Had an interesting long chat with a surgeon from one of our DHBs yesterday (not going to identify them).
Some interesting takeouts: Post code lottery in cancer outomes is indeed a thing, but not ion the way the media portrays it. Wait times for treatment are broadly the same. However, post treatment oncology services vary widely depending on where you live. In many DHBs your follow up care is on you – you've got to ring to get appointments, chase up the testing. In the big cities though the resources exist for the health system to follow you up. The issue isn't particularly money, but rather getting qualified oncology staff who want to work in out of the way DHBs.
The DHBs are, indeed, a complete nightrmare of petty fiefdoms and poor cooperation at the management level, although clinical staff mitigate a lot of that.
The last thing surprised me – this surgeon told me it should be an absolute priority to gain greater independence in the manufacturing of key vaccines, drugs and medications – insulin, basic paracetamol/NSAIDs and steroids, and generic asthma and blood pressure drugs – were specifically mentioned. Some capacity to manufacture these should be held domestically was the strongly held view.
Anyway, thought I share the observations of an extremely smart person who has been at the coal face for a while now….
Sanc….I've been in the UK recently (and wandering around Spain now) and the problems with nurses/junior doctors/the PUBLIC health service (private well off people are fine of course) seems to be not just in NZ but in many countries.
Coincidentally, I had a conversation with a friend yesterday who has been working in the Health Sector in Australia for over three decades now.
Her current role is in Nursing Management and Change Management Training.
We were talking about the retention and training of nurses in both Australia and NZ. We spoke about the reduction of training costs for RN's in Australia, which was not duplicated here (Covid training Fees Free was limited to Enrolled Nurses AFAIK). She also mentioned the disparity in training when accepting overseas trained staff. With countries where there were equivalent and close relationships, ie. Canada, England, NZ, US the staff were pretty much on a par, in terms of practice. Other countries were not as reliable in terms of consistency, which may be a cultural issue rather than training.
However, many UK nurses have an extra level of training after basic qualifications, when they specialise in a particular discipline – eg. oncology.
In Australia – this specialisation occurs by placement and practice on the ward, and is not usually accompanied by further theory or qualifications. UK nurses with these extra specialised qualifications are not recognised by Australia, leaving them on a par with basic RN nurse pay rates. In fact, they are equivalent to clinical practitioners in Australian heathcare (with a higher payrate), but have to fight to have this recognised. So far, the Australian government response has not been to make any changes, and so there is an attrition rate as those highly qualified nurses return back to the UK as job satisfaction is low, and they lose faith in the Australian system valuing them.
I'm not sure what occurs in NZ, as regards this issue.
To begin reforming the health system, the 20 DHBs were disestablished and their functions were merged into Te Whatu Ora, which now leads the day-to-day running of the system for the whole country.6/09/2022
According to the government the DHBs don't exist anymore.
They might still use hard/software until the full transition is completed, but as of the June 2022 there were no more DHBs. And whatever assets the DHBs had at the time they were dissolved these are now the assets of Te Whatu Ora.
And yes, the DHBs were underfunded, overworked and appreciated by none but they no longer set the rules or provide the budget nor plan anything, that is all now done by Te Whatu Ora. They were reformed away by Andrew Little, Minister of Health, Creator of Te Whatu Ora, under the Labour Party led by Jacinda Ardern. It is actually one of the things they are proud of.
What ever the short comings of todays Te Whatu Ora they are the shortcomings of Te Whatu Ora. To pretend that the DHBs are still doing anything today is misleading.
"The DHBs are, indeed, a complete nightrmare of petty fiefdoms and poor cooperation at the management level…"
That was plain for all to see and as far as I can tell is the basis for the reforms now underway. Andrew Little has explained the problems over and over again yet the Oppo parties – backed by a disingenuous bunch of media hacks – keep questioning his motivations as if he hasn't explained anything and is a complete idiot.
Its pathetic to watch the ignorant and foolish public fall for it, and does make me wonder about the poor cognitive abilities of so many voters. Is it an education failure or the results of hostile bombardment by right-wing media? Or is it both?
I offer up this over-the-holidays conversation with the son of a close family friend. He's just about to jet overseas to Oz – to further his career.
He's a doctor – 2 years out of med school who wants to specialize as an oncologist (he's interested in both research and treatment). You'd think that the NZ medical system would be falling over backwards to find a way to foster his career here…. but no.
He's missed out on the oncology residency (very limited numbers, I understand) at Auckland – no further communication, just a letter. And, given that he'd need to shift cities in any case (if there was, indeed, anything available in NZ), he looked over the ditch at what was on offer in Oz. He's ended up with a very attractive offer in Queensland, which will foster his career, and pay him considerably more. He's off at the end of the month – and I'd be surprised if he ever returns. A total loss of 7 years plus education and training to NZ.
Some capacity to manufacture these should be held domestically was the strongly held view.
Not neoliberal economics, in other words. We need to be prepared to pay the extra cost for that supply security – yet both our main parties are madly committed to keeping govt debt and taxes low by world standards.
The last thing surprised me – this surgeon told me it should be an absolute priority to gain greater independence in the manufacturing of key vaccines, drugs and medications – insulin, basic paracetamol/NSAIDs and steroids, and generic asthma and blood pressure drugs – were specifically mentioned. Some capacity to manufacture these should be held domestically was the strongly held view.
Did the surgeon say why? I completely agree, because the global supply of such things is no longer guaranteed, but am curious what his thinking was.
A short time ago, and I don't remember where exactly, Jenny, a commenter with whom i often find myself debating the Ukraine issue, pointed out that Putin in April had turned down an initiative for an interim ceasefire. I had not been aware of this and made some fairly non committal response. However, Malcolm Evens has very recently made a post to The Daily Blog which claimed, in passing, that a deal had been brokered between Kyiv and Moscow, but that Boris Johnson had talked Zelensky into backing away from it.
And the media also failed to publish the peace initiative brokered when Kiev and Moscow reached a negotiated interim settlement in early April, whereby Russia would withdraw to its pre-February 24 position, and Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership in return for security guarantees from a number of countries. However, at the very last minute, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly flew to Kiev and demanded that Zelensky step away from the talks, a shocking fact that has barely been mentioned in English-language news media.
I mention this, not as a criticism of Jenny, but because I think that if this is true (Evens does not provide a link) then it is pretty shocking that Johnson would do such a thing; and shows the US and British motivations for their involvement involvement in the Ukraine conflict to be pretty venal.
And the media also failed to publish the peace initiative brokered when Kiev and Moscow reached a negotiated interim settlement in early April…. However, at the very last minute, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly flew to Kiev and demanded that Zelensky step away from the talks
Firstly there are no details of any purported settlement to publish.
Secondly if it had happened (which seems unlikely to me) then it would have been in the peace talks on March 29th/30th. it was overtaken by events after the forced Russian withdrawal from Bucha a day later and the discovery of Russian atrocities against civilians a day later. Responsibility for actions against Russian perpetrators would have then been part of any peace settlement, something that Russia never seems to demand any accountability of their military or security forces. Plus the Russian line at the time was that it was all a manufactured incident by the Ukrreainians.
Thirdly, Johnson only visited Kyiv well after a speech by Zelensky to the UN demanding accountability of Russian actions that scuppered any hope of early peace agreement.
You should probably look at the actual history, rather than some manufactured time line for internal propaganda written by an fool apologist making up fairy tales.
According to a May report from Ukrainska Pravda, the Russian side was ready for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, but it later came to a halt after the discovery of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, and the surprise visit on 9 April of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who told Zelenskyy "Putin is a war criminal, he should be pressured, not negotiated with," and that "even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not." Three days after Johnson left Kyiv, Putin stated publicly that talks with Ukraine "had turned into a dead end".
If you read the timelines, the barbaric behaviour of the Russian troops and FSB in places like Bucha after the forced withdrawal of Russian troops before the April 1st evidence of atrocities were what prevented any hope of a early peace settlement.
This was the report on the 4th of April address of Zelenzky. Curiously Malcom Evans didn't mention this in his analysis. Possibly because they are in favour of atrocities by Russia in occupied territories – which would be my current working hypothesis in the absence of a denial and explanation of their moral stance.
Civilians shot inside their homes or crushed by tanks as they sat in their cars. People tortured and summarily executed, their hands sometimes tied behind their backs. Throats slashed and limbs cut off. Women raped and killed in front of their children.
These were just some of the nightmarish scenes that unfolded under Russian occupation in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations Security Council in a virtual address on Tuesday.
"There is not a single crime they would not commit there," Zelensky said, comparing Russian fighters to ISIS militants and Nazi war criminals.
Zelensky's speech came a day after he visited Bucha, a small suburban city northwest of Kyiv that Ukraine retook from Russians in the past week, to see the devastation for himself. He described what he saw as among the worst war crimes since World War II.
"Now the world can see what the Russian military did in Bucha," Zelensky told the Security Council. "The world has yet to see what they have done in other occupied cities and regions of our country."
After that address, the media had their own direct access to the Bucha and other atrocity sites to verify the atrocity claims well before Boris Johnson visited Kyiv. He didn't visit until the 9th of April.
Which is what made this particular bit of Russian propaganda a pile of limp bullshit for blind fools supporting documented military and FSB atrocities.
Thanks for that Iprent. I was aware of all this, but you have given a lot more detail, which is informative.
I think you have wasted your energy replying to Mike et al though. The bones of all this has already been pointed out to them previously by various of us. But it doesn't seem to sink in unfortunately.
Also, whatever Russia says about wanting to negotiate, its actions speak louder than words. Its recent actions in "annexing" parts of Ukraine, some of which it didn't even occupy at the time, really scuppered any prospect for negotiation.
Up until then, it was possible to envisage some sort of land-lease arrangement between Ukraine and Russia that would have given Russia legal access to Ukrainian territories such as Crimea or the Donbas, but would have ensured that sovereign ownership remained with Ukraine.
But, unfortunately, Russia has now made negotiated deals nigh on impossible, in the short term, anyway.
The main point of my comment was Boris Johnson's words:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who told Zelenskyy "Putin is a war criminal, he should be pressured, not negotiated with," and that "even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not."
Russian atrocities in Bucha, egragious as they may have been, should not have been a reason for Zelensky to abandon peace talks – just the opposite in fact. Almost certainly it would have been Johnson's comments that decided him.
PS: Who are “they”, by the way? Presumably the British (and the Americans).
Before you can use this supposed statement as a basis for an argument you need to provide an authoritative source to prove that the statement was ever made in the first place, and also, the context for the statement so we can assess whether it actually has the spin you are trying to attach to it.
But, so far as peace negotiations go, it is a good idea to listen to someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Nielson is a military analyst at the Danish Defence Academy, and a captain on a Danish war ship.
Firstly, if the current dispute could have been resolved through negotiations, it would have been.
Secondly, war defines the parameters for the peace talks. At the moment, both sides think they can win, and that both sides have totally incompatible demands. Hence, there is little prospect for successful negotiations at the moment.
But if one side sees they are losing, or that they may lose any advantage they have, they will be more likely to enter peace talks. For instance, if Russia keeps getting driven back, or if the Ukrainian population tires of constant attacks on infrastructure etc, and puts pressure on Zelensky to settle.
Thirdly, premature peace talks can prolong a conflict. This is because if negotiations are premature, both sides will enter the negotiations with unrealistic demands that will not result in any resolution.
So, it appears there is still more fighting to happen before any peaceful resolution can occur. Russia is more likely to enter negotiations in good faith if it realises that Western support is unwavering, and that continuing the conflict will just mean things keep getting worse for Russia.
And, your complaint about media bias in your first comment is a bit silly.
It is similar to a rugby team complaining that the ref was biased because of awarding most penlaties against that team. However, during that game, the team had continually engaged in blatant professional fouls.
Hint: flattening Ukrainian cities, shelling schools and hospitals, and committing terrible war crimes isn't likely to get a lot of positive press.
The supposed source for that comment is extremely tenuous. Supposedly, an unnamed source from Zelensky's team.
I doubt very much it is possible to provide a link. A bit similar to the supposed promise never to expand Nato eastwards which is often stated but has little actual evidence to support the comment ever being made.
Russian atrocities in Bucha, egragious as they may have been, should not have been a reason for Zelensky to abandon peace talks – just the opposite in fact.
Wow – up is down and black is white. So you leave more of your territory and citizens in the hands of people who do that sort of crap….and think you can also trust them to keep to any deal. War crimes are an excellent reason to keep fighting.
The main point of my comment was Boris Johnson's words:
Your post at TDB said:
However, at the very last minute, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly flew to Kiev and demanded that Zelensky step away from the talks, a shocking fact that has barely been mentioned in English-language news media.
I'd say that you have completely and probably deliberately misrepresented this as a 'demanded'. Your quote above makes that pretty clear. There is no evidence of there was a demand at all. It just looks to me like you do not understand the bounds of national sovereignty. Especially when you now say..
PS: Who are “they”, by the way? Presumably the British (and the Americans).
If you dig through your quoted section without your ridiculous ideological blinders on it, the answer is completely obvious.
"even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not."
Assuming that quote is correct, then Boris Johnson was talking as a PM of the sovereign nation of the UK. The ‘they’ in that context can only be that of the UK.
The reason for this is obvious for anyone who'd reads anything about diplomacy, the legal positions that underlie it, and simply the authority limits of what nations allow other nations to do on their behalf (which invariably is – only if we explicitly say that you can and you state that).
If he had been giving the position of the US (a different sovereign nation) – then he would have explicitly said so having gotten permission to do so. Otherwise the US would have had Johnson's guts for garters while also repudiating his words.
What Johnson clearly said was that the UK (they) was not willing to give "guarantees with Putin" – presumably written about security or sanctions or NATO expansion as the most likely subjects. Your quote is not explicit or (as usual) sourced.
The UK position is probably because Putin has repeatably violated previous written guarantees about the Russia Federation protecting Ukraine security and borders with a succession of invasions and attempts to subvert the governing of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. If you don't know what I am talking about, then I'd suggest that you find out before your ignorance is exposed.
Similarly the UK cannot speak for NATO about guarantees about NATO expansion. NATO requires unanimity on any decisions about the decisions of NATO from all members. If the UK wasn't willing to provide a yes, then there would be no guarantees with Putin from NATO.
Both of those are decisions that the UK can make in the absence of any other nation.
And need I say it (but obviously yes based on your apparent lack of basic understanding).
The leaders of the UK cannot speak for Ukraine, nor can the leaders of Ukraine speak for the UK, US or anyone apart from their own nation. National sovereignty is a fundamental of international law and diplomacy. It is also enshrined in the UN charter and was quite specifically put in place to ensure the self-detirmation of nations after centuries of wars by imperial ambitions of other states.
I'd also be interested in you stating your position about national sovereignty and imperialism. Because almost everything I ever read from you reminds me of a grasping 19th century imperialist. Just as the official statements out of the Russian Federation also remind me of previous Russian imperialism in central Eurasia in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Russian atrocities in Bucha, egragious as they may have been, should not have been a reason for Zelensky to abandon peace talks – just the opposite in fact.
Which really begs the question about how your personal morality allows you to think like that. But leaving aside your casual approach to invasion, casual rape, arbitrary murder, systematic theft, and forced 'evacuations' by the Russian Federation invaders…
The report also found that Russia’s perspectives on the conflict were only considered or mentioned in 10% of news reports…
But they were mentioned. What was noticeable was that the main reason given for their support for invasion and deliberate subversion of parts of the Ukrainian nation from 2014 onwards was the purported atrocities against the civilian population of Russian speakers in the Crimea and Donetsk. The expansion of NATO was definitely a secondary consideration.
I say purported, because it is hard to nigh well impossible to locate actual substantive evidence that these atrocities existed. There is a lot of hearsay. All of the evidence that I have seen so far indicates armed militias and accidents in combat zones. This includes a number of official investigations from external nations looking for evidence of war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Whereas what happened in Bucha and many other sites were deliberate atrocities against civilians carried by invading Russian troops and security forces. These are all war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Anyway if that was cause enough for Russia to go from diplomatic to military invasion solutions in the Crimea and the Donensk. Then to me it appears to make your opinion (and possibly that of the Russian Federation) to say that the same alleged atrocities but with actual evidence is not a cause to bring war crimes and to continue military action is extremely hypocritical.
I'd have to troll back through your comments here to dig it out. But I seem to remember seeing you saying that purported atrocities in the Donenk as part of a your justification for the Russian invasion last year. Of course that could just be you mindlessly parroting propaganda without thinking it through.
An alternate explanation that I can see for your position and that of the Russian Federation position about not examining evidence of crimes against humanity is the same position 'subhuman' or 'uberman' position used by slavers, racists, and nazi death camp advocates.
Which again leads me to the question about your personal morality and political positions. Pwerhaps you should elucidate exactly what your personal positions on crimes against humanity and war crimes is.
BTW: please don't rabbit on about hearsay non-written guarantees about NATO to me. Hearsay guarantees simply aren't worth the paper they're not written on.
Basically Zelensky offered Russia an immediate ceasefire if Russian Forces would agree to return to the territories in the Donbas that Russia had occupied before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February. (With an agreement for further negotiations between Moscow and Kiev for a final peaceful settlement over these disputed territories). Sounded fair and more than generous to me.
Ukraine being a democracy, and without the power to rule by decree, Zelensky also offered to hold a binding nationwide referendum on full neutrality between the Nato allies and the Russian Federation. Again on the condition of a ceasefire to allow the referendum to proceed.
The Russian Federation negotiators, rejected all peace overtures by Kiev.
Making no progress in the negotiations with Moscow, Zelensky then went over the heads of the Russian delegation on Telegram, the messaging service favoured by Russians, to put the same peace offers to the Russian people directly.
As for the Bucha timeline, which as Lynne mentioned, acted to harden Ukraine's resolve to fight on. To try and find some common ground with the pro-Kremlin commenters, I try to avoid heated arguments over disputed atrocities, (no matter how well documented), claimed by either side, and instead concentrate on atrocities that can't be disputed. Like for instance video of Russian missiles slamming into civilian apartment buildings.
"Lauren Boebert said, as the metal detectors were removed behind her. “Today, they are being removed and we are turning Pelosi’s House back into the people’s House.”
She would say that. I suppose she's all for as many guns as possible when whoever it is decides to take over the House and really make it the people's house by doing what those she supports tried to do on Jan 6 2021.
Well that's about all they are likely to achieve over the next 2 years. Can't even get themselves sufficiently organised to elect a Speaker – and doesn't look like they will be able to any time soon. The Repugnants are such a fractured mob of malcontents now they are completely unfit to govern.
On Tuesday, as Republicans in the US House of Representatives convulse over electing one among them as speaker of the House, with Kevin McCarthy attempting to outmanoeuvre his hardcore Maga detractors, the civil war in the Republican party comes into the open.
But it’s not particularly civil and it’s not exactly a war. It’s the mindless hostility of a political party that’s lost any legitimate reason for being.
The so called Freedom Caucus (does not include Green, does include Boebert and Gaetz) have demands such as spending cuts (Social Security and Medicare) and the creation of a select committee modeled after the one that investigated the federal government after Watergate (they want license to go after people in government).
So, such people want to be able to be personally armed in the House? Why is that? Insecurity- I must be armed to protect myself? I don't trust the people who are employed to protect me, or trust their detection machines? I don't trust the society I live in enough not to be armed, that fear is my ever-present companion?
Or are they secretly hoping for some event to make their lives remarkable, Rapture seekers awaiting the-Second Coming to feel fulfilled?
I don't get the belief, the psychology, the motivation of it all.
hopefully simon dallow will do the right thing and resign and never come back to teevee ever. He is shallow biased and completely self serving and New Zealand deserves better.
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
Had an interesting long chat with a surgeon from one of our DHBs yesterday (not going to identify them).
Some interesting takeouts: Post code lottery in cancer outomes is indeed a thing, but not ion the way the media portrays it. Wait times for treatment are broadly the same. However, post treatment oncology services vary widely depending on where you live. In many DHBs your follow up care is on you – you've got to ring to get appointments, chase up the testing. In the big cities though the resources exist for the health system to follow you up. The issue isn't particularly money, but rather getting qualified oncology staff who want to work in out of the way DHBs.
The DHBs are, indeed, a complete nightrmare of petty fiefdoms and poor cooperation at the management level, although clinical staff mitigate a lot of that.
The last thing surprised me – this surgeon told me it should be an absolute priority to gain greater independence in the manufacturing of key vaccines, drugs and medications – insulin, basic paracetamol/NSAIDs and steroids, and generic asthma and blood pressure drugs – were specifically mentioned. Some capacity to manufacture these should be held domestically was the strongly held view.
Anyway, thought I share the observations of an extremely smart person who has been at the coal face for a while now….
Sanc….I've been in the UK recently (and wandering around Spain now) and the problems with nurses/junior doctors/the PUBLIC health service (private well off people are fine of course) seems to be not just in NZ but in many countries.
Coincidentally, I had a conversation with a friend yesterday who has been working in the Health Sector in Australia for over three decades now.
Her current role is in Nursing Management and Change Management Training.
We were talking about the retention and training of nurses in both Australia and NZ. We spoke about the reduction of training costs for RN's in Australia, which was not duplicated here (Covid training Fees Free was limited to Enrolled Nurses AFAIK). She also mentioned the disparity in training when accepting overseas trained staff. With countries where there were equivalent and close relationships, ie. Canada, England, NZ, US the staff were pretty much on a par, in terms of practice. Other countries were not as reliable in terms of consistency, which may be a cultural issue rather than training.
However, many UK nurses have an extra level of training after basic qualifications, when they specialise in a particular discipline – eg. oncology.
In Australia – this specialisation occurs by placement and practice on the ward, and is not usually accompanied by further theory or qualifications. UK nurses with these extra specialised qualifications are not recognised by Australia, leaving them on a par with basic RN nurse pay rates. In fact, they are equivalent to clinical practitioners in Australian heathcare (with a higher payrate), but have to fight to have this recognised. So far, the Australian government response has not been to make any changes, and so there is an attrition rate as those highly qualified nurses return back to the UK as job satisfaction is low, and they lose faith in the Australian system valuing them.
I'm not sure what occurs in NZ, as regards this issue.
Surely you mean Whatu Ora?
cause
To begin reforming the health system, the 20 DHBs were disestablished and their functions were merged into Te Whatu Ora, which now leads the day-to-day running of the system for the whole country.6/09/2022
https://www.futureofhealth.govt.nz/health-nz/#:~:text=To%20begin%20reforming%20the%20health,system%20for%20the%20whole%20country.
Covid cases are still being reported by DHB/Region – see map here:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/450874/covid-19-data-visualisations-nz-in-numbers
I guess changes would disrupt continuity of data comparison.
According to the government the DHBs don't exist anymore.
They might still use hard/software until the full transition is completed, but as of the June 2022 there were no more DHBs. And whatever assets the DHBs had at the time they were dissolved these are now the assets of Te Whatu Ora.
And yes, the DHBs were underfunded, overworked and appreciated by none but they no longer set the rules or provide the budget nor plan anything, that is all now done by Te Whatu Ora. They were reformed away by Andrew Little, Minister of Health, Creator of Te Whatu Ora, under the Labour Party led by Jacinda Ardern. It is actually one of the things they are proud of.
What ever the short comings of todays Te Whatu Ora they are the shortcomings of Te Whatu Ora. To pretend that the DHBs are still doing anything today is misleading.
"The DHBs are, indeed, a complete nightrmare of petty fiefdoms and poor cooperation at the management level…"
That was plain for all to see and as far as I can tell is the basis for the reforms now underway. Andrew Little has explained the problems over and over again yet the Oppo parties – backed by a disingenuous bunch of media hacks – keep questioning his motivations as if he hasn't explained anything and is a complete idiot.
Its pathetic to watch the ignorant and foolish public fall for it, and does make me wonder about the poor cognitive abilities of so many voters. Is it an education failure or the results of hostile bombardment by right-wing media? Or is it both?
In my opinion, the problems with our health system go all the way back 3 decades to the Birch health reforms.
I offer up this over-the-holidays conversation with the son of a close family friend. He's just about to jet overseas to Oz – to further his career.
He's a doctor – 2 years out of med school who wants to specialize as an oncologist (he's interested in both research and treatment). You'd think that the NZ medical system would be falling over backwards to find a way to foster his career here…. but no.
He's missed out on the oncology residency (very limited numbers, I understand) at Auckland – no further communication, just a letter. And, given that he'd need to shift cities in any case (if there was, indeed, anything available in NZ), he looked over the ditch at what was on offer in Oz. He's ended up with a very attractive offer in Queensland, which will foster his career, and pay him considerably more. He's off at the end of the month – and I'd be surprised if he ever returns. A total loss of 7 years plus education and training to NZ.
Not neoliberal economics, in other words. We need to be prepared to pay the extra cost for that supply security – yet both our main parties are madly committed to keeping govt debt and taxes low by world standards.
Did the surgeon say why? I completely agree, because the global supply of such things is no longer guaranteed, but am curious what his thinking was.
He sounds very sensible and alert to the issues.
A short time ago, and I don't remember where exactly, Jenny, a commenter with whom i often find myself debating the Ukraine issue, pointed out that Putin in April had turned down an initiative for an interim ceasefire. I had not been aware of this and made some fairly non committal response. However, Malcolm Evens has very recently made a post to The Daily Blog which claimed, in passing, that a deal had been brokered between Kyiv and Moscow, but that Boris Johnson had talked Zelensky into backing away from it.
And the media also failed to publish the peace initiative brokered when Kiev and Moscow reached a negotiated interim settlement in early April, whereby Russia would withdraw to its pre-February 24 position, and Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership in return for security guarantees from a number of countries. However, at the very last minute, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly flew to Kiev and demanded that Zelensky step away from the talks, a shocking fact that has barely been mentioned in English-language news media.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/12/31/new-study-exposes-the-medias-role-in-the-war-on-truth-in-ukraine/
I mention this, not as a criticism of Jenny, but because I think that if this is true (Evens does not provide a link) then it is pretty shocking that Johnson would do such a thing; and shows the US and British motivations for their involvement involvement in the Ukraine conflict to be pretty venal.
Firstly there are no details of any purported settlement to publish.
Secondly if it had happened (which seems unlikely to me) then it would have been in the peace talks on March 29th/30th. it was overtaken by events after the forced Russian withdrawal from Bucha a day later and the discovery of Russian atrocities against civilians a day later. Responsibility for actions against Russian perpetrators would have then been part of any peace settlement, something that Russia never seems to demand any accountability of their military or security forces. Plus the Russian line at the time was that it was all a manufactured incident by the Ukrreainians.
Thirdly, Johnson only visited Kyiv well after a speech by Zelensky to the UN demanding accountability of Russian actions that scuppered any hope of early peace agreement.
You should probably look at the actual history, rather than some manufactured time line for internal propaganda written by an fool apologist making up fairy tales.
Wikipedia has a pretty good timeline of the known peace negotiations.
If you read the timelines, the barbaric behaviour of the Russian troops and FSB in places like Bucha after the forced withdrawal of Russian troops before the April 1st evidence of atrocities were what prevented any hope of a early peace settlement.
This was the report on the 4th of April address of Zelenzky. Curiously Malcom Evans didn't mention this in his analysis. Possibly because they are in favour of atrocities by Russia in occupied territories – which would be my current working hypothesis in the absence of a denial and explanation of their moral stance.
Ukraine's President Described Nightmarish War Crimes By Russian Forces In Bucha
After that address, the media had their own direct access to the Bucha and other atrocity sites to verify the atrocity claims well before Boris Johnson visited Kyiv. He didn't visit until the 9th of April.
Which is what made this particular bit of Russian propaganda a pile of limp bullshit for blind fools supporting documented military and FSB atrocities.
Thanks for that Iprent. I was aware of all this, but you have given a lot more detail, which is informative.
I think you have wasted your energy replying to Mike et al though. The bones of all this has already been pointed out to them previously by various of us. But it doesn't seem to sink in unfortunately.
Also, whatever Russia says about wanting to negotiate, its actions speak louder than words. Its recent actions in "annexing" parts of Ukraine, some of which it didn't even occupy at the time, really scuppered any prospect for negotiation.
Up until then, it was possible to envisage some sort of land-lease arrangement between Ukraine and Russia that would have given Russia legal access to Ukrainian territories such as Crimea or the Donbas, but would have ensured that sovereign ownership remained with Ukraine.
But, unfortunately, Russia has now made negotiated deals nigh on impossible, in the short term, anyway.
The main point of my comment was Boris Johnson's words:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who told Zelenskyy "Putin is a war criminal, he should be pressured, not negotiated with," and that "even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not."
Russian atrocities in Bucha, egragious as they may have been, should not have been a reason for Zelensky to abandon peace talks – just the opposite in fact. Almost certainly it would have been Johnson's comments that decided him.
PS: Who are “they”, by the way? Presumably the British (and the Americans).
Before you can use this supposed statement as a basis for an argument you need to provide an authoritative source to prove that the statement was ever made in the first place, and also, the context for the statement so we can assess whether it actually has the spin you are trying to attach to it.
But, so far as peace negotiations go, it is a good idea to listen to someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Nielson is a military analyst at the Danish Defence Academy, and a captain on a Danish war ship.
Nielson makes several points:
Firstly, if the current dispute could have been resolved through negotiations, it would have been.
Secondly, war defines the parameters for the peace talks. At the moment, both sides think they can win, and that both sides have totally incompatible demands. Hence, there is little prospect for successful negotiations at the moment.
But if one side sees they are losing, or that they may lose any advantage they have, they will be more likely to enter peace talks. For instance, if Russia keeps getting driven back, or if the Ukrainian population tires of constant attacks on infrastructure etc, and puts pressure on Zelensky to settle.
Thirdly, premature peace talks can prolong a conflict. This is because if negotiations are premature, both sides will enter the negotiations with unrealistic demands that will not result in any resolution.
So, it appears there is still more fighting to happen before any peaceful resolution can occur. Russia is more likely to enter negotiations in good faith if it realises that Western support is unwavering, and that continuing the conflict will just mean things keep getting worse for Russia.
Thirdly, that premature peace talks
And, your complaint about media bias in your first comment is a bit silly.
It is similar to a rugby team complaining that the ref was biased because of awarding most penlaties against that team. However, during that game, the team had continually engaged in blatant professional fouls.
Hint: flattening Ukrainian cities, shelling schools and hospitals, and committing terrible war crimes isn't likely to get a lot of positive press.
Link?
The supposed source for that comment is extremely tenuous. Supposedly, an unnamed source from Zelensky's team.
I doubt very much it is possible to provide a link. A bit similar to the supposed promise never to expand Nato eastwards which is often stated but has little actual evidence to support the comment ever being made.
Wow – up is down and black is white. So you leave more of your territory and citizens in the hands of people who do that sort of crap….and think you can also trust them to keep to any deal. War crimes are an excellent reason to keep fighting.
Your post at TDB said:
I'd say that you have completely and probably deliberately misrepresented this as a 'demanded'. Your quote above makes that pretty clear. There is no evidence of there was a demand at all. It just looks to me like you do not understand the bounds of national sovereignty. Especially when you now say..
If you dig through your quoted section without your ridiculous ideological blinders on it, the answer is completely obvious.
Assuming that quote is correct, then Boris Johnson was talking as a PM of the sovereign nation of the UK. The ‘they’ in that context can only be that of the UK.
The reason for this is obvious for anyone who'd reads anything about diplomacy, the legal positions that underlie it, and simply the authority limits of what nations allow other nations to do on their behalf (which invariably is – only if we explicitly say that you can and you state that).
If he had been giving the position of the US (a different sovereign nation) – then he would have explicitly said so having gotten permission to do so. Otherwise the US would have had Johnson's guts for garters while also repudiating his words.
What Johnson clearly said was that the UK (they) was not willing to give "guarantees with Putin" – presumably written about security or sanctions or NATO expansion as the most likely subjects. Your quote is not explicit or (as usual) sourced.
The UK position is probably because Putin has repeatably violated previous written guarantees about the Russia Federation protecting Ukraine security and borders with a succession of invasions and attempts to subvert the governing of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. If you don't know what I am talking about, then I'd suggest that you find out before your ignorance is exposed.
Similarly the UK cannot speak for NATO about guarantees about NATO expansion. NATO requires unanimity on any decisions about the decisions of NATO from all members. If the UK wasn't willing to provide a yes, then there would be no guarantees with Putin from NATO.
Both of those are decisions that the UK can make in the absence of any other nation.
And need I say it (but obviously yes based on your apparent lack of basic understanding).
The leaders of the UK cannot speak for Ukraine, nor can the leaders of Ukraine speak for the UK, US or anyone apart from their own nation. National sovereignty is a fundamental of international law and diplomacy. It is also enshrined in the UN charter and was quite specifically put in place to ensure the self-detirmation of nations after centuries of wars by imperial ambitions of other states.
I'd also be interested in you stating your position about national sovereignty and imperialism. Because almost everything I ever read from you reminds me of a grasping 19th century imperialist. Just as the official statements out of the Russian Federation also remind me of previous Russian imperialism in central Eurasia in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Which really begs the question about how your personal morality allows you to think like that. But leaving aside your casual approach to invasion, casual rape, arbitrary murder, systematic theft, and forced 'evacuations' by the Russian Federation invaders…
But they were mentioned. What was noticeable was that the main reason given for their support for invasion and deliberate subversion of parts of the Ukrainian nation from 2014 onwards was the purported atrocities against the civilian population of Russian speakers in the Crimea and Donetsk. The expansion of NATO was definitely a secondary consideration.
I say purported, because it is hard to nigh well impossible to locate actual substantive evidence that these atrocities existed. There is a lot of hearsay. All of the evidence that I have seen so far indicates armed militias and accidents in combat zones. This includes a number of official investigations from external nations looking for evidence of war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Whereas what happened in Bucha and many other sites were deliberate atrocities against civilians carried by invading Russian troops and security forces. These are all war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Anyway if that was cause enough for Russia to go from diplomatic to military invasion solutions in the Crimea and the Donensk. Then to me it appears to make your opinion (and possibly that of the Russian Federation) to say that the same alleged atrocities but with actual evidence is not a cause to bring war crimes and to continue military action is extremely hypocritical.
I'd have to troll back through your comments here to dig it out. But I seem to remember seeing you saying that purported atrocities in the Donenk as part of a your justification for the Russian invasion last year. Of course that could just be you mindlessly parroting propaganda without thinking it through.
An alternate explanation that I can see for your position and that of the Russian Federation position about not examining evidence of crimes against humanity is the same position 'subhuman' or 'uberman' position used by slavers, racists, and nazi death camp advocates.
Which again leads me to the question about your personal morality and political positions. Pwerhaps you should elucidate exactly what your personal positions on crimes against humanity and war crimes is.
BTW: please don't rabbit on about hearsay non-written guarantees about NATO to me. Hearsay guarantees simply aren't worth the paper they're not written on.
I commented on Ukraine and Russia making peace, once during the negotiations and twice afterward,
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28-10-2022/#comment-1918232
.https://thestandard.org.nz/freedom-is-not-guaranteed-sometimes-you-must-fight/#comment-1910337
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30-03-2022/#comment-1879756
Basically Zelensky offered Russia an immediate ceasefire if Russian Forces would agree to return to the territories in the Donbas that Russia had occupied before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February. (With an agreement for further negotiations between Moscow and Kiev for a final peaceful settlement over these disputed territories). Sounded fair and more than generous to me.
Ukraine being a democracy, and without the power to rule by decree, Zelensky also offered to hold a binding nationwide referendum on full neutrality between the Nato allies and the Russian Federation. Again on the condition of a ceasefire to allow the referendum to proceed.
The Russian Federation negotiators, rejected all peace overtures by Kiev.
Making no progress in the negotiations with Moscow, Zelensky then went over the heads of the Russian delegation on Telegram, the messaging service favoured by Russians, to put the same peace offers to the Russian people directly.
As for the Bucha timeline, which as Lynne mentioned, acted to harden Ukraine's resolve to fight on. To try and find some common ground with the pro-Kremlin commenters, I try to avoid heated arguments over disputed atrocities, (no matter how well documented), claimed by either side, and instead concentrate on atrocities that can't be disputed. Like for instance video of Russian missiles slamming into civilian apartment buildings.
There's something wrong with these people.
Metal detectors were removed from outside the House chamber with the start of the new Republican-controlled House on Tuesday.
The extra layer of security was ordered put in place by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3796927-metal-detectors-removed-from-outside-the-house-chamber/
"Lauren Boebert said, as the metal detectors were removed behind her. “Today, they are being removed and we are turning Pelosi’s House back into the people’s House.”
She would say that. I suppose she's all for as many guns as possible when whoever it is decides to take over the House and really make it the people's house by doing what those she supports tried to do on Jan 6 2021.
Well she would – She's attempted to carry guns into the House of Representatives before. And utter maniac.
Well that's about all they are likely to achieve over the next 2 years. Can't even get themselves sufficiently organised to elect a Speaker – and doesn't look like they will be able to any time soon. The Repugnants are such a fractured mob of malcontents now they are completely unfit to govern.
The so called Freedom Caucus (does not include Green, does include Boebert and Gaetz) have demands such as spending cuts (Social Security and Medicare) and the creation of a select committee modeled after the one that investigated the federal government after Watergate (they want license to go after people in government).
So, such people want to be able to be personally armed in the House? Why is that? Insecurity- I must be armed to protect myself? I don't trust the people who are employed to protect me, or trust their detection machines? I don't trust the society I live in enough not to be armed, that fear is my ever-present companion?
Or are they secretly hoping for some event to make their lives remarkable, Rapture seekers awaiting the-Second Coming to feel fulfilled?
I don't get the belief, the psychology, the motivation of it all.
To make it easier next time they arrange a 6 Jan coup. Not holding people accountable emboldens them.
hopefully simon dallow will do the right thing and resign and never come back to teevee ever. He is shallow biased and completely self serving and New Zealand deserves better.
What does this mean?
Link please?
"…New Zealand deserves better."
Yeah!
Coz!
Twitter outages in NZ & Aussie today. Website not loading, feed v slow, many unable to tweet
Twitter slow or completely down for New Zealand, Australian users – reports | Newshub
https://twitter.com/RyanSproull/status/1610399311959068673?s=20
just had a look at some TS embeds, and they're still visible.
eg https://thestandard.org.nz/twitter-as-slow-motion-trainwreck/
can't open them in twitter of course.
oh, twitter pages actually loading now. I couldn't get them to work at all earlier.
do you have a backup plan? I'm on mastodon periodically, but it's quite different from twitter.
yeah I set up a Mastodon account, but its not the same
we will still have TS for the politics 🙂 (it's not the same either).
testing to see how dysfunctional twitter is and I see that 'woke' is trending in NZ. Only it's tweets like this
😁
https://twitter.com/adamsonsonadam/status/1610566866371502081