Heralds apparently spent some money on a proper opinion writer. One who writes an article in the style I quite like, sarcasm that is poignant and makes you think a little.
yep I like their new opinion writer, should add a little required balance that nanny had been so lacking for so long if she stays on this sort of mid ground tune.
Stewart said she accepted people would disagree with her or criticise her work, and she welcomed robust debate. However, responses of an overtly sexual or derogatory nature abusing individuals were offensive and unnecessary.
“No one has discussed the issues raised in the column at all – choosing instead to attack rather than engage.”
The other day I called trolls the venereal disease of the internet …..
I realised my diagnosis of them was wrong ……………… and they are clearly the ‘ dick pics’ of the internet …. as the trolls are always male …..
Spotty dicks … drippy dicks and most often limp dicks ………..
When a self posting dick pic leaves a smelly discharge in a thread, such as …. “Shes just another ranty hypocrite” …. see it as just what drippy dicks do …………
Oh dang, what a read, loved it. Thanks so much for posting the link. Looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
This part had me in stitches…
“Our own Prime Minister is pretty much off his rocker but, hey, let’s not labour the point. Unless, it’s all Labour’s fault. Which it probably is. It’s just got to be their fault he got in that cage and bent down and picked up the soap on command. Or that he’s overseen the new and unprecedented era of wadeable versus swimmable rivers. Or that children living in poverty are way harder to count than rodents. Even if they don’t move as fast. Even when you offer them $5000.”
Did they really have to put her photo at the head of the article?
I clicked on your link and the first thing I found was a photo that looked just like Donald Trump! Same eyes and hair tone.
Poor thing. She deserves sympathy.
Quite put me off my breakfast.
I made no comment at all about what I thought of the article.
Your imagination is therefore running completely out of control when you claim “Doesn’t like what the person said and so attacks her looks”
I neither said that I didn’t like what she said and I didn’t “attack” her. I sympathised with her.
And yes, if any other journalist’s photo reminded me so strongly of Trump I would have sympathised with them too.
Actually I have previously commented that one of the Wellington City Council candidates has a photo on his billboards that appears to have been copied from the John Key photo from the last election. I don’t know whether Simon Woolf is going to gain or lose from the resemblance.
I neither said that I didn’t like what she said and I didn’t “attack” her. I sympathised with her.
Why would you need to sympathise with how people look?
The answer is that you don’t, don’t even have to bring it up, and thus it was an attack on her and what she wrote and not sympathy.
When I saw her photo I was reminded of Donald Trump.
That man is so appalling that it would put anyone of their breakfast.
Do you seriously expect me to think kind thought about “The Donald” rather than be totally horrified by the man?
Oh Alwyn – so presumably when you look in the mirror there is a face looking back at you that is stunningly attractive, with a great hair style, wearing smart attire. So you have therefore given yourself the right to judge someone’s appearance who does not match your gorgeousness. How shallow.
I thought the column was brilliant and so refreshingly clever.
“looking back at you that is stunningly attractive, with a great hair style, wearing smart attire”.
Well no. I see someone who is getting distinctly old, wearing old clothes and looking like anyone else of my age.
The only thing I can claim is that I still have my hair, although it is now totally white.
I didn’t even say she was not gorgeous, did I? I merely commented that she reminded me very strongly of Donald Trump. Could it be that you don’t approve of The Donald’s looks? How judgemental of you.
Oh well, I assume in the future no one on this site will describe Cameron Slater as being fat and everyone will ignore Gerry Brownlie’s excessive weight.
Jesse Mulligan: “Sometimes when I read this stuff I get
the sense that Russia are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ for trouble…”
RNZ National, Tuesday 4 October 2016, 4:47 p.m.
Jesse Mulligan, James Nokise, Chris Wikaira
Incredibly, RNZ’s sorry light chat show The Panel just keeps getting worse. I’m sorry to have to say that in his occasional hosting stints, comedian Jesse Mulligan has shown himself to be as ill-informed and smug as the regular host Jim Mora. The following farcical exchange was horrible to listen to, not only because of Mulligan’s abysmal ignorance—it’s obvious he has read virtually no “stuff” on Syria—but also because of Professor Gillespie’s mealy-mouthed performance. It seems he’s more concerned with avoiding a browbeating from his notorious right wing Waikato colleagues Ron Smith and Dov Bing than he is with informing the audience. The end effect of five minutes of Al Gillespie is similar to sitting through five minutes of a Donal Trump speech—you feel you’ve wasted your time, and you actually feel stupider at the end of it…..
JESSE MULLIGAN: So let’s move on as well, and we’ll go international now, with a look at the world with Al Gillespie. The United States has suspended Syrian ceasefire talks with Russia, and they made the call after frustrations with Moscow and its ability to live up to a ceasefire agreement. That announcement comes two weeks after the most recent attempt at a ceasefire fell apart, when a humanitarian aid convoy trying to reach besieged areas of rebel-held Aleppo was destroyed by an air strike. Al Gillespie of the University of Waikato joins us now. Al, hullo there, how ARE you today?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Hey Jessie, I’m well. Thank you.
JESSE MULLIGAN:[extended intake of breath to convey how serious he is] Who do we believe: United States or Russia?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Well, there’s two sides to it. The Americans said they’ll only go back into the talks if the Russians stop bombing Aleppo, and the Russians say they can only stop bombing Aleppo if the Americans distinguish between the moderate rebels and Al Qaeda, which is a legitimate target.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Aaaaand is your understanding that the Russians have a POINT in that respect or do the United States deny it?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: I, uh, I, …[baffled world-weary sigh]… there’s no-o-o-o-o black and white any more in, in Syria, especially in Aleppo. And often the sides, some of those that are moderate and not meant to be targeted, blend with the ILLEGITIMATE, more religious extremists which CAN be targeted. It’s pretty hard to get a clear dividing line.
JESSE MULLIGAN: How bad news IS this, that talks have broken down between the U.S. and Russia?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: It’s very bad, I mean we can’t even get a ceasefire at the moment, so we can’t, you need a ceasefire before you can start talking about a peace plan. We need to be thinking that this conflict could go on for many years from here.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Why do ceasefires break down, Al, if uh, if no one enjoys war? [snickers nervously]
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: There’s no trust on the ground. No one believes that it’s safe to bring in aid, water, or food, and so unless you can get the most basic modicum of trust, you can’t build up.
JESSE MULLIGAN: So how do you CREATE it?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: You get the teams, well you need two things. One, people have to get tired of fighting, and neither side has to believe that they can WIN. At the moment, there’s so much money, men, and ammunition going into the fight, both sides believe that they still have the upper hand. And then you need to have confidence-building measures, and right now they can’t even achieve THAT.
JESSE MULLIGAN:[speaking very slowly, to convey thoughtfulness] Sometimes when I read this stuff I get the sense that Russia are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ for trouble, are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ to create tension with the U.S. Is that fair?
….Long pause….
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE:[slowly, deliberately, to convey deep thinking] Ahhhhhmmm, partly, partly not. I mean, Russia’s there by a treaty it had with Syria from the early 1970s, a legitimate treaty for a defensive alliance, and Assad is still to a degree in power, so Russia’s doing what it was bound to do by treaty. The problem is, that at some point, as long as you’re propping up these sides the war will continue and you may have to, everyone just back out and see what the actual outcome is.
….Long pause…
JESSE MULLIGAN: Meanwhile, there’s this OTHER story around today, that Russia have walked away from the protocol on weapons-grade plutonium control. Can you give us a bit of background to that, Al?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Certainly. So the nuclear arms treaty’s like a collection of documents which regulate nuclear weapons. One of the protocols was about the reduction of plutonium, surplus plutonium, so it would not be diverted to create more nuclear warheads. The Russians have suspended their talks in this protocol exactly the same day as the Americans suspended their talks about the ceasefire in Syria. It’s a blow to nuclear arms control, it’s not MASSIVE, but it’s certainly starting to wobble the architecture.
…Long pause…
JESSE MULLIGAN: And once AGA-A-AIN, if we look at both parties, do both parties have some culpability here, or is it the Russians MAKING TROUBLE?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: U-u-u-u-u-ummm, both parties have some —the Russians are saying that they can’t trust the Americans with the technology that they’re using to turn their plutonium into a safe form of nuclear material, and the Americans are saying that if they work together they can come to a compromise. So there’s good and bad on both sides.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Mmmm-kay. Finally today, the Colombian peace deal veto. You better give us some background to this as well, Al, it’ll be the first time a lot of people have HEARD about this….
…ad nauseam…
Anyone wishing to, unlike Jesse Mulligan, do some serious study of what is happening in Syria, should bypass the likes of Al Gillespie and read or listen to someone who knows what he’s talking about. There is no one better on this than Noam Chomsky…. http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/17/noam_chomsky_on_syria_conflict_cut
Typical of the relentless dumbing down of National radio, it drives me fucking crazy.
I have emailed 9-noon a number of times the about pointlessness of having that private prison loving centrist Mike Williams on the voices from the right and left on Mondays, what a complete waste of time, he more often than not ends up agreeing tacitly with Hooten’s position, and why wouldn’t he, they are basically two sides of the same coin….don’t get me started.
Williams doesn’t “tacitly” agree with Hooton, Adrian, he makes a point of saying “I agree with Matthew” several times in every show, almost as often as he chortles along with Hooton whenever a politician like Jeremy Corbyn is mentioned.
Maybe he learned to ingratiate himself with superior personalities when he was a high school classmate of Paul Holmes.
I know I was trying to be diplomatic, I have also replied to quite a few of Williams opinion pieces in the Hawks Bay today, however our local newspaper isn’t that interested in community conversation so only publish comments spasmodically.
I can’t understand RNZ’s logic of not actually having a hard hitting left intellectual on the show to challenge Hooton, and spark real debate. Surely even from their own rating perspective that must make sense?
They have occasionally put decent opponents up against Hooton, much to his evident discomfort. Laila Harré never let him get away with anything, and Andrew Campbell stymied him regularly.
I’m sure the RNZ National management had a role in getting rid of those difficult people and replacing them with patsies like Williams.
Ratings aren’t important: conformity is all that matters.
I think it was a very opportune outage. It will have saved red faces all round.
The more devoted Andrew-philes would have been in a terrible dilemma if they had been able to comment yesterday morning.
After listening to Little’s repeated promises on Morning Report to pay all parents a $60/week benefit for the first year of a babies life there would have been paens of praise about what great leadership Labour were offering and that we now saw what a wonderful man Little was.
Then, about four hours later they would be stuck with having to explain how he had never said any such thing and that he was being grossly misinterpreted. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11722111
Even the Herald seems to have decided he had stuffed up again.
Only four hours from cock of the walk to a feather duster.
I must admit I was quite surprised how much I missed the presence of this site though. I think I need to take a holiday. Thanks for fixing my fix.
Little’s interview was way better than John Key’s pathetic effort. Little said it would take 2 terms-6 years- to make a real difference to child poverty, which is about right, and floated the old Labour $60 policy as one way of alleviating this. So at least he committed Labour to do something about this scandalous situation-nobody announces actual policies this far out.
Did we see a massive article in the Herald critisising Key’s pathetic do-nothing, the market will sort it out, what about the rodents, interview response? No.
ittle’s interview was way better than John Key’s pathetic effort. Little said it would take 2 terms-6 years- to make a real difference to child poverty, which is about right
Meanwhile, that poverty permanently damages the life prospects of 300,000-400,000 children, while the six figure types in Wellington fret around in the Koru Club.
How long does it really take to raise benefits by $30/week and make the first $5,000 earned in wages/salary exempt from income tax and WINZ calculations?
How long does it really take to raise benefits by $30/week and make the first $5,000 earned in wages/salary exempt from income tax and WINZ calculations?
And how long would it take for the capitalists to raise prices so that they could grab all the extra money for themselves thus ensuring that it would make no difference for the poor?
The two most interesting things about John key are….
His bailout and the amount of money he took from u.s.a pension funds …
2008: 2 Interests (such as shares and bonds)in companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment
MerrillLynch – investment banking
JacksonMining – gold mining ……………………
And after then the bailout ………….
2009: 2 Interests (such as shares and bonds) in companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment
Bank of America – banking
Jackson Mining – gold mining
The other interesting thing is how the media, wikipedia and his biography do not mention his good fortune and millions in charity ……..
The truth looks like a millionare taking millions in charity from ordinary citizens for his worthless investment in ponzi merrill lynch ( merrills share price had been climbing rapidly before imploding )
Key seems to support fraud both overseas and here in NZ ……….. “” a contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
lol…i can see you…you are a person of interest …and how do yu know who I am and what my real beliefs are?…I could work for the government and the secret service…i may not even be a Chooky
I think the difference is though that KDC was attempting to help National lose the election (like it seems Julian Assange is with Hilary Clinton) whereas National has been trying to win elections
On that score Assange seems to be as successful as KDC
yes well it is a gamble…but sometimes it pays to keep a little bit in storage as insurance just in case something happens to you …as Robert Fisk once said
You mean that completely unsourced and unverifiable claim from a single “news” source? The Clinton conspiracies get wilder by the day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if pretty soon someone claims she used HAARP to make Chemtrails rain GMO gluten seeds on Haiti.
Seriously, Clinton as a poor choice for president is obvious, there is no need to make shit up when her record speaks for itself.
Clinton has caused all the bad shit that has happened over the last THIRTY, I say again, THIRTY years. From fukashima, plastic gryes in the ocean, earthquakes, mountineers not making it, famines, reruns of pissweak UK shit series, all the way to mass murderers, drinking games that arent really games, the middle east and the west and east east too, racial and sexual intolerance, the mullet haircut putin having inappropriate liasons with that tiger. The list – endlist ///sarc
Not sure about Clinton wanting to drone Assange – but given that Assange is an enemy of the US security state that would seem likely.
Also you seem to have forgotten that Sec State Clinton was a leading figure in the Obama Administration’s record breaking use of illegal/extra-judicial drone assassinations – under Obama the US droned far more people than GW did.
The Tasman District Council are making it very difficult for me to cast a special vote. Apparently I have to drive to their HQ in Richmond (30mins on the open road) and cannot cast a special vote from their service centre in Motueka. I was wonder if any whom live over the hill in Golden Bay on the unpublished roll, and if they have to go all the way to Richmond to vote (an hour and a half drive on the open road), because they aren’t allowed to cast their special vote from the Golden Bay service centre, just like I’m experiencing.
To bad if people on the unpublished roll can’t get to Richmond to cast their special vote.
Are other councils making it difficult for those on the unpublished roll? I didn’t have this problem with the general election.
Essentially, if they just try to be fluffy tories, real tories do a better job of being tories and those they’ve abandoned for their Pt Chevalier dinner parties look to the far right or radical left. In order to keep either out of office, they find themselves directly complicit with the tories as junior partners. The problem for the radical left is that its still too fragmented and incoherent to achieve much effect in parliaments and finds itself blocked.
The problem for the radical left is that its still too fragmented and incoherent to achieve much effect in parliaments and finds itself blocked.
The deeper problem is that the right now have all the levers. The right, having persuaded populations that they would all end up as shareholders, and that unemployment etc. were just temporary pains, changed tack as soon as they had what they wanted (all the levers). This left the centre left parties, who had geared themselves toward making sure the shareholder society would be inclusive, with nowhere to go. One of two things has to happen. Either the right themselves will start to reconfigure their aims, fearing that being top dog in a fractured, disabled society makes one vulnerable to worse threats than mere trade unions, or the left will build up the numbers to give them a run for their money even without the levers. While the lack of levers keeps the left fragmented, things have come a long way from movements like “occupy” to Sanders, Corbyn, Podemos, etc.
Real Clear Politics has Clinton with a poll lead of 3.8% and a 322-216 lead on the state by state electoral vote map. Not quite a real clear lead but the trend is good.
“Documents reportedly hacked from the Clinton Foundation servers have identified major Democratic donors and troubling ties between TARP aid given to banks and their political contributions. One folder is outright labeled “Pay to Play.”
A Hacker calling himself “Guccifer 2.0,” who claimed responsibility for previous breaches of the Democratic National Committee and the congressional Democrats, published the documents on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the vice-presidential debates.
“I hacked the Clinton Foundation server and downloaded hundreds of thousands of docs and donors’ databases,” the hacker wrote on his blog. “Clinton and her staff don’t even bother about the information security.”
The Clinton Foundation has denied the hack, with president Donna Shalala saying that “none of the files or folders shown are ours.”…
Scroll through to 8 minutes for my presentation to the Auckland Council Governing Body Meeting of 24 February 2016.
This is where I outline why I think Auckland Council failed to follow lawful due process regarding the ‘out of scope evidence’ provided to the Independent Hearings Panel, and I defended the lawful rights of citizens from ‘the leafy suburbs’.
(This is one of the 27 Auckland Council Governing Body meetings to which I have presented since 1 November 2010).
“I defended the lawful rights of citizens from ‘the leafy suburbs”
Thank goodness someone is defending our coastal nimbys from their future. Imagine if they had to rely on their own meagre resources to hold back change. Will someone think of the lawyers?
Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster 13
“[Trump] hasn’t spent 30 years in the system, he hasn’t memorised the playbook, he’s not part of the status quo and therefore he is the disrupter that we need in the environment that we’re in today,”
“[Hillary] talked about a basket of deplorables, I think you really need to turn the tables, the basket of deplorables are the policies that she’s been associated with and her generation of leaders ever since the 1980s.”
So Key asserted the Government is committed to reducing the number of children in poverty (albeit without setting targets).
Therefore, if National are genuinely committed, will they be extending WFF to all low income children (as called for by Professor Susan St John)?
Will they adjust WFF for past inflation and index it annually to wages?
While Labour are committed to setting targets, unfortunately they’ve yet to commit to the WFF measures mentioned above. Therefore, we can’t expect Labour to apply political pressure on this one just yet (and perhaps not at all).
It’s a shame Labour haven’t got their policy together yet, it results in a weaker opposition.
I watched a fund raiser, was harangued about a new book and eventually trolled by an alleged rapist who revealed nothing new about Clinton, and he seemed to throw cold water on the notion that any revelations he had in store would destroy Clinton’s campaign.
Trump (the so-called anti-establishment presidential candidate) wants to slash the corporate tax rate by over 50% with no strings attached.
The reasoning for this is he hopes to attract businesses back to the States to help boost employment and stimulate the economy.
Unfortunately, Trump made no mention of stipulating criteria (living wage, employment expectations, etc) companies would have to meet to receive the tax cuts while ensuring his objectives are met.
Wonder how his anti-establishment supporters feel about that one?
Could only sign into the back end of the site. Every time I hit the front end, it appeared I was automatically signed out. Then I submitted a comment and I was suddenly signed in again. Sort of.
Still can’t access private posts on the front end. Can access them on the back end, but not to comment .
And depending on how I navigate around the front end, I appear to be variously signed out or signed in.
I was locked out so changed browser – This message:
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[lprent: That usually happens when you have too many calls to the site within too short a timeframe. It is there to prevent the site getting overwhelmed by bots masquerading as human. But I’ve been playing with the cache, and didn’t really have time to fine tune it last night. I’ll have a look at it after I get home and make some dinner. ]
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The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
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In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia R. Grover, Clinical Professor of Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne Polina Zimmerman/Pexels Menstruation, or a period, is the bleeding that occurs about monthly in healthy people born with a uterus, from puberty to menopause. This happens when the endometrium, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney Lisa Tomasetti/Opera Australia “It’s an old song”, Hermes (Christine Anu) sings at the opening of Hadestown, but “we’re gonna sing it again and again”. Based on a ...
An additional $13 million will be invested in tourism infrastructure, including upgrading huts and resolving the backlog in Milford Sound concessions. ...
The reality is that we have no obligation to tolerate the intolerant. They are using violence to shut down and silence others. The result of tolerating intolerant views is the loss of everyone’s freedom of speech except for the one who most effectively ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University Adwo/Shutterstock Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely ...
Alex Casey unearths Simon Court’s full sales pitch for how menstrual cups could end poverty. On Friday last week, Act MP Simon Court was accused of “mansplaining” during a parliamentary committee hearing about benefit sanctions. After submitter Rachel Dibble shared her concerns about period poverty and the impact that sanctions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful. There are three main ...
Asia Pacific Report Two independent Jewish Voices groups in Aotearoa New Zealand have written an open letter to the government condemning the Zionist “colonisation” project leading to genocide and criticising the role of the NZ Jewish Council for its “unelected” and “uncritical support” for Israel. The groups, Alternative Jewish Voices ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Newspoll, conducted February 10–14 from a sample of 1,244, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged from the previous Newspoll, ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you enjoy whip-smart satire: The White Lotus (Neon, February 17) HBO’s award-winning The White Lotus is back for what critics are calling “an absolutely exquisite third ...
NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time, so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes, New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Indonesia’s TVOne launched an AI news presenter in 2023.T.J. Thomson Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in ...
Many of the young vapers interviewed by a team of public health researchers said they felt unable to resist the pro-vaping environment that surrounded them. New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree ...
Analysis: While most Wellingtonians enjoyed a rare but unbeatable sunny day on Saturday, some New Zealand diplomats will have been briefly shocked by a screenshot making the rounds on social media showing US President Donald Trump calling us a “third world country”.The image, it appears, was a fake – certainly a ...
ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that the Treaty Principles Bill has galvanised the biggest movement in support of Te Tiriti in modern history. ...
While it is in the interests of Wellington ratepayers to sell off this subsidy for the rich, it is unfortunate that it has come to this point. The council should have never spent a penny on this programme, and the $3.4 million spent is a flagrant abuse ...
A search for the person behind a social media account ridiculing Māori.Last week, while scrolling Facebook, I came across a post shared to the New Zealand Centre for Political Research group. The post began, “From Matua Kahurangi on X”, before pasting his critique of iwi leadership – particularly Ngāpuhi ...
On the heels of The White Lotus season three, Tara Ward travels to Koh Samui, Thailand, to live her best life as a five-star wannabe. I’ve never been one for luxury travel. Despite religiously watching TV shows like Luxury Escapes: World’s Best Holidays and harbouring grand dreams of one day ...
The Treaty Principles Bill submission hearings continue at Parliament today with a range of submitters expected including councils, iwi, community organisations and individuals. ...
It’s become of one of Christchurch’s most famous landmarks online, but why? Alex Casey steps through the portal of the brutalist Timezone. Ask anyone what Christchurch’s most iconic building is and you might expect to hear some of the dusty old classics like the Cathedral, or the Town Hall, or ...
New Zealand’s alignment with the White House is further underscored by its refusal to oppose Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago Shutterstock/Aliaksandr Barouski New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree generation would have ended sales of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne Edwin Tan/Getty Images When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer. However, our new ...
The resignation of the director general of health is the latest departure in what Labour is calling a ‘purge’ of health leadership. Another day, another health resignation It’s a dangerous time to be a top health executive. On Friday, Dr Diana Sarfati announced her resignation as director general of health ...
Labour and the Greens say the government should focus spending on tourism infrastructure like tracks, toilets and protection of nature instead of more advertising. ...
Hundreds of people called the former prime minister vile and dehumanising things online. Internet safety agencies did nothing - then called in the lawyers. ...
Hundreds of people called the former prime minister vile and dehumanising things online. Internet safety agencies did nothing - then called in the lawyers. ...
After a morning spent calf marking, Flock Hill Station manager Richard Hill headed up Bridge Hill – about 100km from Christchurch on the way to the West Coast – to check on a fire near the station’s boundary.It was December 5 last year, and the Craigieburn area had experienced three ...
I am confused.
Key says hard to measure count the kids in poverty,
BUT YET
the moe can measure kids at risk for school funding!!!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11722436
PS well done LPent
One is measured poorly, the other isn’t.
Yes. Thanks Lyn. Absence makes the heart grow fonder- or something. 🙂
I was going thru withdrawal symptoms!
My very heartfelt thanks LPrent.
National government strategy on CC resembles its plan on the Auckland housing crisis….a lot of spin and no action….”its complicated”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201818700/nz-ratifies-paris-agreement-to-fight-climate-change
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11722306
Heralds apparently spent some money on a proper opinion writer. One who writes an article in the style I quite like, sarcasm that is poignant and makes you think a little.
yep I like their new opinion writer, should add a little required balance that nanny had been so lacking for so long if she stays on this sort of mid ground tune.
Shes just another ranty hypocrite in my opinion but if you like her writing then its all good
Who’s literary musing do you salivate over PR, Hitlers, Mein Kampf? /joke
You can not like her PR I don’t care, but calling her a hypocrite smacks of immaturity, care too offer some reasoning behind your comment?
Ok, theres this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/65378670/Police-investigate-threat-to-columnist-Rachel-Stewart
Stewart said she accepted people would disagree with her or criticise her work, and she welcomed robust debate. However, responses of an overtly sexual or derogatory nature abusing individuals were offensive and unnecessary.
“No one has discussed the issues raised in the column at all – choosing instead to attack rather than engage.”
then this:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/09/fairfax_columnist_advocates_violence.html
I suppose one could make the claim she wasn’t serious but theres no real indication its a joke, likes there no emoticons used or anything
The other day I called trolls the venereal disease of the internet …..
I realised my diagnosis of them was wrong ……………… and they are clearly the ‘ dick pics’ of the internet …. as the trolls are always male …..
Spotty dicks … drippy dicks and most often limp dicks ………..
When a self posting dick pic leaves a smelly discharge in a thread, such as …. “Shes just another ranty hypocrite” …. see it as just what drippy dicks do …………
I used to think of Puck as like these guys http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.10660581.1630/flat,1000×1000,075,f.jpg …. which funnily enough also involved dicks… but expressing whose and how lead to a short and justified ban for me in the past …. so I wont go there again :0 …………
This seems more natural for him anyway …. https://www.scifinow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Mason.jpg
https://kenpire.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/mason-verger-tear-martini.png?w=788&h=1000
https://fathersonholygore.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/img_1724.png
https://notnumber6.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/174598_105937692815114_903723_n.jpg
Oh dang, what a read, loved it. Thanks so much for posting the link. Looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
This part had me in stitches…
“Our own Prime Minister is pretty much off his rocker but, hey, let’s not labour the point. Unless, it’s all Labour’s fault. Which it probably is. It’s just got to be their fault he got in that cage and bent down and picked up the soap on command. Or that he’s overseen the new and unprecedented era of wadeable versus swimmable rivers. Or that children living in poverty are way harder to count than rodents. Even if they don’t move as fast. Even when you offer them $5000.”
It’s not really covert. We’ve just been conditioned to accept it, to worship those who are it and to chase being it…
…and that’s being rich.
We cannot afford rich people and chasing being ever richer is destroying society and the environment around us.
Did they really have to put her photo at the head of the article?
I clicked on your link and the first thing I found was a photo that looked just like Donald Trump! Same eyes and hair tone.
Poor thing. She deserves sympathy.
Quite put me off my breakfast.
Ah, a typical nasty RWNJ.
Doesn’t like what the person said and so attacks her looks.
Tell me, would have done that if the author had been a male?
I made no comment at all about what I thought of the article.
Your imagination is therefore running completely out of control when you claim “Doesn’t like what the person said and so attacks her looks”
I neither said that I didn’t like what she said and I didn’t “attack” her. I sympathised with her.
And yes, if any other journalist’s photo reminded me so strongly of Trump I would have sympathised with them too.
Actually I have previously commented that one of the Wellington City Council candidates has a photo on his billboards that appears to have been copied from the John Key photo from the last election. I don’t know whether Simon Woolf is going to gain or lose from the resemblance.
Why would you need to sympathise with how people look?
The answer is that you don’t, don’t even have to bring it up, and thus it was an attack on her and what she wrote and not sympathy.
I actually agree on this, you see this all the time (on the left and right) where people feel free to point out other people physical attributes
Its not right, its not helpful and its just plain wrong
When I saw her photo I was reminded of Donald Trump.
That man is so appalling that it would put anyone of their breakfast.
Do you seriously expect me to think kind thought about “The Donald” rather than be totally horrified by the man?
Call her up on her hypocrisy, call her up on her writing its all good but don’t go around belittling her on her looks
Its demeaning to her and to you
And you come across like this alwyn …… http://beatlephotoblog.com/photos/2010/09/53.jpg
But I suspect physically your a bit more of a broken down old cart horse …
you’re….
Not cool bro, not cool at all.
Can we all please stop making reference to what people look like and focus on what they say/do instead
Oh Alwyn – so presumably when you look in the mirror there is a face looking back at you that is stunningly attractive, with a great hair style, wearing smart attire. So you have therefore given yourself the right to judge someone’s appearance who does not match your gorgeousness. How shallow.
I thought the column was brilliant and so refreshingly clever.
“looking back at you that is stunningly attractive, with a great hair style, wearing smart attire”.
Well no. I see someone who is getting distinctly old, wearing old clothes and looking like anyone else of my age.
The only thing I can claim is that I still have my hair, although it is now totally white.
I didn’t even say she was not gorgeous, did I? I merely commented that she reminded me very strongly of Donald Trump. Could it be that you don’t approve of The Donald’s looks? How judgemental of you.
Oh well, I assume in the future no one on this site will describe Cameron Slater as being fat and everyone will ignore Gerry Brownlie’s excessive weight.
“I didn’t even say she was not gorgeous, did I?”
you definatelky implied it.
Just stop digging the hole and admit that it was a low blow
“you definatelky implied it”.
I do not consider I have any responsibility for the results of your fevered imagination.
FFS – what is wrong with you?
It’s a symptom of a wider malaise. Don’t waste your keystrokes. He’s too far gone to be saved.
Too ranty for me – kinda like Bomber. Much rant with little substance.
Also:
“Our own Prime Minister is pretty much off his rocker but, hey, let’s not labour the point. Unless, it’s all Labour’s fault.”
It should be ” let’s not belabour the point”. Grinds me gears!
ahhh but using the word labour instead of belabour ie sarcasm was deliberate do you not think?
Possibly, but could still have worked spelled correctly.
As a former journo and comms manager I am a self-confessed grammar Nazi
Jesse Mulligan: “Sometimes when I read this stuff I get
the sense that Russia are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ for trouble…”
RNZ National, Tuesday 4 October 2016, 4:47 p.m.
Jesse Mulligan, James Nokise, Chris Wikaira
Incredibly, RNZ’s sorry light chat show The Panel just keeps getting worse. I’m sorry to have to say that in his occasional hosting stints, comedian Jesse Mulligan has shown himself to be as ill-informed and smug as the regular host Jim Mora. The following farcical exchange was horrible to listen to, not only because of Mulligan’s abysmal ignorance—it’s obvious he has read virtually no “stuff” on Syria—but also because of Professor Gillespie’s mealy-mouthed performance. It seems he’s more concerned with avoiding a browbeating from his notorious right wing Waikato colleagues Ron Smith and Dov Bing than he is with informing the audience. The end effect of five minutes of Al Gillespie is similar to sitting through five minutes of a Donal Trump speech—you feel you’ve wasted your time, and you actually feel stupider at the end of it…..
JESSE MULLIGAN: So let’s move on as well, and we’ll go international now, with a look at the world with Al Gillespie. The United States has suspended Syrian ceasefire talks with Russia, and they made the call after frustrations with Moscow and its ability to live up to a ceasefire agreement. That announcement comes two weeks after the most recent attempt at a ceasefire fell apart, when a humanitarian aid convoy trying to reach besieged areas of rebel-held Aleppo was destroyed by an air strike. Al Gillespie of the University of Waikato joins us now. Al, hullo there, how ARE you today?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Hey Jessie, I’m well. Thank you.
JESSE MULLIGAN: [extended intake of breath to convey how serious he is] Who do we believe: United States or Russia?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Well, there’s two sides to it. The Americans said they’ll only go back into the talks if the Russians stop bombing Aleppo, and the Russians say they can only stop bombing Aleppo if the Americans distinguish between the moderate rebels and Al Qaeda, which is a legitimate target.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Aaaaand is your understanding that the Russians have a POINT in that respect or do the United States deny it?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: I, uh, I, …[baffled world-weary sigh]… there’s no-o-o-o-o black and white any more in, in Syria, especially in Aleppo. And often the sides, some of those that are moderate and not meant to be targeted, blend with the ILLEGITIMATE, more religious extremists which CAN be targeted. It’s pretty hard to get a clear dividing line.
JESSE MULLIGAN: How bad news IS this, that talks have broken down between the U.S. and Russia?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: It’s very bad, I mean we can’t even get a ceasefire at the moment, so we can’t, you need a ceasefire before you can start talking about a peace plan. We need to be thinking that this conflict could go on for many years from here.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Why do ceasefires break down, Al, if uh, if no one enjoys war? [snickers nervously]
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: There’s no trust on the ground. No one believes that it’s safe to bring in aid, water, or food, and so unless you can get the most basic modicum of trust, you can’t build up.
JESSE MULLIGAN: So how do you CREATE it?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: You get the teams, well you need two things. One, people have to get tired of fighting, and neither side has to believe that they can WIN. At the moment, there’s so much money, men, and ammunition going into the fight, both sides believe that they still have the upper hand. And then you need to have confidence-building measures, and right now they can’t even achieve THAT.
JESSE MULLIGAN: [speaking very slowly, to convey thoughtfulness] Sometimes when I read this stuff I get the sense that Russia are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ for trouble, are L-L-L-LOOKIN’ to create tension with the U.S. Is that fair?
….Long pause….
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: [slowly, deliberately, to convey deep thinking] Ahhhhhmmm, partly, partly not. I mean, Russia’s there by a treaty it had with Syria from the early 1970s, a legitimate treaty for a defensive alliance, and Assad is still to a degree in power, so Russia’s doing what it was bound to do by treaty. The problem is, that at some point, as long as you’re propping up these sides the war will continue and you may have to, everyone just back out and see what the actual outcome is.
….Long pause…
JESSE MULLIGAN: Meanwhile, there’s this OTHER story around today, that Russia have walked away from the protocol on weapons-grade plutonium control. Can you give us a bit of background to that, Al?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: Certainly. So the nuclear arms treaty’s like a collection of documents which regulate nuclear weapons. One of the protocols was about the reduction of plutonium, surplus plutonium, so it would not be diverted to create more nuclear warheads. The Russians have suspended their talks in this protocol exactly the same day as the Americans suspended their talks about the ceasefire in Syria. It’s a blow to nuclear arms control, it’s not MASSIVE, but it’s certainly starting to wobble the architecture.
…Long pause…
JESSE MULLIGAN: And once AGA-A-AIN, if we look at both parties, do both parties have some culpability here, or is it the Russians MAKING TROUBLE?
PROFESSOR AL GILLESPIE: U-u-u-u-u-ummm, both parties have some —the Russians are saying that they can’t trust the Americans with the technology that they’re using to turn their plutonium into a safe form of nuclear material, and the Americans are saying that if they work together they can come to a compromise. So there’s good and bad on both sides.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Mmmm-kay. Finally today, the Colombian peace deal veto. You better give us some background to this as well, Al, it’ll be the first time a lot of people have HEARD about this….
…ad nauseam…
Anyone wishing to, unlike Jesse Mulligan, do some serious study of what is happening in Syria, should bypass the likes of Al Gillespie and read or listen to someone who knows what he’s talking about. There is no one better on this than Noam Chomsky….
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/17/noam_chomsky_on_syria_conflict_cut
Typical of the relentless dumbing down of National radio, it drives me fucking crazy.
I have emailed 9-noon a number of times the about pointlessness of having that private prison loving centrist Mike Williams on the voices from the right and left on Mondays, what a complete waste of time, he more often than not ends up agreeing tacitly with Hooten’s position, and why wouldn’t he, they are basically two sides of the same coin….don’t get me started.
Williams doesn’t “tacitly” agree with Hooton, Adrian, he makes a point of saying “I agree with Matthew” several times in every show, almost as often as he chortles along with Hooton whenever a politician like Jeremy Corbyn is mentioned.
Maybe he learned to ingratiate himself with superior personalities when he was a high school classmate of Paul Holmes.
I know I was trying to be diplomatic, I have also replied to quite a few of Williams opinion pieces in the Hawks Bay today, however our local newspaper isn’t that interested in community conversation so only publish comments spasmodically.
I can’t understand RNZ’s logic of not actually having a hard hitting left intellectual on the show to challenge Hooton, and spark real debate. Surely even from their own rating perspective that must make sense?
They have occasionally put decent opponents up against Hooton, much to his evident discomfort. Laila Harré never let him get away with anything, and Andrew Campbell stymied him regularly.
I’m sure the RNZ National management had a role in getting rid of those difficult people and replacing them with patsies like Williams.
Ratings aren’t important: conformity is all that matters.
Thanks Adrian for sorting out thre ” 2 Adrians ” thing.
JESSE MULLIGAN: Why do ceasefires break down, Al, if uh, if no one enjoys war? [snickers nervously]
That alone should get him thrown out of a window. I mean, does he come to work drunk or something?
Thanks for getting the site back up and running, lprent.
+1
I think it was a very opportune outage. It will have saved red faces all round.
The more devoted Andrew-philes would have been in a terrible dilemma if they had been able to comment yesterday morning.
After listening to Little’s repeated promises on Morning Report to pay all parents a $60/week benefit for the first year of a babies life there would have been paens of praise about what great leadership Labour were offering and that we now saw what a wonderful man Little was.
Then, about four hours later they would be stuck with having to explain how he had never said any such thing and that he was being grossly misinterpreted.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11722111
Even the Herald seems to have decided he had stuffed up again.
Only four hours from cock of the walk to a feather duster.
I must admit I was quite surprised how much I missed the presence of this site though. I think I need to take a holiday. Thanks for fixing my fix.
Little’s interview was way better than John Key’s pathetic effort. Little said it would take 2 terms-6 years- to make a real difference to child poverty, which is about right, and floated the old Labour $60 policy as one way of alleviating this. So at least he committed Labour to do something about this scandalous situation-nobody announces actual policies this far out.
Did we see a massive article in the Herald critisising Key’s pathetic do-nothing, the market will sort it out, what about the rodents, interview response? No.
p.s Great to have TS back!
Meanwhile, that poverty permanently damages the life prospects of 300,000-400,000 children, while the six figure types in Wellington fret around in the Koru Club.
How long does it really take to raise benefits by $30/week and make the first $5,000 earned in wages/salary exempt from income tax and WINZ calculations?
And how long would it take for the capitalists to raise prices so that they could grab all the extra money for themselves thus ensuring that it would make no difference for the poor?
Yep Andrew Little reversed away faster from his earlier comments than a Italian tank driver in WW2 from the front line.
Little clarified the “policy” needs more work, as in who / how they were going to pay for it.
No no you don’t understand, John Key tells lies, whereas Andrew Little is the victim of the MSM reporting what he says
The two most interesting things about John key are….
His bailout and the amount of money he took from u.s.a pension funds …
2008: 2 Interests (such as shares and bonds)in companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment
MerrillLynch – investment banking
JacksonMining – gold mining ……………………
And after then the bailout ………….
2009: 2 Interests (such as shares and bonds) in companies and business entities
Little Nell – property investment
Bank of America – banking
Jackson Mining – gold mining
The other interesting thing is how the media, wikipedia and his biography do not mention his good fortune and millions in charity ……..
The truth looks like a millionare taking millions in charity from ordinary citizens for his worthless investment in ponzi merrill lynch ( merrills share price had been climbing rapidly before imploding )
Key seems to support fraud both overseas and here in NZ ……….. “” a contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706741
“Yep Andrew Little reversed away faster from his earlier comments than an Italian tank driver in WW2 from the front line.”
I find that comment in very bad taste,
Have you heard or read anything about the Italian Frogman during the second would war? They would be some of the bravest people in the conflict
The Italian frogmen had the sense to stay well away from tanks. Well, not oxygen tanks. Or water tanks probably.
5 eyes just letting everyone know they’re lurking in the shadows and can strike at any time…
Pretty sure that they can crash the firmware on any piece of consumer technology and make it brick/wipe itself.
http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/74/74b761a4f7992b0114e491e0802a390f831e4537048ece830428d571cf1803ae.jpg
Time to stop hosting it in his sex dungeon and put it on something like aws, hell even digital ocean. Isn’t The Standard a charity?
+100%…but why do I always have to repeat my name and mail in the box every time?
So we can track you more easily…
lol…sqwark…it didnt know there were other Chooky imposters out there
We have eyes everywhere, we see everything…nice top you have on today, the colour suits your eyes and the pattern is quite fetching
obviously you can’t see me!
Maybe that’s what I want you to think, underestimate our true power…you’ll never see us coming 😉
lol…i can see you…you are a person of interest …and how do yu know who I am and what my real beliefs are?…I could work for the government and the secret service…i may not even be a Chooky
Oh I think your support for Penny bright suggests you are somewhat a chook
…You mean you hope I am just a chook (got you scared haven’t I?)
I’ve Got a Little List –
Chooky have you had an answer, it means no reply button above, cant see whos being giving cheek. Ha
has someone been giving me more cheek?…and yes I can’t see any reply button to the The Mikado’s Little List
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3821062/Is-moment-tank-Hillary-s-campaign-Julian-Assange-set-speak-WikiLeaks-conference-promising-release-damaging-information-Clinton.html
Sounds a bit like Kim Dot Cons moment of truth to me, all sizzle and not steak
Bit like English’s budgets then?
Or Murray McCully’s Saudi deal
Or the CHCH convention centre
etc
I think the difference is though that KDC was attempting to help National lose the election (like it seems Julian Assange is with Hilary Clinton) whereas National has been trying to win elections
On that score Assange seems to be as successful as KDC
Without media traction or faux outrage, no one gave a shit.
..,and just because the government and media didn’t take it on, doesn’t mean what they said wasn’t true.
What did KDC have? Some dodgy email that couldn’t be proven, wow
Ah, no, he had Edward Snowden and all of his facts to back up what he said and a couple of award winning journalists as well.
Ah yes “facts” (see what I did there?) and all those “facts”, all the money, all the hype and all the journalists and yet it was a big fat nothing
The truth will out and KDC got outed
Really – so what facts did he have to back up that fake email again?
What fake email?
As far as I know there was no fake emails in KDCs Moment of Truth.
Then it appears you do not know much.
You’re the one that can’t supply a reference.
diddums…I know it was a disappointment to you but Julian is not going away..despite Hillary’s drone threat
‘Assange: WikiLeaks will publish all US election docs by Nov. 8’
https://www.rt.com/usa/361533-assange-documents-elections-usa/
I’d actually prefer Trump over Clinton to win the presidency by the way
I think Clinton has more knowledge of how to cause damage then Trump does
I’m more ticked off that nothing was released, like KDCs moment. I want to see…something but all its been is one big let down
“We’ve got something and we’re going to show it, not today but soon”
and it never happens
yes …I know others who are disappointed…but maybe he has his reasons …sometimes a slow leak is more effective than a one off dump
….and who knows what the pressure he has been under at the Ecuadorian Embassy?
http://truepundit.com/under-intense-pressure-to-silence-wikileaks-secretary-of-state-hillary-clinton-proposed-drone-strike-on-julian-assange/
sometimes a slow leak is more effective than a one off dump
Ask Nicky Hager 🙂
yes well it is a gamble…but sometimes it pays to keep a little bit in storage as insurance just in case something happens to you …as Robert Fisk once said
Hillary’s drone threat?
You mean that completely unsourced and unverifiable claim from a single “news” source? The Clinton conspiracies get wilder by the day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if pretty soon someone claims she used HAARP to make Chemtrails rain GMO gluten seeds on Haiti.
Seriously, Clinton as a poor choice for president is obvious, there is no need to make shit up when her record speaks for itself.
Clinton has caused all the bad shit that has happened over the last THIRTY, I say again, THIRTY years. From fukashima, plastic gryes in the ocean, earthquakes, mountineers not making it, famines, reruns of pissweak UK shit series, all the way to mass murderers, drinking games that arent really games, the middle east and the west and east east too, racial and sexual intolerance, the mullet haircut putin having inappropriate liasons with that tiger. The list – endlist ///sarc
Wake up Clinton is everwhere – check out the video and change Elvis to Clinton –
https://youtu.be/mpb4ZAAP6Z4
Not sure about Clinton wanting to drone Assange – but given that Assange is an enemy of the US security state that would seem likely.
Also you seem to have forgotten that Sec State Clinton was a leading figure in the Obama Administration’s record breaking use of illegal/extra-judicial drone assassinations – under Obama the US droned far more people than GW did.
yeah she done it and 911 and built the pyramids
We wus trolled. (video inside)
Is anyone else on the unpublished electoral roll?
The Tasman District Council are making it very difficult for me to cast a special vote. Apparently I have to drive to their HQ in Richmond (30mins on the open road) and cannot cast a special vote from their service centre in Motueka. I was wonder if any whom live over the hill in Golden Bay on the unpublished roll, and if they have to go all the way to Richmond to vote (an hour and a half drive on the open road), because they aren’t allowed to cast their special vote from the Golden Bay service centre, just like I’m experiencing.
To bad if people on the unpublished roll can’t get to Richmond to cast their special vote.
Are other councils making it difficult for those on the unpublished roll? I didn’t have this problem with the general election.
And they wonder why voter turn out is low.
Did you apply to the local electorial officer at the local council to be issued with a special declaration vote?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/84972223/bps-uk-oil-field-clair-still-shut-following-leak-in-the-north-sea
How’s NZ for oil drilling? Still confident in the likes of BP?
On the crisis of relevance for the social-democratic beige left parties:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/03/europe-centre-left-spain-socialist-party-leader-coup
Essentially, if they just try to be fluffy tories, real tories do a better job of being tories and those they’ve abandoned for their Pt Chevalier dinner parties look to the far right or radical left. In order to keep either out of office, they find themselves directly complicit with the tories as junior partners. The problem for the radical left is that its still too fragmented and incoherent to achieve much effect in parliaments and finds itself blocked.
The problem for the radical left is that its still too fragmented and incoherent to achieve much effect in parliaments and finds itself blocked.
The deeper problem is that the right now have all the levers. The right, having persuaded populations that they would all end up as shareholders, and that unemployment etc. were just temporary pains, changed tack as soon as they had what they wanted (all the levers). This left the centre left parties, who had geared themselves toward making sure the shareholder society would be inclusive, with nowhere to go. One of two things has to happen. Either the right themselves will start to reconfigure their aims, fearing that being top dog in a fractured, disabled society makes one vulnerable to worse threats than mere trade unions, or the left will build up the numbers to give them a run for their money even without the levers. While the lack of levers keeps the left fragmented, things have come a long way from movements like “occupy” to Sanders, Corbyn, Podemos, etc.
Real Clear Politics has Clinton with a poll lead of 3.8% and a 322-216 lead on the state by state electoral vote map. Not quite a real clear lead but the trend is good.
A passing blip 🙂
hope so…hope Clinton goes down the gurgler
‘Hacked Clinton Foundation files show ‘pay to play’, bank ties’
https://www.rt.com/usa/361608-clinton-foundation-hacked-guccifer/
“Documents reportedly hacked from the Clinton Foundation servers have identified major Democratic donors and troubling ties between TARP aid given to banks and their political contributions. One folder is outright labeled “Pay to Play.”
A Hacker calling himself “Guccifer 2.0,” who claimed responsibility for previous breaches of the Democratic National Committee and the congressional Democrats, published the documents on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the vice-presidential debates.
“I hacked the Clinton Foundation server and downloaded hundreds of thousands of docs and donors’ databases,” the hacker wrote on his blog. “Clinton and her staff don’t even bother about the information security.”
The Clinton Foundation has denied the hack, with president Donna Shalala saying that “none of the files or folders shown are ours.”…
Taken a long time for it to pass…
Your future Auckland ‘Peoples’ Mayor – in action!
😉
http://councillive.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/video/240216-governing-body-meeting-part-3
Scroll through to 8 minutes for my presentation to the Auckland Council Governing Body Meeting of 24 February 2016.
This is where I outline why I think Auckland Council failed to follow lawful due process regarding the ‘out of scope evidence’ provided to the Independent Hearings Panel, and I defended the lawful rights of citizens from ‘the leafy suburbs’.
(This is one of the 27 Auckland Council Governing Body meetings to which I have presented since 1 November 2010).
Kind regards
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Penny…I wish I was in Auckland so I could vote for you!…you would be a brilliant democratic colourful people’s Mayor!
All chookys of Auckland unite to support Penny for Mayor!
…she would be much better than any of the boys …in the past
…she would sort Auckland out with style and flair and democracy
Penny,
Ill bet you your outstanding rates bill that you are not our next Mayor.
Penny, I only have a couple of words
alalalalalalalalallalalalalal
lolz, never seen anything so out there in my entire life as that video of the live university debate.
after that, no one could possible ever take local elections seriously again.
“I defended the lawful rights of citizens from ‘the leafy suburbs”
Thank goodness someone is defending our coastal nimbys from their future. Imagine if they had to rely on their own meagre resources to hold back change. Will someone think of the lawyers?
Clinton vs Trump . . . again!
Just watched Max Keiser – at about 10 minutes in, an interview with David Stockman, Ronald Regan’s budget advisor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evVewdUHcIg
A couple of quotes:
“[Trump] hasn’t spent 30 years in the system, he hasn’t memorised the playbook, he’s not part of the status quo and therefore he is the disrupter that we need in the environment that we’re in today,”
“[Hillary] talked about a basket of deplorables, I think you really need to turn the tables, the basket of deplorables are the policies that she’s been associated with and her generation of leaders ever since the 1980s.”
An intersting interview.
So Key asserted the Government is committed to reducing the number of children in poverty (albeit without setting targets).
Therefore, if National are genuinely committed, will they be extending WFF to all low income children (as called for by Professor Susan St John)?
Will they adjust WFF for past inflation and index it annually to wages?
While Labour are committed to setting targets, unfortunately they’ve yet to commit to the WFF measures mentioned above. Therefore, we can’t expect Labour to apply political pressure on this one just yet (and perhaps not at all).
It’s a shame Labour haven’t got their policy together yet, it results in a weaker opposition.
http://thehackernews.com/2016/10/wikileaks-google-election-leak.html
Wikileaks 10 year anniversary press conference with assange and others, Somewhat long winded but I learned some new stuff. Well worth it
Really?…..do tell…
watch and learn 🙂
I watched a fund raiser, was harangued about a new book and eventually trolled by an alleged rapist who revealed nothing new about Clinton, and he seemed to throw cold water on the notion that any revelations he had in store would destroy Clinton’s campaign.
You?.
Trump (the so-called anti-establishment presidential candidate) wants to slash the corporate tax rate by over 50% with no strings attached.
The reasoning for this is he hopes to attract businesses back to the States to help boost employment and stimulate the economy.
Unfortunately, Trump made no mention of stipulating criteria (living wage, employment expectations, etc) companies would have to meet to receive the tax cuts while ensuring his objectives are met.
Wonder how his anti-establishment supporters feel about that one?
fyi Lynn.
Could only sign into the back end of the site. Every time I hit the front end, it appeared I was automatically signed out. Then I submitted a comment and I was suddenly signed in again. Sort of.
Still can’t access private posts on the front end. Can access them on the back end, but not to comment .
And depending on how I navigate around the front end, I appear to be variously signed out or signed in.
windows 7 chrome
I’ve been hitting the “Exceeded the maximum global requests per minute for crawlers or humans” locked out warning all day.
Hilarys trying to shut you down!
Same here. If I’m allowed access to TS , comments also deleted. Except (hopefully) this one which I’ve sent via Firefox rather than google chrome.
I couldn’t access the site for a few days – till today. See if this goes through..
I was locked out so changed browser – This message:
Your access to this site has been limited
Your access to this service has been temporarily limited. Please try again in a few minutes. (HTTP response code 503)
Reason: Exceeded the maximum global requests per minute for crawlers or humans.
Important note for site admins: If you are the administrator of this website note that your access has been limited because you broke one of the Wordfence firewall rules. The reason your access was limited is: “Exceeded the maximum global requests per minute for crawlers or humans.”.
If this is a false positive, meaning that your access to your own site has been limited incorrectly, then you will need to regain access to your site, go to the Wordfence “options” page, go to the section for Rate Limiting Rules and disable the rule that caused you to be blocked. For example, if you were blocked because it was detected that you are a fake Google crawler, then disable the rule that blocks fake google crawlers. Or if you were blocked because you were accessing your site too quickly, then increase the number of accesses allowed per minute.
If you’re still having trouble, then simply disable the Wordfence firewall and you will still benefit from the other security features that Wordfence provides.
If you are a site administrator and have been accidentally locked out, please enter your email in the box below and click “Send”. If the email address you enter belongs to a known site administrator or someone set to receive Wordfence alerts, we will send you an email to help you regain access. Please read this FAQ entry if this does not work.
This response was generated by Wordfence.
[lprent: That usually happens when you have too many calls to the site within too short a timeframe. It is there to prevent the site getting overwhelmed by bots masquerading as human. But I’ve been playing with the cache, and didn’t really have time to fine tune it last night. I’ll have a look at it after I get home and make some dinner. ]
There was also a link to click and a box to put your email address – these are not showing on the c/p
The disclosure bill, which is now under review by select committee, has the singular feature that it arguably does not increase disclosure.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/85000994/john-key-keeps-lid-on-hidden-billions