Kiwi journo Anita McNaught gets into premier Syrian city of Aleppo, investigates the summary executions on Tuesday cited by the shrill Assad supporter and extremist climate change apologist Colonial Viper
In addition to al-Qaeda, there are independent jihadi groups, like the al-Noor Brigades, and Muslim Brotherhood units linked with the rebel Free Syrian Army – all of which have the same methods and agenda. They also share the same sponsors – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, figures in the United Arab Emirates and fundamentalists elsewhere.
The fundamentalists have been encouraged by the emergence from the underground through the Arab Spring of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots in North Africa, and of various Salafi groups in these countries.
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
In the ransacked and burnt-out remains of various security headquarters in al-Bab lie many clues to the means used by Bashar al-Assad’s government to stay in power, revealing why life under the regime had become increasingly intolerable for its citizens. ….
…. the cupboards are still stuffed with manila files and brown envelopes containing years of records documenting government-condoned snooping. Mostly handwritten, the files are the fruits of an East German style surveillance state.
Anita McNaught Al Jazeera
Who to believe, Colonial Viper, sitting safely at home in front of his keyboard stupidly parroting the propaganda of the Assad regime.
Or respected journalist Anita McNaught putting her life at risk to seek the truth?
The Guardian UK: Al-Qaida Iraq bomb masters turn tide for rebels
According to Abu Khuder, his men are working closely with the military council that commands the Free Syrian Army brigades in the region. “We meet almost every day,” he said. “We have clear instructions from our [al-Qaida] leadership that if the FSA need our help we should give it. We help them with IEDs and car bombs. Our main talent is in the bombing operations.” Abu Khuder’s men had a lot of experience in bomb-making from Iraq and elsewhere, he added.
Hey Jenny, check that Guardian article out. There’s a cute header photo of a Free Syrian Army fighter spray painting the slogan “There is no Islam without Jihad” on a wall.
Playing to the racist and Islamaphobic seats to justify your support for this monstrous regime, CV?
The regime and it’s supporters like you, are doing your very best to stir up sectarian divisions to keep this bloody and monstrous dictatorship in power.
Point of note, the Syrian situation is NOT like the PoAL, where it was basically Union v Contracting, it is far more complicated, and multi faceted than that relatively straight forward situation you commented on so regularly.
Taking such a staunchly simplistic one-sided position is frankly juvenille, and is reaching the stage where your posts and thus your mind set seem to be now struggling against some personal crusade, which while being well indented is, through your words becoming disrespectful of the ever decending seriousness of the situaiton.
Saying someone must be a supprter of the “monsterous dictatorship” because they understand that the situation is complicated, and not what it is presented as to the sheep who follow along, and offer evidence contrary to your personal belief, is limiting!
Its appropriate to accept a situation is complicated, and thus beyond ones capabilities to get their head around. The first step is to realise that it is a mature approach to not back oneself into a corner!
Edit: STOP accusing people of rac*sm incorrectly, continued accusations and use of the term totally disrespect those who suffer genuine rac*sm.
Tel Aviv’s agenda is clear; a weakened Syrian government, an overextended army in disarray, sectarian hatred all around and a relentless slouching towards balkanization. The ultimate goal; not only the Lebanonization, but the Somalization of Syria and environs.
Turkey’s agenda remains incredibly murky – apart from the wishful thinking of post-Assad Syria becoming a mild, civilized version of the AKP reign in Ankara (it won’t happen).
As reported by ATol for months now, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) until a while ago was running a command and control center in Iskenderun, in Hathay province. Recently, it was finally leaked to Reuters the news of a joint Turkey-Qatar-Saudi Arabia “secret” base in Adana, 100 kilometers from the Syrian border. Adana happens to be the home of Incirlik, the immense NATO base. A local ATol source for weeks has been reporting of frantic cargo movements at Incirlik.
It was Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud who requested, in person, for the base to be set up, to Ankara’s delight
Ankara-Riyadh-Doha; talk about a triangle of death. Yet the spin from Qatar is once again of the “leading from behind” variety. Turkey is doing the military heavy lifting; the CIA is “hands off”; and Qatar is just taking pictures like an innocent tourist (while directing operations via its military intelligence). The heavy-duty guys are all unspecified “middlemen”.
In an ideal world, the struggle of people against any/all forms of tyranny would have altruistic intervention, indeed in an ideal world, there would not be wars or struggle to intervene in!
Thats not the world we have allowed to be created for us, and its not the world we will ever see, not as long as the species allows itself to be exterminated. With science and technology entrapping the planet further, while crisis after crisis of man made control grid is forced upon the worlds peoples, with the middle east simply one of the manufactured crises.
Your intentions seem to be well meaning, but by having been so fooled into what you believe in happening in Syria, your well meaning is in fact a hugely negative energy force, because you are in fact supporting, what you deny is going on.
Does this mean you should stop supporting the innocent caught up in these manufactured uprisings, absolutely not, but it does mean that you should cover all angles and at least factor in the evidence which states numerously that Syria, like Libya is being destroyed by NATO intervention, using mercenaries and other assorted sponsored criminals, all with the end game pre planned, and using the transparent overused “arab spring” lie, as cover.
Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent”
“Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent””
Jeez, that’s weak, Muzza. The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source and I’ll bet you’ll be struggling to back up your daft comment about them. And if you’d bothered to look at Jenny’s link, you’d have spotted that McNaught, who appears to be about a million times braver than you or me, reports for Al Jazeera.
The BBC lost credibility a very long time ago Voice, they have been caught out too many times. No need for me to link anything, go find it for yourslf…Start with Dr David Kelly, though as a tip!
Al Jazeera, LOL again showing how little you know about this Qatari, sponsored Anglo Saxon, pseudo Arab puppet media outlet, where most of its “important employees” are from the UK, many worked for the BBC, just like Anita. Hey Qatar, got the FIFA world cup because they deserved it eh bro!
Oh and refer only to your own cowardice when posting nonsense, do not speak on my behalf!
I didn’t make any comment about Al Jazeera, Muzza, just pointed out that you were being ignorantly insulting to a reporter who is actually risking her life to report the news, while you sit on the couch in your underpants.
Nice to see you can’t back up your claims about the BBC, too.
You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!
Can’t see where you read that in my original post, I said “Anita worked OF the BBC”, a typo, I meant to say “worked FOR the BBC”, either way, use of the word WORKED indicated past tense didn’t it!
I also don’t see where I questioned her aledged bravery, only her ability to be an “independent”, reporter, given the association to the BBC, and now to Al Jazeera, both of which I have given an opinion on, and if you want the links to read up on those media outlets, go find them for yourself, they are plentiful!
Warning, it might throw up some questions about “The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source “, which could open you up to exposing mental frailties when challenged.
You’re not up for that though, I already know that mental challenges are not something you have the chops for!
🙄 Did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks, f**k off over to the Sewer if you cannot help but indulge in such…
( 🙄 ) It is in fact as easy to see why you are the recipient of regular bans from the Standard as it is to see that you have failed to learn from such bans,
My proposal to those who put the effort into giving us this site so as to further discussion of the things that matter to the Left in New Zealand society and politics is that where a particular commenter has deserved to be the subject of such banning that each time the length of the ban be extended by double the amount of the previous banning…
If it’s me your calling stupid it’s a wasted effort as i just do not care, if it’s a reference to he who we bestow ^ 🙄 ^ upon i am presently unarmed with any facts that would allow me to debate otherwise…
Actually, I know several left wing Brits who think that the BBC news is no longer as independent as it was – I think since the Kelly incident under Blair’s watch. I tend to agree. For instance, it particularly favours a pro-Israel government line and tends to demonise Palestine. I understand that the news on BBC channels broadcast in the UK in the main news slots, is more biased than, say BBC’s international broadcasts.
In contrast, writer and journalist John Pilger has frequently accused the BBC of a right-wing bias, a view shared by the left-wing Media Lens website. The editors’ of Media Lens claim that the BBC acts to narrow the range of thought and like most commercial broadcasters it inherently portrays the opinions of the powerful.[18] Former Director General of the BBC, Greg Dyke, has criticised the BBC as part of a “Westminster conspiracy” to maintain the British political system.[19] Respect MP George Galloway has referred to it as the “Bush and Blair Corporation”.[20]
Also, I used to think Al Jazeera was pretty good at providing critiques from different viewpoints. I watch it quite a bit, but in the last year or two, it has become much more like mainstream western media in mirroring viewpoints of the western power blocs. Although, it still has some good critical pieces, ditto the BBC.
Yes North, she was ’embedded’ – as the saying went – by Fox News when Iraq Invasion no.2 was in progress. She was quite defensive of them at the time. That’s my recollection anyway.
More findings from that Ipsos/Fairfax poll, involving interviews with a relatively small number of people (1000). Not surprisingly Nat supporters are more positive about the future than those who support opposition parties – UF & ACT supporters are too small in number to register anything much, except they seem to be ambivalent about the future (maybe they are just always ambivalent?).
People were asked a range of questions to ascertain how they feel about the future compared with a year ago. Views about the economy seem to have been the strongest influence on people’s feelings about the future:
One in three believes their financial security has lessened over the past 12 months, compared with 23 per cent who felt their situation had improved.
[..]
Some of the survey findings are surprising – young men are more likely than older New Zealanders to feel positive and optimistic about the country’s direction, while those in their 40s and 50s – children largely of the 1960s – are comfortable financially, and optimistic about their own prospects, but less positive about the direction of the economy in general.
They also worry about the protection of the environment and New Zealand’s core values.
But most interesting is the growing sense of resentment of the wealthy elite:
Across 1000 interviews, one of the themes that emerged was a growing sense of “us and them”.
STAY-AT-HOME dad Matthew West, 35, from Taupo, agrees there seems to be a growing undercurrent of resentment in New Zealand toward those who have made it financially.
“You see that in higher tax rates for the rich. If you’re rich – which I’m not even if I’d like to be – you pay more tax anyway just because you earn more money. But it creates that sort of environment – people think ‘Oh, that person’s rich, he gets this and that, he can dodge his tax’ etc.
“I think the whole system is set up to breed that resentment. I do think that’s becoming a big issue.”
Dr Lloyd says some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few, which has spawned the likes of the Occupy movement. But National’s asset sales plan is the sort of issue that also helped drive that feeling.
So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam. There’s a growing tide of sentiment that would support a focus on fairness and possibly for what is beneficial to the wider community.
However, there are some signs of retreat to social isolation as a defense, except in Auckland, where apparently the community spirit is quite strong. There needs to be some strong leadership on drawing people together to work towards the best for society as a whole, so that retreat from community doesn’t take hold.
Well, I certainly despair when I see that the government is playing musical houses with state/subsidised housing, shunting the available low cost housing around amongst the poor. Meanwhile they are also trying to push as many people as possible out of state houses and into the rental market:
The group she is working for, He Korowai Trust, has received a $720,000 grant from the Government’s social housing programme towards buying 20ha on the edge of Kaitaia where it will eventually install 27 Glen Innes houses for families that must have at least two children and be living in “substandard, unhealthy or unreliable living conditions”.
[…]
But housing Kaitaia’s homeless is coming at a serious cost in Glen Innes, where Housing NZ is removing or renovating 156 houses to make way for 78 new or renovated state units, 39 homes for community providers and about 140 privately owned homes.
Meanwhile the wealthier classes are continuing to spend on buying houses in Auckland, as if there was no recession, paying high dollar to buy up the available housing. No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.
Carol The bubble will burst Ollie Newland has said it won’t be pretty.
Australian eastern state cities are experiencing a major downturn after a post GFC bubble.
Just like last time New Zealand will follow suit. its just a matter of time.
Doesn’t the Babble in that Herald article just do your head in, there’s three strands in the Herald story that are best dealt with as separate issues,
*First we have Paula Benefit,hardly one for presenting either deep or evidential based analysis of any ‘problem’ She has encountered in Her Social development portfolio, giving a good spray and walk away line in the vein of ‘i thunk it therefor it is’,
How many beneficiaries are there boarding in State Houses, paying board to the main State House tenant who only pays 25% of income, while the boarder claims from Income Support an accommodation supplement???,
The Minister (as usual) gives NO figures for the numbers of people supposedly involved and as such i can only assume that Paula Benefit and Phil Heatley have spent an hour together, (focus grouping), creating in their minds the supposed problem,
Even so,IF there is a problem of this sort occurring,and, My belief is that HousingNZ rents out it’s property’s on the basis of 25% of the TOTAL income of the HOUSEHOLD,it is in fact a simple ‘fix’, and theoretically at least seeing as HousingNZ has just had a $90 Million computer upgrade, an easily accomplished one , where the ‘rule’ of 25% of HOUSEHOLD income be firmly established while changing the rules so that NO accommodation supplement can be paid to anyone living in a HousingNZ tenancy,
That along with some data matching between Paula and Phil’s fiefdoms of Housing and Social Development so as to have those who make the decisions on Accommodation Supplements know which are and which are not State Houses,
* Second, really i can only say What The F**k, private providers of Social Housing cannot compete with HousingNZ because the HousingNZ tenants pay 25% of income and the best the private providers of social housing can achieve is 70-80% of market rent,
As in Wah f**king Wah, the Loony’s having taken over the Asylum now want a ‘Level Playing Field’ to be imposed upon Social Housing because ‘it’s not fair’ that they cannot compete with HousingNZ,
In all seriousness there is i fear only 2 logical solutions that could be applied here, rule changes aplenty would have to occur as i fear that such people are way to far gone to be swayed by logical argument and my diagnosis would be either to put them up against the wall or provide them a psychiatric institution within which they could indulge in a game of doctors,nurses, and, patients to take turns at solving their own various problems,
* Third, as Minister of Housing Phil Heatley has given us all an in depth analysis of the problem He,and He appears to be mostly alone here, sees in the HousingNZ rental policy, Phills in depth analysis, ‘we can’t afford it’,
Annette King makes sport of Phil in the House at question time and you can almost see the mousy Housing Minister looking for a bolt hole every time King skewers Him with another query over matters within His portfolio that amount to slow death by a thousand small cuts,
Phill has the unenviable task of rack renting HousingNZ tenants most of whom are beneficiaries simply because National have always hated State Housing, nothing more nothing less,
The whole Herald article really comes down to making up a whole lot of s**t which the tame press will print verbatim which attempts to find some logical justification for National to give Beneficiaries (especially the ones in State Housing who Nationals core voters cannot profit from), another financial kicking in order to satisfy its red-neck core vote…
As an economic afterthought to my long winded comment above, there is absolutely NOTHING to be gained in an economic sense from any changes that national propose to make to the 25% of income rental regime as applied to it’s HousingNZ stock of social housing,
The reverse is in fact true,simply rack-renting those who by lack of income are reliant upon the State does nothing but move monies between the various agencies of State in some warped attempt at book balancing,
For the ‘Real Economy’ the reality simply means that while the State is indulging in fits of ‘give with the left hand’, and, ‘take back with the right’ there is a nett loss in revenue from the State House tenants negatively effected by such stupidity doing what such revenue is supposed to do in the wider economy,
Money from tenants so negatively affected by such proposed changes simply stops going around in the economy, strangely enough, Nationals core vote in the business sector who benefit by competing for a slice of such money being spent into local economy’s by HousingNZ tenants will also suffer negatively as the money will now simply transit from one Government account to another,
Thus National is simply proposing to deepen further the ongoing recession and while concentrating upon micro-economics of the Government social spend is blind to the negative impact upon that local economy, (or more to the point seems to just not give a f**k)…
“No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.”
That is what the direct consequence of the changes to state housing will be.
And I thought the purpose of social housing was to keep rents down? It seems to me that the social housing providers want the government to subsidize their rent?
some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few
How much of the this generated by political campaigning? Greens in particular keep promoting terminology like”the growing transfer of wealth to just a few”.
It’s ironic that those most adversly affected by the wealth gap don’t have any wealth to transfer, in fact it’s tax paid by the more wealthy that enable them to receive state assistance.
The “transfer of wealth” term is a misnomer, especially when Greens promote transferring more wealth from rich to poor by raising taxes.
So publicly owned amenties such as health, education, parks, libaries are not wealth, and that these things are being closed down so the rich get cuts in rates and taxes.
Had a thought — correct term is actually transfer the wealth from the wider community to the rich. The closure of hospitals around the country to pay for Bill Birch’s tax cuts in 1996 is an example, as well as Porirua City Council’s closure of the Plimmerton libaray to keep rates down.
BTW: I have put in an OIA request to get a list of hospitals closed between 1990 and 1999 and 1999 and 2008. We shall then see the effect of tax cuts on health services 🙂
Pete, just when I had developed some sympathy for you because of what could be identified as bullying behaviour against you, you come out with this ignorant gem. My sympathy has now evaporated completely. You are a delusional and annoying waste of bandwidth.
“…So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam…”
The problem is the serious generational lag we have in our political/media elites. Key is a neo-liberal by choice but outside a small but powerful business lobby that Key represents everyone in the rest of the real world has long moved on from neo-liberalism. But our media/political elite is still heavily infested with 1980s and 90s neo-liberal supporters and apologists. English, Roughan, Holmes, Ralston, half the Labour front bench, swags of the Nats (McCully and Williamson for a start) etc etc etc are all left over neo-liberals who are far, far past their use by date. Hopefully Labour will take the opportunity in 2014 to clean out the likes of Mallard, Dyson, King and Goff and bring in a generation of politicians who at least formed some of their ideas in this century….
I don’t think we should have term limits in parliament. Some experience is beneficial – Lockwood Smith as Speaker a good example.
But there’s nothing to stop parties from having their own term limits, or at least encouraging retirement of MPs past their best and past their value to the party. Have any parties considered term restrictions?
And if they don’t get the message then leadership could reinforce it by dropping them down the rankings.
The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.
Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.
But in his case he’s talking all over the place, as one argument gets demolished he moves to another. Ah, marriage convention has changed quite a bit over the last few thousand years. It’s changed quite a bit in my lifetime.
On The Nation this morning he ended up pleading for his last hope, a referendum. No chance of that either.
In contrast Louisa Walls impressed with facts and forceful points.
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
The Conservative Party had probably 10 times the UF budget and got more media coverage. They also tried to push shoddy polls to promote their support. They got a creditable number of votes but in the end failed under MMP.
But that’s all history. Dunne is an MP (and a Minister). Craig is neither.
And it’s all irrelevant, it’s got nothing to do with my commentt, most of what I talk about is non-UF. More: The Colin Craig Craze.
I was proposing a reason for why he gets media attention even though he’s not a politician: because he and his party got significantly more support in the election than two of the politicians who are in parliament.
Regardless of how you define “politician” (and I’m sure we can can all think of a few quite different but quite legitimate variations) the crux is he’s a “political actor”.
A referendum on marriage would pass the legislation. Personally, if there was a referendum the questions should be:
Do you think you should have the right to marry? Do you think other people should be able to prevent you from marrying?
I’m reasonably certain that we would get back a 100% Yes/No response.
Leave it to Craig and other deniers of basic human rights and we’ll probably get some weaselly question that would be more confusing than informative – just like the question on smacking.
It’s a moot point anyway, there won’t be a referendum on it – although I agree that if there was it would agree with what MPs are likely to pass.
It’s possible Craig will try a CIR on this but I think he’s using the issue to raise profile rather than thinking he has any chance of success at stopping the Marriage bill.
Louisa Wall presented her case impressively on The Nation, and Colin Craig kept moving from one smackdown to another.
This one is similar to the sorts of reports that were coming out of Iraq in late 04 and through 05, with what national identity that had existed falling away in the face of sectarian group dynamics:
The Iraqi government still hasn’t finalised it’s constitution with regard to the Kurds. The govts, new and old, in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria may well have many differences but you can bet they’ll all agree that the Kurds won’t be getting anything like a homeland. If western peeps want something simple to get pissed off about with a clear cut right and wrong side, that’s about as close a one as I can see in this mess. Good luck convincing our governments to do anything but.
An interesting piece on the coverage from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya http://t.co/M1AGvnqa
But if you really want nightmare visions. Read the press coming out of Lebanon. Whose up for picking sides in a Hezbollah vs Al-Qaeda fight? And think about the stakes of that.
As is obvious, this is a fight that has nothing to do with us. Putting ‘what we think ought to happen’ into the mix is a recipe for blowback. And it’s messy enough already for mind.
It’s awful, but that doesn’t mean that anything we can do will make it better.
Finally some in that useless UN have grown some gonads, even if it is non binding.
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19106250
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers.
No additional world wars since the UN was founded. That’s something.
BTW the delegates to the UN and various support staff don’t have a say in whether the UN continues or not, so their “lifestyle” convenience has nothing to do with it.
Tell that to the 40.968 million who have been killed in various wars since WWII, I am sure they take consolation that there was No WW War III. http://www.cissm.umd.edu/papers/files/deathswarsconflictsjune52006.pdf
From a financial point of view why have the UN based in New York. I am sure we could find a developing nation that would benefit from the economic activity. Perhaps such an idea JK could take aboard to fix our countries economic woes and the msm would believe,take and run with this perhaps a great diversion just like making NZ a financial hub. 😉 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10691438
The UN in it’s current form is not permitted to grow gonads. It is still fundamentally limited by the G8 nations unwilling to give it enough power to act effectively.
And most especially not to act against their own hegemonic ambitions.
That would not be lawful if he were the Prime Minister of Australia.
Seen this?
John Key publicly admits his Bank of America shareholding at a Grey Power public meeting in February 2011.
Remember – when he worked for Merrill Lynch – he was the Head of Derivatives – and at the time the Glass Steagall Act (which kept separate boring safe commercial banking and risky dangerous investment banking) was repealed – November 1999 – John Key was a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve.
So – what role did shonky John Key play in the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act?
Why is this important?
Because the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act helped to leave the dodgy derivatives market completely unregulated.
Which is the main reason why the world is facing an international financial meltdown?
Because of the collapse of the dodgy derivatives market – which shonky John Key helped to set up?
Penny the price of BofA ML shares will be worthless.
Not unlike Keys promises.
Bof A suffered huge loss’s because of more dodgy dealings at ML.
They also facing legal action on many fronts and the US government is in no mood for a second bail out.
yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.
“yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.”
I wonder how well this is supported in the Green Party:
Greens would support military intervention in Syria
The Green Party says New Zealand should vote for military intervention in Syria at the United Nation if the fighting there reaches the point where crimes against humanity are being committed.
Green MP Kennedy Graham, who met Syrian refugees six weeks ago in camps near the border with Jordan, says the General Assembly should pass economic sanctions on Syria and take military action if the circumstances warrant it.
It does make me wonder just how far to the right the Greens have actually slipped when there are Green MP’s calling for military intervention in any conflict, let alone one where it’s becoming more than a little apparent the US is intervening via proxy,
Someone else mentioned the other day the fact that it seems that the right stages ‘take-overs’ of the political party’s on the left with consumate ease, and, i have also been feeling uneasy about certain aspects of the Greens ‘going straight’ for the purposes of electoral success,
The modern Left in New Zealand and in particular supporting the Parliamentary Left has felt increasingly akin to some nomadic journey, a gypsy circus trodden with more disappointment than hope,
My thought is though, give the Greens at least a term of Government with at least my vote at the 2014 election, but, i have already begun the where to from here type thought…
Lol. Mostly at the idea that Pete F. George think he is in any position to be questioning what Kennedy Graham knows or does not know about International Relations.
Read what he is saying. Closely.
If their are crimes against humanity taking place what is the Green party’s longstanding position on that sort of thing? Bear in mind that crimes against humanity is not a synoym for ‘shit I don’t like’.
Next think about what he is saying we should do, and by implication shouldn’t do.
Is Graham saying we should join in any ‘coalition of the willing’ style clusterfuck?
Or is he saying that that sort of adventure would be illegal and that we should not only have no part in it but that we should be doing something else.
What should the International community do about Crimes against humanity?
That’s the question he’s asking, and he’s putting the govt in a box with regard to requests to join ad hoc illegal coalitions.
According to the RNZ article he’s advocating economic sanctions which always hit the people at the bottom of the pyramid while the people at the top, the people that the santions are supposed to stop, don’t feel a thing. Please also note that the people at the top are already shooting at the people at the bottom (which I’m pretty sure is already a Crime Against Humanity).
Chances of sanctions doing anything? Around zero.
He then says that if sanctions don’t work (pretty much guaranteed) in containing (not stopping) the slaughter then military intervention is required.
Basically, IMO, he’s advocating a default position of military intervention.
Now, preventing arms being delivered to the current government is probably a valid option and one I would support but not full sanctions and definitely no military intervention. I think we’ll probably see both though.
–No but he is the brother of Doug Graham, so Ill say it again.
The Greens are not what people wish them to be, thats not what they exist for, and have ben taken over some time ago, its all too easy to control politics, you just have to do a little digging into the backgrounds of these people.
Labour gone towards the right, Greens headed the same way. Just control a few key people inside each entity, and its job done, the coutry and the people get screwed, and most either have no idea, or actually vote for those who screw them!
Why are the Greens are making this call now, when it looks like the victory of the rebellion is all but guaranteed, and a Western intervention now, would only act to steal the people’s victory?
The Green Party says New Zealand should vote for military intervention in Syria at the United Nation if the fighting there reaches the point where crimes against humanity are being committed.
Kennedy Graham Radio NZ report
What is crazy about this, about this call for Western intervention from the Greens is that crimes against humanity are already being committed, and have been for some time. From the firing on unarmed protesters, to the detention, torture and murder of deserters wives and children, to the aerial bombardment of civilian centres resulting in the mass deaths of civilians.
I am sure that regime defenders of this monstrous regime like Colonial Viper would welcome any attempt to snatch victory from the resistance.
Have the Greens been ignorantly swallowing the propaganda from pro regime supporters in this country?
B12 Yep I did wonder before the last election whether closet blue green was was infiltrating the Greens- something felt a little off key but couldn’t really put my finger on it.Noticed a lot of the old guard retired all at once and none of them seemed to be morphing into the older party statesperson type role which nade me wonder if they are still welcome through the door. Also the “we may do a deal with the Nats line.”
And are we getting a strong media slant on Green party actions when it lines up with Nact aspirations. Lots of attention on Norman none really on Meretai.
Different subject entirely – our revered leader isn’t swanning around at the Olympics for the photo ops. So unlike him what’s wrong – is he ill, unwelcome or something else?
And again – I wondered if we will continue to win at the Olypics as we do now? Child poverty destroys early sporting chances (?) I suspect, so is there any correlation between left wing governments and sucess some years later.
I see the Aussies are trying for an exchange rate/gold medal correlation oh dear ………..
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah well, the C/T trained PR team will be in full motion organising a shindig at parliament as we speak. My suggestion is: the opposition stake out the possible venues inside the Beehive for the Key photo op. and gatecrash it at the last minute. Oh how hilarious to see Shearer/ Mallard/Norman/Turei grinning cheesily from the sidelines. That would make my week. Harawira (grinning cheesily) could appear over the top of Key. That would make my month.
It’s very important because he is the parliamentary moral leader of Maori. That’s the guts on the street now. People can forget their bullshit stuff about manners and so on.
And for them who’ll come up “Nah, he’s a prick or whatever……….” – damn it, they’re all older. Young people are receptive, even if subliminally, to the relative deprivation and need that is very pervasive now.
So go away Tariana and Pita. You’re not relevant anymore. You have sat at the table while Maori have suffered and still you’re saying all is as sweet, as sweet as it can be.
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.It was another ‘SHOCK! HORROR!’ headline from a media increasingly venturing into tabloid-style journalism:Andrea Vance’s article seemed to focus on the "million dollar sums from the Government as the country grapples with a housing ...
Dr Brian Easton writes: It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. Here is my guess at some ...
What Was the Prime Minister Reading in the Runup to Election Year?It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. ...
In case you hadn't noticed, FYI, the public OIA request site, has been used to conduct a significant excavation into New Zealand's intelligence agencies, with requests made for assorted policies and procedures. Yesterday in response to one of these requests the GCSB released its policy on New Zealand Purpose and ...
Farming leaders are watching closely whether Damien O’Connor keeps the key portfolios of Agriculture and Trade when Prime Minister Chris Hipkins restructures his Cabinet. O’Connor has been one of the few ministers during Labour’s term in office who has won broad support for what he has done ...
South Islands farmers are whining about another drought, the third in three years. If only we knew what was causing this! If only someone had warned them that they faced a drying climate! But we do know what is causing it: climate change. And they have been warned, repeatedly, for ...
Ok, there’s good news and bad news in this week’s inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a level below the inflation rate in Australia. The main reason for the so/so result here? A fall in petrol prices of 7.2% offset the really ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet ...
Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet there have been dozens of columns ...
The Clinical Magus: Of particular relevance to New Zealanders struggling to come to terms with the sudden departure of their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is Jung’s concept of the anima. Much more than what others have called the feminine principle, the anima is what the human male has made out ...
The Select Committee, considering the proposed RNZ-TVNZ merger, has come back with a report conceding many of the criticisms that were made of the original legislation. In what is one of the most comprehensive demolitions of a Bill submitted to a Select Committee, the Economic Development, Science and Innovation ...
Such are the 2020s, the age when no-one, it seems, actually respects the basic underpinnings of democracy. Even in New Zealand. This week, I stumbled across a pair of lengthy and genuinely serious articles, that basically argue that Something is Rotten in the state of New Zealand democracy. One ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hurrah. Today we found something fresh on the Beehive website, Beehive.govt.nz, which claims to be the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information. It wasn’t from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, whose reaction to the latest inflation figures would have been appreciated. So, too, ...
Smiling And Waiving A Golden Opportunity: Chris Hipkins knew that the day at Ratana would be Jacinda’s day – her final opportunity to bask in the unalloyed love and support of her followers. He simply could not afford to be seen to overshadow this last chance for his former boss ...
Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of “Act of Oblivion” concerns the relentless pursuit of the “regicides” Edward Whalley and William Goffe – two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles I’s death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harris’s novel brings to life a period ...
To challenge the Government’s promotion of co-governance, to share power between Maori and public authorities and agencies, is to invite accusations of racism. An example: this article by Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog headed Luxon’s race baiting hypocrisy at Ratana. The article was triggered by National leader Christopher Luxon, ...
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...
Yesterday the Herald ran an op-ed from Mayor Wayne Brown titled “The case for light rail is lighter than ever” and a few things stood out. However, it’s getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...
In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...
Inflation is showing little sign of slowing down, posing a problem for freshly minted PM Chris Hipkins. According to that old campaigner Richard Prebble, Hipkins should call a snap election. If he waits till October, he risks being swept away. The dilemma for the new leader is that fighting an election ...
Buzz from the Beehive A great deal has happened since January 19. Among other things, a new Prime Minister and deputy have been sworn in and our leaders (past, present and aspiring) have delivered speeches at Ratana. Newshub reported that politicians of all stripes had descended upon Rātana for the ...
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...
New Zealand has another Prime Minister who does not have a basic grasp of the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. THOMAS CRANMER writes: It is simply astonishing that New Zealand’s next Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, is unable to give even a brief explanation of the three articles ...
A statue of a semi-naked Nick Smith puts the misogyny debate into perspective. GRAHAM ADAMS writes … In the wake of Ardern’s abrupt resignation, the mainstream media are determined to convince us she was hounded from office mainly because she is a woman and had to fall on her sword ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is ...
An editorial in the NZ Herald last week, titled “Nimbyism goes bananas as housing intensifies“, introduced Herald readers to a couple of acronyms that go along with the now-familiar NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard): “bananas” (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) “cave” dwellers (citizens against virtually everything). The editorial ...
Back in the dark autumn of 2020, when the prospect of Covid was freaking the country out, Finance Minister Grant Robertson set himself and Treasury a series of questions about what a post-Covid economy might look like. Those were fearful days, and the questions in part reflected a series ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet another day has passed without Ministers of the Crown posting something to show they are still working for us on the Beehive website. Nothing new has been posted since January 17. Perhaps the ministers are all engaged in the bemusing annual excursion ...
Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already indicated he intends making the tax system “fairer”. That points to the route a government facing an election could take to tilt the odds towards winning in its favour, given Labour’s support in the last months of the Ardern era had been ...
NewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...
Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...
The first of Kiwirail’s big network shutdowns to fix the foundations on our tracks is now well underway with the Southern Line closed between Otahuhu and Newmarket. This is following on from the network wide Christmas/New Year shutdown, during which Kiwirail say that nearly 1,300 people working across 69 different ...
This is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blogIn last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be expected now that she has resigned. I noted that the level of threat she has been exposed to is unprecedented ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...
The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...
Following the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...
Much of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkins’ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Get ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become “too woke” on social issues. Overall, ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Because our hard-working Ministers of the Crown are engaged in Labour Party caucus stuff in Napier, no doubt jockeying to ensure they keep their jobs or get a better one, Point of Order was not surprised to find no fresh news on the Beehive website this ...
By the end of 2019, Jacinda Ardern was a political superstar heading towards an election defeat. She was an icon, internationally beloved, on track to be an ex-prime minister before the age of forty. It was the year of the Christchurch terror attack when Ardern’s response to the atrocity saw ...
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. ...
Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. So, although Ardern has named an ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Earlier this week Point of Order carried a post by Geoffrey Miller on how Japan under a new security blueprint is doubling its defence spending. The plans see Japan buying up advanced weaponry – including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US – and spending more on ...
Anyone else suffering back-to-work-blues? We’re battling, but still upright. Haere tonu! Today’s cover image is of sunset over Tirohanga Whānui Bridge, sourced from Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Jolisa pondered the fate of AT’s ‘Statements of Imagination’. Tuesday’s post was a guest post by Grady ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
The resignation of Jacinda Ardern has already made more global headlines than you might expect for that of the PM of a small commonwealth nation like say Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Singapore (population 5.5 million). But international observers might not be too surprised by Ardern’s announcement that ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of our Buzz from the Beehive earlier today, the PM has made two announcements – the 2023 general election will be held on Saturday 14 October and she will not be campaigning to win a third term as Prime Minister. She will ...
Jacinda Ardern had an outsized impact on New Zealand’s international relations. While all Prime Ministers travel internationally, Ardern’s calendar was fuller than most. Ardern’s first major foreign trip came within weeks of her election in 2017, to the APEC summit in Vietnam. The meeting gave Ardern her first in-person encounter ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a minister and Andrew Little’s noble resignation ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Members of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have today written to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei to condemn the ongoing violence and killing of women’s rights and democracy protesters, and to call on him to intervene immediately. ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
The Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...
A vaccine for people at risk of mpox (Monkeypox) will be available if prescribed by a medical practitioner to people who meet eligibility criteria from Monday 16 January, says Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. 5,000 vials of the vaccine have been obtained, enough for up to 20,000 ...
RNZ News Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has acknowledged the way Aucklanders have come together and opened their homes to those in need, with the New Zealand government focused on providing the resources needed to get the city back up and running. The new prime minister — just four days into ...
RNZ News Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty has asked for communication on support after the severe thunderstorm in Auckland to be stepped up. It comes after a Civil Defence warning text failed to be sent out, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told RNZ they will be reviewing the response, ...
RNZ News Three people are dead and at least one person is missing following the flooding overnight in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. About 1000 people were still stranded today after Auckland Airport was closed last night because of flooding of the arrival and departure foyers. Flights were cancelled for ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed there are three deaths linked to the extreme weather event in Auckland over the past 24 hours. There is also at least one person missing. Speaking at a press conference in Auckland, Hipkins said the priority was to make sure Aucklanders were safe, housed ...
Wayne Brown has doubled down on his decision last night to shun the media until close to midnight and only order a state of emergency at 9.30pm. In a defensive display to the media this afternoon, the Auckland mayor was questioned on comments other councillors made last night, including some ...
*This story was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission*Until New Zealand's stormwater drain system adapts to our rising climate, it will never be able to cope with the level of flooding seen in Auckland on Friday night, writes James Renwick The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced ...
Chris Hipkins has experienced his first major event as prime minister, just days into his tenure. He’s spent the day in Auckland alongside emergency services, surveying the damage and assessing next steps. He’s due to speak at 3.15pm alongside Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Thanks to Stuff, here is a livestream. ...
Due to the “unprecedented weather event” in Auckland, organisers have confirmed the “heartbreaking decision” to cancel this year’s Laneway Festival. “We were so excited to deliver this show to our biggest crowd ever in New Zealand, our team has been working around the clock to do everything they can to ...
With the rain easing for a moment, many will be beginning the arduous task of cleaning out their flooded property. Auckland council has release advice for cleaning up after a flood. Cleaning up after a flood It is important to clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater ...
Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan says the airline’s domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed from 12pm today as Auckland Airport re-opens. But he said with a backlog of flights and customers, the priority is those who need to travel urgently. “Those ...
Festival-goers holding on hope for Laneway, set to take place at Western Springs on Monday, will have to wait a bit longer for an official update. A brief post on Facebook this afternoon stated: “Safety is Laneway Festival’s number one priority. With the large weather event Auckland is currently experiencing, ...
Wayne Brown has defended the timing of a declaration of a state of emergency last night following record rainfall in Auckland. “The state of emergency is a prescribed process, it’s quite formal, and I had to wait until I had the official request from the emergency management centre. The moment ...
After the 11th hour cancellation last night, Elton John has cancelled the second concert of his farewell tour at Mt Smart, which had been scheduled for this evening. In a statement, John said: “Following the instruction of the emergency services, we have no option but to cancel tonight’s show in ...
The member of parliament for Mt Albert, Jacinda Ardern, has posted a message on Facebook following the flooding in Auckland. “I’m very conscious that it’s been a while since I posted, and there have been a few big things happening. But today the most important thing is everyone’s wellbeing and ...
Flooding of the runway, the check-in and arrivals areas on the ground floor and surrounding roads has disrupted operations at Auckland International, halting all departures until at least 5pm today, with no arrivals before 4:30am tomorrow. “People are asked not to come to the International Terminal at this time for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Victoria Park near the Auckland CBD on January 27.Getty Images The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced on the night of January 27, the eve of the ...
New Zealand’s largest insurance group, IAG, says it is on track to receive more than 1,100 claims from Aucklanders by lunchtime after the city was deluged in the wettest day on record. Those claims, said the group which includes AMI, State and NZI Insurance, span property damage to homes and ...
The rampant flooding in Auckland didn’t just detonate its provincial public holiday weekend – it coincided with the biggest weekend of the year to date for live events. A pair of Elton John concerts at Mt Smart stadium had a combined capacity of over 80,000, while both Laneway at Western ...
Auckland is beginning a clean-up after its wettest day since records began. “Auckland was clobbered on Friday,” said emergency management duty controller Andrew Clark. “We won’t start to get a good idea of numbers affected until later today and, even then, this will take time, with information still coming in ...
The prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is travelling to Auckland after devastating floods hit the city overnight. With the airport out of operation until at least midday, he is landing at Whenuapai air base on a New Zealand Defence Force Hercules aircraft from Wellington. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has arrived in Auckland for a daylong visit to the city following its catastrophic flood on Friday night. Flying in an Air Force Hercules to Whenuapai, Hipkins will spend roughly three hours on the ground assessing flood damage in the city before returning. He will receive ...
A quirk of timing left all Auckland’s institutions on the back foot. But social media, particularly TikTok, graphically showed just how bad the situation was. Late afternoon on a Friday is known as time to quietly drop bad news. You have the plausible deniability of it happening during work hours, ...
It’s a common sight during summer. It’s also a recipe for disaster.I recently drove with my family from New Plymouth to Tāmaki Makaurau and, just like how I lost count of how many cows I saw on the way, I lost count of how many cars had a passenger ...
Opinion - Election year has begun with a bang, and already the punditry and speculation are ramping up, but Grant Duncan warns not to treat polls as gospel. ...
New Zealand’s new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is formally facing down an emergency just a few days after being sworn in, summoning the National Crisis Management Centre to the Beehive. The Beehive Bunker is being stood up to help with coordination of the emergency response in Auckland. I’ve asked ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern is one of New Zealand's most historically significant leaders. But she did not achieve the grand vision for Aotearoa her outsized rhetoric promised. ...
Brits abroad can be an asset to Aotearoa - but only if we make an effort to engage with te ao Māori, writes Scottish expat Fran Barclay Earlier this week, the UK High Commissioner signalled a promising intention to address the barriers facing young Māori and Pasifika who aspire to ...
"They want the Māoris out": provincial life in NZShe hadn’t learned to shut her mouth. Howard was tired of Councillor Kemp harping on and on and on. He pushed himself deeper into the boardroom chair and leaned back as far as he could force it. This woman had ranted ...
Positive affirmation quotes often aren’t helpful for tāngata whai ora. But taking the piss out of them can be. Early in January, on the first day of what would be a week of staying in bed with the curtains pulled, I put a disappointingaffirmations Instagram post up on my stories. ...
Ellen Rykers visits Mahakirau Forest Estate, ‘a crown jewel in the Coromandel Range’, where pest control is serious business.This is an excerpt from our weekly environment newsletter Future Proof – sign up here. The Mahakirau Forest Estate is not your average subdivision. Enter through its tall ...
As Auckland tackles severe floods and the city’s airport emerges from a deluge on both the runway and in terminals, Air New Zealand has confirmed that no flights will leave or arrive before noon on Saturday at the earliest. In a statement, the airline said anyone booked for a flight ...
RNZ News Mayor Wayne Brown has shut down criticism that he was too slow in declaring a state of emergency after severe flooding in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. In a media stand-up late on Friday evening, Brown said he was following advice from experts and as soon as they ...
The Prime Minister has gone down to the Beehive bunker to help coordinate the emergency response, as the Insurance Council warns some Aucklanders whose homes and business are flooded face very hard times ahead. Jonathan Milne reports.Comment: Standing by the south-western motorway, I watched in dismay as hundreds of cars ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland as severe weather causes major flooding across much of the city. It’s expected the rain will continue into the morning. This post will be updated as more information is shared.What does a state of emergency mean? A state of emergency ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown said he declared an emergency in Auckland as soon as he possibly could – and he made the decision without listening to the “clamour” of the public. There has been some criticism of the mayor for his relative silence today throughout the deadly flooding that’s hit ...
Welcome to a special late night edition of The Spinoff’s live updates as Auckland enters a state of emergency. Stewart Sowman-Lund is on deck, with help from our news team.The top linesAuckland is in a state of emergency. It will remain in place for seven ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins is pleased the call was made to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. All government agencies were working “flat out” to help in what was an “extraordinary set of circumstances”, Hipkins said in a tweet. “The emergency response is underway and the government is ready ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown has released a statement following the decision to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. Brown has faced criticism this evening for his relative silence throughout today’s major flooding, with the first public pronouncement of the state of emergency coming from his deputy. Brown said the ...
Christopher Luxon has criticised the time it took for the state of emergency in Auckland to be declared. The National Party leader is currently in Southland, but told Today FM he intends to get back to Auckland as soon as possible. Earlier in the night, Luxon sent a tweet “urging” ...
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Kiwi journo Anita McNaught gets into premier Syrian city of Aleppo, investigates the summary executions on Tuesday cited by the shrill Assad supporter and extremist climate change apologist Colonial Viper
Many religious fundamentalist groups, including ultra-orthodox foreign Salafi fighters and Al-Qaida Iraq, seeking to oust Assad in Syria
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0727/1224320884188.html
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
Some of Colonial Viper’s “mounting evidence”.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/assads-storyline-a-war-led-and-fought-by-foreigners/
Talk about “naive”. Who could possibly swallow this crap?
Compare this to New Zealand’s own Anita McNaught, reporting on the reality of the Syrian regime, see above or below as revealed in captured files.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/secret-police-files-show-assad-regimes-culture-of-spying/
Who to believe, Colonial Viper, sitting safely at home in front of his keyboard stupidly parroting the propaganda of the Assad regime.
Or respected journalist Anita McNaught putting her life at risk to seek the truth?
The Guardian UK: Al-Qaida Iraq bomb masters turn tide for rebels
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/al-qaida-rebels-battle-syria
Hey Jenny, check that Guardian article out. There’s a cute header photo of a Free Syrian Army fighter spray painting the slogan “There is no Islam without Jihad” on a wall.
Warms the heart, eh.
Playing to the racist and Islamaphobic seats to justify your support for this monstrous regime, CV?
The regime and it’s supporters like you, are doing your very best to stir up sectarian divisions to keep this bloody and monstrous dictatorship in power.
Jenny,
Point of note, the Syrian situation is NOT like the PoAL, where it was basically Union v Contracting, it is far more complicated, and multi faceted than that relatively straight forward situation you commented on so regularly.
Taking such a staunchly simplistic one-sided position is frankly juvenille, and is reaching the stage where your posts and thus your mind set seem to be now struggling against some personal crusade, which while being well indented is, through your words becoming disrespectful of the ever decending seriousness of the situaiton.
Saying someone must be a supprter of the “monsterous dictatorship” because they understand that the situation is complicated, and not what it is presented as to the sheep who follow along, and offer evidence contrary to your personal belief, is limiting!
Its appropriate to accept a situation is complicated, and thus beyond ones capabilities to get their head around. The first step is to realise that it is a mature approach to not back oneself into a corner!
Edit: STOP accusing people of rac*sm incorrectly, continued accusations and use of the term totally disrespect those who suffer genuine rac*sm.
As for the Mossad’s “low profile”, the spin in Tel Aviv is that Israel is able to “control” the swarm of hardcore Wahhabis and Salafi-jihadis now infesting Syria. Even if that is manifest nonsense, one juicy point is clear; Israel is in bed with al-Qaeda-style Islamists.
Jenny,
In an ideal world, the struggle of people against any/all forms of tyranny would have altruistic intervention, indeed in an ideal world, there would not be wars or struggle to intervene in!
Thats not the world we have allowed to be created for us, and its not the world we will ever see, not as long as the species allows itself to be exterminated. With science and technology entrapping the planet further, while crisis after crisis of man made control grid is forced upon the worlds peoples, with the middle east simply one of the manufactured crises.
Your intentions seem to be well meaning, but by having been so fooled into what you believe in happening in Syria, your well meaning is in fact a hugely negative energy force, because you are in fact supporting, what you deny is going on.
Does this mean you should stop supporting the innocent caught up in these manufactured uprisings, absolutely not, but it does mean that you should cover all angles and at least factor in the evidence which states numerously that Syria, like Libya is being destroyed by NATO intervention, using mercenaries and other assorted sponsored criminals, all with the end game pre planned, and using the transparent overused “arab spring” lie, as cover.
Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent”
“Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent””
Jeez, that’s weak, Muzza. The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source and I’ll bet you’ll be struggling to back up your daft comment about them. And if you’d bothered to look at Jenny’s link, you’d have spotted that McNaught, who appears to be about a million times braver than you or me, reports for Al Jazeera.
The BBC lost credibility a very long time ago Voice, they have been caught out too many times. No need for me to link anything, go find it for yourslf…Start with Dr David Kelly, though as a tip!
Al Jazeera, LOL again showing how little you know about this Qatari, sponsored Anglo Saxon, pseudo Arab puppet media outlet, where most of its “important employees” are from the UK, many worked for the BBC, just like Anita. Hey Qatar, got the FIFA world cup because they deserved it eh bro!
Oh and refer only to your own cowardice when posting nonsense, do not speak on my behalf!
I didn’t make any comment about Al Jazeera, Muzza, just pointed out that you were being ignorantly insulting to a reporter who is actually risking her life to report the news, while you sit on the couch in your underpants.
Nice to see you can’t back up your claims about the BBC, too.
If I wanted to read this sort of divisive, insulting crap where no-one listens to anyone … I’d be at the sewer.
Where they do it better.
Yeah, fair call, RL. I’m off to footie, so no more smart arsery from me.
You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!
Can’t see where you read that in my original post, I said “Anita worked OF the BBC”, a typo, I meant to say “worked FOR the BBC”, either way, use of the word WORKED indicated past tense didn’t it!
I also don’t see where I questioned her aledged bravery, only her ability to be an “independent”, reporter, given the association to the BBC, and now to Al Jazeera, both of which I have given an opinion on, and if you want the links to read up on those media outlets, go find them for yourself, they are plentiful!
Warning, it might throw up some questions about “The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source “, which could open you up to exposing mental frailties when challenged.
You’re not up for that though, I already know that mental challenges are not something you have the chops for!
So illiterate and completely unable to provide evidence at all to back up your claims? Not your best work, Muzza!
Is illiterate a pejorative on TS? Really?
TRP: “unable to provide evidence at all to back up your claims?
Te hypocrisy.
m: “You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!”
Āna.
🙄 Did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks, f**k off over to the Sewer if you cannot help but indulge in such…
bad12 – did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks? Maybe your irony is accidental.
( 🙄 ) It is in fact as easy to see why you are the recipient of regular bans from the Standard as it is to see that you have failed to learn from such bans,
My proposal to those who put the effort into giving us this site so as to further discussion of the things that matter to the Left in New Zealand society and politics is that where a particular commenter has deserved to be the subject of such banning that each time the length of the ban be extended by double the amount of the previous banning…
poroheahea
If it’s me your calling stupid it’s a wasted effort as i just do not care, if it’s a reference to he who we bestow ^ 🙄 ^ upon i am presently unarmed with any facts that would allow me to debate otherwise…
Kaua koe e whai atu i ngā mahi a te hukehuke rā, kei raru kōrua tahi
Actually, I know several left wing Brits who think that the BBC news is no longer as independent as it was – I think since the Kelly incident under Blair’s watch. I tend to agree. For instance, it particularly favours a pro-Israel government line and tends to demonise Palestine. I understand that the news on BBC channels broadcast in the UK in the main news slots, is more biased than, say BBC’s international broadcasts.
See also here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_BBC
Also, I used to think Al Jazeera was pretty good at providing critiques from different viewpoints. I watch it quite a bit, but in the last year or two, it has become much more like mainstream western media in mirroring viewpoints of the western power blocs. Although, it still has some good critical pieces, ditto the BBC.
I have noticed that, sadly… 🙁
Wasn’t Anita working for FoxNews at some point ?
I really do apologise if I’m wrong.
LOL how about apologising for being so transparent
Yes North, she was ’embedded’ – as the saying went – by Fox News when Iraq Invasion no.2 was in progress. She was quite defensive of them at the time. That’s my recollection anyway.
More findings from that Ipsos/Fairfax poll, involving interviews with a relatively small number of people (1000). Not surprisingly Nat supporters are more positive about the future than those who support opposition parties – UF & ACT supporters are too small in number to register anything much, except they seem to be ambivalent about the future (maybe they are just always ambivalent?).
People were asked a range of questions to ascertain how they feel about the future compared with a year ago. Views about the economy seem to have been the strongest influence on people’s feelings about the future:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7411347/Pulse-of-the-Nation-How-we-see-ourselves
But most interesting is the growing sense of resentment of the wealthy elite:
So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam. There’s a growing tide of sentiment that would support a focus on fairness and possibly for what is beneficial to the wider community.
However, there are some signs of retreat to social isolation as a defense, except in Auckland, where apparently the community spirit is quite strong. There needs to be some strong leadership on drawing people together to work towards the best for society as a whole, so that retreat from community doesn’t take hold.
Problem is, political parties just think that it is time to join in the neoliberal scam.
Well, I certainly despair when I see that the government is playing musical houses with state/subsidised housing, shunting the available low cost housing around amongst the poor. Meanwhile they are also trying to push as many people as possible out of state houses and into the rental market:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10824497
Meanwhile the wealthier classes are continuing to spend on buying houses in Auckland, as if there was no recession, paying high dollar to buy up the available housing. No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10824355
The lack of sufficient affordable, safe and secure housing is a disgrace, and still the government does everything to make it worse.
Will a real opposition PLEASE stand-up and show up this rentier scam!?
Carol The bubble will burst Ollie Newland has said it won’t be pretty.
Australian eastern state cities are experiencing a major downturn after a post GFC bubble.
Just like last time New Zealand will follow suit. its just a matter of time.
Doesn’t the Babble in that Herald article just do your head in, there’s three strands in the Herald story that are best dealt with as separate issues,
*First we have Paula Benefit,hardly one for presenting either deep or evidential based analysis of any ‘problem’ She has encountered in Her Social development portfolio, giving a good spray and walk away line in the vein of ‘i thunk it therefor it is’,
How many beneficiaries are there boarding in State Houses, paying board to the main State House tenant who only pays 25% of income, while the boarder claims from Income Support an accommodation supplement???,
The Minister (as usual) gives NO figures for the numbers of people supposedly involved and as such i can only assume that Paula Benefit and Phil Heatley have spent an hour together, (focus grouping), creating in their minds the supposed problem,
Even so,IF there is a problem of this sort occurring,and, My belief is that HousingNZ rents out it’s property’s on the basis of 25% of the TOTAL income of the HOUSEHOLD,it is in fact a simple ‘fix’, and theoretically at least seeing as HousingNZ has just had a $90 Million computer upgrade, an easily accomplished one , where the ‘rule’ of 25% of HOUSEHOLD income be firmly established while changing the rules so that NO accommodation supplement can be paid to anyone living in a HousingNZ tenancy,
That along with some data matching between Paula and Phil’s fiefdoms of Housing and Social Development so as to have those who make the decisions on Accommodation Supplements know which are and which are not State Houses,
* Second, really i can only say What The F**k, private providers of Social Housing cannot compete with HousingNZ because the HousingNZ tenants pay 25% of income and the best the private providers of social housing can achieve is 70-80% of market rent,
As in Wah f**king Wah, the Loony’s having taken over the Asylum now want a ‘Level Playing Field’ to be imposed upon Social Housing because ‘it’s not fair’ that they cannot compete with HousingNZ,
In all seriousness there is i fear only 2 logical solutions that could be applied here, rule changes aplenty would have to occur as i fear that such people are way to far gone to be swayed by logical argument and my diagnosis would be either to put them up against the wall or provide them a psychiatric institution within which they could indulge in a game of doctors,nurses, and, patients to take turns at solving their own various problems,
* Third, as Minister of Housing Phil Heatley has given us all an in depth analysis of the problem He,and He appears to be mostly alone here, sees in the HousingNZ rental policy, Phills in depth analysis, ‘we can’t afford it’,
Annette King makes sport of Phil in the House at question time and you can almost see the mousy Housing Minister looking for a bolt hole every time King skewers Him with another query over matters within His portfolio that amount to slow death by a thousand small cuts,
Phill has the unenviable task of rack renting HousingNZ tenants most of whom are beneficiaries simply because National have always hated State Housing, nothing more nothing less,
The whole Herald article really comes down to making up a whole lot of s**t which the tame press will print verbatim which attempts to find some logical justification for National to give Beneficiaries (especially the ones in State Housing who Nationals core voters cannot profit from), another financial kicking in order to satisfy its red-neck core vote…
As an economic afterthought to my long winded comment above, there is absolutely NOTHING to be gained in an economic sense from any changes that national propose to make to the 25% of income rental regime as applied to it’s HousingNZ stock of social housing,
The reverse is in fact true,simply rack-renting those who by lack of income are reliant upon the State does nothing but move monies between the various agencies of State in some warped attempt at book balancing,
For the ‘Real Economy’ the reality simply means that while the State is indulging in fits of ‘give with the left hand’, and, ‘take back with the right’ there is a nett loss in revenue from the State House tenants negatively effected by such stupidity doing what such revenue is supposed to do in the wider economy,
Money from tenants so negatively affected by such proposed changes simply stops going around in the economy, strangely enough, Nationals core vote in the business sector who benefit by competing for a slice of such money being spent into local economy’s by HousingNZ tenants will also suffer negatively as the money will now simply transit from one Government account to another,
Thus National is simply proposing to deepen further the ongoing recession and while concentrating upon micro-economics of the Government social spend is blind to the negative impact upon that local economy, (or more to the point seems to just not give a f**k)…
In the broadness of my relatively old age I must say I’m invariably invigorated by Annette King.
She’s like a terrier, pitbullish if necessary, dog with a bone when she’s riled by bullshit answers.
“No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.”
That is what the direct consequence of the changes to state housing will be.
And I thought the purpose of social housing was to keep rents down? It seems to me that the social housing providers want the government to subsidize their rent?
FIFY
The accommodation supplement is a government subsidy to the rentiers already.
The new joint venture between “The Crown & Council”, will not be a CCO but will be run like one.
Board with salaries, and a multi million dollar budget, was registered on July 24.
Purpose is to oversee the GI development, initially, and will have the HQ’s based in East Tamaki
I thought a similar thing – now that they are confident that have a Labour Party moulded to their taste, they can do what they bloody like.
some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few
How much of the this generated by political campaigning? Greens in particular keep promoting terminology like”the growing transfer of wealth to just a few”.
It’s ironic that those most adversly affected by the wealth gap don’t have any wealth to transfer, in fact it’s tax paid by the more wealthy that enable them to receive state assistance.
The “transfer of wealth” term is a misnomer, especially when Greens promote transferring more wealth from rich to poor by raising taxes.
🙄
🙄
🙄
So publicly owned amenties such as health, education, parks, libaries are not wealth, and that these things are being closed down so the rich get cuts in rates and taxes.
Had a thought — correct term is actually transfer the wealth from the wider community to the rich. The closure of hospitals around the country to pay for Bill Birch’s tax cuts in 1996 is an example, as well as Porirua City Council’s closure of the Plimmerton libaray to keep rates down.
BTW: I have put in an OIA request to get a list of hospitals closed between 1990 and 1999 and 1999 and 2008. We shall then see the effect of tax cuts on health services 🙂
Pete, just when I had developed some sympathy for you because of what could be identified as bullying behaviour against you, you come out with this ignorant gem. My sympathy has now evaporated completely. You are a delusional and annoying waste of bandwidth.
What I want to know is why they published that ignorant crap from that idiot in Taupo?
“…So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam…”
The problem is the serious generational lag we have in our political/media elites. Key is a neo-liberal by choice but outside a small but powerful business lobby that Key represents everyone in the rest of the real world has long moved on from neo-liberalism. But our media/political elite is still heavily infested with 1980s and 90s neo-liberal supporters and apologists. English, Roughan, Holmes, Ralston, half the Labour front bench, swags of the Nats (McCully and Williamson for a start) etc etc etc are all left over neo-liberals who are far, far past their use by date. Hopefully Labour will take the opportunity in 2014 to clean out the likes of Mallard, Dyson, King and Goff and bring in a generation of politicians who at least formed some of their ideas in this century….
Or we should have term limits.
I don’t think we should have term limits in parliament. Some experience is beneficial – Lockwood Smith as Speaker a good example.
But there’s nothing to stop parties from having their own term limits, or at least encouraging retirement of MPs past their best and past their value to the party. Have any parties considered term restrictions?
And if they don’t get the message then leadership could reinforce it by dropping them down the rankings.
The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.
🙄
“The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.”
Like Peter Dunne.
Yup. Bit of an own goal from Pete there.
Well it is Saturday morning so waffle is definitely on the menu.
Poor attempt at diversion. And there are very obvious differences.
Peter Dunne has been essential for United Future’s survival and probably also will be in 2014 if he has another go..
The retirement of the likes of Goff, Mallard, King, Cosgrove is essential for Labour’s survival. Note that recently Mallard claimed to be mid-career.
Apt observation Lanth, which PG ignored and tried to pivot to political parties.
United Future has been essential for Peter Dunne’s survival
FIFY
Edit needed:
“Electorate deal making with the National party has been essential for Dunne’s survival”
Seems less … snappy.
obsessive deluded fans included
Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.
But in his case he’s talking all over the place, as one argument gets demolished he moves to another. Ah, marriage convention has changed quite a bit over the last few thousand years. It’s changed quite a bit in my lifetime.
On The Nation this morning he ended up pleading for his last hope, a referendum. No chance of that either.
In contrast Louisa Walls impressed with facts and forceful points.
“Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.”
He got more votes than UF and Peter Dunne did.
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
The Conservative Party had probably 10 times the UF budget and got more media coverage. They also tried to push shoddy polls to promote their support. They got a creditable number of votes but in the end failed under MMP.
But that’s all history. Dunne is an MP (and a Minister). Craig is neither.
And it’s all irrelevant, it’s got nothing to do with my commentt, most of what I talk about is non-UF. More: The Colin Craig Craze.
I was proposing a reason for why he gets media attention even though he’s not a politician: because he and his party got significantly more support in the election than two of the politicians who are in parliament.
The election is history and was over 8 months ago.
although surprisingly, Election performance has a few ongoing consequences for NZ politics 🙄
lol
“The election is history and was over 8 months ago.”
Oops, there goes that mandate. 🙄
perhaps you don’t have to be in elected office to be a politician; merely seeking elected office will do it.
Regardless of how you define “politician” (and I’m sure we can can all think of a few quite different but quite legitimate variations) the crux is he’s a “political actor”.
And that’s why he’s news.
Having said that, he’s a twat for referring to himself as “a representative” when he hasn’t been elected.
Also, that “Austrian dictator” moustache on tv today; well done whoever at tv3 was responsible for lighting the backwards little fucker: http://www.3news.co.nz/Craig-and-Wall-gay-marriage-debate-heats-up/tabid/1356/articleID/264093/Default.aspx
Seriously people, this bullshit stat has been sitting here ALL DAY.
It’s MMP, Pete. Use a stat that fucking counts.
Party Vote 2011:
Conservative Party – 59,237
United Future – 13,443
SHA-ZAMM!
Actually in terms of statistics this one is also good:
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
Peter George (Dunedin North) 176
A referendum on marriage would pass the legislation. Personally, if there was a referendum the questions should be:
Do you think you should have the right to marry?
Do you think other people should be able to prevent you from marrying?
I’m reasonably certain that we would get back a 100% Yes/No response.
Leave it to Craig and other deniers of basic human rights and we’ll probably get some weaselly question that would be more confusing than informative – just like the question on smacking.
It’s a moot point anyway, there won’t be a referendum on it – although I agree that if there was it would agree with what MPs are likely to pass.
It’s possible Craig will try a CIR on this but I think he’s using the issue to raise profile rather than thinking he has any chance of success at stopping the Marriage bill.
Louisa Wall presented her case impressively on The Nation, and Colin Craig kept moving from one smackdown to another.
Few links on Syria.
This one is similar to the sorts of reports that were coming out of Iraq in late 04 and through 05, with what national identity that had existed falling away in the face of sectarian group dynamics:
http://nyti.ms/RnM63z
In light of that, I suspect that these guys are dreaming:
http://wapo.st/OG3GQn
Poor bloody Kurds. As ever. http://f24.my/Rsl1MM
The Iraqi government still hasn’t finalised it’s constitution with regard to the Kurds. The govts, new and old, in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria may well have many differences but you can bet they’ll all agree that the Kurds won’t be getting anything like a homeland. If western peeps want something simple to get pissed off about with a clear cut right and wrong side, that’s about as close a one as I can see in this mess. Good luck convincing our governments to do anything but.
An interesting piece on the coverage from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya http://t.co/M1AGvnqa
But if you really want nightmare visions. Read the press coming out of Lebanon. Whose up for picking sides in a Hezbollah vs Al-Qaeda fight? And think about the stakes of that.
As is obvious, this is a fight that has nothing to do with us. Putting ‘what we think ought to happen’ into the mix is a recipe for blowback. And it’s messy enough already for mind.
It’s awful, but that doesn’t mean that anything we can do will make it better.
Bingo.
The only thing we can realistically do is let them sort themselves out. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any hope of that happening.
Finally some in that useless UN have grown some gonads, even if it is non binding.
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19106250
No additional world wars since the UN was founded. That’s something.
BTW the delegates to the UN and various support staff don’t have a say in whether the UN continues or not, so their “lifestyle” convenience has nothing to do with it.
Tell that to the 40.968 million who have been killed in various wars since WWII, I am sure they take consolation that there was No WW War III.
http://www.cissm.umd.edu/papers/files/deathswarsconflictsjune52006.pdf
From a financial point of view why have the UN based in New York. I am sure we could find a developing nation that would benefit from the economic activity. Perhaps such an idea JK could take aboard to fix our countries economic woes and the msm would believe,take and run with this perhaps a great diversion just like making NZ a financial hub. 😉
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10691438
The UN in it’s current form is not permitted to grow gonads. It is still fundamentally limited by the G8 nations unwilling to give it enough power to act effectively.
And most especially not to act against their own hegemonic ambitions.
‘Aussie Rules’ to help prevent corrupt Ministerial ‘conflicts of interest’.
How come – if New Zealand is ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ – we don’t have these legislative safeguards?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-12-06/rudd-announces-ministerial-code-of-conduct/979880
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Because having and enforcing them would show up just how corrupt NZ has become.
John Key is a shareholder in the Bank of America.
That would not be lawful if he were the Prime Minister of Australia.
Seen this?
John Key publicly admits his Bank of America shareholding at a Grey Power public meeting in February 2011.
Remember – when he worked for Merrill Lynch – he was the Head of Derivatives – and at the time the Glass Steagall Act (which kept separate boring safe commercial banking and risky dangerous investment banking) was repealed – November 1999 – John Key was a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve.
So – what role did shonky John Key play in the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act?
Why is this important?
Because the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act helped to leave the dodgy derivatives market completely unregulated.
Which is the main reason why the world is facing an international financial meltdown?
Because of the collapse of the dodgy derivatives market – which shonky John Key helped to set up?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Penny the price of BofA ML shares will be worthless.
Not unlike Keys promises.
Bof A suffered huge loss’s because of more dodgy dealings at ML.
They also facing legal action on many fronts and the US government is in no mood for a second bail out.
Love it Penny.
yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.
“yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.”
Got a link to that Bill, Captain Hook?
And the ‘Regulatory Impact Report / Statement’?
Anybody?
Cheers!
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
I wonder how well this is supported in the Green Party:
And I wonder if they support a quick hit, or an occupation for a few years.
Disastrous. I don’t think that they have thought the military goals through at all. We vote for it, we’ll have to commit troops to the ground.
Yeah, well, there’s a reason why I’m going off the Greens.
It does make me wonder just how far to the right the Greens have actually slipped when there are Green MP’s calling for military intervention in any conflict, let alone one where it’s becoming more than a little apparent the US is intervening via proxy,
Someone else mentioned the other day the fact that it seems that the right stages ‘take-overs’ of the political party’s on the left with consumate ease, and, i have also been feeling uneasy about certain aspects of the Greens ‘going straight’ for the purposes of electoral success,
The modern Left in New Zealand and in particular supporting the Parliamentary Left has felt increasingly akin to some nomadic journey, a gypsy circus trodden with more disappointment than hope,
My thought is though, give the Greens at least a term of Government with at least my vote at the 2014 election, but, i have already begun the where to from here type thought…
Lol. Mostly at the idea that Pete F. George think he is in any position to be questioning what Kennedy Graham knows or does not know about International Relations.
Read what he is saying. Closely.
If their are crimes against humanity taking place what is the Green party’s longstanding position on that sort of thing? Bear in mind that crimes against humanity is not a synoym for ‘shit I don’t like’.
Next think about what he is saying we should do, and by implication shouldn’t do.
Is Graham saying we should join in any ‘coalition of the willing’ style clusterfuck?
Or is he saying that that sort of adventure would be illegal and that we should not only have no part in it but that we should be doing something else.
What should the International community do about Crimes against humanity?
That’s the question he’s asking, and he’s putting the govt in a box with regard to requests to join ad hoc illegal coalitions.
He is not an idiot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Graham
According to the RNZ article he’s advocating economic sanctions which always hit the people at the bottom of the pyramid while the people at the top, the people that the santions are supposed to stop, don’t feel a thing. Please also note that the people at the top are already shooting at the people at the bottom (which I’m pretty sure is already a Crime Against Humanity).
Chances of sanctions doing anything? Around zero.
He then says that if sanctions don’t work (pretty much guaranteed) in containing (not stopping) the slaughter then military intervention is required.
Basically, IMO, he’s advocating a default position of military intervention.
Now, preventing arms being delivered to the current government is probably a valid option and one I would support but not full sanctions and definitely no military intervention. I think we’ll probably see both though.
“He is not an idiot”
–No but he is the brother of Doug Graham, so Ill say it again.
The Greens are not what people wish them to be, thats not what they exist for, and have ben taken over some time ago, its all too easy to control politics, you just have to do a little digging into the backgrounds of these people.
Labour gone towards the right, Greens headed the same way. Just control a few key people inside each entity, and its job done, the coutry and the people get screwed, and most either have no idea, or actually vote for those who screw them!
Why are the Greens are making this call now, when it looks like the victory of the rebellion is all but guaranteed, and a Western intervention now, would only act to steal the people’s victory?
What is crazy about this, about this call for Western intervention from the Greens is that crimes against humanity are already being committed, and have been for some time. From the firing on unarmed protesters, to the detention, torture and murder of deserters wives and children, to the aerial bombardment of civilian centres resulting in the mass deaths of civilians.
I am sure that regime defenders of this monstrous regime like Colonial Viper would welcome any attempt to snatch victory from the resistance.
Have the Greens been ignorantly swallowing the propaganda from pro regime supporters in this country?
B12 Yep I did wonder before the last election whether closet blue green was was infiltrating the Greens- something felt a little off key but couldn’t really put my finger on it.Noticed a lot of the old guard retired all at once and none of them seemed to be morphing into the older party statesperson type role which nade me wonder if they are still welcome through the door. Also the “we may do a deal with the Nats line.”
And are we getting a strong media slant on Green party actions when it lines up with Nact aspirations. Lots of attention on Norman none really on Meretai.
Different subject entirely – our revered leader isn’t swanning around at the Olympics for the photo ops. So unlike him what’s wrong – is he ill, unwelcome or something else?
And again – I wondered if we will continue to win at the Olypics as we do now? Child poverty destroys early sporting chances (?) I suspect, so is there any correlation between left wing governments and sucess some years later.
I see the Aussies are trying for an exchange rate/gold medal correlation oh dear ………..
National Party strategists will have examined in detail whether or not a confidence and supply arrangement with the Greens is possible.
They will also have examined in detail the likelihood of winning a bunch of gold medals for Key to pose in front of.
If he’s on the spot, he might have to be seen with losers. And Key doesn’t do losers, it doesn’t fit the brand.
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah, that’s likely too.
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah well, the C/T trained PR team will be in full motion organising a shindig at parliament as we speak. My suggestion is: the opposition stake out the possible venues inside the Beehive for the Key photo op. and gatecrash it at the last minute. Oh how hilarious to see Shearer/ Mallard/Norman/Turei grinning cheesily from the sidelines. That would make my week. Harawira (grinning cheesily) could appear over the top of Key. That would make my month.
I look forward to the moment Hone will pick.
It’s very important because he is the parliamentary moral leader of Maori. That’s the guts on the street now. People can forget their bullshit stuff about manners and so on.
And for them who’ll come up “Nah, he’s a prick or whatever……….” – damn it, they’re all older. Young people are receptive, even if subliminally, to the relative deprivation and need that is very pervasive now.
So go away Tariana and Pita. You’re not relevant anymore. You have sat at the table while Maori have suffered and still you’re saying all is as sweet, as sweet as it can be.
The gaps have widened since Tari and Pit have been sitting at the tepu, building relationships and going through processes.
That’s all Hone needs to say.
It’s also all Labour needs to say.
But the press will never report it, so the 10% masterchef watchers who decide our future will never hear it.
Unless they’re told in weird and unusual ways.
Big ups to you bake-sale and nudie acitivists. Looks like fun too.