Surely if the Nats have forced Auckland City Council to bring in a congestion charge, Auckland people will punish them heavily in September.
That the ordinary workers of Auckland will have to pay for the years of infrastructure underspend while sitting in gridlock should make them very angry.
The Labour campaign team should be looking at this very closely.
I’d be happy with that. Labour is in the business of helping low income earners not punishing them, and helping Auckland address it’s infrastructure problem. National – not so much.
They believe in a much closer relationship between central and local government and unlike the current government seek ways to support Auckland and actually have a vision for the future.
For them to adopt a congestion tax penalising workers would be out of character.
Of course the Natz and their players want a congestion charge. They have already moved the poor out further out of the city, now they want to charge them to come in.
Meanwhile the rich in central Auckland can sit pretty, and have less riff raft around, as well as benefit by increased immigration driving up house prices and more cars, holiday highways to their baches, no increases in regional petrol fuel that actually targets those on the roads including trucks which are increasingly taking over the roads, and no public transport.
Perfect. For the elite who want everything to go their way, and the cronies that support them.
London has a congestion charge (and they have the decency to have good public transport). Didn’t work. Too many people, equals too many cars and it’s actually just a type of class warfare to benefit the rich.
More talk of congestion charges reminds me of Len Brown and how he was outed by the honey trap that took him down and his ideas with him.
Looking back at the case of Colin Craig and Slater. Same thing. Seems odd to me that Craig who never actually had an affair with his press secretary and friend of creep Jordon Williams, somehow as a ‘communications expert’ failed to say in any writing to reprocessed christian Craig, Sorry I’m but NOT interested, instead ‘hug, hug’ txts, until she derailed the election to Nationals benefit by having a press conference against Craig.
So creepy Jordon, gets 1.3 mill compensation.
Press secretary gets 100,000’s in compensation.
National knock out conservatives and gallop home in the election.
So called bankrupt Slater has his $12,000 lawyers per day to get more money from Craig.
As far as I can see Craig’s biggest crime is that he is a fool, easily manipulated and has the world’s worst poetry. It’s not a crime to be interested in someone if that someone has not said no.
Meanwhile, Key who’s harassment victim did repeatedly and publicly ask him to stop pulling her hair gets no penalty.
Brash and god knows how many politicians are really cheating on their wives.
The roast busters youths who actually did statutory rape girls as well as posting about it, get off.
Ex cop Richards is now a lawyer and got off the rape charges against Louise Nicholas.
So it seems to me, that the guilty get off and the myths that get those off, like Colin Craig situation where it’s hard to see what the fuck the harassment is about.
Press secretary is a communications expert, if she didn’t want Colin Craig’s attention, a little email saying “No, thanks Colin, I’m just not in to you’ would have been a start, instead of hug, hug and a press conference to National Party’s favour a few days out from an election.
Personally, I’ll all for high charges for driving. It is, after all highly inefficient and simply unsustainable and thus should be priced accordingly while we’re still using a market system.
Of course, we should have good, free public transport first.
Draco, in comparison to overseas cities in particular public transport in NZ is the pits.
Consider this – Test case in real time:
Location Wellington and surrounds.
Start Point Titahi bay. Using public transport via Porirua train station wanting to go Petone.
OK, here we go. Factor in 15 min getting up earlier due to buses only going every 10-15 min. (not all day though) So if you miss one, to have a chance to get the next.
Getting the train to Wellington city, right to the end of the line as there is no other way to change track (at least another 15 min add on). Then take another train (hopefully not missed in all that rigmarole) and go back north (where you just came from) but this time going Petone.
Total time, if all goes by plan: at least 1hrs,15 min if not more.
Frustration point: Regular outage of trains with very little notice – average every 4 weeks.
Now, lets do the same by car – going Titahi Bay to Petone via main road and motorway to Petone Train station.
Total time: 20 min. Frustration point, drivers who obviously have no license otherwise the would for a starter turn on the lights when its dark.
Need I say more?
If you go to cities like Paris, Vienna, Berlin, London (Main centers) you would actually not need a car. Naturally, for those who prescribe car free cities, those are the places where the plan is feasible. NZ – not so much unless you want to bring the economy to its knees.
What is doable is to get all the truck loads up and down the country off the road and on freight trains, It would save a lot of wear and tear repairs, petrol or worst, diesel fumes.
Not at all, just saying that the investment needed is so great that it will take 2 generations to get where other cities (plural) are. In other words, long term planning but we have only short sighted politicians and vested interests.
As I have pointed out, a good start would be to get all port to destination cargo onto trains. Perhaps that mode of transport might make enough money to invest in more and better tracks etc…
I also doubt that such a large undertaking should be carried financially by one group of people or taken on in a very short period of time. It is that suggestion or plan that actually puts a full stop to any movement because of the implications of funding.
As of right now, just getting 99% reliability and would be a winner.
Rules for a successful transformation : Realism, feasibility, finance and implementation. And that without a constant “consultation process” that sucks all the money out of the project.
It is certainly not a No 8 wire deal.
Rules for a successful transformation : Realism, feasibility, finance and implementation.
We know that better PT is feasible – lots of examples world wide and we know finance isn’t a problem for nation states.
Given all that I suspect the real problem there is the use of the word realism as it more than likely refers to being realistic within capitalist confines which are delusional.
In other words, building better PT is a political problem and not one based in reality.
You are trying to be antagonistic?
I am all for public transport being originally from a city that truly does not require a car and riding a bike is absolute bliss – honest.
But I also can see the problematic side of getting that kind of infrastructure in any NZ city in place. And belief you me, it is extraordinary expensive. Even so, the logistic, geographic and seismic issues are adding to the dimension and NZ would need the best planners to get this off the ground. Not only that, but commitment over the next 20 years or more years.
To make it really fascinating, the layout of the cities has to change. Infrastructure means supply, health and entertainment has to be reachable at relative ease and housing laid out so that even a 70 year old could deal with the necessities whilst walking or taking a bus.
And this is the problem in a nutshell: The whole idea of how a city works needs to change and with the current 70’s idea of lets drive everywhere it is a bit of an issue.
NZ needs professionals who can handle the job and stick with it and a guarantied finance plan. All of that outside the constant party politicking …. good luck.
Just to make a point, this ought not to be a matter to punish drivers. Driving a good car is absolute fun as long as there are none of the – license what do I need if for- on the road.
It is a matter of having the citizen agree on a plan of transmission that is not a declaration of war on one party or the other.
A lot of work needs to be done, is NZ ready for it?
And this is the problem in a nutshell: The whole idea of how a city works needs to change and with the current 70’s idea of lets drive everywhere it is a bit of an issue.
True.
But I also can see the problematic side of getting that kind of infrastructure in any NZ city in place. And belief you me, it is extraordinary expensive. Even so, the logistic, geographic and seismic issues are adding to the dimension and NZ would need the best planners to get this off the ground. Not only that, but commitment over the next 20 years or more years.
It’s only problematic because of the politics. That goes for the commitment as well especially for National who will do what makes the most profit for private enterprise rather than the best option.
It’s not really expensive either. It doesn’t take that many people to guide a boring machine through the earth. And it wouldn’t even be that expensive if we built a couple of boring machines for ourselves either. This is what happens when you consider the economy in terms of resources available rather than in terms of money and profit – you realise that things aren’t as expensive as the profiteers tell you and that we really can afford to do stuff that they don’t want done – like good PT.
You really do have to ask why the profiteers don’t want these thing that would make our lives better.
Just to make a point, this ought not to be a matter to punish drivers.
Climate Change and resource depletion tells us that we can’t afford drivers. This is reality.
A lot of work needs to be done, is NZ ready for it?
Was Britain ready for it when it started the Industrial Revolution? Did they sit about gnashing their teeth, chewing their fingernails and tossing and turning in their beds at night wondering if they were ready?
This is basically going to price the poor off the roads. Especially the working poor who have to drive up from South Auckland and do the low-paid menial work that keep Central Auckland ticking.
The problem, of course, is that the government will turn around and cough up subsidies so that those businesses will still be able to operate despite not paying enough to support the work that they want to do
South Auckland social worker Anne is currently helping around 20 families get out of boarding houses around south Auckland, and her organisation has dealt with hundreds of others. She didn’t want her full name published out of fear it would hinder access to those families.
“The reality is that families can languish in boarding houses for years,” she warns.
Anne paints a bleak future for baby Julia, should she get stuck: “Living this way really denigrates the dignity of a person; it touches everything – their health, psychology, education, and employment.”
“When you sleep in a room infested with cockroaches and fleas, surrounded by parties and fights each night, how can you be in the right mind frame for school the next morning?” she asks. “Where’s the space, even, to do your homework?”
Perhaps the thing that most pisses me off about Tories is their sheer lack of imagination. Incompetent, do-little plodders the lot of them.
For anyone is really interested in architecture, the human landscape, I’ve always regarded Alexander’s A Pattern Language as a foremost work of genius, a lodestar, a dream work that should be used everywhere to shape authentic, humane, truly life-affirming cities and spaces.
It is the sacrifice of Julia and her family that ensure that ‘Middle New Zealand’ reap the benefits of high property prices, high rents and high dividends with a golden retirement (and a comfortable afterlife, if you belive in that stuff).
Early on Radionz discussion on Brit election. Studies have shown that all the media have downplayed or negatived Jeremy Corbyn and his ideas including the BBC.
And they said that Jeremy Corbyn himself is not favoured for PM but his ideas are gaining acceptance. Theresa May has been picked by Conservatives as suitable to stand but has no ideas or vision of her own.
And they played some of Liar Liar which can’t be broadcast in Britain pre=election.
Having just finished viewing the first four series of ‘House of Cards’ produced by the BBC I wonder if it is all an anti-conservative propaganda to aid UK Labour?
Which might explain the rise of Corbyn in the coming election coupled by the situation many find themselves in these day from Tory rule.
Perhaps in NZ too if TVNZ is showing it as well. I do not have TV so cannot easily find out.
This is why it’s a lie to use the CPI as a measure of inflation and as a measure of the realities facing New Zealand families. It begs the question what use is the CPI at all.
Two Auckland colleges are looking at building or subsidising housing because their teachers can no longer afford Auckland housing costs.
Auckland primary principals say children will have to be sent home this winter because there are not enough relief teachers.
A historical inflow of teachers to jobs in Auckland’s expanding schools has turned into a net outflow of teachers to the regions.
Schools are offering free childcare and gym facilities as extra perks to keep teachers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11867471
A joint working group of the Ministry of Education, the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) and other agencies has found there is now a net outflow of secondary teachers from Auckland to other regions – “a significant change from the historical trend” of teachers who used to move into the growing metropolis for work.
This mob are quite snookered then.
The TPPA and 5 Eyes undermines any claim to caring about our sovereignty.
165 000 new arrivals prevents any argument against immigrants.
They’ll need some new scapegoats.
No James – it’ll be very close 2-1 in either direction, not sure which.
SA and Australia are very weak currently so the all black’s recent record is flattering.
I’m predicting the depression of a 2-1 series loss to the Lions will add to the gloom caused by unaffordable housing, punitive rents, stagnating wages, being told by Double Dipper that they are “pretty useless” etc. etc. It’ll just tip people over the edge and they’ll turn on the government. Good times eh?
Diluting TS posts with sports talk is a brilliant trolling strategy. With each sport-filled day, TS would become more and more like and eventually indistinguishable from, Kiwiblog, where such commentary is par for the course. Offering opinions about “the Cup”, no matter which sport is presently offering it, binds the lads at KB and gives them common ground from which to work. This is something Lefties lack, at least we lack an easy, rah rah rah form of “introductory discourse” that pads the social machine of the Right – sure, we could discuss fracking or homelessness as an ice breaker on line or on earth, but it’s not anything like as simple as sport chat. Of course I’m generalizing and many from the Left wing are passionate about sport, but the political Right have mastered the use of sport as a lubricant.
Foreign Waka
Thanks for the record keeping. The felt and experienced says a lot more to people than hearing that a certain piece of new roadway will take 3 minutes off the average person’s trip time.
And I notice that the people who don’t turn on their lights seem to be in dark cars. They remain unaware of others on the road with lights when it is definitely dark, and it doesn’t occur to turn theirs on. No doubt their minds are on their own affairs rather than their driving style.
I fucking hate sports. If our government would stop putting millions into them to keep the population numb then perhaps little Julia would have a real home.
The provide social interaction, fitness. Teamwork, entertainment and enjoyment. Most sports only have a positive impact on the people who partake or are involved in them.
Go to a sports field in a Saturday and look at all the kids having fun.
there have been lost before about “the left” and why do they hate sports – I guess it was about people like you.
Good win for Oracle this morning James. They are going to piss all over NZ again.
As for your fetish with rucking fugby, why don’t you give up on that minor game and follow the one and only beautiful game?
Not so true of the comments you are posting about the America’s Cup or the professional rugby games. I suspect the focus on professional rugby (and other sports) has shifted government funding away from community grassroots levels to elite sportspeople. A consequence of a government not actually valuing what you say you value – social interaction, fitness, teamwork etc.
James
You are out of position, running amok and forgetting how the game works.
What do you man that – the left – hate sports. You are a nutcase. Try hating me and leave Labour alone. There are things that need changing by them and we need to discuss and encourage them in their efforts to take their ideas and policies to the electorate and we don’t need foolish distraction from you.
James, for all intent and purpose – here is what is wrong with all this sports,sports and more of it.
Firstly and overarching: It’s a do it and not a watch it all the time thing. THIS would bring the true benefit.
Balance needs to be applied no matter what and by that I mean that we all would have a better time having more Arts and less Sport in our life. Even the News are now more sports than actual world events.
By god, no other nation is watching thinking, talking and conversing so much about sport and yet has nothing much else to introduce to the wider public.
It is shameful as NZ has a wide verity of artists of extremely high standards and I belief kids in particular should be exposed to it even to just make sure that they understand that it is OK not to box the next fellow in the face in order to be accepted in any group.
Yeah – a group of provential players who have been together since Saturday nearly beat the best funded touring team of professional athletes ever to nz (in rugby).
And nz – top out of the qualifying teams in the first round – not a lot tot to be upset about.
See what’s life is like when the glass is half full.
Your glass is half full of hot air. James. Smug glee at pathetic sporting results is what one expects from a half-wit who wants to escape from serious problems.
Your glass is half full? Maybe that matches your wit.
It seems there has been a further incident not far from the bridge and none of the culprits have been caught.
It would not surprise me if this isn’t a coordinated attempt to create as much ferment and terror in the final days of the election campaign. It could mean there are further ‘incidents’ to come – at least in London.
Edit: just seen Poission’s twitter feed. Looks like a coordinated campaign going on here.
3 closely-coordinated terrorist attacks – all in same general area at the southern end of London Bridge. We were just there late last year – drove over London Bridge.
(Actually – one’s in Vauxhall ….. further west along Thames)
Terrorists aim to polarise. They want to see collective punishment of their own people to act as a recruitment tool. Launching attacks during election campaigns is an attempt to influence voters in that direction. Personally, I think the time for internment camps, stripping of nationality and expulsion to the middle east should now at least on the table for discussion.
I think the time for internment camps, stripping of nationality and expulsion to the middle east should now at least be on the table for discussion.
Yes. This is probably a far better way to gain control of the terrorists. If they lose their ability to operate successfully in Western countries then they lose their ability to sustain their campaigns.
The purpose of internment camps is imprisoning people on suspicion without trial. If they were known terrorists they could be tried and imprisoned in the normal way. Very dangerous approach. I also doubt it’s effectiveness. If someone is willing to blow themselves up, the fear of an internment camp isn’t going to be a deterrent. So it’s about locking up enough volume of people to seriously dent the Brits who are willing to join the cause. How many innocent people are you willing to imprison for every terrorist stopped?
I’m not suggesting holus bolus incarceration of anyone from a Middle Eastern background. Far from it. The police would need to produce substantive evidence of their terrorist links. For the most part they would be the leaders of the terrorist gangs which are obviously proliferating at an alarming rate. I’m sure the majority of Muslims in Britain (for example) would approve of their summary removal from society.
Radicalised Muslims are the problem weka. They represent a minority of Muslims, and are currently able to recruit impressionable young men and women to their twisted cause. They need to be taken out of society before they inflict more carnage.
Must go… have a good debate everyone because that’s what it’s really all about. 🙂
When you get back, how about you have a go at defining radicalise Muslims. Because if the Brits were to have a policy of internment, that would need to be defined.
I’m in your camp weka. I do agree with BM’s thought that the people that should be pointing the finger at dangerous Muslims is the Muslim community itself.
I’m with you weka because I believe sending angry young Londoners home to their alien war-torn holes in the ground is not a solution. It will make things worse. Lets say we ban every Muslin from the UK. Wouldn’t they just pay Cockneys to place bombs?
The only way to make a worthwhile difference is to stop standing over and bombing the bejesus out of their homelands.
Why even ask the question? It’s time to get tough on the causes of terrorism, and we know that racism is one of those causes. So why provide racists with polite discourse so they can foment more terrorism?
Stop humouring their hateful rhetoric. Who gives a shit what BM thinks: his opinions will cause more mass murder.
If Muslims show by their words, or actions that they sympathize and support jihadist interpretations of the Koran then they should face special Immigration Judges and be eligible for immediate deportation.
Also they have any welfare support removed and include a financial incentive for them to voluntarily leave the UK.
Relevant beliefs would be:
– Support for killing and murdering non-Muslims in the name of Allah.
– Support for the imposition of Shariah law in place of Parliamentary law.
– Support for the subjugation and oppression of women.
– Support (both moral and financial) for known jihadist groups including ISIS.
– Involvement, directly or indirectly, in such groups.
As well as doing this, for those who are British born, you make agreements with Muslim majority countries who agree to take these deportees including financial payments.
Overtime, this process would remove those in the Muslim population who have no desire to live peaceably with the English and reduce the risk of more terrorist attacks.
After they have ‘extracted’ the confessions information they might as well go one step further and try to convert these people to the right beliefs & values. The old ‘techniques’ might still work a treat and after all, we’re dealing with ‘evil bastards’ who’ve lost their souls …
In case you missed it, I was hinting at the Spanish Inquisition and I used this as a reductio ad absurdum in reply to your and other comments in this thread.
To obtain the information you’re alluding to some ‘encouragement’ will be needed, don’t you think? People are not usually providing self-incriminatory information by free admission only or on an entirely voluntary basis. Being detained in an “internment camp” already violates many conditions necessary for free & voluntary ‘collaboration with the authorities’ IMO.
I think it is not true that all terrorists can be identified by their beliefs only but in any case it would amount to religious persecution. How many innocent people will be caught in this cleansing conspiracy net? And these people will be free to go back to society once they have been ‘vetted’ and deemed ‘clean’?
The possibility that these camps & processes might help radicalisation and its spread/reach seems that have escaped some people.
The only real way you’re going to find out who the radicalised Muslims are is with the help of the Muslim community.
If a Muslim is reported by other Muslims for demonstrating support for Holy war, support for ISIS etc then he/she is tagged for investigation/detainment and is considered a radicalised Mulsim until otherwise proven.
The vast majority of Muslims are good people the stuff that is happening in the UK at present is making their lives very difficult, it’s in their best interest to help get it sorted.
Weka, just because there is grey, doesn’t mean there is no black.
It’s a weak as piss argument for doing nothing in the face of danger.
But I don’t think “internment” is a useful term.
Jail is better. With a trial. Whether all the evidence can be public or not due to the secrecy with which it was acquired, is already covered by legislation designed for this stuff.
The definitions of crimes under the relevant UK law are in the 2006 Terrorism Act:
I haven’t said do nothing. I’ve said that I think using the existing justice system to try and imprison criminals is better than interning people without trial.
But if we are going to intern Muslims without trial, can we do this to men who are suspected of rape and rape promotion too? Because rape is a kind of terrorism, and affects far more people in the UK than political terrorism does, so let’s lock up the rape apologists without a trial too.
All very well and good through the lens of a nice safe liberal bubble.
But I bet if you were actually charged with the job of keeping the population safe from lone wolf or wolves attacks you’d be singing a very different tune very quickly. There will be some few thousands of potential jihadists in the UK. The safest course is to intern them all, until you are satisfied they pose no threat.
Politicians have no or all-too-familiar answers and the intelligence agencies or military forces seem to be behind the facts & events too. But let’s do something, right?
No doubt, a number of properties will be searched and a number of people arrested and no doubt they’ll find something but will this fundamentally change anything?
Pathetic maybe – I do like your subjectivity – but cynical no, not really. I’d say you’re projecting too much onto my comment; I never said “do nothing”.
Arguably, the measures and actions so far have not done anything to quell terrorism, rather the opposite. Thus we must use our imagination and critical faculties, not our amygdalas, and find different ways to deal with an issue that is a cancer of humankind. Sticking a wee plaster on it is not a cure; this is not a cynical statement or “advice” but an observation rooted in historical experience.
All very well and good through the lens of a nice safe liberal bubble.
But I bet if you were actually charged with the job of keeping the population safe from lone wolf or wolves attacks you’d be singing a very different tune very quickly. There will be some few thousands of potential jihadists in the UK. The safest course is to intern them all, until you are satisfied they pose no threat.
I note that no-one has yet provided a definition of ‘radicalised Muslim’ or ‘potential jihadist’. Would you expect the police to just make their minds up on the spot from whatever is going on in their heads at the time?
You can call me a liberal a bubble, I’ll just call you a reactionary who can’t think things through. Maybe we should try and find some middle ground.
“The guy that blew up all those kids just recently, He was reported quite a few times by other Muslims. Once he became known by the authorities he should have been detained and only released when he was considered safe and not a risk.”
Critical questions – such as why the security service MI5 maintained terrorist “assets” in Manchester and why the government did not warn the public of the threat in their midst – remain unanswered, deflected by the promise of an internal “review”.
The alleged suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, was part of an extremist group, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, that thrived in Manchester and was cultivated and used by MI5 for more than 20 years.
Indeed, what is the difference between a radical and an orthodox religious person? Another word that’s often thrown around is “fanatic”; sloppy use of language and meaning is not helping one iota.
What about White Nationalist extremists who kill people in the states on a almost weekly basis, and yet we almost never have a discussion about them on this site?
What about them? Are we going to lock up the alt-right? Make interment camps for them?
People here have rightly felt sorry for the victims of this, but 1 week ago Jeremy Joseph Christian walk onto a train platform, started abusing a Muslim women, and when two people tried to calm him down he slashed their throats.
WHERE THE OUT CRY OVER THIS!!?!
White terrorist are getting a free pass. I for one, am sick of it.
There isnt a pattern of them 808, one sad loser killed two brave people last week, who was white (why bring skin colour in to it adam?) but its not PC to mention militant Islamic terrorism.
Does a wannabe nazi mean we cant say there is a problem with extreme islam? Are people that stupid?
Seems people are too wrapped up in their fine ideals to deal with reality, the silence is deafening.
There’s a problem with extreme Islam, just as there’s a problem with “wannabe Nazis”.
That’s the thing – as soon as one loses a fixation on a particular religion or worldview, you’re actually in a position to understand why people do these things, and that puts you in a position to stop them.
Neither should be tolerated.
Here is the thing – on one hand we have an occasional lone nut job pseudo nazi like Breivik or the guy in the USA, on the other hand we have behind the scenes organisation and groups of islamic terrorists flying planes in to buildings or driving vans and mass stabbing people together. See the difference? Of course the jihadis do the solo stuff too, and more often.
I have no fixation on one religion but mass migration is both a cause of the nazi nut jobs hate, and the terrorists failure to feel accepted.
Those who think they are helping by opening the borders are part of the problem.
Shit, dude, even school kids get together to shoot up their classmates. The OKC bombing was by a group. Not to mention Aryan Nation and KKK.
And if mass migration is the cause of our problems, maybe we should look at the causes of it? Oh, but we can’t do that, because that might flip back on western foreign policy.
you are going back to 1995?
Absolutely agree that western foreign policy is terrible we should have never had any part in Iraq or afghanistan ever. USA and UK have in my opinion committed war crimes.
By the way Im not going back to 1995 but here is a list of Islamic killings for one month, its not exhaustive (latest “incident” not included, and mostly non western):
-I will accept a list of comparable nazi or christian barbarity as fair comparison.
[lprent: Deleted a copy and paste from a rubbish site that in all probability made their ‘facts’ up. Who do you think you are – a nincompoop like Trump?
The link will show that none of the items that you put on our site have ANY links against them. Furthermore, the majority of these aren’t even terror attacks – the number of gay bashings and domestic incidents is pretty damn high.
Quite simply, if you want to lie and build a story-line, all you have to do is to define your own rules like the idiot fuckwits you linked to do.
I could make up an equivalent list of Buddhists worldwide using the criteria that suicides are equivalent to the crieria that your linked pack of fools used.
Or a list of deaths from Christian terror attacks last month would be far far higher by the time I added in domestic incident deaths from fools who love their patriarchal obligations to beat women and overdo it. Of course not all Christians do that, but there are always fuckwits in any group.
And we won’t even mention the idiots who faithfully drink and drive in another religious observance. Which I personally tend to define as being people who don’t check their facts and prefer to run on pure faith instead. In this case like about the medical effects of inebriation, reaction times and motor control. Drink driving is such a leap of faith that it makes most religions look pretty damn weak. Moreover it has reproducible results.
But hey, I don’t have time for any religion and little for any ideological stupidities. I just look at what people do without your self-evident blinkers attached.
But unfortunately for you, my personal moderating rules tend to indicate that I don’t really like long lists dumped on this site without backing links. I expect people to just link to sites of interest, maybe with a short quoted excerpt, and then state why they think it is important. Just dropping whole pages from other site (especially outright trash) on this site is just graffiti. I regard people doing it as being trolls and I like to discourage any attempts at repetition. Especially when it contains an obvious copyright notice at the bottom.
Banned for 4 weeks for dropping a pile of what I consider to be be copyrighted rubbish fake facts on this site. ]
Jesus McFlock you want to go back to 1995 to find another “whitey” to prove a point?
How about lets just look at the last month:
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/attacks.aspx?Yr=Last30
Islamic violence killed 1372 and injured 1652. (Doesnt yet include latest atrocity)
Thats the thing- this barbarity doesnt just happen to londoners, militant islam is bred of ignorance and indoctrination and happens most often closer to its home.
There is absolutely no question western foreign policy helps breed this and leaders in the USA and UK should be tried for war crimes. Equally undoubtedly Saudi Arabia has been spreading militant Islam via its Wahhabist madrassas for years, the fruits of which we have been reaping for some years now.
Im happy to slag western middle eastern foreign policy all day- like I say i think previous leaders are war criminals- but the fact is the USA does not deliberately kill children to make a point, however cavalier their aerial bombings can be.
ISIS may think they have a valid grievance with the USA or UK to justify killing kids at a concert but I dont think thats ok.
Do you?
I’m not going to gainsay anyone’s anger at this moment. But if we go down that path what do you imagine the end-game is going to be? What do you want to achieve and how are you going to get there? There are at least 1.5b Muslims, how do you think they will respond?
Because in the same context you might want to keep in mind:
I accept that we naturally feel more empathy for Westerners we can identify with, while people dying in Kabul don’t arouse the same anger. I get that. But there is the ancient root of the problem; this whole business of “othering”.
Still I’m as upset and angry as you are; more so because a sense of helplessness in the face of this. Unchecked the terrorists will win. Western restraint will not be endless, they will get the total war they wish for. But dear God the consequences of that make my blood run cold.
“othering” is responsible for a multitude of failures involving humans; inter-human catastrophes, human/non-human creature disasters and human/non-living industry. Until we un-other, we are screwed.
Great to see this being discussed on this site by the Left. It is the one thing that bothers me about having a Left wing Govt although the Nats are presently doing it too. Labour and the Greens want to increase our refugee intake and likely 99% will practice Islam. I believe when it gets bad enough, yes we will have civil war in European countries. This will be terrible and blood will run. I applaud the kindness and intended goodwill of the Left but there are some things we simply have to be tough about. I particularly feel for the children born into these messed up hellholes but sadly we will destroy ourselves if we bring them all to the West.
It’s a tough argument. Freedom of religion is a very basic principle; and provoking discrimination against the vast majority of Muslims in the West who want nothing more than a peaceful life is deeply repugnant.
At the same time there is no question in my mind we cannot give a free pass to those fundamentalist elements of the Islamic world whose ideas and values are a direct contradiction to everything a progressive left would want to tolerate. For example:
Arguments over the veil and the purity culture surrounding it have long divided Muslim women.
But now, thanks to the shaming of girls murdered in a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert as “whores”, the split has spilled out into the open.
There is much talk about Muslims as if their religion did not have values and is considered by some to be inferior to those of the west.
Some religions in NZ have dodgy practices. We need to bear in mind what we already put up with from so-called religions here before looking down at those of other cultures. When a cult gets control of someone’s life they can destroy the person. Perhaps these cults grow around all religions in time.
The extremism of Exclusive Brethren has come to my attention recently. It has few principles of true Christianity it seems, just controlled and disciplined living concepts and a concentration on making money.
When is a religion just a cult? There is an expectation that religions will nurture the spiritual side of humans, think of what comes after death, and Christians are supposed to be honest, live simply, be welcoming and kind to others. But then there are the ones on the make and who want to be exclusive and extreme. When is a ‘prosperity’ church regarded as a business. How is a commercial operation making $Millions entitled to call itself a little charitable tax-free enterprise?
Some links. http://www.caic.org.au/biblebase/brethren/nopersonality.htm
This is part of a report by MP Nick Smith on trying to assist a previous Exclusive Brethren who was being harrassed by them, and who had caused him to lose his job years after leaving the cult.
“Smith told parliament that in one case, a Nelson pilot, Murray Turley, was excommunicated for wanting to get a job in another part of the country.
Eleven years later he was recognised by a church member aboard the Air Nelson plane he was flying; representations were made to the company management by Brethren members and Turley was forced to resign. Smith said Air Nelson confirmed these facts to him.
He said the alternative regional airline, Tranzair, also confirmed to Smith that it would never employ Turley for fear of losing a group of wealthy Brethren air travellers.
An investigation by The Times newspaper found the church had been granted $27 million in charitable tax relief in one year. The 17,000 strong British sect members made cash payments to Bruce Hales of $724,000 a year, although there was no suggestion that this was in any way unlawful.
When the UK Charities Commission tightened the definition of a religious charity and refused a Brethren trust charitable status, Bruce Hales ordered church elders to put “extreme pressure” on its boss.
In New Zealand, none of the the church’s charitable trusts are registered with the Charities Commission, meaning they are not required to say how much money they receive, or where the money goes.
Instead, they have ‘donee status’ with the IRD, which means they pay no tax on donations.”
“In September 2015, Bruce Hales was asked about [how] a mentally unwell New Zealand Brethren member man who had been in contact with “opposers” – people who have left the Brethren – should be dealt with. The “opposers” in question are understood to be members of the man’s own family who have already left the Brethren.
Hales said “having links” with them was “rotten poison”, and that the poison had got into the young man, who is from New Zealand.
Despite having been told that the man was “in what would appear to be torment at times,” Hales told the meeting it would be better for him to kill himself.
“He might as well get a shot of – what’s the best thing to kill you quickly? … What’s the stuff? Cyanide? No, not cyanide,” Hales says.
“Arsenic. How do you get arsenic into you? … He’d be better to take arsenic, or go and get some rat poison or something, take a bottle of it.”
1. Are entirely sure of their position.
2. Are against any compromise with and demonize outsiders
3. Advocate and sometimes use violence to achieve their ends.
4. Are intolerant of dissent within their group.
I wish that western countries would take the heat out of all this and confound the narrative by okaying the hijab so that the girls/women wear the scarf/head cover. It leaves the face exposed so that all can see each other and interact as people, not one hidden away. If it is important to a vast number of people, the Muslims, then of course we can do that. It is an easy bit of tolerance and I am sure would be appreciated as such.
I assume you’re referring to people with certain tendencies because anybody caught and suspected of alleged terrorist activities will be brought to justice and when found guilty and convicted will be dealt with through other channels.
So, once Minority Report has been implemented and fully operational should we think of Guantanamo Bay detention camp or of other ‘camps’?
I see the increasing frequency and shallowness of banal commentary as a very bad omen …
Sanctuary now would be a good time to remind everyone of this thread https://thestandard.org.nz/why-islam-is-incidental/ less than two weeks ago.
where the cloying PC attitudes of some here abouts decided that islam was apparantly incidental possibly its just a man thing, along with the usual trite bigot/racist slanders from those whose moral superiority was in question.
These were jihadists apparantly yelling “This is for Allah” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11869563
Lets see who these guys are, experience would tell us likely the products of mass migration, or their direct descendents poorly integrated.
I’d welcome someone reading my links on that other thread re militant islam being preached by Saudi Arabia and thoughts on curtailing it.
NB: internment camps are too easily abused by those in power, by all means try suspects, revoke passports and deport legally.
Really the Tin foil hats some on here wear. This is the second terrorist attack in the U.K. Where people on here infer the potential for a false flag attack – while there are still bodies on the ground.
Virtue signaling and deflection, all packaged up into a blustering attempt at grand standing
There is a long and documented archive of ‘intelligence services’ around the world being implicated in the handling of ‘agents’, ‘sleeper cells’ and ‘patsies’
Any given ‘event’ could be precisely one of those examples..
Proving one way or another would not be possible, due to the gatekeepers of ‘official narratives’
If anyone hasn’t yet looked down the Tegg Talk on coastline inundation and general climate change, this is such a good post today. And lots of links and details gathered together – that wouldn’t happen anywhere else and certainly on no other blog I don’t think.
The story so far about the Zombie TPPA, or “TPPA-1”:
When the US pulled out of the original TPPA agreement in January of this year, it looked as though the toxic deal was done and dusted. This may well still be the case, but it in the last couple of months there have been some worrying developments among the remaining TPPA countries (“the TPPA 11”, as in the original 12 TPPA countries, minus the US).
New Zealand and Australia have consistently said that they want to salvage the deal, and pushed for this at a Ministerial meeting in March. This idea shifted from fantasy and into the realm of possibility when Japan did a U-turn on its previous rejection of any form of the TPPA without the US involved. Japan has since joined NZ and Australia as a vocal cheerleader for the Zombie agreement.
Senior trade officials from the TPPA 11 countries met in Canada early last month, before a full ministerial meeting on the sidelines of APEC on 20-21 May.
Prior to that meeting, PM Bill English visited Japan, in large part to lobby Japanese MP Shinzo Abe for the TPPA-1.
Ngā mihi koutou, please get in touch at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
(What did we parlay to the Japanese as reason to combine together? Was it to act against China, which is large and looming near them and they have history going way back? Or what – whales?)
Funny how all these people that want to round up the muslims don’t want to round up all the christians and jews doing similar things in muslim countries.
What a pointless thread this is …rant and rave …For some time now from my comfort of retirement I have wondered when people are going to get wise … Not locking up or expulsion but organising a society where all these young folk …. NOTE it is RARE that original immigrants indulge but rather their children which are causing these problems. So my question is “How do we change our society to look after and give purpose to the youngsters we are procreating?”
Everybody raved on about the UK Labour advert but one part stuck out as dated thinking. “work for all” …. trouble is there is not enough meaningful work for our current young, let alone future generations. No mention of UBI provided one can demonstrate worthwhile activity when jobs go to robots. Capitalism brought us to this point and will destroy us if we cannot work out an alternative.
“trouble is there is not enough meaningful work for our current young”
The Manchester terrorist was able to access thousands in student loans and other welfare benefits to fund frequent trips to Libya for terrorist training. Hardly a case of a kid with no options.
And why aren’t bored unemployed Atheist, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist youth in London detonating bombs and going on mass random hit and run stabbing sprees shouting “this is for Buddha/Spaghetti Monster in the Sky!”?
808state
Smart alec trivialising of a serious problem with callous sarcasm, and religious bias thrown in. A devils brew. Surely you can do better than drag us down with this sort of stuff.
Your faux outrage fails to deflect attention from the inadequacy of the claim that a lack of “meaningful work” is the cause of Islamic terrorism in Britain.
In that case why wasn’t there extremism here when we had the family benefit, state housing for all who needed them, state owned power and phone, etc. It seems like we had a nice, peaceful, generally healthy society then.
You are claiming a lack of “meaningful work” turns people into terrorists. But you demand everyone ignore the fact they scream ‘This is for Allah!” as they sink knives into Londoners.
I think in those days Maui we also had full employment … that I think is the factor absent today. The days when the Minister of Labour could count the number of unemployed on fingers of one hand.
Until we find a way to fully occupy the young with meaningful jobs [ to them ] and have marginalised groups then we will find the disillusioned think it is better to die expressing their outrage and end up with 72 virgins than struggle with a meaningless existence.
Really? If we counted the victims of say “Islamic” terror attacks in Europe and North America vs “nationalist” xenophobic hate crimes this year, how different would the scale be? A factor of ten? One hundred? A thousand? Or are you just making shit up to be a scared little bigot?
So the killing of Transgenders and Young gays in the last month did not happen. The far right loon bag who went out to the streets in New York at the start of May and kicked a black homeless man to death saying he wanted to start a race war was an illusion.
But most of all are you in lala land 808state the rebirth of Neo-Nazis across Europe has lead to some serious violence. Here is just one case in the courts now.
there is a lot of work out there that needed to be done, mowing the Council owned berms – in NZ -would be a good thing to start.
however, the issue that we have is that we don’t want to pay anyone to mow that fucking berm.
and while we – society, businesses, private entrepreneurs and such – don’t want to pay for services jobs don’t get done.
So we are not hiring the police officers the country needs, nor the nurses, nor the builders, nor the sales staff, nor the people that would answer the 0800 number you are calling to complain about a malfunction.
We have jobs galore that need doing, we are simply to greedy and to petty to hire someone at a decent wage to do these jobs. I am sure the same can be said of any country.
@ Tony P (15.2) … what a joke Key’s knighthood is, considering he wanted to replace the present NZ flag with his own pathetic design! Now he’s a knight of the realm for his attempted treachery against NZ!
A knighthood for treason, as well as misleading Parliament and the people of NZ on many occasions during his tenure. And then there were the assaults on a waitress over a period of seven months, not to mention him publicly ridiculing prison rape! Whatever next!
Key’s honour has now definitely confirmed Knighthoods are an absolute farce!
The defence and intelligence community believes that attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to exert its influence in Australia pose a direct threat to our nation’s liberties and its sovereignty.
That fear has been confirmed by a five-month-long Four Corners-Fairfax investigation which shows Beijing is active across a vast array of fronts — from directing Chinese student associations, threatening Australian-based Chinese dissidents, seeking to influence academic inquiry, co-opting community groups and controlling most Chinese-language media.
And Monday night’s Four Corners program will track the millions in opaque Chinese-linked donations to show how it buys access and influence in Australian politics.
And Chinese hot money fueling the house price inflation in Auckland.
The official claim that “research” shows only 3% of house purchases in Auckland are foreign is a LIE – peddled by government and real estate industry – both benefiting massively from the housing price bubble.
NZ hands out resident status like candy, that’s where the foreign purchases are hidden.
Labour had the balls to call the government out on it, and ironically is now labelled “racist”.
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Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
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 ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
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. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
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. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
Surely if the Nats have forced Auckland City Council to bring in a congestion charge, Auckland people will punish them heavily in September.
That the ordinary workers of Auckland will have to pay for the years of infrastructure underspend while sitting in gridlock should make them very angry.
The Labour campaign team should be looking at this very closely.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/government-to-make-road-pricing-announcement-phil-goff.html
I cannot wait for labour to come out and say that they will oppose it and that they will not implement if hey are in power.
Troll
Adding value as always ed. do you have a view on it ?
I’d be happy with that. Labour is in the business of helping low income earners not punishing them, and helping Auckland address it’s infrastructure problem. National – not so much.
You may be happy with that – but do you think labour actually *would* do it ?
They believe in a much closer relationship between central and local government and unlike the current government seek ways to support Auckland and actually have a vision for the future.
For them to adopt a congestion tax penalising workers would be out of character.
I think Labour will support it.
They will view it as pushing more people onto public transport.
Also if it’s done so that it’s operative from 6am to 7pm, it won’t affect shift workers – who are a core Labour support base.
We could easily see this rolled out as an extension of RUC.
Or of the HOP card.
I don’t think it’s going to be too hard to get through either politically or logistically.
Of course the Natz and their players want a congestion charge. They have already moved the poor out further out of the city, now they want to charge them to come in.
Meanwhile the rich in central Auckland can sit pretty, and have less riff raft around, as well as benefit by increased immigration driving up house prices and more cars, holiday highways to their baches, no increases in regional petrol fuel that actually targets those on the roads including trucks which are increasingly taking over the roads, and no public transport.
Perfect. For the elite who want everything to go their way, and the cronies that support them.
London has a congestion charge (and they have the decency to have good public transport). Didn’t work. Too many people, equals too many cars and it’s actually just a type of class warfare to benefit the rich.
More talk of congestion charges reminds me of Len Brown and how he was outed by the honey trap that took him down and his ideas with him.
Looking back at the case of Colin Craig and Slater. Same thing. Seems odd to me that Craig who never actually had an affair with his press secretary and friend of creep Jordon Williams, somehow as a ‘communications expert’ failed to say in any writing to reprocessed christian Craig, Sorry I’m but NOT interested, instead ‘hug, hug’ txts, until she derailed the election to Nationals benefit by having a press conference against Craig.
So creepy Jordon, gets 1.3 mill compensation.
Press secretary gets 100,000’s in compensation.
National knock out conservatives and gallop home in the election.
So called bankrupt Slater has his $12,000 lawyers per day to get more money from Craig.
As far as I can see Craig’s biggest crime is that he is a fool, easily manipulated and has the world’s worst poetry. It’s not a crime to be interested in someone if that someone has not said no.
Meanwhile, Key who’s harassment victim did repeatedly and publicly ask him to stop pulling her hair gets no penalty.
Brash and god knows how many politicians are really cheating on their wives.
The roast busters youths who actually did statutory rape girls as well as posting about it, get off.
Ex cop Richards is now a lawyer and got off the rape charges against Louise Nicholas.
So it seems to me, that the guilty get off and the myths that get those off, like Colin Craig situation where it’s hard to see what the fuck the harassment is about.
Press secretary is a communications expert, if she didn’t want Colin Craig’s attention, a little email saying “No, thanks Colin, I’m just not in to you’ would have been a start, instead of hug, hug and a press conference to National Party’s favour a few days out from an election.
Personally, I’ll all for high charges for driving. It is, after all highly inefficient and simply unsustainable and thus should be priced accordingly while we’re still using a market system.
Of course, we should have good, free public transport first.
Yes, that is the catch in NZ, and Auckland particularly. No vision on public transport for some years now.
Draco, in comparison to overseas cities in particular public transport in NZ is the pits.
Consider this – Test case in real time:
Location Wellington and surrounds.
Start Point Titahi bay. Using public transport via Porirua train station wanting to go Petone.
OK, here we go. Factor in 15 min getting up earlier due to buses only going every 10-15 min. (not all day though) So if you miss one, to have a chance to get the next.
Getting the train to Wellington city, right to the end of the line as there is no other way to change track (at least another 15 min add on). Then take another train (hopefully not missed in all that rigmarole) and go back north (where you just came from) but this time going Petone.
Total time, if all goes by plan: at least 1hrs,15 min if not more.
Frustration point: Regular outage of trains with very little notice – average every 4 weeks.
Now, lets do the same by car – going Titahi Bay to Petone via main road and motorway to Petone Train station.
Total time: 20 min. Frustration point, drivers who obviously have no license otherwise the would for a starter turn on the lights when its dark.
Need I say more?
If you go to cities like Paris, Vienna, Berlin, London (Main centers) you would actually not need a car. Naturally, for those who prescribe car free cities, those are the places where the plan is feasible. NZ – not so much unless you want to bring the economy to its knees.
What is doable is to get all the truck loads up and down the country off the road and on freight trains, It would save a lot of wear and tear repairs, petrol or worst, diesel fumes.
So, you’re saying that it’s all bad and therefore we shouldn’t do anything to make it better?
Not at all, just saying that the investment needed is so great that it will take 2 generations to get where other cities (plural) are. In other words, long term planning but we have only short sighted politicians and vested interests.
As I have pointed out, a good start would be to get all port to destination cargo onto trains. Perhaps that mode of transport might make enough money to invest in more and better tracks etc…
I also doubt that such a large undertaking should be carried financially by one group of people or taken on in a very short period of time. It is that suggestion or plan that actually puts a full stop to any movement because of the implications of funding.
As of right now, just getting 99% reliability and would be a winner.
Rules for a successful transformation : Realism, feasibility, finance and implementation. And that without a constant “consultation process” that sucks all the money out of the project.
It is certainly not a No 8 wire deal.
We know that better PT is feasible – lots of examples world wide and we know finance isn’t a problem for nation states.
Given all that I suspect the real problem there is the use of the word realism as it more than likely refers to being realistic within capitalist confines which are delusional.
In other words, building better PT is a political problem and not one based in reality.
You are trying to be antagonistic?
I am all for public transport being originally from a city that truly does not require a car and riding a bike is absolute bliss – honest.
But I also can see the problematic side of getting that kind of infrastructure in any NZ city in place. And belief you me, it is extraordinary expensive. Even so, the logistic, geographic and seismic issues are adding to the dimension and NZ would need the best planners to get this off the ground. Not only that, but commitment over the next 20 years or more years.
To make it really fascinating, the layout of the cities has to change. Infrastructure means supply, health and entertainment has to be reachable at relative ease and housing laid out so that even a 70 year old could deal with the necessities whilst walking or taking a bus.
And this is the problem in a nutshell: The whole idea of how a city works needs to change and with the current 70’s idea of lets drive everywhere it is a bit of an issue.
NZ needs professionals who can handle the job and stick with it and a guarantied finance plan. All of that outside the constant party politicking …. good luck.
Just to make a point, this ought not to be a matter to punish drivers. Driving a good car is absolute fun as long as there are none of the – license what do I need if for- on the road.
It is a matter of having the citizen agree on a plan of transmission that is not a declaration of war on one party or the other.
A lot of work needs to be done, is NZ ready for it?
True.
It’s only problematic because of the politics. That goes for the commitment as well especially for National who will do what makes the most profit for private enterprise rather than the best option.
It’s not really expensive either. It doesn’t take that many people to guide a boring machine through the earth. And it wouldn’t even be that expensive if we built a couple of boring machines for ourselves either. This is what happens when you consider the economy in terms of resources available rather than in terms of money and profit – you realise that things aren’t as expensive as the profiteers tell you and that we really can afford to do stuff that they don’t want done – like good PT.
You really do have to ask why the profiteers don’t want these thing that would make our lives better.
Climate Change and resource depletion tells us that we can’t afford drivers. This is reality.
Was Britain ready for it when it started the Industrial Revolution? Did they sit about gnashing their teeth, chewing their fingernails and tossing and turning in their beds at night wondering if they were ready?
Or did they just get stuck in and do it?
Auckland PT is far better than it was in 2010.
And improving quickly.
This is basically going to price the poor off the roads. Especially the working poor who have to drive up from South Auckland and do the low-paid menial work that keep Central Auckland ticking.
That is how the market works.
The problem, of course, is that the government will turn around and cough up subsidies so that those businesses will still be able to operate despite not paying enough to support the work that they want to do
Fuck me, just ….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93211462/18monthold-julia-the-innocent-face-of-modern-nzs-brutal-archaic-boarding-houses
And to give credit where it is due … good to see some real journalism.
I worry about the children being close proximity to people with serious mental health issues and pedocrims.
We could print the houses, use prefabs, or any number of options. How hard can it be?
What happened to Bennett’s pop-up houses? Another press release promise broken…
Perhaps the thing that most pisses me off about Tories is their sheer lack of imagination. Incompetent, do-little plodders the lot of them.
For anyone is really interested in architecture, the human landscape, I’ve always regarded Alexander’s A Pattern Language as a foremost work of genius, a lodestar, a dream work that should be used everywhere to shape authentic, humane, truly life-affirming cities and spaces.
It’s a massive read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language
Just got hold of “The Timeless way of Building”, will read “A Pattern Language” next
It is the sacrifice of Julia and her family that ensure that ‘Middle New Zealand’ reap the benefits of high property prices, high rents and high dividends with a golden retirement (and a comfortable afterlife, if you belive in that stuff).
Then theres this.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/92493924/under-the-line-a-mothers-struggle-to-put-food-on-the-table?
I have recently learnt that if you are homeless and have children, Winz can, and do take your children. (Remember ‘Cathy Come Home’ anyone?) Also if you don’t have an address you can neither receive a Winz benefit or vote.
Early on Radionz discussion on Brit election. Studies have shown that all the media have downplayed or negatived Jeremy Corbyn and his ideas including the BBC.
And they said that Jeremy Corbyn himself is not favoured for PM but his ideas are gaining acceptance. Theresa May has been picked by Conservatives as suitable to stand but has no ideas or vision of her own.
And they played some of Liar Liar which can’t be broadcast in Britain pre=election.
The Canary is a great website to follow the UK election.
Having just finished viewing the first four series of ‘House of Cards’ produced by the BBC I wonder if it is all an anti-conservative propaganda to aid UK Labour?
Which might explain the rise of Corbyn in the coming election coupled by the situation many find themselves in these day from Tory rule.
Perhaps in NZ too if TVNZ is showing it as well. I do not have TV so cannot easily find out.
This is why it’s a lie to use the CPI as a measure of inflation and as a measure of the realities facing New Zealand families. It begs the question what use is the CPI at all.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/332262/house-prices-far-outstripping-cpi-report
It’s a reasonable measure for the middle quintile of incomes, rubbish for the others.
Two article about the problems housing in Auckland is causing the staffing of schools.
Both are worth reading in full.
All schools have lost staff because of the costs.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11868150
Well done the baa baa’s last night. Out up a great fight against the lions.
I’m predicting a 3 – 0 win to the All Blacks. We should even pick up a couple of wins with the super 12 teams.
This is a poltical blog, not sports talk.
Yesterday the Amwrica’s Cup, today rugby.
Dear ed – you do know this is open Mike right?
“For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply”
Try to open your eyes there is more to life than typing “troll”.
Ed, nationalism is the bastion of the right when they are desperate. Racism is another, And these days so is immigration.
So be grateful James is not barking about the others, he may be desperate, but not that desperate yet.
This mob are quite snookered then.
The TPPA and 5 Eyes undermines any claim to caring about our sovereignty.
165 000 new arrivals prevents any argument against immigrants.
They’ll need some new scapegoats.
No James – it’ll be very close 2-1 in either direction, not sure which.
SA and Australia are very weak currently so the all black’s recent record is flattering.
I’m predicting the depression of a 2-1 series loss to the Lions will add to the gloom caused by unaffordable housing, punitive rents, stagnating wages, being told by Double Dipper that they are “pretty useless” etc. etc. It’ll just tip people over the edge and they’ll turn on the government. Good times eh?
Team New Zealand choose Team BAR as their opponent for the next series of the Americas cup.
We are looking a lot stronger than them – so looking good to making it to the finals of the challenge series.
All good news on the sporting front this morning.
Are we going to get sports reports from you every morning?
It’s a National Party strategy to piggy-back sporting achievements as a distraction from failures in government.
Diluting TS posts with sports talk is a brilliant trolling strategy. With each sport-filled day, TS would become more and more like and eventually indistinguishable from, Kiwiblog, where such commentary is par for the course. Offering opinions about “the Cup”, no matter which sport is presently offering it, binds the lads at KB and gives them common ground from which to work. This is something Lefties lack, at least we lack an easy, rah rah rah form of “introductory discourse” that pads the social machine of the Right – sure, we could discuss fracking or homelessness as an ice breaker on line or on earth, but it’s not anything like as simple as sport chat. Of course I’m generalizing and many from the Left wing are passionate about sport, but the political Right have mastered the use of sport as a lubricant.
Not just National Muttonbird …. just typical politics over the years I’ve been a voter.
Only on days I choose.
How’s them Crusaders.
/
Foreign Waka
Thanks for the record keeping. The felt and experienced says a lot more to people than hearing that a certain piece of new roadway will take 3 minutes off the average person’s trip time.
And I notice that the people who don’t turn on their lights seem to be in dark cars. They remain unaware of others on the road with lights when it is definitely dark, and it doesn’t occur to turn theirs on. No doubt their minds are on their own affairs rather than their driving style.
I fucking hate sports. If our government would stop putting millions into them to keep the population numb then perhaps little Julia would have a real home.
100%
Yeah – sports what are they good for.
The provide social interaction, fitness. Teamwork, entertainment and enjoyment. Most sports only have a positive impact on the people who partake or are involved in them.
Go to a sports field in a Saturday and look at all the kids having fun.
there have been lost before about “the left” and why do they hate sports – I guess it was about people like you.
Good win for Oracle this morning James. They are going to piss all over NZ again.
As for your fetish with rucking fugby, why don’t you give up on that minor game and follow the one and only beautiful game?
Oracle didn’t win this morning – nz lost it :-).
I wouldn’t bet on the outcome of the final yet – long way off and we have to get there first.
As for the beautiful game – never been a fan.
All Blacks didn’t win the world cup – the French lost it. What a dumb argument.
james,steady. Your cutting to the bone wit deserts you when you’re angry.
At a community level this is true.
Not so true of the comments you are posting about the America’s Cup or the professional rugby games. I suspect the focus on professional rugby (and other sports) has shifted government funding away from community grassroots levels to elite sportspeople. A consequence of a government not actually valuing what you say you value – social interaction, fitness, teamwork etc.
James
You are out of position, running amok and forgetting how the game works.
What do you man that – the left – hate sports. You are a nutcase. Try hating me and leave Labour alone. There are things that need changing by them and we need to discuss and encourage them in their efforts to take their ideas and policies to the electorate and we don’t need foolish distraction from you.
James, for all intent and purpose – here is what is wrong with all this sports,sports and more of it.
Firstly and overarching: It’s a do it and not a watch it all the time thing. THIS would bring the true benefit.
Balance needs to be applied no matter what and by that I mean that we all would have a better time having more Arts and less Sport in our life. Even the News are now more sports than actual world events.
By god, no other nation is watching thinking, talking and conversing so much about sport and yet has nothing much else to introduce to the wider public.
It is shameful as NZ has a wide verity of artists of extremely high standards and I belief kids in particular should be exposed to it even to just make sure that they understand that it is OK not to box the next fellow in the face in order to be accepted in any group.
+1000 Asleep while walking [7.2]….. The amount of money wasted by giving into pressure groups instead of running the country properly …..URRRGH!
You really blew chunks v Oracle though didn’t you jimbo? And you couldn’t hang on for a win against the lions. Shape up, gessim guss.
Yeah – a group of provential players who have been together since Saturday nearly beat the best funded touring team of professional athletes ever to nz (in rugby).
And nz – top out of the qualifying teams in the first round – not a lot tot to be upset about.
See what’s life is like when the glass is half full.
Issplainins losin, jimby, Guessinguss. Jawnerrysy.
Your glass is half full of hot air. James. Smug glee at pathetic sporting results is what one expects from a half-wit who wants to escape from serious problems.
Your glass is half full? Maybe that matches your wit.
Bread and circuses….although theres bugger all bread.
Event happening on London bridge,
https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonBridge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=about%3Asrcdoc
http://beta.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11869351
Looks like it’s pretty bad.
Fuck. That’s looking grim.
three incidents unfolding.
https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstuff.liveblog.pro%2Fstuff%2Fblogs%2F59332e6d06c6fe010c595341%2Findex.html
From the BBC coverage:
Uggh? Pandering to an ape on the other side of the Atlantic?
http://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-40147014
It seems there has been a further incident not far from the bridge and none of the culprits have been caught.
It would not surprise me if this isn’t a coordinated attempt to create as much ferment and terror in the final days of the election campaign. It could mean there are further ‘incidents’ to come – at least in London.
Edit: just seen Poission’s twitter feed. Looks like a coordinated campaign going on here.
Interestingly there was a poll the other day that showed Londoners now support Labour and Corbyn is gaining on May as preferred PM.
3 closely-coordinated terrorist attacks – all in same general area at the southern end of London Bridge. We were just there late last year – drove over London Bridge.
(Actually – one’s in Vauxhall ….. further west along Thames)
Swordfish, call me ‘too soon’ but does this gain Corbyn an extra % point?
corybn threatens tories in the polls.
another “terrorist” attack.
coincidence?
~ tui
Terrorists aim to polarise. They want to see collective punishment of their own people to act as a recruitment tool. Launching attacks during election campaigns is an attempt to influence voters in that direction. Personally, I think the time for internment camps, stripping of nationality and expulsion to the middle east should now at least on the table for discussion.
I think the time for internment camps, stripping of nationality and expulsion to the middle east should now at least be on the table for discussion.
Yes. This is probably a far better way to gain control of the terrorists. If they lose their ability to operate successfully in Western countries then they lose their ability to sustain their campaigns.
The main problem will be to find them first.
The purpose of internment camps is imprisoning people on suspicion without trial. If they were known terrorists they could be tried and imprisoned in the normal way. Very dangerous approach. I also doubt it’s effectiveness. If someone is willing to blow themselves up, the fear of an internment camp isn’t going to be a deterrent. So it’s about locking up enough volume of people to seriously dent the Brits who are willing to join the cause. How many innocent people are you willing to imprison for every terrorist stopped?
I’m not suggesting holus bolus incarceration of anyone from a Middle Eastern background. Far from it. The police would need to produce substantive evidence of their terrorist links. For the most part they would be the leaders of the terrorist gangs which are obviously proliferating at an alarming rate. I’m sure the majority of Muslims in Britain (for example) would approve of their summary removal from society.
So why not write legislation to make the actions illegal and do it the normal way?
It’s fast reaching this point.
That’s the problem no one knows which Muslim is going to be the one that tries to run you over or stabs you with a knife.
Any known radicalised Muslims need to be rounded up and detained.
define radicalised Muslim.
The guy that blew up all those kids just recently, He was reported quite a few times by other Muslims.
Once he became known by the authorities he should have been detained and only released when he was considered safe and not a risk.
Rarely agree with BM but this time I do.
the new face of Britain
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBbuhzsXsAAM70-.jpg
Yeah……a calamity and folk cooperate with the law.
/
Oh, I agree with you on that one. But you said all radicalised Muslims should be interned. I’d like you to define that with foresight not hindsight.
Radicalised Muslims are the problem weka. They represent a minority of Muslims, and are currently able to recruit impressionable young men and women to their twisted cause. They need to be taken out of society before they inflict more carnage.
Must go… have a good debate everyone because that’s what it’s really all about. 🙂
When you get back, how about you have a go at defining radicalise Muslims. Because if the Brits were to have a policy of internment, that would need to be defined.
I’m in your camp weka. I do agree with BM’s thought that the people that should be pointing the finger at dangerous Muslims is the Muslim community itself.
I’m with you weka because I believe sending angry young Londoners home to their alien war-torn holes in the ground is not a solution. It will make things worse. Lets say we ban every Muslin from the UK. Wouldn’t they just pay Cockneys to place bombs?
The only way to make a worthwhile difference is to stop standing over and bombing the bejesus out of their homelands.
Why even ask the question? It’s time to get tough on the causes of terrorism, and we know that racism is one of those causes. So why provide racists with polite discourse so they can foment more terrorism?
Stop humouring their hateful rhetoric. Who gives a shit what BM thinks: his opinions will cause more mass murder.
Because I wanted to hear him think this one through logically.
That isn’t how an amygdala works.
Just as well humans are more than their amygdala then. And BM, you and me aren’t the only people reading this.
Not too hard to do:
If Muslims show by their words, or actions that they sympathize and support jihadist interpretations of the Koran then they should face special Immigration Judges and be eligible for immediate deportation.
Also they have any welfare support removed and include a financial incentive for them to voluntarily leave the UK.
Relevant beliefs would be:
– Support for killing and murdering non-Muslims in the name of Allah.
– Support for the imposition of Shariah law in place of Parliamentary law.
– Support for the subjugation and oppression of women.
– Support (both moral and financial) for known jihadist groups including ISIS.
– Involvement, directly or indirectly, in such groups.
As well as doing this, for those who are British born, you make agreements with Muslim majority countries who agree to take these deportees including financial payments.
Overtime, this process would remove those in the Muslim population who have no desire to live peaceably with the English and reduce the risk of more terrorist attacks.
To Rightly or Wrongly @ 4 June 2017 at 4:20 pm:
After they have ‘extracted’ the
confessionsinformation they might as well go one step further and try to convert these people to the right beliefs & values. The old ‘techniques’ might still work a treat and after all, we’re dealing with ‘evil bastards’ who’ve lost their souls …I didn’t say forced confessions.
If evidence of their belief or involvment in jihadism is obtained by normal investigative methods then this is acted on.
Just means they could be removed from the UK before they are able to murder and terrorise the population
To Rightly or wrongly @ 4 June 2017 at 8:30 pm:
In case you missed it, I was hinting at the Spanish Inquisition and I used this as a reductio ad absurdum in reply to your and other comments in this thread.
To obtain the information you’re alluding to some ‘encouragement’ will be needed, don’t you think? People are not usually providing self-incriminatory information by free admission only or on an entirely voluntary basis. Being detained in an “internment camp” already violates many conditions necessary for free & voluntary ‘collaboration with the authorities’ IMO.
I think it is not true that all terrorists can be identified by their beliefs only but in any case it would amount to religious persecution. How many innocent people will be caught in this
cleansingconspiracy net? And these people will be free to go back to society once they have been ‘vetted’ and deemed ‘clean’?The possibility that these camps & processes might help radicalisation and its spread/reach seems that have escaped some people.
The only real way you’re going to find out who the radicalised Muslims are is with the help of the Muslim community.
If a Muslim is reported by other Muslims for demonstrating support for Holy war, support for ISIS etc then he/she is tagged for investigation/detainment and is considered a radicalised Mulsim until otherwise proven.
The vast majority of Muslims are good people the stuff that is happening in the UK at present is making their lives very difficult, it’s in their best interest to help get it sorted.
OK, so no definition, but British Muslims can be interned if another Muslim dobs them in? Can you see where that might go wrong?
Weka, just because there is grey, doesn’t mean there is no black.
It’s a weak as piss argument for doing nothing in the face of danger.
But I don’t think “internment” is a useful term.
Jail is better. With a trial. Whether all the evidence can be public or not due to the secrecy with which it was acquired, is already covered by legislation designed for this stuff.
The definitions of crimes under the relevant UK law are in the 2006 Terrorism Act:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/11/contents
The punishments and the time in which suspects are able to be held without trial are also well established over there.
The authorities will have to act and look like they are acting soon on suspects – radical Muslim suspects – or they will see vigilante acts break out.
I haven’t said do nothing. I’ve said that I think using the existing justice system to try and imprison criminals is better than interning people without trial.
But if we are going to intern Muslims without trial, can we do this to men who are suspected of rape and rape promotion too? Because rape is a kind of terrorism, and affects far more people in the UK than political terrorism does, so let’s lock up the rape apologists without a trial too.
See how that works?
If “intern” means jail, sounds good.
All very well and good through the lens of a nice safe liberal bubble.
But I bet if you were actually charged with the job of keeping the population safe from lone wolf or wolves attacks you’d be singing a very different tune very quickly. There will be some few thousands of potential jihadists in the UK. The safest course is to intern them all, until you are satisfied they pose no threat.
and let’s not forget we’re talking about a country with a seriously underfunded police force. Might want to do something about that too.
To Ad @ 4 June 2017 at 12:41 pm:
So acting for the sake of doing something, anything??
Even highly trained and well prepared professionals make lots of mistakes that (can) have disastrous consequences. The SAS debacle is one example and the AOS is another http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11868256
Politicians have no or all-too-familiar answers and the intelligence agencies or military forces seem to be behind the facts & events too. But let’s do something, right?
No doubt, a number of properties will be searched and a number of people arrested and no doubt they’ll find something but will this fundamentally change anything?
“…but will it fundamentally change anything?”
What a pathetically cynical comment.
You can tell the answer when a government takes your advice and does nothing.
They imo want to intern Muslim looking people not Muslims.
To Ad @ 4 June 2017 at 3:23 pm:
Pathetic maybe – I do like your subjectivity – but cynical no, not really. I’d say you’re projecting too much onto my comment; I never said “do nothing”.
Arguably, the measures and actions so far have not done anything to quell terrorism, rather the opposite. Thus we must use our imagination and critical faculties, not our amygdalas, and find different ways to deal with an issue that is a cancer of humankind. Sticking a wee plaster on it is not a cure; this is not a cynical statement or “advice” but an observation rooted in historical experience.
All very well and good through the lens of a nice safe liberal bubble.
But I bet if you were actually charged with the job of keeping the population safe from lone wolf or wolves attacks you’d be singing a very different tune very quickly. There will be some few thousands of potential jihadists in the UK. The safest course is to intern them all, until you are satisfied they pose no threat.
I note that no-one has yet provided a definition of ‘radicalised Muslim’ or ‘potential jihadist’. Would you expect the police to just make their minds up on the spot from whatever is going on in their heads at the time?
You can call me a liberal a bubble, I’ll just call you a reactionary who can’t think things through. Maybe we should try and find some middle ground.
Bat Man, you’re not much of a ‘thinker’ are you..
So much generalist clap trap that your comments can’t be ‘serious’
What percentage of Muslims would you say are radicalized, in comparison to western military forces and private mercenaries?
______________________________________________________________________________
BM
“The guy that blew up all those kids just recently, He was reported quite a few times by other Muslims. Once he became known by the authorities he should have been detained and only released when he was considered safe and not a risk.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
He was known (and systematically used) by the authorities …..
http://johnpilger.com/articles/terror-in-britain-what-did-the-prime-minister-know
More …..
The Manchester Bombing: Blowback from British state collusion with jihadists abroad
https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/the-manchester-bombing-as-blowback-the-latest-evidence-83ec2127801d
That looks awkward for the PM.
Indeed, what is the difference between a radical and an orthodox religious person? Another word that’s often thrown around is “fanatic”; sloppy use of language and meaning is not helping one iota.
What about White Nationalist extremists who kill people in the states on a almost weekly basis, and yet we almost never have a discussion about them on this site?
What about them? Are we going to lock up the alt-right? Make interment camps for them?
People here have rightly felt sorry for the victims of this, but 1 week ago Jeremy Joseph Christian walk onto a train platform, started abusing a Muslim women, and when two people tried to calm him down he slashed their throats.
WHERE THE OUT CRY OVER THIS!!?!
White terrorist are getting a free pass. I for one, am sick of it.
Link to current relevant “white terrorist” attack please.
I for one am sick of PC.
Where are all these weekly terrorist attacks by the alt-right?
If it’s “alt-right”, they’re just called a “justifiable police shooting”. 👿
There isnt a pattern of them 808, one sad loser killed two brave people last week, who was white (why bring skin colour in to it adam?) but its not PC to mention militant Islamic terrorism.
Does a wannabe nazi mean we cant say there is a problem with extreme islam? Are people that stupid?
Seems people are too wrapped up in their fine ideals to deal with reality, the silence is deafening.
There’s a problem with extreme Islam, just as there’s a problem with “wannabe Nazis”.
That’s the thing – as soon as one loses a fixation on a particular religion or worldview, you’re actually in a position to understand why people do these things, and that puts you in a position to stop them.
Neither should be tolerated.
Here is the thing – on one hand we have an occasional lone nut job pseudo nazi like Breivik or the guy in the USA, on the other hand we have behind the scenes organisation and groups of islamic terrorists flying planes in to buildings or driving vans and mass stabbing people together. See the difference? Of course the jihadis do the solo stuff too, and more often.
I have no fixation on one religion but mass migration is both a cause of the nazi nut jobs hate, and the terrorists failure to feel accepted.
Those who think they are helping by opening the borders are part of the problem.
Shit, dude, even school kids get together to shoot up their classmates. The OKC bombing was by a group. Not to mention Aryan Nation and KKK.
And if mass migration is the cause of our problems, maybe we should look at the causes of it? Oh, but we can’t do that, because that might flip back on western foreign policy.
you are going back to 1995?
Absolutely agree that western foreign policy is terrible we should have never had any part in Iraq or afghanistan ever. USA and UK have in my opinion committed war crimes.
By the way Im not going back to 1995 but here is a list of Islamic killings for one month, its not exhaustive (latest “incident” not included, and mostly non western):
-I will accept a list of comparable nazi or christian barbarity as fair comparison.
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/attacks.aspx?Yr=Last30
[lprent: Deleted a copy and paste from a rubbish site that in all probability made their ‘facts’ up. Who do you think you are – a nincompoop like Trump?
The link will show that none of the items that you put on our site have ANY links against them. Furthermore, the majority of these aren’t even terror attacks – the number of gay bashings and domestic incidents is pretty damn high.
Quite simply, if you want to lie and build a story-line, all you have to do is to define your own rules like the idiot fuckwits you linked to do.
I could make up an equivalent list of Buddhists worldwide using the criteria that suicides are equivalent to the crieria that your linked pack of fools used.
Or a list of deaths from Christian terror attacks last month would be far far higher by the time I added in domestic incident deaths from fools who love their patriarchal obligations to beat women and overdo it. Of course not all Christians do that, but there are always fuckwits in any group.
And we won’t even mention the idiots who faithfully drink and drive in another religious observance. Which I personally tend to define as being people who don’t check their facts and prefer to run on pure faith instead. In this case like about the medical effects of inebriation, reaction times and motor control. Drink driving is such a leap of faith that it makes most religions look pretty damn weak. Moreover it has reproducible results.
But hey, I don’t have time for any religion and little for any ideological stupidities. I just look at what people do without your self-evident blinkers attached.
But unfortunately for you, my personal moderating rules tend to indicate that I don’t really like long lists dumped on this site without backing links. I expect people to just link to sites of interest, maybe with a short quoted excerpt, and then state why they think it is important. Just dropping whole pages from other site (especially outright trash) on this site is just graffiti. I regard people doing it as being trolls and I like to discourage any attempts at repetition. Especially when it contains an obvious copyright notice at the bottom.
Banned for 4 weeks for dropping a pile of what I consider to be be copyrighted rubbish fake facts on this site. ]
Jesus McFlock you want to go back to 1995 to find another “whitey” to prove a point?
How about lets just look at the last month:
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/attacks.aspx?Yr=Last30
Islamic violence killed 1372 and injured 1652. (Doesnt yet include latest atrocity)
Thats the thing- this barbarity doesnt just happen to londoners, militant islam is bred of ignorance and indoctrination and happens most often closer to its home.
There is absolutely no question western foreign policy helps breed this and leaders in the USA and UK should be tried for war crimes. Equally undoubtedly Saudi Arabia has been spreading militant Islam via its Wahhabist madrassas for years, the fruits of which we have been reaping for some years now.
You went back to 2001. I figured 5 more years wasn’t a biggee.
So anyway, when the locals do it, it’s religion; when the yanks do it, it’s foreign policy. Gotcha.
Im happy to slag western middle eastern foreign policy all day- like I say i think previous leaders are war criminals- but the fact is the USA does not deliberately kill children to make a point, however cavalier their aerial bombings can be.
ISIS may think they have a valid grievance with the USA or UK to justify killing kids at a concert but I dont think thats ok.
Do you?
nope, but now you’ve picked up a ban the point is moot
I’m not going to gainsay anyone’s anger at this moment. But if we go down that path what do you imagine the end-game is going to be? What do you want to achieve and how are you going to get there? There are at least 1.5b Muslims, how do you think they will respond?
Because in the same context you might want to keep in mind:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/03/kabul-explosions-afghanistan-people-killed-funeral-salim-ezadyar
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/01/asia/kabul-bombing-diplomatic-quarter/index.html
I accept that we naturally feel more empathy for Westerners we can identify with, while people dying in Kabul don’t arouse the same anger. I get that. But there is the ancient root of the problem; this whole business of “othering”.
Still I’m as upset and angry as you are; more so because a sense of helplessness in the face of this. Unchecked the terrorists will win. Western restraint will not be endless, they will get the total war they wish for. But dear God the consequences of that make my blood run cold.
“othering” is responsible for a multitude of failures involving humans; inter-human catastrophes, human/non-human creature disasters and human/non-living industry. Until we un-other, we are screwed.
+1 a million times over, Robert.
Great to see this being discussed on this site by the Left. It is the one thing that bothers me about having a Left wing Govt although the Nats are presently doing it too. Labour and the Greens want to increase our refugee intake and likely 99% will practice Islam. I believe when it gets bad enough, yes we will have civil war in European countries. This will be terrible and blood will run. I applaud the kindness and intended goodwill of the Left but there are some things we simply have to be tough about. I particularly feel for the children born into these messed up hellholes but sadly we will destroy ourselves if we bring them all to the West.
It’s a tough argument. Freedom of religion is a very basic principle; and provoking discrimination against the vast majority of Muslims in the West who want nothing more than a peaceful life is deeply repugnant.
At the same time there is no question in my mind we cannot give a free pass to those fundamentalist elements of the Islamic world whose ideas and values are a direct contradiction to everything a progressive left would want to tolerate. For example:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-03/linda-sarsour-hijabi-feminism/8583482
I don’t have any easy answers. Like you I hold only trepidation.
There is much talk about Muslims as if their religion did not have values and is considered by some to be inferior to those of the west.
Some religions in NZ have dodgy practices. We need to bear in mind what we already put up with from so-called religions here before looking down at those of other cultures. When a cult gets control of someone’s life they can destroy the person. Perhaps these cults grow around all religions in time.
The extremism of Exclusive Brethren has come to my attention recently. It has few principles of true Christianity it seems, just controlled and disciplined living concepts and a concentration on making money.
When is a religion just a cult? There is an expectation that religions will nurture the spiritual side of humans, think of what comes after death, and Christians are supposed to be honest, live simply, be welcoming and kind to others. But then there are the ones on the make and who want to be exclusive and extreme. When is a ‘prosperity’ church regarded as a business. How is a commercial operation making $Millions entitled to call itself a little charitable tax-free enterprise?
Some links.
http://www.caic.org.au/biblebase/brethren/nopersonality.htm
This is part of a report by MP Nick Smith on trying to assist a previous Exclusive Brethren who was being harrassed by them, and who had caused him to lose his job years after leaving the cult.
“Smith told parliament that in one case, a Nelson pilot, Murray Turley, was excommunicated for wanting to get a job in another part of the country.
Eleven years later he was recognised by a church member aboard the Air Nelson plane he was flying; representations were made to the company management by Brethren members and Turley was forced to resign. Smith said Air Nelson confirmed these facts to him.
He said the alternative regional airline, Tranzair, also confirmed to Smith that it would never employ Turley for fear of losing a group of wealthy Brethren air travellers.
and
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/78573007/Exclusive-Brethren-Sects-secretive-leader-tells-followers-to-drink-rat-poison
“In a sermon in 2002, Bruce Hales advised followers to “Spoil the Egyptians”, a slogan derived from the bible, meaning “get your hands on worldly people’s money”.
Hales said: “The world is there to take what we want from it, and leave everything we don’t want, spoil the Egyptians as quick and as fast as you can, and leave them alone…
An investigation by The Times newspaper found the church had been granted $27 million in charitable tax relief in one year. The 17,000 strong British sect members made cash payments to Bruce Hales of $724,000 a year, although there was no suggestion that this was in any way unlawful.
When the UK Charities Commission tightened the definition of a religious charity and refused a Brethren trust charitable status, Bruce Hales ordered church elders to put “extreme pressure” on its boss.
In New Zealand, none of the the church’s charitable trusts are registered with the Charities Commission, meaning they are not required to say how much money they receive, or where the money goes.
Instead, they have ‘donee status’ with the IRD, which means they pay no tax on donations.”
“In September 2015, Bruce Hales was asked about [how] a mentally unwell New Zealand Brethren member man who had been in contact with “opposers” – people who have left the Brethren – should be dealt with. The “opposers” in question are understood to be members of the man’s own family who have already left the Brethren.
Hales said “having links” with them was “rotten poison”, and that the poison had got into the young man, who is from New Zealand.
Despite having been told that the man was “in what would appear to be torment at times,” Hales told the meeting it would be better for him to kill himself.
“He might as well get a shot of – what’s the best thing to kill you quickly? … What’s the stuff? Cyanide? No, not cyanide,” Hales says.
“Arsenic. How do you get arsenic into you? … He’d be better to take arsenic, or go and get some rat poison or something, take a bottle of it.”
Here’s a simple checklist for extremist cults:
1. Are entirely sure of their position.
2. Are against any compromise with and demonize outsiders
3. Advocate and sometimes use violence to achieve their ends.
4. Are intolerant of dissent within their group.
The EB’s tick all these boxes.
I wish that western countries would take the heat out of all this and confound the narrative by okaying the hijab so that the girls/women wear the scarf/head cover. It leaves the face exposed so that all can see each other and interact as people, not one hidden away. If it is important to a vast number of people, the Muslims, then of course we can do that. It is an easy bit of tolerance and I am sure would be appreciated as such.
Enoch Powell had a similar vision. He was wrong.
I assume you’re referring to people with certain tendencies because anybody caught and suspected of alleged terrorist activities will be brought to justice and when found guilty and convicted will be dealt with through other channels.
So, once Minority Report has been implemented and fully operational should we think of Guantanamo Bay detention camp or of other ‘camps’?
I see the increasing frequency and shallowness of banal commentary as a very bad omen …
The eagerness to throw away principle of justice for certain classes of people is a worry too.
It’s also exactly what terrorists do.
That’s because they are not perceived as other people …
Sanctuary now would be a good time to remind everyone of this thread
https://thestandard.org.nz/why-islam-is-incidental/ less than two weeks ago.
where the cloying PC attitudes of some here abouts decided that islam was apparantly incidental possibly its just a man thing, along with the usual trite bigot/racist slanders from those whose moral superiority was in question.
These were jihadists apparantly yelling “This is for Allah” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11869563
Lets see who these guys are, experience would tell us likely the products of mass migration, or their direct descendents poorly integrated.
I’d welcome someone reading my links on that other thread re militant islam being preached by Saudi Arabia and thoughts on curtailing it.
NB: internment camps are too easily abused by those in power, by all means try suspects, revoke passports and deport legally.
Really the Tin foil hats some on here wear. This is the second terrorist attack in the U.K. Where people on here infer the potential for a false flag attack – while there are still bodies on the ground.
You should be ashamed.
doesn’t have to be a false flag. It could be terrorists intent on disrupting the elections.
Virtue signaling and deflection, all packaged up into a blustering attempt at grand standing
There is a long and documented archive of ‘intelligence services’ around the world being implicated in the handling of ‘agents’, ‘sleeper cells’ and ‘patsies’
Any given ‘event’ could be precisely one of those examples..
Proving one way or another would not be possible, due to the gatekeepers of ‘official narratives’
These repetitive and continuous events are neither surprising, nor un-predictable
Same can be said for those who can’t seem to scrape up a thought process much deeper than a surface scratch
‘Radical Muslims/Islam/Interment Camps’…
The problem is those who ‘think’ on cue as they are programmed/directed to by the ‘orchestrators’ of these events
If anyone hasn’t yet looked down the Tegg Talk on coastline inundation and general climate change, this is such a good post today. And lots of links and details gathered together – that wouldn’t happen anywhere else and certainly on no other blog I don’t think.
TPPA Bulletin just out – excerpt
Update on the Zombie TPPA
The story so far about the Zombie TPPA, or “TPPA-1”:
When the US pulled out of the original TPPA agreement in January of this year, it looked as though the toxic deal was done and dusted. This may well still be the case, but it in the last couple of months there have been some worrying developments among the remaining TPPA countries (“the TPPA 11”, as in the original 12 TPPA countries, minus the US).
New Zealand and Australia have consistently said that they want to salvage the deal, and pushed for this at a Ministerial meeting in March. This idea shifted from fantasy and into the realm of possibility when Japan did a U-turn on its previous rejection of any form of the TPPA without the US involved. Japan has since joined NZ and Australia as a vocal cheerleader for the Zombie agreement.
Senior trade officials from the TPPA 11 countries met in Canada early last month, before a full ministerial meeting on the sidelines of APEC on 20-21 May.
Prior to that meeting, PM Bill English visited Japan, in large part to lobby Japanese MP Shinzo Abe for the TPPA-1.
Ngā mihi koutou, please get in touch at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
(What did we parlay to the Japanese as reason to combine together? Was it to act against China, which is large and looming near them and they have history going way back? Or what – whales?)
Funny how all these people that want to round up the muslims don’t want to round up all the christians and jews doing similar things in muslim countries.
What a pointless thread this is …rant and rave …For some time now from my comfort of retirement I have wondered when people are going to get wise … Not locking up or expulsion but organising a society where all these young folk …. NOTE it is RARE that original immigrants indulge but rather their children which are causing these problems. So my question is “How do we change our society to look after and give purpose to the youngsters we are procreating?”
Everybody raved on about the UK Labour advert but one part stuck out as dated thinking. “work for all” …. trouble is there is not enough meaningful work for our current young, let alone future generations. No mention of UBI provided one can demonstrate worthwhile activity when jobs go to robots. Capitalism brought us to this point and will destroy us if we cannot work out an alternative.
thank you jcuknz !
“trouble is there is not enough meaningful work for our current young”
The Manchester terrorist was able to access thousands in student loans and other welfare benefits to fund frequent trips to Libya for terrorist training. Hardly a case of a kid with no options.
And why aren’t bored unemployed Atheist, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist youth in London detonating bombs and going on mass random hit and run stabbing sprees shouting “this is for Buddha/Spaghetti Monster in the Sky!”?
808state
Smart alec trivialising of a serious problem with callous sarcasm, and religious bias thrown in. A devils brew. Surely you can do better than drag us down with this sort of stuff.
The more concerning issue about the Manchester bomber would be MI6’s involvement, as highlighted by Pilger.
this.
+1 and some
This is an interesting point. The elites are running a “bomb them and invite them” policy.
I’ve followed Pilgers work for 15 years+, interesting stuff. His Marxist leanings are a joke, but otherwise his critiques are compelling stuff.
Your faux outrage fails to deflect attention from the inadequacy of the claim that a lack of “meaningful work” is the cause of Islamic terrorism in Britain.
Are you saying social welfare causes terrorism? 🙄
In that case why wasn’t there extremism here when we had the family benefit, state housing for all who needed them, state owned power and phone, etc. It seems like we had a nice, peaceful, generally healthy society then.
You are claiming a lack of “meaningful work” turns people into terrorists. But you demand everyone ignore the fact they scream ‘This is for Allah!” as they sink knives into Londoners.
I think in those days Maui we also had full employment … that I think is the factor absent today. The days when the Minister of Labour could count the number of unemployed on fingers of one hand.
Until we find a way to fully occupy the young with meaningful jobs [ to them ] and have marginalised groups then we will find the disillusioned think it is better to die expressing their outrage and end up with 72 virgins than struggle with a meaningless existence.
Apparently, many of these terrorist are nihilists.
Nicholas Ross Smith: Deeper causes of terrorism need to be addressed http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11862967
If you search the NZH website for “nihilist” you’ll get to choose from some interesting pieces.
What, you mean like the UKIP guy who shot the British MP, or the other guy who recently stabbed three people on a train in the name of “free speech”?
The alt-right are killing or atacking political opposition almost weekly. And we hear bugger all.
This is a little old but gives a good overview of where they are going in the USA.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/12/16/update-1094-bias-related-incidents-month-following-election
Actually the whole hatewatch section from the Southern Poverty Law Center is a impressive resource.
No where near the scale of the Islamic terrorist attacks now occurring on a weekly basis in Europe.
This is why Nationalism is on the rise and the Left finds itself hamstrung between that and the Globalists.
Really? If we counted the victims of say “Islamic” terror attacks in Europe and North America vs “nationalist” xenophobic hate crimes this year, how different would the scale be? A factor of ten? One hundred? A thousand? Or are you just making shit up to be a scared little bigot?
So the killing of Transgenders and Young gays in the last month did not happen. The far right loon bag who went out to the streets in New York at the start of May and kicked a black homeless man to death saying he wanted to start a race war was an illusion.
But most of all are you in lala land 808state the rebirth of Neo-Nazis across Europe has lead to some serious violence. Here is just one case in the courts now.
http://www.dw.com/en/terror-trial-in-dresden-for-freital-neo-nazi-group/a-37830922
there is a lot of work out there that needed to be done, mowing the Council owned berms – in NZ -would be a good thing to start.
however, the issue that we have is that we don’t want to pay anyone to mow that fucking berm.
and while we – society, businesses, private entrepreneurs and such – don’t want to pay for services jobs don’t get done.
So we are not hiring the police officers the country needs, nor the nurses, nor the builders, nor the sales staff, nor the people that would answer the 0800 number you are calling to complain about a malfunction.
We have jobs galore that need doing, we are simply to greedy and to petty to hire someone at a decent wage to do these jobs. I am sure the same can be said of any country.
Sabine
Good point. I don’t like this hands up in the air defeatist style from 808, and the obssession with Islam.
Sir John from tomorrow?
If Talley got a knighthood and Key gets one it shows their value
This
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AapSygsyQUogJ%3Am.nzherald.co.nz%2Fnz%2Fnews%2Farticle.cfm%3Fc_id%3D1%26objectid%3D11869410%20&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
Apparently the Herald inadvertently published this before tomorrow then took it down.
Good on him.
A great way to thank him for all her service to NZ.
Her service? That’s about right given the mincing catwalk and the dropped soap in the cage gag.
You must be very proud of your former PM.
“You must be very proud of your former PM”
I am.
But don’t forget he was your PM as well.
No, he just did shitty things in my name.
“John key” is what you ask for at a quiet petrol station, and boy did that piece of shit (sorry, “sir” piece of shit) deliver.
The only good thing about his knighthood is that hopefully he’ll get the full treatment and the queen accidentally cut his head off.
I’ve heard of the order of the garter, dunnokeyo wants to be the first recipient of the order of the hair tie.
@ Tony P (15.2) … what a joke Key’s knighthood is, considering he wanted to replace the present NZ flag with his own pathetic design! Now he’s a knight of the realm for his attempted treachery against NZ!
A knighthood for treason, as well as misleading Parliament and the people of NZ on many occasions during his tenure. And then there were the assaults on a waitress over a period of seven months, not to mention him publicly ridiculing prison rape! Whatever next!
Key’s honour has now definitely confirmed Knighthoods are an absolute farce!
“They are both level one honours”.
…shudder..
I see he’s not fussed about being called ‘Sir’ and that John would be fine.
Am I still allowed to call him that word staring wth ‘K’ and ending in ‘T?
I’m sure he could give a rats arse what you called him.
Hey Mary – you sound very mis informed. For starters he wasn’t his design.
As for the treason bits – well you sound a little crazy going on like that.
Surly donkey.
I knew it!
Not when the real reason for his resignation eventually leaks out.
Assignation followed by resignation?
Yes.
wish they’d get on with it.
Who is/are “they”?
The ones who are going to leak/publish the real reasons.
Ok thanks; I’m sufficiently intrigued now …
I have no idea who might do the leaking. Have a look at Anne’s comment above for possible reasons. I’ve heard others. Who knows?
LOL
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/edl-laughed-liverpool-benny-hill-13133627?service=responsive#ICID=sharebar_facebook
Interesting:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-04/australian-sovereignty-under-threat-from-chinese-influence/8583832
And what I wonder is happening in NZ?
Good and dark research, and much more interesting than seeking internal terrorist conspiracies from the state.
Our Chinese “conspiracy” is more open:
they simply buy our food companies with impugnity.
Defunct (or struggling) abattoirs with long water consents.
And Chinese hot money fueling the house price inflation in Auckland.
The official claim that “research” shows only 3% of house purchases in Auckland are foreign is a LIE – peddled by government and real estate industry – both benefiting massively from the housing price bubble.
NZ hands out resident status like candy, that’s where the foreign purchases are hidden.
Labour had the balls to call the government out on it, and ironically is now labelled “racist”.
“Labour had the balls to call the government out on it, and ironically is now labelled “racist”.”
No labour were called racist for the Chinese sounding name report they did.
Even they admit that it wasn’t their finest work.
The difference is the Aussies actually give a shit about their sovereignty and good on them.