Open mike 03/05/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, May 3rd, 2014 - 184 comments
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openmike Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

184 comments on “Open mike 03/05/2014 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    3 May 2014 at 7:20 am

    This article shows up a few interesting and pertinent points.

    NZ is sadly pimping for Obama’s TPP.
    What was promised at Hawaiian golf game?
    Funny John Campbell wasn’t taken to the holiday house Key actually goes to each summer.
    So this is what happens to Reserve Bank Governors? They work for the globalist agenda.

    The TPP, despite the upbeat headline, isn’t going to happen.

    Japan and Australia are ensuring this is not occurring, while we play lapdog to US corporate interests.

    “A sticking point has been Japanese reluctance to open market access in the “sacred” agricultural sectors — rice, wheat, beef, pork, sugar and dairy products. The recent visit to Japan by US President Barack Obama failed to deliver a major breakthrough on that front..”

    “It is possible a Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal will be thrashed out by the end of the month, says Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) executive director Alan Bollard.” The key word here is possible. Not probable or likely.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11248586

    • Paul 1.1
      3 May 2014 at 7:31 am

      Just as a sidebar, it depresses me to see what neo-liberal zealots we have become in the world.

      • phillip ure 1.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 7:38 am

        how can we not be seen as ‘the bad guys’..?

        ..given as we help america spy on the rest of the world..

        ..and are eager spear-carriers/suppliers of mercenaries.. for their forays into third world countries..

        ..their extended program of ‘regime-change’…

        ..of course we will eagerly offer to sell out all our interests/sovereignty to the americans..

        ..our political leaders are whores…

        ..(and it may be timely to repeat the warnings of/from former tory prime minister of australia..malcom fraser..

        ..who has urged his country to break all those implicating-ties with america..)

        http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38031.htm

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2
      3 May 2014 at 7:45 am

      Paul, can you quote the part that shows we’re pimping for the US TPP?

      “A sticking point…” Not the only sticking point.

      The docs available at Wikileaks tell a different story. Unless I’m missing something.

      • Paul 1.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 7:58 am

        the fact that we are among the group for an ‘ambitious, high quality agreement.’ In other words a totally open global market for corporate predators to maximise their profits in.

        “Bollard said another question was whether, if the TPP negotiations arrived at a “mediocre” outcome, New Zealand and some other TPP partners keen on an ambitious, high quality agreement would sign up to it anyway. “I wouldn’t know.”

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 8:10 am

          Well I suppose it depends what the manifestations of ambition and high quality are, but the fact is (cf: Wikileaks) NZ’s negotiating stance has not been aligned with that of the US. Far from it.

          Flatly opposed would be a better description.

          • Paul 1.2.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 8:44 am

            In which case why does Obama delegate leadership of the TPP to Key when he couldn’t make it?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.1.1.1
              3 May 2014 at 8:51 am

              Because neither of them are on their respective negotiating teams? Our negotiating team was established and briefed by the fifth Labour cabinet, by the way.

              • Paul …
                3 May 2014 at 8:57 am

                Not a party political point on my behalf.
                Merely think that signing the TPP would impact badly in the country’s sovereignty as NAFTA did to Mexico, Canada and the US.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  3 May 2014 at 9:03 am

                  Depends what the final version looks like. I don’t see any value in going all Chicken Little over something we haven’t seen.

                  • Paul …
                    3 May 2014 at 9:10 am

                    Yes and the whole deal will not be see till it’s signed.
                    So, no thanks. I prefer not to sign deals over which I have no oversight. Surely this allies to country’s citizens as well.
                    Or do you implicitly trust that our leaders have ordinary NZ citizens best interests at the top of their list?
                    The events of the 1984 – 1993 would suggest we would be wise not to trust that.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      3 May 2014 at 2:02 pm

                      Um, the whole deal will not be seen until Parliament is required to ratify it.

                      That’s a consequence of the fact that it’s negotiated behind closed doors. Many people who don’t like that seem oblivious to the reason for it, namely that if we debate it in the open all the other parties will know what our bottom lines are, giving them an advantage over us.

                      As for free trade deals, Closer Economic Relations with Australia seems to be a good one. They say NAFTA is bad for Mexico, but they also say it’s good for Canada, and I think Mexico’s economy might be suffering more because of the, y’know, death squads than the free trade deals. I understand our FTA with China is helping cushion us from the GFC.

                      Nonetheless, I will be implacably opposed to any agreement that weakens Pharmac and I’ll be looking very cynically at anything that impacts internet freedom, such as it is.

                      The TPPA was on my list of things to do until Wikileaks proved that our negotiating team are trustworthy.

                    • Clemgeopin …
                      3 May 2014 at 11:58 pm

                      I think in matters involving other countries and matters that have of such long term consequences to people of the the country and agreements that cannot be easily stopped at will, a simple majority in parliament should not be enough. There should be at least a 67% (2/3) approval of MPs, in my opinion.

                      That sort of % should also apply for constitutional and other very important issues such as change of flag, legalising of cannabis,
                      becoming a republic etc for example.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      4 May 2014 at 12:06 am

                      The TPPA was on my list of things to do until Wikileaks proved that our negotiating team are trustworthy.

                      Please remind me – which Minister is the NZ negotiating team directed by? What has led you to place so much of your trust in this National Government Minister?

                  • phillip ure …
                    3 May 2014 at 9:22 am

                    are you seriously advocating a ‘let’s wait to see what it contains’..?

                    ..given this tory govt wd ram it thru under urgency faster that you can say ‘ye sir!’..?

                    ..are you serious..?

                    • phillip ure …
                      3 May 2014 at 10:00 am

                      oh..!..hang on..!..that’s the labour policy..eh..?

                      ..to wait and see..

                      ..so i guess you must be following that line..?

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      3 May 2014 at 2:05 pm

                      Nope. Not following anyone’s “line” – I just thought about it for a while. I’ve outlayed some of my reasoning above.

                    • phillip ure …
                      3 May 2014 at 2:22 pm

                      i read yr ‘reasons’..

                      ..gonna save yr/any regrets for post-deal..eh..?

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      3 May 2014 at 2:25 pm

                      No, for pre-ratification. Is that even a word?

                      If parliament were significantly split over it I can’t see it surviving an election.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      4 May 2014 at 12:08 am

                      If parliament were significantly split over it I can’t see it surviving an election.

                      Both Labour and National MPs will vote for it.

                  • Paul …
                    4 May 2014 at 6:57 am

                    In your response to your comment saying NAFTA has benefited Canada.

                    “Canada has become a noticeably more unequal society in the free trade era. Real incomes declined for the large majority of Canadians in the 1990s; they increased only for the top fifth. Employment became more insecure and the social safety net frayed.

                    While productivity has grown—rapidly in some sectors—wages have not, a trend mirroring the de-linking that has taken place in the U.S. But the overall productivity gap with the U.S. has not narrowed as free trade proponents predicted; rather, it has widened recently.

                    Successive waves of corporate restructuring—bankruptcies, mergers, takeovers, and downsizing—have been accompanied by public sector restructuring—downsizing, deregulation, privatization, and offloading of state responsibilities. Public sector spending and employment have declined sharply, and publicly owned enterprises in strategic sectors such as energy and transportation have been transferred en masse to the private sector.”

                    “NAFTA has also been used to weaken Canada’s sovereignty and promote its economic assimilation by the United States. It has led to greater pressure on Canada and Mexico to conform to U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

                    “The experience of Canadian farmers clearly demonstrates that more trade does not necessarily translate into more prosperity. The National Farmers Union points out that, since 1988, agricultural exports have almost tripled, but net farm income (adjusted for inflation) has fallen by 24%. ”

                    http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/NAFTA@7/ca.html
                    http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/lessons_from_nafta.pdf

                    Sounds horribly familiar, doesn’t it?
                    NAFTA has benefited the Canadian elite. FIFY

          • phillip ure 1.2.1.1.2
            3 May 2014 at 2:18 pm

            ‘flatly opposed’..?

            ..in words/posturing only..

            ..but ready and willing to bend like a reed in the wind..

            ..and to sell us all down the river..

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.1.2.1
              3 May 2014 at 2:23 pm

              Well that’s the fear, isn’t it. Just that when we got a look at the secret papers they showed that our team is on our side.

              • phillip ure …
                3 May 2014 at 2:26 pm

                bullshit..!..oan..

                words/postures are cheap/easy to strike..

                ..when push comes to shove..

                ..they’ll fold like an origami-class..

                (can i ask..are you involved in the labour party..?..

                ..you are so pushing the official party line..

                ..it begs the question..)

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  3 May 2014 at 3:02 pm

                  I already answered that – I’m telling you what I think, Phil. This notion of yours that they’ll fold…what’s stopping them already?

                  It’s right there in plain(ish) English at Wikileaks – the USA vs. everybody else at the table including NZ.

                  The people who have serious skin in this game are importers and exporters. If anyone loses big it will be them. Farmers, for example.

                  The National Party’s support base, in other words.

                  Let’s look at this another way. If trade terms with the USA are shit then I can go hawk my wares in China instead. There’s absolutely no purpose in anyone selling anyone else out: it’s Underpants Gnomes stuff

                  Sell out.

                  ???

                  Profit!

                  Perhaps you think the officials involved will all take a nice fat bribe? Shares in Oravida?

                  • phillip ure …
                    3 May 2014 at 3:14 pm

                    no..it’s ideological..

                    ..that neolib/rand-ite free-trade bullshit…

                    ..that they believe in so fervently..key..and all of them..

                    ..rewarding those who ‘deserve’ it..ie..rich/corporates..

                    ..those who have ‘skin in the game’…

                    ..national barriers/priorities don’t matter to these pricks..

                    ..just rewarding the ‘deserving’..and punishing/taking away from the ‘undeserving/the parasites’..

                    ..just business as usual for these pricks..

                    ..but anyway..

                    ..the upcoming environmental/climate-change shitstorm will flush all of that away..

                    ..and tho i cd say if u don’t want a tpp..vote this govt out..

                    ..but the official labour line is pretty much in sync with what you argue..eh..?

                    ..so little/not much hope to be had from that quarter..?

                    ..and i am/yr answer was unclear…did you confirm that you are not part of the labour party..?

                  • One Anonymous Bloke …
                    3 May 2014 at 3:43 pm

                    I’m not a member of any party. My views align mostly with Labour. And Mana. And The Greens. Depends which policy.

                    And Phil, yes as I said I share your concerns and yet the secret documents tend to allay rather than support them.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                3 May 2014 at 3:25 pm

                It comes down to one simple fact that nobody seems to understand – we don’t need the agreement. We don’t even need the FTAs and WTO that we’re presently signed up with. Not for trade.

                Of course, as has been said time and time again – this really isn’t a FTA, it’s a free capitalism agreement. More about the easy movement of money across borders, the easy purchasing of land by anybody and the implementation of IP laws that will restrict innovation and prevent competition.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  3 May 2014 at 3:50 pm

                  So, the fact that the IP proposals, like most of the other clauses, have two or more separate versions that differ markedly on the details is irrelevant?

                  Do you think Helen Clark sent our negotiating team in there with no bottom lines? Or do you think National have shifted our bottom lines?

                  Do you think that the CER with Australia is a bad idea too?

                  Genuine questions.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    3 May 2014 at 3:59 pm

                    Do you think that the CER with Australia is a bad idea too?

                    CER was a free trade agreement. The TPPA is not. It is a US corporate rights agreement.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      3 May 2014 at 4:02 pm

                      The TPPA isn’t a single coherent document yet so pronouncements about what it is or isn’t are premature.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      3 May 2014 at 4:11 pm

                      So you think that the TPPA is primarily a free trade agreement in the same vein as CER, then? I use that example because you brought it up.

                      I presume you are soft-backing the TPPA because you think that Labour will eventually vote for it.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      3 May 2014 at 4:27 pm

                      No, I’m not planning for some future scenario. I just think expecting our negotiators to betray us is the sort of behaviour that deserves betrayal, and I still want to read the eventual agreement they present to us to sign up to before I make my mind up about it.

                    • Paul …
                      4 May 2014 at 6:43 am

                      And that’s the point. 600 corporates have had more oversight of the proposals than our elected representatives. The US government is controlled by corporate lobbyists ( sadly this pattern is beginning to emerge here…Collins, Williamson, Key)
                      The TPP not democratic and I can’t believe any progressive party would ever support it. If Labour support it, then they are still follow the neoliberal cult of unrestrained capitalism.
                      Clearly people should vote Mana or Green to ensure this does not happen.

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    3 May 2014 at 5:27 pm

                    So, the fact that the IP proposals, like most of the other clauses, have two or more separate versions that differ markedly on the details is irrelevant?

                    I believe that IP law needs significant overhaul and shouldn’t be entrenched before that overhaul happens and the TPPA will entrench them.

                    Do you think Helen Clark sent our negotiating team in there with no bottom lines? Or do you think National have shifted our bottom lines?

                    I’d say that National have changed the bottom lines – that’s generally what happens when a government is changed. That said, I don’t think that Labour should have started the negotiations either.

                    Do you think that the CER with Australia is a bad idea too?

                    Yes. All we need to do is to set up our own rules of trade and make sure that they are about trade. This free movement of money that we’ve got is destroying us but doing wonders for the already rich.

    • karol 1.3
      3 May 2014 at 8:01 am

      There’s a real manipulation of the Bollard quote by the NZ Herald article.

      Headline:


      TPP deal on cards this month: Bollard

      Highlighted quote in big print in the middle of the article:

      “What I see is the possibility that something gets initialled late May … and at that stage it is all out on the table.”
      Alan Bollard, Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation executive director

      Full quote, including an omitted part, in the article is much more ambivalent:

      “What I see is the possibility that something gets initialled late May — I just don’t know if they will make it — and at that stage it is all out on the table,” he said.

      • Paul 1.3.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:41 am

        Yes the Herald has turned the whole story round with the heading.
        About 4 key factors mentioned in the detail of the story that will prevent it…US congress, China, Australia, Japan
        Good to see the Japanese actually care about their citizens to protect key industries, so much so they see them as ‘sacred.’
        Pity we don’t share the same attitude.

        Dreadful newspaper.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 8:49 am

          You missed another factor: NZ’s opposition to among other things, US demands around patents and copyright.

          Oh, and I don’t know about protecting industries – isn’t that the problem with Oravida – but we’re not offering to dismantle Pharmac any time soon.

          • Paul 1.3.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 8:58 am

            Ask Mexico’s farmers about ‘free trade’ agreements.

            • Molly 1.3.1.1.1.1
              3 May 2014 at 11:21 am

              … or the Mexican government about their dealings with Metalclad.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1.1.2
              3 May 2014 at 3:05 pm

              Yeah, and for god’s sake don’t mention the cartels. People get murdered for less.

              • Colonial Viper …
                3 May 2014 at 4:05 pm

                One of the reason that organised crime has taken such massive hold in some areas of Mexico is the unemployment and economic destruction of many farming and provincial areas resulting from NAFTA. Tens or hundreds of thousands of small and medium scale family type farms closed down or were bankrupted as subsidised big corporate US agricultural products flooded into Mexico.

                It meant that there was a major vacuum which criminal organisations moved in and filled. Economic abandonment made it hard to resource law enforcement properly and made it easy for corruption of public servants and officials to take hold.

                But you would have to know some historical context to understand that, which is not necessary if all you want to do is flip a quick, meaningless quip.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  3 May 2014 at 4:21 pm

                  I’ll save the next quick quip for when I have a better understanding of the context, CV, but from your description it looks like the Mexicans got shafted.

                  As for the TPPA, if we ever see a document put up for ratification, I’ll be surprised and on the look-out for fishhooks. Although I am looking forward to DtB’s response too.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    3 May 2014 at 8:43 pm

                    As for the TPPA, if we ever see a document put up for ratification

                    Well, the parts of it which need legislative chances will be put up under urgency as a fait accompli with no negotiable clauses, and the rest of it which doesn’t need to go through parliament (eg just requires regulatory changes) will have already been signed up to and be a done deal.

          • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.1.2
            3 May 2014 at 3:37 pm

            No, that’s not the problem with Oravida. The problem there is that Collins used her government position to improve her own family’s financial position.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1.2.1
              3 May 2014 at 3:55 pm

              Just my little joke: the party of the free market selling favours to individual companies.

  2. phillip ure 2
    3 May 2014 at 7:59 am

    the organisers of some british music festivals have banded together to warn young people about the dangers of legal-highs…

    “..Experts from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths said that in 2012 there were 68 deaths relating to legal highs..”

    http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/02/music-festivals-website-blackout-highlight-risks-legal-high-drugs

    ..end the danse macabre…just decriminalise/regulate/tax the safest intoxicant of all..eh..?

    ..(and the misleading/lies about pot continue unabated..even a supposed ‘serious’ website like slate has published bullshit claiming you have ‘to smoke at least 15 grams’ to die from a cannabis overdose..(!?)

    ..bloody hell..!..that’s only a half an oz…!

    ..and were that true..myself (and many others) should be dead many times over..

    ..to become the first ever to die from smoking cannabis..

    ..and guess which corporate/access-media outlet has jumped to reprint this tripe..?

    ..yep..!..long that bastion of clear/accurate information on the cannabis-issue..

    ..the nz herald..

    (no real surprises there..eh..?..)

    • Ad 2.1
      3 May 2014 at 10:08 am

      It’s clearly destroyed the syntax, grammar, and linguistic structural parts of your brain forever.

      • phillip ure 2.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 11:04 am

        nah..!..university did that..

        ..cured me of my slavery to your model of ‘syntax, grammar, and linguistic structural’ etc..etc..

        ..universities will do that..

        ..not ‘destroyed’ there..ad..just different..

        ..eh..?

        ..(and..hic..!..what’s yr poison..?..

        ..i’ll betcha my drug causes less brain-damage than yr drug..eh..?..)

        ..and after decades of smoking more than you can poke a stick at..

        ..i went to university..and got a masters degree..with hons..

        ..now..had i spent decades drinking more booze than you can poke a stick at..

        ..i’d be kinda drooling about now..

        ..so..y’know..!

        ..yr talking absolute shite..eh..?

        • Ad 2.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 12:26 pm

          That’s just the drugs talking.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.2
          3 May 2014 at 3:41 pm

          The problem with using different language to everyone else, as has been pointed out to you, is that no one else understands you.

          • phillip ure 2.1.1.2.1
            3 May 2014 at 3:59 pm

            no..i am actually using the same language..

            ..and if the absence of capital letters/commas/paragraphs renders english into a foreign language for you..

            .you clearly have some comprehension-issues going on..

            ..did you understand that..?

        • Murray Olsen 2.1.1.3
          3 May 2014 at 10:29 pm

          Masters degree, with honours? Yawn. Who hasn’t?

          [Big Bang Theory – one of the best lines]

  3. phillip ure 3
    3 May 2014 at 8:37 am

    “..Conservatives – Evil – and Psychopathy: Science Makes the Link!

    You knew it was true.

    Now research proves it!..”

    http://www.alternet.org/conservatives-evil-and-psychopathy-science-makes-link

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1
      3 May 2014 at 8:44 am

      Unpublished conference papers are many things, and “proof” isn’t one of them.

      We don’t need science to tell us that right wing authoritarian and social dominance philosophies are evil though.

      • phillip ure 3.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:50 am

        slightly ‘bendy’ of you there..

        ..you sneer at ‘the paper’ as being the only evidence produced..which it is not..

        ..and as for the findings of that ‘paper’..

        ..what do you disagree with here..?

        “..“The core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change – and justification of inequality

        and is motivated by needs that vary situationally and dispositionally to manage uncertainty and threat” –
        Jost and his co-authors wrote in the abstract.

        These are not merely American phenomena, –

        -nor is there any reason to think they’re particularly modern. .”

        ..what is there to sneer at in that..?

        ..what is the reason/logic behind yr plaint..?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 8:55 am

          Not sneering. I read the article. The answers to your questions are in my comment at 3.1

  4. rhinocrates 4
    3 May 2014 at 8:42 am

    Want to know what a major Wellington employer has done to a friend of mine?

    This is second hand, so some minor details may be incorrect, but…

    They are highly qualified, including having a relevant PhD in their area and has good performance reviews for seven years, but the employer has decided that casualising the workforce suits them in retaining “flexibility”. Consequently, this friend has had to reapply for their job every four months, sometimes not knowing if they have any until three days before work starts.

    Several years ago they suffered bullying at another workplace which the employer realised was indefensible and decided not to contest, instead giving a large out-of court settlement on condition of anonymity.

    Naturally this person has been diagnosed with stress-induced anxiety and is prone to triggering.

    Early this year, they noticed tremors. Then they had a severe episode of illness, taking two days off work for the first time in seven years.

    Then a few personal tragedies occurred – a sibling’s cancer returned and a close friend died suddenly. Then they were hit by a car while on a pedestrian crossing and concussed. The employer was informed of this, the anxiety and the triggering.

    The employer decided that this was an excellent time for a performance review and so surveyed this person while they were still impaired by the effects of their concussion.

    They also demanded meetings for Mondays on Friday afternoons, refusing to reveal the agenda, allowing my friend to stew over the weekend.

    Eventually my friend’s Union extracted partial information, but the employer refused to reveal any true detail of some supposed “complaints” or the alleged complainants.

    Not long after, my friend’s tremors became convulsions and they were hospitalised and spent a week being treated under sedation. They were warned that the convulsions could have become seizures in which they might have suffered harm or even death.

    After leaving hospital and facing months of medication still to come, the employer informed them that they needn’t apply for any more work.

    Also, they’re not the only one to have a generally similar experience with this employer.

    This is a profession is stereotyped as one of the most progressive. It isn’t.

    THAT is what it means to be in the precariat.

    • Paul 4.1
      3 May 2014 at 8:45 am

      What profession?

      • NickS 4.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:59 am

        Computer programming I’d guess, the industry is sadly rife with dudebro’s, libertarians of the non-civil type and other such fun that causes issues if you have disabilities, are female or anything else the founder/owner/etc can’t understand or doesn’t like.

        • rhinocrates 4.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 9:41 am

          Not IT.

          I’m being deliberately obscure bearing in mind lprent’s care about attracting the beady eyes of lawyers.

          In any case, the exact profession or workplace is less important than the effects and abuse of casualisation. My friend’s exact experience may be unique, but the general quality of it is not.

    • Rosie 4.2
      3 May 2014 at 12:44 pm

      Hi rhinocrates.

      I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s experiences and subsequent illness. How are they doing now, and where are they at ?- no need to answer if you don’t want to.

      I am hoping that their Union, if taking a personal grievance against the employer will use the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002, which requires the employer to take all practicable steps to prevent illness arising from stress and to reduce harm from stressors. This is my botched wording and not the wording from the Act. I’ve done a super quick google and can’t find the appropriate phrasing relevant to your friend’s case, only the epic length Act itself and I don’t have time to do a proper search right now, sorry. I might be able to come back to it later

      Also I wonder did the employer offer your friend access to EAP: Employee Assistance Programmes? I’m guessing they didn’t but they should have.. Several large corporate employers do provide this service. There’s a couple of organisations in Wellington providing this service.

      This is one of them:

      http://www.vitae.co.nz/Vitae-employee-assistance-programme-home/

      I once did an essay on the impact of of work on the well being of NZ workers. From my learnings I found that we are not as proactive as other comparable countries in preventing stress related illness. Sadly this seems to reflected in example after example of work stress related illness in real life (including my own when I had a breakdown in 2010 due to my work situation and ended up on meds to cope and help me recover).

      All the best for your friend’s recovery. I hope they can find justice – they should never been put at such risk, especially as they had others stressors to cope with in their personal life.

      • rhinocrates 4.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 2:26 pm

        Thank you Rosie, I’ll pass that on.

        However, my – and their – point that they want made known is just how bad casualisation has become and how cynically it is abused by employers. It affects older, qualified professionals as much as the 90-day rule affects younger, unqualified people.

        My friend suspects that a standard regime change is happening – a new senior person has been appointed and a number of new faces are replacing familiar ones. Apparently it’s a move by him to get his own team, no matter how inexperienced, to take over.

        • Rosie 4.2.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 3:02 pm

          The casualisation of the labour force is poisonous, insidious and being taken up all around the globe.

          Just a local example, also Wellington, is of a not for profit organisation who I a short contract with last year. None of the positions are permanent, they are all fixed term. At the end of your term the job is re advertised and you re apply for it. They were also users of the 90 day Act. Quite amazing really, the hypocrisy, given their “social values” mission and presence in the community, and the otherwise good work they do.

          As for the company your friend worked for, their short sighted approach may lead to a drop in standards of their service, (what ever their industry is) that they are delivering to their client. The would be manager may find the loss of skilled experienced staff will lead to the loss of quality work and to unhappy clients. I hope she or he see’s the errors in the end, but most likely won’t, those self advancing types usually don’t.

          I would hope though, that your friend’s Union would be willing to pursue a personal grievance. Sounds to me like they have good grounds to.

          • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 3:51 pm

            And people wonder why NZ managers are some of the worst in the world.

        • Once was Tim 4.2.1.2
          4 May 2014 at 1:33 am

          @ Rhino
          This sounds like a rerun of something that happened to a friend of mine in the tertiary education sector about 4 years ago … and in retrospect “it’s a move by him to get his own team, no matter how inexperienced, to take over” is exactly what it was all about – as well as enabling the ‘Joyce-ing’ of the entire sector.
          Real partisan control-freak stuff!

    • Treetop 4.3
      3 May 2014 at 5:29 pm

      Workplace bullying: what it is, how to recognise it, myths, facts, costs, and why me?

      http://www.bullyonline.org/

      Your friend could wall paper a wall at work with the info on this link. Very empowering and every type of bullying is discussed.

      • RedLogix 4.3.1
        4 May 2014 at 2:14 am

        An excellent link. Tim Field (who passed away some years ago) was a real pioneer in this area.

        And he was very approachable. I had reason to have an email exchange and he was most helpful. His material is authentic and accurate.

  5. Paul 5
    3 May 2014 at 8:54 am

    Further evidence how how poor the NZ Herald is at framing a story.
    The headline is ‘Cheaper power bills this winter., accompanied by a happy punter smiling by an electrical heater.
    Given the breezy and cheerful headline, you might think that this was because the electrical companies haven’t stopped rotting NZers and declared a price freeze. You know something of be for to NZ citizens.
    However, the detail in the story tells of something else.
    Cheaper prices are down to climate change, not that you’d catch a paper that promotes Chris de Freitas ever using that term.
    To quote the Herald rag…

    “The cheerful outlook has been put down to sea surface temperatures being warmer for 16 consecutive months.”
    Climate change …warming sea temperatures…cheerful

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11248655

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      3 May 2014 at 9:13 am

      Despite the court action, he hoped to restore the relationship. “Time heels everything. In my mind, there’s no great rift.”

      Sigh, NZ Herald. Thanks for the banner story of a wealthy family having a squabble, but can we get it decently edited please.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11248684

      • Paul 5.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 9:34 am

        The editor of the Herald thinks it’s more important than the events in the Ukraine.
        Embarrassing.

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 10:31 am

          Apparently dozens of pro-Russian militia and pro-Russian civilians who had taken over a government building in Odessa died due to fire and smoke inhalation when Ukrainian forces attacked the offices.

          Odessa is critical to Ukraine now as I understand that it is their last remaining major sea port.

          The IMF has told the unelected Ukrainian “government” that their multi-billion dollar bail out deal will be reviewed if they lose control of the eastern side of the country = if you want your money, move your military in, now.

          Consultants believe that major military action may cause Russia to cut off some or all oil exports to the EU, leading to a major oil price spike = global recession.

          A NATO deputy head is quoted as saying that Russia is no longer acting as a partner of NATO and will have to now be treated more like an adversary.

          To me it seems like the oligarchs in the west are deliberately poking away at a hornet’s nest.

          • Paul 5.1.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 11:03 am

            Odessa is also quite to the west of Ukraine. Close to Moldovan border.

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1.2
            3 May 2014 at 4:12 pm

            +1

            They want a war to distract from irritating things like this.

            • Not Petey 5.1.1.1.2.1
              3 May 2014 at 6:28 pm

              cuckoo

              • Paul …
                4 May 2014 at 7:05 am

                If you don’t believe wars are used by governments to distract people from serious domestic issues, you really do need to read up on a bit of history.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2
      3 May 2014 at 4:10 pm

      Actually, I think that’s El nino. Of course, it’s possible that it’s been exaggerated by Climate Change.

  6. felix 6
    3 May 2014 at 9:14 am

    Some people call me Maurice

  7. mickysavage 7
    3 May 2014 at 9:53 am

    A comment by Sanctuary made over at Dimpost that is very funny and deserves to be repeated.

    ““…Let me qualify that. It’s an impossible task this time around. Short of a miracle nothing Labour can do can win them this election…”

    And yo, the Lord spake. And across kingdom of Maurice of Pakuranga a big, gay rainbow of corruption did shine. Thus the Lord looked at the raiments of corruption and smiled, for they were juicy and entangled the PM. And across the land the left did rejoice, and raise hosannas of praise to lord for his miracle of Maurice, and small things with raffia detail were put to one side, all the better to spread on the blogsphere the miraculous works of the Lord.”

    • tc 7.1
      3 May 2014 at 11:29 am

      Lets hope that big gay rainbow of nact corruption illiminates the sheeple.

      Granny and the rest will continue to spin faster then one of those turbines they flogged to their backers.

      Maurice, john, judith, pansy, blinky, richard, dullards like jamie lee and slimy bridges as the next generation.

      Focus in execution and keeping it simple should see these puppetts turfed off the teasury benches.

    • Tracey 7.2
      3 May 2014 at 12:30 pm

      gold!

  8. phillip ure 8
    3 May 2014 at 10:06 am

    the nation has done an excellent piece on the need to tackle obesity..

    ..starting with a tax on sugary-drinks…

    ..let’s hope this becomes an election-issue here…

    ..(mana is shown to have the strongest anti-sugar policies..

    ..national and act oppose them..

    ..labour is sitting on the fence..)

    • phillip ure 8.1
      3 May 2014 at 10:16 am

      and phillip mills is hanging this govt out to dry..

      ..over their climate-change denial/inaction..

      (sigh..!..but he is a dairy-pimp..)

      ..and lisa owen gets political-question of the week..

      ..when she asks mills just how green/different from national..

      ..labour are..

      ..(given labour are for drilling/mining/fracking..etc..etc..)

    • phillip ure 8.2
      3 May 2014 at 11:22 am

      one quarter of all nzers will have diabetes in 15 yrs..

      ..(with the rise in just the last ten yrs kinda mindboggling..)

      ..(with the rates much higher amongst maori/p.i…)

      ..and of course..one of the first things nact/dunne/maori party did when coming to power..

      ..was to open the floodgates for junk/unhealthy-food/sugar-laden drinks to be sold from school tuckshops..

      ..something to do with ‘freedom/individual choice’..as i seem to remember them arguing it..

      ..at the time..

      (and i should repeat..this is an excellent piece of journalism from the nation..

      ..no ‘face’ fronting it..just a tight voiced-over mini-doco..laying out all the facts..

      ..they should enter it in the annual media awards..it is that good..)

  9. Penny Bright 9
    3 May 2014 at 11:41 am

    Joyce blocks answers on corporate welfare

    Matthew Hooton | WEEKEND REVIEW

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/joyce-blocks-answers-corporate-welfare-bd-155317

    “…The questions caused extraordinary contretemps within the department. To their shame, no one – Labour, the Greens or the media – had ever asked such questions before. The poor officials had to start from scratch. …”

    Some of us have asked questions about ‘corporate welfare’ before – missed this Mathew?

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1111/S00095/wheres-nationals-corporate-welfare-reform.htm

    ‘Where’s National’s ‘corporate welfare’ reform?

    Thursday, 3 November 2011, 5:28 pm
    Press Release: Penny Bright
    PRESS RELEASE: Independent Candidate for Epsom Penny Bright:

    “How many billion$ of public monies could be saved by ‘CUTTING OUT THE CONTRACTORS’?

    3 November 2011

    Where’s National’s ‘corporate welfare’ reform?

    Which of the maor political parties are pushing for ‘corporate welfare’ reform and shrinking the long-term dependency of the private sector on our public monies?

    Where is the ‘devilish detail’ at both local and central government level – which shows EXACTLY where our public rates and taxes are being spent on private sector consultants and contractors?

    Why aren’t the names of the consultant(s)/ contrators(s) – the scope, term and value of these contracts, published in Council or central government Annual Reports – so this information on the spending of OUR public monies is available for public scrutiny?

    Where are the publicly-available ‘Registers of Interests’ for those local government elected representatives, and staff responsible for property and procurement, in order to help guard against possible ‘conflicts of interest’ between those who ‘give’ the contracts and those who ‘get’ the contracts?

    Where’s the ‘transparency’?
    ……”

    Kind regards,

    Penny Bright

    • srylands 9.1
      3 May 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Penny – markets will determine whether consultants give value for money. Also it is a bit rich you complaining about value from rates.

      • Penny Bright 9.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 12:41 pm

        Why is that?

        I am a CITIZEN not a SLAVE.

        When Auckland Council is not upholding the LAW (Public Records Act 2005 and Local Government Act 2002) and telling residents and ratepayer exactly where our public monies are being spent on consultants and private contractors, and when statutory ‘third party Public Watchdogs’ are NOT doing their jobs and holding them to account – what is a CITIZEN to do?

        Meekly tug one’s forelock and become a mindless, compliant ‘ca$h cow’ ?

        Sorry – WRONG woman.

        I’m making a stand which is upholding YOUR lawful rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local government.

        One day – you’ll get it.

        Hopefully sooner rather than later?

        Actually rates revolts are not unheard of in the Auckland region.

        Have some of you had an effective frontal lobotomy and forgotten the 2003 rates revolt against the ARC, which thousands of Aucklanders joined?

        Maybe these ‘brain fades’ which are currently very fashionable at the highest levels of government are contagious?

        Kind regards,

        Penny Bright

        http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

        • srylands 9.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 1:31 pm

          Yeah well maybe you have made your point, and it is time to fold. Just saying. But it is your call.

        • Rosie 9.1.1.2
          3 May 2014 at 4:25 pm

          Penny, on Planet SSLands, everyone is a slave to the markets!

          Ignore him and keep up the good work 🙂

      • Draco T Bastard 9.1.2
        3 May 2014 at 4:20 pm

        markets will determine whether consultants give value for money.

        It really is so sad that you still believe this delusion.

      • Murray Olsen 9.1.3
        3 May 2014 at 11:08 pm

        This market cult you belong to fascinates me, SSLands. Has it ever made a mistake?

        What you remind me of more than anything is a young member of a Moscow aligned Communist Party, many years ago. A member of a more Beijing aligned Communist Party asked him what were the procedures if the leaders headed off down the wrong path and made some revisionist deviation or other. He was unable to accept that this could actually ever happen.

        I much preferred him to you. Subjectively at least, he stood against privilege, poverty, corruption, and racism. He was human.

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.3.1
          4 May 2014 at 12:15 am

          A human with independent thought; not a careerist cult member.

          • Paul 9.1.3.1.1
            4 May 2014 at 7:11 am

            Yes srylands belongs to a ciult alright and unlike those utopian ones ..it appears not to care not one jot about anyone else but the individual.
            Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ offers a grim vision when put along the ideas of Rosa Luxembourg.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.1.3.1.1.1
              4 May 2014 at 9:04 am

              Or consider Adam Smith:

              It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, or the baker, that we expect dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.

              The bizarre thing here is that, at the time Smith was writing, this simply wasn’t true. Most English shopkeepers were still carrying out the main part of their business on credit, which meant that customers appealed to their benevolence all the time. Smith could hardly be unaware of this. Rather, he is drawing a utopian picture.

              Debt: The first 5000 years by David Graeber

              So, yeah, it is a utopian view just one that’s rather nasty and removes all human contact.

              • Populuxe1 …
                4 May 2014 at 10:03 am

                Draco, you’re as bad as the free marketeers in ignoring Smiths other famous book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) in which the philosopher explicitly sets out the individual’s responsibilities to their community.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  4 May 2014 at 10:20 am

                  The problem with that critique is that modern society isn’t based around Smith’s previous work. In fact, we seem to have a tendency to ignore philosophers unless they allow the sociopaths to accumulate wealth and to rule.

                  And yes, I’m also quite aware that srylands and redbaiter would be calling Smith a dirty stinking commy for his attitude towards the poor despite the fact that their attitude is based upon his work.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    4 May 2014 at 10:35 am

                    In fact, we seem to have a tendency to ignore philosophers unless they allow the sociopaths to accumulate wealth and to rule.

                    Curiously enough, only those economic and philosophical ideas which are helpful to the goals of the 0.1% power elite get any airtime and sponsorship.

    • geoff 9.2
      3 May 2014 at 12:17 pm

      One question….Why has Matthew Hooton attacked Steven Joyce?

      Is Matthew in the Judith Collins faction?

      • felix 9.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 12:55 pm

        Matthew speaks on behalf of whomever pays for his services.

        • freedom 9.2.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 1:03 pm

          Is that why he has been so silent on the Williamson story?
          “Liu hired consultancy group Exceltium, run by political consultant Matthew Hooton, to lobby the Government over the business immigration rules.”

          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11224055

        • srylands 9.2.1.2
          3 May 2014 at 1:37 pm

          I think that is really cynical. He always strikes me as balanced, fair commentator. The media could do with more like him.

          • phillip ure 9.2.1.2.1
            3 May 2014 at 1:45 pm

            “.. He always strikes me as balanced, fair commentator..”

            go on..!..yr having a laff..!..eh..?

            ..you joker..!

            • Akldnut 9.2.1.2.1.1
              4 May 2014 at 8:24 am

              “.. He always strikes me as balanced, fair commentator..”

              Bahahaha PMSL you’re so funny

          • felix 9.2.1.2.2
            3 May 2014 at 1:49 pm

            Well I guess the person who wrote this must be reeeaaalllly cynical:

            Led by Managing Director Matthew Hooton, Exceltium uses its combination of intellect, experience and networks to design strategy-led communications programmes that shift opinions and policies to support the business plans of our clients.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 9.2.1.2.2.1
              3 May 2014 at 3:06 pm

              No fair Felix, bringing facts into it. Now S Rylands will have to go and read The Fountainhead again.

          • Paul 9.2.1.2.3
            3 May 2014 at 3:05 pm

            Says a lot.

  10. captain hook 10
    3 May 2014 at 11:55 am

    Somebody is getting the pink slips ready for the National party at this very moment.

  11. greywarbler 11
    3 May 2014 at 11:56 am

    If the RW trials are going to be so prevalent with their predictably self-centred, self-advancing views then time can be better spent on reading people who do attempt thought rather than different way of parrotting I’m OK – You’re Not OK and you and your opinion and your needs and wants are of no importance.

    Joe 90 and others are great at giving links.
    This is one that was supplied here. Chris Trotter on David Parker’s newly announced economic ideas. These will be game changers for us having untold advantages as Chris puts it. http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/

    Bryan Gould on our economy and Reserve Bank.
    Bryan Gould: Reserve Bank fiddling as exchange rate burns exporters
    9:30 AM Friday Apr 4, 2014
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bryan-gould/news/article.cfm?a_id=804&objectid=11231702

    And Brian Easton on Distribution and poor people struggling and sliding down the plughole,
    and on data stats in Been Counter. Seeing that many journalists don’t understand the figures they very artfully quote, perhaps the rest of us who haven’t studied stats etc. should bring our knowledge up to speed to bridge the ignorance gap.
    http://www.eastonbh.ac.nz/2014/03/been-counters/

    • Tracey 11.1
      3 May 2014 at 12:04 pm

      thanks greyw

      • greywarbler 11.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 12:11 pm

        Thank you Tracey your regular comments are informative.

        I think that Bryan Gould makes some important points about the difficulties our exporters have and these should be repeated here.

        Exporting successfully is an expensive business. Unless margins are good enough to make possible the spending needed to cover all the additional costs, such as freight and commissions, to develop the overseas market through promotion and after-sales service, and to provide the re-investment needed for product development so as to keep pace with foreign competition, it is not worth the effort.
        No wonder so many of our potential exporters don’t try or give up quickly.

        Even our most successful exporters pay a price for the dollar’s overvaluation – ask our dairy farmers. Export profits are lower than they would be if the dollar was at a more competitive level. Even our best firms – let alone those who are struggling at the margin – are therefore less able in the long run to keep pace with foreign competitors who don’t have to face the same currency headwind.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.2
      3 May 2014 at 4:56 pm

      Quoting Bryan Gould:

      At the same time, we prepare to enjoy the consumer and import boom that accompanies the huge volume of bank-created credit that is fuelling the rise in house prices in Auckland in particular.

      Glad to see that getting an airing in the MSM.

      And from Brian Easton:

      So while the revision does not change my views, it confirms that New Zealand is in the top half of the OECD for inequality, whereas three decades ago we were in the bottom half.

      Yep, three decades of neo-liberalism has left us worse off.

      • Colonial Viper 11.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:12 pm

        It’s not all bad news. After all if you are in the top 5% to 10% you are noticeably better off, and if you are in the elite top 0.1%, you are winning the world with tens of millions of gains. The peasants, well, they can eat cake and buy their PS3s on hire purchase.

  12. Penny Bright 12
    3 May 2014 at 12:30 pm

    Looks like Judith Collins is cruising for a political BRUISING when Parliament sits again Tuesday 6 May 2014?

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1405/S00039/emerging-evidence-has-justice-minister-in-deeper-mire.htm

    Emerging Evidence Has Justice Minister in Deeper Mire

    Friday, 2 May 2014, 5:05 pm
    Press Release: New Zealand First Party

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1405/S00034/judith-collins-briefing-request-the-final-straw.htm

    Judith Collins briefing request the final straw

    Friday, 2 May 2014, 3:12 pm
    Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1405/S00012/serious-questions-over-money-and-influence-in-national.htm

    Serious questions over money and influence in National

    Thursday, 1 May 2014, 2:12 pm
    Press Release: Green Party

    In my considered opinion, as an ‘Anti-corruption Public Watchdog’ – Minister of Justice Judith Collins is CORRUPT – has misled both the House and the NZ public over her role in promoting the interests of her friends’ and husband’s private company Oravida, and must be stood down as a Minister – FORTHWITH.

    I predict that this may happen on Monday 5 May 2014 – if not before ………..

    Penny Bright

    • veutoviper 12.1
      3 May 2014 at 1:02 pm

      I would love to be a fly on the wall of the National Auckland Regional Convention which is taking place in Auckland this weekend. No doubt Williamson – and Collins – will be hot topics for discussion …..

      • Rosie 12.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 1:16 pm

        Was thinking that too veutoviper and was wondering if there would be a piece on the 6pm news, “Collins resigns!”. She really is holding on by her fingernails, super strong glossily painted shellac fingernails.

  13. millsy 13
    3 May 2014 at 12:39 pm

    Even if Collins gets the boot, she will only get her job back after the election. Just like Williamson will…

    • freedom 13.1
      3 May 2014 at 12:58 pm

      Last night I saw TV3’s ‘on the street’ piece and maybe it was just the editing, but it looked decidedly like many in his electorate were turning away from Williamson now, regardless of how well they thought he had done in the past.

    • chris73 13.2
      3 May 2014 at 2:39 pm

      If I was running National Williamson would be convinced (bribed if need be) to stand down and Craig would be gifted Pakuranga

      Not that I agree with what Craig says but as a junior partner he can easily be ignored

      • Draco T Bastard 13.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 5:08 pm

        If National had any ethical standards Williamson would have been stood down and charges laid.

  14. Rosie 14
    3 May 2014 at 1:22 pm

    An article supporting something you said the other day phillip, along the lines of animal testing on synthetics only being part of a very large problem, just in NZ alone. On the front page of the Dom Post today:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/10004053/87-000-animals-die-in-one-year-as-part-of-scientific-testing

    • phillip ure 14.1
      3 May 2014 at 2:01 pm

      aye rosie..

      ..an interesting/grotesque aspect of all that..

      ..is that the spca sign-off on/’approve’ all that animal torture/killing..

      ..and i dunno if they still do..

      ..but the spca used to supply/sell(?) animals to the vivisection-‘labs’/torture-centres..

      ..the animal gulag..

      ..knowing these facts/realities means the sight of cuddly’ ol’ bob kerridge ‘cuddling’ his ‘cuddly’ puppies..for the fawning-media..

      ..actually makes my skin fucken crawl…

      ..his fingers are dripping with the blood/suffering of all of those tortured then killed animals..

      ..his fingers signed off on all that..

      ..and over the years his fingers held the torture/death-pen…millions of them..

      ..how does he fucken sleep at nite..?

      ..don’t their screams keep him awake..?

      • Rosie 14.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 2:40 pm

        Yes, I recall you mentioned something about that once phillip, the SPCA’s involvement in supply of animals to labs. That information, is that inside information or is there documented evidence of it happening or having once happened?

        And a question I had the other day to you, that you may not have seen, was regarding Massey University’s (Palmy) animal testing. I had heard somewhere that they were the largest animal testing facility in NZ, testing commercial domestic products such as cleaners and cosmetics as well as medical research as they might be expected to undertake. Is this your understanding, that they are the largest?

        • phillip ure 14.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 3:30 pm

          rosie..

          ..i dunno if massey is the largest or not..but it will be up there..

          ..and re spca supply of animals to labs..?

          ..i know that used to happen..’cos i once liberated a dog from a courier van..

          ..and i liberated it because it was on it’s way from the spca to auckland rail station..

          ..destination..vivisectors in wellington..

          ..and i said ‘no fucken way!’..and tucked her under my arm..and hoofed it..

          ..so instead of a shortened/tortured life..followed by death..

          ..she was much loved..

          ..and lived to be 14 yrs old..

          ..so..’cos of that.. i know that they did..

          ..i don’t know if they still do..

          • Rosie 14.1.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 4:29 pm

            Onya for rescuing the diggety phillip and just too shocking for words that the SPCA were involved in such a trade…..Really troubling in many ways.

            • Skinny 14.1.1.1.1.1
              3 May 2014 at 8:13 pm

              +1 way to go Phil.

              • Colonial Viper …
                3 May 2014 at 8:36 pm

                Labs who do any significant experimental or chemical trial work on animals usually need several, to several dozen, of the exact same species and age of animal.

                So no, I’d say that the SPCA would not be where they go for their test subjects (in the main).

  15. Rosie 15
    3 May 2014 at 2:09 pm

    The murder of Sarwen Lata occurred on 25th November 2013, a street away from where I live. The story of her relationship with her husband is very sad and even sadder because she is one of many women who have been killed by partners or ex partners who they protection orders against. Sarwen was killed the day after white ribbon day.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/10004052/Stalker-husband-defied-protection-orders

    The one thing that has stayed in my mind that is particularly upsetting was that in the last hours of her life no body helped her. The one call to 111 came from her. Although neighbours heard screaming, the only call that was made came from the victim:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9442238/Screams-heard-before-body-found

    You can see in the video above that Sarwen’s house is very close to other houses, all around. Her particular house is plaster clad, as all the houses around her are too, they were all built at the same time. The walls are thin and none of those houses are double glazed in that part of the development. Why on earth did no one pick up the phone? When Singh broke the ranch slider glass surely that would have woken people and they should have been on to 111 straight away. For the record this is the most unfriendly neighbourhood I have lived in but surely the instinct to help when someone’s life is in danger would take over any social indifference? What the fuck is wrong with people?

    • TeWhareWhero 15.1
      3 May 2014 at 3:39 pm

      Tragic. He was a classic high risk for murder-suicide and it’s very difficult to protect partners from men like him. Not sure what the answer is – protection orders won’t work with people who are intent on killing and then taking their own life. If we had effective mental health services it might help but in the absence of effective therapy for potential killers, the only way to be reasonably sure of protecting women is to relocate them – maybe with new identities.

      • Rosie 15.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 4:41 pm

        Yes, it is so tragic because her death could have quite possibly been prevented if effective mental health intervention was available to Singh combined with or at least greater safety options being provided by the state to victims of domestic violence, as you suggest.

        Socially, I wondering why her neighbours didn’t keep an eye out for her and why weren’t they there for her? Why didn’t they call 111 when given the nature of the tight cluster of thinned walled homes they would have clearly heard what was going on?

        • greywarbler 15.1.1.1
          4 May 2014 at 12:21 pm

          Rosie
          I suggest that the reason why neighbours didn’t come forward was just because they are so tightly packed and with thin walls. The only way you can have privacy, personal space and peace of living in that case, is to ignore the constant noises and talking around you.

          It is a defence mechanism necessary for everyone who would otherwise be vicariously living in other people’s ups and downs. Usually if becoming involved they would end up being soundly cursed by both or all participants who they will be continuing to live beside, and need to be on equable terms with.

          There is a big strain on people who are really strangers trying to live in badly designed housing in close confines..

    • greywarbler 15.2
      3 May 2014 at 3:47 pm

      Rosie
      This would have been a good point that remained in archived under domestic violence if you had put it in the thread about williamson and domestic violence. Comments like this with links are useful for later reference.

      • Rosie 15.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 4:42 pm

        Thanks Warbs. I might do that later. Haven’t had a chance to read that post yet.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.3
      3 May 2014 at 5:11 pm

      What the fuck is wrong with people?

      We’ve been taught, over generations, that other peoples business isn’t our business. The last thirty years of neo-liberalism has pretty much cemented that home.

  16. BLiP 16
    3 May 2014 at 2:20 pm

    ‘

    The John Key-led National Ltd™ government’s blitzkrieg against the New Zealand environment is beginning to pay off for at least one mining company with close connections to it.

    The so-called Environmental Protection Authority has just given the go ahead to foreign-owned Trans Pacific Resources to commence the first stage of a massive sea-bed mining operation right smack in the middle of a Maui dolphin habitat and migatory route for blue whales. Of the 4850 submissions to the EPA on the application, 4842 were opposed including those from local Iwi, environmenal groups, and fishing companies. In effect, the EPA rules governing the application for the mining consent prevent adequate input and usurp democracy while also ensuring that scientific evidence, tangata whenua concerns, and public opinion are secondary considerations to spreadsheet fantasies cooked up by unaccountable corporates.

    Having made the rules to support their corporate masters, National Ltd™ further tilted the field in favour of Trans Tasman Resources when Environment Minister Amy Adams denied legal aid to small, volunteer organisations with a stake in the outcome. At the same time, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment handed the mining compnay a $25 million “innovation” grant.

    The current consent, also granted by MoBIE, covers some 22 to 36 kilometres off the coast of Patea, in the Exclusive Economic Zone. It is the first stage of a much larger operation being planned by Trans Tasman Resources which is seeking to mine an additional 66 kilometres in the area. The larger application is currently going through a marine consent process being handled by a Board of Inquiry appointed by the EPA. The public notice of the application had to be re-issued because the original notice – surprise surprise – did not have all the required documentation. This delay has squeezed all the timelines for consideration of the application but – suprise surprise – Trans Tasman Resources’ timetable for commencing the raising of capital is still set for June 2014.

    While it touts itself as a “New Zealand Company”, Trans Tasman Resources’ Board of Directors is the usual gaggle of international industrial henchmen one might expect, but there is a New Zealander there: none other than former National Ltd™ Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.

    The New Zealand companies office record of shareholders shows that 58 percent of Trans Tasman Resources is owned by two Dutch investment companies. The largest New Zealand shareholders appear to be Benjamin Clarke Langdon and Gregor John Barclay who, between them, hold 4.88% – but not in their own names. Their Trans Tasman Resources shares are held by Minvest Securities (New Zealand) Limited which, in turn, is owned by Claymore Trustees Ltd which, in turn, is owned by Sheet Investments Ltd in which Langdon and Barclay hold 50% each. Seems legit . . . doesn’t it? Fuck knows what corporate veils have been pulled over the other Trans Tasman Resources’ shareholding entities in order to protect investors for any form or any accountability should it be required.

    Welcome to John Key’s brighter future, everyone.

    • freedom 16.1
      3 May 2014 at 5:08 pm

      There are not many in NZ called Gregor John Barclay
      in fact, only one who links back to any of the companies listed.

      His lawyer bio says he was admitted to the bar at CHCH, which suggests a South Island connection in his younger days.

      Relative of Todd perhaps?

    • Paul 16.2
      3 May 2014 at 5:16 pm

      Jenny Shipley
      You can read a lot into her dealings since 2005.

      From wiki

      “In 2007, Shipley joined the financial services firm Source Sentinel.

      Shipley also has business interests in China and is currently on the board of the China Construction Bank.

      According to Companies Office records, Jack Chen, Jenny Shipley and another investor founded a business together in 2004 called New Zealand Pure & Natural. Mr Chen quit as a director a year later but only quit his shareholding in 2010. Mr Chen was instrumental in promoting the ‘Chinese Business Roundtable Council’ in NZ, and set up a new political party in NZ, before being forced to resign due to fraud and corruption charges being laid in Hong Kong.

      In 2010 the China Construction Bank agreed to help finance a proposal by May Wang [also known as Hao May] and Jack Chen [also known as Chen Keen] to invest in the New Zealand dairy industry by taking over the Crafar Farms.

      Since 2009, Shipley has chaired the Genesis Energy Limited board.

      In December 2012 Shipley resigned from the board of directors of Mainzeal Property & Construction which later went into receivership on 6 February 2013. At mid-day on 5 February 2013 she was one of four independent directors who resigned from the board of Mainzeal Group Limited. Both Mainzeal Property & Construction (MPCL), and Mainzeal Group Limited are part of the Richina group, controlled and majority owned by Yan Ci Lang (Richard Yan). “

    • Draco T Bastard 16.3
      3 May 2014 at 5:18 pm

      In effect, the EPA rules governing the application for the mining consent prevent adequate input and usurp democracy…

      Which, of course, is what the function of the EPA always was. Its name is the exact opposite of its purpose and that purpose is to fast track business.

      While it touts itself as a “New Zealand Company”, Trans Tasman Resources’ Board of Directors is the usual gaggle of international industrial henchmen one might expect, but there is a New Zealander there: none other than former National Ltd™ Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.

      Cronyism runs deep in National.

      Their Trans Tasman Resources shares are held by Minvest Securities (New Zealand) Limited which, in turn, is owned by Claymore Trustees Ltd which, in turn, is owned by Sheet Investments Ltd in which Langdon and Barclay hold 50% each. Seems legit . . . doesn’t it?

      It’s probably many things. First it would hide and protect the owners and, most likely, it’s also a tax dodge.

      • srylands 16.3.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:54 pm

        What mechanism are you suggesting is employed as a “tax dodge”. I mean precisely? Or are you simply making shit up? Again.

        Also the mission of the EPA is clear:

        “Streamlined and strengthened national environmental regulation that protects the environment while enabling economic progress and growth.”

        What is not sensible about that?

        http://www.epa.govt.nz/Publications/EPA%20SOI%202012.pdf

        • Draco T Bastard 16.3.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 8:59 pm

          What mechanism are you suggesting is employed as a “tax dodge”.

          Just a hunch. We keep hearing about these people who have lots of nested companies which seem to pay very little tax. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the Loss Attributing Qualifying Company – A company specifically set up to run at a loss that can be written off against other income.

          What is not sensible about that?

          Sounds good but they don’t seem to be protecting the environment.

    • Penny Bright 16.4
      3 May 2014 at 6:02 pm

      I STRONGLY recommend folks have another read of whistleblower Dr Jacob Cohen’s ‘Murder at Pike River Mine?’ – Chapter 10:

      SECRET REASON BEHIND THE REPEAL OF THE FORESHORE AND SEABED ACT: TO EXPLOIT NZ’s VAST MINERAL WEALTH:

      http://mistymountain.info/sites/default/files/users/Dan/pdf/Murder%20at%20Pike%20River%20Mine.pdf

      Check out the role of Trans Tasman Resources ….

      Penny Bright

    • Jackal 16.5
      3 May 2014 at 7:23 pm

      MBIE’s New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals have just given Trans Tasman Resources a twenty year permit to extract ironsand off the coast of Patea. This is before the EPA hearings have even concluded, which just goes to show how much they don’t care about the consultation process. That’s how assured of a pro-industry decision from the EPA they are as well. New Zealands EPA is pretty much copied from the United States’ EPA, which is well known for making many decisions which have had a negative impact on the environment and people’s health.

      • locus 16.5.1
        3 May 2014 at 9:43 pm

        Is there any way that long-term and irreversible damage to the seabed, and the consequences of turbidity pollution from ironsand dredging can be made as visible to the NZ public as say the breach of a toxic tailings dam or marine oil spill?

        Am I wrong to have a gut feeling that this is sanctioning of environmental vandalism?

        • Murray Olsen 16.5.1.1
          4 May 2014 at 12:01 am

          I think you’re right. Kiwis Against Seabed Mining has some good resources on their webpages. It’s a high volume, low value operation that shifts a lot of sand, but where it can’t be seen. There are studies showing that dunes, beaches, waves, and river mouths near the mining areas can be drastically changed. None of this seems to matter to NAct at all, as long as someone makes a buck.

          http://kasm.org.nz/

          • Colonial Viper 16.5.1.1.1
            4 May 2014 at 12:03 am

            Corporate systems of exploitation are systems of organised death and destruction. Facts are facts.

            • Murray Olsen 16.5.1.1.1.1
              4 May 2014 at 12:17 am

              While all facts are facts, it is sometimes useful to know exactly what they are. It can be easier to build a local movement to protect a beach if you can point to something slightly more detailed than “organised death and destruction”. When I learned how to give lectures and seminars, I was advised to spend the first five or ten minutes telling the audience stuff they were familiar with. The conclusion comes at the end.

  17. chris73 17
    3 May 2014 at 5:28 pm

    So is it because the left are pining their hopes on WinstonFirst that no ones mentioning this:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9999622/NZ-First-travel-claims-queried

    • freedom 17.1
      3 May 2014 at 5:35 pm

      Maybe people are just waiting till Parliamentary Services return with their answers?
      You know, allowing the proper authorities to do their job?

      or you could just jump in with hype lines as is your normal routine

  18. TheContrarian 18
    3 May 2014 at 6:21 pm

    You know what really boggles my mind?
    “What’s that?”
    Well I’ll tell you.

    The amount of posters at places like Kiwiblog who call The Greens “Luddites” for being anti deep-sea drilling and the like. It boggles the mind because developing new technologies for energy is the complete opposite of being a Luddite whereas the continued embrace of old world technology is pure Ludditism.

    Pure cognitive dissonance right there. Thoughts?

    • freedom 18.1
      3 May 2014 at 6:32 pm

      nicely said TC and welcome back
      my main thought would be

      There is no barrier more dangerous to constructive discussion than cognitive dissonance,

    • BM 18.2
      3 May 2014 at 7:02 pm

      They’re not Luddites, they’re religious extremists.

      Evangelical,Muslim,Greens, they’re all cut from the same cloth.

      • felix 18.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 7:18 pm

        Just for fun, could you please describe the similarities between the three groups as you see them?

        • Colonial Viper 18.2.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 7:38 pm

          Neoliberals, neocons and the pro-feudal power elite should be on any list of deluded self belief.

      • TheContrarian 18.2.2
        3 May 2014 at 7:32 pm

        Not sure you understand the difference between religious belief and ideological belief there chap

    • Lanthanide 18.3
      3 May 2014 at 9:59 pm

      Er, actually I think the point is that while the Greens may be in favour of new forms of energy, they are also very much in favour of reducing energy consumption as a whole, which can be classed as ludditism.

      • Pascal's bookie 18.3.1
        3 May 2014 at 10:24 pm

        The Luddites main point was along the lines of:

        ‘We must stick with the old inefficient way because jobs’,

        innit?

      • freedom 18.3.2
        3 May 2014 at 11:22 pm

        A safe renewable low cost energy source will see energy use skyrocket Lanthanide, that is the end goal of any alternative to fossil fuels and their derivations.

        Luddite is not a fair or even relevant label.

  19. Bearded Git 19
    3 May 2014 at 6:33 pm

    Just another indication of the different planet on which National operates. This from the DomPost today:

    “Post-Budget speech requires big budget

    It might be called the Budget, but there is nothing budget about the price of tickets to Prime Minister John Key’s May 16 post-Budget speech at Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre.
    A seat at the event, organised by the Trans-Tasman Business Circle together with AUT University, QBE Insurance and Westpac, will require a looser fiscal policy than Finance Minister Bill English is planning.
    They cost a taxing $375+GST for members, and $550+GST for non-members.”

    • freedom 19.1
      3 May 2014 at 7:23 pm

      When I saw that today I looked for information of a dollar destination nature, but found nothing.
      Does any one know where the ticket returns, actually go ?

      It’s not like the PM gets an appearance fee or anything.

      It’s unlikely SkyCity would be charging much for the room.

      In this day and age, does any one know why these post-budget speeches are not broadcast to a national audience?

      • karol 19.1.1
        3 May 2014 at 7:45 pm

        Very good questions. SkyCity for a post-budget speech at a fairly high cost? More of the infiltration of business, especially big money, into government.

        • srylands 19.1.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 7:53 pm

          That is fucking bullshit – Michael Cullen always gave post budget speeches to a business audience in each of the main centres, and sometimes in Sydney or Melbourne – do you think they were free?

          Get a grip.

          • Colonial Viper 19.1.1.1.1
            3 May 2014 at 8:35 pm

            yes shitlands, they were either free or had only some minimal charge, after all Finance Ministers/DPMs already get very well paid to explain their Budgets to the public.

            As for getting a grip, you need to stop gripping yours.

          • freedom 19.1.1.1.2
            3 May 2014 at 8:41 pm

            As you obviously have no answers to some very simple and fair questions, you choose to throw around irrelevancies. Is that all you have for your contributions?

            Karol’s comment is clearly not making mention of any party, neither is mine. Both are general observations of the reality at hand. Some people are actually capable of isolating their political allegiances from their due consideration of the long term situation and how it relates to the ever changing society we inhabit.

            I accept that you struggle with that concept.

            And if you read what I wrote srylands, there is no judgement made or opinion given other than an interest in where a sizeable bundle of topical cash ends up, and maybe it is time speeches like this were streamed to the people who pay the PM’s salary. In a post budget environment, especially in an election year, many people would like to see what the Prime Minister says if his performance is worth 500 bucks a ticket.

          • Draco T Bastard 19.1.1.1.3
            3 May 2014 at 8:55 pm

            So, you are of course going to provide evidence that he charged.

    • srylands 19.2
      3 May 2014 at 7:51 pm

      $375 for an event like this is bog standard. You pay $500 to send one of your staff to any kind of half-day professional seminar. A two day conference at sky city (or any conference centre in wellington or auckland is typically $3,000 + GST.

      Why do you think the price is high? If there is any profit it will simply cross subsidise the other TTBC events.

      To paraphrase Helen Clark – I am amazed that you are amazed.

      • McFlock 19.2.1
        3 May 2014 at 8:26 pm

        lol
        true believers are easy to fleece.

        $500 for any kind of half day professional seminar?
        Not for lots of stuff in the health sector.
        Not for lots of stuff in IT.
        Not for lots of foreign policy/IR stuff.

        I guess randian superheroes are just gullible.

        • Colonial Viper 19.2.1.1
          3 May 2014 at 8:40 pm

          shitlands would say that John Key’s $5000 per head dinner tickets were absolutely “bog standard” – to the 0.1%, that is.

      • Lanthanide 19.2.2
        3 May 2014 at 10:06 pm

        NetHui, a 3 day IT conference, costs $40 to attend. That’s for all 3 days, not per day.

        So yeah?

        • freedom 19.2.2.1
          4 May 2014 at 12:29 am

          Have heard some really good stories about NetHui sessions. Can you imagine srylands trying to wrap his head around the dialogues on collaborative thinking that are generated at NetHui ?

          even this single line from their promotional material is probably enough to fry his cerebellum

          ” It’s a collaborative, multistakeholder gathering where we all set the agenda.”

  20. Weepu's beard 20
    3 May 2014 at 9:12 pm

    $500 clams for a seat at a government speech? Sounds like normal business to me…but then I heard from right wing peeps that govts shouldn’t be in the business of doing business.

    Yet this govt seems to do a lot of “business”, especially behind closed doors.

  21. Penny Bright 21
    3 May 2014 at 10:06 pm

    FYI – seen this?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11247865

    John Drinnan: Making a stand on dope

    9:30 AM Friday May 2, 2014

    Blogger and political consultant ‘Bomber’ Bradbury denies exclusion of pro-marijuana party from poll was his call.

    A blogger and political consultant to Mana and the Internet Party has warned he will not support closer ties with the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party.

    This comes after ALCP leaders questioned Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury’s editing of The Daily Blog platform, and his links to the legal highs organisation the Star Trust.

    Campaigners for legalisation of natural marijuana believe they have been getting a bad deal.

    Bradbury is a longtime supporter of real cannabis, but lately has written several posts sympathetic to the synthetic highs industry.

    Other liberal campaigners and blogs such as Public Address have supported a legal foundation for the legal highs industry, and lamented the decision to amend the Psychoactive Substances Act that will force 41 legal high products off the market, pending safety tests. But Bradbury is different because as well as having a high media profile, where he promotes himself as champion of the common man, other media have revealed he is also a political consultant to both the Mana Party and the Internet Party.

    The danger is the commercial roles might become enmeshed.

    Dak v dak

    ALCP deputy leader Abe Gray – a botany lecturer at Otago University – says Bradbury has cut comment in The Daily Blog and excluded the party from a poll on the site.

    Bradbury acknowledges bad vibes between himself and the ALCP, but says its exclusion from the Daily Blog poll was not decided by him.

    Friction with the left wing blogger appears to reflect a rift between the natural cannabis people and the well-resourced legal highs industry.
    ………………………..

    ‘Dirty, filthy’

    Star Trust director Grant Hall confirms Bradbury’s comment that he does not have a commercial relationship with the trust. “The reason you may have heard this rumour is because he interviewed some of the guest speakers [at a Star Trust conference in March], researched the questions for the political debate and hosted the political panel on the day.

    “Beyond that he has no role with the trust and does no work for us currently.”

    Bradbury was unhappy when asked about his ties to the legal highs industry, and sent a terse letter to ALCP leader Julian Crawford for talking to the Herald.

    He said: “I worked for the Star Trust as the convener of their recent conference, my association with them has nothing whatsoever to do with your none [sic] inclusion in the poll. We only have parties on that poll with a chance of entering Parliament. The ALCP has no chance of entering Parliament.

    “This type of deceitful smearing has helped make up my mind in terms of any advice to the IP and Mana in terms of broadening their alliance to include ALCP,” he said. Bradbury criticised Crawford for “dirty, filthy tactics”.
    ……………………

    Wonder how much ‘Star Trust’ paid Martyn Bradbury to ‘convene’ their recent conference?

    Did Martyn Bradbury ever do any (paid) work for Star Trust?

    I’d ask Bradbury directly these questions on HIS ‘Daily Blog’ – but he blocked me – when I refused to back down as an Auckland Mayoral candidate.

    Beware folks!

    Follow the dollar…..?

    In my considered opinion there are a lot of PHONIES out there …..

    Penny Bright

  22. Z 22
    4 May 2014 at 6:48 am

    MUST READ OF THE DAY

    Paula Bennett says the problems faced by Writehanded.org blogger Sarah Wilson are an “isolated incident” and there is no need to change the policies or procedures at Work and Income (WINZ).

    She goes on to suggest that Sarah Wilson has a “distorted perception of reality” ie Sarah Wilson and others who complain have a mental illness that makes her delusional due to the stress of her situation. (FYI minister assuming someone has a disability is a little known form of discrimination but it still fits the criteria of human rights abuse – check the handy HRC website).

    “We work with some people that are at the most challenging and distressing times in their lives and their perception of how they’re dealt with can sometimes be not perhaps the reality if they were in a different frame of mind.”

    With 295,000 people on welfare, she had much more to think about than Wilson, she said, and she saw no need to make changes as a result of what Wilson had said. ”

    http://www.writehanded.org/blog/2014/05/02/a-bee-in-her-bonnet/