Open mike 04/08/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 4th, 2016 - 27 comments
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27 comments on “Open mike 04/08/2016 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    4 August 2016 at 6:51 am

    Jonathan Pie.
    A good way of following UK politics with a smile, while at the same time critiquing the media’s role in spinning for the establishment.

  2. adam 2
    4 August 2016 at 6:56 am

    I like this guy, about 7 min in talks about Panama papers. And points out somthing quite good, whilst some places it might be legal, it is in no way moral.

    • Colonial Viper 2.1
      4 August 2016 at 7:09 am

      Correa is great

      • save nz 2.1.1
        4 August 2016 at 9:46 am

        +2 Adam, Compulsory viewing especially for Labour and the Green party and the Maori party.

        Our political parties need to drop the small things that they incessantly campaign on and do what this professor of economics and president of Ecuador has done, look at the big picture. He has rewritten the constitution to actually protect the natural environment, not allow any company operating a tax haven to get government contracts, kick out the IMF and make lobbying illegal.

        Also worth it to see how Chevron has taken them to special business ‘trade’ courts and won 100 million while not paying 9 billion, and has the ability to bankrupt the country. TPPA here we come.

        Worth watching to see what he says to the question of, will Clinton or Trump be better for Ecuador! The same applies to NZ no doubt.

    • ianmac 2.2
      4 August 2016 at 9:53 am

      I am very very fearful for Rafael Correa and the survival of Ecuador. And with the unscrupulous Clinton in charge the USA will follow their usual pattern of destroying any country that they don’t like. Regardless of the Democratic approval of the citizens of that country.

      • adam 2.2.1
        4 August 2016 at 10:11 am

        I agree ianmac. I worry for a few governments who are not towing the neoliberal line.

        These so called soft coups, are a bloody disgrace.

      • Garibaldi 2.2.2
        4 August 2016 at 5:29 pm

        Well said Ianmac. When is the rest of the world going to wake up to how insidious the USA is and has been for over 60 years? Surely it is not too late. Now that Wikileaks has released enough info for us all to see how the empire behaves you would expect some universal reaction. But what do we see……… millions flocking to bloody Clinton thinking she’s the lesser of two evils . Bullshit – she represents everything wrong about the USA !
        Neither candidate is fit to govern.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.3
      4 August 2016 at 10:56 am

      That was good. A must watch I’d say.

      I especially liked the bit where he said that countries need to stand on their own two feet and not be concerned with who’s president of the US.

      • Murray Simmonds 2.3.1
        5 August 2016 at 9:47 am

        “That was good. A must watch I’d say.”

        Absolutely agree Draco T.

        So guess who will be next on the CIA hitlist, now that they’ve pretty much “cleaned up” in Venezuela?

        Correa – an intelligent man, and in all likelihood a good man too.

        why can’t the USA put up presidential candidates of this calibre?

        (Oh, I forgot, its WALL ST, not the people of the USA who determine these matters).

  3. Paul 3
    4 August 2016 at 6:56 am

    And a less humorous, yet more powerful of understanding what neo-liberalism is doing to the English speaking western countries.

    Ken Loach.
    I Daniel Blake

    • Paul 3.1
      4 August 2016 at 5:49 pm

      And this banal, inhumane treatment of the vulnerable in our society is going on in New Zealand, as John Campbell is uncovering on Checkpoint today.

      And people like bm, wayne and fisiani defend it.
      Is sociopath a fitting word for them?

  4. whispering kate 4
    4 August 2016 at 9:32 am

    I can hear my Grandparents voices echo down the years “We would never have had to have unions if it weren’t for rotten bosses. Well, it would seem times haven’t changed one jot. Today on RNZ I hear that a large proportion of employers are not passing on their employer contributions to Kiwisaver and also not contributing their employee contributions either. The employee contribution is guaranteed but the employer contributions have to be chased by IRD and or courts where penalities can be applied like asset gathering, selling businesses etc. The stats don’t look good so it would appear there are a lot of businesses who need a wake up call and should be never allowed to own a business.

    This country cannot pay a decent living wage to people and these companies are aiding and abetting it by not giving employees a chance to save for their retirement. What a miserly crap country we have become. This Government doesn’t give a toss, doesn’t give IRD enough backup to chase up these lousy employers and isn’t about to either, it suits them just fine the way it is.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/310096/spike-in-employers-failing-to-pay-into-kiwisaver

    • mac1 4.1
      4 August 2016 at 10:20 am

      These firms should be the first to be investigated for more than evading their employer contributions. They’d also be more likely than most to be evading other taxation.

      They should have their names published, like other criminals, so that their community can tell them how they feel about firms which welch on their deals, cheat and scab on their responsibilities.

      Cheats should never prosper.

      • whispering kate 4.1.1
        4 August 2016 at 10:28 am

        I agree, basically they are committing theft on a large scale. The Government comes down so strong on people on benefits who defraud the system but if it is white collar/employer related crime it seems to fit okay with this Government. The Civil Service is geared to be under funded and under staffed so that it struggles to achieve what its supposed to do and it suits the Government to have it this way. Bring on compulsary voting so we can get some change for this country.

    • ianmac 4.2
      4 August 2016 at 11:37 am

      I imagine that this Government is beavering away on a new Bill that will say Employer contributions will be Optional.

  5. save nz 5
    4 August 2016 at 9:50 am

    World’s First Off-Grid Village is Set to be Built in the Netherlands this Summer

    http://anonhq.com/worlds-first-off-grid-village-set-built-netherlands-summer/

  6. Chooky 6
    4 August 2016 at 11:08 am

    ‘China vs lawfare’

    https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/352217-tribunal-south-china-sea/

    “An international tribunal in The Hague has ruled overwhelmingly against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing not only rejects this ruling, it even refused to participate in this case. Is this using lawfare to contain China?

    CrossTalking with Wang Guan, John Feffer and Daniel Wagner.”

    and

    ‘Prepare for possible ‘war on water’ over South China Sea tensions, Beijing tells citizens’

    https://www.rt.com/news/354454-china-sea-war-warning/

    …”On Tuesday, China’s Supreme Court issued a regulation reaffirming the jurisdiction of national courts over the country’s territory, including the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It warned citizens and foreigners alike of criminal liability for violations such as illegal fishing or killing endangered wildlife in the zone.

    “People’s courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China’s territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties, equally protect the legal rights of Chinese and foreign parties involved and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests,” the regulation stated.

    Any fishing boats refusing to leave Chinese waters or caught fishing illegally there more than once in a year are subject to a fine, while the crew could be given a prison term of up to one year.

    Foreigners who feel their rights have been violated by the Chinese authorities are free to deliver their claims to Chinese courts, the ruling said.”

    • ianmac 6.1
      4 August 2016 at 11:39 am

      China is following USA lead. If you are big and powerful and you want something owned by others then just take it.

  7. Chooky 7
    4 August 2016 at 11:14 am

    ‘Firms peddling surveillance tech to spy on public exposed in new database’

    https://www.rt.com/uk/354481-surveillance-database-privacy-international/

    “Corporations that develop technology used to spy on citizens are being added to a new searchable database compiled by human rights NGO Privacy International (PI).
    PI has developed the Surveillance Industry Index database in conjunction with software group Transparency Toolkit.

    It contains details of more than 500 surveillance technology firms around the world and more than 1,500 brochures advertising their products…

  9. b waghorn 9
    4 August 2016 at 12:23 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1501119

    India planted 49 million trees in 24 hours!!!
    oh and other useful thoughts on climate change

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11687032

    Come politicians it’s time to make some noise.