Unfortunately Nash will probably get a high list placing next time and won’t have to win a seat.
He is a right wing plant – I’m convinced of it. The left need to keep exposing him for what he is so that he doesn’t get any traction within the party.
Of course he is. Nash loves the surroundings and attention (and $) that the right wing can lavish upon his political career. And have been doing so already, in a material way.
Worrying, but expected. Little inherited the Engineers’ Union from Rex Jones, one of the most right wing class collaborators who has ever led a union. Back in the 80s, Engineers’ officials spent more time keeping militant workers out of the factories than anything else. Little was a student politician and then a lawyer. The Labour Party needs a ban on this sort, but instead they come up with the gift to the right that was the “man ban”.
One thing that points in that direction is the amount of media attention he is getting, the frequency with which his opinions are sought, and the respect with which those opinions are treated, bearing in mind that he has just been elected to parliament – that is a dead giveaway.
And don’t forget he’s good looking, has a lovely smile, nice white teeth and fits the shallow circumstantial mould – that is, youngish married man with attractive looking (no doubt) kids. They are apparently considered to be all-important pre-requisites if you want to be accepted by the celebrity driven MSM culture – especially the TV culture.
I totally agree , Phil U, from his own mouth Nash has clearly shown that he plays with the rightwing moneyed people – and he’s in Labour ? Yuk. He’s got his political parties mixed up,
Simon Bridges reminds me of a very angry man who wants to fight anyone who asks him a question. National on this should back bench him. He really is the lefts best weapon in National.
Newly elected Labour MP Stuart Nash says he has been taking advice from “dirty politics” operative Simon Lusk…
questions over his links to key players identified in Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics – Mr Lusk, Cameron Slater and Matthew Hooton…
“He’s run a pretty good campaign, I think, in terms of what I’ve seen, and I’ve taken some advice on how to message stuff there,” Mr Nash said.
He said other Labour MPs, and some Hawke’s Bay regional councillors, had also been in contact with Mr Lusk over the Ruataniwha dam issue.
Mr Lusk yesterday declined to comment on his relationship with Mr Nash. Mr Nash said he had written two articles for Whale Oil blogger Mr Slater when Mr Slater was editor of the Truth newspaper…
“I have mates right across the political spectrum and I make no apology for that. But having said that, I don’t consider Cameron Slater or Simon Lusk friends. Matthew Hooton certainly is a very good friend of mine…
Nash is wise not to; “consider Cameron Slater or Simon Lusk friends”, as I am yet to be convinced that either of them understand the concept. However, the question remains about whether he considers them colleagues.
I suspect he was misquoted, and actually said; “I have mates across the right of the political spectrum”.
nash is a playa – he doesn’t need slater and lusk to be ‘good’ friends if hollowhooton is there – I suppose ‘people’ like nash are seeded all over – I wonder if they go to a camp to learn how to pretend to be left – you know like the movies with the pretend american town to train those russians in the minutiae of US life. Anyway playa gotta play so I expect a lot of vocalisations from nash – on anything and everything…
Those guys – Prebble, Hide, Samuels, Tamihere – are just tired old hacks, no longer living in the real world and without any relevance to the real world. I don’t know why the Herald (and other media) keep on using them as spokespersons – they repeat the same old mantra time after time, and now they are Boring. Very, very boring.
Yep I just wish the Herald would stop asking right wingers who the Labour leader should be. Anyone with any sense would understand that their advice is tinged with malice.
That’s the point Micky, each little knife they can slip in the better. Between the labour party playing a game of thrones, and the corporate media playing fast and loose with the truth, another person is put off voting. Media owned for the corporate interest, know the game – we should too.
What I don’t understand is why the left-wing politicians haven’t found some techniques and skill in addressing this problem.
Rather than counter the propaganda, the left-wing are pandering to it too much.
They should be providing people with another way at looking at things to hook onto.
The amount of times that I heard ‘Dirty Politics’ characterised as a ‘distraction’ by left wing politicians in this last election is a very good example of what I am talking about – it could have been turned around to be made into a policy issue for cleaning up our democracy.
The Greens have achieved the most on countering right-wing framing of matters yet I would like to see more of these skills from all left-wing politicians and wonder why they haven’t developed them already.
You only truly counter propaganda when you produce news which speaks to truth yourself.
The dominance of editorial methodology which embraces money and profit – makes any attempts to counter the overall ideology of money worship, a very difficult task.
Your statement blue leopard also brings up the question for me of how many of the so called left politicians are left? Why are they so complicit in an overall support of a system which hurts their voter base?
As far as framing goes – look at Ralph Nader – love or hate him, the guy got things done – until – and this is important – the right took his language, and twisted it to their purpose in the corporate media.
I think we need to speak to the truth of an issue – no matter the cost.
It is why I’ve so vocal in my attacks on labour as a political party and why I think it is a dead weight around the left.
And CV I think you are so right we need to reach deep into NZ communities, with a good well rounded approach, communicating a clear and inspiring vision. We need to stop making people feel disempowered, this is what our corporate media and current crop of professional politicians seem to be doing in spades.
adam, blue leopard, both of you have cut right through to the heart of the matter IMO.
As far as framing goes – look at Ralph Nader – love or hate him, the guy got things done – until – and this is important – the right took his language, and twisted it to their purpose in the corporate media.
the “Right” who attacked Nader, also included the Democratic Party, who wanted to see his third party movement to the left of their own destroyed and permanently out of electoral politics.
Which to my mind, has direct parallels to what Labour has successfully done to Laila and Hone, I might add.
I totally support the setting up of an informative media channel, however, the countering of propaganda in response to MSM messages is still required because even if there was another news media channel (whatever the platform) some would still be looking at the old one and simply allowing the propaganda to slide – or even worse answering it in a manner that implies there is some foundation for thinking the way the propaganda frames it – simply leaves that ‘idea’ in peoples’ heads and supplies no opition for the people listening to the propaganda of looking at it in another way. It is very damaging indeed.
Therefore, left wing politicians need to learn to counter the propaganda no matter what.
I really am puzzled by why they haven’t developed this skill to date.
I think your questioning of Labour (or anyone being simpering toward the false narratives) is a natural response because when one has looked into things and one sees someone doing that, it just looks like they are unconvinced by their own political stance.
I think some of this, however, has more to do with lack of skill in arguing and could be improved by getting skill. They ultimately lack passion more than anything though, and seem more worried about ‘fitting in’ than getting anything achieved. 🙁
I haven’t heard of Ralph Nader and will look him up.
Ralph Nader ran as the third Presidential candidate against George Bush and Al Gore in 2000. The Democrats attacked Nader throughout the campaign and then blamed him for Al Gore’s final loss.
The Democrats could not allow a truly progressive and independent voice to stand; as such Nader was far more dangerous to the Democrats then the Republicans.
Nader has also run since then, but is typically completely ignored by the US corporate media.
That is a problem with their electoral system – splitting the vote of potential ‘left’ supporters. Labour has no excuse for that here [cross-face].
I was reading an article about Britain’s UKIP party, also having that problem of splitting the left vote.
I am really glad we have MMP here, it would be excellent if our left-wing politicians, especially Labour, learned how to use it to the left’s advantage.
If they continue in the tracks they have been going to date, then I think it is fair to say Labour don’t want left-wing principles to be encouraged, Up until now, I have been giving them rather a lot of lee-way for daftness but will be doing so no more.
I know very little about UKIP, in fact that article is one of the few things I have read about them.
Just to be perfectly clear, (although I think you probably got the point) that comment I made about UKIP was to highlight how the voting system in the UK & USA creates an issue with splitting the vote whereas ours is better in that regard, I was not attempting to provide any knowledge of UKIP, because I can confidently say I know very little about them! 🙂
Worth remembering that the initial set up of the US electoral system was carried out by 40 wealthy, property owning, slave owning white men who were interested in maintaining their own privilege in any new democracy.
@ blue leopard 2.37
I remember having a look at UKIP and putting up some links. Then, I think it was about them being successful in getting into the European Parliament. And I was interested in how the EP had dropped the threshhold low which I think is so unwise, opening it up to the poisoned tip of the dagger from toxic parties.
Anyway if you search for UKIP on TS it has been mentioned a lot.
Thanks Greywarbler, its not really a focus of my interest, but may follow the leads in the coming days at a quiet point – always good to learn something new 🙂
The issue of the molestation of Democracy by a bunch of (metaphorically) pimply, ‘really really need to be on the telly’ narcissists, bought off by media corporates and mutated by their own vanities, is very much alive. It has to be addressed. It must not be let lie.
My response exactly to Whaleoil putting Nash and Davies up for leader, sheer arrogance, or at least Lusk manipulation, or both. Previously, MSM has amplified Whaleoil’s voice, and it becomes mainstream narrative, no matter how bonkers the idea, will it still happen after dirty politics exposed?
Karol, try not to read it. Seriously, it’s just whale oil, main stream, the only people who really read it are so right wing it panders to their mentality. Or the left wanting to know what the rights doing by way of brainwashing the masses.
The only thing to do is smear the rag as far right and leave it be. definitely do not allow it to influence any decision you make.
Do what I did E-Mailed the Wanna be Hack that scribbled it, and just gently pointed out that she should stick to being the Tea lady, as the Granny has enough hacks in Armweak etc etc.
Passed that point three months ago Weka. I’ve definitely tried the polite avenue to many times to recount.
Now I’m down to insults as they just do not care, they have a hidden agenda not all the horses on the planet could shift. I insult them for personal satisfaction now.
In fact the Herald is lower than whaleoil in my opinion, because they have far more influence on the voting public, whereas only the nutty right read whaleoil.
The NZ Herald has been tory leaning since day dot. That’s the point of every big establishment newspaper in NZ, and worse so since the media corporates took over.
We shouldn’t be still acting surprised and disappointed in this, at this late point, right?
It seems so. I recall Chris Trotter saying that the NZH was vocal in calling for the invasion of the Waikato in 1863 at the behest of Auckland business interests.
Being the scholarly type Chris has probably been up to the Ak Museum to read the microfilmed originals – assuming they’ve still got them after the reign of mad Vanda. So I don’t doubt him.
And he mentions Iris Wilkinson (Robin Hyde) being told as a cub reporter in the 30’s to not say anything about the NZLP. All comments had to come from the NZH’s senior staff.
So nothing much has changed. Feel the long sweep of history eh? But most voters are completely ahistorical and live in the present.
Workers, union members and their families were utterly vilified by the big papers during the watersiders strike of 1951 (?). I’m fairly confident that was also the case for the Great Strike of 1913.
“I’m fairly confident that was also the case for the Great Strike of 1913”
Yep, it was. Here’s a comment I made on Brian Edwards Media back in 2010…..
“There’s a long, long history of this. A few years ago, I came across an unintentionally amusing article in a 1913 edition of Wellington’s TRIAD magazine. It was on the Waterside Workers’ lockout/strike (which a few weeks later snowballed into the General Strike of 1913 – notorious for Massey’s Cossacks).
The report began by describing the wharfies as “dark and furious persons of unpleasant aspect”. ….. The writer then went on to spend more than a few column inches emotively listing the various inconveniences the lockout had caused to the general public (nothing changes in 100 years); before ending on a moral high-note with this colourful little crescendo of xenophobia: “All of this because Wharfside Bill has a grievance…..Bill is sometimes an English subject, sometimes a non-descript negro, and sometimes a representative of one or other of those deceitful nations whose men wear rings through their ears”.
That was a Wellington-based magazine. The big papers were no different – particularly the morning papers The Herald, The Dominion, The Press and the ODT. All closely associated with Massey’s right-wing Reform Party. (the evening papers were closer to the Liberals).
Brilliant, thanks. Those uppity darkies, still causing issues.
Which goes back to the points made above. Why 100 years on is the left still fixated on the MSM instead of building up alternative infrastructure and assets like The Standard.
For decades the New Zealand Herald changed little in its appearance and sober, right-of-centre editorial stance; this was epitomised for half a century by the generally conservative cartoons of Gordon Minhinnick. The sobriquet ‘Granny Herald’ was part affection, part frustration.
Politics has become increasingly masculine under John key’s watch.
How did you go from a few uninformed peeps talking about Shane Jones and JT (who have their own political constituency, sure, but one which stretches back many many years) to blaming John Key for making politics more “masculine.”
Voters had a choice of a Labour and Green Party for which gender balance was a significant issue of policy, equality and inclusiveness; and a choice of a party which had fewer than 1/3 women in caucus and constantly downplays the issue by talking about “merit” instead.
Outcome: the people who didn’t care about gender balance in politics as a major issue either decided to vote National, or they decided to stay at home.
“Outcome: the people who didn’t care about gender balance in politics as a major issue either decided to vote National, or they decided to stay at home.”
Unsure if I am entirely clear on your point, here.
If you are trying to establish that policies about gender balance/rights didn’t ‘decide the election’, then I would tend to agree.
If you are arguing that the having a balanced gender in a party doesn’t have an impact on election results, then I think this point is problematic, due to National’s skill at ‘guiding’ perceptions.
When I heard that National had less women than Labour earlier in the year, I actually had to go and check that by counting, I had to check because I would find it far easier to list National female MPs than Labour ones. If pushed, I possibly could come up with a longer list of Labour female MPs – possibly – yet doubt this would be the case for those who don’t watch parliament TV on the regular basis that I do (which is largely where I see the female Labour MPs). With regard to someone with less interest in politics, I suspect National would come across as having more female representation than Labour because National have placed women in some very high profile positions and this means male and female MPs from National get on TV and in the papers in fairly equal proportions. I don’t see this occurring with Labour.
I don’t know if women (or men) base their decisions on how representative the party they are voting for looks, or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if part of National’s success is the appearance of a reasonable balance. (This may also be the case with regard to ethnicity too, although I haven’t thought too hard over that one, so could be quite incorrect. )
With regard to looking representative of the general population:
Between the two main parties, I would say National appear more balanced.
Between the Greens and NZ First – I would say the Greens are more balanced.
I suspect that any type of sway on voting choice re ‘balanced representation’ won’t be made on a conscious level by everyone but for some it will and significantly, I very much doubt that any representational balance would put someone off, who wasn’t making that a point of decision.
In summary, wouldn’t say this matter was the be all and end all, but I do suspect it will be significant and that an effort made to come across as not being largely dominated by ‘male’ and importantly I will add here ‘white’, too, is an effort well worth making for accumulating wider appeal.
Shane would of been a disaster well he was looking off into the distance replaying what he just said in his head again key would of nailed him to the wall
An over inflated ego of his own self worth sums up Jones. He large ego will see him return to politics as a list candidate for NZF at the next election, probably as a contender successor to Peters. I would be making it very clear if and when this happens that NZF will side with the Nats, the ease of his transition to his current National party jacked up junket says it all. Not to be trusted!
Why are policies announced but never the in’s and out’s of them.
During the election I felt like parties were announcing policy by name with no detail.
Take my conversations yesterday on open mike about the CGT. It appears to me to many unanswered questions we’re left on such a polar subject. To many home owners did not understand it. Nor the raising of retirement. Crikey Robertson was even defending it on Backbenchers last night. Whilst the Nats claimed it was not needed they were growing the economy. You know I’m on my way to the moon right now too. /sarc I heard it was made of cheese.
Slight distraction from topic, who boldly states they are growing the economy when dairy and the dollar are diving. Who has the balls to lie like that.
back to topic
ALL contentious Policy should be accompanied by a leaflet drop with loads of questions answered about it. Both the CGT and Raising of retirement certainly required more than a press release and some debate questions. In fact a leaflet drop would have made DC’s leader debates answers easier.
Or maybe it would be better to introduce an idea like CCT after being elected, put it out there and let people debate it in public for three years, by then most should have a far idea of how it would affect them, then take it to the people at the next election.
How can a policy such as a CGT be seen as a cure for our housing unaffordability when the CTG tax rate is 1/2 of the coy and top PAYE tax rate ? This was no cure.
If Lab14 version had followed Lab11 version and complemented a CGT with a $5k tax free threashold then this could have been viewed as a tax redistribution, benefiting tenants, and PAYE workers. If kiwibuild had been complemented with an increase in housing NZ stock then many would have seen the Lab14 version as being seen as an active attempt in solving housing in particular aucklands housing issue. Hit property speculators as hard as your can, if trading then tax at 28%.
So I disagree CGT is the problem, it is lukewarm solution by neoliberalism protecting their own kind.
I think that a leaflet explaining a policy would be a great idea Richard. I think the main reason Labour lost was their lack of a simple clear communication of important policy. Most of the population are not going to read130 pages of policy on a website that wasn’t very accessible.
Labour boasted at having so much detailed policy compared to National, but
people not that interested in politics don’t care. They need to be given something simple they can understand and these policies should have been on billboards – vote Labour to increase the minimum wage by $2 an hour. Vote Labour to protect our rivers. Vote Positive is meaningless.
I think the CGT is a good idea but there was a huge amount of misinformation out there that could have been countered by a well designed leaflet as you suggest. Same with minimum wage increases. It was obvious the Nats would say it would increase unemployment so why not preempt the claims in a Q & A leaflet?
You mentioned that a CGT was a good idea, Just curious why? Is that IYO it will solve the house affordability issue for just address the idea of a fairer tax system ?
Many of the issues to preempt cannot be placed at DC’s feet, labour strategists should have been able to foresee any of the nats counter claims and had the responses already available, but it appears that they were found lacking….
The CGT will not be enough to solve house affordability, but could slow down the the rampant inflation of house prices in Auckland. Its main benefits are that it would discourage property speculation by those trying to avoid paying tax as well as raising more tax revenue from those with higher incomes. Working class people often can’t even afford a home of their own let alone an investment property.
All other OECD countries have a CGT and as a result NZ property speculation is seen as attractive by foreign investors. It would be better to get investment in the productive sector.
Newly elected Labour MP Stuart Nash says he has been taking advice from “dirty politics” operative Simon Lusk and has always been happy talking to people across the political spectrum.
“I have mates right across the political spectrum and I make no apology for that. But having said that, I don’t consider Cameron Slater or Simon Lusk friends. Matthew Hooton certainly is a very good friend of mine, and I bang into him socially every now and then, and he’s quite enjoyable company, but that doesn’t change my politics or how I view things, believe me,” he said.
“When people say ‘be careful of your right-leaning friends’, I say ‘why would I do that?’ We [MPs] get advice from a whole lot of different people – Matthew doesn’t give me advice.”
If you have the stomach for it, here are Nash’s posts on TDB – he’s always been one of the few authors on that site that with whom I’ve consistently disagreed. This wasn’t so important when he was a private citizen giving a window into the thoughts of the Labour rightwing. Now that he’s a parliamentary representative, it seems a bit more disturbing.
Politics is about winning. Nothing else. MPs can philosophise, criticise, pontificate, and machinate as much as they want in opposition and it doesn’t count for a thing… I have said Labour brand. I personally don’t give a damn about any other party’s message, policies or political posturing because I am not representing that party or their aspirations on the doorstep or the soapbox when I am campaigning. I know, you know, and the voters know that in an MMP world a major party cannot govern alone; that coalition partners are vital to forming a government. At this point in time that is not my concern.
Also his predictions are woefully inaccurate given his supposed access to internal Labour data. The GP went from 247,372 (11.06%) in 2011 to 257,356 (10.70%) in 2014 getting 14 MPs in both elections. Nash’s prediction?
The Green party received 11.1% at the last election. History will show this is the high-water mark for them. I expect them to get around the 6.7% they polled in 2008; or even close to the 5.3% they got in 2005.
History has shown that Nash possessed a faulty political weather-vane in this judgement, why should we expect any future announcement of his to have any predictive validity? He has done as much as any Labour candidate (except Jones or Davis) to drive wedges between the Labour party and its MMP allies on the left.
My dislike of Nash comes from his election byline which went something like ‘Labour supports the people who work hardest not moan the loudest’. Dog whistle and wedge politics.
No but watching it now.. think it’s chanel 504 or 502 on sky for the delayed hours viewing so you can catch it again if you missed it.
Putting up with another bunch of pro rights led by Susan and there token lefts who do and say stuff all in the lefts defence.
best comment was by Bryce so far stating the RMA and dairy prices were a problem for National. But Boagy said it won’t matter with the idiot coat tailers passing it anyways.
Shocker coming from Bryce usually he’s stuck up Keys bottom.
With preferential voting the entry of Andrew Little allows the ABG group which is almost as big as the ABC group to swing behind Little in order to keep out Sir Joseph Porter.
Q&A is just more 2 tracking DP tactics using an under the thumb SOE as the delivery mechanism.
Hooton will take the lead sales role now with cam and david needing to be more circumspect as unlike those 2 matty doesnt run a site full of spin dogwhistling up the rednecks.
Little interviewed fairly well, not as good as yesterday on The Nation, however good enough for sum of us to see him as a real Leader option. Mike Williams seemed annoyed and put out Andrew was being so glowingly talked up, he appeared more comfortable talking up Grant & Nash. What I can say is having talked individually with all those 3 and DC, I found Andrew Little naturally engaging and genuine with a finger on the pulse to things relevant.
Lower Saxony is the final German state to scrap tuition fees, meaning that all German universities are free of charge for all students – and yes, that includes overseas students.
“Tuition fees are socially unjust,” Dorothee Stapelfeldt, senator for science in Hamburg, told the Times. The state scrapped fees in 2012. “They particularly discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up studies. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.”
German universities were allowed by law to start charging fees in 2006, when a constitutional court decided that moderate fees combined with loans did not violate the country’s commitment to universal higher education. Most schools only charged relatively low amounts of around €1,000 a year (£845) – but that didn’t stop state governments from changing their mind after eight years.
No wonder the establishment are trying so desperately to demonise New Zealand resident Kim Dotcom, spreading around his crazy German ideas about free tertiary education and wanting to see young people freed from student debt. We wouldn’t want crazy foreign ideas like that catching on here. No Sirrreee
While I agree that their attributes in personal interaction are of some importance, the fact is that it isn’t the leader’s job to go into the hone of every person in New Zealand, shake their hand and share a cream tea. They are supposed to debate, articulate vision and policy and set the course for the party as a whole. My reaction whenever I see the “Have you met them in person?” thing trotted out here (and it’s coming up with regular monotony at the moment) is, “No, and why on Earth should I care?”.
Labours best chance is to use mmp effectively, work with other opposition parties and dont be so cavalier with socially unpopular policies like raising retirement age.
govts lose elections more so than oppositions win them, they needed to work with greens and mana not scare middle nz, be united etc and nats would probably be gone now.
Its this failure to do what it takes to win and show nz that coalition is workable, which deflates an attack theme. However they lecture middle nz with a ‘we know best’ and that will continue to keep them in opposition.
Cunliffe and if Little joins will be a hard decision for me. I like DC but also have to admit to myself he’s not universally liked by the masses. Little has no such hang ups. Hard choice as David will take labour if allowed where I personally want them to go.
Little I have to find out but he shows up good and level headed in interviews, but can he deliver in chambers or debates.
Sorted, then. That’s good news, two I like, and two votes. Thanks Steph as the info hasn’t arrived yet. Just a nice email from a labour big wig. Telling me as I joined after election day they were a little tied up getting me up to date. I understood it completely.
No but he spoke good common sense. My heart raced as in their was finally another choice, I was of the impression may be better. remember he pretty much only needs to get Labour as a minimum into, the somewhere in the mid to high 30’s with Greens support and hopefully Winny, we would have a government. It’s a real possibility with Little, a lot of hard work for DC. Not chance with GR and the hiding he will get media wise pre 2017 election.
Charisma s over-rated and few understand it – after all people say Key is charismatic, but he is as bland as blancmange. There have been very few charismatic leaders over history, modern ones include Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King – we have nobody of that calibre any where near the reins of power or even pretenders.
Common sense would be good; the ability to articulate complex policy in terms everyone can understand; a certain modesty but the boldness to actually stand up for what is right; and the ability to respect others and convey the sense that everyone is valued. Those are the qualities I look for in a a leader.
Why even frakking increase the retirement age at all, when we already have an excess labour pool and not enough full time jobs to go around???
Cunliffe said that Labour would not be the political party which cuts off your leg but with anaesthetic. All you’ve said here is, sell how good the anaesthetic is.
The first issue at play is that Labour has to improve its game in marketing policy.
It needs to identify how the public reacts to policy so it can better market it.
The second issue is to take the public on board bit by bit (the Key strategy for change over time – bed things in before moving on).
Then Labour looks like a less risky change option.
Your point, about what the policy should be, is another issue entirely.
But for mine, the current surplus of labour is not caused by a proposal to increase the age for super in over a decades time.
And the proportion of people working over age 65 now is much greater than the number that would be impacted by an increase from age 65 to 67. And this number is increasing regardless of what the age for super is.
CV is correct axe that policy fullstop. The jobs are not there now and with technology the demand for workers will be further reduced. We need to move away from consumerism and become more focused on being self reliant. Just go to any mall and watch people loading up on debt by buying things that they don’t really need.
How does one afford and live with paying super to people who are still working age 65 to 67 while other people are in poverty? The number is about 33% of those age 65 to 67 and rising.
These people, many in the top 10% income bracket, are getting more in tax paid super than poor families with no other means of support.
How does one afford and live with paying super to people who are still working age 65 to 67 while other people are in poverty? The number is about 33% of those age 65 to 67 and rising.
WTF?
“How does one afford and live with”???
Where are you getting this awkward misdirected phrasing from? When you are referring to the NZ Government “affording” and “living with” paying super.
Get serious and try and make a joined together argument eh? Let’s start with NZ Super being a universal entitlement, yeah?
But for mine, the current surplus of labour is not caused by a proposal to increase the age for super in over a decades time.
Dude, I never made such a back-asswards invalid point. Why would you even think this sentence you wrote had any basis?
There are far too many unemployed and under-employed right now. Why put in place measures which will increase the surplus labour force even further, is my question. It’s dumb policy.
Frankly CV I never saw the need for a raising of the retirement either. My reasoning is dad died 65. Paid all that tax never even got to enjoy it(super).
There’s a guy 70 still working at my work. But pays secondary tax. You can keep working if you want free choice. If anything, better early retirement choices would be a more attractive vote winner for those in hard manual labour who bodies don’t last the distance rather than go on SB or IB or ACC.
Something like that would surely be a very attractive policy.
As for the imminent baby boomer retirement. Is it going to be a THAT costly? What’s the figures? What other options do we have? Does returning more into the workforce help. If unemployment was 5-6 or less is there still an issue.
If we start the Cullen fund up again does the interest help can it be used.
Surely theirs a better option than scaring the 50+ crowd and me at 48.5
Should you be able to continue working AND get super?
Dunne’s flexi-super allows early retirement but comes with a lifetime actuarial cap – meaning a lower rate of super for the rest of one’s life for doing this.
Personally the only part of Dunne’s idea that I support, is enabling those sick and infirm (with health issues that limit life duration) stuck on a benefit to go onto super a little earlier (say from age 60, and for periods before then when people are terminally ill).
Good question SPC. Thinking about it… no??? But then no secondary tax. I mean I enjoy my job, I’d not want to be forced to retire, nor would I like to receive Super and a wage with a secondary high tax rate. I want to work my week and feel the satisfaction of seeing a healthy after tax income in my wage slip as a reward.
However my back will never make it too 65 as employment rules around safety in the work place are a joke if you don’t live in the spotlight of a big city with employment inspectors.
Have you been made aware of the massive drop in workplace ethics and worker safety since national got in.
“..Personally the only part of Dunne’s idea that I support, is enabling those sick and infirm (with health issues that limit life duration) stuck on a benefit to go onto super a little earlier (say from age 60, and for periods before then when people are terminally ill)…”
Policies and how Labour could have better communicated them.
2. Kiwi Saver being compulsory.
Labour has a plan to prevent mortgage costs from rising and improve export incomes.
The government could use this “anti-inflationary” tool to hold down the OCR.
Instead of people simply paying more of their wages to banks in mortgage interest cost they would be putting the money into their Kiwi Saver account – this money being available to them when they retired or a once a decade withdrawal to pay down their mortgage (and of course for those yet to own to withdraw to buy their first home).
I would however withdraw the part about a variable rate as voters do/would not like the uncertainty of it. This is a component better left to consideration as policy for a following election.
Before moving to flexible rate Kiwi Saver there should be a surcharge on mortgages.
This option is one that Bollard floated late in his RB term as an alternative to raising the OCR (given the adverse impact on exporter incomes and jobs).
A 1% surcharge on mortgages would allow the OCR to fall from 3.5 to 2.5%.
At 3.5 the banks are lending at 6%.
At 2.5 the banks are lending at 5%.
Thus the mortgage holder pays 5% to the bank, instead of 6, and 1% to the government.
This would by the way raise about $2B pa for the government in surcharge, as well as the higher tax revenues off higher exporter and wage incomes.
The more taxes the lower the rate of tax the better is the maxim for optimum tax policy. It’s the higher rates that create perverse incentives, avoidance etc.
The surcharge, CGT and carbon tax allow lower tax rates.
And they all improve economic performance.
1. a lower OCR and dollar assists exporter returns and job growth.
2. reduces the incentive to speculate, rather than invest
3. a more sustainable economy
Yeah it is SPC and the investment capital earned from it may help create more jobs , however the issue I have, and I’m trying to convey is to stop us pandering and promoting the perception the public have that we(Labour) just tax, tax, more tax, seriously I think we need to STFU on taxes, do what another said, once elected inform the people our intent and then throw it to referendum. Silence the naysayers.
We need to stop allowing the misinformation to be justified.
and most of all stop arming Key with debate lines of 5 headed monsters and look another tax.
Hmmm, CV the ammo and look when he(Key in debates) said 5 new taxes.
Remember that. I hear what your saying, but it’s all about perception isn’t it. If your serious about labour winning, and against shifty key we’d better start thinking smarter.
The problem we have is that people have been taught that taxes are a negative rather than the positive that they are. We call tax cuts tax relief which is really a load of bollocks because it usually makes life worse for the many. Of course, the rich do well out of it as they a) get more income from doing nothing more and b) put prices up to shift that extra money in peoples pockets into their own.
People are always better off paying taxes than they are not paying taxes.
Again this is due to the media not explaining things, or the party not producing the counter arguments to dispel the stereotyping.
In a normal democracy with a broader media that compliments both sides it would be fine, But here in NZ we have to admit we are playing with a marked deck and need to sharpen up.
I’m not saying your wrong at all, I’m saying we have difficulty getting it over too the voters.
I think Labour should scrap cgt, scrap the 67 pension age (though convene parliament wide body to discuss the pension age) and go for a Mansion Tax per Labour in the UK, of say 1% on houses $750k to $1m and 2% on houses worth more than a $1m with no exceptions (or some variation on this) while raising the top rate of tax above $130k to 39%.
These would be relatively simple to administer, hit the right people and put a lid on house prices and raise revenue.
Halfway through his interview with Michael Katakis I heard something about an interview arrangement he had with Kim Hill having been cancelled on the basis that there had been too many left leaning USA intellectuals on already! Interesting – I think that is what I heard. If what I have repeated is true then that is alarming.
11:05 Michael Katakis – Traveller
Michael Katakis has been photographing and writing about different cultures for the past 35 years. His work has been celebrated by the Royal Geographical Society, The Smithsonian Institute and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, to name just a few. He is also the literary manager of Ernest Hemingway’s intellectual estate. He joins Wallace to talk about his books, A Thousand Shards of Glass – which is a personal farewell to America and his wife; and Traveller, which is a collection of letters and journal entries that reflect on his own past.
For those with questions about what philosophy we should live by (think song – Teach your children well) the interview with Sam Harris, an atheist has something to say.
10:20 Sam Harris – Devoted to Reason
One of the world’s most well-known atheists, Sam Harris is the author of the bestselling books The End of Faith and The Moral Landscape. Dr Harris is cofounder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. He joins Wallace to talk about his latest book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion where they discuss mindfulness, drugs, critics and, of course, religion.
And NZ Peter Williams QC aged 80, talking about his work with many murderers and prison reform, and author of new book called The Dwarf that Moved? It’s one of the stories in the book, about a dwarf in an Auckland circus whose wife was committing adultery with another guy in the circus. They had a sharp-shooting booth where she would shoot something out of the dwarf’s mouth and she hits him one day and is charged with attempted murder. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11217263
11:30 Peter Williams – Life in the Law
Peter Williams QC is a well-known name and face to New Zealanders. One of our greatest barristers, Peter Williams has defended some of New Zealand’s most infamous criminal cases, including: Terry Clark (Mr. Asia) and Arthur Allan Thomas. He has been a constant advocate for change in the penal system and has campaigned to rehabilitate prisoners, rather than imprisoning them. He joins Wallace on Sunday Morning to talk about some of his more notorious cases and his life spent working in the law.
Very, very interesting. Blimmin heck Dunne sounds out of place with National.
Took notes people should listen to the interview.
Winner Dunne. Jamie trying to defend the indefensible and frankly Dunne took him to task.
rma
Jamie
Wants greening of act, more emphasis on equality the people of nz have spoken their concerns for growing inequality. Dunne showed him up n one hand he wants Act more green like but same time want dismantling of RMA. Dunne states prior to RMA there was 54 laws it was Kos Jamie want a return to kaos basically.
Dunne will not support RMA changes at all. Stated, steadfast.
Charter schools
Dunne Will not support them they are a joke
Spoke examples of private partnerships, not trained teachers , franky it sound a joke these charter schools
Jamie lies and tells Wallace his facts from Stanford research are wrong when Wallace had them in front of him. Silly boy.
All in All Dunnes more left than I had thought, Jamie is very dangerous as he is following an agenda without reasoned thought.
@ Richard All in All Dunnes more left than I had thought, Jamie is very dangerous as he is following an agenda without reasoned thought.
I think Dunne will follow that old saying about running with the fox and hunting with the hounds.
Somewhere in the middle he might make a useful stand to act as some solace for those who wanted him out.
Don’t be so sure about Jamie Whyte and reasoned thought. That is like looking at a mirror from different standpoints. Same mirror, different views.
Some good reporting today.
If the news that in the past 40 years the world has lost over 50% its vertebrate wildlife (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) fails to tell us that there is something wrong with the way we live, it’s hard to imagine what could. Who believes that a social and economic system which has this effect is a healthy one? Who, contemplating this loss, could call it progress?
We need a better economic system because the one we have is uneconomic.
@odesseus I just watched little s interview and thought he came across well It maid me wish the labour office had of sorted its shit so I could of joined in time to vote.
According columnist Tracy Watkins.
In the old days Douglas would have sacked Lange.
Wishful thinking by a rightwing journo with her own agenda?
You decide:
David Cunliffe’s resignation from the Labour leadership is certain. It is only the manner of his going that is yet to be decided.
In the old days he would have been gone already.
Tuesday’s brutalising caucus was a coup in all but name. It showed Cunliffe no longer has any authority over his caucus, who can outvote him at will. They already have, over his choice of Whip.
A leader who can’t control his caucus or win a vote cannot credibly front National as the Leader of the Opposition. But under Labour’s rules a coup is no longer a simple numbers game in the caucus.
If it were, Cunliffe’s rival Grant Robertson would already be leader.
He has had the numbers to roll Cunliffe for more than a year.
But that is not enough.
Robertson’s supporters could force a vote of no confidence in Cunliffe, but that effectively puts the decision in the hands of the wider party and Labour’s union affiliates. In a vote, they could decide to re-install Cunliffe over a hostile caucus. They did so the last time the leadership was put to the vote, a year ago.
Whether they would do so again after the chaotic scenes of recent days remains to be seen. Camp Cunliffe are convinced they would…..
“Cunliffe’s exit is assured” Tracy Watkins
stuff.co.nz September 5, 2014
He has had the numbers to roll Cunliffe for more than a year.
No he hasn’t else Robertson would have been leader a year ago when Shearer resigned and Cunliffe became leader. Of course, what Watkins is really saying here is: If it wasn’t for those dratted members and unions we’d have a sensible Labour Party that would hold to the status quo.
Basically, more authoritarian BS from our MSM that holds that the public should just leave the decisions to the government and not get engaged in the actual decision making.
THE FEDERAL Reserve Bank of New York is responsible for regulating the nation’s biggest banks. But new secret audio tapes indicate the banks — not the Fed — are in charge. Congress can keep making the rules tougher and tougher, but it won’t make an ounce of difference if the regulators won’t enforce those rules. Below is a primer to explain what’s going on.
Andrew Little might not be a stellar performer but at least he will not be disliked or pitied. He would be a safe pair of hands to bring about the needed changes and remember that under MMP he only has to raise Labour to where it was when Shearer was deposed in order to possibly win in 2017. Andrew Little is better than Shearer and could win votes from the Greens and win back the Labour voters who opted for the safety of National in 2014.
Public Broadcasting impartiality
Back in 2003 “Trougher Hide” led a tirade against Brian Edwards and had him successfully removed from current affairs. Apparently on the basis of Edwards political leanings and questionable “impartiality”.
Wonder how Hide views Hosking’s role in meeting Public Broadcasting standards?
A promo video from Pinkroccade, a prominent IT contractor to Dutch local governments, makes the case for spying on wearables (if your heart-rate rises because you’re about to be mugged, the police could be alerted, and get GPS from your phone, find nearby phones belonging to people with criminal records, check the view from your Google Glass, and respond — case closed); following outrage from the press, the company doubled down on its video, saying it was not meant to be interpreted by lay people and that you have to be an expert to understand why it isn’t creepy as all fuck.
On tonights news I see there is a major fire in a substation in Auckland.
Funny that, I thought, that would have not happened in the bad bad bad days of NZCED when we ALL owned the infrastructure of New Zealand. Myers reminded us of these “terrible” days on Q&A this morning
My second thought was, Why did it happen? Was it because we had a cost reducing profit maximizing lack of maintenance or, incompetent subcontractors with the lowest bid got the job.
My third thought was
One of the suburbs that was really affected was EPSOM. Ha Ha fucking Ha perhaps Rimmer along with Kryton can come and fix it for them.
I noted john Key was swift to make his “expert” views on the matter known. I guess his Parnell home was one of those affected. OMG that’s terrible. (sarc)
Just read Chris Trotter’s Sept 30th discussion about renewal of NZLP. The key suggestion seemed to be to turn the party list over to member voting, as done by the Greens. Party list selection by members is a great idea, but it would have much less impact for NZLP than it does for GPANZ.
.
The current NZLP electorate candidate process is also interesting. I think involves 3 votes from head office and 2 from local organisation. So centralised control could be exerted to enforce electorate candidate renewal, but that might be very messy and simply lead to a call for less head office power.
.
The Labour trend is clearly away from centralised control. As Trotter points out, the Nats are much more comfortable with that idea.
.
The rules are here http://www.elections.org.nz/sites/default/files/parties/rules/Labour%20Party%20Constitution%20and%20Rules.pdf
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The org review from 2012 also makes interesting reading for those who are calling for yet another org review. https://www.labour.org.nz/sites/default/files/Labour%20Review%20Discussion%20Paper.pdf
When parliaments were first formed, only the rich could afford to be MPs. The answer to this was supposedly to pay them a salary. This obviously hasn’t worked, because the people we have in parliament are somewhere between comfortably well off and super rich. As well as what they can make if they indulge in insider trading with their blind trusts, cough cough, they get paid far more than most Kiwis can even dream about. Maybe they should be paid something like the unemployment benefit rate, with allowances for travel etc? I’m sure that would keep heaps of the troughers we have at the moment out of the Beehive.
And also: Glory glory to South Sydney. The two teams I hope never win the NRL competition again are Manly (Abbott and his ilk live there) and the Broncos (donate to the LNP campaign in Queensland). After seeing Russell Crowe get a championship ring made for Isaac Luke, I think there might be some truth to the rumours that he is part Kiwi.
Lenin wrote somewhere that the left should be involved where the working masses are. For me, that’s not a challenge at all, because I love Rugby League. The Kiwis would never make John Key captain.
Murray 0 1/06 am
Low wages for MPs would result in a moral hazard whereby they would be vulnerable to brown envelopes and baubles, and trips to resorts for their family, an apartment on the Gold Coast etc………..
Limited terms would be the deal and applying to all of them there pollies from top to bottom. Putin seems adept at the merry go round, but some sort of limitation would stop too many from digging themselves a fur lined cave for the duration.
I understand they have these in the USA, fur lined cars, or caves I mean. And someone who has early onset bigotry and calcification of the brain can stay in power probably with pay offs and because they look like daddy, so they can’t be winkled out. Probably in the end it seems uncharitable to such an old soldier to give him the push so they get a sympathy vote. That’s not democracy at work. That’s good ol’boys getting a rort.
High salaries just make the moral hazards more costly. I remember when the first ACT government vastly increased judges’ salaries, saying they would be vulnerable to bribery at the then current rate. I found it funny that judges had to be bribed to be honest.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
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History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
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What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
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This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
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So an NZ Herald (woman) journo asks various people how Labour should rebuild. It asks some left and right wing guys, and one right wing woman.
And one of the leftie guys reckon Labour needs a Shane Jones or a Tamihere to lead….
Politics has become increasingly masculine under John key’s watch.
Anyone who thinks that Shane Jones or John Tamihere should be leaders is not left.
i have banged on a bit about shane jones..
http://whoar.co.nz/?s=shane+jones
and let’s not forget fascinating facts such as hekia paratas’ husband funding the jones tilt at the labour party leadership..
..what was up with that..?
..yet another of those questions you’d like an answer to..
..like stuart nash doing a fundraiser for his election-campaign at that bastion of the right/establishment..the northern club in auckland..
..what was up with that..?
..and who was there..?..
..who donated..?
Phil I suspect some of the left have the greed gene too. However waving wads of cash usually helps to break their cover and flush them out..
To me Jones is not even a contender, the public would have imagined him in the PM office watching porno’s..he’s screwed for life on that one.
Note to the elected keep your nose clean if it gets dirty not even time will wear it off.
the thing i find fascinating about nash..
..is how relentless his links to the right are..
..there is the northern club fundraiser..
..his links with slater/lusk/hooton..
..the rightwinger buying/paying for his red fire engine election-prop..
..his stated neo-lib/fuck-the-poor! politics..
..you almost get the idea/feeling nash has been placed in labour..
..by the right..
..their manchurian candidate..
..and that his name is bandied about as a future leader..
(albeit mainly by him..and rightwing corporate-journalist servants..everyone else goes ..’really..?..why..?..’)
..is kinda both farcical and horrifying..
Don’t think it phil know it.
Your probably bang on and just don’t realize it.
and anyway..nash will likely be a one-term mp..
..if garth mcvicr doesn’t split the vote for him again..and gift him the seat..
..national will take the seat back..
..mc vicar is to nash..as the green party is to dunne…
..both gifting seats to ostensibly mortal-enemies..
..and i wd submit those two facts..
..as the irony-peaks/o.d.’s of that election-campaign..
Unfortunately Nash will probably get a high list placing next time and won’t have to win a seat.
He is a right wing plant – I’m convinced of it. The left need to keep exposing him for what he is so that he doesn’t get any traction within the party.
Of course he is. Nash loves the surroundings and attention (and $) that the right wing can lavish upon his political career. And have been doing so already, in a material way.
it’s worrying then that he seems to be supporting Andrew Little….?
Worrying, but expected. Little inherited the Engineers’ Union from Rex Jones, one of the most right wing class collaborators who has ever led a union. Back in the 80s, Engineers’ officials spent more time keeping militant workers out of the factories than anything else. Little was a student politician and then a lawyer. The Labour Party needs a ban on this sort, but instead they come up with the gift to the right that was the “man ban”.
One thing that points in that direction is the amount of media attention he is getting, the frequency with which his opinions are sought, and the respect with which those opinions are treated, bearing in mind that he has just been elected to parliament – that is a dead giveaway.
And don’t forget he’s good looking, has a lovely smile, nice white teeth and fits the shallow circumstantial mould – that is, youngish married man with attractive looking (no doubt) kids. They are apparently considered to be all-important pre-requisites if you want to be accepted by the celebrity driven MSM culture – especially the TV culture.
+1
Got to celebrate the shallow else they’d have to dig deeper and if they did that then they’d find the corruption and they don’t want to do that.
I totally agree , Phil U, from his own mouth Nash has clearly shown that he plays with the rightwing moneyed people – and he’s in Labour ? Yuk. He’s got his political parties mixed up,
he reminds me very much of simon bridges..
..that same combination of sneering and arrogance..
..they both wear that on their sleeves..
..and i think they both came from the same cookie-cutter..
Simon Bridges reminds me of a very angry man who wants to fight anyone who asks him a question. National on this should back bench him. He really is the lefts best weapon in National.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11337024
Nash is wise not to; “consider Cameron Slater or Simon Lusk friends”, as I am yet to be convinced that either of them understand the concept. However, the question remains about whether he considers them colleagues.
I suspect he was misquoted, and actually said; “I have mates across the right of the political spectrum”.
Every time Nash opens his mouth, he puts his foot in it. Now Hooten is also his very good friend ….
nash is a playa – he doesn’t need slater and lusk to be ‘good’ friends if hollowhooton is there – I suppose ‘people’ like nash are seeded all over – I wonder if they go to a camp to learn how to pretend to be left – you know like the movies with the pretend american town to train those russians in the minutiae of US life. Anyway playa gotta play so I expect a lot of vocalisations from nash – on anything and everything…
And the right splitting the vote for him to win Napier
Shoosh Phillip Ure…….”Neither for nor against…..” don’t ya know ? Look to the right of the monitor – NZOnScreen – 1951.
Those guys – Prebble, Hide, Samuels, Tamihere – are just tired old hacks, no longer living in the real world and without any relevance to the real world. I don’t know why the Herald (and other media) keep on using them as spokespersons – they repeat the same old mantra time after time, and now they are Boring. Very, very boring.
Because they repeat the same old mantra time and time again. Presenting the populace with fresh new ideas is anathema to the MSM.
or masculine
too right!
Yep I just wish the Herald would stop asking right wingers who the Labour leader should be. Anyone with any sense would understand that their advice is tinged with malice.
That’s the point Micky, each little knife they can slip in the better. Between the labour party playing a game of thrones, and the corporate media playing fast and loose with the truth, another person is put off voting. Media owned for the corporate interest, know the game – we should too.
the game is to develop alternative media infrastructure and interpersonal information channels deep into NZ communities.
An online left version of the Huffington post(as an example)
She started small taking exerts from others news outlets and posting them for lack of own journalists and grew it to a large following.
We need a left version of it in NZ. a lot of publicity and some clever web site designers.
Is that what you mean CV?
that would certainly be one option!
Of many – On this I think many on the left agree.
To keep wishing or hoping that the corporate media will operate with any honour, seems to be a sign of willful blindness by our population as a whole.
When our news is run for money and profit, it will always go for the almighty dollar, one sensation at a time.
To critique the news is no longer enough – we need to produce the news in a more truthful and fulsome manner.
What I don’t understand is why the left-wing politicians haven’t found some techniques and skill in addressing this problem.
Rather than counter the propaganda, the left-wing are pandering to it too much.
They should be providing people with another way at looking at things to hook onto.
The amount of times that I heard ‘Dirty Politics’ characterised as a ‘distraction’ by left wing politicians in this last election is a very good example of what I am talking about – it could have been turned around to be made into a policy issue for cleaning up our democracy.
The Greens have achieved the most on countering right-wing framing of matters yet I would like to see more of these skills from all left-wing politicians and wonder why they haven’t developed them already.
You only truly counter propaganda when you produce news which speaks to truth yourself.
The dominance of editorial methodology which embraces money and profit – makes any attempts to counter the overall ideology of money worship, a very difficult task.
Your statement blue leopard also brings up the question for me of how many of the so called left politicians are left? Why are they so complicit in an overall support of a system which hurts their voter base?
As far as framing goes – look at Ralph Nader – love or hate him, the guy got things done – until – and this is important – the right took his language, and twisted it to their purpose in the corporate media.
I think we need to speak to the truth of an issue – no matter the cost.
It is why I’ve so vocal in my attacks on labour as a political party and why I think it is a dead weight around the left.
And CV I think you are so right we need to reach deep into NZ communities, with a good well rounded approach, communicating a clear and inspiring vision. We need to stop making people feel disempowered, this is what our corporate media and current crop of professional politicians seem to be doing in spades.
adam, blue leopard, both of you have cut right through to the heart of the matter IMO.
the “Right” who attacked Nader, also included the Democratic Party, who wanted to see his third party movement to the left of their own destroyed and permanently out of electoral politics.
Which to my mind, has direct parallels to what Labour has successfully done to Laila and Hone, I might add.
I totally support the setting up of an informative media channel, however, the countering of propaganda in response to MSM messages is still required because even if there was another news media channel (whatever the platform) some would still be looking at the old one and simply allowing the propaganda to slide – or even worse answering it in a manner that implies there is some foundation for thinking the way the propaganda frames it – simply leaves that ‘idea’ in peoples’ heads and supplies no opition for the people listening to the propaganda of looking at it in another way. It is very damaging indeed.
Therefore, left wing politicians need to learn to counter the propaganda no matter what.
I really am puzzled by why they haven’t developed this skill to date.
I think your questioning of Labour (or anyone being simpering toward the false narratives) is a natural response because when one has looked into things and one sees someone doing that, it just looks like they are unconvinced by their own political stance.
I think some of this, however, has more to do with lack of skill in arguing and could be improved by getting skill. They ultimately lack passion more than anything though, and seem more worried about ‘fitting in’ than getting anything achieved. 🙁
I haven’t heard of Ralph Nader and will look him up.
Ralph Nader ran as the third Presidential candidate against George Bush and Al Gore in 2000. The Democrats attacked Nader throughout the campaign and then blamed him for Al Gore’s final loss.
The Democrats could not allow a truly progressive and independent voice to stand; as such Nader was far more dangerous to the Democrats then the Republicans.
Nader has also run since then, but is typically completely ignored by the US corporate media.
@ CV
Thanks very much for that summary!
That is a problem with their electoral system – splitting the vote of potential ‘left’ supporters. Labour has no excuse for that here [cross-face].
I was reading an article about Britain’s UKIP party, also having that problem of splitting the left vote.
I am really glad we have MMP here, it would be excellent if our left-wing politicians, especially Labour, learned how to use it to the left’s advantage.
If they continue in the tracks they have been going to date, then I think it is fair to say Labour don’t want left-wing principles to be encouraged, Up until now, I have been giving them rather a lot of lee-way for daftness but will be doing so no more.
side note…as I am sure you know, UKIP shouldn’t be considered a left wing party by any stretch of the imagination 😎
Their success derives from UK Labour becoming such a middling, centrist party of the establishment.
The NZ Labour caucus has been frakking around with the future of our nation and you are right, no more leeway for them.
@ CV
I should have provided the link to the UKIP article. Here it is:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/16/ukip-divided-left-right-cut-labour-support
I know very little about UKIP, in fact that article is one of the few things I have read about them.
Just to be perfectly clear, (although I think you probably got the point) that comment I made about UKIP was to highlight how the voting system in the UK & USA creates an issue with splitting the vote whereas ours is better in that regard, I was not attempting to provide any knowledge of UKIP, because I can confidently say I know very little about them! 🙂
Worth remembering that the initial set up of the US electoral system was carried out by 40 wealthy, property owning, slave owning white men who were interested in maintaining their own privilege in any new democracy.
This.
@ blue leopard 2.37
I remember having a look at UKIP and putting up some links. Then, I think it was about them being successful in getting into the European Parliament. And I was interested in how the EP had dropped the threshhold low which I think is so unwise, opening it up to the poisoned tip of the dagger from toxic parties.
Anyway if you search for UKIP on TS it has been mentioned a lot.
Thanks Greywarbler, its not really a focus of my interest, but may follow the leads in the coming days at a quiet point – always good to learn something new 🙂
The issue of the molestation of Democracy by a bunch of (metaphorically) pimply, ‘really really need to be on the telly’ narcissists, bought off by media corporates and mutated by their own vanities, is very much alive. It has to be addressed. It must not be let lie.
My response exactly to Whaleoil putting Nash and Davies up for leader, sheer arrogance, or at least Lusk manipulation, or both. Previously, MSM has amplified Whaleoil’s voice, and it becomes mainstream narrative, no matter how bonkers the idea, will it still happen after dirty politics exposed?
Karol, try not to read it. Seriously, it’s just whale oil, main stream, the only people who really read it are so right wing it panders to their mentality. Or the left wanting to know what the rights doing by way of brainwashing the masses.
The only thing to do is smear the rag as far right and leave it be. definitely do not allow it to influence any decision you make.
Do what I did E-Mailed the Wanna be Hack that scribbled it, and just gently pointed out that she should stick to being the Tea lady, as the Granny has enough hacks in Armweak etc etc.
Hmm good idea I did.
Doubt that the Herald Editors are going to take any notice of people who ridicule them.
No they tend to ban anyone who thinks any of their so called journo’s is a bais twat.
Right, so when you email them, how about pointing out the problems with their coverage without calling them a twat or ridiculing them?
Passed that point three months ago Weka. I’ve definitely tried the polite avenue to many times to recount.
Now I’m down to insults as they just do not care, they have a hidden agenda not all the horses on the planet could shift. I insult them for personal satisfaction now.
In fact the Herald is lower than whaleoil in my opinion, because they have far more influence on the voting public, whereas only the nutty right read whaleoil.
The NZ Herald has been tory leaning since day dot. That’s the point of every big establishment newspaper in NZ, and worse so since the media corporates took over.
We shouldn’t be still acting surprised and disappointed in this, at this late point, right?
It seems so. I recall Chris Trotter saying that the NZH was vocal in calling for the invasion of the Waikato in 1863 at the behest of Auckland business interests.
Being the scholarly type Chris has probably been up to the Ak Museum to read the microfilmed originals – assuming they’ve still got them after the reign of mad Vanda. So I don’t doubt him.
And he mentions Iris Wilkinson (Robin Hyde) being told as a cub reporter in the 30’s to not say anything about the NZLP. All comments had to come from the NZH’s senior staff.
So nothing much has changed. Feel the long sweep of history eh? But most voters are completely ahistorical and live in the present.
Workers, union members and their families were utterly vilified by the big papers during the watersiders strike of 1951 (?). I’m fairly confident that was also the case for the Great Strike of 1913.
“I’m fairly confident that was also the case for the Great Strike of 1913”
Yep, it was. Here’s a comment I made on Brian Edwards Media back in 2010…..
“There’s a long, long history of this. A few years ago, I came across an unintentionally amusing article in a 1913 edition of Wellington’s TRIAD magazine. It was on the Waterside Workers’ lockout/strike (which a few weeks later snowballed into the General Strike of 1913 – notorious for Massey’s Cossacks).
The report began by describing the wharfies as “dark and furious persons of unpleasant aspect”. ….. The writer then went on to spend more than a few column inches emotively listing the various inconveniences the lockout had caused to the general public (nothing changes in 100 years); before ending on a moral high-note with this colourful little crescendo of xenophobia: “All of this because Wharfside Bill has a grievance…..Bill is sometimes an English subject, sometimes a non-descript negro, and sometimes a representative of one or other of those deceitful nations whose men wear rings through their ears”.
That was a Wellington-based magazine. The big papers were no different – particularly the morning papers The Herald, The Dominion, The Press and the ODT. All closely associated with Massey’s right-wing Reform Party. (the evening papers were closer to the Liberals).
Brilliant, thanks. Those uppity darkies, still causing issues.
Which goes back to the points made above. Why 100 years on is the left still fixated on the MSM instead of building up alternative infrastructure and assets like The Standard.
AB, you don’t need to go up to the Museum, just have a search through NZ Herald articles on Papers Past (1863-1945)
And this is what Papers Past (part of the National Library of NZ) says about the NZ Herald:
See also this NZ Herald report of 1863, on the defeat of Maori in the Waikato
How did you go from a few uninformed peeps talking about Shane Jones and JT (who have their own political constituency, sure, but one which stretches back many many years) to blaming John Key for making politics more “masculine.”
Voters had a choice of a Labour and Green Party for which gender balance was a significant issue of policy, equality and inclusiveness; and a choice of a party which had fewer than 1/3 women in caucus and constantly downplays the issue by talking about “merit” instead.
Outcome: the people who didn’t care about gender balance in politics as a major issue either decided to vote National, or they decided to stay at home.
“Outcome: the people who didn’t care about gender balance in politics as a major issue either decided to vote National, or they decided to stay at home.”
Unsure if I am entirely clear on your point, here.
If you are trying to establish that policies about gender balance/rights didn’t ‘decide the election’, then I would tend to agree.
If you are arguing that the having a balanced gender in a party doesn’t have an impact on election results, then I think this point is problematic, due to National’s skill at ‘guiding’ perceptions.
When I heard that National had less women than Labour earlier in the year, I actually had to go and check that by counting, I had to check because I would find it far easier to list National female MPs than Labour ones. If pushed, I possibly could come up with a longer list of Labour female MPs – possibly – yet doubt this would be the case for those who don’t watch parliament TV on the regular basis that I do (which is largely where I see the female Labour MPs). With regard to someone with less interest in politics, I suspect National would come across as having more female representation than Labour because National have placed women in some very high profile positions and this means male and female MPs from National get on TV and in the papers in fairly equal proportions. I don’t see this occurring with Labour.
I don’t know if women (or men) base their decisions on how representative the party they are voting for looks, or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if part of National’s success is the appearance of a reasonable balance. (This may also be the case with regard to ethnicity too, although I haven’t thought too hard over that one, so could be quite incorrect. )
With regard to looking representative of the general population:
Between the two main parties, I would say National appear more balanced.
Between the Greens and NZ First – I would say the Greens are more balanced.
I suspect that any type of sway on voting choice re ‘balanced representation’ won’t be made on a conscious level by everyone but for some it will and significantly, I very much doubt that any representational balance would put someone off, who wasn’t making that a point of decision.
In summary, wouldn’t say this matter was the be all and end all, but I do suspect it will be significant and that an effort made to come across as not being largely dominated by ‘male’ and importantly I will add here ‘white’, too, is an effort well worth making for accumulating wider appeal.
Shane would of been a disaster well he was looking off into the distance replaying what he just said in his head again key would of nailed him to the wall
An over inflated ego of his own self worth sums up Jones. He large ego will see him return to politics as a list candidate for NZF at the next election, probably as a contender successor to Peters. I would be making it very clear if and when this happens that NZF will side with the Nats, the ease of his transition to his current National party jacked up junket says it all. Not to be trusted!
Jones has got a secure, well paid govt job which lets him jetset and is not subject to caucus BS and fickle voters; why would he walk from that?
Thoughts of my day..
Why are policies announced but never the in’s and out’s of them.
During the election I felt like parties were announcing policy by name with no detail.
Take my conversations yesterday on open mike about the CGT. It appears to me to many unanswered questions we’re left on such a polar subject. To many home owners did not understand it. Nor the raising of retirement. Crikey Robertson was even defending it on Backbenchers last night. Whilst the Nats claimed it was not needed they were growing the economy. You know I’m on my way to the moon right now too. /sarc I heard it was made of cheese.
Slight distraction from topic, who boldly states they are growing the economy when dairy and the dollar are diving. Who has the balls to lie like that.
back to topic
ALL contentious Policy should be accompanied by a leaflet drop with loads of questions answered about it. Both the CGT and Raising of retirement certainly required more than a press release and some debate questions. In fact a leaflet drop would have made DC’s leader debates answers easier.
haven’t you read our leaflet john?
Or maybe it would be better to introduce an idea like CCT after being elected, put it out there and let people debate it in public for three years, by then most should have a far idea of how it would affect them, then take it to the people at the next election.
More people support a capital gains tax than are opposed to it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11282563
CGT isn’t the problem. Key just grabs it, every three years, to win a couple of cheap headlines after the debates.
If the Herald told me the sky was blue. I would immediately go outside and check it out for myself.
Liking it and voting for a party who wants to introduce it are obviously two different things.
How can a policy such as a CGT be seen as a cure for our housing unaffordability when the CTG tax rate is 1/2 of the coy and top PAYE tax rate ? This was no cure.
If Lab14 version had followed Lab11 version and complemented a CGT with a $5k tax free threashold then this could have been viewed as a tax redistribution, benefiting tenants, and PAYE workers. If kiwibuild had been complemented with an increase in housing NZ stock then many would have seen the Lab14 version as being seen as an active attempt in solving housing in particular aucklands housing issue. Hit property speculators as hard as your can, if trading then tax at 28%.
So I disagree CGT is the problem, it is lukewarm solution by neoliberalism protecting their own kind.
Also, it does not apply to a vast part of the housing stock known as “family homes”.
I think that a leaflet explaining a policy would be a great idea Richard. I think the main reason Labour lost was their lack of a simple clear communication of important policy. Most of the population are not going to read130 pages of policy on a website that wasn’t very accessible.
Labour boasted at having so much detailed policy compared to National, but
people not that interested in politics don’t care. They need to be given something simple they can understand and these policies should have been on billboards – vote Labour to increase the minimum wage by $2 an hour. Vote Labour to protect our rivers. Vote Positive is meaningless.
I think the CGT is a good idea but there was a huge amount of misinformation out there that could have been countered by a well designed leaflet as you suggest. Same with minimum wage increases. It was obvious the Nats would say it would increase unemployment so why not preempt the claims in a Q & A leaflet?
You mentioned that a CGT was a good idea, Just curious why? Is that IYO it will solve the house affordability issue for just address the idea of a fairer tax system ?
Many of the issues to preempt cannot be placed at DC’s feet, labour strategists should have been able to foresee any of the nats counter claims and had the responses already available, but it appears that they were found lacking….
Very lacking. Yet they are likely to be the same people running the 2017 campaign, as they were the 2011 campaign.
The CGT will not be enough to solve house affordability, but could slow down the the rampant inflation of house prices in Auckland. Its main benefits are that it would discourage property speculation by those trying to avoid paying tax as well as raising more tax revenue from those with higher incomes. Working class people often can’t even afford a home of their own let alone an investment property.
All other OECD countries have a CGT and as a result NZ property speculation is seen as attractive by foreign investors. It would be better to get investment in the productive sector.
A simple pledge card with a few main policies and Party Vote labour. Keep CGT for second term and retirement age same.
On another Subject..
Today or very soon I hope they find little Jack who was swept out to sea.
My utterly sincere and deepest condolences go out to the family, friends and all that care about the wee fella.
Time jack was found and bought home. I not a religious man but I will have a little prayer today being gods day, for his return.
Richard +100
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11337024
Hadn’t seen this when I quoted the same text above in response to P Ure. Did you get the link through TDB as well?
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/10/04/final-vote-national-lose-majority-will-greens-go-right-could-littleardern-ticket-save-labour/
If you have the stomach for it, here are Nash’s posts on TDB – he’s always been one of the few authors on that site that with whom I’ve consistently disagreed. This wasn’t so important when he was a private citizen giving a window into the thoughts of the Labour rightwing. Now that he’s a parliamentary representative, it seems a bit more disturbing.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/category/bloggers/stuart-nash/
– See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/01/24/politics-and-winning/#sthash.ayQwHtWr.dpuf
Also his predictions are woefully inaccurate given his supposed access to internal Labour data. The GP went from 247,372 (11.06%) in 2011 to 257,356 (10.70%) in 2014 getting 14 MPs in both elections. Nash’s prediction?
– See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/01/10/its-not-what-you-say-but-what-they-hear/#sthash.AyIZ4FUO.dpuf
History has shown that Nash possessed a faulty political weather-vane in this judgement, why should we expect any future announcement of his to have any predictive validity? He has done as much as any Labour candidate (except Jones or Davis) to drive wedges between the Labour party and its MMP allies on the left.
“History has shown that Nash possessed a faulty political weather-vane in this judgement”
Yeah well, I thought labour would romp home and national would be thrown out by the public for the Dirty politics of one JC.
Boy was I wrong.
very good thanks.
My dislike of Nash comes from his election byline which went something like ‘Labour supports the people who work hardest not moan the loudest’. Dog whistle and wedge politics.
Nash is a corporate type who likes the money and enjoys all the trappings money can access
Nash said that???
LOL!!!
He himself has been the one moaning, very often ill-timed and reflecting poorly on his colleagues.
I wonder why Bumbler Bradbury gives him space? Given the number of people whose comments never appear, it can’t be in the interests of open debate.
Weka @ 5 perhaps this explains Hooton’s on-going disgraceful dissing of DC.
BTW anyone see Q & A. I caught the end of the “panel”……………….seemed to be promoting Andrew Little.?
No but watching it now.. think it’s chanel 504 or 502 on sky for the delayed hours viewing so you can catch it again if you missed it.
Putting up with another bunch of pro rights led by Susan and there token lefts who do and say stuff all in the lefts defence.
best comment was by Bryce so far stating the RMA and dairy prices were a problem for National. But Boagy said it won’t matter with the idiot coat tailers passing it anyways.
Shocker coming from Bryce usually he’s stuck up Keys bottom.
If Little enters the race, that’s the end of Cunliffe.
Or of Robertson.
I wonder if it might actually favor Robertson, Cunliffes strength is his membership support, having Little in the race would severely erode that.
With preferential voting the entry of Andrew Little allows the ABG group which is almost as big as the ABC group to swing behind Little in order to keep out Sir Joseph Porter.
^^ RWNJs making shit up – again.
I think your right there BM.
Q&A is just more 2 tracking DP tactics using an under the thumb SOE as the delivery mechanism.
Hooton will take the lead sales role now with cam and david needing to be more circumspect as unlike those 2 matty doesnt run a site full of spin dogwhistling up the rednecks.
Little interviewed fairly well, not as good as yesterday on The Nation, however good enough for sum of us to see him as a real Leader option. Mike Williams seemed annoyed and put out Andrew was being so glowingly talked up, he appeared more comfortable talking up Grant & Nash. What I can say is having talked individually with all those 3 and DC, I found Andrew Little naturally engaging and genuine with a finger on the pulse to things relevant.
As our young drown in a sea of debt.
Lower Saxony is the final German state to scrap tuition fees, meaning that all German universities are free of charge for all students – and yes, that includes overseas students.
“Tuition fees are socially unjust,” Dorothee Stapelfeldt, senator for science in Hamburg, told the Times. The state scrapped fees in 2012. “They particularly discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up studies. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.”
German universities were allowed by law to start charging fees in 2006, when a constitutional court decided that moderate fees combined with loans did not violate the country’s commitment to universal higher education. Most schools only charged relatively low amounts of around €1,000 a year (£845) – but that didn’t stop state governments from changing their mind after eight years.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/22027/1/germany-scraps-tuition-fees-for-all-universities
Local government with powers in Germany.
No wonder the establishment are trying so desperately to demonise New Zealand resident Kim Dotcom, spreading around his crazy German ideas about free tertiary education and wanting to see young people freed from student debt. We wouldn’t want crazy foreign ideas like that catching on here. No Sirrreee
i see the corporate-media hacks have now deserted grant robertson..
..and are now anointing andrew little as the new leader of labour..
..and are insisting that the appearance of little..
..must be the signal/reason for cunliffe to roll over and play dead…
..(how many ‘reasons to go!’ for cunliffe have the media dreamed up so far..?
..i have lost count..
..and like robertson..
..my observations of little in parliament confirm that he does not have what it takes..
..he has not shone there..nor in interviews..
..little will make a great minister..and is clearly an intelligent/considered person..
..but cunliffe (this time with policy backing his promises..) is still clearly labours’ best chance for victory in 2017..
..nobody else mooted come close in ability to take it to both key and national..
Have you met any of them in person Phil? My advice don’t sell Andrew short he is more sincere and talks with you rather than at you.
While I agree that their attributes in personal interaction are of some importance, the fact is that it isn’t the leader’s job to go into the hone of every person in New Zealand, shake their hand and share a cream tea. They are supposed to debate, articulate vision and policy and set the course for the party as a whole. My reaction whenever I see the “Have you met them in person?” thing trotted out here (and it’s coming up with regular monotony at the moment) is, “No, and why on Earth should I care?”.
@ skinny..
..where does little sit on the left/right spectrum..?
..is he a neo-lib robertson..?
..or a progressive cunliffe..?
..that is what concerns me..
..(if a three-headed goat promised to do away with neo-lib and to make labour a real labour party again..i wd support them for the leadership role..)
..(and also having seen him in action in parliament/debate..gives me doubts as to if he is ready for the job..)
..but otherwise he seems fine..
..and on a ‘trust-ranking’..i wd have him @ 8-9/10..
..whereas i wd have the likes of nash..at..oh..!.i dunno… minus 3..?..(is that too harsh..?..)
..and no..i have ‘met’ none of them…
..(and of course a standard question for nash from now on whenever he opines on whatever..wd/must be:..
..’and what did slater/lusk/hooton advise you to do about this..?..
..are we again hearing their words thru you..?..’..)
i also have a certain wariness about the union movement in general..
..’cos of their silences during those nine long years of ignoring/demonising of the poor by the clark govt..
..i still haven’t heard an explanation for that benchmark in ‘i’m alright jack!’..from those unions..
..so that someone is from a union means little to me..
..(see what i did there..?..)
Labours best chance is to use mmp effectively, work with other opposition parties and dont be so cavalier with socially unpopular policies like raising retirement age.
govts lose elections more so than oppositions win them, they needed to work with greens and mana not scare middle nz, be united etc and nats would probably be gone now.
Its this failure to do what it takes to win and show nz that coalition is workable, which deflates an attack theme. However they lecture middle nz with a ‘we know best’ and that will continue to keep them in opposition.
Cunliffe and if Little joins will be a hard decision for me. I like DC but also have to admit to myself he’s not universally liked by the masses. Little has no such hang ups. Hard choice as David will take labour if allowed where I personally want them to go.
Little I have to find out but he shows up good and level headed in interviews, but can he deliver in chambers or debates.
It’s a transferable vote, Richard, so you would only have to figure out which gets your #1 and #2 pick.
Sorted, then. That’s good news, two I like, and two votes. Thanks Steph as the info hasn’t arrived yet. Just a nice email from a labour big wig. Telling me as I joined after election day they were a little tied up getting me up to date. I understood it completely.
Anyone’s blood race a bit when Little is on the telly? No, didn’t think so. The charisma of a newt.
No but he spoke good common sense. My heart raced as in their was finally another choice, I was of the impression may be better. remember he pretty much only needs to get Labour as a minimum into, the somewhere in the mid to high 30’s with Greens support and hopefully Winny, we would have a government. It’s a real possibility with Little, a lot of hard work for DC. Not chance with GR and the hiding he will get media wise pre 2017 election.
Charisma s over-rated and few understand it – after all people say Key is charismatic, but he is as bland as blancmange. There have been very few charismatic leaders over history, modern ones include Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King – we have nobody of that calibre any where near the reins of power or even pretenders.
Common sense would be good; the ability to articulate complex policy in terms everyone can understand; a certain modesty but the boldness to actually stand up for what is right; and the ability to respect others and convey the sense that everyone is valued. Those are the qualities I look for in a a leader.
@ richard..
“..but can he deliver in chambers or debates…”
..in a word..going on my observations..no..
Well, I lost quite a bit of money on him on ipredict… Actually have some faith in little.
Policies and how Labour could have better communicated them.
1. The age of super.
No increase in age of super until after 2030.
The age would be gradually increased after 2030, but by no more than 3 months per year.
The message would then not be Labour increasing the age but promising no increase before 2030.
Why even frakking increase the retirement age at all, when we already have an excess labour pool and not enough full time jobs to go around???
Cunliffe said that Labour would not be the political party which cuts off your leg but with anaesthetic. All you’ve said here is, sell how good the anaesthetic is.
The first issue at play is that Labour has to improve its game in marketing policy.
It needs to identify how the public reacts to policy so it can better market it.
The second issue is to take the public on board bit by bit (the Key strategy for change over time – bed things in before moving on).
Then Labour looks like a less risky change option.
Your point, about what the policy should be, is another issue entirely.
But for mine, the current surplus of labour is not caused by a proposal to increase the age for super in over a decades time.
And the proportion of people working over age 65 now is much greater than the number that would be impacted by an increase from age 65 to 67. And this number is increasing regardless of what the age for super is.
CV is correct axe that policy fullstop. The jobs are not there now and with technology the demand for workers will be further reduced. We need to move away from consumerism and become more focused on being self reliant. Just go to any mall and watch people loading up on debt by buying things that they don’t really need.
How does one afford and live with paying super to people who are still working age 65 to 67 while other people are in poverty? The number is about 33% of those age 65 to 67 and rising.
These people, many in the top 10% income bracket, are getting more in tax paid super than poor families with no other means of support.
i think the ultimate example of this is mp’s..with their gold-plated pensions..
..still receiving state superannuation..
..surely that double-dipping cd be stopped at source..?
..that as part of that gold-plated super deal..
..they don’t also trough on state super..?
..is that an unreasonable request..?
WTF?
“How does one afford and live with”???
Where are you getting this awkward misdirected phrasing from? When you are referring to the NZ Government “affording” and “living with” paying super.
Get serious and try and make a joined together argument eh? Let’s start with NZ Super being a universal entitlement, yeah?
Dude, I never made such a back-asswards invalid point. Why would you even think this sentence you wrote had any basis?
There are far too many unemployed and under-employed right now. Why put in place measures which will increase the surplus labour force even further, is my question. It’s dumb policy.
Frankly CV I never saw the need for a raising of the retirement either. My reasoning is dad died 65. Paid all that tax never even got to enjoy it(super).
There’s a guy 70 still working at my work. But pays secondary tax. You can keep working if you want free choice. If anything, better early retirement choices would be a more attractive vote winner for those in hard manual labour who bodies don’t last the distance rather than go on SB or IB or ACC.
Something like that would surely be a very attractive policy.
As for the imminent baby boomer retirement. Is it going to be a THAT costly? What’s the figures? What other options do we have? Does returning more into the workforce help. If unemployment was 5-6 or less is there still an issue.
If we start the Cullen fund up again does the interest help can it be used.
Surely theirs a better option than scaring the 50+ crowd and me at 48.5
Should you be able to continue working AND get super?
Dunne’s flexi-super allows early retirement but comes with a lifetime actuarial cap – meaning a lower rate of super for the rest of one’s life for doing this.
Personally the only part of Dunne’s idea that I support, is enabling those sick and infirm (with health issues that limit life duration) stuck on a benefit to go onto super a little earlier (say from age 60, and for periods before then when people are terminally ill).
Good question SPC. Thinking about it… no??? But then no secondary tax. I mean I enjoy my job, I’d not want to be forced to retire, nor would I like to receive Super and a wage with a secondary high tax rate. I want to work my week and feel the satisfaction of seeing a healthy after tax income in my wage slip as a reward.
However my back will never make it too 65 as employment rules around safety in the work place are a joke if you don’t live in the spotlight of a big city with employment inspectors.
Have you been made aware of the massive drop in workplace ethics and worker safety since national got in.
@ spc..
“..Personally the only part of Dunne’s idea that I support, is enabling those sick and infirm (with health issues that limit life duration) stuck on a benefit to go onto super a little earlier (say from age 60, and for periods before then when people are terminally ill)…”
..+ 1..
Policies and how Labour could have better communicated them.
2. Kiwi Saver being compulsory.
Labour has a plan to prevent mortgage costs from rising and improve export incomes.
The government could use this “anti-inflationary” tool to hold down the OCR.
Instead of people simply paying more of their wages to banks in mortgage interest cost they would be putting the money into their Kiwi Saver account – this money being available to them when they retired or a once a decade withdrawal to pay down their mortgage (and of course for those yet to own to withdraw to buy their first home).
I would however withdraw the part about a variable rate as voters do/would not like the uncertainty of it. This is a component better left to consideration as policy for a following election.
New Policy.
Before moving to flexible rate Kiwi Saver there should be a surcharge on mortgages.
This option is one that Bollard floated late in his RB term as an alternative to raising the OCR (given the adverse impact on exporter incomes and jobs).
A 1% surcharge on mortgages would allow the OCR to fall from 3.5 to 2.5%.
At 3.5 the banks are lending at 6%.
At 2.5 the banks are lending at 5%.
Thus the mortgage holder pays 5% to the bank, instead of 6, and 1% to the government.
This would by the way raise about $2B pa for the government in surcharge, as well as the higher tax revenues off higher exporter and wage incomes.
Yep there are many smart, targeted mechanisms which could be used. A surcharge or stamp duty on mortgages/property transactions is one example.
So another tax. Why not grow employment , or reduce unemployment as a strategy to help the government coffers.
If the economy is running sweet most problems will disappear by themselves.
The more taxes the lower the rate of tax the better is the maxim for optimum tax policy. It’s the higher rates that create perverse incentives, avoidance etc.
The surcharge, CGT and carbon tax allow lower tax rates.
And they all improve economic performance.
1. a lower OCR and dollar assists exporter returns and job growth.
2. reduces the incentive to speculate, rather than invest
3. a more sustainable economy
It’s a policy that’s purpose is to increase jobs.
Yeah it is SPC and the investment capital earned from it may help create more jobs , however the issue I have, and I’m trying to convey is to stop us pandering and promoting the perception the public have that we(Labour) just tax, tax, more tax, seriously I think we need to STFU on taxes, do what another said, once elected inform the people our intent and then throw it to referendum. Silence the naysayers.
We need to stop allowing the misinformation to be justified.
and most of all stop arming Key with debate lines of 5 headed monsters and look another tax.
Get over it mate. Key raised more taxes, levies and fees than Labour proposed. Starting with GST, if you recall.
Taxes allow government to direct and rebalance the economy, sometimes without having to even bring in a single dollar from the tax.
Make the fucking case in other words, don’t buy into the right wing framing and back off.
Hmmm, CV the ammo and look when he(Key in debates) said 5 new taxes.
Remember that. I hear what your saying, but it’s all about perception isn’t it. If your serious about labour winning, and against shifty key we’d better start thinking smarter.
Everything in moderation.
The problem we have is that people have been taught that taxes are a negative rather than the positive that they are. We call tax cuts tax relief which is really a load of bollocks because it usually makes life worse for the many. Of course, the rich do well out of it as they a) get more income from doing nothing more and b) put prices up to shift that extra money in peoples pockets into their own.
People are always better off paying taxes than they are not paying taxes.
Again this is due to the media not explaining things, or the party not producing the counter arguments to dispel the stereotyping.
In a normal democracy with a broader media that compliments both sides it would be fine, But here in NZ we have to admit we are playing with a marked deck and need to sharpen up.
I’m not saying your wrong at all, I’m saying we have difficulty getting it over too the voters.
I think Labour should scrap cgt, scrap the 67 pension age (though convene parliament wide body to discuss the pension age) and go for a Mansion Tax per Labour in the UK, of say 1% on houses $750k to $1m and 2% on houses worth more than a $1m with no exceptions (or some variation on this) while raising the top rate of tax above $130k to 39%.
These would be relatively simple to administer, hit the right people and put a lid on house prices and raise revenue.
@ bearded git+1
One of the main arguments marshalled by those who wish to change the flag is that, at a distance, it is too easily mistaken for the Australian flag.
It could be worse:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10580871/Silver-Fern-compared-to-terror-group-flag
At least our troops will be less likely to be shelled by the Americans if they only mistake us for Australians.
well the record shows that neither Australian nor UK troops (or American troops for that matter) are particularly safe from US fire…
Certainly true that. As when I play Battlefield 3 the yanks always mistake my little tank for a bloody Russians. /humour 🙂
Good on Radionz Wallace Chapman this a.m.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
Halfway through his interview with Michael Katakis I heard something about an interview arrangement he had with Kim Hill having been cancelled on the basis that there had been too many left leaning USA intellectuals on already! Interesting – I think that is what I heard. If what I have repeated is true then that is alarming.
11:05 Michael Katakis – Traveller
Michael Katakis has been photographing and writing about different cultures for the past 35 years. His work has been celebrated by the Royal Geographical Society, The Smithsonian Institute and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, to name just a few. He is also the literary manager of Ernest Hemingway’s intellectual estate. He joins Wallace to talk about his books, A Thousand Shards of Glass – which is a personal farewell to America and his wife; and Traveller, which is a collection of letters and journal entries that reflect on his own past.
For those with questions about what philosophy we should live by (think song – Teach your children well) the interview with Sam Harris, an atheist has something to say.
10:20 Sam Harris – Devoted to Reason
One of the world’s most well-known atheists, Sam Harris is the author of the bestselling books The End of Faith and The Moral Landscape. Dr Harris is cofounder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. He joins Wallace to talk about his latest book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion where they discuss mindfulness, drugs, critics and, of course, religion.
And NZ Peter Williams QC aged 80, talking about his work with many murderers and prison reform, and author of new book called The Dwarf that Moved?
It’s one of the stories in the book, about a dwarf in an Auckland circus whose wife was committing adultery with another guy in the circus. They had a sharp-shooting booth where she would shoot something out of the dwarf’s mouth and she hits him one day and is charged with attempted murder.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11217263
11:30 Peter Williams – Life in the Law
Peter Williams QC is a well-known name and face to New Zealanders. One of our greatest barristers, Peter Williams has defended some of New Zealand’s most infamous criminal cases, including: Terry Clark (Mr. Asia) and Arthur Allan Thomas. He has been a constant advocate for change in the penal system and has campaigned to rehabilitate prisoners, rather than imprisoning them. He joins Wallace on Sunday Morning to talk about some of his more notorious cases and his life spent working in the law.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20152188/current-affairs
link to the audio Greywarbler.
Very, very interesting. Blimmin heck Dunne sounds out of place with National.
Took notes people should listen to the interview.
Winner Dunne. Jamie trying to defend the indefensible and frankly Dunne took him to task.
rma
Jamie
Wants greening of act, more emphasis on equality the people of nz have spoken their concerns for growing inequality. Dunne showed him up n one hand he wants Act more green like but same time want dismantling of RMA. Dunne states prior to RMA there was 54 laws it was Kos Jamie want a return to kaos basically.
Dunne will not support RMA changes at all. Stated, steadfast.
Charter schools
Dunne Will not support them they are a joke
Spoke examples of private partnerships, not trained teachers , franky it sound a joke these charter schools
Jamie lies and tells Wallace his facts from Stanford research are wrong when Wallace had them in front of him. Silly boy.
All in All Dunnes more left than I had thought, Jamie is very dangerous as he is following an agenda without reasoned thought.
@ Richard
All in All Dunnes more left than I had thought, Jamie is very dangerous as he is following an agenda without reasoned thought.
I think Dunne will follow that old saying about running with the fox and hunting with the hounds.
Somewhere in the middle he might make a useful stand to act as some solace for those who wanted him out.
Don’t be so sure about Jamie Whyte and reasoned thought. That is like looking at a mirror from different standpoints. Same mirror, different views.
Some good reporting today.
Um I realized it was Seymour not Whyte excuse my mistake peeps.
They are clones, just skin-wrapped with a bit of variance or deviance.
HA HA. finally I laughed today, thanks mate.
The AB’s have gone down. Shoulda kept John Key away from the jersey.
Who are the AB’s do they play Soccer? /Sarc
jOhn @ 14………….yes bad Karma re the AB’s losing for supporting Key.
The Kink in the Human Brain
We need a better economic system because the one we have is uneconomic.
Peter Joseph, Zeitgeist Movement Founder on TYT (Video)
@odesseus I just watched little s interview and thought he came across well It maid me wish the labour office had of sorted its shit so I could of joined in time to vote.
I couldn’t remember the leadership timeline. For those like me – this is our link.
http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-announces-key-decisions-about-leadership-election/
Nominations close on Tuesday, 14 October. After which there are meetings around the rohe.
Tracy Watkins puts her 2 cents in.
“In the old days he would have been gone already”
Tracy Watkin
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/10546182/Cunliffes-exit-is-assured-but-by-which-route
According columnist Tracy Watkins.
In the old days Douglas would have sacked Lange.
Wishful thinking by a rightwing journo with her own agenda?
You decide:
Maybe not.
That’s Tracy Watkins fer ya. It’s dated Sep 26 – I did wonder as Sept 5 was before the election.
Grant Robertson and his crew have never accepted for even one day, the decision of the members and affiliates that Cunliffe should be leader.
No he hasn’t else Robertson would have been leader a year ago when Shearer resigned and Cunliffe became leader. Of course, what Watkins is really saying here is: If it wasn’t for those dratted members and unions we’d have a sensible Labour Party that would hold to the status quo.
Basically, more authoritarian BS from our MSM that holds that the public should just leave the decisions to the government and not get engaged in the actual decision making.
Primer for the Goldman Sachs secret tapes
It is time to end the Reign of the Banks.
DTB .. and let’s remember Goldman Sachs absorbed Merrill Lynch thus Key’s fortune rests in Goldman Sachs shares … nothing more needs be said, sadly …
Bank of America. And BoA got a serious case of indigestion from ingesting ML.
@ DTB 19
Joe 90 and I put up comments on 27/9 which may extend background on this Federal Reserve Bank regulatory farce.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27092014/#comment-899386
Andrew Little might not be a stellar performer but at least he will not be disliked or pitied. He would be a safe pair of hands to bring about the needed changes and remember that under MMP he only has to raise Labour to where it was when Shearer was deposed in order to possibly win in 2017. Andrew Little is better than Shearer and could win votes from the Greens and win back the Labour voters who opted for the safety of National in 2014.
Public Broadcasting impartiality
Back in 2003 “Trougher Hide” led a tirade against Brian Edwards and had him successfully removed from current affairs. Apparently on the basis of Edwards political leanings and questionable “impartiality”.
Wonder how Hide views Hosking’s role in meeting Public Broadcasting standards?
An incredible, innovative, musical protest for Mike Brown
Brown was the young black man killed without legal reason, by a white police officer in Ferguson, St Louis County.
https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/518619611290669056
very moving, and awesome protest.
the reaction of some in the audience is quite revealing!
Some definitely did not like their cosy gluten free specialty baked white bread world disturbed. One woman made quite a face at the peasantry.
why do we let these people have power?
A promo video from Pinkroccade, a prominent IT contractor to Dutch local governments, makes the case for spying on wearables (if your heart-rate rises because you’re about to be mugged, the police could be alerted, and get GPS from your phone, find nearby phones belonging to people with criminal records, check the view from your Google Glass, and respond — case closed); following outrage from the press, the company doubled down on its video, saying it was not meant to be interpreted by lay people and that you have to be an expert to understand why it isn’t creepy as all fuck.
http://boingboing.net/2014/10/04/dutch-it-contractor-lays-out-t.html
On tonights news I see there is a major fire in a substation in Auckland.
Funny that, I thought, that would have not happened in the bad bad bad days of NZCED when we ALL owned the infrastructure of New Zealand. Myers reminded us of these “terrible” days on Q&A this morning
My second thought was, Why did it happen? Was it because we had a cost reducing profit maximizing lack of maintenance or, incompetent subcontractors with the lowest bid got the job.
My third thought was
One of the suburbs that was really affected was EPSOM. Ha Ha fucking Ha perhaps Rimmer along with Kryton can come and fix it for them.
I noted john Key was swift to make his “expert” views on the matter known. I guess his Parnell home was one of those affected. OMG that’s terrible. (sarc)
His ‘expert’ take on it.
‘It was a freak occurrence.’
‘He downplayed the suggestion the outage suggested Auckland’s power infrastructure was overly vulnerable.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11337366
@halfcrown
after picking myself up off the floor from dying of hysterical laughter. I must applaud you for your stunning wit, and humour.
Epsom powerless. Oh the irony.
Wanna make some money . Go on Ipredict and pick the Labour leader. Arbitrage to your heart’s content.
Just read Chris Trotter’s Sept 30th discussion about renewal of NZLP. The key suggestion seemed to be to turn the party list over to member voting, as done by the Greens. Party list selection by members is a great idea, but it would have much less impact for NZLP than it does for GPANZ.
.
The current NZLP electorate candidate process is also interesting. I think involves 3 votes from head office and 2 from local organisation. So centralised control could be exerted to enforce electorate candidate renewal, but that might be very messy and simply lead to a call for less head office power.
.
The Labour trend is clearly away from centralised control. As Trotter points out, the Nats are much more comfortable with that idea.
.
The rules are here http://www.elections.org.nz/sites/default/files/parties/rules/Labour%20Party%20Constitution%20and%20Rules.pdf
.
The org review from 2012 also makes interesting reading for those who are calling for yet another org review. https://www.labour.org.nz/sites/default/files/Labour%20Review%20Discussion%20Paper.pdf
When parliaments were first formed, only the rich could afford to be MPs. The answer to this was supposedly to pay them a salary. This obviously hasn’t worked, because the people we have in parliament are somewhere between comfortably well off and super rich. As well as what they can make if they indulge in insider trading with their blind trusts, cough cough, they get paid far more than most Kiwis can even dream about. Maybe they should be paid something like the unemployment benefit rate, with allowances for travel etc? I’m sure that would keep heaps of the troughers we have at the moment out of the Beehive.
And also: Glory glory to South Sydney. The two teams I hope never win the NRL competition again are Manly (Abbott and his ilk live there) and the Broncos (donate to the LNP campaign in Queensland). After seeing Russell Crowe get a championship ring made for Isaac Luke, I think there might be some truth to the rumours that he is part Kiwi.
Lenin wrote somewhere that the left should be involved where the working masses are. For me, that’s not a challenge at all, because I love Rugby League. The Kiwis would never make John Key captain.
Murray 0 1/06 am
Low wages for MPs would result in a moral hazard whereby they would be vulnerable to brown envelopes and baubles, and trips to resorts for their family, an apartment on the Gold Coast etc………..
Limited terms would be the deal and applying to all of them there pollies from top to bottom. Putin seems adept at the merry go round, but some sort of limitation would stop too many from digging themselves a fur lined cave for the duration.
I understand they have these in the USA, fur lined cars, or caves I mean. And someone who has early onset bigotry and calcification of the brain can stay in power probably with pay offs and because they look like daddy, so they can’t be winkled out. Probably in the end it seems uncharitable to such an old soldier to give him the push so they get a sympathy vote. That’s not democracy at work. That’s good ol’boys getting a rort.
High salaries just make the moral hazards more costly. I remember when the first ACT government vastly increased judges’ salaries, saying they would be vulnerable to bribery at the then current rate. I found it funny that judges had to be bribed to be honest.