Open mike 05/02/2024
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6:00 am, February 5th, 2024 - 50 comments
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- Rwanda’s Kagame: from Saviour to Tyrant?
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...17 mins ago - Stephen Rainbow is ACT’s crony
Back in August, National sabotaged human rights by appointing terf and genocide supporter Stephen Rainbow as Chief Human Rights Commissioner. The Spinoff has been digging into this, and they've uncovered new information: Rainbow didn't actually get the job - until suddenly he did: “I didn’t get the HRC role ...37 mins ago - Government science cuts take New Zealand even further backward
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is deeply concerned about the future of investment in science, following the latest announcement of another 60 jobs cuts at Environmental Science and Research (ESR). The Government has now axed more than 500 jobs in the public science sector. “The Government doesn’t seem ...2 hours ago - National risks being eaten alive by NZ First & ACT
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, November 5: Strangely for a party that prides itself on being a mainstream bastion of ‘small c’ conservatism, National under PM Christopher Luxon is increasingly at risk ...2 hours ago - Time Cut
2024, directed by Hannah MacPherson This is going to be a wild tonal shift in the middle of a bunch of posts about horror movies, probably, because I have a Rotten Tomatoes list of the best horror films directed by women that I want to see more of, whereas Time ...3 hours ago - Summer in the City
Go out and find a girlCome on, come on, and dance all nightDespite the heat it'll be alrightAnd babe, don't you know it's a pityThat the days can't be like the nightsIn the summer, in the citySong: John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Steve BooneThank YouTo begin today, a thank you. Yesterday, ...4 hours ago - The Bewildering World of Chris Luxon – Playing Politics in Glass Houses
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.By now we’re all aware of Mike King’s comments regarding use of alcohol to self-medicate mental health problems. On NewstalkZB, King stated:“Alcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues. It’s actually the ...5 hours ago - Seymour’s Shaky Response To Earthquake Claims
Audio interview from RNZ with Community Board member Ali Jones. If you don’t live in Christchurch, and haven’t for the past fifteen years, you probably have a different understanding of the words “EQC” to what we do. For most people, EQC is the scheme they don’t think about that much, ...5 hours ago - Dealing to the climate crisis
Fire and flood, heat-waves and rivers of rain. Climate change is impacting us powerfully. Major floods in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Germany, India, the US…Huge forest fires in Australia, Canada, Greece, California….Intense heat waves in Spain, Italy, Greece, India, the US…. And we haven’t spoken of melting glaciers and ice-caps, rising ...5 hours ago
- Don’t Move
2024, directed by Adam Schindler & Brian Netto The title of Don’t Move is somewhat evocative of Don’t Breathe, another fairly successful horror movie. I haven’t actually seen Don’t Breathe but have it on my “someday if there’s nothing more interesting available” list, and the premise of Don’t Move is ...6 hours ago
- Auckland’s 2025 PT Fare Increases
Public transport fares are about to increase again, by an average of 5.2%, according to a paper to Auckland Council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday by Auckland Transport. In addition, AT are going to be removing off-peak discounts and implementing some other structural changes to the fare system. ...7 hours ago - Health Officials say Casey Costello’s Advice is “Crap” & Luxon Refuses To Prot...
Ngā mihi maioha. A tremendous thank you to all who commented, supported and read my recent post. In appreciation.First, an update on the Prime Minister’s press conference yesterday with Stanford - rounding up the 3 key messages you may have missed.1. ERICA STANFORD FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF NZ SPREADS MISINFORMATIONEducation ...9 hours ago - Gordon Campbell On US Voter Suppression, Plus The Races To Watch
On Wednesday evening, as our television relays images of long lines of people queuing to vote, keep this in mind: since 2012, America has closed 20% of its polling places. Crucial swing states like Wisconsin, Ohio and Georgia have collectively lost 400 Election Day polling places since 2010. Five of ...15 hours ago - Hell no
When do you know that a big international news story might be looking like An Historic Moment? When it gets a bunch of utterly superfluous New Zealand reporters inserted into it.I've been sympathetic to our media fretting about hanging on by a thread, but each time they despatch their microphone-holders ...23 hours ago - Sabotaging justice
One of the achievements of the Labour-led government was the establishment of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2019. After decades of high-profile miscarriages of justice, and judges looking the other way on state conspiracies of silence and each other's fuckups, we finally got an outside body to cast an ...24 hours ago
- Mike King and the Free Market
I was two sentences in (and stuck on) a defence of Mike King, where I was going to highlight that he was merely the well-carved figurehead of a neoliberal-shaped problem that neither begins nor ends with him, when I stumbled across a most interesting article about corporate propaganda being disseminated ...24 hours ago - Volunteer activity: Evaluate automated climate misinformation debunkings
A new challenge and a new opportunity for research AI-generated disinformation threatens to make debunking climate misinformation even more challenging, swamping already scanty capacity. We are exploring ways to counter this burgeoning flood of harm by employing the same tools now employed by malefactors as a force for good. We've already published research ...1 day ago - Don’t Lux-Speak
Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'So please stop explainin'Don't tell me 'cause it hurtsDon't speak, I know what you're thinkin'I don't need your reasonsDon't tell me 'cause it hurtsSongwriters: Eric Stefani / Gwen StefaniDo you remember the first time you encountered Corporate Speak? Important-sounding buzzwords used to camouflage ...1 day ago - Budget cuts penny wise & pound foolish
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, November 4: Budget cuts are storing up costs for future taxpayers and Governments. Scoop of the day: The Government is set to deliver another budget-cutting blow for ...1 day ago - A Fresh Horizon for Greater Auckland
A few months ago we asked for your help, and you answered. Thanks to the generous support we received, you may have noticed a more consistent and diverse stream of content over the last few months – which is in large part due to us being able to pay for ...1 day ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #44
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Mon, October 28, 2024 thru Sun, November 3, 2024. Topics covered this week Here are the main topics and the media outlets where they appeared in: Climate Change Impacts ...1 day ago
- Hey, I Need Your Help
For those of you who are new here, I’m Mountain Tui.National Geographic imageI’m the one that first started badgering NZ about Atlas Network - and it went mainstream easily from that: from Mihirangi Forbes asking David Seymour about it, to David Seymour and Chris Bishop lying, to the evidence easily ...2 days ago - Official Flightless Bird T-Shirts!
Hi,It’s a big election in three days. Like me, you’re probably sick of hearing about it, but like it or not — what America does tends to trickle down everywhere else. America farts and we’re all under the sheet being hotboxed against our will.I’ll do a fresh Webworm on election ...2 days ago - All I Ever Am
I lose all my life like thisReflecting time and memoriesAnd all for fear of what I'll findIf I just stop and empty out my mindOf all the ghosts and all the dreamsAll I hold to in beliefThat all I ever amIs somehow never quite all I am nowLyrics Robert Smith.Today’s ...2 days ago - The Book of Evidence-based-evidence
Now, in the land of leaky buildings and the Warehouse-where-everyone-gets-a-bargain, there came an electionAnd this was the one known as the show-bloody-Labour-the-bloody-door electionAnd there came into this election the one known as ChrisAnd of fresh thought or original idea, Chris was full emptyBut this was all good broFor Chris was ...2 days ago - Fact brief – Are most glaciers growing?
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- It’s not (just) about the economy, stupid.
In 1992 James Carville, Bill Clinton’s lead strategist, hung a sign on the wall of the Democratic candidate’s campaign office in Little Rock, Arkansas. It had three lines on it to focus the team on the key vote-swinging issues and one of those lines would become so famous it’s turned ...3 days ago - Let’s Make Things Better
If you're down and out and you feel really hurtCome on over to the place where I workAnd all your loneliness, I'll try to sootheI'll play the blues for youLyrics: Albert King.Often, in these newsletters, I tell you about what is wrong. You know the sort of thing - oh ...3 days ago - Floating a few ideas
3 days ago - Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
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- An expert walks into a bar
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- US military-industrial-sports complex.
A US friend of mine wrote on social media about attending a Homecoming football game at her niece’s Red State university. Although the referees stunk and her team lost, my friend said that she enjoyed her visit, especially the halftime … Continue reading ...4 days ago - The Hoon around the week to November 1
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The RBNZ sees the potential for a spike in demand from landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, November 1: The RBNZ has warned the Government’s tax changes ...4 days ago - Alcohol and Mental Health
4 days ago - Weekly Roundup 1-November-2024
Wow, we’re in November already and it’s a Friday so welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and ...4 days ago
- A Mysterious Sound
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- Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s breakthrough free trade deal with the Gulf
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In a major international breakthrough, New Zealand has negotiated a free trade agreement with Saudi Arabia and other Arabian Peninsula countries, which includes a provision requiring them to uphold the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Trade Minister Todd McClay signed the agreement in Doha overnight. The ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on America’s fear of foreigners
Mike King’s latest comments about the relationship between alcohol and mental health – according to King, alcohol does more good than harm – raises red flags once again about this organisation, and the quality of the “counselling” it provides. Here’s what the scientific research says. The latest example of King’s ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #44 2024
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- Gumboot Friday’s Founder Says Drugs and Alcohol Is A “Solution”
This afternoon, I turned to the fellow sitting near me and called out:“Guess what? A guy who runs a charity for mental health just said alcohol is a solution!”And his eyes popped out…his mouth opened ajar.That gave me some satisfaction - only because this person has zero care when it ...5 days ago - What can you do about bad journalism?
Day after day of David Seymour being accorded media time and attention like he’s doing this stuff in good faith and advancing these ideas in earnest. Come on. He’s a cosplaying libertarian who is really just a glove puppet for anti-democratic capitalist pigs. Read more ...5 days ago - A collapse in police legitimacy
Last week, the government had a big wank about police raids in Ōpōtiki, crowing about "gangs" and "drugs" and "law and order". Unfortunately the police did exactly the same shit they did in the Urewera terror raids 17 years ago, dragging people off in front of their kids and terrorising ...5 days ago
- 2024 Reading Summary: October (+ Writing Update)
No, I haven’t vanished from the Internet. Or died. Completed reads for October: The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole The Sidereal Messenger of Galileo Galilei, by Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler Jurgen, by James Branch Cabell A very quiet reading month, and a very quiet writing month ...5 days ago - Suicide Rates Continue To Climb (Because We Are Not Treating Suicidal Patients)
Our suicide rates are skyrocketing again, and I’m going to spare you the faux-shock I could put on here, given that it would be frankly more surprising to me if our death toll had gone in the other direction. Preliminary data from 2023-24 shows that our annual suicide deaths have ...5 days ago - Are We The Baddies?
Difficult Questions: Does denying human equality and rejecting the principles of colour-blind citizenship place you among the baddies? Yes, I’m afraid it does.THE DEMON OF UNREST documents the descent of the United States into civil war. The primary focus of its author, Erik Larson, is the period of roughly five months ...5 days ago - Thursday 31 October 2024
Health and safety campaigner Sonya Rockhouse has come out in support of the joint open letter from the NZCTU, Business NZ and others. A new Xero Small Business Insights report shows that small businesses are cutting staff and keeping wages low, while the Salvation Army’s State of the Pacific Peoples ...5 days ago
- Today’s Political Roundup – From Health to Self-Certification Risks
The focus on budgets is "going to cripple the health system".1. Cardiac specialist quits, saying Dr Lester Levy, the Part Time Health Commissioner, is "living in La La Land" and has no idea what's happening on the groundDr Dean BoddingtonDr Boddington, an electrical cardiologist, was the only person who did ...5 days ago - A deliberate and unnecessary crash landing
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, October 31: US and European GDP growth figures overnight show the world’s largest economies, along with that of our nearest neighbour Australia, ...5 days ago - Seymour: Swastikas OK
Race hatred cannot stop usThis one thing we knowYour poll tax and Donald TrumpGreed has got to go!You’re bound to loseYou fascists bound to lose.Original Lyrics: Woody GuthrieThere are a lot of things this government doesn’t like. Te Reo - got to go, they said, it’s too confusing for our ...5 days ago - Sumbission: Have Your Say on Work Health and Safety
Health and safety is core union mahi. Unions recognise that health and safety is a fundamental aspect of good work, and that every worker has the right to work that is safe and healthy, and to have a voice on the operation of their work. In this submission on MBIE’s ...5 days ago
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Neha Pathak Disasters can disrupt medical care both during and long after the event. (Photo credit: U.S. Air National Guard / Sgt. Jorge Intriago) Weeks after Hurricanes Milton and Helene tore paths of destruction across the Southeast, pictures of communities ...5 days ago
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- Boldness be my friend
When Nicola Willis gave the annual Finance Minister’s speech to the country’s top public servants last week, what she said must have landed like a bomb. “Now is the time for your best and boldest ideas,” she said at the Institute of Public Administration (IPANZ) event. Coming from a minister ...5 days ago
- Wednesday 30 October 2024
The NZCTU has joined with Business NZ and health and safety groups to call on the Government to drop its plans to reform health and safety law. The Postal Workers Union is opposing a plan to reduce rural postal deliveries from five to three days a week. The Government has ...6 days ago
- Yer doin it all wrong mate
Reader Jeff Howell is the best kind of social media friend to have. When there's outrage and denunciation needed he’s in there dishing it with verve; and when those storms pass you get happy Jeff, sharing his projects. His projects are awesome.Until a week or so ago it was a ...6 days ago - Out Of Sympathy.
6 days ago
- Two States – But No Solutions.
My Enemy’s Enemy Is My Friend: Mohammad Amin al-Husseini, the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, at the opening of the Islamic Central Institute in Berlin, December 19, 1942. The elimination of the Jewish state has been the unwavering ambition of successive generations of Palestinian leaders.AMIDST ALL THE HORROR of the Israel-Hamas War, ...6 days ago
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- Will banks & insurers back self-consented homes?
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, October 30: The Government’s move to allow qualified builders, plumbers and drainlayers to self-consent their work faces potential hurdles from reluctant insurers and bankers wanting protection against ...6 days ago
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We are blessed in Aotearoa with certain people that you might call National Treasures—those with great talents and a strong affinity for this place they are the custodians of. It’s not an official list; the people you think of might differ from those I think of.What are the attributes of ...6 days ago - Henderson Station Upgrade but will it Improve Customer Experience
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...
6 days ago - Climate Adam: Is climate change fuelling mega hurricanes?
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). From hurricanes like Helene and Milton, to typhoons like Gaemi, vast storms are causing devastation: destroying cities and tearing up lives. ...6 days ago
- Get in the sea, old mate
For the State Highway One traveller, some sights remain dramatic no matter how many times you see them: Wellington harbour opening out at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge; the first glimpse of Ruapehu; three quarters of the South Island. Also: the moment when you reach the top of the Brynderwyns and ...7 days ago - Taking the piss again
Remember Casey Costello? The government's most ignorant Minister? First she was referred to the Chief Archivist after claiming that key advice on her cancer promotion policy had simply magically appeared on her desk one day, and that she had no idea where it came from. Then, when the Ministry of ...7 days ago
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Monthly employment data released today by Statistics New Zealand showed our continuing labour market weakness, and particularly challenging conditions for young working people, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “There are 21,000 fewer filled jobs than this time last year, and the fall has been led by those ...1 week ago
- Copy of Rwanda’s Kagame: from Saviour to Tyrant?
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...1 week ago
- We’ve got issues
1 week ago - ‘Happy to watch your grandkids grow up in Australia via WhatsApp?’
Globally, NZ has the second-highest share of its population living overseas permanently, many of them now permanently in Australia. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, October 29: A ...1 week ago
- October-24 AT Board Meeting
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- The fourth article of the Treaty
While Parliament struggles with David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, a Christian scholar and some heavyweight mainstream church leaders have developed a different perspective on the Treaty of Waitangi. Theologian Alistair Reese presented a petition to Parliament’s Petitions Committee on Thursday asking Parliament to legislate to recognise the oral agreement “4th ...1 week ago
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- Release: Government’s disgrace for Christchurch homeowners
The Government is backtracking on existing commitments to do the right thing by homeowners let down by EQC (now the Natural Hazards Commission). ...1 day ago - Release: National’s FamilyBoost a colossal flop
Nicola Willis continues to over promise and under deliver, with most families receiving only $30 a week from National’s flagship FamilyBoost flop. ...1 day ago
- Ngarewa-Packer Demands Support for Palestine Ceasefire from New Plymouth Mayor
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing. “I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said ...1 day ago
- Release: Trade deal with Gulf states welcomed
Labour welcomes the conclusion of a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was restarted under a Labour government after languishing for many years. ...1 day ago
- Release: Labour welcomes OAG fast track inquiry
The Government should consider the outcome of an Auditor-General report into conflicts of interest before progressing the Fast track Approvals Bill through Parliament. ...1 day ago
- Greens reignite call for free dental
A new report detailing the enormous social and economic costs of our dental system has reignited the Greens' call for free dental care. ...1 day ago - Greens call for bottom trawling ban and call out Minister for lacklustre response
The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026. ...4 days ago
- Mark Patterson: Farmers understand we have their backs
Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...5 days ago - Release: Funding for Gumboot Friday should pause
The National Government should review its support for Gumboot Friday after unacceptable comments by its leader and champion Mike King. ...5 days ago
- Louise Upston cherry-picks data to punch down on the poor
The Government has very conveniently cherry-picked data from the latest MSD projections to justify its cruel agenda and punch-down policy when it comes to people living in poverty. ...5 days ago
- Luxon needs to address the cow in the room
The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his government does nothing to address emissions in our most polluting sector. ...1 week ago
- Govt Must Clean Up ‘Its Shit’ From Sunken HMNZS Manawanui
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for their inaction and disgraceful downplaying of the impact caused by the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa. “We demand the Government move without further delay to clean up its shit from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa,” said co-leader Debbie ...1 week ago
- Jamie Arbuckle: Inquiry into Banking Competition
This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...1 week ago
- Tanya Unkovich: It’s time to start the debate on palliative care as a ‘right’
There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour backs Christchurch City Council sanctions on Israel
Labour is backing Christchurch City Council’s decision not to do business with firms involved in Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Government driving away offshore wind industry
The Government has created a hostile environment for companies seeking to build offshore wind farms. ...2 weeks ago
- Another step towards Pasifika justice
The Green Party acknowledges the historical importance of MP Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill, passing its second reading in Parliament today. ...2 weeks ago
- Sanctions Soar, Jobs Vanish – National’s Cruelty Exposed
Te Pāti Māori is enraged at the National government’s ruthless punishment of beneficiaries, all while jobs are disappearing. MSD data shows a 133% increase in sanctions over the past year, with over 14,000 sanctions in just three months. The kicker? The jobs this government insists people should find are nowhere ...2 weeks ago
- Police Perpetuate Siege on Ōpōtiki
Te Pāti Māori MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, says today’s police-sponsored terrorism in Ōpōtiki is a continuation of the State’s predatory behaviour towards the iwi of Te Whakatōhea. "Ōpōtiki is once again being intentionally targeted and is the direct byproduct of this Government’s 'tough on crime' legislative changes,” said MP ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt cuts school lunches even further
The Government has gone back on its word and cut the full school lunch programme in primary schools after saying it wouldn’t. ...2 weeks ago
- Time to shut down failed Youth Justice Residences
The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility. ...2 weeks ago
- Tell Luxon to Kill the Treaty Principles Bill
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Appalling process on three strikes law
The Government is subverting parliamentary process on laws the evidence already shows don’t work. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls for investigation into tobacco tax cut
The Government’s decision to award a $216 million tax break for Philip Morris’ heated tobacco products reeks of tobacco industry interference and needs to be thoroughly investigated. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Delay to retirement village review won’t help residents
The National Government is treading water on a much-needed review of the Retirement Villages Act, kicking any amendments down the road till the next parliamentary term in 2027. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Serious concerns ignored in Govt’s fast track bill
National’s fast track bill enables the most radical and unbalanced consenting regime in living memory. ...3 weeks ago
- Fast-Track, off the rails: Submitters show strong opposition to Bill
Despite resounding public opposition, the fast-track legislation is being pushed through Parliament with provisions that could have real consequences for people and planet. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports continuing fight for dairy access
Labour welcomes the National Government’s decision to further pursue our access to the Canadian dairy market under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Job losses devastating for Timaru
Confirmed news that the Smithfield meatworks will close is devastating for the hundreds of people who work there, Timaru and the wider region. ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand First Member’s Bill to Improve Access to Palliative Care
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill which aims to improve access to palliative care for all New Zealanders, ensuring kiwis have better access to the compassionate palliative support they may need. The ‘Improving Access to Palliative Care Bill’ seeks to guarantee that every New Zealander has the right ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Further uncertainty for Kiwirail as jobs set to go
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“You came to my house and said, if you want to talk about Te Tiriti o Waitangi come to Waitangi. I am at your house and you are not here.”
“Kei hea Koro?”
Jones and Peters – late to the party.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350168324/historic-day-waitangi-te-ao-maori-powerhouses-challenge-government
How to explain that trim/fit looking tame iti…?
He went vegan… didn't ya know..?
I noticed the change. You might enjoy this wonderful read, Phil. The poem encapsulates the article, but the prose is well worth reading. It begins with discussion around scything 🙂
"The machine appeared
In the distance, singing to itself
Of money. Its song was the web
They were caught in, men and women
Together. The villages were as flies
To be sucked empty.
God secreted
A tear. Enough, enough,
He commanded, but the machine
Looked at him and went on singing."
https://orionmagazine.org/article/dark-ecology/
That is a good read…
I have scythed…I am a fan of the well-sharpened scythe…
And I liked schumacher's response to being called a 'crank'..
And I was surprised at the end to realise it was written in 2012..it is so contemporary..
When you reach the denouement, the date doesn't matter any more 🙂
And touching on the dismay felt/contradictions seen by the author at the green movement being about carbon trading and the like..and bereft of any serious self-questioning/calls for the major changes needed..
My version of that dismay is at how many people who call themselves green…who claim to want to help save the planet..but who still eat animals…who support the industrial exploitations/cruelties done to all these animals..not to mention the environmental damage caused by those industries/practices..
(Some even pat themselves on the back: proudly proclaiming they only eat organic/free-range..(!)..as if that somehow absolves themselves from any blame/responsibilities..it doesn't..!)
Does their addiction to eating flesh over-ride the 'green' attitudes they fervently profess to follow..?
I mean..they cannot claim to not know of the horrors accompanying/behind what they eat..?..can they .?
So do they just not care enough..to change..?
These inherent green contradictions in so many self-professing 'greens' has long puzzled me…
..it still does..
Your mention of enjoying scything made me think of this chap, Titus.
He lives a fully off-grid (some may say feral) lifestyle. He is charming, gentle and deeply religious but not in a preachy, want to convert you way. Friends with the Amish.
A really enjoyable hour and I see there is another vid of visiting Titus in winter.
Edit, TBH the scything is only a minute or so but it was about ‘the vibe’.
"The machine" could be the international financiers sniffing round the ashes of Three Waters….
Still behind a paywall for the next couple of days.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/05/no-bailing-out-water-says-minister/
Quelle surprise.
So much so that he has become a poster boy for Maori men's health!
https://menshealthweek.co.nz/maori-mens-health-status/
That is a good vid from tame..in that link..
His enthusiasm for how good he feels from going vegan..is contagious..
Being a shepherd works to, I can assure you
David Seymour on the paepae
[image resized – Incognito]
Caption anyone?
Seymour:…'shit..!..I don't think my iwi likes me..'
Luxon:…'see what your bullshit has wrought..?'
Peters:..’shit..!..if this keeps up we could well be a one term government..’
Captions (in song..)
Seymour:..'mama told me not to come'..
Luxon:'we gotta get out of this place'..
Peters:'sitting/nodding on the dock of the bay'
I wish I were in Te Kuiti now
Te Puke?
Darn! Luxon can’t even get his wishes right.
Seymour: "Looks as if I've done an overbite this time"
Thanks Incognito. I don't know how to do it.
After-taste of a dead rat.
Winston drifted off to sleep – I saw him, so did the cameraperson 🙂
I hope Peeni didn't bring his gun. 🙁
Not a caption, but isn't Luxon's head gonna be a'peelin’?
Lizard skin comes with spf 100
Does this mean that they’re not going to pay staff or employ anyone?
@MusicalChairs14
@henrycooke article in Stuff made me join the public service agency staff numbers (and salaries) with an estimate of the savings each agency is being asked to make. I'll explain the workings in this , but fair to say that the impact is being grossly underplayed…[1/n]
[…]
@MusicalChairs14
For some agencies, estimated savings are greater than the agency's overall salary spend! Presumably these agencies fund other organisations / services that will also be cut? Either way, very clear that consequences will extend way beyond the '63,000 public servants' [Ends]
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFc2M8kbgAAvdwT?format=png&name=900×900
https://twitter.com/MusicalChairs14/status/1753932301007036472
Hone Harawira!!
"You buggers want to get rid of it!"
Hell no!
You're on your own on this one mate!
"You and your shitty-arse bill!"
Ha!
Ano!
Shout-out to the Pākeha greenies!
Liking that!
Hone knows it's about exploiting the resources, as it is.
"Maranga mai"
Hone's message.
Did nga wahine just "e noho" Winston?
where are you watching?
Stuff & RNZ – split screen 🙂
At least Winston knew to sit, when he was told. Seymour refused and ranted on and on.
When in Waitangi, tikanga, tikanga, tikanga!
Luxon's boring everyone to death.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnn!
This one ?
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/rt-hon-christopher-luxon-waitangi-speech
Even more boring than reading this drivel? Who wrote this pile of useless crap
This is a lie.
"It has required a generosity of spirit from both Iwi and the Crown"
The crown has been as miserly as possible. They were much more generous to those who invested in SFC – even to the extent of not publishing the recipients of the taxpayer largess and paying interest, they were much more generous to businesses during COVID, more generous in paying compensation to Taranaki farmers for the loss of their free land and the need to pay Maori owners market rents.
This is becoming more relevant by the hour 😮
"One of the warriors lifted his maro (loin cloth) to reveal his penis to the political parties during the pōwhiri. He then licked his rakau (stick) and bared his butt."
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161794900127033&set=a.65048947032
This is worth the read..
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/04/what-legendary-historian-tells-us-about-contempt-for-todays-working-class-ep-thompson
Cheers Phil, a worth while five minutes.
With yr rant above about 'greenies that eat meat', I feel the same about where support for workers has gone from the left. Especially in this neighbourhood here at TS.
The traditional working class has splintered..
Some have become mobile…and not followed their parent down the mine..with many of them becoming the nouveau middle class (in economic terms)..
What we have now is an underclass..with no pride in being there..no sense of community with other workers..
..doing the shit minimum wage jobs…many with little dignity in them..
And their bosses ..who believe in paying them the minimum..and would have them as slaves if they could get away with it..
..raw/ugly capitalism is what it is..
Tho' I don't agree with your contention that people in/on this forum don't support those low wage workers..
I am pretty sure most here would support increases in workers wages etc…
And yes..many of the working class here are now that nouveau middle class..but I don't think that uncaring for the lowest paid framing stands..
What makes you think it does..?
(And I am sure there is a thesis in that splintered working class new reality..)
"What makes you think it does..?"
The enthusiasm shown by comments on worker issues compared to other items. Especially when it is (insert opposition MP/policy) related.
You don't think that for many/most here..that such issues are a given..?
That the minimum wage should be the living wage…at the very least..?..as just one example..?
Way to insult your hosts.
@spider_hoof
Christopher Luxons Waitangi speech was pretty much verbatim of his speech from last year. He has learned nothing and refuses to learn anything because he is only here to serve his shareholders/donors/masters.
[…]
@spider_hoof
Watch for your self, they are both on youtube. Christopher Luxon doing his speech 05 Feb 2023 version starts at the 1 hr 9 min mark
The 05 Feb 2024 version starts at the 2 hr 46 min mark
Oh yeah, and here he is doing the same speech on his facebook on the 6th of February 2023 after he declined being at Waitangi on the actual day. https://fb.watch/q08qaig_1Z/
https://twitter.com/spider_hoof/status/1754366340549448079
Puppet.
A talking block of pine…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geppetto#Role
…. like this one? (skim through the human intro.)