Open mike 03/12/2015

99 comments on “Open mike 03/12/2015 ”

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1. North 1

   3 December 2015 at 6:27 am

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11554715

   What a joke ! No “deliberate” misuse. What it really means – ‘Misuse then ? Well, if you must…..but do remember, this was not my finest hour……’

   “In October, she said Mr Key had a “cavalier” approach to the OIA and had shown a “disregard for the law”. Her comments were in relation to Mr Key’s admission that his office sometimes waited 20 days to release information if it was in its political interests. Asked about her comments today, she said they were “not her finest hour.”

   That’s a shame. The ‘finest hour’ may come along in the course of the next sinecure.

   I am fully expectant that Peter Boshier will be no ones’ poodle.
   • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1

     3 December 2015 at 6:43 am

     Personal responsibility on display again: It’s all the media’s fault.
   • mickysavage 1.2

     3 December 2015 at 7:18 am

     I see the word “deliberate” has changed its meaning …
   • Grindlebottom 1.3

     3 December 2015 at 12:40 pm

     Another whitewash on the way. And if Departments don’t have the resources to deal with OIA requests, who is it that funds the departments to resource themselves?
2. North 2

   3 December 2015 at 7:13 am

   Morning Report this morning – 17 and 18 year olds locked down in their cells for 23 out of 24 hours at Serco Mt Eden – Minister of Corrections Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga “declined to comment”.

   What the hell is going on ? Are Corrections/Serco actually the Minister of Corrections here ? Peseta Sam the mute titular ?

   Oh I get it…….”Responsibility Responsibility Responsibility !”…….National Party style.
   • tc 2.1

     3 December 2015 at 7:18 am

     Wtf have the opoosition been on this as Sam is a very weak puppett in this cabal.
   • mary_a 2.2

     3 December 2015 at 7:50 am

     @ North (2) neither the minister, nor Corrections will comment on this matter! Not good enough!

     Another big fail for NatzKEY!
3. Muttonbird 3

   3 December 2015 at 7:19 am

   Obama admits Turkey is responsible for oil, weapons, and extremist smuggling through its borders to IS controlled areas.

   http://i.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/74678756/Russia-says-it-has-proof-Turkey-involved-in-Islamic-State-oil-trade
   • grumpystilskin 3.1

     3 December 2015 at 7:44 am

     That’s old news,
     you need to read more foreign media, more often.
     For some reason most “international” stuff & herald stories are about 2-3+ days behind the rest of the world.
     • Muttonbird 3.1.1

       3 December 2015 at 7:46 am

       A bit like Farrar then.
       • grumpystilskin 3.1.1.1

         3 December 2015 at 8:08 am

         Everytime I hear or read his name I think of the penguin from batman..
4. Pascals bookie 4

   3 December 2015 at 7:30 am

   Here’s a data point:

   He said few residents feared coalition airstrikes, although former residents of the city who have fled across the border to Turkey told the Guardian last week of civilian casualties suffered even under carefully targeted bombardment.

   While children and elderly people are often startled and disturbed by the sounds of the explosions, activists say the airstrikes tend not to hit civilian areas. Most, however, fear Russian airstrikes as they tend to target civilian neighbourhoods.

   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/02/airstrikes-routine-people-raqqa-syria-says-activist?CMP=edit_2221

   Why on erath would he say that if it wasn’t true? You can check out the journo group ‘Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ for yourselves if you care to smear them, but good luck saying they are ‘fans’ of ISIS or in anyway supporters of them. Video of Russian helicopters dropping dumb bombs on urban areas are also not hard to find, though RT tend to prefer the snazzy pics of jest taking off and cruise missiles. The clusters of 4 heavy bombs smashing into a neighbourhood? not so much airtime on RT for some reason.
   • Muttonbird 4.1

     3 December 2015 at 7:49 am

     Whenever you post on the issue it’s jest taking off.
     • Pascals bookie 4.1.1

       3 December 2015 at 8:04 am

       Good one. I’ve always cared more about logic than typos myself, but takes all sorts eh.
   • grumpystilskin 4.2

     3 December 2015 at 8:03 am

     There appears to be a lot of opinion in that article, PB.
     “Why on erath (earth) would he say that if it wasn’t true?”
     Really? I’m gobsmacked that you would even think that.

     I have a healthy distrust of the media, mainly because I’ve been working in it for the last 25+ years. (obviously I’m not a journo, my grammer sucks)

     Always ask, why am I being told this and who benefits from the outcome.
     • Pascals bookie 4.2.1

       3 December 2015 at 8:12 am

       Good. Me too.

       So come on, speculate away, what are your answers to your sceptical questions about that piece?

       Or do you mean question in the sense of just throwing up your hands and saying ‘oh noes I can’t know anything’.

       Seriously, that group’s work can be found online, really easily, you can make judgements, it’s a data point.

       Fill your boots, tell me your reckons.
       • Colonial Viper 4.2.1.1

         3 December 2015 at 11:24 pm

         Russia is going to stay in Syria, Assad will remain in power, Iranian influence in the Middle East will increase, and US/NATO complicity with ISIS and other extremist groups will become increasingly obvious.
         • Pascals bookie 4.2.1.1.1

           4 December 2015 at 9:20 am

           Oh great, It’s Captain Know Nothing back with off-topic reckons for the thread.

           How did you get on finding an example of a helicopter being shot down by a TOW?

           And weren’t you saying just the other day that Putin agrees with you that Assad should go? Yep, you were, but you were just making shit up, coz it’s what you do.
   • Bill 4.3

     3 December 2015 at 8:04 am

     Why would he say what?

     Why would he say that “few residents feared coalition airstrikes”? Or why would he say “Most, however, fear Russian airstrikes…”?

     My impression is that nothing quite gels. I mean he also says..

     “Britain has a powerful intelligence service and knows where to strike and when, not like the coalition.” (Wide-eyed astonishment at that one from over here)

     Who is he?
     From the same article Tim Ramadan, the pseudonym of an activist and journalist working clandestinely in the city

     No agenda and no line to spin then and…well, what is an activist in the context of a multi faceted war situation?

     edit: one fairly reasonable reason for him spinning (if he is) would be if he’s aligned with any of the so-called moderate opposition targeted by Russia but not by ‘the coalition’, yes?
     • Pascals bookie 4.3.1

       3 December 2015 at 8:08 am

       Like I said, you can check out ‘Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ for yourself to find out.

       Do I wish all the tv stations and wire services were fully operating in IS controlled territory?

       Yes.

       Is that a resonable expectation?

       No.

       Shall we discount everything to zero?

       If you want, I’ll get the data points I can and make the best of them.
       • Bill 4.3.1.1

         3 December 2015 at 8:13 am

         Sorry. I see you replied before my edit.

         He doesn’t have to be a supporter of the daesh to be saying those things.
         • Pascals bookie 4.3.1.1.1

           3 December 2015 at 8:29 am

           No he wouldn’t.

           And yes, like much of rebel held Syria they hate Assad, and ISIS.

           Which doesn’t make what they are saying ‘not true’, right?

           But given what the coalition are doing and demanding, and what the Russians are doing and demanding, what motivation would they have to say what he said.

           Why say the new strikes will be pointless in effect, and that the Russian strikes are hitting civilians more often? They want ISIS gone, they really hate ISIS. They are literally risking death doing what they are doing, these activists in Raqqa, some of them have been killed by ISIS.

           So if it’s not true that the Russian attacks are more feared by the population than the wetsern attacks why say it?

           Does it square with other evidence, like footage of attacks?

           I’m not being rhetorical here.

           Actual questions.
           • Bill 4.3.1.1.1.1

             3 December 2015 at 8:43 am

             I’m not saying that certain claims are either true or not true. And I don’t have any reasonably informed opinion that could be applied to your questions.

             Maybe the ‘Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently’ site you mention is a reasonable conduit for information – I dunno. What I mean by that is that I haven’t given it more than a cursory glance atm.
     • grumpystilskin 4.3.2

       3 December 2015 at 8:19 am

       “My impression is that nothing quite gels.”

       My thoughts exactly. With so much misinformation and political points scoring going on, it’s hard to work out what’s actually going on..
       But then, that’s the whole idea.
       • Draco T Bastard 4.3.2.1

         3 December 2015 at 2:49 pm

         +1
   • nadis 4.4

     3 December 2015 at 8:47 am

     Russia has only one objective in Syria, the preservation of Tartus as it’s only western hemisphere naval base outside of the Crimea. Hey wait a minute, I’m seeing a connection here between russian adventures in the Ukraine and in Syria………

     The preservation of their only open water naval base in Europe/Middle East. is their primary strategic goal, everything else, including war crimes and assad’s survival is secondary to this.

     Stories in the press that Turkey are delaying Russian traffic through the Bosphorus for “administrative” reasons is an unwelcome power flex by the turks…..
     • Colonial Viper 4.4.1

       3 December 2015 at 11:26 pm

       The Dardanelles are suddenly a global focus point again.
   • One Two 4.5

     3 December 2015 at 9:44 am

     Why on earth would he say that if it wasn’t true?

     Because he is directly responsible for the death of many hundreds of thousands of people and has no incentive to tell the truth

     We live in an age where any media production, be it written word, audio or visual can be ‘created’, and should by default be treated as suspicious, fake or lies
5. Morrissey 5

   3 December 2015 at 7:37 am

   IRONY ALERT: Paul “Kill Them All” Henry gets all serious and
   denounces “the mindless rantings of one very nasty piece of work.”
   Paul Henry, TV3, Thursday 3 December 2015, 7:10 a.m.

   hypocrite n. 1. a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs; 2. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.

   It appears that the malignant spirit of “Sir” Paul Holmes descended on the North Shore Events Centre last night….
   https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/30256384/perth-wildcat-nate-jawai-allegedly-abused-in-defeat-to-new-zealand/

   In a supreme act of projection this morning, Paul “Kill Them All” Henry glared at the camera with his special “serious” expression and intoned: “It’s just the mindless rantings of one very nasty piece of work.”

   That’s an odd thing to say for someone who just two months ago was ranting about the “political correctness” gone mad of giving a ferry a Māori name…

   http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24092015/#comment-1073941

   More mindless rantings of one very nasty piece of work….

   http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052015/#comment-1021090
   http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17092015/#comment-1071730
   http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10112015/#comment-1093206
6. sabine 6

   3 December 2015 at 7:43 am

   anyone see this? My understand of the flag wastage was that anyone could either rank as per preference, or rank as little as one.
   However here they say….rank all or ‘it won’t count’
   Are they now giving out invalid/false information?

   https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/can-john-key-find-out-how-i-voted-in-the-flag-referendum
   quote:

   If there is one flag you hate a lot, give that a five then rank the rest backwards, but make sure you do all the way to one, or again it won’t count.
   • Olwyn 6.1

     3 December 2015 at 8:20 am

     From the letter accompanying the voting paper: Instructions: A: Rank the flag designs in the order that you prefer them. You can rank as few or an many as you wish, from 1 to 5. Write 1 in the box under the flag you prefer most. Write 2 in the box under your next preferred flag, if you have one, and so on. Do not write the same number more than once.
     • sabine 6.1.1

       3 December 2015 at 8:25 am

       So we can safely assume than that TVNZ has just misled the public with the statement that I posted above?
       • Olwyn 6.1.1.1

         3 December 2015 at 8:29 am

         It does look like that. Surely we haven’t descended so low that the voting instructions themselves are intended to mislead.
         • weka 6.1.1.1.1

           3 December 2015 at 9:34 am

           No, what they are saying (I think) is that if you want to put your most hated flag ranked last, start with making it #5, but you then have to vote for #1, #2, #3, #4 as well or your vote will be invalid. Another example would be if you wrote #2 and #3 and nothing else, that would be invalid too. Presumably.

           It’s still completely stupid advice from Fair Go given that we still don’t do this kind of voting well, but I think it reflects how fucked up the whole thing is when our state broadcaster feels the need to tell people how to vote based on the most hated design.
           • Olwyn 6.1.1.1.1.1

             3 December 2015 at 10:04 am

             Thanks Weka – and I agree. It says something about the whole process/project if people need to be told how to express their hatred of designs in a way that does not invalidate their vote.
   • weka 6.2

     3 December 2015 at 8:21 am

     Then there’s this,

     Apparently that QR code on your ballot paper contains a unique number that starts out tied to your name and is used to make sure no-one votes twice.

     That means it is vital you don’t mark any part of that QR code.

     If you do, it won’t be logged as a protest, probably just as an unreadable slip of paper.

     You’d hope the Electoral Commission makes sure the names are stripped off the QR codes before that list of numbers is used to validate your voting paper, rendering them anonymous.

     I have more than hope, I have a strong certainty, but the Electoral Commission is understandably a bit coy about explaining its internal security measures, so that’s the part we need to take on trust.

     That’s alright then, because we really trust this government and its computer data competency.
     • sabine 6.2.1

       3 December 2015 at 8:26 am

       Of course we trust Dear Leaders Government, after all he is the most trusted Dear Leader, most accomplished and such.
       • ianmac 6.2.1.1

         3 December 2015 at 9:40 am

         Every voting paper has a secret number on it. If the same name is crossed off the roll more than once the number on the voting paper is opened so that the person can be checked/interviewed to see if he has voted twice. What he voted is immaterial. Could a dishonest person find out what you voted? Possible but you have to trust the integrity of staff. Works OK so far.
         • Anne 6.2.1.1.1

           3 December 2015 at 10:31 am

           I see no reason why the Electoral Commission cannot be trusted to operate the system honestly and fairly. It would be a very risky proposition for the government of the day to try and interfere with a democratically run voting system such as ours. Voters of all stripes would reject them outright.
           • weka 6.2.1.1.1.1

             3 December 2015 at 9:14 pm

             How about WINZ? The Education department? Do we have a BLiP list of all the government departments that have mangled such tech?
     • Draco T Bastard 6.2.2

       3 December 2015 at 3:00 pm

       LOL

       I’ve been saying on this board for years that the government can track how people vote and now you’re surprised to find that they can?

       as for this bit:

       You’d hope the Electoral Commission makes sure the names are stripped off the QR codes before that list of numbers is used to validate your voting paper, rendering them anonymous.

       The name wouldn’t be in the QR code itself but the QR code will relate back to the name in the database.

       That’s alright then, because we really trust this government and its computer data competency.

       Actually, the problem is trusting the competency of the private firm that wrote the software.
       • weka 6.2.2.1

         3 December 2015 at 9:07 pm

         No, I’m not surprised at that (if it’s happening). I’m surprised at Fair Go saying ‘let’s trust the government’.
7. Sanctuary 7

   3 December 2015 at 7:45 am

   The Crosby-Textor playbook is so predictable.

   Cameron and Key use practically interchangeable slurs when cornered by their opponents. It should remove any doubt as to whether Cameron or Key are cold, calculating sociopaths or a loudmouthed bully boys, because they are obviously both.

   http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/01/cameron-accuses-corbyn-of-being-terrorist-sympathiser
   • Once was Tim 7.1

     3 December 2015 at 8:54 am

     As do the Lib/Nats in Australia. Its why we have centre-left referred to as “hard Left” whilst they call themselves “centre Right” – it creeps into the MSM in NZ, Aus and GB within a very short time. Look at the how Tony Abbot’s “Death Cult” description of ISIS is now part of their vocab.
     I’ve been waiting to hear JFK start talking about “the New Zealand People”. It started in the US and is common in Australia and GB. Another little gem is “the truth is ……… this or that”.
     It’s what the hard Right CT do best, and they have their little disciples like Matty Hooten and Paul Henry doing their best to propagate the spin – consciously or not (going forward).
     It’s not unlike those in the banking sector – you know – those expert economists.
     The sharemarket always goes up or down “on the back of …… “.
     (At this point in time) BEWARE THE BULLSHIT! (going forward)
   • whateva next? 7.2

     3 December 2015 at 6:11 pm

     My thoughts too, same style/tactics, dead cat slapped on the table. Pathetic.
8. Jose Polici 8

   3 December 2015 at 9:08 am

   This government sure seems to be getting a reputation for enabling “modern” slavery. I wish the labour party would make more of a fuss instead of letting NZFirst turn it into an anti-immigration issue. After all it is the LABOUR party. I wonder if the police are much involved in looking into this sort of stuff. Do they have a transnational crime expert there and if so what issues is he focusing on instead… Cocaine? Whipping up fear in the Asia-Pacific over ISIS?
9. Puckish Rogue 9

   3 December 2015 at 10:00 am

   https://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/peters-immigrant-healthcare-bill-defeated-2015120219

   I hate to say it (I mean its Winston) but it sounds like a reasonable idea and I’m not even that fussed about the rebate for the pensioners
10. Morrissey 10

    3 December 2015 at 10:15 am

    Yet another disgraceful, extreme ten minutes from Dame Ann Leslie.
    Why is this ghastly old trout accorded the status of “U.K. correspondent”?
    RNZ National, Thursday 3 September 2015, 9:50 a.m.

    KATHRYN RYAN: Our U.K. correspondent is Dame Ann Leslie and she is in London. Good morning!

    DAME ANN LESLIE: Good morning!

    KATHRYN RYAN: Crazy old world it is. Your parliament is having an intense debate tonight on whether to commit to bombing Daesh in Syria.

    DAME ANN LESLIE: It’s absolutely unbelievable that this debate is taking one whole day. As is well known, Raqaa is the nerve centre of the bloody attacks on Paris. But our planes are obliged by an earlier decision of our parliament to avoid flying over Syrian air space. Now, you may detect a slight political bias in what I say next, but Labour with its new, rather muddled, faintly loopy, hard left leader Jeremy Corbyn…. [she embarks on a rambling denunciation]… I think Cameron WILL win, but it will be nail-biting. I’ve lived long enough to know how unpredictable war is. There are some things we have to deal with, for example Turkey, which has been slightly pro-ISIL. They used to line their tanks up on the border, watching various factions fighting. Um, the thing is really, one of the main problems is Turkey, because they are aligned with Daesh, allowing Daesh’s oil across the border, which has been illegally acquired, to sell on the secret market. Then of course there is the other issue, which is sectarian basically, between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Turkey is making a mess of things, frankly.

    KATHRYN RYAN: I’m looking at a comment by William Hague, saying don’t rule out British boots on the ground.

    DAME ANN LESLIE: [wearily] Ohhh!

    KATHRYN RYAN: Now people are talking about boots on the ground again.

    DAME ANN LESLIE: Everybody agrees that this will be a long drawn out conflict. Destroying Daesh won’t work unless there are boots on the ground. The question is WHOSE boots?… I’ve worked a lot in the Middle East and it really is the MOST APPALLING MESS…

    KATHRYN RYAN: All right. The question is: does the UK want to be ANYWHERE near it?

    DAME ANN LESLIE: Well the thing is, we have been very stupid in the West. We had the idea that if we went into these Godforsaken countries we would be greeted with flowers from the people we had liberated. ….Then you get the appalling business of sectarianism. The Sunnis don’t want the SHIAS involved, and the Shias, especially Iran, don’t want the Sunnis involved…. I feel very depressed by the whole thing.

    KATHRYN RYAN: Let’s finish with a festive note. Can festive fairy lights wreck the British Christmas?

    DAME ANN LESLIE: Ofcom has said that fairy lights will wreck our traditional family Christmas, because they interfere with wi-fi. ….

    Mercifully, the time pips start sounding….

    KATHRYN RYAN: [with evident relief] Oh dear! Ten o’clock!

    More of Dame Ann Leslie’s wit and wisdom….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12042012/#comment-458258
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30052013/#comment-640913
    • Morrissey 10.1

      3 December 2015 at 10:36 am

      I sent the host of Nine to Noon the following email….

      Dear Kathryn,

      You allowed your U.K. correspondent Dame Ann Leslie to denounce Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as “rather muddled, faintly loopy, hard left”. That was an extreme and biased comment by any measure, yet you chose not to challenge it, or even to politely ask her to explain why she had used such demeaning language. 

      Are you not allowed to challenge anything she says? Are you obliged to simply go along with it?

      Yours in concern at the standards of public broadcasting,

      Morrissey Breen
      Northcote Point
      • Chooky 10.1.1

        3 December 2015 at 11:12 am

        +100… Dame Ann Leslie is such an obvious right wing Tory toff she is entertaining…she shouldnt be taken seriously…however she shouldnt be allowed blather along unchallenged ….surely Ryan can engage more with her and challenge her monologue occasionally ?

        …and why cant we have Ken Livingstone on as a commentator to give the other side?…here he is on Sophie and Co

        ‘West discredited itself with invasions, able to stop nothing now – ex-mayor of London’

        https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/323903-jihadists-attack-crime-control/

        “After Islamic State strikes in the heart of Europe, nations are ramping up their security. Now, the debate rages about whether being secure or being free is the most important. And when jihadists attack, anti-Islamic sentiment gains momentum, with hate crimes threatening to spike out of control. How do you keep heads calm? Is bulk data collection, after all, needed for peace and stability? We pose these questions to a veteran British politician, former mayor of London – Ken Livingstone is on Sophie&Co today.”
      • Once was Tim 10.1.2

        3 December 2015 at 12:03 pm

        She grew up in “the Punjab” dontcha know. She’s ‘very well connected’.
        Whilst I admire Kathryn Ryan for much of what she does – she does like to maintain a ‘balanced portfolio’ and maintain an image of fairness and balance.
        Challenging bullshit is just not the done thing dontcha know – even amongst those that consider themselves amongst the Kiwi-well-connected-elite (or the Elite Cult).
        How else do you explain “The Panel’? (going forward)

        Oh ….. btw, I notice The Dame hasn’t been on Dateline London for a very long, long time – perhaps Gav’s not been too kind to her, or his ‘bit of fluff’ doesn’t particularly like her condescension
        • Chooky 10.1.2.1

          3 December 2015 at 12:28 pm

          Mora’s ‘The Panel’ is ghastly…I try never to listen to it!..In fact I find Dame Leslie more congenial ( dare I say it…I find her entertaining like a poncy aunty and I like the way she speaks)
      • Grindlebottom 10.1.3

        3 December 2015 at 4:38 pm

        Did you get a reply to your email Morrissey?
        • Morrissey 10.1.3.1

          3 December 2015 at 4:41 pm

          No. She seems impervious to criticism.
          • Once was Tim 10.1.3.1.1

            3 December 2015 at 6:51 pm

            Oh Morissey Darling! What a truly truly monstrous thing to say. Really! That’s horrid – really it is!
            Why the Dame has a wealth of life’s experience, and Kathryn has launched a thousand carreers (including a few talking head ‘panelists’ we now hold so very very dear).
            How dare you challenge them!
            It really is such bad form!
            /sarc (as if)
11. Treetop 11

    3 December 2015 at 10:23 am

    Pharmac have denied terminally ill people with melanoma a promising drug which has benefitted a third to two thirds of people with incurable melanoma. The cost is about $300,000 per person. Australia and the UK fund the drug but not stingy NZ. The cost of the drug would cost the government 30 million per year.

    What upsets me the most is that the rich can afford to purchase the drug and a savvy poor person would have to fund raise, (which would require abundant energy).

    It must be awful being an oncologist in NZ because of being limited when it comes to prescribing life saving drugs which Pharmac will not fund.
    • McFlock 11.1

      3 December 2015 at 1:02 pm

      Pharmac, like most other government organisations, could do with a significant funding boost and no political interference (like the Herceptin campaign pledge).
    • Rosie 11.2

      3 December 2015 at 1:29 pm

      It’s akin to manslaughter, allowing people to die, when they could be helped. Only the super wealthy can afford this drug. You wouldn’t even need to poor to be left to die, if you needed this drug.

      There was a young man, just a teenager, with melanoma on telly the other night at yet another fundraiser for this particular drug, Keytruda I think it’s called. He said he has to raise $30K every 3 months. He has a givealittle page and he was at a fundraiser event when he being filmed.
      His family and himself work full time on the fundraising. How frightening to be in his shoes, having your life depend on the kindness of strangers, and never knowing if there will be enough money. How do people fare who don’t have a supportive family and don’t have the strength to work out how to get absurd amounts of money out of thin air?

      This drug is fully funded in Australia.
      • weka 11.2.1

        3 December 2015 at 1:35 pm

        Keytruda, is that when the National government breaks in and steals anything it can lay its hands on that’s worth something?

        sorry, couldn’t resist.
        • Rosie 11.2.1.1

          3 December 2015 at 2:00 pm

          I know! What a name! Your thoughts were my thoughts when I first heard of it. The drug goes by another name but I can’t remember what it is.
          • Treetop 11.2.1.1.1

            3 December 2015 at 4:28 pm

            The other name is Pembrolizumab. The bro bit might be the generous people in NZ who donate to try and save a life e.g. the young 22 year old who has a give a little page.
12. Stephen 12

    3 December 2015 at 11:02 am

    Bryan Gould on the money as always. Writing about The UK, but equally applicable here.
    http://www.bryangould.com/what-really-matters/

    “There is a rapidly emerging consensus that – as we discovered 80 years ago but then forgot – austerity is the wrong response to recession. We are learning that lesson all over again. Even in terms of its own stated objectives, austerity has failed; the supposedly central priority of eliminating the government’s deficit remains a long way from being achieved, while the deficit that really matters – the country’s continuing failure to pay its way – remains unattended to and is getting worse.

    In the meantime, poverty and inequality increase, housing is increasingly unaffordable, net investment is virtually zero, the prospect of a revival in manufacturing is non-existent, and an unsustainable consumer boom fuelled by asset inflation underpins our rake’s progress to decline.?
13. ianmac 13

    3 December 2015 at 11:05 am

    Just on 1,000,000 people have posted their flag ballot papers up till 2 December. About the same as the 2013 referendum at the same number of days.
    • weka 13.1

      3 December 2015 at 1:42 pm

      Have to say, I was pretty convinced I was going to spoil my voting paper, but when it comes down to it, I really can’t be bothered even sending the thing in. And I’m a committe voter.
14. Sabine 14

    3 December 2015 at 11:54 am

    interesting read on rising sea levels.
    maybe someone who runs a country or a city with a lot of habitat on coastal areas wants to have a look at it.

    http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/world/The-Marshall-Islands-Are-Disappearing.html?_r=1
15. johnm 15

    3 December 2015 at 12:22 pm

    The clearest explanation of the evil of corporate tyranny and the death of democracy I’ve heard so far:

    Democracy Sold Out To Greed
    The video helps me to bring home that “Western democracy” is a sham, a total lie.

    Every Western government and Washington’s Asian vassal states are totally under the control of private corporations and private interest groups. The corporations govern, and they are in the process of institutionalizing their governance with the Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic Partnerships. The purpose of these “partnerships” is to make global corporations higher than the laws of the “sovereign” countries in which they do business.

    Anything, whether law, rule, regulation, or moral principle that interferes with corporate profits is outlawed as “a resraint on trade.”

    Western civilization is over and done with. Nothing remains except historical achievements that are no longer understood or appreciated.

    (http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/12/01/democracy-sold-out-to-greed/)
    • Chooky 15.1

      3 December 2015 at 1:05 pm

      +100 Johnm…a MUST WATCH!

      ..where is the NZ Labour Party on opposing this….neolib corporate fascist attempt at takeover of New Zealand democracy and sovereignty?…scarcely a peep!

      …time for a new Labour Mana Party
      • Rosie 15.1.1

        3 December 2015 at 1:31 pm

        Comrade Chooky did you see my response and question to you on yesterdays open mike re a new party?
        • Chooky 15.1.1.1

          3 December 2015 at 3:24 pm

          Hi Comrade Rosie….yes I did see it and I didnt answer because Savenz answered for me…on the reasons why there needs to be a new Labour Mana Party

          There are many reasons why the last Election was lost

          1.)…Cunliffe was relentlessly attacked by the msm…and not supported by the Labour Party caucus even although he was the grassroots Labour vote….and it would seem that there has been a concerted campaign against him and his supporters on the Left of the Labour Party for some time

          ( here is what i asked on the Daily Blog)

          “Is the ABC faction actually a fifth column?

          …I mean looked at it historically, it has been going on at least as long as Shearer

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8348590/Dalziel-dropped-from-Labours-top-20

          Has the Labour Party been kidnapped?”

          – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/11/30/puppet-on-a-string-has-andrew-little-become-the-plaything-of-labours-dominant-factions/#sthash.jayVFy3W.dpuf )

          2.) In a stunning move Labour turned against Hone Harawira in the TTT electorate and effectively excluded Left party Mana winning four seats and a Left coalition winning that election…gifting it to Jonkey nactional…Mana was working for the poorest of the poor in New Zealand ….this was unforgivable by the Labour party ….and it does not deserve to be called Labour

          ( …and it turns out that Lusk was apparently bribing Maori not to vote for Hone Harawira !….Nash has had dealings with Lusk

          ‘Dirty Politics players back in the frame’

          http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201779410/dirty-politics-players-back-in-the-frame

          …”Simon Lusk also claimed on Story he had been instrumental in unseating Mana Party co-leader Hone Harawira in the last election. Unnamed “businessmen” had paid thousands for that, he said. And in conversation with his co-host last Monday, Duncan Garner said money had been paid to get Maori electors to vote in Te Tai Tokerau.

          Was political operative Simon Lusk really paying people on behalf of clients to influence an election? Disappointingly, no more was said about this claim.The following day, Duncan Garner posted a statement from Simon Lusk on the websites of TV3’s Story and Radio Live. In it, Simon Lusk said:
          Iwi now have extensive databases of members who they can easily mobilise. Assembling a team of 50 or 100 iwi members to get out the vote is straightforward, legal and effective if it is possible to raise some koha.
          He added that “if you’re not paying for votes or offering anything in exchange for a vote, or treating,” it is not against the law. But that statement didn’t answer key questions: How much was paid? By whom? And for what purpose? …

          …”Duncan Garner also revealed supporters of Labour’s Napier MP Stewart Nash paid Simon Lusk to canvas the option of a new political party…)

          Now we have Little’s Labour demoting and shunning Cunliffe and Mahuta yet again….even although Mahuta brought in the Maori seats for Labour and Cunliffe was the Labour grassroots choice for leader ( Little cant even win his own seat, nor ccan Robertson and Adern)

          Quite apart from all this, Labour has shown NO leadership in opposing the TPP

          So yes I would support another “Labour” Mana Party which is genuinely Labour ( this Labour Party does not deserve the brand name “Labour”…It deserves to be taken off them)
          • Karen 15.1.1.1.1

            3 December 2015 at 3:38 pm

            “In a stunning move Labour turned against Hone Harawira in the TTT electorate and effectively excluded Left party Mana winning four seats and a Left coalition winning that election…”

            Do you really believe this nonsense Chooky? I feel your heart is in the right place but this is nonsense. I like Hone Harawira very much and believe he is a good person, but he made a very stupid mistake signing up with Kim Dotcom.

            He lost a lot of credibility with Māori in Northland because they felt he had sold out – unlike you I actually know many Northland Māori. He lost control of his party. He begged Dotcom not to have the “Moment of Truth” just before the election because Hone is politically astute enough to know that is would be distorted by the media and would lose the left votes, as it inevitably did. I was sitting very close to Hone that night and his unhappiness was obvious.

            Mana actually deserved that seat.
            • Chooky 15.1.1.1.1.1

              3 December 2015 at 4:17 pm

              all Dotcoms fault then?…well Jonkey would certainly agree with you!…but it is a bit simplistic…and Dotcom was up against the corporates too …so whose side are you on?…certainly not Dotcom’s ( is this little Labour policy as well?)

              …and I note you have carefully avoided any of the other points
              • Karen …

                4 December 2015 at 9:54 am

                I have been too busy with work to look at the Standard again until now – if I had I would have corrected my last line to “Davis deserved that seat.”

                The reason I didn’t deal with your other “points” was that they were too ludicrous to bother with. If you really believe that Lusk had anything to do with Davis winning then you really are very foolish. You are actually doing exactly what Lusk et al want you to do – whether deliberately or through ignorance I have no idea.

                If you actually read what I said a bit more carefully you would understand that I am not blaming Dotcom, I am saying when Mana signed up with Dotcom they not only lost a lot of credibility with many of their supporters, but Hone lost control of the party he had co-founded. Sue Bradford could see what would happen but Hone couldn’t.

                I have been very impressed with Davis this year – why not look at what people do rather than indulge in ill-informed conspiracy theories.
            • Colonial Viper 15.1.1.1.1.2

              3 December 2015 at 11:28 pm

              National HQ cheered the most loudly when Davis beat Harawira.
          • Rosie 15.1.1.1.2

            3 December 2015 at 5:30 pm

            Hi Chooky. Thanks for the thoughts. Have run out of time to respond in any meaningful way.

            Except to say I totally get what you are saying about treatment of Mahuta and DC. I agree. I’m with you on that. I also saw the programme about Simon Lusk, his bribing of Maori voters of TTT and his connection with Nash. But, I’d say ditto to what Karen is saying below. It’s a long bow to draw a connection between Lusk and Kelvin Davis in TTT. Lusk just hated Hone. Fool that Lusk is.

            Also, I still don’t think a new party will solve anything, help the left or the people that need left representation.
            • Chooky 15.1.1.1.2.1

              3 December 2015 at 5:56 pm

              @ Rosie …i am not saying there is a connection between Davis and Lusk…where did I say that? ( reframing of the issues?)

              I am saying Davis and Labour should NOT have stood against Hone Harawira and Mana Party …which were for the poorest of the poor

              I am saying it looks as if Lusk paid Maori not to vote for Harawira

              I am saying it looks as if there is a connection between Labour’s Nash and Lusk…on a different issue

              ( It would be very interesting to know exactly what other connections /dealings Lusk has had with New Zealand politicians…and Labour politicians…such connections would be very compromising indeed, I would imagine)

              As regards a new Labour Mana Party…well it depends on how much you can stomach from the party which calls itself ‘Labour’ …and it depends on how many people feel there is a need for a new Labour Left (Mana)Party

              …certainly there does seem some support for it given the treatment of Cunliffe ( the membership choice) and Mahuta (and the Maori seats)…and Harawira (and Mana)….and the Labour Party leadership non action on TPP

              You want to support the status quo…others dont
              • Rosie …

                3 December 2015 at 6:58 pm

                I don’t want to support any status quo Chooky. I’m feeling very uncomfortable /conflicted about being in Labour now. Check out my comments on the “Labour Mayor for Wellington” post if you want to see why I will not be voting for Labour Mayoral candidate Justin Lester.

                Theres a shit load of stuff that may or may not happen in the next two years. We might yet be surprised. Holy moly, if David Cunliffe, in some weird twist of alternate reality become leader of the Greens then I’d party vote Green.

                I am however, strongly opposed to voting for Labour ticket Justin Lester as Mayor of Wellington.
                • Chooky …

                  3 December 2015 at 7:22 pm

                  +100 Rosie…yes if he were to become leader of the Greens…I too would vote Green
                • Bill Drees …

                  3 December 2015 at 10:16 pm

                  Cunliffe was born Labour and will die Labour.
                  He would never ever join another party.

                  While some Green values overlap or are complimentary to those of Labour the two parties are different.

                  No no no. Cunliffe is not leaving Labour. All of us should remain and make our best possible contributions to ensuring its values are protected and applied to real lives.
                  • Chooky …

                    4 December 2015 at 7:57 am

                    well that is the problem with the Labour Party…”was born Labour and will die Labour”…even when Labour is no longer Labour and turns fascist

                    (John Pilger has some trenchant things to say about the British Labour Party

                    https://www.rt.com/shows/going-underground/323420-paris-isis-daesh-uk/ )

                    In many ways David Cunliffe is a better fit for the Greens….not least of all because the Greens are to the Left of Labour

                    ( except for Greens idiotic championing of bloody Red Peak corporate flag which i blame on try hard Shaw and that other grinning baby face muggins Gareth Hughes..and a few others who i wont insult)
                    • tinfoilhat …

                      4 December 2015 at 9:59 am

                      
    • Draco T Bastard 15.2

      3 December 2015 at 4:01 pm

      +1

      Must listen.
16. Rodel 16

    3 December 2015 at 12:31 pm

    Just checked the ‘TransTasman’ so called ratings of Politicians.

    What a laugh! Act’s noname on top rated highest. Nats good… Labour bad.

    Dyson one of the hardest working MPs standing up for her constituents in Redcliffs even though they didn’t support her locally in the elections rated about lowest with the same rating as Nuk Nobody whom she thrashed and has nothing to say about Parata’s attack on the people of his pretend electorate of Port Hills.

    Still we can’t expect any real information from a $500+ a year right wing rag started by national MP Hugh Templeton/s brother and bought out by another true blue right winger.
    Right up Tracey Watkins alley this nonsense.
17. Muttonbird 17

    3 December 2015 at 1:01 pm

    Old news I know but really really glad that the bitter and graceless right-wing stooge Sean Plunkett has been given his marching orders.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/74697011/mark-sainsbury-replaces-sean-plunket-at-radio-live

    Good luck to Mark Sainsbury – at least he has a soul.
    • Chooky 17.1

      3 December 2015 at 1:08 pm

      +100 Muttonbird …Plunkett did his best to roll David Cunlifffe
    • Tc 17.2

      3 December 2015 at 3:54 pm

      They need a differentiator from the rabid rightwing shock jocks and sainsbury has good recognition to boot. Still a race to the bottom though.
      • Belladonna 17.2.1

        3 December 2015 at 6:41 pm

        I listened to Mark Sainsbury a few times until his panel with the so-called views from the left and right consisted of 2 rightwing commentators. Happened a few times so turned off after that.
18. Pasupial 18

    3 December 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Tories have gone ECan on the SDHB:

    The commissioner running the Southern District Health Board will have her term extended under special legislation introduced to Parliament today, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced.

    It means the promised return to a democratically elected board next year will not happen…

    When the team was appointed in June, Dr Coleman said their term would finish on December 2 next year, shortly after the election of a new board.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/365644/commissioner-stay-sdhb

    I’m not surprised; as this slow motion disaster of an underfunded public health system down south has been a long time disintegrating. Also, it was only yesterday (a year to the day before the commissioner’s term was supposed to expire) that:

    Auckland District Health Board’s chief medical officer has been named as the final member of the politically appointed group guiding the Dunedin Hospital redevelopment.

    Although called the ”Southern Partnership Group”, four of its five members are in the North Island – three of them in Auckland.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/365445/criticism-over-city-hospital-role
    • Tc 18.1

      3 December 2015 at 3:56 pm

      Predictable, appoint your cronies and control the message.
19. Grindlebottom 19

    3 December 2015 at 4:17 pm

    What’s up with Stuff.co’s infuriating new recommended stories drop down menu? Hope they get enough feedback to get rid of it asap or give us a way to disable it permanently.
    • BLiP 19.1

      3 December 2015 at 9:48 pm

      ‘

      I’ll just leave these here . . .

      http://adblock-pro.en.softonic.com/

      https://www.ghostery.com/

      . . . there’s a bit of tweaking required for New Zealand specific sites and for when new “features” are imposed. The new drop down is to encourage clicks on what is euphemistically called “partner content” but, really, is advertising.
      • Grindlebottom 19.1.1

        4 December 2015 at 10:57 am

        Cheers BLiP will check out.
      • Grindlebottom 19.1.2

        5 December 2015 at 1:54 pm

        Drop down menu has disappeared today. Maybe too many complaints.
20. Morrissey 20

    3 December 2015 at 4:40 pm

    The U.N. voted to partition Palestine 68 years ago, in
    an unfair plan made even worse by Israel’s ethnic cleansing

    Palestinians were 2/3rds of the population but offered 43% of land. Then, Israel ethnically cleansed it & took more

    by BEN NORTON, Salon, Tuesday Dec. 1, 2015

    68 years ago yesterday, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine, with General Assembly Resolution 181.

    http://media.salon.com/2015/11/nyt-partition-plan.png

    The front page of the November 29, 1947 edition of the New York Times read “[General] Assembly Votes Palestine Partition; Margin Is 33 to 13; Arabs Walk Out; Aranha Hails Work as Session Ends.”

    Why were the Arabs angry? Because, for the indigenous Palestinians, the deal was a thoroughly bad one. Palestinians comprised approximately two-thirds of the population, yet were offered just 43 percent of their land in the deal.

    “Aranha” refers to Osvaldo Aranha, a Brazilian diplomat. As president of the U.N. General Assembly, Aranha lobbied strongly on behalf of the Zionist movement (a settler colonialist Jewish nationalist political movement that called for the creation of the state of Israel). He delayed the vote on resolution 181 by two days in order to give the U.S. and other pro-Israel countries more time to pressure U.N. member states to vote for the plan. Scholar Fred Khouri writes that, in these two days:

    “The United States and Zionists led the lobbying efforts of the pro-partition forces. The delegates, as well as the home governments, of Haiti, Liberia, Ethiopia, China, the Philippines, and Greece were swamped with telegrams, telephone calls, letters, and visitations from many sources, including the White House, congressmen, business corporations, and other fields of endeavor. As a result of these tremendous official and nonofficial pressures, Haiti, Liberia, and the Philippines finally agreed to vote for partition.”

    These last-minute changes ensured that resolution 181 would have the two-thirds majority vote needed to pass.

    The following is the U.N.’s map of the proposed partition. The blue areas comprising roughly 57 percent of the land were to be allotted to Jews; orange areas were to be allotted to Palestinians. Jerusalem was to be left under the governance of the international community, because of its historical and religious importance for numerous religions and cultures.

    http://media.salon.com/2015/11/partition-plan-un-map-small.jpg

    The Partition Plan was never implemented, however. The very next day after it was voted on, the 1947-1948 war broke out.

    In this war, Zionist militias systematically ethnically cleansed large portions of historic Palestine, sacking hundreds of Palestinian villages and expelling more than 750,000 people — around two-thirds of the indigenous Arab population. Prominent Israeli historian Ilan Pappé notes that, in Israel’s Plan Dalet (also known simply as Plan D), “veteran Zionist leaders” created “a plan for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.” They dispatched military orders in March 1948, Pappé explains:

    “The orders came with a detailed description of the methods to be employed to forcibly evict the people: large-scale intimidation; laying siege to and bombarding villages and population centres; setting fire to homes, properties and goods; expulsion; demolition; and, finally, planting mines among the rubble to prevent any of the expelled inhabitants from returning.”

    Plan D “spelled it out clearly and unambiguously: the Palestinians had to go,” writes Pappé. …..

    Read more….
    http://www.salon.com/2015/11/30/u_n_voted_to_partition_palestine_68_years_ago_in_an_unfair_plan_made_even_worse_by_israels_ethnic_cleansing/
    • One Two 20.1

      3 December 2015 at 11:15 pm

      https://syria360.wordpress.com/globalist-agenda/

      Nothing happens in a vacuum
21. Chooky 21

    3 December 2015 at 5:34 pm

    +100 Morrissey…thanks for reminding us…crimes against the Palestinians and crimes against humanity
22. Morrissey 22

    3 December 2015 at 7:00 pm

    Denouncing Kylie Jenner took up nearly five minutes on The Panel today;
    But not even one second of indignation about today’s decision to bomb Syria.
    RNZ National, Thursday 3 December 2015, 4:56 p.m.
    Jim Mora, Tony Doe, Annah Stretton, Julie Moffett

    hypocrisy n. 1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess. 2. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude. 3. an act or instance of hypocrisy.

    JIM MORA: It is International Disabilities Day, which is a terrible coincidence, given the shootings in San Bernardino. And, ahhh, that has made what Kylie Jenner did, ahhh, a topic of discussion, much discussion on the internet. So Kylie Jenner from the Kardashian clan has angered disabled people by posing in a gold wheelchair for a magazine cover. And she’s got some kind of bleak, she’s aiming for a bleak sort of futuristic look, isn’t she, with her—she looks like a robot, she’s trying to look like a—

    ANNAH STRETTON: Yeah she does, yeah, yeah.

    JIM MORA: And the quote going around the world, seeming to come from her but not actually, she didn’t say this, people are assuming she did, is: “Wow! Being in a wheelchair is so fun and fashionable!” So that is the, that is the quote being aired in, ahh, all the reports on this. …[baffled sigh]…. Would you put one of your models in a wheelchair?

    ANNAH STRETTON: Snorts to show what she thinks of Kylie Jenner.

    JIM MORA: This is the interesting question here.

    ANNAH STRETTON: Yeah I don’t know why we’re giving this any air time. Ummm, y’know the reality of is it’s just stupid, as perhaps this whole thing is around the Kardashians, but, uh, no, no I wouldn’t put one of my models in a wheelchair. There IS a sensitivity around disability, and you know I would sit very uncomfortably with anything like this, and I just, I think this is just bizarre.

    JIM MORA: Seventeen year old Ophelia Brown posted her own image and says “I wanted to show her that being in a wheelchair is not glamorous or fashionable or fun. A wheelchair’s a big part of my life. She seemed to be sitting on it for fun, or to look more edgy and cool, and I felt overwhelmed with annoyance and jealousy that she could just get in and out of a wheelchair.” And you can completely understand this reaction. But uh, errrrrmmm, it, it’s been defended as well. Uh errrr, people are saying, Look, you know, she didn’t necessarily mean anything by it, it’s just a shot of her in a wheel—- How do YOU view it, Tony?

    TONY DOE: [lengthy pause] Tut. Yeah, “not necessarily meaning anything by it” is, errrr, it’s like “I was only obeying orders” or something like that isn’t it. I mean, you’re sort of INVOLVED, whether you like it or not, and the overall impression is, um, not good and to be fair, I mean these people, the Kardashians, they must have more P.R. advisers than Heaven knows who, and umm, you’d have thought that one of them might have tapped her on the shoulder and said, Oy, that’s not a very good idea doing that. Y’know, don’t because it’s gonna make, it’s bad for your image for a start, and it’s actually a rather crass and insensitive thing to do, so don’t do it.

    JIM MORA: Or is the publicity the, is that what is the most important thing now? As with that—I don’t really wanna talk about the Caitlin Jenner billboard in Auckland, I mean, goodness knows it’s on the front pages of the online newspapers anyway. But, errrr, because not necessarily because it gives it oxygen, but ahhh, because media are so reactive now, but is that part of the point? And is it just gonna get worse and worse, so you can’t ignore people making statements, ‘cos they know it’s all, it’s going to cause outrage, it’s going to be reported.

    TONY DOE: Y-y-y-yeaaahhh, it, it, it is a deliberately provocative act, and the idea is to get attention, and Mission Accomplished, isn’t it. You know, I mean, it draws attention to that fashion label. This is the, there was the story in the media today, I think, about a men’s accessories place, with rings, men’s hands on naked women—

    JIM MORA: Oh yes, I saw, I saw the headline there.

    TONY DOE: Yeah, a very similar sort of a thing, where the man’s hand with all these rings on it is on the back of this woman, um, he’s got clothes on, she hasn’t. People are saying it’s misogynist and various other things but the line of rings has sold out.

    ANNAH STRETTON: [Guffaws sardonically] Huh.

    JIM MORA: That’s the thing.

    ANNAH STRETTON: Reacted to it, yeah.

    TONY DOE: So, whatever happened, people wanted the rings, and the fact that all that attention was given to that advert drew people to that website and drew people to that product and they actually liked it when they saw it.

    JIM MORA: Yeah, and Annah, you say quite reasonably I dunno why we’re discussing this, but presumably it may have the, y’know it’s supposed to educate people and shame them into silence and have billboards taken down and so on, but it may produce a kind of cacophony of constant rudeness, as people try and get edgier and edgier and edgier. That may well be the result.

    TONY DOE:

    ANNAH STRETTON: I dunno, we’ve got the billboard and we’ve got the wheelchair and they’re both the Jenners, aren’t they, with the—

    JIM MORA: Yeah.

    ANNAH STRETTON: Yeah, um, I think a lot of it, they don’t NEED the publicity, so I don’t understand why they had to go into this space to get it, because there’s a lot of other ways that they could, um, yeah, I, I, I, I dunno, I just think that, y’know, people that are forced in to wheelchairs because of a disability, ummmm….

    JIM MORA: Don’t appreciate seeing HER sitting in one.

    ANNAH STRETTON: Yeah. She doesn’t need to DO this. I don’t understand it, I really don’t understand it. And I don’t, obviously you can see that I don’t have a lot of time for the Jenners either, so—

    TONY DOE: Ha ha!

    JIM MORA: No I got that impression—-

    ANNAH STRETTON: Heh heh.

    JIM MORA: —-from your general tone.

    TONY DOE: Yeah.

    ANNAH STRETTON: Ah, heh heh.

    As Annah Stretton continued her restrained snickering, the welling sounds of “Carmina Burana” signaled that, mercifully, it was time for them all to stop talking.

    Straight after that public show of concern for the disabled, I sent the host the following email….

    Dear Jim, 

    I find you and some of your panelists (like Chris Trotter and Lisa Scott)  laughing at the plight of political dissidents to be far more offensive than anything Kylie Jenner has said or done.

    Yours sincerely,
    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14062013/#comment-648511
23. Penny Bright 23

    3 December 2015 at 9:17 pm

    At LONG last.

    New Zealand FINALLY ratifies the UN Convention Against Corruption.

    ‘Whistle-blowing’ works?
    ________________________________

    Amy Adams 2 DECEMBER, 2015

    NZ ratifies UN Convention Against Corruption

    New Zealand has reinforced its commitment to combating corruption by ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

    The Convention is a legally binding global agreement to address corruption in the private and public spheres.

    “While New Zealand already has a strong reputation for having low levels of corruption, we cannot be complacent. We have broadly complied with the Convention for a number of years, but we needed to make a limited number of law changes before we could ratify it,” says Ms Adams.

    The necessary changes were made through the Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Legislation Bill, which amended 15 Acts and was recently passed by Parliament.

    “The changes made by the Bill, along with our formal ratification of the Convention, mean New Zealand’s ability to combat corruption is now stronger than ever.

    Benefits of ratifying the Convention include ensuring our domestic anti-corruption measures remain robust and meet international best practice.

    “It’s also a clear demonstration that New Zealand values a fair and corruption-free international trading system.

    This is important for maintaining New Zealand’s reputation as a trustworthy trading partner with zero-tolerance for corruption.

    “As a member of the Convention, New Zealand will be able to better contribute to global anti-corruption efforts by providing a legal basis for extradition and mutual legal assistance between other member countries when dealing with corruption-related crimes,” says Ms Adams.

    New Zealand joins 177 other countries as a State Party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

    The Convention focuses on four key areas: prevention, criminalisation, international cooperation, and recovery of the proceeds of corruption.

    The specific amendments made by the Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Legislation Bill to enable ratification of the Convention include:

    the creation of new corruption offences related to solicitation and acceptance of bribes by foreign public officials, and trading in influence over public officials
    increased penalties for private sector
    corruption

    clarification that no bribes are tax deductible.
    _________________________________

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’

    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
    • Leftie 23.1

      4 December 2015 at 4:46 am

      What a joke. Kinda rich isn’t it when the Key National government is the most corrupt government this country has ever had.
24. Leftie 24

    4 December 2015 at 4:43 am

    <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1512/S00052/another-26m-for-more-saudi-sheep-barbaric.htm

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