bite the bullet or let the pandemic run through, hoping vaccines do the work for them. Which they may not.
All lively lads and lasses who work in ways and places that NZ needs, that earns its own money from graft not grift, and who appreciate having a life and a society with standards and fairness; a country to be proud of living in for ordinary people as well as the 'swells'. I suggest that a few of you who are motivated with these sorts of ideas do this. Start a facebook page, capture a domain name, and the rights to the name wherever you have to apply to legally acquire it. And become a centre for go-ahead people who are trying to downsize consumption, buy local, get out of 4WDs and large people movers not needed, be into conservation and conversation, a helping hand for others and all families and children, and practical kindness.
You need to get together – in the old saying 'Birds of a feather flock together' – seen the starling images when they fly off? I will put my idea for a name for you on this blog on Tuesday night after seven after you have had Easter to think about this idea. If the active amongst you haven't thought of better, I suggest that someone with the vitals grab it and run with it as I have suggested. I think a lot of us are into 'rolling up our sleeves and doing' – we've all heard, read, done enough talking, chewing the cud! Things have to be moved with people power or what we want won't happen at all, and machines will fill the slack with empty promises and hype that fools people into thinking the answer is going to come from the tech direction.
Saying 'There is no time like the present'!
I see that projections are for Auckland to inflate to 2 million from present 1.7m by early 2030s. Why wait till then, stacks on the mill, as the kids' game used to chant. An extra 1900 people a month appears somewhere in the item in Stuff p.12 Apr.1/21.
It was short and didn't have room to state guesses on when gridlock will be reached, or when police will start evicting people from favelas along motorways and under bridges. (They have already closed down a caravan park in the last decades because some criminals lived there.)
And will people in Auckland fund a charity hospital as they do in Christchurch for the large number of uncared for people? It may be that the Aucklanders will have no money left over after paying for their houses if they have managed to get their fingertips on one, and won a loan in the Australian bank's monthly lottery which they will probably set up soon.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124732205/new-population-projections-show-growing-upper-north-island-dominance-with-solid-showing-from-christchurch
I had a look at the on-line link incognito. It is really upsetting to read the way this article is slanted – that growth in population is automatically good, and the bigger the better. Despite a small mention of problems.
...The medium projection is considered suitable for assessing future population changes, and this week’s release contained the usual gloom about a higher proportion of older people and a declining percentage of children…
(Anyone who is aware knows that NZ is no longer a good place to bring up children as was once proclaimed. In fact it seems that the government finds them a burden with all their needs from start to adulthood. It's more efficient to bring in families from overseas where they have been educated at the family's expense or of that country.)
But beyond that, the cities of Hamilton and Tauranga – the other two hubs in the golden triangle – are expected to grow at the same rate as Auckland.
…By 2033, the projected population for the three regions is put at 2.93m – 51.7 per cent of the national total of 5.68m. For 2048, the figure is 3.32m – 53.4 per cent of the New Zealand population of 6.21m.
Further south, Christchurch, when combined with the adjacent districts where much of the area’s new housing is going – is thought likely to stay close to the leading bunch.
(Sounds like a racing commentary. Listen to Spike Jones' one – 'and Banana is coming through the bunch!').
Christchurch City had a 2018 population of 383,800, and on its own has an unspectacular annual growth projection of 0.6 per cent.
But the South Island’s main centre has a more robust look to it when the Waimakariri District – projected average annual growth 1 per cent – and Selwyn District -1.7 per cent – are added. Combined, the three territorial authorities had a population of 508,400 in 2018 – 10.4 per cent of the national total.
(Like a faster growing population makes a place More Robust! Weak minds repeating weak ideas here.)
And at the bottom, a message from Stuff: …'Why? Because with the pandemic situation constantly changing, it’s easy for misinformation and rumours to take hold. You can rely on Stuff’s journalists to question the decision-makers, interview experts, and use eyewitness reporting to answer your key questions with facts and context.'
It certainly is hard to keep on top of the tide of information, checking for tainted facts and what environment they arise from.
The Mayor announced some years after the quakes that she had a target of increasing (greater) Christchurch's population to one million within (if I recall correctly) 20 years……she never mentioned it again.
What a horrible projection. Now I understand the property investor who commented yesterday that the prices of houses would not be coming down (in fact not for the forseeable future, the changes in his opinion would only temporarily slow things). How depressing.
edit
The experiment of government central and local contracting business carry out its services should now draw to a close. It was an expensive one in the long term, and while it did lead to some improvements it appears that it cannot cope with the constant ramifications that arise in the fast-changing social and physical environment. While tied down to tight contracts and a business case that forces it to answer to shareholders requirements for profit, it cannot meet needs when presenting in reality which can multiply daily.
(Paragraph from a yet-to-be presented report from someone who has a bigger brain than the average bear.)
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=135195
70 NZ Bus Cancellations "Not Good Enough"
Opinion from Metlink
Passengers travelling on Metlink services operated by NZ Bus experienced almost 70 last-minute cancellations on Wednesday. Metlink General Manager Scott Gallacher said the recent service from NZ Bus simply wasn’t good enough.
The GOP's favourite Russian.
https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/status/1377625929946701827
https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/status/1377999658094628864
Oh do you mean the racist nationalist Alexey Navalny that Amnesty International dropped because of his known racist rhetoric…the Navalny who was funded by the US backed National Endowment for Democracy (a known funding route for the CIA) in his Russian election run?…(isn't that kind of like election interference? and here I was thinking you guys hated it when countries meddled in other peoples elections, guess you don't give a shit about that after all)
The US government and the Russian election
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/12/27/pers-d27.html
That was pretty good, thanks…reminded me of Samurai Jack (one of my favourite modern animated series).
Oh – you mean Putin is not nationalist? Or racist?
Lacking decades of exposure to a reforming activist base, Russia is as racist as it gets – hence the war of extermination in Chechnya.
To feed your own nonsense back at you: since Russia doesn't give a flying finangle about racism, and is cheerfully nationalist, shouldn't they love Navalny?
But Navalny has committed the unforgiveable crime of revealing the truth about Putin's republic of thieves – something RT will never do.
Have you no shame though, as a professed lefty, supporting this murderous kleptocrat? What would Putin have to do to disabuse you of your infatuation? He's already a genocide, an autocrat, a rigger of elections and a poisoner of political alternatives. Does he have to eat babies live onscreen, or would that too be America's fault?
FFS man "Oh – you mean Putin is not nationalist? Or racist?"…I know Putin is a probably a racist and is definitely a nationalist…but he is not the man that the west and you guys are spouting as some sort of Russian arch angle ready to free the Russian people from their evil overlord… maybe you should check out Putin's popularity stats in his own country once and while to get a grip on the reality over there…but I can tell you this for sure, any politician so obviously backed by the USA is never going to get any real in traction in Russia…sort of like your man Guaido in Venezuela.
If the Russians are ever going to break free from Putin, it will be from an organic rising from within Russia, supported by the Russian people…and not some Western backed Instagram sensation, that would be like you backing a politician in NZ that you knew was backed by Xi Jinping and funded by the MSS.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/896181/putin-approval-rating-russia/
The funny thing is I never (or if so, rarely) saw any of you 'lefties' utter a murmur when an actual Left wing leader, Lula was outrageously imprisoned by an outright right wing authoritarian..in fact now I think about it, I don’t believe I have ever (or very rarely if so) seen any of you so called lefties show even the slightest sign of support for any actual Left Wing project around the world, or voice your concern when they are regularly threatened….
It really has become quite apparent to me over the previous few days, that you, Mcflock, Joe90, Al1en and a couple of others on TS are in fact, in your geopolitical beliefs (the ones you express on TS anyway) for want of a better description, are some sort of postmodern (liberal) imperialists. It was always obvious that you guys had some pretty seriously flawed world views, but when I saw recently, exactly how closely nearly all your geopolitical standpoints matched with the UK Conservative parties own positions…I guess the penny dropped…holy crap…I mean did you even realize yourself how far right you had drifted?
Quite – it's all our fault that Putin poisons people.
Look what we made him do.
easter holiday.
3 day ban from fb
hehehe
offended someone by telling them to shut up and that they were a male chauvinist pig.
snapchat that!
happy easter
in the meantime I am committing the music to red haired boy to memory. at slow speed it is like this scottish lament but brightens up when played fast. stroke of luck I have this country instrumental compilation by NASHVILLE session pickers with this tune and old joe clark on it. nifty stuff. And the music by Steve Carr on bluegrassguitar.com and dude you are swinging . yee hahhh
Apt analogy for today’s discussion topics.
https://youtu.be/P4NT1UUCZV4
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
@ Eco Maori , thanks for that. I really love that Folkways stuff, have been collecting it for many years.,,haven't got that one though, strangely I haven't even seen it in NZ, and I have been a record collector since I was a young man….just found one on Ebay, going to fill that hole in my collection.
Great record too, listening to it now on youtube..thanks again.
Here is a good interview on the history of Folkways that might interest you…
'Worlds Of Sound' A Tribute To Folkways
"Sixty years ago, Moses Asch set out with the lofty ambition to record "all the sound of the world." He established Folkways Records — "the little label that could" — and in the decades that followed, Folkways recorded everything from folk singers, to jazz greats, to sounds of the natural world."
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96820123