This is what I would watch if the one of the resident teenagers hadn’t gone through all my Gigs for the month in the first couple of days. Wondering if I will get my first warning letter for illegal downloading. I hate holidays.
Keiser quote: “I think they need better metaphors than fiscal cliff. It’s more like a bottomless pit, it’s a bottomless pit of debt.” and “The country is diving into this bottomless pit of debt…”
Kiwiblog (July) and No Right Turn (Feb) celebrate their 10 year anniversaries this year. I have to congratulate both David Farrar and Idiot/Savant for the commitment they have made to their blogs, making several posts per day, despite juggling other commitments (work, family, etc) over this decade. They started in a world of PC’s running Windows XP or winME or even win95/98 (with a few nerds running Linux or Macs), where the large majority of internet connection in NZ households was still dialup, and Google was just finding its feet, and they have carried on through to the age of iPads, Smartphones, Android, tablets, Facebook, Twitter and Win 8, and with Ultra-Fast Broadband being rolled out round the country.
The internet is littered with defunct blogs, there being a growth spurt of blogs between 2004-2008, particularly in the months before the 2005 election, most of which are now defunct. Blogs that are still around from that period include:
Just Left
Frog Blog (the first blog sponsored by a political party)
Sir Humphreys
Tumeke
The Standard (of course)
The Hand Mirror
Russell Brown has kept a blog since 2003 , and an online column since 1999 so I think he needs to be mentioned, and I think the first political blog was NZPundit, set up in late 2002.
although on different wavelengths, I find QoT *sharp*; no Dixie Chicken http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Feat
(Lloyd George knew my father, father knew Lloyd George)
we three kings of orient are, one on a tractor, two in a car, one on a scooter tooting his hooter, following yonder star *…oh Star of wonder star of light…star that guides us through the night
For those interested in getting rid of the greedy hand of neo-lib economics and getting an economic system that helps us positively then you’ll be interested in Kim Hill’s first interviewee this morning. economist Steve Keen. Listen to the radionz audio.
Link to his site http://debunkingeconomics.com/
asleep while walking
Steve Keen warns that Brits are going down. Their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more while USA’s was about 120%. So he says it is going to be interesting, as in ‘May you live in interesting times’.
their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more
Actually a better measure (hat tip Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital) is the percentage of government debt servicing to total government revenue. Hardly anyone publishes this measure, you have to usually work it out from official statistics yourself.
Japan is actually more stuffed than the UK is. Currently they are spending approx 25% of their entire government tax take on debt servicing, and rising. A 300 or 400 basis point rise in their borrowing costs, and their entire tax take will be wiped out, spent on debt servicing.
This is why all these countries are printing like mad to keep their own borrowing interest rates at near zero percent. They can’t afford to do anything else at this point. This is all going to end very badly.
Speaking of Kyle Bass this recent presentation of his will open your minds as to what is really happening in the “markets”
Well no, it is more than obvious that ‘the Neo-liberals’ are all quite happy with the current system of economic management which simply hands all responsibility to ‘The Banks’ to ‘produce money’ and therefor essentially ‘run’ the economy,
Having washed their own hands of any ‘responsibility’ the Neo-libs, specially the political arm of the Ism have then in turn absolved the Banks of the responsibility of the current economic failure,
There can then in such a system of Political and Financial Sector irresponsibility be only one means of changing such a system which is reached via it’s ongoing collapse,
Keen’s actual words for what He sees as the next stage of collapse of the Ism for the British economy were ‘it should be fun’…
Paraphasing someone else whose name I can’t recall; the UK economy is seventy million people crammed onto a small island with no visible means of support
Keen is an interesting economist, and, it helps that it was Kim Hill interviewing Him as She is one of the few who has the ability to question someone like Keen in such a way that we all can understand (most) of what He is on about,
Keen who recently addressed the US Senate on the implications of actually dropping off the ‘fiscal cliff’ was probably instrumental in convincing more than a few of the Republicans to side with Obama,(temporarily), in ‘averting’ the immediate implications of the ‘cliff’,
While i agree with Keen whole-heartedly on his diagnosis of Neo-liberal economics and those who promulgate such i find His ‘solutions’ a little too complex when there are in fact far simpler measures than can and should be taken which in my mind would provide far more benefits to society and overall have the same out-comes as Keen desires…
I’ve been following Keen closely since 2006 and own a copy of Debunking Economics. The last chapter of the book is a summary of where he sees the various alternate strands of economics might lead us, along with his view of their strengths and weaknesses. (And the previous chapter takes a refreshing view of Marx, with a twist to the standard view of ‘the labour theory of value’.)
In addition to Marxian economics the main alternatives are:
1. Austrian economics which shares many of the features of the neoclassical economics, but without the slavish devotion to the concept of equilibrium
2. Post-Keynsian which is highly critical of the neo-classical economics , emphasises the fundamental importance of uncertainty and bases itself on Keynes and Kalecki.
3. Sraffian economics, based on Sraffa’s concept of the production of commodities by the means of commodities.
4. Complexity Theory and Econophysics, which apply concepts from non-linear dynamics, chaos theory and physics to economic theory.
5. Evolutionary economics, which treats the economic system as an evolving system along the lines of Darwin.
I’d suggest Keen engages with elements of all of these schools of thought to some degree; “they all have strengths in areas where neo-classical theory is fundamentally flawed, and there is a substantial degree of overlap and cross-fertilisation between the schools”.
“I would probably be regarded as a partisan for the post-Keynsian approach. However I can see varying degrees of merit in all five of these schools of thought, and I can imagine that a twenty-first century economics could be a melange of all five.”
I’d suggest this is why Keen doesn’t put up too many simple answers … he’s intellectually curious and honest enough to see the whole field as a massive “Work In Progress”.
(5), Evolutionary economics would seem a must have, the problem being the Neanderthal’s are still in the ascendency,
A smart evolved economy would have in terms of counting the beans viewed the Christchurch earthquakes as an accounting loss of growth on one side of the ledger and then ‘printed’ an amount of monies of an equal amount to regain such a loss,
The global financial fiasco and the relevant for Governments loss of income should have been treated exactly the same as above,
Given that 1% of inflation is easily measured,(and if we were anything but economic Neanderthals the deflation of recessions would also be measured and become part of the overall equation for Governments), such printed monies are easily introduced to an economy while still giving full regard to prescriptive economics such as the Reserve Banks inflation targets,
In simple language the current 300+ million being borrowed weekly by the present Government could have instead simply been printed and spent where the current borrowing is being spent with no inflationary expectation and more to the point no added Government debt which is sleep walking us as a country into much the same position as the PIGS economies of Europe…
Keen’s recent interest in the field of thermodynamic economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14vVhhNvWX0) is actually helping to shore up a several decades old yet nascent field known as ‘Ecological Economics’.
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
The inherent limit to capitalism is its inability to screw enough surplus value from labour to return profit on the growing mountain of wealth. Money that cannot be exchanged for value loses its value (as all the psuedo-money in the form of bits of paper or computer entries dissappear), assets become asses and capitalism goes into a tail spin.
Any number of radical economists can document all these effects, but they can’t explain them without the labour theory of value.
Two good guides to Marxist economics for our time are Michael Roberts especially his book ‘The Great Recession’ and in his blog http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/
Here he is on Keen and Krugman http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/paul-krugman-steve-keen-and-the-mysticism-of-keynesian-economics/
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
Richard Wolff, Marxian economist, explains that the labour theory of value was a tool used by Marx to introduce his class analysis, but that it is the class analysis itself (and ideas of surplus generated by the economic system) which are the more crucial.
I have also read other writers say that for many products and services these days, automation and computerisation has taken labour almost right out of the value equation.
Wolff has his view, but there are Marxists and Marxists. Here’s my take.
One cannot separate the labour theory of value from class analysis in Marx and say which is more important. In Smith and Ricardo the LTV contradicted the existence of profit so they had to fudge extra arguments to justify profits.
Left Ricardians (Sraffa) said that this proved that capitalists paid wages below their value, right Ricardians said that this was a fair exchange since capital arose through thrift and saving – a reference to the ideology of Robinson Crusoe who saved his own wealth and so became the model of a self-made capitalist (Friday of course performing slave labour in the background).
Marx resolved the problem by critiquing the ahistorical assumptions (Robinsonism) underlying political economy. He showing that under capitalism, it was not labour as such that produced value but labour-power which was now a commodity. Commodities had exchange value and use value. Both took on a specific form under capitalism. The exchange value of labour power was equal to the socially necessary labour time required to reproduce it. It’s use value was its ability to produce more value than its own value. This arose because workers were dispossessed and forced to work longer than necessary labour time to work surplus labour time and produce surplus labour. Hence for Marx the labour theory of value took on a specific form under capitalism as a result of a specific form of social or class relations.
With this theory Marx could show that as labour saving technology reduced labour time in the production of commodities, it did not eliminate labour power as the source of value. Moreover, historically increasing labour productivity would create an insoluble problem for capitalism because the attendant rise in the rate of exploitation rose it could not keep up with capital advanced. Living labour could not valorise (realise a profit) on the total dead labour (accumulated capital). Hence the other contentious question for Marxists that Roberts and Kliman (cited above) address. Short version – capitalism has reached the end of the road and we better be ready to pick up the pieces.
But the fact that no other source of value exists apart from the living labour power of the working class (of course acting on nature – and how!) explains why capitalists continue to attack the working class to extract more profits, but that this cannot stop their profits falling and the system crashing and bring the planet down with it.
If there was another source of value they would have found it by now and dispensed with all of us as a mere drain on their profits. Fortunately we survive as their gravediggers and we will do that for free.
Thoroughly enjoyed all the links and debate you plural have provided. But why not take up IrishBill’s challenge and write some policy ideas down that touch New Zealand’s reality? More than one line wish lists, more than others’ books.
Write a post between you. Set it out clearly and carefully, and don’t let “political reality” enter too soon in the drafting. Test out on this site whether it would work in people’s lives, not just whether there’s ideological alignment. You will get huge support. Trust me.
Yes well worth a listen and a bloke who pulls no punches especially when discussing his peers and their stupidity at excluding the major cause of the GFC being the banking sector even now after its clear they caused it.
Very scathing on those who claim to predict the future saying they belong in a padded cell.
Makes some very succinct assessments about the bankstas and deconstructs the terminology, and assumptions using historical references certainly one of Kim’s best IMO
Great article (link below) with two great quotes, which perhaps need constant repetition so as to re-educate us all:
“The welfare state exists because competitive, choice-driven, capitalist economies by definition create winners and losers.”
“Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing. The [government] – the right – overturns that link and despises the welfare state for giving the vulnerable protection from the powerful. They think that without protection, the vulnerability would disappear. ”
This is written about the UK…but as we’re both (NZ and UK) following the same Crosby/Textor plan these days, it applies to us too!
That is a very good article, and your quotes are very apt, especially this one: “Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing.”
In all of the Western countries, political tension has arisen between deal-making and representation. It would be easier for politicians if deal-making was simply assumed, and constituents voted as fans rather than as people expecting representation, which of course makes a travesty of democracy.
Many of the vulnerable once made up a working constituency with muscles of their own to flex, which permitted a connection between representation and deal-making. Thirty years of neo-liberalism has changed all that, and parties of the left must now either represent this constituency without meaningful bargaining chips, or, under cover of branding, make deals that bypass their representation. So while we long for a Gandhi, we have a system that privileges the deal-making BAU technocrat. I think that only the growth of grass roots resistance can alter this state of affairs.
Fran O’Sullivan in this morning’s Herald sounds like a socialist. Go Fran!
An excerpt:
while the US is not simply dependent on a small number of primary exports (the standard definition of a banana republic), it arguably does boast an entrenched plutocracy that runs the national economy through the established power structure.
It’s a plutocracy whose very excesses make a mockery of the cut in living standards that ordinary Americans have had to bear since the global financial crisis left Main Street liable for Wall Street’s cavalier behaviour.
The most egregious example was the breathtakingly arrogant decision by Goldman Sachs last week to help 10 of its executives dodge the fiscal cliff tax increase for higher-paid Americans by accelerating the delivery of US$65 million in stock awards, including for CEO Lloyd Blankfein, to take place in 2012 instead of this month.
What it tells you is that even tory acolytes like Fran can see the writing on the wall.
The absolute, crucial fundamental of all human affairs in this world is trustworthiness; and even Fran can see that these people are lying, thieving toads who shouldn’t be trusted any further than I can spit upwind into a stiff nor-westerly howling over the tops.
The truth is that the top 0.01%’ers like Lloyd Blankfein are more than happy to screw to the wall the top 1%’ers like O’Sullivan and Armstrong.
The sooner that the single-millionaire class of elite realise that they are the next herd of sacrificial lambs in line at the slaughterhouse, the better off all of us are going to be.
Yes Fran, as mr smith in the matrix said. ‘hear that Mr Anderson, that’s the sound of inevitability…’
You’re next Franny along with all you folk worth less than say about 50 mill who think you’re part of the upside, more like fodder for the uber wealthy.
Don’t worry mickey normal service will resume from the Nat fan club at granny, they call this ‘balance’ she’d get credibility if she drew the line between this breathtaking arrogance and the same arrogance her govt shows towards its own people.
Anyone got some details on why this move of the Interislander to Clifford bay from picton is good for NZ. Typically glossy fact and detail light piece on TV3 last night.
Smells like a giant contract is in the works for some govt mates to build a port etc and maybe the transport lobby are tired of driving through the top piece of the south island. A number of about half a billion was tossed about as a cost…..savings and detailed rationale anybody.
Andre 7.2
Yeah that’s the way I see it. Another way of wrecking viable business for some ideological goal which will leave swathes of us poorer. Picton will be poorer, Nelson citizens and tourists will have to travel further.
It will be costly and there will be large sums of money invested and pipelines propped up to the Treasury for efficient movement of money away from government, which hasn’t got it anyway. Perhaps they will put a tax on toilet paper – that’s a common universal disposable item that hasn’t been touched as yet! But there will have to be austerity measures brought in also to pay for this important edifice that will be so good for transport companies, the National government’s friend, who look to have their back scratched – here, and lower here, and to the side there….
Train tracks will have to be laid to the new port, or is it a cunning plan to amputate the remaining countrywide train service? It’s a very open bay and there will need to be a lot of at- sea work which will bring mud and other land materials into the seemingly clean waters. What effect will this have on the fish stocks and travelling fish in that area? Is there a working brain with a heart also that has NZ interests foremost in the NACT Party?? I wonder whether we can break the dormant celebrity culture attitude that Rules OK in NZ voters today?
Everything Zen
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Dave’s on sale again
Raindogs howl for the century
Sixteen Trillion Stones at stake
As you search for your demi-god
As you fake with a saint
There’s no sex in your violence
Everything Zen, I don’t think so.
“fu$k TARDs”-a quickie with space between estranged “family?
“These visions of the real world were laced through with patterns and connection and correspondences. They were accompanied by a feeling of intense, calm excitement. I felt that I was seeing the truth, that all things were like this and that the universe was alive and conscious and full of urgent purpose”
-Phillip Putnam, author of His Dark Materials (BIG is “good’;mitre Cutty Sark off)
Small is Beautiful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful a study of economics as if people mattered.
Pullman has a point; “when Christianity became the religion of choice for the powerful, the struggle over meaning was compounded by the struggle for authority”.
“The Authority is a religious, deathly force, the enemy of freedom and progress.
“one cannot convince a “master” of his error because (the unseen error) was taken as an integral part of the system which bestowed him a “master” and thereby legitimized him”
to paraphrase Denys Turner, a philosophical theologian, intellect is the place of light, for the light in which we see, and reason, and judge (hi Viper / s), and calculate, and predict and explain…that light is in us, but not of us.
“The point is that the most valuable spiritual insight lives on a knife-edge between pure intuition and careful discernment. You need both to keep your balance”. Refusing to acknowledge the insights of the ages leads to the construction of Baggy Trousers reality.
-naughty boys in nasty schools Headmasters breaking all the rules having fun and playing fools
smashing up the woodwork tools trying not to think of when the Forex bell will ring again.
a word or more from Abraham;
breathing food water sex sleep homeostasis excretion
body security employment resources family health
friendship family intimacy
self-esteem respect
achievement
spontaneity
creativity
ethics
an un-prejudicial problem solving acceptance of the facts.
10: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming (Hang on…help is on it’s way, They’ll be there as fast as they can…) not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeatedly endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw nearly every last drop of blood (have you seen the front page of todays Dominion?)
24:Let us consider how we can spur each other on toward agape and good deeds.
11:11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
11:14 For the lack of guidance a nation falls, yet many advisors make victory sure.
-from The Horses Mouth
( Ride the Kings highway baby, weird scenes inside the gold mine, driver where you takin’ us
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain. The “west” is the “best” Ride the snake, the ancient snake, he’s old and his skin is cold. And he walked on down the hall, he went to the room where his sister lived, and…then he paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall
Father, “yes son”…
Mother…I want to Wake Up
Sorry old chum – first tingle of lettering Transmission Control Protocol was made just at the end of 1982. It actually failed but was resurrected early in 1983 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Others had tried sort of words as far back as 1981 at University College London, but B-L created the current www/ ability next week 30 years ago
My understanding is that the WWW didn’t come into being until hypertext technology was incorporated as part of the internet. I’m wondering if perhaps you are conflating the internet with the world wide web? They’re not the same thing.
Both sorta right, but CV is technically correct. The World Wide Web was theorised in the late eighties and crystalised in 1990. Fortran is right to point to the TCP as a significant step though; it established the means for the web to exist.
On August 6, 1991,[9] Berners-Lee posted a short summary of the World Wide Web project on the alt.hypertext newsgroup.[10] This date also marked the debut of the Web as a publicly available service on the Internet.
I think you’re looking at the start of the TCP/IP network
This morning, all business news channels, papers etc point out that seeks statistics reveal that the average wage has risen by more than 5% and is in the vicinity of 90 -100k pa.
The audacity to report and print such utter rubbish and untruth leaves me breathless.
On the Front page of the Dom is an interview with a family who, with both adults working, are certainly not getting that kind of money on a joint income, let alone single. A little box on the same page shows a family budget that comes straight out of Alice in Wonderland. These figures and assumptions can only originate from people who are so far removed from reality that one shudders to think that their rubbish may have influence on any political commentators, politicians etc.
If I count all the people I know and work with there is only a very small number of people who would qualify for an income as reported by seek. The average income is more like 38k and the ratio between high and average earners is more like 1% to 99%. What is the purpose of such kind of reporting?
Yep, and if you translate this to hourly pay it maybe a wage cut in real terms. You are not alone, these figures from seek must be coming from a small talk fest of even higher paid people to sooth their conscience – if they have any.
5% for the elite, 1.5-1.75% for the working peasants, even the well educated ones though of course we have all imbibed that higher education will provide with higher salaries. Inflation around the 3% mark on the items measured, what it really is for the average joe and josie one doesn’t know.
Interesting stats on food costs as researched by Otago Uni since the 70’s so that gives continuity of figures from 20/2/2011 Sunday Star Times.
Otago University’s department of human nutrition has calculated the weekly cost of purchasing a healthy diet in five major centres since the 1970s.
Last year, it determined a “basic” food bill for a man, woman, adolescent boy and girl, ranged from $274 a week in Auckland, to $263 in Christchurch. Add in the use of convenience and imported foods, some out-of-season fruits and vegetables, more expensive cuts of meat and some speciality foods, and that grocery bill would grow to $426 and $411.
The reality? According to the latest from Statistics NZ, the average weekly household spend on food is $178.
And the reality for those queuing at the country’s foodbanks? Last year, the median income for a government beneficiary was $269.
IT’S TWO days after J… N…’s invalid’s benefit payment when the Sunday Star-Times meets him at Wellington’s Downtown Community Ministry. He has $5 left until his next pay day and just bread and jam in his cupboard. His last meal was an omelette, cooked at home last night.
Googlein’ North Korea and the “tea-baggers” are not very hot on the idea-Boehner to have a hard time “corralling” Republicans, even, yet more “chaos” to come (in the hands of a two-pack-a-day smoking gun)
ae-aequo animo-aerie-aerogrammaticemancipation
-odd (odzooks, what agadfly gadabout gadoid) 🙂
ps, that Lauda Finem looked interesting, nonetheless.
I’m endevouring to install a flash mp3 player for my website over the weekend, but probably not, so temper the anticipation. 😆
I’ve removed all content, for now, but if you still want a listen (and read of the lyrics), I’ve put up a selection of songs from side one and two Red/Green here
Someone has posted the TOTAL list of WINZs 290 “designated doctors” AND details on the ACC Forum website!!! Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor of great bias, who has scared and humiliated so many, he must start to get bloody worried.
So if you want to check, go on the safe side next time, do some analysis, research, or even prepare to challenge any of the ones on the list, there you go. It is NOW in the open, who works for WINZ and does the at times “dirty” work for them:
Personally I’m more concerned about the Regional Health Advisors who have
– no duty of care towards clients
– questionable scope of practice (if any at all)
– little to no oversight because the legislation is carefully worded to ensure they cannot be held accountable for their advice. They give “advice” but the decision is made by the case manager, who basically follow the advice even if it is contrary to what a Registered Healthcare Provider has said.
pass judgement over clinicians signed applications for Disability Allowance, IB and pretty much anything related to health care. In other words your doctor can say one thing but the RHA can disagree and then it is up to you to prove they are wrong.
AWW – You are onto it. A medical practitioner can always be complained about to the Health and Disability Commissioner, if a face to face consultation and examination or assessment is conducted, and in some cases it may end up with the Medical Council, who then have to take measures to discipline a doctor who did not abide by the Code of Ethics of NZMA, which the Council also accepts and claims to uphold.
A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD. Only if there may be issues of law, which though need to be provable, then such a person may in some cases be possible to be taken to court, for breaching natural justice of whatever. That is very difficult and near impossible to do though, as they keep their cards close to their chests, and as MSD protect their staff.
I know of one RDA, who is also acting RHA, who has questionable “qualifications” and not in areas for physical medical treatment, care or diagnosis, yet that one has been making (partly very flawed) recommendations about persons with physical health problems. Terrible stuff is going on in that area, but so many beneficiaries are too afraid and poorly informed to defend themselves, hence these people get away with far too much.
They would only be ‘bound’ by the Code of Ethics of the NZ medical profession, if they would be acting in their roles as “treatment providers”, which the RHA and RDA clearly are not.
Also third party assessments that medical practitioners do (in roles as designated doctors for WINZ) are treated a bit differently to normal own doctor assessments, but the Health and Disability Commissioner still deals with any issues that arise in such third party assessments, if there is a face to face examination or assessement. If it would be done “on the books”, the Commissioner would not deal with any complaints.
You can read all this by going to the websites of the Medical Council, the NZ Medical Association and the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website. There is information on all this.
Doctors can be held accountable under their Code of Ethics when they “practice” medicine, which is usually providing treatment and performing tasks directly in their roles as health service providers.
MSD RHAs and RDAs are “advisors”, and they act in their roles not to deliver medical (treatment) services to patients, they simply give advice as a MSD or WINZ employee. Sadly it is treated a little differently, and others and I have discussed this repeatedly, read about the rules, and there is a gap in the law, which MSD is able to exploit and use.
It is intentional that the scope of responsibilities is set rather widely, and also look at the kind of experience they ask for. They list various health professions, even social worker being one, so any tertiary qualification as a social worker, or a nurse, a rehab professional of whatever sort, that gives them the authority to make recommendations on ALL cases put before them!
I know a RHA who has no proper “medical” qualification, but only in counselling, in social work, in working “with” psychologists, teachers, other counsellors and so on, but without such own skills.
They are simply “advising” case managers, who make the decisions about medical issues clients have. But it is also written on the WINZ website somewhere, that they usually will follow those recommendations. It is an arrangement set up to intentionally make it near impossible to hold one person as MSD staff responsible. They can always pass the buck, and say, I was only doing my duty.
Yet the true “decision-makers” are the RHAs, the RDAs, and in certain cases the PHA (Dr D. Bratt) and/or PDA (Anne Hawker), but they are protected by the systemic setup, able to hide behind the frontline curtains.
“Bio psycho social” is a term much abused now, by those “assessors”, DPW, ATOS and others in the UK, and by Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor for WINZ (MSD), Dr Des Gorman (ACC), Dr Beaumont (advising MSD) and a fair few other “experts” of the extreme position and “work ability” interpreation here in NZ.
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Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
This is what I would watch if the one of the resident teenagers hadn’t gone through all my Gigs for the month in the first couple of days. Wondering if I will get my first warning letter for illegal downloading. I hate holidays.
http://maxkeiser.com/2013/01/04/us-dollar-will-collapse-in-2013/
Keiser quote: “I think they need better metaphors than fiscal cliff. It’s more like a bottomless pit, it’s a bottomless pit of debt.” and “The country is diving into this bottomless pit of debt…”
Kiwiblog (July) and No Right Turn (Feb) celebrate their 10 year anniversaries this year. I have to congratulate both David Farrar and Idiot/Savant for the commitment they have made to their blogs, making several posts per day, despite juggling other commitments (work, family, etc) over this decade. They started in a world of PC’s running Windows XP or winME or even win95/98 (with a few nerds running Linux or Macs), where the large majority of internet connection in NZ households was still dialup, and Google was just finding its feet, and they have carried on through to the age of iPads, Smartphones, Android, tablets, Facebook, Twitter and Win 8, and with Ultra-Fast Broadband being rolled out round the country.
The internet is littered with defunct blogs, there being a growth spurt of blogs between 2004-2008, particularly in the months before the 2005 election, most of which are now defunct. Blogs that are still around from that period include:
Just Left
Frog Blog (the first blog sponsored by a political party)
Sir Humphreys
Tumeke
The Standard (of course)
The Hand Mirror
Russell Brown has kept a blog since 2003 , and an online column since 1999 so I think he needs to be mentioned, and I think the first political blog was NZPundit, set up in late 2002.
I am amazed at how I/S keeps it up. His comments are always well researched and written. He is also often first off the mark with contentious stuff.
*cough*
Bless you.
What QoT meant was, five years blogging is no mean feat either.
So congratulations to QoT as well, the rising star.
although on different wavelengths, I find QoT *sharp*; no Dixie Chicken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Feat
(Lloyd George knew my father, father knew Lloyd George)
we three kings of orient are, one on a tractor, two in a car, one on a scooter tooting his hooter, following yonder star *…oh Star of wonder star of light…star that guides us through the night
-Fred
For those interested in getting rid of the greedy hand of neo-lib economics and getting an economic system that helps us positively then you’ll be interested in Kim Hill’s first interviewee this morning. economist Steve Keen. Listen to the radionz audio.
Link to his site http://debunkingeconomics.com/
asleep while walking
Steve Keen warns that Brits are going down. Their debt to GDP (I think that’s the measure) is at about, 215% or more while USA’s was about 120%. So he says it is going to be interesting, as in ‘May you live in interesting times’.
Actually a better measure (hat tip Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital) is the percentage of government debt servicing to total government revenue. Hardly anyone publishes this measure, you have to usually work it out from official statistics yourself.
Japan is actually more stuffed than the UK is. Currently they are spending approx 25% of their entire government tax take on debt servicing, and rising. A 300 or 400 basis point rise in their borrowing costs, and their entire tax take will be wiped out, spent on debt servicing.
This is why all these countries are printing like mad to keep their own borrowing interest rates at near zero percent. They can’t afford to do anything else at this point. This is all going to end very badly.
Speaking of Kyle Bass this recent presentation of his will open your minds as to what is really happening in the “markets”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUc8-GUC1hY
Well no, it is more than obvious that ‘the Neo-liberals’ are all quite happy with the current system of economic management which simply hands all responsibility to ‘The Banks’ to ‘produce money’ and therefor essentially ‘run’ the economy,
Having washed their own hands of any ‘responsibility’ the Neo-libs, specially the political arm of the Ism have then in turn absolved the Banks of the responsibility of the current economic failure,
There can then in such a system of Political and Financial Sector irresponsibility be only one means of changing such a system which is reached via it’s ongoing collapse,
Keen’s actual words for what He sees as the next stage of collapse of the Ism for the British economy were ‘it should be fun’…
Paraphasing someone else whose name I can’t recall; the UK economy is seventy million people crammed onto a small island with no visible means of support
Yep. 15x NZ’s population on a land area a bit smaller than NZ.
LOLZ, there used to be a law against that, ‘being a rogue and a vagabond with no visible means of support’…
Colonial viper
Happy New Year to you – right through the 365.
Thank you NoseViper, to you too. A big year ahead for all of us.
flowed into Chinese tele after a shower(you know how it is) and it was footage of Japanese Naval fleet and exercises?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute
Lordy; was it dated film footage / prop or is this still coming
Keen is an interesting economist, and, it helps that it was Kim Hill interviewing Him as She is one of the few who has the ability to question someone like Keen in such a way that we all can understand (most) of what He is on about,
Keen who recently addressed the US Senate on the implications of actually dropping off the ‘fiscal cliff’ was probably instrumental in convincing more than a few of the Republicans to side with Obama,(temporarily), in ‘averting’ the immediate implications of the ‘cliff’,
While i agree with Keen whole-heartedly on his diagnosis of Neo-liberal economics and those who promulgate such i find His ‘solutions’ a little too complex when there are in fact far simpler measures than can and should be taken which in my mind would provide far more benefits to society and overall have the same out-comes as Keen desires…
I’ve been following Keen closely since 2006 and own a copy of Debunking Economics. The last chapter of the book is a summary of where he sees the various alternate strands of economics might lead us, along with his view of their strengths and weaknesses. (And the previous chapter takes a refreshing view of Marx, with a twist to the standard view of ‘the labour theory of value’.)
In addition to Marxian economics the main alternatives are:
1. Austrian economics which shares many of the features of the neoclassical economics, but without the slavish devotion to the concept of equilibrium
2. Post-Keynsian which is highly critical of the neo-classical economics , emphasises the fundamental importance of uncertainty and bases itself on Keynes and Kalecki.
3. Sraffian economics, based on Sraffa’s concept of the production of commodities by the means of commodities.
4. Complexity Theory and Econophysics, which apply concepts from non-linear dynamics, chaos theory and physics to economic theory.
5. Evolutionary economics, which treats the economic system as an evolving system along the lines of Darwin.
I’d suggest Keen engages with elements of all of these schools of thought to some degree; “they all have strengths in areas where neo-classical theory is fundamentally flawed, and there is a substantial degree of overlap and cross-fertilisation between the schools”.
“I would probably be regarded as a partisan for the post-Keynsian approach. However I can see varying degrees of merit in all five of these schools of thought, and I can imagine that a twenty-first century economics could be a melange of all five.”
I’d suggest this is why Keen doesn’t put up too many simple answers … he’s intellectually curious and honest enough to see the whole field as a massive “Work In Progress”.
(5), Evolutionary economics would seem a must have, the problem being the Neanderthal’s are still in the ascendency,
A smart evolved economy would have in terms of counting the beans viewed the Christchurch earthquakes as an accounting loss of growth on one side of the ledger and then ‘printed’ an amount of monies of an equal amount to regain such a loss,
The global financial fiasco and the relevant for Governments loss of income should have been treated exactly the same as above,
Given that 1% of inflation is easily measured,(and if we were anything but economic Neanderthals the deflation of recessions would also be measured and become part of the overall equation for Governments), such printed monies are easily introduced to an economy while still giving full regard to prescriptive economics such as the Reserve Banks inflation targets,
In simple language the current 300+ million being borrowed weekly by the present Government could have instead simply been printed and spent where the current borrowing is being spent with no inflationary expectation and more to the point no added Government debt which is sleep walking us as a country into much the same position as the PIGS economies of Europe…
Keen’s recent interest in the field of thermodynamic economics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14vVhhNvWX0) is actually helping to shore up a several decades old yet nascent field known as ‘Ecological Economics’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_economics
But if you drop the labour theory of value you drop Marx, Ricardo, Adam Smith etc and pick up with the neo-classical revival at end of 19th century.
If something other than labour creates value, what is it?
The inherent limit to capitalism is its inability to screw enough surplus value from labour to return profit on the growing mountain of wealth. Money that cannot be exchanged for value loses its value (as all the psuedo-money in the form of bits of paper or computer entries dissappear), assets become asses and capitalism goes into a tail spin.
Any number of radical economists can document all these effects, but they can’t explain them without the labour theory of value.
Two good guides to Marxist economics for our time are Michael Roberts especially his book ‘The Great Recession’ and in his blog http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/
Here he is on Keen and Krugman http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/paul-krugman-steve-keen-and-the-mysticism-of-keynesian-economics/
and Andrew Kliman http://akliman.squarespace.com/
Roberts review of Kliman’s ‘The Failure of Capitalist Production’ with hundreds of comments http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/andrew-kliman-and-the-failure-of-capitalist-production/
Richard Wolff, Marxian economist, explains that the labour theory of value was a tool used by Marx to introduce his class analysis, but that it is the class analysis itself (and ideas of surplus generated by the economic system) which are the more crucial.
I have also read other writers say that for many products and services these days, automation and computerisation has taken labour almost right out of the value equation.
http://www.dogma.lu/txt/RW_ClassTheory.htm
Wolff has his view, but there are Marxists and Marxists. Here’s my take.
One cannot separate the labour theory of value from class analysis in Marx and say which is more important. In Smith and Ricardo the LTV contradicted the existence of profit so they had to fudge extra arguments to justify profits.
Left Ricardians (Sraffa) said that this proved that capitalists paid wages below their value, right Ricardians said that this was a fair exchange since capital arose through thrift and saving – a reference to the ideology of Robinson Crusoe who saved his own wealth and so became the model of a self-made capitalist (Friday of course performing slave labour in the background).
Marx resolved the problem by critiquing the ahistorical assumptions (Robinsonism) underlying political economy. He showing that under capitalism, it was not labour as such that produced value but labour-power which was now a commodity. Commodities had exchange value and use value. Both took on a specific form under capitalism. The exchange value of labour power was equal to the socially necessary labour time required to reproduce it. It’s use value was its ability to produce more value than its own value. This arose because workers were dispossessed and forced to work longer than necessary labour time to work surplus labour time and produce surplus labour. Hence for Marx the labour theory of value took on a specific form under capitalism as a result of a specific form of social or class relations.
With this theory Marx could show that as labour saving technology reduced labour time in the production of commodities, it did not eliminate labour power as the source of value. Moreover, historically increasing labour productivity would create an insoluble problem for capitalism because the attendant rise in the rate of exploitation rose it could not keep up with capital advanced. Living labour could not valorise (realise a profit) on the total dead labour (accumulated capital). Hence the other contentious question for Marxists that Roberts and Kliman (cited above) address. Short version – capitalism has reached the end of the road and we better be ready to pick up the pieces.
But the fact that no other source of value exists apart from the living labour power of the working class (of course acting on nature – and how!) explains why capitalists continue to attack the working class to extract more profits, but that this cannot stop their profits falling and the system crashing and bring the planet down with it.
If there was another source of value they would have found it by now and dispensed with all of us as a mere drain on their profits. Fortunately we survive as their gravediggers and we will do that for free.
Thoroughly enjoyed all the links and debate you plural have provided. But why not take up IrishBill’s challenge and write some policy ideas down that touch New Zealand’s reality? More than one line wish lists, more than others’ books.
Write a post between you. Set it out clearly and carefully, and don’t let “political reality” enter too soon in the drafting. Test out on this site whether it would work in people’s lives, not just whether there’s ideological alignment. You will get huge support. Trust me.
Yes well worth a listen and a bloke who pulls no punches especially when discussing his peers and their stupidity at excluding the major cause of the GFC being the banking sector even now after its clear they caused it.
Very scathing on those who claim to predict the future saying they belong in a padded cell.
Makes some very succinct assessments about the bankstas and deconstructs the terminology, and assumptions using historical references certainly one of Kim’s best IMO
Great article (link below) with two great quotes, which perhaps need constant repetition so as to re-educate us all:
“The welfare state exists because competitive, choice-driven, capitalist economies by definition create winners and losers.”
“Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing. The [government] – the right – overturns that link and despises the welfare state for giving the vulnerable protection from the powerful. They think that without protection, the vulnerability would disappear. ”
This is written about the UK…but as we’re both (NZ and UK) following the same Crosby/Textor plan these days, it applies to us too!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/04/labour-spent-too-much-banks
That is a very good article, and your quotes are very apt, especially this one: “Democratic politics exists only to make the powerful answerable to the vulnerable. Without that exchange, it is nothing.”
In all of the Western countries, political tension has arisen between deal-making and representation. It would be easier for politicians if deal-making was simply assumed, and constituents voted as fans rather than as people expecting representation, which of course makes a travesty of democracy.
Many of the vulnerable once made up a working constituency with muscles of their own to flex, which permitted a connection between representation and deal-making. Thirty years of neo-liberalism has changed all that, and parties of the left must now either represent this constituency without meaningful bargaining chips, or, under cover of branding, make deals that bypass their representation. So while we long for a Gandhi, we have a system that privileges the deal-making BAU technocrat. I think that only the growth of grass roots resistance can alter this state of affairs.
Wow.
Fran O’Sullivan in this morning’s Herald sounds like a socialist. Go Fran!
An excerpt:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10857357
What it tells you is that even tory acolytes like Fran can see the writing on the wall.
The absolute, crucial fundamental of all human affairs in this world is trustworthiness; and even Fran can see that these people are lying, thieving toads who shouldn’t be trusted any further than I can spit upwind into a stiff nor-westerly howling over the tops.
The truth is that the top 0.01%’ers like Lloyd Blankfein are more than happy to screw to the wall the top 1%’ers like O’Sullivan and Armstrong.
The sooner that the single-millionaire class of elite realise that they are the next herd of sacrificial lambs in line at the slaughterhouse, the better off all of us are going to be.
Yes Fran, as mr smith in the matrix said. ‘hear that Mr Anderson, that’s the sound of inevitability…’
You’re next Franny along with all you folk worth less than say about 50 mill who think you’re part of the upside, more like fodder for the uber wealthy.
Don’t worry mickey normal service will resume from the Nat fan club at granny, they call this ‘balance’ she’d get credibility if she drew the line between this breathtaking arrogance and the same arrogance her govt shows towards its own people.
“Sir” Paul and his horrifying colleagues
Here’s something I wrote in 2004—more evidence that Paul Holmes should be shunned by the community, not knighted…
Newstalk ZB continues to be outlet for vilest bigotry
http://groups.google.com/group/nz.politics/browse_thread/thread/a2c55b4659dac92b/65f2a3b5244fdf8?q=
Anyone got some details on why this move of the Interislander to Clifford bay from picton is good for NZ. Typically glossy fact and detail light piece on TV3 last night.
Smells like a giant contract is in the works for some govt mates to build a port etc and maybe the transport lobby are tired of driving through the top piece of the south island. A number of about half a billion was tossed about as a cost…..savings and detailed rationale anybody.
Cliffords Bay was first muted in early 1981 I believe, and has been “reviewed” ever since
Seems like transport want it. And a nice contract to build it for someone. Seems easy just to put a ferry all the way to c/church.
Andre 7.2
Yeah that’s the way I see it. Another way of wrecking viable business for some ideological goal which will leave swathes of us poorer. Picton will be poorer, Nelson citizens and tourists will have to travel further.
It will be costly and there will be large sums of money invested and pipelines propped up to the Treasury for efficient movement of money away from government, which hasn’t got it anyway. Perhaps they will put a tax on toilet paper – that’s a common universal disposable item that hasn’t been touched as yet! But there will have to be austerity measures brought in also to pay for this important edifice that will be so good for transport companies, the National government’s friend, who look to have their back scratched – here, and lower here, and to the side there….
Train tracks will have to be laid to the new port, or is it a cunning plan to amputate the remaining countrywide train service? It’s a very open bay and there will need to be a lot of at- sea work which will bring mud and other land materials into the seemingly clean waters. What effect will this have on the fish stocks and travelling fish in that area? Is there a working brain with a heart also that has NZ interests foremost in the NACT Party?? I wonder whether we can break the dormant celebrity culture attitude that Rules OK in NZ voters today?
GST is a tax on toilet paper, among other things.
Murray O
heh heh – But it is possible that toilet paper could absorb more tax.
Everything Zen
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Dave’s on sale again
Raindogs howl for the century
Sixteen Trillion Stones at stake
As you search for your demi-god
As you fake with a saint
There’s no sex in your violence
Everything Zen, I don’t think so.
“fu$k TARDs”-a quickie with space between estranged “family?
-Sly
Sly ?
You mean Gavin Rossdale from the band Bush.
“These visions of the real world were laced through with patterns and connection and correspondences. They were accompanied by a feeling of intense, calm excitement. I felt that I was seeing the truth, that all things were like this and that the universe was alive and conscious and full of urgent purpose”
-Phillip Putnam, author of His Dark Materials (BIG is “good’;mitre Cutty Sark off)
Small is Beautiful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful a study of economics as if people mattered.
Pullman has a point; “when Christianity became the religion of choice for the powerful, the struggle over meaning was compounded by the struggle for authority”.
a conclusion is that religious organizations can be destined to become, more or less, fight clubs-
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/
“The Authority is a religious, deathly force, the enemy of freedom and progress.
“one cannot convince a “master” of his error because (the unseen error) was taken as an integral part of the system which bestowed him a “master” and thereby legitimized him”
to paraphrase Denys Turner, a philosophical theologian, intellect is the place of light, for the light in which we see, and reason, and judge (hi Viper / s), and calculate, and predict and explain…that light is in us, but not of us.
“The point is that the most valuable spiritual insight lives on a knife-edge between pure intuition and careful discernment. You need both to keep your balance”. Refusing to acknowledge the insights of the ages leads to the construction of Baggy Trousers reality.
-naughty boys in nasty schools Headmasters breaking all the rules having fun and playing fools
smashing up the woodwork tools trying not to think of when the Forex bell will ring again.
-Bugs
a word or more from Abraham;
breathing food water sex sleep homeostasis excretion
body security employment resources family health
friendship family intimacy
self-esteem respect
achievement
spontaneity
creativity
ethics
an un-prejudicial problem solving acceptance of the facts.
covenanter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenanter
covenantor-party which subjects itself to a breech
10: The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming (Hang on…help is on it’s way, They’ll be there as fast as they can…) not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeatedly endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw nearly every last drop of blood (have you seen the front page of todays Dominion?)
24:Let us consider how we can spur each other on toward agape and good deeds.
11:11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
11:14 For the lack of guidance a nation falls, yet many advisors make victory sure.
V For Victory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta_%28film%29
-from The Horses Mouth
( Ride the Kings highway baby, weird scenes inside the gold mine, driver where you takin’ us
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain. The “west” is the “best” Ride the snake, the ancient snake, he’s old and his skin is cold. And he walked on down the hall, he went to the room where his sister lived, and…then he paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall
Father, “yes son”…
Mother…I want to Wake Up
this is The End
Beautiful Friend
-from The Horses Mouth
Happy Birthday WWW. – 30 years old tomorrow.
I don’t think the world wide web came into existence until the early 1990’s.
Sorry old chum – first tingle of lettering Transmission Control Protocol was made just at the end of 1982. It actually failed but was resurrected early in 1983 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Others had tried sort of words as far back as 1981 at University College London, but B-L created the current www/ ability next week 30 years ago
My understanding is that the WWW didn’t come into being until hypertext technology was incorporated as part of the internet. I’m wondering if perhaps you are conflating the internet with the world wide web? They’re not the same thing.
Ah, I see.
1 Jan 1983 was when ARPANet completed migration to TCP/IP.
Yeah I don’t know where you’re getting 30 years from.
What happened Jan 6th 1983?
Both sorta right, but CV is technically correct. The World Wide Web was theorised in the late eighties and crystalised in 1990. Fortran is right to point to the TCP as a significant step though; it established the means for the web to exist.
Nope. The world wide web was :-
I think you’re looking at the start of the TCP/IP network
This morning, all business news channels, papers etc point out that seeks statistics reveal that the average wage has risen by more than 5% and is in the vicinity of 90 -100k pa.
The audacity to report and print such utter rubbish and untruth leaves me breathless.
On the Front page of the Dom is an interview with a family who, with both adults working, are certainly not getting that kind of money on a joint income, let alone single. A little box on the same page shows a family budget that comes straight out of Alice in Wonderland. These figures and assumptions can only originate from people who are so far removed from reality that one shudders to think that their rubbish may have influence on any political commentators, politicians etc.
If I count all the people I know and work with there is only a very small number of people who would qualify for an income as reported by seek. The average income is more like 38k and the ratio between high and average earners is more like 1% to 99%. What is the purpose of such kind of reporting?
I didnt get my wage rise. In fact I feel like I work for hours and hours and I still get the same amount of money,
Yep, and if you translate this to hourly pay it maybe a wage cut in real terms. You are not alone, these figures from seek must be coming from a small talk fest of even higher paid people to sooth their conscience – if they have any.
It would be interesting to compare a budget for a high income person, same over 300 k.
5% for the elite, 1.5-1.75% for the working peasants, even the well educated ones though of course we have all imbibed that higher education will provide with higher salaries. Inflation around the 3% mark on the items measured, what it really is for the average joe and josie one doesn’t know.
Interesting stats on food costs as researched by Otago Uni since the 70’s so that gives continuity of figures from 20/2/2011 Sunday Star Times.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/4676276/Hunger-pains
Food basket info –
Food basket info
More detail on food info for ordinary families
There is quite a lot of info on google under Otago University food survey and other keywords
sadly, El Presidente is still unwell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Qyz3VnrZI
-od Reichenbacher ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reichenbach ) sounds clearer than these “enhanced coercive interrogation techniques” of the C.I.A-Zero Dark 30
Googlein’ North Korea and the “tea-baggers” are not very hot on the idea-Boehner to have a hard time “corralling” Republicans, even, yet more “chaos” to come (in the hands of a two-pack-a-day smoking gun)
ae-aequo animo-aerie-aerogrammaticemancipation
-odd (odzooks, what agadfly gadabout gadoid) 🙂
ps, that Lauda Finem looked interesting, nonetheless.
pps annus mirabilis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_mirabilis 1666 was a year of plague and Fire also 2+0+1+3=
🙂 (Past The Mission and I smell the roses; “Baker Baker” baking a cake…)
-Puck (better do some work now)
Hello.
I’m endevouring to install a flash mp3 player for my website over the weekend, but probably not, so temper the anticipation. 😆
I’ve removed all content, for now, but if you still want a listen (and read of the lyrics), I’ve put up a selection of songs from side one and two Red/Green here
https://soundcloud.com/theal1en/sets/human-r-evolution
ta
FINALLY!!!
Someone has posted the TOTAL list of WINZs 290 “designated doctors” AND details on the ACC Forum website!!! Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor of great bias, who has scared and humiliated so many, he must start to get bloody worried.
So if you want to check, go on the safe side next time, do some analysis, research, or even prepare to challenge any of the ones on the list, there you go. It is NOW in the open, who works for WINZ and does the at times “dirty” work for them:
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/13301-what-to-do-if-you-are-required-to-see-a-winz-designated-doctor/page__p__138090__hl__%2Bdavid+%2Bbratt__fromsearch__1#entry138090
See the bottom of their thread, there is a PDF link offered, which can be downloaded!
Thankyou for that xtasy. Much appreciated. Damn. The pdf attachment now appears to be locked down behind password and sign in requirements.
Ahem. Unlock-pdf.com
Bill – sorry for that!
Perhaps register as a user of ACC Forum? That would solve the problem.
They have some interesting topics there also, including some about WINZ and their doctors and advisors.
Personally I’m more concerned about the Regional Health Advisors who have
– no duty of care towards clients
– questionable scope of practice (if any at all)
– little to no oversight because the legislation is carefully worded to ensure they cannot be held accountable for their advice. They give “advice” but the decision is made by the case manager, who basically follow the advice even if it is contrary to what a Registered Healthcare Provider has said.
pass judgement over clinicians signed applications for Disability Allowance, IB and pretty much anything related to health care. In other words your doctor can say one thing but the RHA can disagree and then it is up to you to prove they are wrong.
AWW – You are onto it. A medical practitioner can always be complained about to the Health and Disability Commissioner, if a face to face consultation and examination or assessment is conducted, and in some cases it may end up with the Medical Council, who then have to take measures to discipline a doctor who did not abide by the Code of Ethics of NZMA, which the Council also accepts and claims to uphold.
A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD. Only if there may be issues of law, which though need to be provable, then such a person may in some cases be possible to be taken to court, for breaching natural justice of whatever. That is very difficult and near impossible to do though, as they keep their cards close to their chests, and as MSD protect their staff.
I know of one RDA, who is also acting RHA, who has questionable “qualifications” and not in areas for physical medical treatment, care or diagnosis, yet that one has been making (partly very flawed) recommendations about persons with physical health problems. Terrible stuff is going on in that area, but so many beneficiaries are too afraid and poorly informed to defend themselves, hence these people get away with far too much.
“A Regional Health Advisor or Regional Disability Advisor is not bound by the Code, at least not in the position held within MSD.”
How does that work?
They would only be ‘bound’ by the Code of Ethics of the NZ medical profession, if they would be acting in their roles as “treatment providers”, which the RHA and RDA clearly are not.
Also third party assessments that medical practitioners do (in roles as designated doctors for WINZ) are treated a bit differently to normal own doctor assessments, but the Health and Disability Commissioner still deals with any issues that arise in such third party assessments, if there is a face to face examination or assessement. If it would be done “on the books”, the Commissioner would not deal with any complaints.
You can read all this by going to the websites of the Medical Council, the NZ Medical Association and the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website. There is information on all this.
See the following information:
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/news-and-publications/statements-standards-for-doctors/
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Statements/Non-treating-doctors.pdf
(see points 23 and 24)
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Statements/Employer-Guidelines-for-Health-Providers.pdf
Doctors can be held accountable under their Code of Ethics when they “practice” medicine, which is usually providing treatment and performing tasks directly in their roles as health service providers.
MSD RHAs and RDAs are “advisors”, and they act in their roles not to deliver medical (treatment) services to patients, they simply give advice as a MSD or WINZ employee. Sadly it is treated a little differently, and others and I have discussed this repeatedly, read about the rules, and there is a gap in the law, which MSD is able to exploit and use.
Mary –
See also this typical standard job description for a Regional Health Advisor:
http://www.bfound.net/Company/210-20120504151043.pdf
It is intentional that the scope of responsibilities is set rather widely, and also look at the kind of experience they ask for. They list various health professions, even social worker being one, so any tertiary qualification as a social worker, or a nurse, a rehab professional of whatever sort, that gives them the authority to make recommendations on ALL cases put before them!
I know a RHA who has no proper “medical” qualification, but only in counselling, in social work, in working “with” psychologists, teachers, other counsellors and so on, but without such own skills.
They are simply “advising” case managers, who make the decisions about medical issues clients have. But it is also written on the WINZ website somewhere, that they usually will follow those recommendations. It is an arrangement set up to intentionally make it near impossible to hold one person as MSD staff responsible. They can always pass the buck, and say, I was only doing my duty.
Yet the true “decision-makers” are the RHAs, the RDAs, and in certain cases the PHA (Dr D. Bratt) and/or PDA (Anne Hawker), but they are protected by the systemic setup, able to hide behind the frontline curtains.
Excellent article about the ‘bio-physical’ theory of disability underlying the Natz benefit ‘reforms’.
http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/05/31/a-tale-of-two-models-disabled-people-vs-unum-atos-government-and-disability-charities-by-debbie-jolly-dpac/
A, I worked for Ryder-Cheshire
B, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_constructionism
C, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability#The_social_model
Oops! I meant bio-psychophysical not bio-physical.
http://funkymangosmusings.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/modelling-disability-spartacusreport.html
Yes that is a highly impressive, revealing and informative article, for which I had already posted the link in ‘Open Mike’ for 02 Jan. 2013:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02012013/#comment-568961
See comment 13 there for details.
“Bio psycho social” is a term much abused now, by those “assessors”, DPW, ATOS and others in the UK, and by Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor for WINZ (MSD), Dr Des Gorman (ACC), Dr Beaumont (advising MSD) and a fair few other “experts” of the extreme position and “work ability” interpreation here in NZ.