For some bizarre reason, Espiner uses the opportunity to grill Little about this.
Why not ask some hard questions about Key not fronting, Mr Espiner.
Such a Tory and corporate lackey.
No wonder RNZ is losing listeners.
Little handles Espiner with increasing aplomb these days.
It was interesting to hear Little say he was unaware of the breadth of the surveillance undertaken which seems to suggest that the government is only providing the Leader of the Opposition with the bare minimum of intelligence they can constitutionally get away with.
Pythonesque really – Australia still dealing to Afghanistan.
Sorry people it’s just cricket but it is another case of the Bournemouth gynaecologists versus the Long John Silvers eleven. So Australia made the biggest score of world cup cricket ever. And it’s headline news. Mmmmmm.
yeah had to laugh – I wonder what the money made around the world on these ‘games’ get used for – wouldn’t surprise me if it was a closed loop – weapons cost and so does ammunition and ‘intelligence’.
hi all its kinda crowd source time.
i originally posted this last night but would like to do it here today.
i wish to send a letter to the baywide crew asking a few questions re the payment of fines and accountability issues.
a few questions:
how to word it without it falling into ‘thats an employment issue and its none of yr business…’
to whom to address it.
here is a rough draft, i welcome input from y’all.
(I will use capitals etc in the proper one)
dear so and so,
i wish to seek reassurance that the members/clients of the credit union will not be contributing to the recent fine imposed by the employment tribunal following the ms hammond affair.
i also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect. (not intimate details, as i accept following this confidentiality is to be upheld.
i look forward to your response.
my name etc.
Credit Unions are owned by members so technically the members will be paying the fines. Unless the individuals involved are? Can’t remember the details of the decision. Maybe you could be more specific about what you mean by members not paying.
hi weka, upon re reading my missive it is a little vague (i blame the scrumpy and a head of steam).
by members i mean the depositors. i accept that ultimately we will pay as the executives salaries come from the depositors, however i feel the executives should be penalized financially if there is to be a punitive effect to this $168,000 finding.
The members own the credit union, and are the same as the depositors. You can’t have an account without being a member (at least that’s how Credit Union Otago works).
Given that the CU is paying, I would probably phrase it more as an open question.
Dear sir/madam,
As a member of the Baywide CU, I have two questions about the recent HRC case.
Can you please provide an explanation about how the CU is going to pay the fines, and how this will impact on the running of the CU and on the members?
I also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect.
yours etc.
Thinking about TRP’s comment and how the CU is structured, it would be interesting to see what role the members have in determining employment policy. I agree attending the AGM is a good idea.
**BREAKING NEWS**
The Chinese have billboards putting forward the RNB as the new world reserve currency. Back on point….perhaps it’s time NZ view the US as a nation who’s time has passed and get into position for the new world leader, China.
89 state homes were bowled and, in their place, a new subdivision named Riverside Gardens was started… Of the 150 new homes, Housing NZ would buy about 20 of them to use as state homes.
It looks great, but I wonder where the other 69 families have gone and why the redevelopment couldn’t have be done for them?
Getting rid of low income Maori/Pasifika families and replacing them with young white middle class professional couples who got their deposit from mummy and daddy.
Drugmakers don’t just compromise doctors; they also undermine top medical journals and skew medical research
But in 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association flipped the HRT script when it published the unspun results of a Women’s Health Initiative study of 16,000 U.S. women on HRT. The drugs in Premarin and Prempro elevated the risk of the diseases they were intended to prevent, resulting in a 41 percent increase in stroke risk, a 29 percent increase in heart attack risk, a 26 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer, and a 22 percent increase in cardiovascular disease risks. These revelations about the dangers of HRT prompted many doctors to withdraw most of their patients from its drug regimens. However, Wyeth persisted in “educational” efforts, such as seminars directed at defecting doctors—some scripted by the ghostwriters of DesignWrite.
The release of the polio vaccine prompted criticism. In December 1960, a health news magazine called the ‘Herald of Health’ published a crucial report titled ‘The Great Salk Vaccine Fiasco: Misuse of statistics, blackout of vaccine cases, cited by eminent Chicago doctor’ By Ernest B. Zeisler, M.D. (which can be found at http://www.vaclib.org) who disagreed with Dr. Salk’s claims that the vaccine was safe or even useful against polio. Dr. Zeisler wrote a personal note to the publisher of the magazine M. S. Arnoni and told him that “No newspaper, periodical or medical journal will touch this. Many authorities in this field agree with me, and some have written me to say so and to congratulate me for what they call my ‘courage.’But no medical man will agree with me publicly”.
The field trial itself had violated the cardinal principles of scientific procedure. As said by Brownlee in the Journal of the American Statistical Association:
“. . . 59 per cent of the trial was worthless because of the lack of adequate controls. The remaining 41 per cent may be all right but contains internal evidence of bias in favor of the vaccinated. .. The reviewer . . . would point out that gamma globulin was triumphantly proclaimed effective by the National Foundation after a similar trial . .
As an aside, polio vaccinations are far less effective in nations where children are distressed and malnourished. Even multiple doses will sometimes fail to provide any significant protection to those children.
No surprise that the immune system can’t respond adequately if it is being starved.
Or that research done on well off white kids in well off suburbs don’t pick things like this up. As I say – each vaccination has to be judged on its own merits, and within its own context. Any blanket up or down perspective is an unscientific perspective.
There is a poorly understood ‘intestinal barrier’ to successful immunization of people in less developed countries who receive oral vaccines.
It is posited that diminished immune responses in these areas (particularly two northern states in India) are correlated with poor sanitation, a high prevalence of diarrheal illness at the time of vaccination, competing enteric viruses and competition of type 2 with types 1 and 3 vaccine viruses.
The most accessible overview of polio vaccination and the possible elimination of polio and cessation of immunisation is covered in the article below.
Yeah I predicted Molly Hughes would throw his feathers in the nest. He does anger Key and Joyce for some strange reason. He should have contested the By-Election since there already is cut throating.
Good article in the ODT by David Fisher on Snowden’s files showing NZ spying on its friendliest neighbours. GCSB going into full take collection, and article raises issues of NZers living in Pacific countries given GCSB isn’t supposed to spy on NZ citizens. The NZ PM and chief spy tell predictable lies at the end. Had to laugh at the spook saying they are subject to independent oversight.
In the USA the FISA courts and Senate/House intelligence committees set up decades ago after the Church commission were supposed to provide “independent oversight.”
They’ve been utterly compromised by the intelligence services and are now into the realms of “secret interpretations” of laws, which even law makers don’t know about and never intended.
According to Bill Binney, Nancy Pelosi as a ranking member of one of those intelligence committees was briefed by the NSA on its mass collection programme sometime soon after 2001 and raised no substantial objections.
Secret committees cannot provide democratic oversight.
I look forward to Labour candidate Willow-Jean Prime, building Labour’s profile and electorate base in the Northland by-election.
More importantly, (for the best interests of the majority of New Zealanders, in my opinion) I look forward to Labour supporters exercising political maturity and understanding of ‘strategic’ voting under MMP, by ‘doing an Epsom’ and voting Winston Peters, in order to take Northland off National.
Which will leave National with only 59 out of 121 MPs – and make it FAR more difficult to pass their pro-corporate / anti- worker / pro-WAR on the POOR legislation.
I do hope Labour Party supporters in Northland are a lot more politically astute than some Labour Party supporters who ‘opine’ on this blog?
Meant in a deadly serious, but caring way …..
Penny Bright
(Whom, arguably would have got FAR more ‘electorate’ votes when she stood against John Key in Helensville, had the ‘left’ understood ‘strategic’ voting under MMP?)
For those interested in May 7th’s historic, and possibly last, UK of GB & NI General Election the pollster Ashcroft has published his latest findings.
Labour and Tories neck and neck giving the SNP the balance of power.
Scottish Labour will have the Last Rites read on election night.
Radionz headline – NZ $ soars against …… Oh great. Just what we need. Slowly going down would be most efficacious and useful. Fat chance while the fat cats play amongst themselves.
Radionz this a.m. http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20169683
Are we heading towards a cashless society? ( 16′ 20″ )
09:34 The head of the Australian National University’s School of Economics, Professor Rabee Tourkey believes physical cash will be phased out within a decade. He says it will likely be replaced by a government issued digital currency, similar to bitcoin, but fully centralised.
Some action is being taken by McDonalds to stop? injecting antibiotics into chickens as an automatic part of their rearing. The practice of using antibiotics as prophylactics started around 1958. Concern about antibiotic resistance has been around for a long time. It takes a long time to get a hearing about a necessary restraint or ban and then a dangerous lag before any reasonable, practical action is started.
@ Cklemgeopin
I heard McDonalds and then I heard about chickens. So not sure whether I am right. But the takeaways all tend to have chicken wings etc now so could be McDonalds. For versimilitude? it would pay to check it oneself as I am trying to multi-taks and not being efficient at it!.
Interested in the plight of women who seem to receive les respect than cows?
Tomorrow on Radionz there is an interesting interview.
Coming Up on Nine To Noon
10:05 am Friday 6 March: Sonia Faleiro
In her latest book, 13 Men, award-winning Indian-born journalist and author, Sonia Faleiro investigates one of her country’s high profile rape cases, in which it was alleged a 20-year-old was gang raped under orders of the village council for falling in love with an outsider.
Sonia Faleiro travelled to the isolated village in West Bengal and interviewed the victim as well as local villagers and the village council and found the media coverage of the story had been in many cases wrong, and the issues were far more complex than many realised.
Sonia Faleiro has previously delved into the murky world of Bombay’s dance bars and has written for Vogue India, India Today and the New York Times. She a co-founder of Deca, a global journalists cooperative that creates long-form stories to read on mobile devices
Quite frankly, in my considered opinion, neither you lprent nor Chris Trotter actually understand MMP and ‘strategic’ voting?
I REALLY hope that Northland ‘ordinary left-leaning’ voters ‘get it’ and vote strategically for Winston Peters, whom, in my considered opinion, has the best chance of taking Northland off National.
Because it seems, in my opinion, you folk are unable or unwilling to do the VERY basic maths?
If National lose Northland – they will have only 59 out of 121 MPs – thus be ‘wing-clipped’ in the House, regarding the passage of legislation, for which they need 61 MPs?
It’s not complicated.
Why on earth would you not support giving this potential outcome – the best chance of success?
By promoting voting Winston Peters for Northland?
The Labour Party arguably can’t do / say that – but YOU could?
So – why aren’t you – if you’re really opposed to this John Key led National Government?
Quite frankly, in my considered opinion, neither you lprent nor Chris Trotter actually understand MMP and ‘strategic’ voting?
The point that you don’t seem to understand is that strategic voting is a choice for voters. Parties shouldn’t be involved in subverting MMP for their party by reducing the choices offered to voters. That is a processs that is called “machine politics” and is basically a way of rorting voters.
MMP is about providing choice to voters. That was what they voted for in 1993. What you and others fail to see is that you clearly don’t understand MMP from the voters perspective. You and others just seem to always want to screw the voters by removing their choices. It shows a singular ability to respect voters.
If Winston and you clearly manage to explain those choices to the voters and convince them it is worthwhile, then they may vote that way. If they vote elsewhere as they did in the Te Tai Tokerau election, then the voters have made their choice and you and the other fantasy election fools should respect that.
The Press Wednesday 25 February 2015 Section B1.
Reports about refugees many from Syria, and their despair. in Greece and Italy. A quote from an Italian RW politician ‘Let them drown’. They are being deluged by desperate people. What assistance are such recipient governments being given by the world’s big war spenders which are causing much of the problem.
The world can’t cope with the devastation, displacement and disruption of wars.
Then there is the camel problem in Australia. They were imported then abandoned when cars took over. Instead of them being a source of revenue, manufactured goods and meat the various states seem to have done little intelligent resource planning and business development. Numbers estimated a decade ago were 500,000. They have attempted to control camel numbers, but haven’t succeeded and when camels started mobbing and damaging infrastructure in search of food and water a decade ago a mass cull killed 100,000.
Now the camels are crazed by the increasingly hot weather and lack of water and ripping up irrigation, smashing Aboriginal people’s camps. They are in groups of 200, big and desperate, so scary. ‘They crashed through our troughs last week, buckled all the pipes, let the water out of the tanks, and ripped up fences.” That is on a 2.5 million hectare Mt Weld cattle station.
The world can’t cope intelligently with the d..d…d.. above caused by climate change.
Is it any wonder that some people are getting impatient even angry as others continue inaction, orate on lovely theories or sit around comparing each other’s belly fluff.
And when we first came hereWe were cold, and we were clearWith no colours in our skinUntil we let the spectrum inSay my nameAnd every colour illuminatesWe are shiningAnd we will never be afraid againSongwriters: Florence Leontine Mary Welch / Paul Epworth.“What did Gerry say?”To be honest, with multiple people ...
Long story short, I spoke to Core Logic Head of Research Nick Goodall & Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) CEO Jen Baird for a 15 minute mini-Hoon last night after the Reserve Bank of New Zealandannounced it had cut the Official Cash Rate 50 bps to 3.75% ...
There is a widening fear in Wellington that the Cook Islands – China deal is in danger of becoming a foreign policy crisis. Foreign Minister Winston Peters yesterday delivered a blunt assessment of the situation saying that New Zealand wanted to reset and restate the formal parameters of the relationship ...
Good to see that this year, the New Zealand film societies are celebrating what would have been Sam Peckinpah’s 100th birthday with what they are calling “Peckinpah’s West” – a tribute consisting of screenings of The Wild Bunch and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. That’s where the good part ...
Tomorrow afternoon, if things go really really badly, I may find myself down to one eye. People who used to sneer at me on Twitter will no doubt say So what's changed? Nothing, that's what, you one-eyed lefty.I don’t mean to be dramatic, it’s just a routine bit of cataract ...
A few weeks ago an invitation dropped into my email inbox to attend a joint Treasury/Motu seminar on recent, rather major, changes that had apparently been made to the discount rates used by The Treasury to evaluate proposals from government agencies. It was all news to me, but when ...
All your life is Time magazineI read it tooWhat does it mean?PressureI'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationaleBut here you are with your faithAnd your Peter Pan adviceYou have no scars on your faceAnd you cannot handle pressureSongwriter: Billy Joel.Christopher Luxon is under pressure from all sides. The reviews are ...
After seeing yet-more-months of political debate and policy decisions to ‘go for growth’ by pulling the same old cheap migration and cheap tourism levers without nearly-enough infrastructure, or any attempt to address the same old lack of globally conventional tax incentives for investment, I thought it would be worth issuing ...
The plans for the buildings that will replace the downtown carpark have been publicly notified giving us the first detailed glance at what is proposed for one of the biggest and best development sites in the city centre. The council agreed to sell the site to Precinct Properties for $122 ...
With the Reserve Bank expected today to return the Official Cash Rate to where it was in mid-2022 comes a measure of how much of a psychological impact the rate has. Federated Farmers has published its latest six-monthly farm confidence survey, which shows that profit expectations have fallen and risen ...
Kiwis Disallowed From Waiting Lists Based on Arbitrary MeasuresWellington hospital are now rejecting patients from specialist waiting lists due to BMI (body mass index).This article from Rachel Thomas for The Post says it all (emphasis mine):A group of Porirua GPs are sounding alarm bells after patients with body mass indexes ...
The Prime Minister says he's really comfortable with us not knowing the reoffending rate for his boot camp programme.They asked him for it at yesterday’s press conference, and he said, nah, not telling, have to respect people's privacy.Okay I'll bite. Let's say they release this information to us:The rate of ...
Warning 1: There is a Nazi theme at the end of this article related to the disabled community. Warning 2: This article could be boring!One day, last year, I excitedly opened up a Substack post that was about how to fight back, and the answer at the end was disappointing ...
This may be rhetorical but here goes: did any of you invest in the $Libra memecoin endorsed and backed by Argentine president and darling of the global Right Javier Milei (who admitted to being paid a fee for his promotion of the token)? You know, the one that soared above ...
Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler “But what about when the sun doesn't shine?!” Ah yes, the energy debate’s equivalent of “The Earth is flat!” Every time someone mentions solar or wind power, some self-proclaimed energy expert emerges from the woodwork to drop this supposedly devastating truth bomb: ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
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New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
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The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
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The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('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 20 February appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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John Key really has destroyed our independent foreign policy.
We send our soldiers to fight for the US in Iraq to be part of their club.
And we spy on our friends and neighbours and pass on all that information to Key’s US masters.
Sneaky spying. That required guts, Mr Key.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11411730
The PM declined to be interviewed on RNZ.
Gutless.
For some bizarre reason, Espiner uses the opportunity to grill Little about this.
Why not ask some hard questions about Key not fronting, Mr Espiner.
Such a Tory and corporate lackey.
No wonder RNZ is losing listeners.
Little handles Espiner with increasing aplomb these days.
It was interesting to hear Little say he was unaware of the breadth of the surveillance undertaken which seems to suggest that the government is only providing the Leader of the Opposition with the bare minimum of intelligence they can constitutionally get away with.
Thanks Paul.
TBH my response to John Key is that he living down to my expectations.
But I get a positive burst of admiration for those involved: Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and Nicky Hager and David Fisher.
+100 Molly
Pythonesque really – Australia still dealing to Afghanistan.
Sorry people it’s just cricket but it is another case of the Bournemouth gynaecologists versus the Long John Silvers eleven. So Australia made the biggest score of world cup cricket ever. And it’s headline news. Mmmmmm.
Better for the capitalist media to talk about that than stuff that really matters.
That might make people question what is going on…..
yeah had to laugh – I wonder what the money made around the world on these ‘games’ get used for – wouldn’t surprise me if it was a closed loop – weapons cost and so does ammunition and ‘intelligence’.
Another day, another fawning, vomit-inducing article on Key. Also showing students as superficial, shallow, money-chasing monkeys. Gah!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/66968082/selfies-in-vogue-as-pm-calls-on-oweek-crowd
Narcissism.
Key’s ally.
From the link:
* And he found plenty of fans when he stopped in to O-Week festivities at the University of Waikato.
“Doing good, cuz. Good job running the country, John,” a student called.
It wasn’t long before other students realised the prime minister had arrived, and flocked to him for a photo.
National supporter Jamie Braithwaite, 18, was stoked to meet Key for the first time – and get the photo to prove it.
“I support National so it was really cool meeting him,” she said. “I was like ‘Oh hi’ but then I got really nervous.”
Rajbir Singh, 22, also managed to get herself a shot with Key.
“It’s pretty exciting. He came to little old Hamilton . . . It’s a good way to interact with him.”
Key told the students:
—————–
* The mass of smartphone selfies was a big difference from Key’s uni years at Canterbury.
“We weren’t taking a lot of selfies because we didn’t have phones that were capable – in fact we didn’t have phones,” he said.
—————
* When Key made it to the mic at the centre of O-Week festivities for a brief speech,
he told the students
“you’ve got the best rugby team in the country” and assured them the Government was working to deliver a strong economy.
—————
“* The mass of smartphone selfies was a big difference from Key’s uni years at Canterbury.
“We weren’t taking a lot of selfies because we didn’t have phones that were capable – in fact we didn’t have phones,” he said.”
I’m amazed he can remember such detail from his uni days considering that he can’t remember the fricking SPRINGBOK TOUR.
hi all its kinda crowd source time.
i originally posted this last night but would like to do it here today.
i wish to send a letter to the baywide crew asking a few questions re the payment of fines and accountability issues.
a few questions:
how to word it without it falling into ‘thats an employment issue and its none of yr business…’
to whom to address it.
here is a rough draft, i welcome input from y’all.
(I will use capitals etc in the proper one)
dear so and so,
i wish to seek reassurance that the members/clients of the credit union will not be contributing to the recent fine imposed by the employment tribunal following the ms hammond affair.
i also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect. (not intimate details, as i accept following this confidentiality is to be upheld.
i look forward to your response.
my name etc.
Credit Unions are owned by members so technically the members will be paying the fines. Unless the individuals involved are? Can’t remember the details of the decision. Maybe you could be more specific about what you mean by members not paying.
hi weka, upon re reading my missive it is a little vague (i blame the scrumpy and a head of steam).
by members i mean the depositors. i accept that ultimately we will pay as the executives salaries come from the depositors, however i feel the executives should be penalized financially if there is to be a punitive effect to this $168,000 finding.
Looking at TRP’s comments in this link, it seems that the CU is paying not the employees. So yes, members are paying.
http://thestandard.org.nz/dim-post-on-that-168k-cake-story/#comment-979713
The members own the credit union, and are the same as the depositors. You can’t have an account without being a member (at least that’s how Credit Union Otago works).
Given that the CU is paying, I would probably phrase it more as an open question.
Dear sir/madam,
As a member of the Baywide CU, I have two questions about the recent HRC case.
Can you please provide an explanation about how the CU is going to pay the fines, and how this will impact on the running of the CU and on the members?
I also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect.
yours etc.
Thinking about TRP’s comment and how the CU is structured, it would be interesting to see what role the members have in determining employment policy. I agree attending the AGM is a good idea.
**BREAKING NEWS**
The Chinese have billboards putting forward the RNB as the new world reserve currency. Back on point….perhaps it’s time NZ view the US as a nation who’s time has passed and get into position for the new world leader, China.
http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/the-chinese-have-put-out-billboard-ads-announcing-the-renminbi-as-the-new-world-currency-16318/
Some good examples from across the ditch of the kind of workers’ resistance we need a lot more of here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/workers-in-control-some-good-examples-from-across-the-ditch/
Phil
Carter Holt Harvey cladding – the disaster continues: today’s Herald article.
Housing Corp redevelopment
It looks great, but I wonder where the other 69 families have gone and why the redevelopment couldn’t have be done for them?
Getting rid of low income Maori/Pasifika families and replacing them with young white middle class professional couples who got their deposit from mummy and daddy.
Ethnic cleansing without the guns.
https://theamericanscholar.org/flacking-for-big-pharma
Drugmakers don’t just compromise doctors; they also undermine top medical journals and skew medical research
But in 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association flipped the HRT script when it published the unspun results of a Women’s Health Initiative study of 16,000 U.S. women on HRT. The drugs in Premarin and Prempro elevated the risk of the diseases they were intended to prevent, resulting in a 41 percent increase in stroke risk, a 29 percent increase in heart attack risk, a 26 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer, and a 22 percent increase in cardiovascular disease risks. These revelations about the dangers of HRT prompted many doctors to withdraw most of their patients from its drug regimens. However, Wyeth persisted in “educational” efforts, such as seminars directed at defecting doctors—some scripted by the ghostwriters of DesignWrite.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/business/31drug.html?_r=0
No more ‘goodies’ for Doctors from drug makers
+100 The Murphey
The Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine: A Medical Breakthrough or a Propaganda Campaign for Big Pharma?
The release of the polio vaccine prompted criticism. In December 1960, a health news magazine called the ‘Herald of Health’ published a crucial report titled ‘The Great Salk Vaccine Fiasco: Misuse of statistics, blackout of vaccine cases, cited by eminent Chicago doctor’ By Ernest B. Zeisler, M.D. (which can be found at http://www.vaclib.org) who disagreed with Dr. Salk’s claims that the vaccine was safe or even useful against polio. Dr. Zeisler wrote a personal note to the publisher of the magazine M. S. Arnoni and told him that “No newspaper, periodical or medical journal will touch this. Many authorities in this field agree with me, and some have written me to say so and to congratulate me for what they call my ‘courage.’But no medical man will agree with me publicly”.
The field trial itself had violated the cardinal principles of scientific procedure. As said by Brownlee in the Journal of the American Statistical Association:
“. . . 59 per cent of the trial was worthless because of the lack of adequate controls. The remaining 41 per cent may be all right but contains internal evidence of bias in favor of the vaccinated. .. The reviewer . . . would point out that gamma globulin was triumphantly proclaimed effective by the National Foundation after a similar trial . .
As an aside, polio vaccinations are far less effective in nations where children are distressed and malnourished. Even multiple doses will sometimes fail to provide any significant protection to those children.
No surprise that the immune system can’t respond adequately if it is being starved.
Or that research done on well off white kids in well off suburbs don’t pick things like this up. As I say – each vaccination has to be judged on its own merits, and within its own context. Any blanket up or down perspective is an unscientific perspective.
There is a poorly understood ‘intestinal barrier’ to successful immunization of people in less developed countries who receive oral vaccines.
It is posited that diminished immune responses in these areas (particularly two northern states in India) are correlated with poor sanitation, a high prevalence of diarrheal illness at the time of vaccination, competing enteric viruses and competition of type 2 with types 1 and 3 vaccine viruses.
The most accessible overview of polio vaccination and the possible elimination of polio and cessation of immunisation is covered in the article below.
http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/368/1623/20120140
must be why my polio’s acting up again /sarc
A medical breakthrough.
A thought provoking poignant story.
One-in-a-million-baby-girl
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/66965628/One-in-a-million-baby-girl
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/26522702/gareth-hughes-puts-hand-up-for-green-leadership/ Will he win?
Yeah I predicted Molly Hughes would throw his feathers in the nest. He does anger Key and Joyce for some strange reason. He should have contested the By-Election since there already is cut throating.
Good article in the ODT by David Fisher on Snowden’s files showing NZ spying on its friendliest neighbours. GCSB going into full take collection, and article raises issues of NZers living in Pacific countries given GCSB isn’t supposed to spy on NZ citizens. The NZ PM and chief spy tell predictable lies at the end. Had to laugh at the spook saying they are subject to independent oversight.
In the USA the FISA courts and Senate/House intelligence committees set up decades ago after the Church commission were supposed to provide “independent oversight.”
They’ve been utterly compromised by the intelligence services and are now into the realms of “secret interpretations” of laws, which even law makers don’t know about and never intended.
According to Bill Binney, Nancy Pelosi as a ranking member of one of those intelligence committees was briefed by the NSA on its mass collection programme sometime soon after 2001 and raised no substantial objections.
Secret committees cannot provide democratic oversight.
I agree with my very good friend, State Housing tenant, and State Housing advocate Sue Henry – who says:
“The key thing in life is to BE EFFECTIVE”
Couldn’t agree more.
Which is why I invested 4 hours last night – putting up anti-TPPA posters where THOUSANDS of people will see them.
Penny Bright
Go for it Penny. Putting your Mahi where your mouth is.
I look forward to Labour candidate Willow-Jean Prime, building Labour’s profile and electorate base in the Northland by-election.
More importantly, (for the best interests of the majority of New Zealanders, in my opinion) I look forward to Labour supporters exercising political maturity and understanding of ‘strategic’ voting under MMP, by ‘doing an Epsom’ and voting Winston Peters, in order to take Northland off National.
Which will leave National with only 59 out of 121 MPs – and make it FAR more difficult to pass their pro-corporate / anti- worker / pro-WAR on the POOR legislation.
I do hope Labour Party supporters in Northland are a lot more politically astute than some Labour Party supporters who ‘opine’ on this blog?
Meant in a deadly serious, but caring way …..
Penny Bright
(Whom, arguably would have got FAR more ‘electorate’ votes when she stood against John Key in Helensville, had the ‘left’ understood ‘strategic’ voting under MMP?)
+100 Penny …” voting Winston Peters, in order to take Northland off National.”
For those interested in May 7th’s historic, and possibly last, UK of GB & NI General Election the pollster Ashcroft has published his latest findings.
Labour and Tories neck and neck giving the SNP the balance of power.
Scottish Labour will have the Last Rites read on election night.
http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2015/03/campaign-state-play-plus-latest-marginals/
i’m beginning to agree with Chris Trotter more and more. Is this a good thing?
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/sorry-winston-why-labour-needs-to-stand.html
No. It’s a bad thing to think that Trotter puts forward a coherent view. It changes week by week.
Radionz headline – NZ $ soars against …… Oh great. Just what we need. Slowly going down would be most efficacious and useful. Fat chance while the fat cats play amongst themselves.
Radionz this a.m.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20169683
Are we heading towards a cashless society? ( 16′ 20″ )
09:34 The head of the Australian National University’s School of Economics, Professor Rabee Tourkey believes physical cash will be phased out within a decade. He says it will likely be replaced by a government issued digital currency, similar to bitcoin, but fully centralised.
just in case anyone wants/needs some culture
http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/te-matatini-2015/S01E001/te-matatini-2015-live-web-stream-air
Some action is being taken by McDonalds to stop? injecting antibiotics into chickens as an automatic part of their rearing. The practice of using antibiotics as prophylactics started around 1958. Concern about antibiotic resistance has been around for a long time. It takes a long time to get a hearing about a necessary restraint or ban and then a dangerous lag before any reasonable, practical action is started.
Are you sure your are talking about McDonalds and not KFC?
@ Cklemgeopin
I heard McDonalds and then I heard about chickens. So not sure whether I am right. But the takeaways all tend to have chicken wings etc now so could be McDonalds. For versimilitude? it would pay to check it oneself as I am trying to multi-taks and not being efficient at it!.
Interested in the plight of women who seem to receive les respect than cows?
Tomorrow on Radionz there is an interesting interview.
Coming Up on Nine To Noon
10:05 am Friday 6 March: Sonia Faleiro
In her latest book, 13 Men, award-winning Indian-born journalist and author, Sonia Faleiro investigates one of her country’s high profile rape cases, in which it was alleged a 20-year-old was gang raped under orders of the village council for falling in love with an outsider.
Sonia Faleiro travelled to the isolated village in West Bengal and interviewed the victim as well as local villagers and the village council and found the media coverage of the story had been in many cases wrong, and the issues were far more complex than many realised.
Sonia Faleiro has previously delved into the murky world of Bombay’s dance bars and has written for Vogue India, India Today and the New York Times. She a co-founder of Deca, a global journalists cooperative that creates long-form stories to read on mobile devices
Quite frankly, in my considered opinion, neither you lprent nor Chris Trotter actually understand MMP and ‘strategic’ voting?
I REALLY hope that Northland ‘ordinary left-leaning’ voters ‘get it’ and vote strategically for Winston Peters, whom, in my considered opinion, has the best chance of taking Northland off National.
Because it seems, in my opinion, you folk are unable or unwilling to do the VERY basic maths?
If National lose Northland – they will have only 59 out of 121 MPs – thus be ‘wing-clipped’ in the House, regarding the passage of legislation, for which they need 61 MPs?
It’s not complicated.
Why on earth would you not support giving this potential outcome – the best chance of success?
By promoting voting Winston Peters for Northland?
The Labour Party arguably can’t do / say that – but YOU could?
So – why aren’t you – if you’re really opposed to this John Key led National Government?
You are – aren’t you?
Just asking ….
Penny Bright
The point that you don’t seem to understand is that strategic voting is a choice for voters. Parties shouldn’t be involved in subverting MMP for their party by reducing the choices offered to voters. That is a processs that is called “machine politics” and is basically a way of rorting voters.
MMP is about providing choice to voters. That was what they voted for in 1993. What you and others fail to see is that you clearly don’t understand MMP from the voters perspective. You and others just seem to always want to screw the voters by removing their choices. It shows a singular ability to respect voters.
If Winston and you clearly manage to explain those choices to the voters and convince them it is worthwhile, then they may vote that way. If they vote elsewhere as they did in the Te Tai Tokerau election, then the voters have made their choice and you and the other fantasy election fools should respect that.
But I suspect that isn’t going to happen.
The Press Wednesday 25 February 2015 Section B1.
Reports about refugees many from Syria, and their despair. in Greece and Italy. A quote from an Italian RW politician ‘Let them drown’. They are being deluged by desperate people. What assistance are such recipient governments being given by the world’s big war spenders which are causing much of the problem.
The world can’t cope with the devastation, displacement and disruption of wars.
Then there is the camel problem in Australia. They were imported then abandoned when cars took over. Instead of them being a source of revenue, manufactured goods and meat the various states seem to have done little intelligent resource planning and business development. Numbers estimated a decade ago were 500,000. They have attempted to control camel numbers, but haven’t succeeded and when camels started mobbing and damaging infrastructure in search of food and water a decade ago a mass cull killed 100,000.
Now the camels are crazed by the increasingly hot weather and lack of water and ripping up irrigation, smashing Aboriginal people’s camps. They are in groups of 200, big and desperate, so scary. ‘They crashed through our troughs last week, buckled all the pipes, let the water out of the tanks, and ripped up fences.” That is on a 2.5 million hectare Mt Weld cattle station.
The world can’t cope intelligently with the d..d…d.. above caused by climate change.
Is it any wonder that some people are getting impatient even angry as others continue inaction, orate on lovely theories or sit around comparing each other’s belly fluff.