Open mike 03/10/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 3rd, 2015 - 129 comments
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openmikeOpen 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 …

129 comments on “Open mike 03/10/2015 ”

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  1. Phil 1
    3 October 2015 at 6:26 am

    CYPS, CYFS, “I’ve just taken over your case and can’t comment on what has happened before ”
    I have seen both sides of state involvement in my family. A National Women’s social worker’s report to CYPS contained an error that lead to two years of intervention by an agency that I found had “powers the Gestapo would envy”. They could arrive unannounced anytime at home, work, in the street. Their intrusive accusatory actions made the first two years of my sons life Kafkaesque.
    Some years later when our family was struggling CYFS as they had become turned up again. Dread turned to gratitude as a genuinely wonderful social worker made the system work for us.
    Sitting down at a cafe I read the front page of the Herald. Then I read it again, but this time reading between the lines. No one deserves to be treated like that, and it doesn’t take a 1100 page report to do something about it.
    “I have just been handed your case and can’t comment on what happened before ” is the real problem something needs to be done about

  2. Tautoko Mangō Mata 2
    3 October 2015 at 7:12 am

    Latest TPP News
    “U.S. Formally Tables ‘5+3’ Years Exclusivity Period For Biologics Drugs
    ATLANTA — The United States has formally tabled here to other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries a proposal that would require parties to grant five years of data exclusivity for biologics drugs and impose an additional three years of “post-market surveillance,” in the first official sign that it is willing to drop its 12-year market exclusivity demand.”
    This is virtually the 8 years it has been vying for all along. Say NO, Tim!

    “Amari Sees Glimmer Of Hope As Dairy Makes Progress; Obama Calls Turnbull
    ATLANTA — Akira Amari, the Japanese minister for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said late Thursday (Oct. 1) that negotiations continue to be extremely difficult but that he is beginning to see a glimmer of hope that a deal can get done here, as negotiators opted to extend the meeting at least through Saturday amid signs of progress on dairy market access.'”

    http://insidetrade.com/ paywalled

  3. Tautoko Mangō Mata 3
    3 October 2015 at 7:21 am

    “TPP means ‘ugly compromises’
    He (Tim Groser) said it was clear there was a “massive push” to do the deal.

    “It’s got the smell of a situation we occasionally see which is that on the hardest core issues, there are some ugly compromises out there.

    “And when we say ugly, we mean ugly from each perspective – it doesn’t mean ‘I’ve got to swallow a dead rat and you’re swallowing foie gras.’ It means both of us are swallowing dead rats on three or four issues to get this deal across the line.”

    “On the issue of Helen Clark’s comments about the TPP – she said it was unthinkable New Zealand wouldn’t be part of the deal – he said she had added a crucial rider – “provided the deal was good”.
    Mr Groser said he did not take Labour or its leadership for granted on TPP.

    “They haven’t got a position on TPP and I fully respect that and if I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t have a position either because I would say ‘I don’t know what the deal is.’ That is a perfectly rational position to take.”

    Email Audrey
    @audreyNZH
    Audrey Young Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s political editor.
    TPP means ‘ugly compromises’

    5:00 AM Saturday Oct 3, 2015
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    Tim Groser says the negotiations are going round the clock. Photo / NZME
    Tim Groser says the negotiations are going round the clock. Photo / NZME
    Trade Minister Tim Groser says countries deeply immersed in TPP negotiations understand that dairy has to be resolved to New Zealand’s satisfaction before a deal can be done.

    “At least people understand that this has got to be done and they can’t just ignore our small country because we are small,” he told the Weekend Herald.

    He also extended a goodwill gesture to Labour, saying he respected the fact it had not taken a position on TPP and that was “perfectly rational”.

    Mr Groser was speaking from Atlanta where ministers of the 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership have extended their meeting for another 24 hours.

    He said he had spoken to Prime Minister John Key in New York several times over the past few hours.

    And I’ve got highly confidential but very clear political guidelines from the Prime Minister about what I should be doing.
    Tim Groser

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    He had a team of about 15 with him “working their proverbials off” around the clock and some of the key stakeholders such as the chairman of Fonterra, John Wilson and the chairman of Dairy Companies of New Zealand. He said it was an achievement to get dairy on the list of the final three issues that had to be dealt with because it was not there at the Maui ministerial meeting at the end of July.

    “I felt under as intense pressure as I have ever felt in the last 30 years as a New Zealand negotiator because I felt completely and totally isolated,” he said. “Now everyone understands that New Zealand is not going to be pushed out of this negotiation and the issues that would push New Zealand out of this negotiation, which is dairy … this has got be solved in a way that New Zealand can live with.”

    He said the negotiations were going around the clock and he was just about to try and get a couple of hours’ sleep until he was called for another session.

    He said it was clear there was a “massive push” to do the deal.

    “It’s got the smell of a situation we occasionally see which is that on the hardest core issues, there are some ugly compromises out there.

    “And when we say ugly, we mean ugly from each perspective – it doesn’t mean ‘I’ve got to swallow a dead rat and you’re swallowing foie gras.’ It means both of us are swallowing dead rats on three or four issues to get this deal across the line.”

    The outstanding issues are dairy, autos, and IP on pharmaceuticals, especially biologics – medicines made from organisms.

    On the issue of Helen Clark’s comments about the TPP – she said it was unthinkable New Zealand wouldn’t be part of the deal – he said she had added a crucial rider – “provided the deal was good”.

    And that was the same position the Government had.

    “I think it has been extremely helpful in terms of uniting New Zealand that our former Prime Minister has said what she said.”

    Mr Groser said he did not take Labour or its leadership for granted on TPP.

    “They haven’t got a position on TPP and I fully respect that and if I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t have a position either because I would say ‘I don’t know what the deal is.’ That is a perfectly rational position to take.”

    But as a point of general principle, what Helen Clark had said was the essential truth: “Provided we can deliver what makes sense from an overall New Zealand Inc perspective, it would be a nightmare for New Zealand to be excluded from it.”

    If the deal is not done tomorrow, there will be one last chance, at Apec in the Philippines in November.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11522953

    • Paul 3.1
      3 October 2015 at 8:22 am

      ‘TPP on verge of breakthrough’

      http://m.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11523161

      As Gordon Campbell predicted.
      A sad day for NZ people if this happens.

      • northshoredoc 3.1.1
        3 October 2015 at 8:34 am

        We won’t know whether it is a sad day, happy day or a meh day until the final deal is tabled.

        • Paul 3.1.1.1
          3 October 2015 at 8:38 am

          We have been softened up for a shoddy deal that removes our sovereignty.
          Sounds like you’re an apologist for the 0.001%.

          • northshoredoc 3.1.1.1.1
            3 October 2015 at 8:46 am

            🙄

            • Paul 3.1.1.1.1.1
              3 October 2015 at 8:55 am

              Some education for those with rolling eyes.

              • ianmac …
                3 October 2015 at 9:34 am

                Terrifying Paul. Of course if we were not signatories we could be crushed by the multinationals. Excluded from all and everything as retaliation for not being party to TPP. Rock and hard place?

                • Paul …
                  3 October 2015 at 9:36 am

                  So may people are unaware of this.
                  Please pass on to everyone you know.

                  • Pasupial …
                    3 October 2015 at 10:57 am

                    Paul

                    If you look to the right of the screen (I make it about level with comment 3, but that may change), you will see that very graphic that you’ve posted (just above the accumulated Atmospheric CO2 graphic). The people who regularly visit this site are not the ones who may be unaware of this.

                    I get that you’re passionate about this, and it is a daunting problem requiring urgent action. But you are coming off as a bit too eager, which may be counterproductive.

                    • Pasupial …
                      3 October 2015 at 11:07 am

                      Hmm graphic seems to have changed (was the accumulated energy one). Can’t edit now, so disregard previous comment. Though I still contend that discussing is better than proclaiming is a better way to get your point across.

                    • Paul …
                      3 October 2015 at 12:03 pm

                      How is encouraging people to pass on message about TPP too eager? By that definition, Jane Kelsey is too eager by far!
                      The Labour Party is equivocal about the TPP and is not communicating its dangers enough to the people of NZ.
                      Still a neoliberal party, sadly.

                • The Chairman …
                  3 October 2015 at 10:54 am

                  @ ianmac

                  The difference is, signing the deal will give multinationals the international legal authority, thus strengthening their ability too.

                • weka …
                  3 October 2015 at 12:16 pm

                  “Of course if we were not signatories we could be crushed by the multinationals. Excluded from all and everything as retaliation for not being party to TPP. Rock and hard place?”

                  Ianmac, can you please give some examples of why this would be a problem?

        • Tautoko Mangō Mata 3.1.1.2
          3 October 2015 at 9:02 am

          Latest TPP News
          Froman, Robb Meet On IP Ahead Of CN Meeting, Ministerial Plenary
          ATLANTA — U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb on Friday afternoon (Oct. 2) were holding a bilateral meeting to discuss the controversial issue of the exclusivity term for biologics drugs, in what could be a pivotal moment for whether a broader Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal comes together here.
          Levin Says ‘May 10’ Applies To Biologics, Signals Opposition To ‘5+3’
          ATLANTA — House Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) on Friday (Oct. 2) strongly signaled that he opposes the new U.S. proposal for an eight-year market exclusivity term for biologics drugs in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because it goes beyond the so-called “May 10” agreement that he negotiated with the George W. Bush administration.
          http://insidetrade.com/

          Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich) is Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, which has sole jurisdiction over trade policy in the House.

        • maui 3.1.1.3
          3 October 2015 at 9:18 am

          On previous form its a shitty deal, and we won’t know how shitty for a while.

          • Paul 3.1.1.3.1
            3 October 2015 at 9:23 am

            But north shore doc is too much of a sleepy hobbit to care.
            As long as we get a panda.
            Or change the flag.
            Who cares about sovereignty!

            • weka 3.1.1.3.1.1
              3 October 2015 at 12:17 pm

              I don’t think nsd is a sleep hobbit. I think he is aware of the issues but don’t think they are a concern. He’s not ignorant, he’s just comfortable with the globalisation agenda.

              • northshoredoc …
                3 October 2015 at 12:57 pm

                I’ve been fairly open about my position on the TPPA.

                Succinctly I believe we should only enter an agreement if it offers good access for our key horticultural/agricultural exports into North America and Japan, I’m doubtful that it will hence i wouldn’t be in a hurry to sign up.

                I’ve also read a lot of pap on the internet regarding loss of sovereignty and immediate privatisation of everything from healthcare through to water which is frankly drivel.

                • weka …
                  3 October 2015 at 1:09 pm

                  What do you think about Jane Kelsey’s work on this?

                • One Two …
                  3 October 2015 at 1:16 pm

                  I’ve also read a lot of pap on the internet regarding loss of sovereignty and immediate privatisation of everything from healthcare through to water which is frankly drivel

                  Claiming to know it is drivel is an ironic position ?

                  • northshoredoc …
                    3 October 2015 at 1:26 pm

                    Hardly.

                    Some of the comments have been ridiculous, such as suggesting we are going to no longer have a predominantly publicly funded healthcare or education system or that PHARMAC would cease to exist under an agreement that a NZ government would enter into are absurd.

                    • Murray Simmonds …
                      3 October 2015 at 3:19 pm

                      northshoredoc:

                      Time you woke up to the fact that this is not a free trade deal that we are being asked to sign up to. Its a “rolling out of the red carpet” for offshore corporates to come in and wreck the country, its sovereignty and its economy for their own benefit.

                      This is not rocket science. Read the literature that is available, including the copious ‘writings on the wall(s)”.

                    • northshoredoc …
                      3 October 2015 at 3:21 pm

                      🙄 instead of writing silly bombast Murray why don’t you offer concrete examples of how that will occur

                • KJT …
                  3 October 2015 at 3:33 pm

                  ISDS provisions that remove a Government’s ability to legislate for the National interest with any provisions which conflict with foreign private corporate interest.

                  For example, re Nationalising banks, rail or power will be forever impossible. Pretty scary when you look at what corporations are doing in the US, over similar provisions between States.

                  Even our current support for Dairy would be considered outside the treaty provisions.

                  • Srylands …
                    3 October 2015 at 3:40 pm

                    “for example, re Nationalising banks, rail or power will be forever impossible.”

                    Excellent.

                    • KJT …
                      3 October 2015 at 3:46 pm

                      Hope you like paying the power bills, when they are all owned by one US utilities corporation..

                      How much of a rise since Bradford, again.

                      The reality disconnect on the right wing is now almost total.

                    • McFlock …
                      3 October 2015 at 3:56 pm

                      Fucklands is master of his own destiny, so no misfortune will ever befall him.

                      A conceit common amongst tories.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke …
                    3 October 2015 at 4:08 pm

                    re Nationalising banks, rail or power will be forever impossible..

                    Rubbish – and S Rylands can choke on it – you just have to decide whether to compensate for losses or withdraw from the TPPA.

                  • Lanthanide …
                    3 October 2015 at 9:10 pm

                    Actually re-nationalising things would be the least impacted by the new rules. Labour re-nationalised kiwirail by buying it – and apparently paying way too much in the process. Corporates would be fine with the asset being bought fair and square for more than it’s market value.

          • Tautoko Mangō Mata 3.1.1.3.2
            3 October 2015 at 9:42 am

            Worth reading, dated 2 Oct 2015 from Stiglitz and Hersh
            “For starters, consider what the agreement would do to expand intellectual property rights for big pharmaceutical companies, as we learned from leaked versions of the negotiating text. Economic research clearly shows the argument that such intellectual property rights promote research to be weak at best. In fact, there is evidence to the contrary: When the Supreme Court invalidated Myriad’s patent on the BRCA gene, it led to a burst of innovation that resulted in better tests at lower costs. Indeed, provisions in the TPP would restrain open competition and raise prices for consumers in the US and around the world – anathema to free trade.”

            https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trans-pacific-partnership-charade-by-joseph-e–stiglitz-and-adam-s–hersh-2015-10#KuP0YYzqc5LgOZ7M.01

            • aerobubble 3.1.1.3.2.1
              3 October 2015 at 10:02 am

              TTP is anti free trade in crucial areas.

            • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.3.2.2
              3 October 2015 at 12:24 pm

              In fact, there is evidence to the contrary: When the Supreme Court invalidated Myriad’s patent on the BRCA gene, it led to a burst of innovation that resulted in better tests at lower costs.

              That’s been obvious for awhile. In fact, patents are actually there to prevent competition and thus they must decrease innovation. And when you look at these types of results we can see that cooperation would lead to even more innovation but it would prevent a few people becoming rich. Of course, it’s not the people doing the innovation that are becoming rich but the shareholders in the corporations.

        • weka 3.1.1.4
          3 October 2015 at 10:22 am

          “We won’t know whether it is a sad day, happy day or a meh day until the final deal is tabled.”

          That this kind of trade deal can be done in secret without telling the people makes it a sad day irrespective of what the final deal is.

          • Puddleglum 3.1.1.4.1
            3 October 2015 at 11:16 am

            Exactly.

            If the deal is so important that it is “unthinkable” that New Zealand should not be in it then it should also be “unthinkable” that the people should be left completely uninformed about it. In a democracy highly important matters are supposedly decided by an informed citizenry.

            Or are we not a democracy but simply a state ruled by a paternalistic elite who are so sure that they know what is best for us – and are so scared of our ‘ignorance’ – that they ensure we, ‘the people’, play no part in forming our social and economic destiny?

            All elites through history have shown, by their egregious behaviour if not by their oh-so-patronising utterances, that they disdain the capacities of ‘the masses’ to rule themselves.

            It is no different now.

            • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.4.1.1
              3 October 2015 at 12:55 pm

              +1

              The actions of the governments over the TPPA are the actions of dictators.

            • Srylands 3.1.1.4.1.2
              3 October 2015 at 3:46 pm

              While I never liked Clark she has this dead right. We elect governments to negotiate ongoing development of free trade. The FTAs were her great achievement. The idea that you could do this publicly is absurd.

              Hopefully the TPPA is the dawn of a new era of globalisation.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                3 October 2015 at 4:05 pm

                The idea that you could do this publicly is absurd.

                Translation: add integrative negotiation to the list of things of which S Rylands is utterly ignorant.

              • Puddleglum …
                3 October 2015 at 4:31 pm

                ‘Publically’ and total secrecy are two ends of a long continuum. There has been no official information provided over these negotiations – apart from vacuous comments about how ‘well’ it was going.

    • Kevin 3.2
      3 October 2015 at 8:26 am

      Groser can practically smell that knighthood now.

      • Pat 3.2.1
        3 October 2015 at 10:23 am

        lets hope the sword slips

      • Puddleglum 3.2.2
        3 October 2015 at 11:26 am

        To be fair, knighthoods and damehoods are generally pretty smelly things – probably ‘whiffable’ from quite some distance.

        There are, of course, exceptions to that rule in order to keep the general practice acceptable in the public mind (e.g., Sir Ed Hillary, etc.).

        • alwyn 3.2.2.1
          3 October 2015 at 2:13 pm

          Hillary’s knighthoods, both of them, were of course awarded by the Brits, and had nothing at all to do with New Zealand.
          That will probably make them more palatable to Anglophiles such as the commenters on this blog.

    • Chooky 3.3
      3 October 2015 at 11:00 am

      @ Tautoko Mangō Mata re-…”On the issue of Helen Clark’s comments about the TPP”…

      Helen Clark misrepresented !

      ‘BREAKING: Helen Clark misrepresented on TPPA & why Groser is now sucking up to Labour’

      http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/10/03/breaking-helen-clark-misrepresented-on-tppa-why-groser-is-now-sucking-up-to-labour/

      ( why doesn’t this surprise me ?!…the jonkley nacts are desperate creeps)

      Labour had better NOT compromise with them!

      • Pasupial 3.3.1
        3 October 2015 at 11:13 am

        Chooky

        When I saw the byline; Claire Trevett in New York, I suspected something similar in the line of selective quotation. Good to have that confirmed.

        Labour would be fools to compromise with the TPPA. Clear resistance to this is a major point of policy difference with NAct.

      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 3.3.2
        3 October 2015 at 11:58 am

        I think that Audrey Young was trying to address that misrepresentation in her article I linked to above when she wrote :

        “On the issue of Helen Clark’s comments about the TPP – she said it was unthinkable New Zealand wouldn’t be part of the deal – he said she had added a crucial rider – “provided the deal was good”.

        Australia’s Trade Minister, Andrew Robb says “I came to lower protection so I get frustrated if we are talking about increasing protection in the case of biologics or see no reduction in other areas,” Mr Robb told the newspaper in Atlanta. “Something has to give.”
        This is NOT a FREE TRADE Agreement.
        I too want to see Labour NOT compromising. TPPA No Way is my bottom line while ISDS included.

        • greywarshark 3.3.2.1
          3 October 2015 at 2:31 pm

          I think that posturing politicians from countries dealing with TPPA feel that their personal stature and manhood is on the line. Are they up to this tough bargaining or are they wooses? What they are bargaining away doesn’t matter it is the winning a point that gives them a buzz.

          That sort of attitude is no doubt behind Oz Trade Minister Andrew Robb. Thinking of infamous Rolf Harris, his song about the man supported on three points comes to mind. Nickname for Robb – ‘Jake the Peg, with a wooden leg’?

    • Incognito 3.4
      3 October 2015 at 1:06 pm

      When Groser utters “ugly compromises” he really means “ugly sacrifices”; the choice of words is, as always, very important and one needs to pay special attention to the spin that comes from our Government and that is so helpfully (!) spread through and by our MSM as we all know all too well.

      Groser has also been quoted saying “… it would be a nightmare for New Zealand to be excluded from it.” This emotive and scaremongering statement offers no relevant information whatsoever either.

      As with any (important) decision one needs to look at all aspects and examine the consequences of going ahead as well as of not going ahead – not making a decision is still making a decision. The fact that this either involves “ugly compromises” – that are unnamed – or “a nightmare for New Zealand” – also unspecified – should raise alarm bells with any rational person.

      Please note the focus – the focus of the MSM and therefore our focus – has been directed and drawn to the issues dairy, autos, and IP on pharmaceuticals. No word on all the other areas that are possibly even more far-reaching so we have to assume that these ‘dead rats’ have already been stuffed down our throats well and truly.

      BTW, IMO the ‘average Kiwi’ has very little understanding of and thus very little interest in IP on biologics and other ‘technicalities’ that are covered in the putative TPPA.

      This comment is already getting too long but I’d like to mention a nice recent article in the Washington Post Why do drug companies charge so much? Because they can.

  4. gristle 4
    3 October 2015 at 7:21 am

    Well there has been another massacre by another lone gunman in the USA.

    I’m sorry but but this type of event is no longer news for me: it’s a incredibly sad commentary. The news would be if something, other than further relaxing gun laws, was done.

  5. Chooky 5
    3 October 2015 at 9:17 am

    The other side of the story:

    Mideast alliances

    https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/317348-is-syria-russia-us/

    “Russia has made good on its commitment to start fighting Islamic State in Syria from the air. Russia is also establishing a coalition to protect the legal government in Damascus. This has caused an uproar in Washington. Can the Kremlin and the White House fight terrorists in tandem? CrossTalking with Patrick Henningsen, James Carafano, and Marwa Osman.”

  6. Robert Atack 6
    3 October 2015 at 9:44 am

    Of the over 500 candidates at the last election, maybe only 5 would have spoken about the impossibility of kiwi Saver surviving more than a few more years.
    Politicians are a byproduct of an ignorant dumb down populace, we get what we deserve.
    And 3 replies with no link yet ?

    [Moved here for being way off topic.] – Bill

  7. Morrissey 7
    3 October 2015 at 9:49 am

    OPEN LETTER TO JOSIE PAGANI
    Saturday 3 October 2015

    Dear Josie Pagani,

    Two and a half weeks ago on this forum, I asked you to answer two questions:

    1.) In the light of your support for the destruction of Afghanistan, do you support the invasion of the United States and Great Britain, the bombing and obliteration of British and American schools, hospitals, power stations and churches, and the killing of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of American and British civilians?

    2.) Can you explain your statement that Hezbollah and Hamas are anti-Semitic?

    Could you please answer them?

    http://thestandard.org.nz/all-the-left-wants-is-a-clean-contest-of-ideas/#comment-1071118

    • One Two 7.1
      3 October 2015 at 10:42 am

      Can you explain your statement that Hezbollah and Hamas are anti-Semitic?

      Will mainstream ever allow open discussion about Semitic people and their origins ?

      That ‘antisemitism’ became terminology which could perversely be levered against those who have Semitic DNA, is testament to the level of control held over communication, language and its primary forms

      • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1
        3 October 2015 at 1:12 pm

        +1

      • DH 7.1.2
        3 October 2015 at 1:24 pm

        “That ‘antisemitism’ became terminology”….

        It didn’t become terminology. It became a definition which has nothing to do with DNA. In its simplest form Antisemitism means hatred of Jews. It doesn’t mean hatred of Semites.

        It’s perhaps an unfortunate use of a word but that’s not exactly uncommon, a great many legal definitions don’t match the description of the word(s) used either.

        • One Two 7.1.2.1
          3 October 2015 at 1:34 pm

          It’s perhaps an unfortunate use of a word but that’s not exactly uncommon, a great many legal definitions don’t match the description of the word(s) used either

          Legal ‘definitions’, are deliberate

  8. Morrissey 8
    3 October 2015 at 9:59 am

    The Chris Brown hypocrisy

    We gave Bill Clinton a state reception and lionized him. Next to Clinton, Chris Brown is Albert Schweitzer.

    • Robert Atack 8.1
      3 October 2015 at 8:03 pm

      Kim Hill laughed that comment off on Saturday this morning.
      I sent her this

      —–Original Message—–
      From: Robert [mailto:p………………….
      Sent: Saturday, 3 October 2015 11:14 a.m.
      To: Saturday
      Subject: Bill Clinton

      Come on Kim you know Clinton oversaw the death of 500,000 Iraqi children, not to mention Waco ??
      But don’t tell the truth.
      Robert Atack

  9. Tautoko Mangō Mata 9
    3 October 2015 at 10:05 am

    More TPPA new- from Canada

    “NDP government would not adhere to a TPP deal, Mulcair says in letter”
    NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is serving notice that a New Democratic Party government would not consider itself bound by the terms of a major Pacific Rim trade deal which the ruling Conservatives are negotiating right now in Atlanta.

    He says the Conservative government has no mandate to agree to the big changes that a Trans-Pacific Partnership deal would bring about.

    The NDP Leader’s announcement is well timed in that it comes as a TPP deal appears increasingly likely to be reached shortly by the 12 Pacific Rim countries including Canada which are gathered in Atlanta.

    The bombshell declaration on Friday promises to make the massive trade agreement a bigger factor in Canada’s 42nd federal election, which is two and a half weeks away. It comes as polls suggest the NDP has dropped to third place in the national race.
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ndp-government-would-not-adhere-to-a-tpp-deal-mulcair-says-in-letter/article26631467/

  10. Mike the Savage One 10
    3 October 2015 at 10:14 am

    Where we are, and where we are heading, using all the modern day apps and the internet, via smart phone, tablets, laptops or whatever. This ‘News Hour Extra’ program offered by the BBC World Service (from yesterday) offers some insight.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033l4k6#play

    I am very concerned how so many blindly trust the technology we almost all use daily now, the future looks more Orwellian than I ever dreaded to think before.

  11. weka 11
    3 October 2015 at 10:46 am

    Indigenous woman speaks truth to sociopaths and refuses them entry onto ancestral lands to frack. Sociopath speaks with forked tongue.

    “I’m not protesting, I’m not demonstrating, I’m occupying our homelands”

    “Meaningful consultation and consent is when you’ve sat down and got our permission and you’ve never done that”.

    “You’re pushing, pushing for all that money, but you’re not going to be able to eat that money. You have all that money in your bank account and you’re destroying the planet”

    https://www.facebook.com/unistoten/videos/882123391861907/

  12. Herodotus 12
    3 October 2015 at 11:07 am

    Auckland property is not driven by overseas buyers,
    Yet “Chinese property investors are rapidly disappearing from the auction room, says the boss of Auckland’s biggest real estate agency”
    And “Thompson did not believe the drop off was related to the Labour-sparked row over foreign ownership and predicted Chinese investors would return to the market within the next couple of months.”
    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11519706
    id this the same man who only a few months was quoted as saying
    Barfoot & Thompson chief Peter Thompson acknowledged that there were many Chinese buyers but disagreed with Labour’s analysis.

    “We know there’s been a large portion of Asians buying property but there’s no way to tell if they’re one of three categories: NZ born, foreign-born NZ citizens or foreign-born foreign citizens. If you asked me about Asian non-residents, I’d probably say between 5 and 8 per cent.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11478719
    Funny how in just over 2 months mr Thompson can now say that the lack of these buyers IS now affecting the market 😜

  13. Morrissey 13
    3 October 2015 at 11:41 am

    Who is the more violent and despicable character: Bill Clinton or Chris Brown?
    It’s a no-brainer, of course, but for some reason Kim Hill seems confused.
    Radio NZ National, Saturday 3 October 2015

    During her interview this morning with the chattery writer and “theatre-maker” Stella Duffy, Kim Hill brought up the vexed question of our brave and principled government’s refusal to let Chris Brown into New Zealand. Both of them seemed to think this little exercise in highly selective morality was acceptable. I sent Kim the following email….

    The Chris Brown hypocrisy

    Dear Kim,

    We gave Bill Clinton a state reception and lionized him. Next to Clinton, Chris Brown is Albert Schweitzer.

    Yours sincerely,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    After the 11 o’clock news, Kim Hill read out my email and then replied on air: “D’ya think, Morrissey? When did Bill Clinton whack a woman, or anybody else?”

    As she spoke, her voice took on a hard-edged and imperious tone, to underline how irritated she was at my impugning of the reputation of the saintly former president.

    I replied thusly….

    Dear Kim,

    While Clinton’s predatory behaviour toward women is notorious and well documented, he has not to my knowledge ever “whacked” a woman. So, in that respect, he has the advantage over Chris Brown.

    However, Chris Brown was not involved in the bombing of pharmaceutical plants and television stations; neither did he preside over a “sanctions” regime that led to the deaths of more than half a million Iraqi children.

    And Chris Brown did not write in apparent high seriousness that unarmed Palestinian protestors executed by the IDF were “killed in crossfire”.

    So, yes, Chris Brown hit at least one woman, and his rap lyrics are despicable, but there is simply no comparison between him and a major criminal like Bill Clinton.

    Yours sincerely,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    • Paul 13.1
      3 October 2015 at 12:01 pm

      Good point.
      There was a certain tone of derision in Kim’s voice.
      Think she didn’t realise the crimes Clinton committed.
      He’s the equivalent of Tony Balir in the UK.

    • Robert Atack 13.2
      3 October 2015 at 8:34 pm

      —–Original Message—–
      From: Robert [mailto:pet
      Sent: Saturday, 3 October 2015 11:14 a.m.
      To: Saturday
      Subject: Bill Clinton

      Come on Kim you now Clinton oversaw the death of 500,000 Iraqi children, not to mention Waco ??
      But don’t tell the truth.
      Robert Atack

  14. Morrissey 14
    3 October 2015 at 12:07 pm

    Think she didn’t realise the crimes Clinton committed.

    She knows perfectly well, actually.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1
      3 October 2015 at 1:24 pm

      It seems to be part and parcel of the framing – national ‘leaders’ crimes just aren’t remarked upon no matter how much damage has been done.

  15. Tautoko Mangō Mata 15
    3 October 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Latest TPP News
    TPP Countries Set Deadlines For Final Tariff, NCM Offers; Plenary Pushed Back
    ATLANTA — Amid an intense push to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), negotiators have set deadlines for final offers on tariffs and non-conforming measures of 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., respectively, on Saturday (Oct. 3), according to informed sources.
    http://insidetrade.com/ paywalled

  16. millsy 16
    3 October 2015 at 1:39 pm

    @ Morrisey – lets not also forget the thousands of women financially brutalised by Bill Clinton’s welfare reforms…

  18. millsy 18
    3 October 2015 at 1:41 pm

    5am tomorrow. The first day of the rest of our lives. When we will be financially crippled by the high prices TPP will bring.

    • northshoredoc 18.1
      3 October 2015 at 1:56 pm

      Which high prices are these ?

      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 18.1.1
        3 October 2015 at 2:27 pm

        I think Millsy is referring to the the fact that should the exclusivity term for biological drugs be increased in the TPPA, then the resultant increased medical costs over the years will put a big strain on our health budget. Here is an excerpt from
        http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/health360/posts/2015/05/19-trans-pacific-partnership-prescription-drugs

        “How would the TPP affect data exclusivity?”

        “For the 11 countries besides the U.S. that are involved in the TPP, current data exclusivity protections range from zero (Brunei) to eight years (Japan). Under the Obama Administration’s current proposal, participating countries would increase those periods to match the US standard of 12 years.

        Curiously, this proposal directly contradicts the administration’s ongoing domestic efforts to lower the period of data exclusivity. Since the ACA passed, the Obama administration has repeatedly proposed reducing it to seven, arguing that this would save Medicare $4.4 billion over the next decade. Some have noted that, once the 12-year period is enshrined in the TPP, it will become significantly more difficult to change it through the US legislative process.

        Furthermore, imposing US standards on the 11 member countries would inevitably restrict competition at the global level, and many patient advocacy and international humanitarian organizations have argued that doing so would undermine the efforts of US global health initiatives like the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which rely on price competition to manage program costs.”

        The latest publicised offer was 5+3 = 8 years (reduced from the 12 in the article.

        • northshoredoc 18.1.1.1
          3 October 2015 at 3:19 pm

          Sigh, this has been discussed on this blog a number of times now.

          Firstly the biological drugs make up a small percentage of the medicines that are used, secondly the biological medicines that are currently funded by PHARMAC are contracted and the prices will not change, thirdly whether the eight years of data exclusivity will impact on the patents, thirdly funding or availability of any of the new medicines that haven’t yet got to NZ is open to debate, but on PHARMAC’s previous success rate in getting these medicines at a very good deal even when under patent I’m not overly concerned.

          Again, I believe the biggest issue will be access for our agricultural/horticultural products into North America and Japan which I would be amazed if there’s anything worthwhile.

          • Tautoko Mangō Mata 18.1.1.1.1
            3 October 2015 at 3:36 pm

            @northshoredoc I have been under the impression that biological drugs would be used increasingly in the future but I am prepared to be proven wrong. I agree with your view on the minimal access improvements however.

            • northshoredoc 18.1.1.1.1.1
              3 October 2015 at 3:44 pm

              The most commonly used biologic is GE insulin, followed by the TNFs and certain cancer meds we have excellent access to insulin at present and to TNFs both at very competitive prices despite in the case of TNFs still being under patent.

              Access to cancer biologics could be better but the current prices preclude them being easily available.

          • Paul 18.1.1.1.2
            3 October 2015 at 5:48 pm

            “I believe”
            We’re trying to deal with facts, not your blind faith.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 18.1.1.1.2.1
              3 October 2015 at 5:56 pm

              😆

              Right and/or wrong, NSD’s opinion is clearly based on facts.

      • Paul 18.1.2
        3 October 2015 at 2:27 pm

        Read the links provided

    • Naki man 18.2
      3 October 2015 at 2:28 pm

      “5am tomorrow. The first day of the rest of our lives. When we will be financially crippled by the high prices TPP will bring.”

      Chicken little you really should give up the magic mushrooms.
      You need to talk to the doc.

  19. savenz 19
    3 October 2015 at 1:44 pm

    https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trans-pacific-partnership-charade-by-joseph-e–stiglitz-and-adam-s–hersh-2015-10#KuP0YYzqc5LgOZ7M.01

    Given the veil of secrecy surrounding the TPP negotiations, it is not clear whether tobacco will be excluded from some aspects of ISDS. Either way, the broader issue remains: Such provisions make it hard for governments to conduct their basic functions – protecting their citizens’ health and safety, ensuring economic stability, and safeguarding the environment.
    Imagine what would have happened if these provisions had been in place when the lethal effects of asbestos were discovered. Rather than shutting down manufacturers and forcing them to compensate those who had been harmed, under ISDS, governments would have had to pay the manufacturers not to kill their citizens. Taxpayers would have been hit twice – first to pay for the health damage caused by asbestos, and then to compensate manufacturers for their lost profits when the government stepped in to regulate a dangerous product.
    It should surprise no one that America’s international agreements produce managed rather than free trade. That is what happens when the policymaking process is closed to non-business stakeholders – not to mention the people’s elected representatives in Congress.

    • Tony Veitch 19.1
      3 October 2015 at 4:55 pm

      An interesting aside – there has been talk and action taken to exclude high sugar drinks from being sold in hospitals around the country, and perhaps in taxing these drinks, like tobacco, to make them less palatable to the general public. Under the ISDS provisions of TPPA, who’d put money against the idea of Cocoa Cola or Pepsi taking our government to an overseas judicial process to – a) get any legislation reversed or b) to claim compensation for restraint of trade?

      • srylands 19.1.1
        3 October 2015 at 5:20 pm

        Your scenario is hypothetical. The New Zealand Government has ruled out such a tax. But that aside, it is no bad thing to have an international judiciary enforcing free trade. You should applaud it.

        The tax on tobacco in New Zealand simply hurts the poor, including the children of the poor. Uneducated people smoke more. They also have lower incomes. When I see fat people and their fat kids at the supermarket buying 12 litres of coke, they don’t look too bright or wealthy. Why penalise them more by taxing them?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 19.1.1.1
          3 October 2015 at 5:28 pm

          …judiciary…

          Is that what you’ve convinced yourself it is? Or are you aware of the differences between ISDS and a justice system and lying anyway?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 19.1.1.2
          3 October 2015 at 5:31 pm

          Why penalise them more by taxing them?

          On the one hand S Rylands loves market signals, and on the other, S Rylands hates market signals.

          It’s almost as though S Rylands has a career inventing glib gibberish or something.

        • Draco T Bastard 19.1.1.3
          3 October 2015 at 9:45 pm

          But that aside, it is no bad thing to have an international judiciary enforcing free trade.

          You can’t enforce free-trade – if you did then it wouldn’t be free-trade.

          And it’s not a judiciary – it’s a very small clique of corporate lawyers getting paid to screw over entire countries.

  20. Tautoko Mangō Mata 20
    3 October 2015 at 3:40 pm

    Latest TPP News
    Guajardo Hopeful Of Deal After Australia, U.S. Report IP Progress At Plenary
    ATLANTA – Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal here on Friday evening (Oct. 2) expressed hope that a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal can be reached by Saturday, but said the United States and Australia were still working to overcome the key hurdle of the monopoly period for biologic drugs.

    NDP Leader Says Harper TPP Deal Not Binding On New Government
    Tom Mulcair, the leader of Canada’s New Democrat Party (NDP), on Friday (Oct. 2) warned that any new government he may form if he wins the Oct. 19 federal election will not consider itself bound by a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal that that current Prime Minister Stephen Harper may strike before then.
    http://insidetrade.com/

    • veutoviper 20.1
      3 October 2015 at 4:31 pm

      Thanks very much for the ongoing updates. The situation is very much worrying me but have a lot of other things to do at present which prevent me from researching myself. So, really appreciate your comments here with useful links.

  21. Barbara 21
    3 October 2015 at 4:46 pm

    Is there anybody out there who can help me – we don’t have a Sky subscription and are missing some of the key games of the RWC – we did manage to get BBC Wales on the internet the other day and listened to a wonderful live radio commentary on the Wales/England game and are now trying to find a TV/radio station in the UK who may give a radio commentary live on the England/Australia game tomorrow – so far we are having no luck cruising through the UK TV/Radio stations – is there a geek out there who can help us – my partner is pretty good at finding stuff on the net – I think NZ are mean as hell not putting on free to air TV or even radio for that matter, games which are crucial or just going to be down to the wire games in the competition for folk who, for reasons of their own, don’t want the crap Sky puts on and hate the way they deny us the fun of seeing some of the more important games. Not everybody wants to go to a pub and try to watch the game through the noise etc.

    As an aside the AB’s are looking sluggish and flat – and, other than Argentina haven’t even had a real top side to slug it out with – fun and games ahead.

    • nadis 21.1
      3 October 2015 at 6:05 pm

      download hola from http://www.hola.org

      open hola, click on the itv icon which takes you to http://www.itv.co.uk – watch every game live.

      • Barbara 21.1.1
        4 October 2015 at 7:42 am

        Thanks Nadis – just logged on – 25 minutes to go for the England/Australia game – my partner and I will endeavour to to download hola – I knew there would be somewhere out there in the ether who would come to our assistance. Enjoy the game.

        • Barbara 21.1.1.1
          4 October 2015 at 10:08 am

          Back again Nadis – thanks so much, mission accomplished, the geek in my household got us on line and the two of us sat back and watched the game – the English coach looked sick as a dog at the end, can’t help but feel sorry for the team – with the Australian kicker I think Dan Carter might not feel so good either – Foley I think his name was – my can he kick goals. I knew somebody out there would help us!!! Enjoy the rest of the tournament – I know we will.

    • Macro 21.2
      3 October 2015 at 7:07 pm

      Hmmmmm could be all over for the AB’s tho
      http://eveningharold.com/2015/09/30/typing-error-means-all-blacks-will-perform-pre-game-haiku/
      However:

      Opposition teams were nervous about the prospect of facing an All Blacks haiku.

      England coach Stuart Lancaster said his team were perfectly relaxed when the All Blacks perform their blood curling, throat slitting haka, but the thought of facing Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, and co reciting Japanese poetry was absolutely terrifying.

    • Paul 22.1
      3 October 2015 at 5:26 pm

      Please…..the Daily Mail is not a reliable source.
      It is hate speech.

    • weka 22.2
      3 October 2015 at 5:39 pm

      Professor Dame Sally Davies has a prejudice (and a professionally ignorant one at that).

      fify.

      • Naki man 22.2.1
        3 October 2015 at 6:38 pm

        Samoa Air are already selling tickets based on the combined weight of the passenger and their luggage. Sounds fair to me.

        • weka 22.2.1.1
          3 October 2015 at 6:53 pm

          I’m sure it does. But I’m also fairly sure that you don’t understand the various complexities that lead to some people being larger than others, and that your sense of fairness is also based on prejudice (how is it fair for a smaller boned, short person to pay less for travel than a larger boned, tall person?).

          • One Anonymous Bloke 22.2.1.1.1
            3 October 2015 at 7:17 pm

            While it might be “fair” that someone who requires more av-gas to transport them pays more, I expect the extra effort required to implement such a Naki-system would be uber-stupid.

            • Colonial Viper 22.2.1.1.1.1
              3 October 2015 at 9:50 pm

              That system is done for every trademe parcel sent through the post. Honestly, its not that much effort.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                4 October 2015 at 6:50 am

                Yes, because passengers are exactly the same as parcels.

                🙄

              • weka …
                4 October 2015 at 8:41 am

                “That system is done for every trademe parcel sent through the post. Honestly, its not that much effort.”

                Except that NZPost changed their system a few years ago to volumetric so now it’s laborious and complicated. Plus, isn’t it NZPost that’s bleeding profit because it does stupid shit like this? Not a good example.

          • Naki man 22.2.1.1.2
            3 October 2015 at 7:55 pm

            “(how is it fair for a smaller boned, short person to pay less for travel than a larger boned, tall person?).”
            It costs the airline more in fuel to carry bigger people.
            So it is fair that they pay more for their flight

            • weka 22.2.1.1.2.1
              3 October 2015 at 8:22 pm

              stock units.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 22.2.1.1.2.2
              3 October 2015 at 8:36 pm

              Yes, it’s “fair”, and uber-stupid. Anyone with half a brain would think to themselves about how the booking system would work and how the check-in procedure would have to change, and conclude that only a right wing nut job could be responsible for such stupidity.

              • Srylands …
                3 October 2015 at 9:28 pm

                It is rational. How childish to refer to anyone as a “nut job”!

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  3 October 2015 at 10:05 pm

                  It’s a signal from the market: right wing policy shills make terrible economic decisions, and you can make a buck concealing their incompetence, S Rylands.

  23. Tautoko Mangō Mata 23
    3 October 2015 at 7:12 pm

    A couple of twitter feeds from Atlanta TPP talks for anyone interested.
    1. Burcu Kilic@burcuno
    Patent geek, digital rights advocate, IP scholar, lawyer, globetrotter and wannabe photographer; Public Citizen’s Global Access to Medicines Program

    https://twitter.com/burcuno?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

    2. A trade Reporter, Doug Palmer- has photos of the meetings

    https://twitter.com/tradereporter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
    Doug Palmer (@tradereporter0

    From newstalk zb
    “Recent comments made by Trade Minister Tim Groser have concerned the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Ian Powell.

    “Well when Tim Groser as trade minister began talking about having to swallow a dead rat and knowing that medicines is still one of the big contentious issues still outstanding in the trade negotiations, we became extremely alarmed.”

    He says leaked documents show the Government hasn’t done enough to protect the cost of our medicines.”
    http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/medical-specialists-extremely-concerned-about-tpp-risk-to-health-system/

  24. Morrissey 24
    3 October 2015 at 8:19 pm

    Shameless State Department propaganda masquerading as news;
    Poor old Simon Shepherd doesn’t even bat an eyelid as he reads the tripe he’s handed.
    TV3 News, Saturday 3 October 2015

    They try to maintain those poker faces, but occasionally television news readers will register their discomfort at having to read out some offensive or ludicrous item. Last year, at the height of the Gaza massacre, Peter Williams grimaced and looked unhappy after reading out a piece of low propaganda that might have been written by someone at the Israeli consulate. At other times, Simon Dallow, Hillary Barry, Wendy Petrie and even Susan Wood have frowned, averted their eyes or paused meaningfully to indicate what they think of their scripts. I’ve even seen newsreaders from that cartoonishly bad Murdoch outlet Fox News blanch at some of the crap they’re expected to read.

    However, I have never seen any such redeeming signs of conscience from TV3’s owlish, ineffably pompous Simon Shepherd. He doesn’t seem to have a skeptical bone in his body. Nothing fazes him, apparently—not even the preposterous State Department talking points (i.e., lies) he was handed to read out this evening.

    At 6:20 p.m. Shepherd furrowed his brow, narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips and attempted to look REALLY serious….

    SIMON SHEPHERD: [speaking in an ominous tone, summoning up all the gravitas he can manage] President Putin says he’s bombing ISIL targets but, as ITV’s Jack Fisher reports, NOBODY believes him….

    It turns out that “ITV’s Jack Fisher” is trying even harder than Simon Shepherd to show how serious he is—unfortunately for his viewers, however, he’s not serious about being a journalist.

    What Fisher is serious about is parroting the official talking points of the Obama regime. He speaks gravely of “President Obama’s DAMNING assessment of Russia’s actions”, before cutting to a ludicrously brief edited comment from Dr. Domitilla Sagramoso of Kings College London. The purpose of showing Dr Sagramoso has nothing to do with analysis; rather, it is to provide at least the appearance of authority to what even the hapless slaves at ITV will know perfectly well is nothing more than a crude piece of propaganda. After Dr Sagramoso’s eight seconds of input, it’s back to Jack Fisher for the almost comically ironic peroration, once again in that faux sérieux style…

    JACK FISHER, ITV: [sombrely, to convey how serious he is] People will remember Russia’s protracted wars in Chechnya and Afghanistan and wonder: WHERE will it all end?”

    Then it’s back to Simon Shepherd, still trying to look as though he’s serious.

    ….ad nauseam….

  25. Penny Bright 25
    3 October 2015 at 8:39 pm

    TPPA update! Seen this?

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    Source: Professor Jane Kelsey.

    Professor Jane Kelsey.

    ‘We are told they may be close to reaching a final deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in Atlanta, and longer monopolies for Big Pharma over biologic medicines is the final sticking point’, according to Professor Jane Kelsey, who is in touch with people on the ground in Atlanta.

    The US is insisting on eight years total monopoly protection. Several countries are holding firm. But there are real fears New Zealand could cave.

    Trade Minister Tim Groser.

    Trade Minister Groser is quoted in this morning’s Herald as saying every country will have to swallow multiple dead rats to finalise the deal in an ‘ugly compromise’.

    ‘In New Zealand’s case, the dead rat seems to be a dairy for medicines deal’, said Professor Kelsey. ‘If this happens, we can expect the Minister to hail the “net benefits” of the TPPA to New Zealand, playing up supposed gains to dairy exports that remain to be seen, and playing down New Zealand’s agreement to longer monopoly protection for biologics.’

    ‘But the stark reality is that any such deal to close the TPPA would cost New Zealander’s lives.’

    Health economists calculate that every added year of protection for biologics would cost New Zealand many tens of millions of dollars in current spending, and much more in the future as more biologics come on stream.

    ‘Future New Zealand governments would have to stump up hundreds of millions of dollars more to Pharmac.

    Yet this year the National government refused to fund even the modest budget increase Pharmac sought to meet rising costs.’

    ‘Cancer sufferers in Atlanta described the biologics provision as a “death sentence clause”.

    Do Prime Minister Key and Minister Groser want that recorded as their legacy?’

    – See more at: http://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2015/10/03/jane-kelsey-grosers-ugly-compromise-in-tppa-could-cost-new-zealanders-lives/#.dpuf

  27. Penny Bright 27
    4 October 2015 at 2:18 am

    4 October 2015 – FYI

    Please be advised that the following correspondence has just been emailed (together with scanned copies of signed petition sheets) to PM John Key:

    ________________________________________________________________________________

    3 October 2015

    URGENT! Attention NZ Prime Minister John Key!
    Scanned petition forms re: TPPA

    Prime Minister
    John Key

    Please be advised that attached are nearly 300 signatures of people who have signed the following petition:

    “To Prime Minister John Key
    MP for Helensville

    We, the undersigned:

    Are deeply concerned that as a key advocate for the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), you are a shareholder in the Bank of America, as detailed in the 2015 MPs Register of Financial Interests
    (Pg 29)

    ( http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/mpp/mps/fin-interests/00CLOOCMPPFinInterests20151/register-of-pecuniary-and-other-specified-interests-of )

    “Rt Hon John Key (National, Helensville)
    2 Other companies and business entities
    ……………………………………………………….
    Bank of America – banking”

    We see this as a serious ‘conflict of interest’, given that big banks like the Bank of America, stand to benefit, and profit from this pro-corporate TPPA.

    If this National Government, which you lead, does not ‘walk away’ from the secretive, undemocratic, ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement’ (TPPA), then we pledge to campaign vigorously amongst our friends, families, neighbours and workmates, for the voting public to ‘walk away’ from National.”

    ______________________________________________________________

    Please be advised that this is just the start.

    Increasing numbers of the voting public are becoming aware of your shareholding in the Bank of America, and are wondering just whose ‘national interest’ are you serving?

    The ‘national (public) interest’ of New Zealand, or the ‘national (corporate) interest’ of the United States of America?

    If the Bank of America benefits from the TPPA – then how will this not serve your personal self-interest. as a shareholder in the Bank of America?

    Yours sincerely,

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’

    Member Auckland TPPA ‘Call to action’

    (ENDS)
    ______________________________________________________________

    ………

    PS: Here is a new, VERY revealing clip from Wikileaks:
    WikiLeaks – The US strategy to create a new global legal and economic system: TPP, TTIP, TISA.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw7P0RGZQxQ

  28. Tautoko Mangō Mata 28
    4 October 2015 at 3:49 am

    TPP update

    Burcu Kilic ‏@burcuno 13m13 minutes ago
    Biologics is now the only potential deal-breaker, #TPP Ministerial may be extended again. Stay strong Australia, Chile, Peru & Malaysia!

    Great summary of US-Australia fight over biologics
    http://www.afr.com/news/economy/trade/australia-and-us-battle-over-ip-rights-for-top-selling-drugs-20151002-gjzol2?stb=twt

    Latest TPP News
    TPP Ministerial May Be Extended Again As U.S., Australia Still At Odds On Biologics
    ATLANTA – Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries are on the verge of extending the ministerial meeting here at least into Saturday evening (Oct. 3), after the United States and Australia overnight were unable to reach a deal on the monopoly protection period for biologics drugs, according to informed sources.
    http://insidetrade.com/

    Also US generic drugmakers body urges USTR to adhere to spirit of TPP accord signed in May
    The GPhA says it shares the health cost concerns of the current administration and strongly agrees in principle with proposed exclusivity reductions – extending monopolies on biologic medicines is simply not sustainable.
    http://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/us-generic-drugmakers-body-urges-ustr-to-adhere-to-spirit-of-tpp-agreement-signed-in-may

  29. Tautoko Mangō Mata 29
    4 October 2015 at 4:05 am

    https://twitter.com/simenon for constant update on TPP battle (in Spanish)

  30. Tautoko Mangō Mata 30
    4 October 2015 at 4:17 am

    An absolute must read about biologics and the TPP. Why has Tim Groser folded on this fight? You need to read the whole article because it is excellent. It is outrageous that US are pushing this extension. Greed!

    Is TPP the Most Progressive Trade Agreement in History? Not If You Need Access to Affordable Medicines

    The May 10th Agreement struck the right balance between the need to promote innovation and the need to protect public health. TPP must meet the standards set in the May 10th Agreement. Right now it does not. It should not be loaded up with new anticompetitive provisions when governments struggle to manage health care costs.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-sander-/is-tpp-the-most-progressive-trade-agreement-in-history-_b_7461734.html

  31. Tautoko Mangō Mata 31
    4 October 2015 at 5:37 am

    Richard Madan ‏@RichardMadan 8m8 minutes ago
    The 12 trade ministers just agreed to stay longer in Atlanta if required; unlikely #TPP deal will be signed today at this point #cdnpoli

  32. Tautoko Mangō Mata 32
    4 October 2015 at 6:10 am

    Only this
    chard Madan ‏@RichardMadan 22h22 hours ago
    Trade Min @HonEdFast: Canada “pushing back” against efforts to open up dairy industry to foreign competition #TPP

  33. Tautoko Mangō Mata 33
    4 October 2015 at 6:18 am

    I think that US are not letting the dairy be sorted until the biological dead rat is swallowed.
    “Australia, along with others such as New Zealand and Chile, have been unwilling to offer more than five years protection for the medicines since longer terms will push up the cost of state-subsidized medical programs.
    The impasse is holding up a deal on dairy trade, the main other sticking point in the talks”.
    http://au.investing.com/news/commodities-news/pacific-trade-talks-bogged-down-over-pharmaceuticals-9335

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  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    37 mins ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 hour ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
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  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

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  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

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  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

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  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

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  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

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  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

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  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

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  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
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  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
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    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

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    1 week ago
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    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
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  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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  • 'Pacific Futures'

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