Open mike 05/11/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 5th, 2023 - 32 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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32 comments on “Open mike 05/11/2023 ”

  1. Stephen D 1

    Lawrence Freedman is always an interesting read. Long, but summed up in: no end in sight.

    https://open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/casualties-and-conflict-gaza-and?r=aax0&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

    • Adrian Thornton 1.1

      That was a pretty flimsy piece.
      I also found that reading through his other bits on this subject, that he often either lacks context, by leaving out or at best lightly brushing over or playing down vital recent and/or historical information.

      I also find his starting points for his 'analysis' very colonial….but then that would suit many readers I guess.

      Not a serious source on this particular issue IMO, maybe he is better on other issues?

      • Terry 1.1.1

        I'm not too sure what you mean by your comment. I found his article very interested and informed, on both the Israel/Gaza conflict and the Ukraine/Russia conflict. I can only assume that is because the writer is not explicitly blaming the Jews Israeli's, USA & western Europe.

        What I've personally found interesting is the number of Muslim Palestinian Israeli citizens in Israel. I had been led to believe was that the Jews Israeli's hated Muslims and the "darkies". When I first visited Israel I was pleasantly surprised to find the racial and religious tolerance would put the average New Zealander to shame. However outside of Israel in the middle east, racial and religious tolerance is not really a concept.

        I'm fully aware that my comment flys in the face of some people's political ideology, but as a heretic, I have always gone with reality & science.

        The state of Israel exists, we either accept that fact, or we support the eradication of Israel and the Jews on a scale that would humble the like of Hitler, Hitler and the rest of the Nazi regime.

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 1.1.1.1

          There are certainly some Israelis who are strongly racist, think all Arabs should die etc – I've personally met the odd one, and the settler groups are generally terrible. But many Israelis are secular and more moderate.

          Good luck trying to find any tolerance among hamas…

          • Terry 1.1.1.1.1

            Certainly there are intolerant people, in all countries. From my experience much of the Jewish Israeli people I came into contact with, just want to live in peace. They have their religion, while others have their religion, weather it’s Christian or Islam.

            what is sadly unsurprising is the attitude from educated middle class white liberals in NZ who cannot comprehend that the Jews Israelis are decent people. What I find interesting is that the same people who care about the “Palestinian cause” don’t care about the human rights of other muslim people such as Syria, or say the ethnic cleansing of muslims in the former communist Yugoslavia

  2. Dennis Frank 2

    Blob theory: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/03/world/earth-moon-theia-collision-llvps-scn/index.html

    there are two massive, distinct blobs that are embedded deep within the Earth. The masses — called large low-velocity provinces, or LLVPs — were first detected in the 1980s. One lies beneath Africa and another below the Pacific Ocean.
    These blobs are thousands of kilometers wide and likely more dense with iron compared with the surrounding mantle, making them stand out when measured by seismic waves. But the origins of the blobs — each of which are larger than the moon — remain a mystery to scientists.

    But for Dr. Qian Yuan, a geophysicist and postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology and the new study’s lead author, his understanding of LLVPs forever changed when he attended a 2019 seminar at Arizona State University, his alma mater, that outlined the giant-impact hypothesis. That’s when he learned new details about Theia, the mysterious projectile that presumably struck Earth billions of years ago.

    And, as a trained geophysicist, he knew of those mysterious blobs hidden in Earth’s mantle. Yuan had a eureka moment, he said. Immediately, he began perusing scientific studies, searching to see whether someone else had proposed that LLVPs might be fragments of Theia, but no one had.

    I bought & read a book updating the history of Luna several months ago which featured Theia as hypothesis plus theory and was surprised how much consensus was supporting both. The cosmic dimension of physics is cosmology:

    Cosmology (from Ancient Greek κόσμος (cosmos) 'the universe, the world', and λογία (logia) 'study of') is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology

    As you can see, the metaphysical basis is included because it represents our conceptual relation to cosmos.

    • Dennis Frank 2.1

      Our conceptual relation to cosmos is informed by traditional mental models. The primary one outside the academic arena uses deeper metaphysics.

      Astrologers use a diagram called the horoscope to represent an event in relation to cosmos, to discern meaning in the event. For an election outcome, one must identify the moment it occurs, which is the closing of polls @ 7pm on election day. The location is where the state is governed, the computer presents the chart when you do your data entry. The wheel (zodiac) represents cosmos, the horizontal axis represents the local horizon & the vertical axis represents the local meridian, and the top end of that (midheaven) represents connection to hierarchy (govt).

      There's an interpretive language & code used to ascertain meaning, which is thus constituted by subjective artistry (usually lack of) & a relatively objective theory (of which most astrologers have a marginal grasp). The lunar nodal axis is tertiary, representing origin (south node) and destiny (north node). The horizon represents consciousness/identity at the zodiac degree rising and self/other interactions at the degree setting. The meridian represents power – status/reputation at the midheaven & belonging/Gaia at the base.

      My take on the election outcome chart a while back was a hung parliament due to the new moon in Libra happening at the time. Instead, we got the balance point via NZF control of the state. Saturn (reality) is in the 11th house (groups) opposing Venus (pleasure) which means unpleasant limits & difficulties for political parties. Jupiter (luck, opportunities) trine midheaven (authority) in the 2nd (resources) means fortunate relations with the global powers that be & the economy. Uranus in the 2nd means innovation in resourcing (inventions) & trine Pluto makes it regenerative.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1

        https://astromatrix.org/Horoscopes/Planet-Aspects/Pluto-Trine-North-Node
        [ORDER NOW and save US $7]

        A marginal grasp of relatively objective theory leads some astrologers to rely overly on la lune. Oh, être dans la lune – time for a walk.

        A cloud: ‘reading the earth with its blind shadow [16 Oct 2023]

        • Dennis Frank 2.1.1.1

          My reading of clouds remains the one I formed mid-1960s. In the ATC we got instructed in recognising cloud formations & weather patterns.

          The sublunary view was a paradigm amongst christian theologians through the middle ages – it connected with folk mythology as ruler of mundane change. Bowie's Changes comes to mind, or more to the point, the 1966 minor hit by the same name (Crispian St Peters). My deep Green view correlates the moon in the horoscope with biological function; needs, feelings, emotions.

          Over-reliance is something I've seen in those who take moon calendars rather too seriously, so your point about that is valid. Four decades of observing correlations with real-life situations has eased my original scepticism. I concede more to folk wisdom nowadays. Empirical learning beats indoctrination!

  3. mikesh 3

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/132800974/the-gravy-train-is-over-why-my-tiniest-violin-is-out-for-landlords?cx_testId=23&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=3#cxrecs_s

    One of the best articles I have read yet regarding the problems in the rental market.

    It’s bad enough that landlords are profiting from you and your neighbours' suffering, we shouldn’t have to read their sob stories too.

    • Adrian Thornton 3.1

      Unfortunately for New Zealand nothing serious will be done about our obscene housing/rental problems…..Labour/National are both captured and controled by Free Market fundamentalists…end of story.

      • SPC 3.1.1

        The removal of the mortgage cost deduction against rent income from existing property – to incentivise new builds and the 10 year brightline test did suggest some difference.

        That, rental standards and protections from eviction.

        But yeah – the failure to act in accord with Greens in limiting rent increases to 3% pa was disappointing.

        And the other failure to bring in a wealth tax and or estate tax, while it is more a tax and inequality matter it provides the finance to build more state houses and assist equity share support into ownership.

  4. Sanctuary 4

    How much do the toxic, aging colonels of Rogernomics yearn for a second coup?

    This much.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/301001542/inside-the-national-caucus-mps-are-frustrated-and-want-a-radical-change

    • Dennis Frank 4.1

      Hmmm…

      Casey Costello was a board member, and deputy chair, of the free-market activist group the TaxPayers Union, thanked and served alongside Ruth Richardson. That Peters selected her, and at number three on the list, is a sign of his thinking at this stage of his career.

      Good point, but how much he will support reform is the big question. Will he delegate her to liaise with ACT? Seems the obvious thing to do.

    • Adrian Thornton 4.2

      They would be better off waiting for the next Labour Govt to get their "second coup"…if the history of radical free market economics in Western politics is anything to go by.

      • bwaghorn 4.2.1

        Probably right, if one thing national/tory/conservatives hate is change, good functionaries but incapable of flexibility, foresight or radical anything, should only ever be middle management 🤔

      • Dennis Frank 4.2.2

        True believers remain stalwart no matter what happens:

        most types of neoliberalism reduce to the term “markets.” Get the planners and the policymakers out of the way and let the markets find solutions. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/24/the-rise-and-fall-of-neoliberalism

        Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway’s “The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market” (Bloomsbury) adds a third dimension to the story. In their account, neoliberalism—they prefer the term “market fundamentalism,” which they credit to George Soros—represents the triumph of decades of pro-business lobbying. They also tell the intellectual story and the political story of neoliberalism, so their book is, in effect, three histories [triad] piled on top of one another. This makes for a very thick volume.

        Boomers grew out of post-war malaise into boom-time revival:

        It was a neoliberal’s nightmare – yet between 1950 and 1973 the world G.D.P. grew at the fastest rate in history. The United States and Western Europe experienced remarkably high rates of growth and low levels of wealth inequality—in fact, the lowest anywhere at any time.

        In 1959, the poverty rate in the United States was 22%; in 1973, it was 11%. It was also a period of “liberation.” People felt free, acted out their freedom, and wanted more of it. They weren’t supposed to feel that way. They were supposed to be passive and dependent.

        Controllers went uh-oh, switch to plan B! Get top lawyers & judges to create new rules:

        The constitutional authority for the anti-discrimination provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is the commerce clause. You can’t tell the story of business’s war on government without taking this legal context into account. Due process and the commerce clause were the weapons the antagonists fought with, and, as it generally does, the Supreme Court had the last word… in 1980, C.E.O.s were paid about 42 times as much as the average employee; in 2016, they were paid 347 times as much.

        • Adrian Thornton 4.2.2.1

          Dennis Frank +1
          The other key component of post war Free Market fundamentalism is that they have effectively and specifically taken control of pretty much every serious 'Left' wing political party in the West…thereby nicely (for them) nullifying the one path we citizens had of putting up any sort of resistance to their madness….which is why I stopped voting for NZ Labour, who as we all know, have been completely captured by these dangerous goons.

          Corbyn in the UK was probably the closest we (the West) came to regaining some sort of control of this monster…unfortunately for us, this was also when anyone with half a brain came to understand that all Western MSM had also been captured by the same ideology…The Guardian being one of the most aggressive defenders of the free market status quo.

  5. ianmac 5

    Anyone notice how Luxon is rushing from mike to camera to doorways with speed and grin and spilling as usual non messages? This is a ploy I think to show confidence and energy to the waiting lenses but I think overdone bigly. If he really is confident and in charge, he would not need to act like a fly on a dose of fly killer. Fraud I tell you!

  6. observer 6

    The story so far …

    Fri – Day zero: Election result.

    Sat – Day one: gets bad

    Sun -Day two: gets worse …

    Winston Peters blasts 'moron' Jack Tame, NZ media in Port Waikato (1news.co.nz)

    If that's the next Deputy PM, buy shares in a popcorn company ASAP.

    • Dennis Frank 6.1

      That bluster seems more than a tad uncool. I suspect he's doing it for the hillbilly vote though – a careful pitch for the hicks around Port Waikato. Can't blame Jack for asking dumb questions given him by the hierarchy. Goes with the job. Maybe W thinks he can seduce Labour voters into a pile-on to defeat that grey-space Nat.

  7. Adrian Thornton 7

    2 Nov
    "Hundreds of dual passport holders and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza on Wednesday after more than three weeks under siege"

    It is incredible the these two lines can get printed and no one seemed to see a problem with it….this is how deep Western imperial racism runs.

    There are 24,000 wounded and injured in Gaza, the hospitals have been hit by Israeli terrorist multiple times, there is no fuel or water or food to keep the few that are intact running…why the fuck wouldn't the seriously wounded and children be the first to leave the hell hole?

    Well it turns out that it was upto Hamas to insist on this….
    5th Nov
    "There have been problems at the Rafah crossing into Egypt – the only way out of Gaza – with reports saying that foreign nationals were not being allowed to leave the territory. Hamas was reportedly asking for more wounded people to leave before more foreigners could leave"

    • Belladonna 7.1

      why the fuck wouldn't the seriously wounded and children be the first to leave the hell hole?

      That's a question for Egypt.

      The Rafah crossing is controlled by Egypt.
      My understanding is that they explicitly do not want an influx of Palestinian refugees. As they regard them as extreme jihadists. And there has historically been little support from other Middle Eastern countries for displaced Palestinians.

      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67133675

      Israel has considerable 'influence' over incoming aid via Rafah (specifically wanting to restrict any military supplies- in which category they include fuel) – but is not particularly interested in monitoring people leaving Gaza into Egypt.

      A guarantee of medical aid from Middle Eastern countries via the Red Crescent (AFAICS, not yet provided) – to establish substantial medical facilities in Egypt – would be a prerequisite to Egypt opening up this border. There has currently been WHO medical support, but this has been geared to providing medical relief to hospitals inside Gaza. As well as offers of refugee resettlement for those who wish to take up this option.

      Israel has currently said that Palestinians leaving for medical treatment would be allowed to return. This was a prerequisite for Egypt allowing any injured to cross the borders. You can believe as much of that 'guarantee' as you choose…. (personally, I think the chances of Israel allowing Palestinians to return are somewhere between fat and slim)

      https://www.axios.com/2023/11/01/israel-hamas-war-palestinians-egypt-return-after-hospitals

    • SPC 7.2

      …why the fuck wouldn't the seriously wounded and children be the first to leave the hell hole?

      I think you'll find the most seriously wounded are the ones unable to safely be moved (why the staff there cannot move down south as asked) – then when they can medevac issues – pauses and routes etc.

      A hospital ship at sea is a better bet for them – helicopter movement.

      Moving children would require Egypt taking in Palestinian refugees in Sinai (they are very wary of this).

  8. Reality 8

    Winston Peters is a grouchy, angry, rude old man these days with an ego requiring a lot of attention.

    • Winston Peters is very calculated in all he does and says.

      He will butt heads with those who recognise cultural difference, as he believes in assimilation. "All New Zealanders".

      Everyone appears to be considering their, Chris Seymore and Winston coalition differences, and forgetting land and money as their meal, served with self determination sauce.

      If you are able grow some veg, get 3 hens, buy in basics, pay of cards etc, and buckle up for austerity.

  9. Ffloyd 9

    Got Winston fatigue already. He is a very wearisome old man who just needs to be quiet.

  10. Belladonna 10

    The infighting on Wellington Council seems to be getting worse.

    The division between the mayor, and some of the more 'right' councillors, looks as though it's becoming unbridgeable.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-councillor-accuses-mayor-of-politically-motivated-attack-rejects-claims-of-leak/VLAGIDD67VEYLOO3LC6KKMKD6I/

    • bwaghorn 10.1

      I notice Calvert never actually denied leaking. !

      • Belladonna 10.1.1

        According to the story, Whanau hasn't even asked her (or anyone else).

        And that's the point. The council (as in the elected representatives) do not have a working relationship. When the first port of call for the Mayor is to bring in 'independent' investigators, rather than talking to the Councillors that she is concerned about, it's painfully evident.

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    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    3 days ago
  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    3 days ago
  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    4 days ago
  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    4 days ago
  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    4 days ago
  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    5 days ago
  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    6 days ago
  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    6 days ago
  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago
  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    7 days ago
  • The unboxing
    And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the tree with its gold ribbon but can turn out to be nothing more than a big box holding a voucher for socks, so it ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A cruel, vicious, nasty government
    So, after weeks of negotiations, we finally have a government, with a three-party cabinet and a time-sharing deputy PM arrangement. Newsroom's Marc Daalder has put the various coalition documents online, and I've been reading through them. A few things stand out: Luxon doesn't want to do any work, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for al...
    Buzz from the Beehive Sorry, there has been  no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Christopher Luxon – NZ PM #42.
    Nothing says strong and stable like having your government announcement delayed by a day because one of your deputies wants to remind everyone, but mostly you, who wears the trousers. It was all a bit embarrassing yesterday with the parties descending on Wellington before pulling out of proceedings. There are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Coalition Government details policies & ministers
    Winston Peters will be Deputy PM for the first half of the Coalition Government’s three-year term, with David Seymour being Deputy PM for the second half. Photo montage by Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: PM-Elect Christopher Luxon has announced the formation of a joint National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government with a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • “Old Coat” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
     THERE ARE SOME SONGS that seem to come from a place that is at once in and out of the world. Written by men and women who, for a brief moment, are granted access to that strange, collective compendium of human experience that comes from, and belongs to, all the ...
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 23-November-2023
    It’s Friday again! Maybe today we’ll finally have a government again. Roll into the weekend with some of the articles that caught our attention this week. And as always, feel free to add your links and observations in the comments. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s strategy for COP28 in Dubai
    The COP28 countdown is on. Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which starts next Thursday. Among the VIPs confirmed for the Dubai summit are the UK’s Rishi Sunak and Brazil’s Lula da Silva – along ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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