Full credit to the BC’s for a series win against England, but they still played pretty poorly. Again, we seem to struggle with consistency, and have been over the past 25 years or so.
Test match cricket is just the greatest game there has ever been. As one of the English commentators said on the radio as the match slowly drew to it’s nail biting draw, “You can’t hold your breath for this long in T20”.
Yes – the thousands of people that turn up at venues around the country every weekend to watch, or watch it from the comfort of their home or local pub are clearly bored…
For the starship model I used Groboto – which seems to have stopped development with the lead developer developing leukaemia. It was only ever Windows and Mac.
For the rendering I used Vue. I haven’t heard of it being ported to Linux.
Actually no. Sport can produce an understanding of strategy, tactics, teamwork/cooperation all of which have value in the business world. And then there are the health and wellbeing benefits. Still so sure sport has no value?
Sport can produce an understanding of strategy, tactics, teamwork/cooperation all of which have value in the business world.
If you’re engaged in it – yes. That’s not what’s happening for the majority of people though – unfortunately. They’re just watching it on the screen – and usually getting drunk and obnoxious at the same.
Because it is. I see value in actually doing sport but it doesn’t produce anything of use. And for some there may be value in watching it but not to the extremes that it supports rich bludgers.
Nah, gotta call bollocks on that, and I don’t even like sport either.
Watching top-level sports is like watching craftsmen at work – why they do little tweaks, how they set up their opponent. In many ways, the tactics and deception in sport is more obvious when watched on telly than when in the field. And the pre-amble, the head-games between competitors, all really interesting. There’s a great video somewhere of Arnie psyching out Lou Ferrigno before the Mr Universe contest, over breakfast, in front of Ferrigno’s parents.
Even boxing can be a thing of beauty to watch, when done by experts. Yeah, I don’t like most of the audience, but I’ve been around a few bouts before, during, and after, and it’s more than just beating the shit out of each other, it really is. It’s all a head-game. Ironic, really.
Should theatre actors be paid? They also perform art for a live audience, inspiring passion and thought. Hamilton! apparently has minimum ticket prices of over a thousand bucks on Broadway. Shouldn’t the performers get a piece of that?
I agree – I’m a cricket fan and watching a captain set his field for one type of bowl the bowler is about to perform in order to trap the batter into making the exact type of shot required to get him caught is a thing of beauty and takes a huge amount of skill, planning and training.
You neglected to mention luck – an important element in all sports. Why else shape a rugby ball that way? A cricket player can easily go from hero to zero, as can a sailor or a half-back.
But the essential point is that sport is a luxury, and while people enjoy it, sport is vastly overrated and used as a distraction from serious issues. As a control freak, I would like to see only 5 minutes max in an hour of news given to sport, with similar limits in the press, etc.
Are you against the arts then? They don’t produce anything like cell phones or computers. It does however broaden the mind and uplift the spirit. Just like sport does for some.
I can’t let the sport is useless line pass without a challenge.
I coached kids rugby and cricket for a few years.
I would cite cooperation, patience, tolerance, skills improving with practice as some examples of the benefits of sport.
I take yr point of the commercialization of sport.
I still celebrated the cricket result especially in the aftermath of the Aussie ball tampering and our team being an example that our Tasmanian cousins could emulate.
I also coached many school sports teams over the years. Sports can bring evil out of people just as often as the good that many claim… I tried to encourage the good aspects, but often got criticised for not enough emphasis on winning. Sorry gsays – Andrea raises a very good point.
I don’t disagree with Andreas point.
I, too, got criticized for my approach. (Played the star batsman at 8 as he was late getting to the game.)
I saw my role as developing players.
As a spectator I witnessed a parent punch a coach.
Then provided statement to police and parent got conviction and lifetime ban.
Anecdotally yes. In my experience as a coach of a children’s football team… when they’re rocking up citing a professional player like Lionel Messi or Harry Kane as their inspiration then you know that to be the case. And they’re much more engaged to boot (excuse the pun).
I commented in daily review about this. As a kid my brothers and I and the local nippers used to love watching the footy or Cricket then going outside and playing and pretending to be our favourite cricketer or rugby player.
Saturday morning sport was one of my favourite times and i had a dream of playing test cricket for NZ. Sadly, didn’t happen but I could still dream about it
No – this is wrong. Adoration of superstars works temporarily – until the kids know that they are not going to make that level themselves. Then they leave the sport in droves. This is not the way to promote anything. I think Draco has suggested that getting them to enjoy doing/playing the sport is wiser. If so, I agree.
So now Porton Down can’t establish that the novichok came from Russia
Anybody still believe that May and Boris don’t lie?
here’s Boris , in full flight with an outright lie speaking to a German reporter
“When I look at the evidence, the people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked the guy myself, I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘There’s no doubt.’ So we have very little alternative but to take the action that we have taken.”
total lie
So now we’re down to special intelligence that the Brits can’t possibly share, because of national security .Pretty shabby
And Yulia?
Will her family now be allowed to contact and visit her?
Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), said the poison had been identified as a military-grade novichok nerve agent, which could probably be deployed only by a nation state.
Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, Wiltshire, told Sky News that the substance required “extremely sophisticated methods to create something only in the capabilities of a state actor. We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.”
That’s “probably” a nation state, not “probably” Russia. (And is to do with deployment)
The former suggests the possibility of non-state actors while the latter excludes them. Big difference.
And when the head of the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory also says there is no known anti-dote to Novichok….
I think the story may well be about to unravel very fast.
Fighting a rearguard action, I see The Guardian is attributing stuff to Lavrov in sub-headers that he didn’t actually say- stuff that falls within the same ball park as nonsense coming from official UK government pages that OAB linked to as an example of Russia being mocked, but which staggers between mockery and self parody.
Throw in Iran having openly synthesised Novichok and the likely unsavoury circles of an ex-spy in a country fair hoatching with dubious and powerful rip off merchants from the days when the USSR collapsed….
What possible motive would Iran have to attack an ex Russian spy?
Absolute certainties are not possible in this area. But the totality of the evidence, the nerve agent, who it was used against, previous Russian form paints a compelling picture. All other explanations are far fetched and in some cases are the stuff of conspiracy theorists (such as Poton Downs did it).
Shooting’s more Mossad’s style, but true, they’d be up for it.
So how does this drive a wedge between Russia and Iran (strange bedfellows at the best of times) or Russia and Assad/Hezbollah? If anything it would reinforce any alliances along those lines.
Why? They’re making money out of it.
And Mossad don’t have a monkey in that circus, do they? So why would Mossad bother doing this for BAE or General Dynamics?
Wayne!!
Nobody is suggesting that Iran would want to attack an ex British spy!!!
Bill is pointing out positive proof that other states are perfectly capable of producing Novichok type chemicals.I find the whole Russia did it narrative utterly far fetched. Most of all it depended on Russia being the only country capable.Novichok=Russia
In case you missed my many postings of this , and in answer to your demand that someone give evidence of the UK lying about the Salisbury events, here is Boris, the foreign secretary of the UK lying his arse off about what Porton Down told him
So now we are down to all the murky”past form” and endless propaganda
In case you have not noticed,western media treatment of all things Russia has become even more decidedly partisan since Putin took over from the supine Yeltsin , reversed the decline of living standards and put a stop to the general rape and pillage of state owned assets
The propaganda has become so transparent in its desperate nature, that even I, a total apolitical hermit , started to notice about 5 years ago
For a lot of people now, it is simply not working.
so pardon me if I dont accept innuendo and propaganda as evidence, we’re meant to be more civilised than that
I didn’t remotely suggest Iran attacked an ex-British spy.
You’re right enough that absolute certainties aren’t possible – which beggars the question as to why May’s previous pronouncements?
The totality of the evidence is that two people were admitted to hospital.
There are UK Government claims a certain nerve agent was used, but no verifiable evidence so far.
Previous form schmorm.
The bullshit of western propaganda leveled at anyone or any country “the west” disapproves of, has such an obvious stink that I’m left somewhat speechless by the fact so many liberal conservatives smell nothing but roses when they sniff around it.
If and when it becomes established that the Russian state had diddly squat to do with this, you gonna jump up and scream “conspiracy!” on the grounds that “all other explanations are far fetched”?
Or will you do the fall back mambo and point to something that just “cropped up” to explain any volte face on your part?
The thing is, if it’s demonstrated that some other party launched a massively convoluted plot to kill two people in a way that almost everyone with any knowledge of the mortality rate amongst Putin’s opponents would simply say “oh, it’d be him again”, then that would be pretty spectacular.
But that’s the thing about additional information: it should change opinions if those opinions are inconsistent with actual information (vs bullshit). This isn’t actually somethig to mock, it’s how an information-based opinion system should work.
You talk of an “information based opinion system”. but it’s fairly clear from your comment. that only gets to kick in when the ideological perspective you’re holding to is no longer tenable.
There has been no demonstration that any party tried to murder the Skripals. And yet “Russia!”
Yes, the hypothesis (to avoid the word “theory” which has dual use, I’m using hypothesis to be clear that this is what I’d mean if I used the word “theory”) has to fit the facts.
But if my assessment of the most likely (by a mile) scenario is affected by my ideological perspective, what do you think the most likely scenario is: Two people, one a traitor to Russia, are found in an English town frothing from the mouth and with pinpoint pupils. Are English gastropubs known for their shoddy fugu preparations, perchance? What do you think are the most likely causes of this event?
But I’m fully aware that what’s being touted as the “most likely” is being fueled by long running ideological antagonism that runs very deep in what I’ll call “the corridors of power” in western society.
So what emanates from there ought to be treated with due caution and skepticism. Obviously.
And non-political actors (the scientific community at Porton Down) are finally getting the message out that no, they haven’t fingered Russia with their chemical analysis, contradicting what politicians have been so keen to insinuate and have “taken as read”.
People can figure for themselves the likely road we’re on with all this if they just take a second to step back.
The likely road is some ineffectual sanctions and putin and may continue kleptocracy as usual. No elite on either side is going to risk losing money over this, and any real confrontation here will lose them money.
And your geopolitical agnosticism becomes pretty farcical when we look at the mortality rate of putin’s opponents, the reported symptoms of the five injured (three hospitalised) people, and the record of one of the victims. The refusal to acknowledge that something even looks like a duck eventually becomes a sign of one’s own ideological blinkering rather than intellectual integrity.
“The government has attempted to control the narrative by finally admitting, as they have known for three weeks and just ahead of the OPCW experts coming out and saying so, that there is no evidence the substance used in the Salisbury attack was made in Russia.”
Wayne demands obeisance to the status quo. This must take the form of condemning the crimes (real and sometimes imagined) of our official enemies. Meanwhile the crimes of our official friends (US drone programme) and our own crimes (Operation Burnham) must pass without remark.
He comes across like a star-performing, Brezhnev-era ideological worker.
And when the head of the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory also says there is no known anti-dote to Novichok
Really?
This is completely absurd. The antidotes for nerve agent exposure are atropine and oximes. You do not need Novichok to produce atropine and oximes. This is insipid idiot-fodder designed to appeal to morons. https://t.co/GAUGFrwkjR— Dan Kaszeta (@DanKaszeta) April 3, 2018
Specific treatment
Antidotes to nerve agent poisoning must be given immediately (see below). It should be noted that some Novichok agents have been specifically designed to be resistant to standard nerve agent antidote therapy.
Antidotes
Atropine is only a useful antidote if the mechanism of poisoning is through irrveresible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) but only when given early on after exposure.
The toxicity of these binary agents does not rely primarily on the inhibition of AChE, but it is thought that it causes permanent neuropathy. Consequently, conventional nerve agent antidotes may not work. Reactive oximes such as potassium 2,3-butanedione monoximate may be useful in detoxification.
…
Novichok agents are reported to produce more permanent injury, even following appropriate nerve agent antidote treatment.
…
Inhibition of NTE, aging, and the process of following the OP binding to an active esterase site that prevents the reactivation of the site are important for selection of an antidote against certain OP nerve agents. It is of primary concern for the Novichok agent.
told Sky News that the substance required “extremely sophisticated methods to create something only in the capabilities of a state actor.
Which is, of course, a load of bollocks. Almost all drugs we consume, which also have “extremely sophisticated methods to create’ are made by the private sector. It may be somewhat unlikely that the private sector would produce it as there just isn’t that much demand for it but the private sector could most definitely produce it.
And we have plenty of experience of the private sector doing dodgy stuff for profit.
So a “military-grade” substance which one of the victims makes a miraculous recovery from.
A substance that doesn’t seem to be classified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) due to it’s murky nature.
What type of “novichok” did they identify it as? From the layperson perspective, this isn’t just one chemical but more a grouping of chemicals. It would be good to see some detail on that.
Not good when the explanation means more questions than answers.
It’s not the murky nature but the development date that excludes novichok from OPCW literature.
But it is still covered by the agreement, it was developed (illegally) after it was made, and thus not specified, though it is covered by the definitions.
Yes, thats great.In a BBC interview some days ago she said she was getting nowhere with the hospital or the British authorities
And later it was said the Brits were “considering” her visa .
Glad if its now gone through
It must be absolute hell for them
Espiner’s “gotcha!” Interviewing style gets old real quick. He also does the public a disservice, because he spends his whole time trying to foot trip his interview subject rather than getting information out of them for voters.
For all Jacinda’s defence of her, there’s a problem with Clare Curran. She seems to be one of those people who never learns from mistakes and goes on to commit more. She has past form in this regard, and I was surprised the caucus elected her to be a cabinet minister. Looks like some in caucus have some learning to do as well.
I agree, Anne. I had a little hope after watching her Q & A interview at the weekend, but then head hit desk again yesterday when I heard she had contacted Griffin directly re the Select Committee appearance. That is exactly the type of situation/action Griffin will play for all its worth from my experience of him.
JA is in a quandary timing wise with the Budget coming up and the Chairman contact running out in a few weeks, and because Curran’s mistakes are not individually sacking issues. But the ongoing lack of nous makes Curran increasingly a liability not an asset. Curran needs to be put on a very tight lease in the meantime – with a minder checking her every move before she makes it.
Veutoviper, Funny you should say Griffin is like that. It went through my mind that Claire Curran would be desperate to get the record straight quickly, and as he has nothing to gain or lose Griffin perhaps was “letting her sweat”.
When I heard about the letter, I thought, I wonder if he already knew that and let her walk into the second situation, knowing she is going away shortly she would tell him of the other method, which would “suggest” she didn’t want him to appear.
I watched Richard Griffin on past Political discussion panels, and he played “gotcha” tactics quite often, rather like someone I worked with at that time. I had to be constantly thinking “How could he use this to undermine me.?”
I think Claire Curran has to realise they may be in the same field but they are not wanting the same things. To deal with him use someone else to forward information, as that makes it impersonal. IMO
It all came to a massive -but very funny end – which I would love to recount but can’t for confidentiality reasons. When I am feeling down, I remember it and roar with laughter. Nothing like playing someone like him at his own game. And I know I am not the only one who has done so and won.
To be fair though, I have to say that over the years, he has actually admitted to his own failures from time to time. But it does not stop him continuing to operate the way he does and play the ‘no holds barred’ game, nor expecting others to do the same.
I agree, ditto. Her intentions are good, but I’m not sure she’s actually up to the task in reforming one of the most important roadblocks this coalition faces.
Indeed, i just got through a discussion with my sister who was hob nobbing and taking blue-haired selfies at that Wairarapa retreat Labour held post election. That’s CC.
As much as I tried, i couldn’t seem to get her to understand the second bigest roadblock (our public/civil service) senior and muddle management.
Admittedly the Chardonnay, and whatever other vintner’s ecstacy was probably flowing.
I had to listen to her relating to me how she was assured with the charge and the reform agenda. An I L-G for example told her of the horrific stories affecting immigrants and generally the dealings had with our gNatsed Public Service.
The problem I had with her blind faith (as a comfortably off Labour stalwart)…..not unlike a Stace, was that example after example I gave, she (and I FEAR the Jacinda) whose combined selfie I was sent whilst overseas) still do not understand the shit they face.
Still….I’m prepared to give it a little longer but the clock is tikking.
Curran was meant to be whipping that neolib echo chamber into shape and Gluon’s behaviour shows he’s pretty confident of his tenure or got plan B sorted IMO.
But she shouldn’t have to be explaining herself, or the actions of one idiot Minister who needs to be brought into line.
Jacinda should be answering questions about the massive workload her Ministers are undertaking and the fantastic things which will result from that work.
As i had the Oral Questions videos page open in another tab, here are the videos of the two Questions Bridges to Ardern this afternoon. I agree Bridges is not really a match for Ardern – and he has had a lot of experience as they were on the same TV show together once a week for some years (cannot remember which one).
Media appear to be burying Tim Keatings resignation….. why is that??
How many resignations have there been now by those who called the shots for Operation Burnham? john key, bill english, johnathan coleman and now keating. Special mention for spin doctor joyce.
No one is “burying” Keating stepping down. Three to four years is the normal term for a NZ CDF in recent decades, and that is how long Keating has now served in that role Wikipedia CDF NZ. It is just a completely normal end of term for Keating, nothing more.
Also in my opinion, if we waste our time getting falsely excited over things like the routine end of term of a Defence Force commander rather than concentrating on real problems for the government and NZ , like reducing homelessness, or the risks of having people like Clare Curran and Shane Jones as Ministers, we are just improving the chances of a Tory government in 2020.
I am on the present information appalled at Operation Burnham. But Keating’s resignation is for the end of his first but renewable term as Defence Chief. He has had the role for four years. His term is not out of the ordinary and does not seem to have been cut short. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_Defence_Force_(New_Zealand)
So, connections being made are based on timing. How many Defence Chiefs took up a second term? They all did 2-4 years in the job.
All, the same, I’d bet he knew not to go seeking a second term because of Operation Burnham’s fallout. Less embarrassing to retire than not be offered the second term. But that, too, is conjecture.
What is more useful to know is what affect will his tenure end have upon further investigations into Operation Burnham? Will he still be able to be questioned, records examined, sanctions imposed if needed? Will his going affect the true carriage of justice?
Question is whether it is an actual “resignation” or a case of him announcing that he is not seeking/wanting reappointment when his current appointment runs out on 30 June. The Herald is running with the latter.
[Different subject – did you get to the bottom of the bible pushers at your daughter’s school tuck shop? ]
Hey VV, school was fine with it as it’s the Gideons (new testaments in the motels outfit). Lmao, yeah ok then. Bit of a waste many ended up in the rubbish bin.
Oh wells, at least my girls know that Easter has been around since before Jesus was born 🙂
Indeed…a sense of irony is something missing from all the coverage of all the major news stories these days, not to mention all the ‘major’ news stories that are, infact, not all that ‘major’ to anyone other than the owners of the MSM and their friends…
So theater – political theater is the main game in town. How about we act in the interests of the labour movement, ignore the theater and talk about economics.
Here if you have half an hour free, On Contact with Richard Wolff.
Duke of URL
I suppose the OPCW will of course compare samples from the Skripals with samples from Porton Down’s own catalogue
Why do I suggest Porton Down has novichoks of its own ?
Considering that Porton Down has significant collaboration with the Pentagon on experimenting with chemical warfare agents
and that the US had inimpeded access, indeed control over exSoviet novichok facilities, plus Soviet novichok chemists like Mirzayanov,… links provided on request…
I find it implausible that the US would not develop and share its own novichok program, with Porton Down chemists
Note that Porton Down has not outright denied it has novichok samples of its own,rather denying that novichoks could escape from its 4 walls
I hear on RNZ news Shane Jones has approved funding towards the Napier Wairoa Rail line saying it will remove 5000 trucks from the roads. Some on the Standard were asking for this.
Cleangreen, but he and others want it extended to Gisborne, and not just to Wairoa. There are apparently reasons for not doing so, but I am not familiar enough with those issues. I am sure we will see more on the issues in due course.
The problems of Clare Curran from another perspective:
1 Clare Curran makes a ‘mistake’ every time she does something which someone doesn’t like.
2 Clare Curran does things which don’t fit traditional protocols she’s guilty of heinous crimes and she should be hung – or at least sacked. Steven Joyce and John Key doing things which didn’t fit traditional approaches and protocols was showing refreshing approaches demonstrating their ‘hands on’ interest.
3 Richard Griffin is longer in the tooth than Jason Ede and knows how to play the game to suit himself.
4 Is Richard Griffin appointed to the board with an expectation to enact Government policy or is Richard Griffin appointed to the board to keep everyone in the picture when something happens which he thinks is political?
5 Does Richard Griffin have a direct link to Kiwiblog so he can keep them in the loop? If not why not? He may as well have.
Pete Griffin has been Chair of the RNZ Board since 2010. His latest two year contract signed by the National Govt in 2016 expires on 30 April 2018 – ie in only 4 weeks time. It is not expected that he will be reappointed by this government.
So he is out of the picture in a few weeks – and has nothing to lose.
He doesn’t need Kiwiblog. IMHO all signs suggest that he has just been going direct to Melissa Lee with information allowing her to keep the anti-Curran meme going in Question Time in the House. And also IMHO probably to his old mates like Barry Soper to keep things going in the MSM.
As it is relatively short, here is what I/S says as he says it better than I would:
Today is a Members’ Day, and after the flood of first readings we’ve had recently, we’re now into the boring bit. First up are two National Party bills which have come back from select committee – Alastair Scott’s Crimes (Increased Penalty for Providing Explosive to Commit Crime) Amendment Bill and Brett Hudson’s Social Security (Stopping Benefit Payments for Offenders who Repeatedly Fail to Comply with Community Sentences) Amendment Bill. (Note Para break is mine, VV)
In both cases the select committee has gone “yeah, nah”, pointing at significant flaws in the bills. Whether they pass or not is going to depend on New Zealand First, and how much stupidity they’re willing to indulge in to appear “tough on crime” and appeal to elderly arseholes.
Once they’re out of the way, the House should move on to Denise Lee’s misnamed Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill (which is intended to make it harder for women to get equal pay) and Harete Hipango’s Health and Safety at Work (Volunteer Associations) Amendment Bill. (Again para break is mine, VV)
If the House moves really quickly, it may make a start on Chlöe Swarbrick’s Election Access Fund Bill, but it really depends on how much time they waste on those second readings. There should be a ballot for at least one bill tomorrow.
A ‘malicious prosecution’ to force the rating sale of my home?
Information, facts and evidence which support my considered opinion that the forced rating sale proceedings against my home, authorised by Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town are a ‘malicious prosecution’.
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
By Vince Siemer / April 3, 2018
She is an unpaid, full-time public advocate who Transparency International New Zealand recognised as instrumental in advancing transparency into how billions of dollars of ratepayers’ monies are spent in Auckland.
She has an unrelenting, brash and uncomfortably in-your-face style – and she prolifically spouts facts and figures as her first line of attack and defence.
He is a local public servant who earns almost a quarter million dollars a year morethan the New Zealand Prime Minister. $690,000 per year.
He is the distinguished bureaucrat who manages how Auckland ratepayers’ monies are spent; a position which brings many potential suitors to his door.
Perhaps tellingly, the ratepayers pay his exorbitant legal bills which he would doubtfully authorise if it was his own money.
More on this in a bit.
Penny Bright, whistleblower v Stephen Town, Chief Executive of Auckland Council.
The battleground is now Ms Bright’s house which Auckland Council last week published it intended to tender sale by 24 April 2018.
Ms Bright owes Auckland Council over $20,000 in rates on her freehold Kingsland house.
She says she is refusing to pay the deficit until Auckland Council “opens the books” on what Auckland Council is paying independent contractors.
In addition to asserting ratepayers are entitled to know where their money is spent, she believes the existing model is rife with conflicts of interest and backhanders.
With legal costs her outstanding bill stands at $47,000, and Auckland Council is now seeking to force sale of her home to collect the debt.
Mr Town on the other hand has long considered information on what private contractors are paid to be proprietary, alleging any financial disclosure on how ratepayers’ monies are spent would compromise the business relationships Auckland Council enjoy with private contractors.
As to her forced house sale, Town says it is unfair to other Auckland ratepayers if Bright is not forced to pay her back rates – which have skyrocketed to the equivalent of 1 ½ weeks of Mr Town’s salary.
Ms Bright cannot help believe there is some bad blood acting out, having sued Mr Town for defamation in a case which never went to trial.
The catalyst was an Auckland Council-funded October 2014 press release in which Town claimed “Ms Bright has made wild and inaccurate accusations about the Council and it’s probity”
Look on the bright side Penny, the media scrum surrounding the sale of your house will give you an excellent opportunity for exposure of your opinions.
Excellent article from Stuff about the reality of having a chronic illness and having to rely on Winz. I was heartened by the mostly positive comments and also by the offers of financial help.
Hey Weka (and anyone else interested) following on from yesterday’s comments.
I just came home after meeting with my MPs staffer who is now VERY well informed about the Accommodation supplement/TAS issue. And several other issues around dealing with WINZ while I was there (might as well!)
I wrote up all my numbers to give her an idea of how the punishment works, but emphasised this is happening to a hell of a lot of people, especially those in private rental and it’s not like we even have the option of moving to Social housing anymore.
She was very good to talk to, end result is she’s going to send a letter to our lovely Minister. I was just about to include details but I won’t given this is a public forum and don’t want to sabotage anything. While obviously no miracles are expected- and I let her know that- she stands a much better chance of getting a reply from Carmen than a mere beneficiary ever would.
She also encouraged me to get the people I know having WINZ concerns to go to the office in person if they could; they get a lot of phone call and emails but personal visits can make a bigger impact (words to that effect). So something to think about for people easily able to access electorate/list offices of Government MPs?
I have been thinking about pushing this with the Greens too. I can’t get to an office so am thinking through other options. I would really like to know how aware they are of the issue too.
Old and new SLP rate
Old and new AS rate
Breakdown of my full payment (SLP/DS/AS/TAS) old and new
What I’d be getting with the increase if I wasn’t getting TAS
How much my TAS was cut
Total increase (a whole $2.18!!)
I’ve just seen this now so am coming in cold, but I suspect the issue you’re talking about is how the annual CPI increase to main benefits means a drop in the rate of accommodation supplement, and then in turn a drop in TAS? I couldn’t find the comments from yesterday.
Pretty much. Also, landlords thinking beneficiaries are all getting a $35/wk rise and putting rents up, but some benes are getting bugger all rise, so do they end up with a net decrease?
I’m not sure if it can result in a net decrease, but it does mean that a person’s overall payment does not increase by anywhere near the touted CPI increase. This is because that while main benefits are purported to increase according to the CPI, the accommodation supplement is calculated on the basis of 25% of the main benefit i.e. a person is meant to put the first 25% of their income towards accommodation before any other help kicks in. That’s the theory behind the calculation. So if the main benefit increases, the 25% figure used to calculate the accommodation supplement increases.
For example, if the main benefit is $100 a week, the “entry threshold” is $25 (25%). Accommodation supplement is calculated by subtracting the entry threshold from the rent. If rent is $50 this comes to $25. The final amount of accommodation supplement is arrived at by taking 70% of this, which comes to $17.50, rounded up to $18 a week accommodation supplement, subject to the caps based on region and family size.
Do this again on the basis of an increase of main benefit to, say, $110 a week, means an increased entry threshold to 27.50, rounded up (I think from memory, although it might be rounded down unless it’s over .5, can’t remember) to $28. $28 from $50 rent is $22, and 70% of this is $15.40, rounded up to $16 accommodation supplement a week.
So the upshot is that main benefits being increased by the CPI (or for any reason) will mean a drop in accommodation supplement, therefore a person’s total income does not go up by the CPI percentage. It’s built in so any change will require change to the legislation.
Further anomalies include the accommodation supplement for people under 25 being calculated on the basis of the 25 and over benefit rate, in other words according to income that’s higher than what’s received, and the calculation of the entry thresholds for people with children including the family tax credits. The latter never used to be the case and was introduced by the 1999-2008 Labour government and amounted to a benefit cut, all done totally under the radar, of course.
(I needed to edit this version from the one originally put up because I forgot to include the rent amounts in the examples.)
Thanks, I didn’t know that was how the AS was set.
By net decrease I meant that if someone was at their maximum AS because of the Area cap, and the landlord thought she was getting an extra $35/wk and put her rent up $35 a week, but the cap only went up $5/week then she would have an overall decrease in her income after accommodation costs even with the CPI increase to the base benefit. More complicated with TAS, but if a beneficiary’s total increase this year on April 1, after recalculating AS and TAS and taking into account the CPI increase, is only a few dollars but their rent goes up by $25 or $35, then they are substantially worse off.
(I haven’t run this through the various formulas yet, so am not 100% certain about what I have just said).
Adam talked about this in one of the other threads. His rent went up $25 recently, presumably because the landlord knew about the govt’s announcement.
I have no idea how common that scenario will be, but I can already see that many long term people with disabilities will be particularly at risk because they have no way of earning other income.
You can be 100% certain that this is the case for a lot of people who are either relatively close to the cap or who have accommodation costs that mean they’ve hit the cap i.e. that there will be a net decrease of income after rent is paid. And things do get complicated further by the disability allowance and temporary additional support, particularly for those with disability costs either at or over the maximum. There’s also a particular group who have assets that still allow entitlement to an accommodation supplement but which knock out entitlement to temporary additional support, so there’s no leveling out at all. This is a different issue, though, to the CPI increases and how the accommodation supplement is calculated: it’s about landlords lifting rents in a belief, rightly or wrongly that the tenant’s income has increased.
“This is a different issue, though, to the CPI increases and how the accommodation supplement is calculated: it’s about landlords lifting rents in a belief, rightly or wrongly that the tenant’s income has increased.”
I see them all part of the same thing. Labour wanting to do something, but being hampered by their unwillingness to view welfare as a good thing. They knew about the landlord issue and not only went ahead anyway but skited about the increase on social media. That’s what fucked me off. I get that it will take time to fix WINZ but I just don’t see Labour getting it yet, what the real problems are. Hence Kay’s comments about talking to her local MP who had no idea about their own party’s welfare policy impacted on people in real life.
The wider problem began with the 1991 benefit cuts which made the add-ons so much more important in terms of overall income. The difficulty with relying on the add-ons is that they’re harder to get because they’re either asset or income tested or discretionary or dependent on tightly prescribed criteria. One of the first things that needs to happen is acknowledgement that the balance between main benefits and add-ons are way out of whack and that main benefits need to be raised. This won’t stop greedy landlords who think it’s their right to take that off tenants who’re poor, though. A real shame when incomes are already way behind anywhere near liveable in the first place.
There’s also the issue for people who’re not at the accommodation supplement cap but who receive temporary additional support. The accommodation supplement goes up but the temporary additional support goes down because the accommodation supplement is income when assessing the level of temporary afdditional support. So landlords put the rent up, again based on a perceived increase in overal income. Theoretically the beneficiary tenant’s temporary additional support then goes up because costs (rent) have increased, but there are so many variables like precise costs an individual has, the various caps, asset tests etc that it’s seldom a simple matter of increasing temporary additional support by the same increase in costs.
Good call about not including details – not because sabotaging anything, but tories will try to make your life hell.
MP offices list is this excel workbook, available from the bottom of this parliament page here. Lots of them have just post boxes though – maybe the, er, phone book? Old school? Or phone the office and make an appointment and they’ll give the address? Weird.
Yeah that is weird McFlock. Maybe some of them don’t want the great unwashed masses to find them?
My guy was easy to find- electorate MP and the office has been there for years, but I wouldn’t know how to find a Wellington based Green/NZ1 MPs office (if they even have one) , or if there even is one. So emailing @parliament would have to be the initial approach.
Well, that list is from december, so maybe some hadn’t leased places yet? Or maybe they work out of party offices so there’s some issue along those lines.
I’d call – immediate communication once you finally talk to a human being. Maybe even in the same town.
No not weird McFlock. There’s been several incidents over the years where staff at electorate offices have been threatened. To my knowledge no-one has been hurt but I know Parliamentary Services (who fund the electorate offices) take security measures very seriously. One of them could well be… don’t advertise your electorate office address.
I have a faint recollection of threats being made to Helen Clark’s office staff when she was PM. I think they ended up having a security guy present during working hours.
None other than the scarily eloquent Tim Selwyn, of course. Reading this again reminded me of everything that was wrong with Helen Clark. Absolutely spot on, Tim.
I guess that might be it, to stop mail-sending tossers hitting offices all over the country. But the local offices are plastered like bloody McDonalds.
But the local offices are plastered like bloody McDonalds.
I guess that goes with the territory. Labour Offices tend to be more circumspect (well the ones in Auckland are) because they are more likely to attract the bigoted sickos. The fact the addresses don’t get publicly advertised means that beyond the local communities few people know where they are.
Good to see John Campbell shaming Brownlee, National and EQC over Canterbury.
Brownlee hasn’t accepted an interview on Checkpoint for 2 years.
His and National ‘s contempt for democracy and the citizens of this country beggars belief.
Still continues to miss the point that it was a deliberate policy designed to reduce costs…..that is the most galling aspect of the whole sorry affair. None of this is news and the ample evidence provided over the years that was ignored or minimised by Brownlee, Simpson et al is the key.We can but hope and expect that with better access to records the truth will out….It will only take one to break ranks.
Is more apt than ever now given what’s now happening at local MSD offices, that is, they’re empty, nobody’s going there anymore because of the army of thugs they’ve plonked in every office. Goes hand-in-hand with the decades-old practice of gatekeeping. Two sides of the same coin. The only exception to empty offices is every Friday when the AAAP set up camp outside two or three offices in Auckland to assist people access entitlements. What happens there is that people sleep outside the office and in cars to get a place in the queue.
Good morning The AM Show those were my thoughts to if we held the Common Wealth Games we could spread the competition in 3 or 4 Citys being so close.
Amanda that’s the way don’t be shy to mention climate change it will cost us billions more in the future if we don’t Act now I
planning and changing the way we do things goods made to last 20 years. I agree with Sefton we need to balance this change so we don’t make any changes that the negative effect out way the benefits. Ka kite ano
I see one man crying and string the human emotions pot saying they are going to take his ferrari off him I would say retire him and his elite idealistic views but he is only a few years older than me. Another saying crowing that the steps that the new coalition government is taking to mitigate climate change will hurt the poor the most. Lets get this straight the real effect of Global warming will hurt the poor common people the most look at Fiji and Tonga they are not wealthy countries they cannot afford to rebuild every 2 years or build houses that can with stand hurricanes they need help. The poor common people will end up paying the most cost in loss of habitat and lives that’s a fact We need to combat climate change immediately to save lives enough said Ka kite ano
Newshub starting a trade war with Tariffs are a fools game one would think that some had figured that out.
Martin Luther King was a great passive man fighting passively for equality for all coloured Americans his shooting turned him into a Martyr Kia kaha.
Racially profiling people is a act of racism and should be shunned as we have good and bad in all cultures bad people are not exclusively just in minority culture. Kia kaha to all our athletes at the Gold Coast Common Wealth Games.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd goes Wild TV 4 James and Makere it good to see Sir Richard Hadley give the award to our fast bowler Trent boult.
Mulls you lucky bugger that’s a good view of the basketball V I P Box a good on you e hoa. Surfing is a great sport you have to be fit for that sport some good breaks in Te tairawhiti.Kia kaha Ka kite ano
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A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Immigration is good 🙂
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/102801375/series-win-for-the-good-guys-as-black-caps-move-in-on-australia-on-test-ranking-ladder
J Ravel born in India
BJ Watling born in South Africa
C De Grandhomme born in Zimbabwe
I Sohdi born in India
N Wagner born in South Africa
Booyah!
Full credit to the BC’s for a series win against England, but they still played pretty poorly. Again, we seem to struggle with consistency, and have been over the past 25 years or so.
Yea…sonetimes they need to “lift their game” going forward aaaaye
Sport is useless and so I don’t see confirmation from that list that immigration is good.
“Sport is useless….”
Surely a citation needed – live by the citation die by the citation and all that…
Can’t say it produces anything of value. Doesn’t produce cell phones, or computers or anything that can actually be used. Ergo, useless.
😆 What a sad view of life.
I have a great view of life – it just doesn’t include the bludgers that play sport for a ‘living’ or the fat cats that get even richer from it.
🙄
You have a great view of life?
Really?
Your thousands of posts predict misery and destruction. I cannot find one positive post from you, or anything which suggests you enjoy anything
Yes, really.
I was at the game for the last 4 days Draco-just a fantastic time for me and everyone there from both countries.
Hagley Oval is a credit to NZ.
Surely you can manage to find something positive to say about this.
No he probably can’t. Draco has a genius level IQ apparently so if he doesn’t like something neither should you
Well, that’s a pretty stupid thing to say even to me with an average IQ.
Test match cricket is just the greatest game there has ever been. As one of the English commentators said on the radio as the match slowly drew to it’s nail biting draw, “You can’t hold your breath for this long in T20”.
+1000000
So art, music, literature, drama – nothing? No joy (literally) from all of those as well? Isn’t the giving of joy a use?
I do my own art and get enjoyment from seeing the art others. Same as I do my own sport – I don’t watch sport though.
What I don’t do is expect to get rich by bludging off of everyone else for it. Watching sport is simply boring – much better to get involved.
Yes – the thousands of people that turn up at venues around the country every weekend to watch, or watch it from the comfort of their home or local pub are clearly bored…
And you claim RWNJs live in a fantasy world??
Can Draco not have a personal opinion?
And a Xanax
What software did you use to create your art and would it run on any Linux OS?
For the starship model I used Groboto – which seems to have stopped development with the lead developer developing leukaemia. It was only ever Windows and Mac.
For the rendering I used Vue. I haven’t heard of it being ported to Linux.
What is value Draco?
Does something have to be tangible and physically used to be of value?
Sport brings happiness to many people. Evidently not all people – but many people.
These immigrants brought happiness to many Kiwis over the summer through their sportsmanship and efforts on the field.
They should be, and thankfully are, celebrated as great New Zealanders.
Actually no. Sport can produce an understanding of strategy, tactics, teamwork/cooperation all of which have value in the business world. And then there are the health and wellbeing benefits. Still so sure sport has no value?
If you’re engaged in it – yes. That’s not what’s happening for the majority of people though – unfortunately. They’re just watching it on the screen – and usually getting drunk and obnoxious at the same.
But they get enjoyment from that. Just as you do from art.
So why would you describe sport as useless?
Because it is. I see value in actually doing sport but it doesn’t produce anything of use. And for some there may be value in watching it but not to the extremes that it supports rich bludgers.
That’s a very utilitarian way of looking at things.
What’s the value in listening to music? Reading a book? Watching a play?
I’ve said that there’s value in those – They’re also useless.
Wow……inspiration, understanding, the depth of thought music and literature can bring is…. useless.
Wow….
Nah, gotta call bollocks on that, and I don’t even like sport either.
Watching top-level sports is like watching craftsmen at work – why they do little tweaks, how they set up their opponent. In many ways, the tactics and deception in sport is more obvious when watched on telly than when in the field. And the pre-amble, the head-games between competitors, all really interesting. There’s a great video somewhere of Arnie psyching out Lou Ferrigno before the Mr Universe contest, over breakfast, in front of Ferrigno’s parents.
Even boxing can be a thing of beauty to watch, when done by experts. Yeah, I don’t like most of the audience, but I’ve been around a few bouts before, during, and after, and it’s more than just beating the shit out of each other, it really is. It’s all a head-game. Ironic, really.
Should theatre actors be paid? They also perform art for a live audience, inspiring passion and thought. Hamilton! apparently has minimum ticket prices of over a thousand bucks on Broadway. Shouldn’t the performers get a piece of that?
I agree – I’m a cricket fan and watching a captain set his field for one type of bowl the bowler is about to perform in order to trap the batter into making the exact type of shot required to get him caught is a thing of beauty and takes a huge amount of skill, planning and training.
You neglected to mention luck – an important element in all sports. Why else shape a rugby ball that way? A cricket player can easily go from hero to zero, as can a sailor or a half-back.
But the essential point is that sport is a luxury, and while people enjoy it, sport is vastly overrated and used as a distraction from serious issues. As a control freak, I would like to see only 5 minutes max in an hour of news given to sport, with similar limits in the press, etc.
Are you against the arts then? They don’t produce anything like cell phones or computers. It does however broaden the mind and uplift the spirit. Just like sport does for some.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-04-2018/#comment-1469984
I can’t let the sport is useless line pass without a challenge.
I coached kids rugby and cricket for a few years.
I would cite cooperation, patience, tolerance, skills improving with practice as some examples of the benefits of sport.
I take yr point of the commercialization of sport.
I still celebrated the cricket result especially in the aftermath of the Aussie ball tampering and our team being an example that our Tasmanian cousins could emulate.
“I would cite cooperation, patience, tolerance, skills improving with practice as some examples of the benefits of sport.”
Did you ever manage to convince the screechy parents on the sidelines???
The parents were beyond my brief.
I also coached many school sports teams over the years. Sports can bring evil out of people just as often as the good that many claim… I tried to encourage the good aspects, but often got criticised for not enough emphasis on winning. Sorry gsays – Andrea raises a very good point.
I don’t disagree with Andreas point.
I, too, got criticized for my approach. (Played the star batsman at 8 as he was late getting to the game.)
I saw my role as developing players.
As a spectator I witnessed a parent punch a coach.
Then provided statement to police and parent got conviction and lifetime ban.
None of the bad behaviour is the fault of sport.
Cricket is really. But trout fishing produces smoked trout. Different kettle of fish altogether.
Its the health benefits of kids and adults who are inspired to get of their arses that make top level sport good
Is there any evidence that watching people play sport on TV inspires kids to do sports?
I suspect that actually playing sport is more encouraging – just so long as they don’t get bullied out of it by others.
Anecdotally yes. In my experience as a coach of a children’s football team… when they’re rocking up citing a professional player like Lionel Messi or Harry Kane as their inspiration then you know that to be the case. And they’re much more engaged to boot (excuse the pun).
I commented in daily review about this. As a kid my brothers and I and the local nippers used to love watching the footy or Cricket then going outside and playing and pretending to be our favourite cricketer or rugby player.
Saturday morning sport was one of my favourite times and i had a dream of playing test cricket for NZ. Sadly, didn’t happen but I could still dream about it
No – this is wrong. Adoration of superstars works temporarily – until the kids know that they are not going to make that level themselves. Then they leave the sport in droves. This is not the way to promote anything. I think Draco has suggested that getting them to enjoy doing/playing the sport is wiser. If so, I agree.
That’s Art, dear boy.
Immigration is good – especially if your name is Howard Levarko
… until it isn’t.
So now Porton Down can’t establish that the novichok came from Russia
Anybody still believe that May and Boris don’t lie?
here’s Boris , in full flight with an outright lie speaking to a German reporter
“When I look at the evidence, the people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked the guy myself, I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘There’s no doubt.’ So we have very little alternative but to take the action that we have taken.”
total lie
So now we’re down to special intelligence that the Brits can’t possibly share, because of national security .Pretty shabby
And Yulia?
Will her family now be allowed to contact and visit her?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/03/porton-down-experts-unable-to-verify-precise-source-of-novichok
Hmmm. The Guardian reports “probably”
where the Independent reports something more definite:
The comments below the Independent piece gives a good indication of how the readership views May and Boris
A few ups for Corbyn
That’s “probably” a nation state, not “probably” Russia. (And is to do with deployment)
The former suggests the possibility of non-state actors while the latter excludes them. Big difference.
And when the head of the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory also says there is no known anti-dote to Novichok….
I think the story may well be about to unravel very fast.
Fighting a rearguard action, I see The Guardian is attributing stuff to Lavrov in sub-headers that he didn’t actually say- stuff that falls within the same ball park as nonsense coming from official UK government pages that OAB linked to as an example of Russia being mocked, but which staggers between mockery and self parody.
Throw in Iran having openly synthesised Novichok and the likely unsavoury circles of an ex-spy in a country fair hoatching with dubious and powerful rip off merchants from the days when the USSR collapsed….
What possible motive would Iran have to attack an ex Russian spy?
Absolute certainties are not possible in this area. But the totality of the evidence, the nerve agent, who it was used against, previous Russian form paints a compelling picture. All other explanations are far fetched and in some cases are the stuff of conspiracy theorists (such as Poton Downs did it).
” Russian form paints a compelling picture. All other explanations are far fetched and in some cases are the stuff of conspiracy theorists ”
Motive and form Wayne if this is your criteria I’ll happily nominate Mossad
Form – one of the most prolific assassinator’s in modern times.
Motive – Russia working with Iran, Hezbollah and Assad’s Syrian government
My thoughts too.
Shooting’s more Mossad’s style, but true, they’d be up for it.
So how does this drive a wedge between Russia and Iran (strange bedfellows at the best of times) or Russia and Assad/Hezbollah? If anything it would reinforce any alliances along those lines.
It’s not about driving a wedge it would be about “punishing” Russia for their temerity to support Assad along with Iran and Hezbollah.
So why would Russia connect the sanctions resulting from this incident with their support for Assad etc?
Bit of a useless punishment if the punished person doesn’t connect it with a transgression they can avoid repeating.
And its temerity for preventing the coup d’état by Ukraine reaching the Donbass and Crimea.
Israel gives a shit about that?
U.K. and Us arms manufacturers do.
Why? They’re making money out of it.
And Mossad don’t have a monkey in that circus, do they? So why would Mossad bother doing this for BAE or General Dynamics?
Wayne!!
Nobody is suggesting that Iran would want to attack an ex British spy!!!
Bill is pointing out positive proof that other states are perfectly capable of producing Novichok type chemicals.I find the whole Russia did it narrative utterly far fetched. Most of all it depended on Russia being the only country capable.Novichok=Russia
In case you missed my many postings of this , and in answer to your demand that someone give evidence of the UK lying about the Salisbury events, here is Boris, the foreign secretary of the UK lying his arse off about what Porton Down told him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D89rfg-kQuQ
So now we are down to all the murky”past form” and endless propaganda
In case you have not noticed,western media treatment of all things Russia has become even more decidedly partisan since Putin took over from the supine Yeltsin , reversed the decline of living standards and put a stop to the general rape and pillage of state owned assets
The propaganda has become so transparent in its desperate nature, that even I, a total apolitical hermit , started to notice about 5 years ago
For a lot of people now, it is simply not working.
so pardon me if I dont accept innuendo and propaganda as evidence, we’re meant to be more civilised than that
I didn’t remotely suggest Iran attacked an ex-British spy.
You’re right enough that absolute certainties aren’t possible – which beggars the question as to why May’s previous pronouncements?
The totality of the evidence is that two people were admitted to hospital.
There are UK Government claims a certain nerve agent was used, but no verifiable evidence so far.
Previous form schmorm.
The bullshit of western propaganda leveled at anyone or any country “the west” disapproves of, has such an obvious stink that I’m left somewhat speechless by the fact so many liberal conservatives smell nothing but roses when they sniff around it.
If and when it becomes established that the Russian state had diddly squat to do with this, you gonna jump up and scream “conspiracy!” on the grounds that “all other explanations are far fetched”?
Or will you do the fall back mambo and point to something that just “cropped up” to explain any volte face on your part?
Three people hospitalised. Not two.
The thing is, if it’s demonstrated that some other party launched a massively convoluted plot to kill two people in a way that almost everyone with any knowledge of the mortality rate amongst Putin’s opponents would simply say “oh, it’d be him again”, then that would be pretty spectacular.
But that’s the thing about additional information: it should change opinions if those opinions are inconsistent with actual information (vs bullshit). This isn’t actually somethig to mock, it’s how an information-based opinion system should work.
You talk of an “information based opinion system”. but it’s fairly clear from your comment. that only gets to kick in when the ideological perspective you’re holding to is no longer tenable.
There has been no demonstration that any party tried to murder the Skripals. And yet “Russia!”
Yes, the hypothesis (to avoid the word “theory” which has dual use, I’m using hypothesis to be clear that this is what I’d mean if I used the word “theory”) has to fit the facts.
But if my assessment of the most likely (by a mile) scenario is affected by my ideological perspective, what do you think the most likely scenario is: Two people, one a traitor to Russia, are found in an English town frothing from the mouth and with pinpoint pupils. Are English gastropubs known for their shoddy fugu preparations, perchance? What do you think are the most likely causes of this event?
I have no “most likely”.
But I’m fully aware that what’s being touted as the “most likely” is being fueled by long running ideological antagonism that runs very deep in what I’ll call “the corridors of power” in western society.
So what emanates from there ought to be treated with due caution and skepticism. Obviously.
And non-political actors (the scientific community at Porton Down) are finally getting the message out that no, they haven’t fingered Russia with their chemical analysis, contradicting what politicians have been so keen to insinuate and have “taken as read”.
People can figure for themselves the likely road we’re on with all this if they just take a second to step back.
The likely road is some ineffectual sanctions and putin and may continue kleptocracy as usual. No elite on either side is going to risk losing money over this, and any real confrontation here will lose them money.
And your geopolitical agnosticism becomes pretty farcical when we look at the mortality rate of putin’s opponents, the reported symptoms of the five injured (three hospitalised) people, and the record of one of the victims. The refusal to acknowledge that something even looks like a duck eventually becomes a sign of one’s own ideological blinkering rather than intellectual integrity.
Breaking news.
The lie has unraveled.
Craig Murray explains.
“The government has attempted to control the narrative by finally admitting, as they have known for three weeks and just ahead of the OPCW experts coming out and saying so, that there is no evidence the substance used in the Salisbury attack was made in Russia.”
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/04/johnson-and-may-hide-as-their-lies-dissolve/
breaking news: not every opinion piece you agree with counts as “news”.
We’ll see, anyway.
Wayne demands obeisance to the status quo. This must take the form of condemning the crimes (real and sometimes imagined) of our official enemies. Meanwhile the crimes of our official friends (US drone programme) and our own crimes (Operation Burnham) must pass without remark.
He comes across like a star-performing, Brezhnev-era ideological worker.
Yup. Really.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/03/porton-down-experts-unable-to-verify-precise-source-of-novichok
And if the Skripals survive their poisoning, what then?
Atropine is only a useful antidote if the mechanism of poisoning is through irrveresible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) but only when given early on after exposure.
Taken from your link.
Which is, of course, a load of bollocks. Almost all drugs we consume, which also have “extremely sophisticated methods to create’ are made by the private sector. It may be somewhat unlikely that the private sector would produce it as there just isn’t that much demand for it but the private sector could most definitely produce it.
And we have plenty of experience of the private sector doing dodgy stuff for profit.
So a “military-grade” substance which one of the victims makes a miraculous recovery from.
A substance that doesn’t seem to be classified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) due to it’s murky nature.
What type of “novichok” did they identify it as? From the layperson perspective, this isn’t just one chemical but more a grouping of chemicals. It would be good to see some detail on that.
Not good when the explanation means more questions than answers.
It’s not the murky nature but the development date that excludes novichok from OPCW literature.
But it is still covered by the agreement, it was developed (illegally) after it was made, and thus not specified, though it is covered by the definitions.
According to this Herald article this morning, a cousin is being issued a visa to visit Yulia and her father in hospital in Salisbury.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12025321
Yes, thats great.In a BBC interview some days ago she said she was getting nowhere with the hospital or the British authorities
And later it was said the Brits were “considering” her visa .
Glad if its now gone through
It must be absolute hell for them
Awesome. Guyon on a hiding to nothing from Jacinda. Elegantly done Jacinda. My day is looking better after that little whipping of the Esp.
Hehe….. just heard that interview too 🙂
Here is the video. Guyon really did not like it and ended the interview abruptly!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/354047/watch-pm-stands-by-minister-people-will-make-mistakes
Espiner’s “gotcha!” Interviewing style gets old real quick. He also does the public a disservice, because he spends his whole time trying to foot trip his interview subject rather than getting information out of them for voters.
But but but…. he’s almost as gorgeous as his former mentor (at least as far as a boyz nite out on the town) Garner.
I think Garner is the most repulsive of the lot.
West side Tory.
Espiner is just another paid puppet for the establishment.
For all Jacinda’s defence of her, there’s a problem with Clare Curran. She seems to be one of those people who never learns from mistakes and goes on to commit more. She has past form in this regard, and I was surprised the caucus elected her to be a cabinet minister. Looks like some in caucus have some learning to do as well.
I agree, Anne. I had a little hope after watching her Q & A interview at the weekend, but then head hit desk again yesterday when I heard she had contacted Griffin directly re the Select Committee appearance. That is exactly the type of situation/action Griffin will play for all its worth from my experience of him.
JA is in a quandary timing wise with the Budget coming up and the Chairman contact running out in a few weeks, and because Curran’s mistakes are not individually sacking issues. But the ongoing lack of nous makes Curran increasingly a liability not an asset. Curran needs to be put on a very tight lease in the meantime – with a minder checking her every move before she makes it.
That is exactly the type of situation/action Griffin will play for all its worth from my experience of him.
And from my understanding it is exactly what he did… contacted that venal old hack, Barry Soper and told him all about it.
Old friends and compatriots – and drinking buddies and partners in related/resultant “activities” – for many decades, if my memory is correct.
Mike Jaspers’ move to a strategic role overseeing all ministers may help situations like this.
Hopefully, but they need that Chief Press Officer position filled asap by someone very competent. Any rumours?
Veutoviper, Funny you should say Griffin is like that. It went through my mind that Claire Curran would be desperate to get the record straight quickly, and as he has nothing to gain or lose Griffin perhaps was “letting her sweat”.
When I heard about the letter, I thought, I wonder if he already knew that and let her walk into the second situation, knowing she is going away shortly she would tell him of the other method, which would “suggest” she didn’t want him to appear.
I watched Richard Griffin on past Political discussion panels, and he played “gotcha” tactics quite often, rather like someone I worked with at that time. I had to be constantly thinking “How could he use this to undermine me.?”
I think Claire Curran has to realise they may be in the same field but they are not wanting the same things. To deal with him use someone else to forward information, as that makes it impersonal. IMO
Past personal experience, patricia, which I have mentioned here a couple of times in recent days. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28-03-2018/#comment-1467180 And that has a link back to an earlier one.
It all came to a massive -but very funny end – which I would love to recount but can’t for confidentiality reasons. When I am feeling down, I remember it and roar with laughter. Nothing like playing someone like him at his own game. And I know I am not the only one who has done so and won.
To be fair though, I have to say that over the years, he has actually admitted to his own failures from time to time. But it does not stop him continuing to operate the way he does and play the ‘no holds barred’ game, nor expecting others to do the same.
I agree, ditto. Her intentions are good, but I’m not sure she’s actually up to the task in reforming one of the most important roadblocks this coalition faces.
Indeed, i just got through a discussion with my sister who was hob nobbing and taking blue-haired selfies at that Wairarapa retreat Labour held post election. That’s CC.
As much as I tried, i couldn’t seem to get her to understand the second bigest roadblock (our public/civil service) senior and muddle management.
Admittedly the Chardonnay, and whatever other vintner’s ecstacy was probably flowing.
I had to listen to her relating to me how she was assured with the charge and the reform agenda. An I L-G for example told her of the horrific stories affecting immigrants and generally the dealings had with our gNatsed Public Service.
The problem I had with her blind faith (as a comfortably off Labour stalwart)…..not unlike a Stace, was that example after example I gave, she (and I FEAR the Jacinda) whose combined selfie I was sent whilst overseas) still do not understand the shit they face.
Still….I’m prepared to give it a little longer but the clock is tikking.
Curran was meant to be whipping that neolib echo chamber into shape and Gluon’s behaviour shows he’s pretty confident of his tenure or got plan B sorted IMO.
If Curran’s the ‘fixer’ who can blame him.
Jacinda was brilliant.
Jacinda did well
But she shouldn’t have to be explaining herself, or the actions of one idiot Minister who needs to be brought into line.
Jacinda should be answering questions about the massive workload her Ministers are undertaking and the fantastic things which will result from that work.
I didn’t see all of Question Time today, but what I saw confirmed an earlier opinion that Soimon is no match for Jacinda in the house!
How long before the Nats realise it too and er . . . give him the boot?
As i had the Oral Questions videos page open in another tab, here are the videos of the two Questions Bridges to Ardern this afternoon. I agree Bridges is not really a match for Ardern – and he has had a lot of experience as they were on the same TV show together once a week for some years (cannot remember which one).
Q2 https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=199251
Q3 https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=199254
I might as well throw this one in too – today’s Melissa Lee vs Clare Curran one.
Q7 https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=199257
Media appear to be burying Tim Keatings resignation….. why is that??
How many resignations have there been now by those who called the shots for Operation Burnham? john key, bill english, johnathan coleman and now keating. Special mention for spin doctor joyce.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102798309/tim-keating-to-stand-down-as-head-of-the-new-zealand-defence-force
No one is “burying” Keating stepping down. Three to four years is the normal term for a NZ CDF in recent decades, and that is how long Keating has now served in that role Wikipedia CDF NZ. It is just a completely normal end of term for Keating, nothing more.
Also in my opinion, if we waste our time getting falsely excited over things like the routine end of term of a Defence Force commander rather than concentrating on real problems for the government and NZ , like reducing homelessness, or the risks of having people like Clare Curran and Shane Jones as Ministers, we are just improving the chances of a Tory government in 2020.
I am on the present information appalled at Operation Burnham. But Keating’s resignation is for the end of his first but renewable term as Defence Chief. He has had the role for four years. His term is not out of the ordinary and does not seem to have been cut short. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_Defence_Force_(New_Zealand)
So, connections being made are based on timing. How many Defence Chiefs took up a second term? They all did 2-4 years in the job.
All, the same, I’d bet he knew not to go seeking a second term because of Operation Burnham’s fallout. Less embarrassing to retire than not be offered the second term. But that, too, is conjecture.
What is more useful to know is what affect will his tenure end have upon further investigations into Operation Burnham? Will he still be able to be questioned, records examined, sanctions imposed if needed? Will his going affect the true carriage of justice?
Quite a few out there, Cinny.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12025340
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/04/defence-force-chief-tim-keating-standing-down.html
Question is whether it is an actual “resignation” or a case of him announcing that he is not seeking/wanting reappointment when his current appointment runs out on 30 June. The Herald is running with the latter.
[Different subject – did you get to the bottom of the bible pushers at your daughter’s school tuck shop? ]
Hey VV, school was fine with it as it’s the Gideons (new testaments in the motels outfit). Lmao, yeah ok then. Bit of a waste many ended up in the rubbish bin.
Oh wells, at least my girls know that Easter has been around since before Jesus was born 🙂
The irony of the right wing British press accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being anti-semitic by going to a seder because they were the wrong sort of Jews…
Um, what?
Indeed…a sense of irony is something missing from all the coverage of all the major news stories these days, not to mention all the ‘major’ news stories that are, infact, not all that ‘major’ to anyone other than the owners of the MSM and their friends…
So theater – political theater is the main game in town. How about we act in the interests of the labour movement, ignore the theater and talk about economics.
Here if you have half an hour free, On Contact with Richard Wolff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i1T72jfoWA&ab_channel=RTAmerica
Guess where the location of the UKs chemical research centre ,Porton Down is located?
just under 6km from the outskirts of Salisbury. Yes the same city where the Skripals lived.
Oops
Are you trying to imply it was from the UK?
Duke of URL
I suppose the OPCW will of course compare samples from the Skripals with samples from Porton Down’s own catalogue
Why do I suggest Porton Down has novichoks of its own ?
Considering that Porton Down has significant collaboration with the Pentagon on experimenting with chemical warfare agents
https://southfront.org/salisbury-nerve-agent-attack-reveals-70-million-pentagon-program-porton/
and that the US had inimpeded access, indeed control over exSoviet novichok facilities, plus Soviet novichok chemists like Mirzayanov,… links provided on request…
I find it implausible that the US would not develop and share its own novichok program, with Porton Down chemists
Note that Porton Down has not outright denied it has novichok samples of its own,rather denying that novichoks could escape from its 4 walls
I hear on RNZ news Shane Jones has approved funding towards the Napier Wairoa Rail line saying it will remove 5000 trucks from the roads. Some on the Standard were asking for this.
Cleangreen, but he and others want it extended to Gisborne, and not just to Wairoa. There are apparently reasons for not doing so, but I am not familiar enough with those issues. I am sure we will see more on the issues in due course.
Kia kaha patricia.
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi.
https://libcom.org/blog/settler-colonial-control-treaty-aotearoa-02042018
The problems of Clare Curran from another perspective:
1 Clare Curran makes a ‘mistake’ every time she does something which someone doesn’t like.
2 Clare Curran does things which don’t fit traditional protocols she’s guilty of heinous crimes and she should be hung – or at least sacked. Steven Joyce and John Key doing things which didn’t fit traditional approaches and protocols was showing refreshing approaches demonstrating their ‘hands on’ interest.
3 Richard Griffin is longer in the tooth than Jason Ede and knows how to play the game to suit himself.
4 Is Richard Griffin appointed to the board with an expectation to enact Government policy or is Richard Griffin appointed to the board to keep everyone in the picture when something happens which he thinks is political?
5 Does Richard Griffin have a direct link to Kiwiblog so he can keep them in the loop? If not why not? He may as well have.
Pete Griffin has been Chair of the RNZ Board since 2010. His latest two year contract signed by the National Govt in 2016 expires on 30 April 2018 – ie in only 4 weeks time. It is not expected that he will be reappointed by this government.
So he is out of the picture in a few weeks – and has nothing to lose.
He doesn’t need Kiwiblog. IMHO all signs suggest that he has just been going direct to Melissa Lee with information allowing her to keep the anti-Curran meme going in Question Time in the House. And also IMHO probably to his old mates like Barry Soper to keep things going in the MSM.
For anyone interested, today is a Members Day in Parliament, which means they will be considering Members’ Bills, not Government Bills.
As I/S has kindly pointed out on his NRT blog, today two National Bills come back from Select Committee consideration.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2018/04/members-day.html
As it is relatively short, here is what I/S says as he says it better than I would:
Today is a Members’ Day, and after the flood of first readings we’ve had recently, we’re now into the boring bit. First up are two National Party bills which have come back from select committee – Alastair Scott’s Crimes (Increased Penalty for Providing Explosive to Commit Crime) Amendment Bill and Brett Hudson’s Social Security (Stopping Benefit Payments for Offenders who Repeatedly Fail to Comply with Community Sentences) Amendment Bill. (Note Para break is mine, VV)
In both cases the select committee has gone “yeah, nah”, pointing at significant flaws in the bills. Whether they pass or not is going to depend on New Zealand First, and how much stupidity they’re willing to indulge in to appear “tough on crime” and appeal to elderly arseholes.
Once they’re out of the way, the House should move on to Denise Lee’s misnamed Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill (which is intended to make it harder for women to get equal pay) and Harete Hipango’s Health and Safety at Work (Volunteer Associations) Amendment Bill. (Again para break is mine, VV)
If the House moves really quickly, it may make a start on Chlöe Swarbrick’s Election Access Fund Bill, but it really depends on how much time they waste on those second readings. There should be a ballot for at least one bill tomorrow.
NZ ANTI-CORRUPTION WHISTLE-BLOWER ALERT!
(Wednesday 4 April 2018)
A ‘malicious prosecution’ to force the rating sale of my home?
Information, facts and evidence which support my considered opinion that the forced rating sale proceedings against my home, authorised by Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town are a ‘malicious prosecution’.
http://www.kiwisfirst.com/whats-wrong-picture/
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
By Vince Siemer / April 3, 2018
She is an unpaid, full-time public advocate who Transparency International New Zealand recognised as instrumental in advancing transparency into how billions of dollars of ratepayers’ monies are spent in Auckland.
She has an unrelenting, brash and uncomfortably in-your-face style – and she prolifically spouts facts and figures as her first line of attack and defence.
He is a local public servant who earns almost a quarter million dollars a year morethan the New Zealand Prime Minister. $690,000 per year.
He is the distinguished bureaucrat who manages how Auckland ratepayers’ monies are spent; a position which brings many potential suitors to his door.
Perhaps tellingly, the ratepayers pay his exorbitant legal bills which he would doubtfully authorise if it was his own money.
More on this in a bit.
Penny Bright, whistleblower v Stephen Town, Chief Executive of Auckland Council.
The battleground is now Ms Bright’s house which Auckland Council last week published it intended to tender sale by 24 April 2018.
Ms Bright owes Auckland Council over $20,000 in rates on her freehold Kingsland house.
She says she is refusing to pay the deficit until Auckland Council “opens the books” on what Auckland Council is paying independent contractors.
In addition to asserting ratepayers are entitled to know where their money is spent, she believes the existing model is rife with conflicts of interest and backhanders.
With legal costs her outstanding bill stands at $47,000, and Auckland Council is now seeking to force sale of her home to collect the debt.
Mr Town on the other hand has long considered information on what private contractors are paid to be proprietary, alleging any financial disclosure on how ratepayers’ monies are spent would compromise the business relationships Auckland Council enjoy with private contractors.
As to her forced house sale, Town says it is unfair to other Auckland ratepayers if Bright is not forced to pay her back rates – which have skyrocketed to the equivalent of 1 ½ weeks of Mr Town’s salary.
Ms Bright cannot help believe there is some bad blood acting out, having sued Mr Town for defamation in a case which never went to trial.
The catalyst was an Auckland Council-funded October 2014 press release in which Town claimed “Ms Bright has made wild and inaccurate accusations about the Council and it’s probity”
……
Look on the bright side Penny, the media scrum surrounding the sale of your house will give you an excellent opportunity for exposure of your opinions.
Excellent article from Stuff about the reality of having a chronic illness and having to rely on Winz. I was heartened by the mostly positive comments and also by the offers of financial help.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/102790885/my-illnesses-make-it-hard-to-live–winz-makes-it-impossible
Hey Weka (and anyone else interested) following on from yesterday’s comments.
I just came home after meeting with my MPs staffer who is now VERY well informed about the Accommodation supplement/TAS issue. And several other issues around dealing with WINZ while I was there (might as well!)
I wrote up all my numbers to give her an idea of how the punishment works, but emphasised this is happening to a hell of a lot of people, especially those in private rental and it’s not like we even have the option of moving to Social housing anymore.
She was very good to talk to, end result is she’s going to send a letter to our lovely Minister. I was just about to include details but I won’t given this is a public forum and don’t want to sabotage anything. While obviously no miracles are expected- and I let her know that- she stands a much better chance of getting a reply from Carmen than a mere beneficiary ever would.
She also encouraged me to get the people I know having WINZ concerns to go to the office in person if they could; they get a lot of phone call and emails but personal visits can make a bigger impact (words to that effect). So something to think about for people easily able to access electorate/list offices of Government MPs?
Very good Kay!!
I have been thinking about pushing this with the Greens too. I can’t get to an office so am thinking through other options. I would really like to know how aware they are of the issue too.
What kind of figures did you give the staffer?
Old and new SLP rate
Old and new AS rate
Breakdown of my full payment (SLP/DS/AS/TAS) old and new
What I’d be getting with the increase if I wasn’t getting TAS
How much my TAS was cut
Total increase (a whole $2.18!!)
Did you put those through the full formulas?
I’ve just seen this now so am coming in cold, but I suspect the issue you’re talking about is how the annual CPI increase to main benefits means a drop in the rate of accommodation supplement, and then in turn a drop in TAS? I couldn’t find the comments from yesterday.
Pretty much. Also, landlords thinking beneficiaries are all getting a $35/wk rise and putting rents up, but some benes are getting bugger all rise, so do they end up with a net decrease?
I’m not sure if it can result in a net decrease, but it does mean that a person’s overall payment does not increase by anywhere near the touted CPI increase. This is because that while main benefits are purported to increase according to the CPI, the accommodation supplement is calculated on the basis of 25% of the main benefit i.e. a person is meant to put the first 25% of their income towards accommodation before any other help kicks in. That’s the theory behind the calculation. So if the main benefit increases, the 25% figure used to calculate the accommodation supplement increases.
For example, if the main benefit is $100 a week, the “entry threshold” is $25 (25%). Accommodation supplement is calculated by subtracting the entry threshold from the rent. If rent is $50 this comes to $25. The final amount of accommodation supplement is arrived at by taking 70% of this, which comes to $17.50, rounded up to $18 a week accommodation supplement, subject to the caps based on region and family size.
Do this again on the basis of an increase of main benefit to, say, $110 a week, means an increased entry threshold to 27.50, rounded up (I think from memory, although it might be rounded down unless it’s over .5, can’t remember) to $28. $28 from $50 rent is $22, and 70% of this is $15.40, rounded up to $16 accommodation supplement a week.
So the upshot is that main benefits being increased by the CPI (or for any reason) will mean a drop in accommodation supplement, therefore a person’s total income does not go up by the CPI percentage. It’s built in so any change will require change to the legislation.
Further anomalies include the accommodation supplement for people under 25 being calculated on the basis of the 25 and over benefit rate, in other words according to income that’s higher than what’s received, and the calculation of the entry thresholds for people with children including the family tax credits. The latter never used to be the case and was introduced by the 1999-2008 Labour government and amounted to a benefit cut, all done totally under the radar, of course.
(I needed to edit this version from the one originally put up because I forgot to include the rent amounts in the examples.)
Thanks, I didn’t know that was how the AS was set.
By net decrease I meant that if someone was at their maximum AS because of the Area cap, and the landlord thought she was getting an extra $35/wk and put her rent up $35 a week, but the cap only went up $5/week then she would have an overall decrease in her income after accommodation costs even with the CPI increase to the base benefit. More complicated with TAS, but if a beneficiary’s total increase this year on April 1, after recalculating AS and TAS and taking into account the CPI increase, is only a few dollars but their rent goes up by $25 or $35, then they are substantially worse off.
(I haven’t run this through the various formulas yet, so am not 100% certain about what I have just said).
Adam talked about this in one of the other threads. His rent went up $25 recently, presumably because the landlord knew about the govt’s announcement.
I have no idea how common that scenario will be, but I can already see that many long term people with disabilities will be particularly at risk because they have no way of earning other income.
You can be 100% certain that this is the case for a lot of people who are either relatively close to the cap or who have accommodation costs that mean they’ve hit the cap i.e. that there will be a net decrease of income after rent is paid. And things do get complicated further by the disability allowance and temporary additional support, particularly for those with disability costs either at or over the maximum. There’s also a particular group who have assets that still allow entitlement to an accommodation supplement but which knock out entitlement to temporary additional support, so there’s no leveling out at all. This is a different issue, though, to the CPI increases and how the accommodation supplement is calculated: it’s about landlords lifting rents in a belief, rightly or wrongly that the tenant’s income has increased.
This is what I thought 🙁
“This is a different issue, though, to the CPI increases and how the accommodation supplement is calculated: it’s about landlords lifting rents in a belief, rightly or wrongly that the tenant’s income has increased.”
I see them all part of the same thing. Labour wanting to do something, but being hampered by their unwillingness to view welfare as a good thing. They knew about the landlord issue and not only went ahead anyway but skited about the increase on social media. That’s what fucked me off. I get that it will take time to fix WINZ but I just don’t see Labour getting it yet, what the real problems are. Hence Kay’s comments about talking to her local MP who had no idea about their own party’s welfare policy impacted on people in real life.
The wider problem began with the 1991 benefit cuts which made the add-ons so much more important in terms of overall income. The difficulty with relying on the add-ons is that they’re harder to get because they’re either asset or income tested or discretionary or dependent on tightly prescribed criteria. One of the first things that needs to happen is acknowledgement that the balance between main benefits and add-ons are way out of whack and that main benefits need to be raised. This won’t stop greedy landlords who think it’s their right to take that off tenants who’re poor, though. A real shame when incomes are already way behind anywhere near liveable in the first place.
There’s also the issue for people who’re not at the accommodation supplement cap but who receive temporary additional support. The accommodation supplement goes up but the temporary additional support goes down because the accommodation supplement is income when assessing the level of temporary afdditional support. So landlords put the rent up, again based on a perceived increase in overal income. Theoretically the beneficiary tenant’s temporary additional support then goes up because costs (rent) have increased, but there are so many variables like precise costs an individual has, the various caps, asset tests etc that it’s seldom a simple matter of increasing temporary additional support by the same increase in costs.
Convos here,
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-04-2018/#comment-1469088
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03-04-2018/#comment-1469494
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-largesse/
btw, have you come across this before? Disability Exception amount,
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-largesse/#comment-1469574
Outstanding!
Good call about not including details – not because sabotaging anything, but tories will try to make your life hell.
MP offices list is this excel workbook, available from the bottom of this parliament page here. Lots of them have just post boxes though – maybe the, er, phone book? Old school? Or phone the office and make an appointment and they’ll give the address? Weird.
Yeah that is weird McFlock. Maybe some of them don’t want the great unwashed masses to find them?
My guy was easy to find- electorate MP and the office has been there for years, but I wouldn’t know how to find a Wellington based Green/NZ1 MPs office (if they even have one) , or if there even is one. So emailing @parliament would have to be the initial approach.
Well, that list is from december, so maybe some hadn’t leased places yet? Or maybe they work out of party offices so there’s some issue along those lines.
I’d call – immediate communication once you finally talk to a human being. Maybe even in the same town.
No not weird McFlock. There’s been several incidents over the years where staff at electorate offices have been threatened. To my knowledge no-one has been hurt but I know Parliamentary Services (who fund the electorate offices) take security measures very seriously. One of them could well be… don’t advertise your electorate office address.
I have a faint recollection of threats being made to Helen Clark’s office staff when she was PM. I think they ended up having a security guy present during working hours.
Was this it?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10432696
None other than the scarily eloquent Tim Selwyn, of course. Reading this again reminded me of everything that was wrong with Helen Clark. Absolutely spot on, Tim.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/13/rnz-review-of-helen-clark-interview/
I guess that might be it, to stop mail-sending tossers hitting offices all over the country. But the local offices are plastered like bloody McDonalds.
But the local offices are plastered like bloody McDonalds.
I guess that goes with the territory. Labour Offices tend to be more circumspect (well the ones in Auckland are) because they are more likely to attract the bigoted sickos. The fact the addresses don’t get publicly advertised means that beyond the local communities few people know where they are.
Good to see John Campbell shaming Brownlee, National and EQC over Canterbury.
Brownlee hasn’t accepted an interview on Checkpoint for 2 years.
His and National ‘s contempt for democracy and the citizens of this country beggars belief.
Still continues to miss the point that it was a deliberate policy designed to reduce costs…..that is the most galling aspect of the whole sorry affair. None of this is news and the ample evidence provided over the years that was ignored or minimised by Brownlee, Simpson et al is the key.We can but hope and expect that with better access to records the truth will out….It will only take one to break ranks.
Great viewing – the Ex-Nat government got a real hiding on Checkpoint from 5pm to about 25 past –
First Megan Wood saying Brownlee made a real botch of re-repairs after the ChCh earthquake.
Then Brownlee hanging up on John Campbell on the same issue.
And last Chris Faafoi slammed the last government for doing f-all about a possibly fatal airbag problem.
Surfing around looking up Tim Selwyn lead me to this.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/03/26/bureaucratic-torture-its-time-to-get-angry-about-this-governments-welfare-policies/
Is more apt than ever now given what’s now happening at local MSD offices, that is, they’re empty, nobody’s going there anymore because of the army of thugs they’ve plonked in every office. Goes hand-in-hand with the decades-old practice of gatekeeping. Two sides of the same coin. The only exception to empty offices is every Friday when the AAAP set up camp outside two or three offices in Auckland to assist people access entitlements. What happens there is that people sleep outside the office and in cars to get a place in the queue.
Good morning The AM Show those were my thoughts to if we held the Common Wealth Games we could spread the competition in 3 or 4 Citys being so close.
Amanda that’s the way don’t be shy to mention climate change it will cost us billions more in the future if we don’t Act now I
planning and changing the way we do things goods made to last 20 years. I agree with Sefton we need to balance this change so we don’t make any changes that the negative effect out way the benefits. Ka kite ano
The AM Show Mark S. There is nothing wrong with being nice Mark Richardson is Ka pai in ECO MAORI book so Ka kite ano
I see one man crying and string the human emotions pot saying they are going to take his ferrari off him I would say retire him and his elite idealistic views but he is only a few years older than me. Another saying crowing that the steps that the new coalition government is taking to mitigate climate change will hurt the poor the most. Lets get this straight the real effect of Global warming will hurt the poor common people the most look at Fiji and Tonga they are not wealthy countries they cannot afford to rebuild every 2 years or build houses that can with stand hurricanes they need help. The poor common people will end up paying the most cost in loss of habitat and lives that’s a fact We need to combat climate change immediately to save lives enough said Ka kite ano
Newshub starting a trade war with Tariffs are a fools game one would think that some had figured that out.
Martin Luther King was a great passive man fighting passively for equality for all coloured Americans his shooting turned him into a Martyr Kia kaha.
Racially profiling people is a act of racism and should be shunned as we have good and bad in all cultures bad people are not exclusively just in minority culture. Kia kaha to all our athletes at the Gold Coast Common Wealth Games.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd goes Wild TV 4 James and Makere it good to see Sir Richard Hadley give the award to our fast bowler Trent boult.
Mulls you lucky bugger that’s a good view of the basketball V I P Box a good on you e hoa. Surfing is a great sport you have to be fit for that sport some good breaks in Te tairawhiti.Kia kaha Ka kite ano