Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
They’re going to be with us for the foreseeable future.
So can we reduce some of the nuisance issues.
It seems the users have to wait ’til dark.
What say we make the official “celebration” the heralding of daylight saving.
Always a Saturday night.
Still dark around early evening.
Bushes likely to be less tinder dry.
When I think of fireworks, specifically those sold for use at home, I also think of all the little children from the third world who got chemical burns making them so that someone else’s child could get a few minutes of visual enjoyment.
Lolz, after all these years i still have this huge resentment about Guy Fawkes, growing up with little more than the clothes on our back we had it repeatedly drummed into us that there was no way we were going to ‘burn money’ by getting any fireworks,
Funnily enough i have enough coin so as to afford a trip to the Ware Whare and a couple of huge bags of the money burning stuff and every year on the morning of the 5th i have the same urge to go buy me a pile, just one time,
F**k i resent it, a money, a urge i have, but, in the back of my mind those words are still there, no way are you getting any it’s just burning money and i just can’t do it…
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Actually I wonder if the writer is the head of The Insurance Council.
But this is the line that intrigues me:
‘The illusion of a “home-grown alternative”, as Mr Cunliffe calls it, has a powerful commercial appeal.”
Because if something has “powerful commercial appeal” then the government is short changing tax payers if it DOESN’T set this up.
This is an exciting initiative, it has powerful commercial appeal so it is a no brainer.
I note this morning that Westpac have announced another record profit…clearly Kiwi Bank need more capital to grow. I hope Labour are looking at this also.
The NZ Editorial makes some good points and we should pay attention to them to see if they are true. For some reason, it appears that Labour has shied away from creating a true public insurer alternative in the style of the original State Insurance.
I did wonder why people were saying that Labour only needed $70M to set up KiwiSure. This should be ringing alarm bells. A serious public insurance company needs billions and billions in assets – like ACC.
From what I understand, KiwiSure is going to be little more than a front office insurance retailer. Sort of like insurance you might buy from the AA, but owned by the Government. It will not be backed by the balance sheet, sovereign guarantee and money printing capabilities of the NZ Government. In this scenario, all the back office underwriting and reinsuring is going to be done by the same international money crowd which has been causing serious problems with Christchurch policies and payouts.
Apart from the odd bit of right wing spin, until I learn more I am tempted to say that the NZ Herald is correct – a government owned insurance company which is structured in the same way as the current crop of private insurers in terms of reinsurance etc, may not actually be worth having.
Ref 2.1.2. Tat Loo
” all the back office underwriting and reinsuring is going to be done by the same international money crowd which has been causing serious problems with Christchurch policies and payouts.”
FYI
International Reinsurers do not give earthquake cover to significant parts of Japan. They do not give earthquake cover to significant parts of California. The Insurers here have done well to sell the NZ story and to keep coverage.
A serious public insurance company needs billions and billions in assets – like ACC.
No it doesn’t because it doesn’t need to have the cash on hand to pay out the claims. What it would do is use the governments ability to create money (at 0% interest) to pay out the claims and then adjust next years premiums to cover the excess amount of money created (whichshould actually be very little once the previous years premiums are taken into account). That’s how ACC used to be before the 4th National government and then the 5th Labour government fucked with it.
From what I understand, KiwiSure is going to be little more than a front office insurance retailer.
If that’s what it’s going to be then it’s not worth our time and effort.
Correct. But there are two things. Poor people who have little access to cheap credit in this system become increasingly poor and indebted, while wealthy people become wealthier faster as interest repayments on that debt channel more and more income from labour to capital.
Secondly, we are a country which refuses to engage in strategic money creation, instead preferring to indebt the nation by satisfying its money supply needs through borrowing money that other countries have printed, and want to charge us interest on.
“we are a country which refuses to engage in strategic money creation, instead preferring to indebt the nation by satisfying its money supply needs through borrowing money that other countries have printed, and want to charge us interest on.”
That’s the insane bit. Why do people freak out at the idea of creating money but are happy to borrow money someone else has created?
Well personally I’m still not convinced by the government only printing as much money as is necessary, and also adequately taxing it back out of the economy at the appropriate rate.
If the local private sector (households and NZ businesses) is ever to be able to net save it needs to be able to experience a consistent net surplus.
This net surplus can come from only two sources: the government sector, or the foreign sector. There are no other sectors, at this high level of analysis.
We know through our current account figures that our private sector almost always bleeds money out and experiences a deficit to the foreign sector.
Which leaves the government sector. If the government sector insists on returning to a surplus, it can only do so by taking more from the local private sector than it spends into it. Essentially forcing the local private sector to run a deficit – depleting private profits and household savings.
This results in a doubly worse result for the local private sector: it is structurally forced to run deficits to both the government sector and to the foreign sector. This is the very definition of “austerity”.
The implications for what we understand as ‘responsible economics’, are paradigm shifting.
I’m going to be pushing this a lot over the next year.
Absolutely spot on Tat… Russell Brand said something similar in his excellent interview with Jeremy Paxman: “David Cameron says profit isn’t a dirty word. I say profit is a filthy word; wherever there is profit, there is deficit”.
It’s that the private sector is not running a deficit in reality but is constantly shifting profit out of workers wages/productivity and into capital and shifting capital into private and overseas pockets.
The transference of income to capital whether through paying those at the top very high salaries or through deliberate action to disproportionately inflate property prices is the biggest scam pulled on the ordinary working person I’ve ever seen.
I tried to bring this up at Labour Party Conference but people just looked at me strangely like I was repeating heresy. It’s like peoples’ heads have been completely befuddled through listening to years of economic and monetary lies.
Available on youtube, the likes of L Randall Wray, Stephanie Kelton and Warren Mosler have it spot on IMO.
And that needs to change Tat – and fast. People need to get their heads around it or the citizens of this once fine country are going to wind up as indentured servants on foreign owned land. And make no mistake – that is not an accidental by-product of the current economic model.
I don’t expect our “elected representatives” to take the lead on this as it is political suicide, but I sure as hell expect them to be open to listening to alternate economic viewpoints and actually doing the “representative” part of representative democracy.
None of the debt=money concepts are particularly difficult to understand but you have to actually want to understand it first 🙂 I know you’ve made that leap – now we just need to get some of your current and future colleagues to do the same.
I’m sure they did TLCV but where the reasoning and outcomes are sound then the left has to distill it into an attractive sound bite.
Not everyone wants the full info and all of us in various areas are inclined to rely to some extent on others research -like TPP – I’ve got the general outline and I’ve selected the commentators that appear to be protecting NZ’s interest
The right manage to make the most ghastly things into attractive slogans. The left need to do this but better.
so what do they actually want the money for?
a leaf blower, angle grinder, plastic replica hotrod, chainsaw, trip to the grand final.
The whole country is mad from choices.
Those at the bottom generally want to pay their rent, feed their kids, pay their power bill, buy their clothes, not want to go to WINZ for help, afford to support the local businessmen who might be their neighbor or friend or family member, afford to pay more tax for a good quality social security system and free education and good services, not be castigated and demonised by the right, take the occasional holiday, not have three jobs, can support a family on one income, and so on.
Hi CV 🙂
You’ll find this a very interesting article:
“The Great Austerity Shell Game: Here’s How the Capitalist Scam Works
Let government borrow for crisis bailouts, then insist cuts pay for them. Guess who loses.
by Richard Wolff”
excerpt:
“Nor is that all. Corporations and the rich used the money they saved by keeping governments from taxing them to provide the huge loans governments therefore needed. Middle- and lower-income people could lend little if anything to their governments. Corporations and the rich, in effect, substituted loans to the government instead of paying more in taxes. For those loans, governments must pay interest and eventually repay them.
Government borrowing rewards corporations and the rich quite nicely. It amounts to a very sweet deal for capitalists.”
Corporations and the rich, in effect, substituted loans to the government instead of paying more in taxes. For those loans, governments must pay interest and eventually repay them.
Yep, worked that one out years ago. It’s why I keep saying that government should create the money they need and should never borrow. Government borrowing just becomes a government guaranteed income for the rich as they continue to avoid paying taxes.
Their Oz operations are about to be brought under stricter deposit/holding guidelines as they’ve been deemed ‘too big to fail’ and Treasurer Hockey has to make a call on how much they give over to their reserve bank.
Any excuse really with these bloodsuckers to plunder the NZ branch even more.
If you look it up, with the Hobbit Jackson has delivered to his Hollywood studio masters an ROI of only about half that of the original LOTR series he created.
Thats one way of looking at it I guess and another is the budget for the first movie is estimated at $200–315 million and the box office take is estimated to be $1,017,003,568 which is not bad going in anyones language
But sorry I forgot any chance to run down Sir Peter Jackson…
budget for the first movie is estimated at $200–315 million and the box office take is estimated to be $1,017,003,568
That’s what I meant – the Return on Investment of the new movies so far is much less than the original LOTR series.
“Return of the King” scored significantly more box office money, on a budget of less than $100M.
I also note that the new Hobbit movie has scored a massive 30% less on the critics sites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, than the original LOTR movies did.
But sorry I forgot any chance to run down Sir Peter Jackson…
I’m glad you genuflected with the appropriate respect, mate.
Yes I’m sure the studios are worried because they only made 3-4 times back the investment, sort of missing the big picture there
and since all the movies were shot back to back the return for the next two movies will more than make up for the 700 – 800 million they made of the first movie
Not denying that the studios are still raking it in, plus it’s very clear that they did not need Key to stump up with tax payers money to subsidise them.
“With a total budget of $561 million (and climbing), Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy — the second installment opens this December — is the most expensive movie-making endeavor ever. Although, it should be pointed out that the first movie has already brought in more than one billion dollars for Warner Bros., the distributor of all three films.
Financial documents disclosed in New Zealand, where the trilogy was shot—just like the much cheaper $281 million Lord of the Rings trilogy—shows that incredible sum has already been spent on The Hobbit, and does not include additional shoots or any further post-production work needed on the last two films. The second movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (below) is scheduled for a December 13 release; the final installment, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will be in theaters a year later.
The Hobbit movies are easily the most expensive production cycle ever, outpacing the pair of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which reportedly topped $500 million to create.
And just think, if the NZ government had footed that $300m we would have been $700m better off on just one movie. Instead, we helped line a foreign corporations pockets.
Interesting to people who enjoy intelligent, thoughtful films. The very opposite of what “Sir” Peter Jackson churns out for his Hollywood masters, in other words.
Most of them are. And they’re deadly dull, to boot. Do you think that, other than a few million Tolkien tragics, ANYONE would watch those dire Rings epics if it wasn’t for the massive advertising, paid for by you and me, but signed up for under duress by our hopeless “government”?
Another rabid right winger on Jim Mora’s increasingly biased panel selection this afternoon.
Graham Bell.
I’m sure Morrissey has had words about him before.
Annoying that the Right dominate commercial talk back, I expect RNZ to be balancing and intelligently “Left”…Graham Bell is a typical thick righty, after listening to Graham Bell you realise why our police make the continuous fuck ups that they do, because most of them are just really dumb.
I don’t mind Graham Bell. Be may be an out-of-date right wing dinosaur ex-cop who probably still thinks Arthur Allan Thomas did it, but he is honest in his views. Much more dislikable is the dishonesty of Mora’s manipulation of topics to try and get comments that suits his conservative moral agenda, andGuest like Farrar and Jordan Williams who pretend to be disinterested observers to push propaganda lines.
There is nothing wrong with a conservative with a honest agenda, even if he is wrong. The new generation of right wingers are not honest, and that is my problem with them.
Occasionally he takes a delight in cowering lesser talents into submission, as he has with Jeremy Elwood and several other “liberal” guests. It’s no doubt the kind of behaviour that gets you promoted in the Police.
After that, however, he went off on a dyspeptic rant against Len Brown and John Campbell. He was so extraordinarily biased and unfair that even Jim Mora himself felt compelled to contradict him.
GRAHAM BELL
His Soapbox contribution was, as always, another grumble. Not about the standards of service in tea-rooms this time, but about the poor standard of customer service with Telecom.
Really good thoughts here about the auckland rapist thing, and the mob mentality that is swirling about the place. Anger is good, but let’s be good humans eh.
The amount of profit the big 3 down from 4(the National bank should never have been aloud to be taken over by ANZ) is similar to our balance of payments shortfall.
This is a very important observation. Critically important. It answers why we as a tributary nation feel constantly indebted and constantly poorer, despite sacrificing more and more of both our people and our environment in pursuit of “economic growth”.
When private profits = government deficit then it obvious that profit is a dead-weight loss and that the people funding that deficit, the poor and the workers, are always going to be worse off while a few get richer and richer.
Tibetan persecution in their own country; Please support the Tibetans
Tibetans who refuse to fly the Chinese flag above their homes risk being beaten or shot in the latest attempt to break their spirits. But now is the best moment in ages to bring hope to Tibet’s proud, but desperate people.
China’s leaders are mounting an intense campaign to draw a veil over their rights abuses and persuade governments to vote them onto the UN Human Rights Council. So if enough of us shine a light on what’s going on in Tibet — squashing an ancient religion, banning journalists, dawn arrests — we can get China to back away from its hard-line policy to be sure of getting the 97 votes it needs.
Let’s show the Tibetan people that the world hasn’t forgotten them. China is feeling the heat as 13 governments just called them out on human rights in Tibet. Sign to stand with Tibet, then share this with everyone. When one million have signed we’ll deliver it to critical UN delegations, and make it massive in the media:
Pressure on China is mounting. In an unprecedentedly strong show of support, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, US, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland and Austria just called on China to protect freedom of assembly, religion and association in Tibet. This request arrives just days after a Spanish court indicted China’s former President for genocide in Tibet!
The situation is really dire. More than 120 people have taken their own lives by setting themselves on fire to protest the suffocation of the Chinese occupation and hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have been wiped out. China’s ongoing policies systematically suppress the Tibetan language, force people from their homes, and strictly control the Tibetans’ movement and religion.
China’s failed policies hurt China too, but having dug themselves in this deep, they need pressure to change course. This is the week that change can start. If enough of us speak up while China is under the global microscope, we can make sure our governments know we haven’t forgotten Tibet. Sign now and tell everyone — let’s build the biggest petition ever for Tibet and demand they hold China to account:
”Desperado wont you come to your senses”, a gem off of Maori TV’s Native Affairs last night had Labour’s Shane Jones alleging that Slippery the Prime Minister, begging bowl in hand, had convinced the Maori Parties Tariana Turia not to resign at the 2014 election,
Jones talking out of His tiro???, quite possibly as we all know He has the ability to drop s**t into the public arena that would have been better wiped and flushed,
Desperation tho would be the PM looking across the political landscape for that ingredient needed to form a Government, coalition partners, and seeing far off in the distance only the Colon Craig loony tunes fundies offering a whiff of opportunity, so i can well imagine Slippery trying to keep Auntie Tari and Her Labour hating venom on in the Parliament for another 3,
Hat tip to Mihi and Native Affairs for providing us all with a show that grinds the reality into and out of the politicians across the spectrum,
The other interesting rumor doing the rounds at the moment is that ex Native Affairs presenter Julian Wilcox is thinking of putting His name forward for Labour in the Tamaki-Makaurau electorate which Sharples after wasting six years pretending to make gains for Maori with His ‘feet under the table’ has decided, rather than be tossed out of, to resign from…
Thanks for the linking Karol, one of these days i will get edumacated in linking to stuff with cool wording in the sentence, until such tho i have to rely on the ‘goodwill’ of others with better skills,
”Desperado wont you come to your senses” part two, i made reference last week to what looked like and what the Wellington rumor mill said was a concerted media effort orchestrated by the Henchmen in the employ of the Slippery little Shyster we have as Prime Minister to in effect manufacture a coalition partner out of Colon Craigs Conservatives using the compliant mass media to spread a barrage of publicity across the spectrum leading up to Labour Weekend,
In the week following this ‘experiment’ to gauge the effect of using their influence over the editors of the countries mass media to bolster the electoral appeal of Craig’s Conservatives,(with a deliberate omission of the ‘Christian’ from the title), National has conducted further internal polling to gauge just how effective this ‘campaign’ has been,
The rumor mill,(not normally known for taking the vows), has gone silent with regards ‘a result’ either way for Slippery’s efforts at manufacturing that pivotal coalition partner post the 2014 election and i have to wonder if Slippery’s sack-cloth approach to Tariana Turia of the Maori Party rumored by Shane Jones on last nights Native Affairs gives a hint that such machinations by the mass media has been an abject failure…
NAct’s – silencing education that encourages a critical examination of society. Martyn Bradbury posts:
Why the fuck is Auckland University gutting it’s arts courses by 50% in favor of bloody tourism? Arts students attempting to enroll yesterday suddenly were confronted with over half their courses being dumped.[…]
Course after course are being butchered at Auckland University and crucified as National’s pressure to cull education critiquing the economic hegemonic structure that benefits National’s ideological blindness becomes reality. History, sociology, politics – anything critical of National’s hard right agenda is being culled.
It’s usual to have some courses not run during any one year due to things like a lecturer being unavailable. But it is the extent of the courses not being run this year that is appalling.
Since the neoliberal rise, there has been an ongoing privileging of courses that immediately serve the current economy and business world. In contrast courses like history and classics are seen as not economically viable. There is an undervaluing of the role of universities in being guardians of the heritage of human knowledge from the past: and of courses that enable a long term critical examination of human societies.
Three’s also been a “bums on seats” approach, and an undervaluing of the benefit to society of specialist knowledge in areas that usually attract a small number of students.
My preference would be for the govt to buy chorus.
That way we get back the monopoly which is the local loop as well as the near monopoly on fibre being created now.
Also, makes it easier to have chorus start hiring and training NZers for their tech jobs instead of importing labour which appears to be their current practice.
A lady I work with used to work for Chorus, or more correctly, Transfield, one of their contractors — she said that the practise of hiring Filipino techs were purely to “get rid of union troublemakers”.
as opposed to using untrained draftees from developing countries that pocket the substantial difference between UN remuneration and the soldiers’ daily pay.
It could be that part of any new politicians preparation is to cover the various possibilities there are for them to be offered graft, or to spot likely candidates and opportunities in their work force. Part of being street-wise looking out for those who think the streets are paved with gold. A lovely melody, but with real meaning.
When individuals do it, it’s “graft”.
When corporations do it, it’s “finding an innovative new source of incremental revenue”.
When countries do it, it’s “a valuable contribution to the nation’s books”.
Well, One thing David Farrar knows is which way the wind is blowing inside National, and he is implicitly putting the boot into blubber boy today. Quoth Mr. Farrar:
“…Having now read the entire message history, I have to say I’m appalled. The emotional blackmail and manipulation is beyond intense…”
Meanwhile, in a fantastical post today, Cameron Slater is now claiming Bevan Chaung is in fact some sort of Manchurian candidate planted by Len Brown to discredit Palino and his campaign (*sigh* yes, I know…).
my take from the Sunday interview
-a smart women, yet a ‘hopeless romantic’
-not aware apparently of her own sub-conscious motives
-Palino – suggested Blackmail, effectively
-One woman actor utilized by at least five men for personal or political advantage (boast-busters).
Does anyone have a yahoo email account? I’ve just had to change my password and it keeps telling me the password I choose is invalid. Apparently they want me to make it really complex, so complex that there isn’t a hope in hell of me typing it out correctly the first time. Have tried combinations of letters, numbers and symbols with mixed capitalisation and it’s still not working. Is this a known issue?
Weka,
Think of a phrase and use that. I.e. “iUsedToLiveOnSmithStreet”
Make it something personal to you. If numbers are required swap out some letters; e=3, a=4, o=0 etc.
If other characters are required, punctuate your sentence.
Thanks! The sentences and punctuation of a sentence would work well for me. I can’t handle long strings of more random things unless I can see the password visible as I type.
In the end it looks like yahoo was not reading my current password attempts properly. I had to change browser and try repeatedly. I suspect that that live updating and feedback about password strength works better on a faster internet connection.
Better to use a mix of grammatically valid and invalid stuff in the password though, as it makes it harder to guess 😛 Add on capital/numbers to the end if the website designer(s) are sticking to flawed password quidelines, like WINZ.
Guy Fawkes Eve, NZ Parliamentary Question Time, 2013
well, as fitting, there were indeed some fireworks in the House, fireworks that would be entertaining if the implications were not so serious, as serious as a four-year-old girl scarred on her face for life by the products of a commercial celebration.
Q.4 (was late due to unforeseen puncture) 🙂 Parker: on Kiwiassure, Cunliffe waving a copy of The Hollow Men in the foreground as English utilizes, what are real, fears about the risks of any company insuring New Zealand, particularly with regards to the seismic implications, while Key has earlier proposed on interest.co.nz that the government may become an equity partner in Chorus.
Great economic management displayed by National so far…Not!
now to the teaser from the Boom Box,
Q.7 Winston to Key about advice to ministers from departments, specifically Treasury on “reigning in Parata” and “spinning change in the education sector”.
Key-“I haven’t seen that Treasury advice”.
Tabling of an instant refutation to the claim requested by Peters (ruled admissible by an earlier Speaker’s Ruling) was denied by Roy.
Then, following Key receiving advice during QT concerning an error made earlier by DC, freakin’ bolshy Brownlee starts winding up, challenging the Speakers ruling at least 3 times to enable Key to grand-stand, then Key starts tag-teaming with Brownlee also challenging the Speaker’s ruling, more than once, finally blurting out the reference to make his points victory.
Great work by Grant Robertson standing up to the bully Brownlee, more than a match!
Brownlee attempts for the last word…”Will the Speaker give consideration to…”
Eric Roy capably sums up that “the House is in a fractious mood” (all that sublimated tension).
Yet, it got better, or worse, depending on your humanity,
Q.9 Jan Logie to Collins regarding implementing trials of alternative evidence-giving (inquisitive ) Criminal Trial formats for sexual offences, particularly in light of these recent pack-rapes of minors.
Collins (just getting warmed up under the collar) -refers to what is currently being done to assist victims and rules out inquisitive format. Ironically, referencing the work around and by Louise Nicholas, who was a rape victim of the Police.
Logie-” yet 90% of sexual abuse victims still do not lay complaints”
Collins- “I accept that there are many who do not come forward…” Then …Collins really hit her strides and repeated that Logie raising these matters “could taint trials”. hmmm.
Still winding up, along came some Supplementaries from her old play-mate Andrew Little
Little- “Will she modify evidence-giving procedures for sexual abuse trials?”
Collins- really seeing red, and spitting tacks, “that man lacks the courage..etc etc etc”)
Onto the Ardern / Bennett tussling
Q.10 Ardern questions Bennett on the government using, and obtaining, an objective measure of Child Poverty in New Zealand.
Bennett (clearly emotional ) cannot deny that this government does not possess such a measure with which to verify any reduction in child poverty arising from their policies.
However, she can argue this- “If the member (Ardern) can get on her high horse…”
Emissions hit a new high but the rate of increase slows.
Actual global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a new record of 34.5 billion tonnes in 2012. Yet, the increase in global CO2 emissions in that year slowed down to 1.1% , which was less than half the average annual increase of 2.9% over the last decade. This is remarkable, as the global economy grew by 3.5%. This development signals a shift towards less fossil-fuel-intensive activities, more use of renewable energy and increased energy saving. Increases in fossil-fuel consumption in 2012 were 2.2% for natural gas, 0.9% for oil products, and 0.6% for coal.
This is remarkable, as the global economy grew by 3.5%
I think a lot of this “growth” was via financial speculation – not very energy and fuel intensive. Nor is it ‘real’ growth, just more gaming of the numbers system.
Something rotten in the state of Victoria
Why is Gai Waterhouse being lionized? She should be shunned.
The trainer of Fiorente, the horse that won the Melbourne Cup today, is one Gai Waterhouse. Far from being hugged and praised after the race, many people believe she should not be allowed anywhere near Flemington, or indeed any other race course.
Gai Waterhouse’s husband was responsible for the most notorious racing ring-in in Australasian equine history. In August 1984 at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm race-course, an ordinary 8-year-old gelding, Fine Cotton, was replaced for a novice handicap by a horse called Bold Personality, complete with white paint on his legs in a crude attempt to match Fine Cotton’s white markings on his hind legs. Officials smelt a rat when betting on Fine Cotton dived in from 33-1 to 7-2. The horse won by a short head, but with the paint beginning to run down the horse’s legs as it returned to scale and some onlookers shouting “ring-in” the game was up. New Zealand trainer Hayden Haitana shot through shortly after the race, only to be nabbed by police in South Australia and subsequently jailed along with scam organiser John Gillespie. But it involved some of Australia’s big racing names, and prominent bookmakers Bill and Robbie Waterhouse were warned off the country’s tracks for 14 years. ….
“… many people believe she should not be allowed anywhere near Flemington, or indeed any other race course.”
Who they, Morrissey?
And is there a word for people who think woman are defined by their husbands? Mozogynist, perhaps?
ps. fine for a minor ‘failure to disclose’ verdict in the “controversial” Singleton case: $5k. Winnings in the last couple of hours: $3.5 million. Giddy up!
People who care about integrity in sports. Yes, Te Reo, I know that, when you consider such travesties as the 1999 and 2011 RWC finals, every single Tour de France and nearly every professional boxing bout, that’s probably a crazy idea, but some people still do believe in the IDEA of sportsmanship and honesty.
And is there a word for people who think woman are defined by their husbands?
I don’t think the Gai Waterhouse should be judged by her criminal husband, any more than I think John Banks, should be judged by his criminal parents, or Hillary Clinton should be judged by her criminal husband. The misdeeds of Gai Waterhouse, like the misdeeds of John Banks and Hillary Clinton, should be judged on their own terms.
Just as a matter of interest, however, are you trying to suggest that Gai Waterhouse was innocent of any involvement in the Fine Cotton fraud?
Mozogynist, perhaps?
Good one! I see what you did there.
Name them, Moz! Cite the “many people” who agree with you.
If you don’t think Gai Waterhouse “should be judged by her criminal husband”, why did you do it? And why do you libel her by claiming she was involved in the Fine Cotton affair?
Name them, Moz! Cite the “many people” who agree with you.
You obviously have spent no time in Australia.
If you don’t think Gai Waterhouse “should be judged by her criminal husband”, why did you do it?
I made it clear that I had not done that. To further clarify for you, I even made the analogy with two other notorious people who should not be judged by their criminal family members, but have earned opprobrium for themselves by their own foul deeds. You have made a habit of deliberately disregarding the evidence I put up to counter your rabid accusations and also of willfully misconstruing what I write; here you are at it again, pretending I judged this dodgy woman by her husband’s crimes. If I had done that, then you would have a fair point. But I had not, and you have not.
And why do you libel her by claiming she was involved in the Fine Cotton affair?
I did not libel her. She was involved in that ridiculously unsuccessful fraud just as surely as she was involved with her dodgy son’s foolish activity in Sydney this year. Or maybe you think she was, and is, the very picture of the saintly wife and mother, oblivious to the actions of her husband and son?
C’mon, Moz, get the whip out! Usually when you’re caught out bullshitting you try to defend yourself, so I guess this time even you know you’ve blown it. To put this one in racing terms, you’ve just dead heated with the ambulance.
Who says I find her appealing? Why, just you! Poor Moz, such a fascination with the English language and, alas, such a weak grip on the finer points of its effective use.
Morrisey
Watch it, you’ll become a wowser next. Then you may have to give up the joy of poking fun at Jim Mora and we’ll lose some fine moments of irony and farce, pathos and bathos. (I’ve always wanted to use that word, bathos. Not seen much. I give it to you like a rare, fine pearl (of wisdom)!
Indeed, warbler, “bathos” is a fine word. Here’s a splendid recent example of it, all the more effective because this appallingly bad actor obviously lacks even the slightest sense of irony….
Adding insult to injury, the American bank that bought 8 per cent of the shares that were sold in Meridian (US Meridian buy-up fuels Labour’s foreigner fear, Nov 1) would have received money from United States taxpayers in the form of quantative easing, with the intention that the money would be lent out to stimulate the US economy.
The trouble is that as very few people want to take on more debt (surprise, surprise) the banks are now using that money to buy up overseas assets.
US taxpayer money is being used to buy assets paid for by Kiwi taxpayers and the dividends are going overseas to the one per cent.
It’s not possible to get out of debt by taking on more debt, and it’s not prudent to sell an asset that’s returning a 17 per cent yield to pay off debt that’s being charged at five per cent.
The only winners in this madness are the banks who got us into this mess in the first place.
Another round of upgrades to (hopefully) improve performance. Let me know if anything shows up in the javascript as it is using a new minification system.
Next stage is the automatic spawning of a extra servers when the load goes up. Which will be pleasant as it can spike to 4-5x ‘normal’ levels over an hour.
How can we expect young women who have been raped to make formal statements when there is a clear lack of funding for qualified and experienced support for them?
Tomorrow afternoon, if things go really really badly, I may find myself down to one eye. People who used to sneer at me on Twitter will no doubt say So what's changed? Nothing, that's what, you one-eyed lefty.I don’t mean to be dramatic, it’s just a routine bit of cataract ...
A few weeks ago an invitation dropped into my email inbox to attend a joint Treasury/Motu seminar on recent, rather major, changes that had apparently been made to the discount rates used by The Treasury to evaluate proposals from government agencies. It was all news to me, but when ...
All your life is Time magazineI read it tooWhat does it mean?PressureI'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationaleBut here you are with your faithAnd your Peter Pan adviceYou have no scars on your faceAnd you cannot handle pressureSongwriter: Billy Joel.Christopher Luxon is under pressure from all sides. The reviews are ...
After seeing yet-more-months of political debate and policy decisions to ‘go for growth’ by pulling the same old cheap migration and cheap tourism levers without nearly-enough infrastructure, or any attempt to address the same old lack of globally conventional tax incentives for investment, I thought it would be worth issuing ...
The plans for the buildings that will replace the downtown carpark have been publicly notified giving us the first detailed glance at what is proposed for one of the biggest and best development sites in the city centre. The council agreed to sell the site to Precinct Properties for $122 ...
With the Reserve Bank expected today to return the Official Cash Rate to where it was in mid-2022 comes a measure of how much of a psychological impact the rate has. Federated Farmers has published its latest six-monthly farm confidence survey, which shows that profit expectations have fallen and risen ...
Kiwis Disallowed From Waiting Lists Based on Arbitrary MeasuresWellington hospital are now rejecting patients from specialist waiting lists due to BMI (body mass index).This article from Rachel Thomas for The Post says it all (emphasis mine):A group of Porirua GPs are sounding alarm bells after patients with body mass indexes ...
The Prime Minister says he's really comfortable with us not knowing the reoffending rate for his boot camp programme.They asked him for it at yesterday’s press conference, and he said, nah, not telling, have to respect people's privacy.Okay I'll bite. Let's say they release this information to us:The rate of ...
Warning 1: There is a Nazi theme at the end of this article related to the disabled community. Warning 2: This article could be boring!One day, last year, I excitedly opened up a Substack post that was about how to fight back, and the answer at the end was disappointing ...
This may be rhetorical but here goes: did any of you invest in the $Libra memecoin endorsed and backed by Argentine president and darling of the global Right Javier Milei (who admitted to being paid a fee for his promotion of the token)? You know, the one that soared above ...
Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler “But what about when the sun doesn't shine?!” Ah yes, the energy debate’s equivalent of “The Earth is flat!” Every time someone mentions solar or wind power, some self-proclaimed energy expert emerges from the woodwork to drop this supposedly devastating truth bomb: ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
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 ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
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. ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Gumbariya/Shutterstock The Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in four years has triggered a round of celebration. Mortgage holders are cheering the fact their monthly repayments are now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Housing supply in Australia will be a key battleground in the election campaign. With home ownership more and more out of reach for young and not so young Australians, red tape and low productivity are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Korolev, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States and Russia agreed to work on a plan to end the war in Ukraine at high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week. Ukrainian and European representatives were pointedly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock Sleep is the holy grail for new parents. So no wonder many tired parents are looking for something to help their babies sleep. A TikTok trend claims ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ranjana Gupta, Senior Lecturer, Accounting Department, Auckland University of Technology Jirsak/Shutterstock The profit made on every breakfast bowl of weet-bix is tax exempt, giving Sanitarium Health Food Company, owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an advantage over other breakfast food companies. ...
A closer look at some of the homegrown talent currently commanding television screens around the globe. The new season of The White Lotus hit our screens this week, and with it a familiar face in New Zealand actor Morgana O’Reilly. To secure a role in one of the world’s most ...
"This is a crisis of the Government’s own making and the unit is another sign of desperation," said PSA acting national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesca Perugia, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Australia’s housing crisis has created a push for fast-tracked construction. Federal, state and territory governments have set a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years. Increasing housing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ash Watson, Scientia Fellow and Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock When we’re uncomfortable we say the “vibe is off”. When we’re having a good time we’re “vibing”. To assess the mood we do a “vibe check”. And when the atmosphere in ...
What’s up with the man from Epsom? The leader of the Act Party has been in plenty of headlines in the last two weeks, ranging from a controversial letter to police on behalf of constituent Philip Polkinghorne (written before David Seymour was a minister) to an attempt to drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Newly published research has found clear evidence that openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer+ (LGBTIQ+) Australian politicians were disproportionately targeted with personal abuse on social media at the ...
Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek, even The Vampire Diaries – they’re all set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. So what is it like to actually know your neighbours? My favourite television shows are set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. Characters attend town meetings where they debate local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yanyan Hong, PhD Candidate in Communication and Media Studies, University of Adelaide IMDB On the surface, Ne Zha 2: The Sea’s Fury (2025), the sequel to the 2019 Chinese blockbuster Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, is a high-octane, action-packed and ...
Wellington travellers say their buses are so hot they’re often forced to get off early and walk. Shanti Mathias explores the impact of non-functioning air conditioning on public transport. When Bella, a young professional living in Wellington, thinks about taking the bus, her first thought is “Ugh”. The bus might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Kroen, Research Fellow Planning and Transport, RMIT University The cleanup is underway in northern Queensland following the latest flooding catastrophe to hit the state. More than 7,000 insurance claims have already been lodged, most of them for inundated homes and other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Subha Parida, Lecturer in Property, University of South Australia Carl Oberg/Shutterstock Houses and fire do not mix. The firestorm which hit Los Angeles in January destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate. The 2019–20 Australian megafires destroyed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight. Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This includes the Tarkine rainforest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
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Two long-awaited reports into alleged personal data misuse, centred on census collection and Covid-19 vaccination efforts at Manurewa Marae, were released yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.“Very sobering reading” was how public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche described his organisation’s long-awaited report into the alleged misuse of census ...
Backbench MPs reached new levels of patsy questions in an extraordinarily dull question time on Tuesday. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. “MPs ask questions to explore key issues ...
Thoughts on the annual scourge of Fireworks.
They’re going to be with us for the foreseeable future.
So can we reduce some of the nuisance issues.
It seems the users have to wait ’til dark.
What say we make the official “celebration” the heralding of daylight saving.
Always a Saturday night.
Still dark around early evening.
Bushes likely to be less tinder dry.
That would make a lot more sense, actually.
When I think of fireworks, specifically those sold for use at home, I also think of all the little children from the third world who got chemical burns making them so that someone else’s child could get a few minutes of visual enjoyment.
Lolz, after all these years i still have this huge resentment about Guy Fawkes, growing up with little more than the clothes on our back we had it repeatedly drummed into us that there was no way we were going to ‘burn money’ by getting any fireworks,
Funnily enough i have enough coin so as to afford a trip to the Ware Whare and a couple of huge bags of the money burning stuff and every year on the morning of the 5th i have the same urge to go buy me a pile, just one time,
F**k i resent it, a money, a urge i have, but, in the back of my mind those words are still there, no way are you getting any it’s just burning money and i just can’t do it…
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Anonymous writer on the Herald writes the following extreme right wing nonsense.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11151420
Includes such gems as:
“Taxpayers should be wary of ‘KiwiAssure'”
“The idea seems to have come completely out of left field to impress the party’s annual conference at the weekend.”
“Nothing in the policy announced by Mr Cunliffe at the weekend dealt with any of the real insurance policy issues arising from Christchurch.”
“Insurance is almost the last business that should be nationalised.”
and a lot lot more….
John Roughan the writer?
What a rag.
Actually I wonder if the writer is the head of The Insurance Council.
But this is the line that intrigues me:
‘The illusion of a “home-grown alternative”, as Mr Cunliffe calls it, has a powerful commercial appeal.”
Because if something has “powerful commercial appeal” then the government is short changing tax payers if it DOESN’T set this up.
This is an exciting initiative, it has powerful commercial appeal so it is a no brainer.
I note this morning that Westpac have announced another record profit…clearly Kiwi Bank need more capital to grow. I hope Labour are looking at this also.
This is what immediately caught my eye,
“The commission covers damage to land rather than buildings, which are covered by private insurance.”
If that’s the case, then why does the commission offer only half the land value of sections with no buildings compared to those with houses on them?
IIRC I saw that on 3 news or Campbell Live.
The NZ Editorial makes some good points and we should pay attention to them to see if they are true. For some reason, it appears that Labour has shied away from creating a true public insurer alternative in the style of the original State Insurance.
I did wonder why people were saying that Labour only needed $70M to set up KiwiSure. This should be ringing alarm bells. A serious public insurance company needs billions and billions in assets – like ACC.
From what I understand, KiwiSure is going to be little more than a front office insurance retailer. Sort of like insurance you might buy from the AA, but owned by the Government. It will not be backed by the balance sheet, sovereign guarantee and money printing capabilities of the NZ Government. In this scenario, all the back office underwriting and reinsuring is going to be done by the same international money crowd which has been causing serious problems with Christchurch policies and payouts.
Apart from the odd bit of right wing spin, until I learn more I am tempted to say that the NZ Herald is correct – a government owned insurance company which is structured in the same way as the current crop of private insurers in terms of reinsurance etc, may not actually be worth having.
Ref 2.1.2. Tat Loo
” all the back office underwriting and reinsuring is going to be done by the same international money crowd which has been causing serious problems with Christchurch policies and payouts.”
FYI
International Reinsurers do not give earthquake cover to significant parts of Japan. They do not give earthquake cover to significant parts of California. The Insurers here have done well to sell the NZ story and to keep coverage.
Cheers for the info – I will definitely factor that in.
One step at a time perhaps Tat.
No it doesn’t because it doesn’t need to have the cash on hand to pay out the claims. What it would do is use the governments ability to create money (at 0% interest) to pay out the claims and then adjust next years premiums to cover the excess amount of money created (whichshould actually be very little once the previous years premiums are taken into account). That’s how ACC used to be before the 4th National government and then the 5th Labour government fucked with it.
If that’s what it’s going to be then it’s not worth our time and effort.
in the usa they have to have 70cents per premium dollar “on hand”.
from the online comments section……
‘Well perhaps Labour should start a newspaper as well, God knows, this one seems to be a mouthpiece for the National Party ‘
😆 😈
Indeed almost almost evenly popular comment derides the Herald. Such a flagrantly biased mouthpiece, the Herald.
Reasons to nationalise all the banks too.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/9360079/Westpacs-NZ-profit-continues-to-rise
They really are sucking all the discretionary cash out of circulation of the economy, like a huge money hoover.
But surely that’s just money they themselves created through debt, right? And the government can just print more?
Correct. But there are two things. Poor people who have little access to cheap credit in this system become increasingly poor and indebted, while wealthy people become wealthier faster as interest repayments on that debt channel more and more income from labour to capital.
Secondly, we are a country which refuses to engage in strategic money creation, instead preferring to indebt the nation by satisfying its money supply needs through borrowing money that other countries have printed, and want to charge us interest on.
“we are a country which refuses to engage in strategic money creation, instead preferring to indebt the nation by satisfying its money supply needs through borrowing money that other countries have printed, and want to charge us interest on.”
That’s the insane bit. Why do people freak out at the idea of creating money but are happy to borrow money someone else has created?
Well personally I’m still not convinced by the government only printing as much money as is necessary, and also adequately taxing it back out of the economy at the appropriate rate.
If the local private sector (households and NZ businesses) is ever to be able to net save it needs to be able to experience a consistent net surplus.
This net surplus can come from only two sources: the government sector, or the foreign sector. There are no other sectors, at this high level of analysis.
We know through our current account figures that our private sector almost always bleeds money out and experiences a deficit to the foreign sector.
Which leaves the government sector. If the government sector insists on returning to a surplus, it can only do so by taking more from the local private sector than it spends into it. Essentially forcing the local private sector to run a deficit – depleting private profits and household savings.
This results in a doubly worse result for the local private sector: it is structurally forced to run deficits to both the government sector and to the foreign sector. This is the very definition of “austerity”.
The implications for what we understand as ‘responsible economics’, are paradigm shifting.
I’m going to be pushing this a lot over the next year.
+1
Well explained.
Absolutely spot on Tat… Russell Brand said something similar in his excellent interview with Jeremy Paxman: “David Cameron says profit isn’t a dirty word. I say profit is a filthy word; wherever there is profit, there is deficit”.
Moved my comment as it made others non-sensical where it popped up/
Unless you’re being sarcastic I think that proves your inability to do logic.
I’ve never found “trust us” a particularly compelling logical argument.
And where-ever has that been said in relation to the government creating money?
What are you not convined about, Lanth?
Surely though there’s another aspect to this.
It’s that the private sector is not running a deficit in reality but is constantly shifting profit out of workers wages/productivity and into capital and shifting capital into private and overseas pockets.
The transference of income to capital whether through paying those at the top very high salaries or through deliberate action to disproportionately inflate property prices is the biggest scam pulled on the ordinary working person I’ve ever seen.
Aided by accounting methods, and underfunded, controlled, and in some cases, non existent regulatory bodies.
I tried to bring this up at Labour Party Conference but people just looked at me strangely like I was repeating heresy. It’s like peoples’ heads have been completely befuddled through listening to years of economic and monetary lies.
Available on youtube, the likes of L Randall Wray, Stephanie Kelton and Warren Mosler have it spot on IMO.
And that needs to change Tat – and fast. People need to get their heads around it or the citizens of this once fine country are going to wind up as indentured servants on foreign owned land. And make no mistake – that is not an accidental by-product of the current economic model.
I don’t expect our “elected representatives” to take the lead on this as it is political suicide, but I sure as hell expect them to be open to listening to alternate economic viewpoints and actually doing the “representative” part of representative democracy.
None of the debt=money concepts are particularly difficult to understand but you have to actually want to understand it first 🙂 I know you’ve made that leap – now we just need to get some of your current and future colleagues to do the same.
Yeah dude, that really needs to happen, and as you say, fast.
Which, from what I can make out, is what the capitalists want.
I’m sure they did TLCV but where the reasoning and outcomes are sound then the left has to distill it into an attractive sound bite.
Not everyone wants the full info and all of us in various areas are inclined to rely to some extent on others research -like TPP – I’ve got the general outline and I’ve selected the commentators that appear to be protecting NZ’s interest
The right manage to make the most ghastly things into attractive slogans. The left need to do this but better.
so what do they actually want the money for?
a leaf blower, angle grinder, plastic replica hotrod, chainsaw, trip to the grand final.
The whole country is mad from choices.
Those at the bottom generally want to pay their rent, feed their kids, pay their power bill, buy their clothes, not want to go to WINZ for help, afford to support the local businessmen who might be their neighbor or friend or family member, afford to pay more tax for a good quality social security system and free education and good services, not be castigated and demonised by the right, take the occasional holiday, not have three jobs, can support a family on one income, and so on.
Hi CV 🙂
You’ll find this a very interesting article:
“The Great Austerity Shell Game: Here’s How the Capitalist Scam Works
Let government borrow for crisis bailouts, then insist cuts pay for them. Guess who loses.
by Richard Wolff”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/04-3
excerpt:
“Nor is that all. Corporations and the rich used the money they saved by keeping governments from taxing them to provide the huge loans governments therefore needed. Middle- and lower-income people could lend little if anything to their governments. Corporations and the rich, in effect, substituted loans to the government instead of paying more in taxes. For those loans, governments must pay interest and eventually repay them.
Government borrowing rewards corporations and the rich quite nicely. It amounts to a very sweet deal for capitalists.”
Ahhhh yes R.D. Wolff, a marxian economist and one that I follow from time to time. Thanks mate. He’s also got some good youtube presentations.
Yep, worked that one out years ago. It’s why I keep saying that government should create the money they need and should never borrow. Government borrowing just becomes a government guaranteed income for the rich as they continue to avoid paying taxes.
Their Oz operations are about to be brought under stricter deposit/holding guidelines as they’ve been deemed ‘too big to fail’ and Treasurer Hockey has to make a call on how much they give over to their reserve bank.
Any excuse really with these bloodsuckers to plunder the NZ branch even more.
Or at least move the govt accounts from Westpac to Kiwibank and stop helping them make millions off of us.
The nat’s stitched up a 5-10 year contract from memory and guess where Simon Power went at the end of that term.
link??
the law of diminishing-returns:..’hobbit-fever’..?..anyone..?
phillip ure..
Yeah, not really sure I’m going to see the 2nd one, after having seen all the previous movies at the theatre. 1st Hobbit movie was really pretty lame.
If you look it up, with the Hobbit Jackson has delivered to his Hollywood studio masters an ROI of only about half that of the original LOTR series he created.
Thats one way of looking at it I guess and another is the budget for the first movie is estimated at $200–315 million and the box office take is estimated to be $1,017,003,568 which is not bad going in anyones language
But sorry I forgot any chance to run down Sir Peter Jackson…
That’s what I meant – the Return on Investment of the new movies so far is much less than the original LOTR series.
“Return of the King” scored significantly more box office money, on a budget of less than $100M.
I also note that the new Hobbit movie has scored a massive 30% less on the critics sites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, than the original LOTR movies did.
I’m glad you genuflected with the appropriate respect, mate.
Yes I’m sure the studios are worried because they only made 3-4 times back the investment, sort of missing the big picture there
and since all the movies were shot back to back the return for the next two movies will more than make up for the 700 – 800 million they made of the first movie
Not denying that the studios are still raking it in, plus it’s very clear that they did not need Key to stump up with tax payers money to subsidise them.
“With a total budget of $561 million (and climbing), Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy — the second installment opens this December — is the most expensive movie-making endeavor ever. Although, it should be pointed out that the first movie has already brought in more than one billion dollars for Warner Bros., the distributor of all three films.
Financial documents disclosed in New Zealand, where the trilogy was shot—just like the much cheaper $281 million Lord of the Rings trilogy—shows that incredible sum has already been spent on The Hobbit, and does not include additional shoots or any further post-production work needed on the last two films. The second movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (below) is scheduled for a December 13 release; the final installment, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will be in theaters a year later.
The Hobbit movies are easily the most expensive production cycle ever, outpacing the pair of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which reportedly topped $500 million to create.
Read more: ‘Hobbit’ Budget: More Than $500 Million | TIME.com http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/04/budget-for-the-hobbit-now-exceeds-half-a-billion-dollars/#ixzz2kO6BfMA8
And just think, if the NZ government had footed that $300m we would have been $700m better off on just one movie. Instead, we helped line a foreign corporations pockets.
+1
No, no, NOOOO The government MUST stay out of business. Business doesn’t want government in business… remember?
Take the NZ scenery out and it gets lamer.
And all of the middle earth films are horrendusly dragged out……
How many interesting independent films could have been made for the money extorted for this snore-fest?
a few dozen
Interesting to who?
Interesting to whom?
Interesting to people who enjoy intelligent, thoughtful films. The very opposite of what “Sir” Peter Jackson churns out for his Hollywood masters, in other words.
Yes because popular films are sooo unworthy…
Most of them are. And they’re deadly dull, to boot. Do you think that, other than a few million Tolkien tragics, ANYONE would watch those dire Rings epics if it wasn’t for the massive advertising, paid for by you and me, but signed up for under duress by our hopeless “government”?
Another rabid right winger on Jim Mora’s increasingly biased panel selection this afternoon.
Graham Bell.
I’m sure Morrissey has had words about him before.
Agree.
Annoying that the Right dominate commercial talk back, I expect RNZ to be balancing and intelligently “Left”…Graham Bell is a typical thick righty, after listening to Graham Bell you realise why our police make the continuous fuck ups that they do, because most of them are just really dumb.
‘hoots’ hooten has had his humour-value lately tho’..
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/commentwhoar-ed-heh-rightwing-new-york-rag-freaks-out-over-a-leftie-about-to-be-elected-mayor-of-noo-yawk-leading-by-40-the-humour-to-be-had-from-hoots-hooten/
and re nat-rad panel..
..i wonder why they weed out the intelligent/articulate ones..?..the gordon mclaughlins etc..
..and inflict the likes of thick-as-a-sack-of-fucken-doorknobs..bell on their listeners..so often..?
..i am puzzled not for conspiratorial reasons..
..but for quality of radio-experience for listeners reasons..
..i mean..aside from his colourful-language when speaking of ‘crims’..
..everything from bell is pure brain-fart..
..(and i wonder if/when jim mora is going to trademark his signature-‘sigh!’..?..)
phillip ure..
I don’t mind Graham Bell. Be may be an out-of-date right wing dinosaur ex-cop who probably still thinks Arthur Allan Thomas did it, but he is honest in his views. Much more dislikable is the dishonesty of Mora’s manipulation of topics to try and get comments that suits his conservative moral agenda, andGuest like Farrar and Jordan Williams who pretend to be disinterested observers to push propaganda lines.
There is nothing wrong with a conservative with a honest agenda, even if he is wrong. The new generation of right wingers are not honest, and that is my problem with them.
Fair call.
QFT
the panel is an intellectual talkfest today..
..it’s ‘doorknobs’ bell..and that booze/beer-pimp/pusher…
..bell will bang on about..police 10-7..
..and the booze-pimp will push his latest product-push..
..as they do..as they do..
..phillip ure..
Another rabid right winger on Jim Mora’s increasingly biased panel selection this afternoon.
Graham Bell.
It’s actually far worse than that: the other guest is the insufferably smarmy right winger Neil Miller.
I’m sure Morrissey has had words about him before.
I have indeed charted the many appearances of this obnoxious old bully. Usually he’s simply vacuous….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16102013/#comment-710684
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21062011/#comment-343515
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05022013/#comment-584721
Occasionally he takes a delight in cowering lesser talents into submission, as he has with Jeremy Elwood and several other “liberal” guests. It’s no doubt the kind of behaviour that gets you promoted in the Police.
Occasionally, though, he comes up against someone with the cojones to challenge him—like Gordon Campbell. Invariably Bell collapses….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12042013/#comment-618074
N.B. It is instructive to note the Standard regulars who lined up to praise my coverage of that last one.
How we’re Bell and Miller today?
NEIL MILLER
On the positive side, Miller excoriated the dreadful Kerre ohoWmad, who now rejoices in the splendid moniker of “Kerre McIvor”, for this typically disgusting column….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/kerre-mcivor-on-new-zealand/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502870&objectid=11142935
After that, however, he went off on a dyspeptic rant against Len Brown and John Campbell. He was so extraordinarily biased and unfair that even Jim Mora himself felt compelled to contradict him.
GRAHAM BELL
His Soapbox contribution was, as always, another grumble. Not about the standards of service in tea-rooms this time, but about the poor standard of customer service with Telecom.
Known in certain circles as Gardner Bell because some say he’s really good at planting things.
Really good thoughts here about the auckland rapist thing, and the mob mentality that is swirling about the place. Anger is good, but let’s be good humans eh.
http://thehandmirror.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/the-baying-mob-or-how-i-carry-torch.html
I passed a crown limo this morning stuffed full of one G Brownlee and managed to refrain from shaking my fist. Much self congratulation
i have just two words to say to the tories claiming their mp’s are chosen on ‘merit not gender’…
..craig foss..
..mm-kay..?
phillip ure..
You missed Aaron Gilmore.
nah..!..i..i’ll definitely see your gilmore… and raise you..
..yes..gilmore shares that dull-gleam in the eye..of the foss..
..but for wall-to-wall w.t.f..!..
..it’s hard to walk past the ‘craig’….eh..?
phillip ure..
You might be right about Foss. I’m weighing it up.
But then again, I had a wtf moment when Brownlee was selected… and then they made him a minister. I haven’t quite gotten over that.
And then they made him King Gerry of Canterbury.
nathan guy, the king of f*k ups, a useful idiot i think is the proper term.
i love guy..!
..i call him ‘clutch cargo’..
..phillip ure..
And to play devils advocate, I give you Amy Adams, Anne Tolley, and the doyen of incompetence, Hekia Parata.
The only way National would increase its gender balance would be for it to loose by a landslide.
The amount of profit the big 3 down from 4(the National bank should never have been aloud to be taken over by ANZ) is similar to our balance of payments shortfall.
This is a very important observation. Critically important. It answers why we as a tributary nation feel constantly indebted and constantly poorer, despite sacrificing more and more of both our people and our environment in pursuit of “economic growth”.
aye..the fact our deficit equals the amount of profits sucked out of the country in corporate-profits..
..each and every year..
..(leaving us as a nation in a state of eternal-penury..)
..and that welfare-fraud is $23 million a year..
..yet corporate/elite tax-dodging/’fraud'(?) is over $2 billion..(!)
..each and every year..
..have been my recent takeaway-economic-facts about nz..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..
When private profits = government deficit then it obvious that profit is a dead-weight loss and that the people funding that deficit, the poor and the workers, are always going to be worse off while a few get richer and richer.
Tibetan persecution in their own country; Please support the Tibetans
Tibetans who refuse to fly the Chinese flag above their homes risk being beaten or shot in the latest attempt to break their spirits. But now is the best moment in ages to bring hope to Tibet’s proud, but desperate people.
China’s leaders are mounting an intense campaign to draw a veil over their rights abuses and persuade governments to vote them onto the UN Human Rights Council. So if enough of us shine a light on what’s going on in Tibet — squashing an ancient religion, banning journalists, dawn arrests — we can get China to back away from its hard-line policy to be sure of getting the 97 votes it needs.
Let’s show the Tibetan people that the world hasn’t forgotten them. China is feeling the heat as 13 governments just called them out on human rights in Tibet. Sign to stand with Tibet, then share this with everyone. When one million have signed we’ll deliver it to critical UN delegations, and make it massive in the media:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_tibet_loc/?tSQzacb
Pressure on China is mounting. In an unprecedentedly strong show of support, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, US, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland and Austria just called on China to protect freedom of assembly, religion and association in Tibet. This request arrives just days after a Spanish court indicted China’s former President for genocide in Tibet!
The situation is really dire. More than 120 people have taken their own lives by setting themselves on fire to protest the suffocation of the Chinese occupation and hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have been wiped out. China’s ongoing policies systematically suppress the Tibetan language, force people from their homes, and strictly control the Tibetans’ movement and religion.
China’s failed policies hurt China too, but having dug themselves in this deep, they need pressure to change course. This is the week that change can start. If enough of us speak up while China is under the global microscope, we can make sure our governments know we haven’t forgotten Tibet. Sign now and tell everyone — let’s build the biggest petition ever for Tibet and demand they hold China to account:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_tibet_loc/?tSQzacb
Proud Tibetans are struggling against China’s brutal rule and long for change, but they can’t do it alone. No one can create changes that big alone.
That’s why we’ve come together for Tibet before. Let’s make this the moment where the whole world commits to the survival of the Tibetan people.
With hope,
Ben, Alice, Patricia, Alex, Ricken, Emily, Sayeeda and the whole Avaaz team
SOURCES
UN criticises China’s rights record at Geneva meeting (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24611657
Dalai Lama Says China Has Turned Tibet Into a ‘Hell on Earth’ (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/world/asia/11tibet.html
Spain probes Hu Jintao ‘genocide’ in Tibet court case (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24490004
Four Tibetans Shot Dead as Protests Spread in Driru County (Radio Free Asia)
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/shoot-10112013200735.html
China denounces Spanish court’s Tibet case against ex-president (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/us-china-spain-tibet-idUSBRE99D09120131014
”Desperado wont you come to your senses”, a gem off of Maori TV’s Native Affairs last night had Labour’s Shane Jones alleging that Slippery the Prime Minister, begging bowl in hand, had convinced the Maori Parties Tariana Turia not to resign at the 2014 election,
Jones talking out of His tiro???, quite possibly as we all know He has the ability to drop s**t into the public arena that would have been better wiped and flushed,
Desperation tho would be the PM looking across the political landscape for that ingredient needed to form a Government, coalition partners, and seeing far off in the distance only the Colon Craig loony tunes fundies offering a whiff of opportunity, so i can well imagine Slippery trying to keep Auntie Tari and Her Labour hating venom on in the Parliament for another 3,
Hat tip to Mihi and Native Affairs for providing us all with a show that grinds the reality into and out of the politicians across the spectrum,
The other interesting rumor doing the rounds at the moment is that ex Native Affairs presenter Julian Wilcox is thinking of putting His name forward for Labour in the Tamaki-Makaurau electorate which Sharples after wasting six years pretending to make gains for Maori with His ‘feet under the table’ has decided, rather than be tossed out of, to resign from…
Last night’s Native Affairs can be viewed here.
Thanks for the linking Karol, one of these days i will get edumacated in linking to stuff with cool wording in the sentence, until such tho i have to rely on the ‘goodwill’ of others with better skills,
”Desperado wont you come to your senses” part two, i made reference last week to what looked like and what the Wellington rumor mill said was a concerted media effort orchestrated by the Henchmen in the employ of the Slippery little Shyster we have as Prime Minister to in effect manufacture a coalition partner out of Colon Craigs Conservatives using the compliant mass media to spread a barrage of publicity across the spectrum leading up to Labour Weekend,
In the week following this ‘experiment’ to gauge the effect of using their influence over the editors of the countries mass media to bolster the electoral appeal of Craig’s Conservatives,(with a deliberate omission of the ‘Christian’ from the title), National has conducted further internal polling to gauge just how effective this ‘campaign’ has been,
The rumor mill,(not normally known for taking the vows), has gone silent with regards ‘a result’ either way for Slippery’s efforts at manufacturing that pivotal coalition partner post the 2014 election and i have to wonder if Slippery’s sack-cloth approach to Tariana Turia of the Maori Party rumored by Shane Jones on last nights Native Affairs gives a hint that such machinations by the mass media has been an abject failure…
This explains why mass surveillance is not very useful for catching terrorists.
NAct’s – silencing education that encourages a critical examination of society. Martyn Bradbury posts:
Facebook protest page.
With some of the courses not being offered in 2014.
Sociology.
Women’s Studies
Classics
History
It’s usual to have some courses not run during any one year due to things like a lecturer being unavailable. But it is the extent of the courses not being run this year that is appalling.
Since the neoliberal rise, there has been an ongoing privileging of courses that immediately serve the current economy and business world. In contrast courses like history and classics are seen as not economically viable. There is an undervaluing of the role of universities in being guardians of the heritage of human knowledge from the past: and of courses that enable a long term critical examination of human societies.
Three’s also been a “bums on seats” approach, and an undervaluing of the benefit to society of specialist knowledge in areas that usually attract a small number of students.
I see universities as a reservoir of knowledge that we might not need right now.
Welcome to the Brownlee dark ages.
Chorus, the Commerce Commission and the UFB
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11151658
Comin’ down in three-part harmony… 😀
(not An Old Fashioned Love Song).
Here’s hoping National ignores the polling results and tries to reverse the ruling :3
At their UFB policy-making table, the National Government can dine to custard – copious amounts of custard. To a chorus of groans and wails.
I think a new Department of Public Works can take over Chorus’ role in the UFB layout for a fraction of the cost.
My preference would be for the govt to buy chorus.
That way we get back the monopoly which is the local loop as well as the near monopoly on fibre being created now.
Also, makes it easier to have chorus start hiring and training NZers for their tech jobs instead of importing labour which appears to be their current practice.
Price $1 I hope.
A lady I work with used to work for Chorus, or more correctly, Transfield, one of their contractors — she said that the practise of hiring Filipino techs were purely to “get rid of union troublemakers”.
Custard spiked with Chilli bombs of lost votes 👿
Did anyone see John Key on Nightline about the drink drive limit or even better have a link I had to rewind it but I forgot to hit record
Did anyone see John Key on Nightline about the drink drive limit or even better have a link I had to rewind it but I forgot to hit record
Private Security is Growing Globally by 7.9% / Year: $244B / Annum by 2016
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11151770
-outsourcing by the UN could further negatively tarnish their badge.
as opposed to using untrained draftees from developing countries that pocket the substantial difference between UN remuneration and the soldiers’ daily pay.
well, there’s always that to be grafted on. 🙂
It could be that part of any new politicians preparation is to cover the various possibilities there are for them to be offered graft, or to spot likely candidates and opportunities in their work force. Part of being street-wise looking out for those who think the streets are paved with gold. A lovely melody, but with real meaning.
When individuals do it, it’s “graft”.
When corporations do it, it’s “finding an innovative new source of incremental revenue”.
When countries do it, it’s “a valuable contribution to the nation’s books”.
A few of the older posters on here would remember hearing about the activities of mercenaries in Africa during the 60’s and 70’s.
And find there is little distinction between the likes of Mike Hoare in the ’70s and Blackwater today.
Well, One thing David Farrar knows is which way the wind is blowing inside National, and he is implicitly putting the boot into blubber boy today. Quoth Mr. Farrar:
“…Having now read the entire message history, I have to say I’m appalled. The emotional blackmail and manipulation is beyond intense…”
Meanwhile, in a fantastical post today, Cameron Slater is now claiming Bevan Chaung is in fact some sort of Manchurian candidate planted by Len Brown to discredit Palino and his campaign (*sigh* yes, I know…).
All over, red rover.
my take from the Sunday interview
-a smart women, yet a ‘hopeless romantic’
-not aware apparently of her own sub-conscious motives
-Palino – suggested Blackmail, effectively
-One woman actor utilized by at least five men for personal or political advantage (boast-busters).
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Hes being flippant
how can you even tell these days…
he knew exactly what to do with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahoy, isn’t your ship ready to sail hookie.
yep trooper.
As soon as I get the latest bag of plotlines down from real life in New Zealand I am sailing for Hollywoood immediately.
plenty of material to plunge in to; some even Barrie could not have imagined carrying his children away. It’s beyond planking.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/collector-s-firearms-probably-in-criminal-hands-police-5672550
T_T
Here’s hoping he wont get his fire arms licence back. Especially given this remarkably stupid comment:
Teh stupid is strong with this one.
Admits to selling 30 illegally but 130 disappeared at around the same time…yeah.
Does anyone have a yahoo email account? I’ve just had to change my password and it keeps telling me the password I choose is invalid. Apparently they want me to make it really complex, so complex that there isn’t a hope in hell of me typing it out correctly the first time. Have tried combinations of letters, numbers and symbols with mixed capitalisation and it’s still not working. Is this a known issue?
Weka,
Think of a phrase and use that. I.e. “iUsedToLiveOnSmithStreet”
Make it something personal to you. If numbers are required swap out some letters; e=3, a=4, o=0 etc.
If other characters are required, punctuate your sentence.
Thanks! The sentences and punctuation of a sentence would work well for me. I can’t handle long strings of more random things unless I can see the password visible as I type.
In the end it looks like yahoo was not reading my current password attempts properly. I had to change browser and try repeatedly. I suspect that that live updating and feedback about password strength works better on a faster internet connection.
THIS.
Better to use a mix of grammatically valid and invalid stuff in the password though, as it makes it harder to guess 😛 Add on capital/numbers to the end if the website designer(s) are sticking to flawed password quidelines, like WINZ.
I use http://www.random.org/passwords/
Do you cut and paste those?
Guy Fawkes Eve, NZ Parliamentary Question Time, 2013
well, as fitting, there were indeed some fireworks in the House, fireworks that would be entertaining if the implications were not so serious, as serious as a four-year-old girl scarred on her face for life by the products of a commercial celebration.
Q.4 (was late due to unforeseen puncture) 🙂 Parker: on Kiwiassure, Cunliffe waving a copy of The Hollow Men in the foreground as English utilizes, what are real, fears about the risks of any company insuring New Zealand, particularly with regards to the seismic implications, while Key has earlier proposed on interest.co.nz that the government may become an equity partner in Chorus.
Great economic management displayed by National so far…Not!
now to the teaser from the Boom Box,
Q.7 Winston to Key about advice to ministers from departments, specifically Treasury on “reigning in Parata” and “spinning change in the education sector”.
Key-“I haven’t seen that Treasury advice”.
Tabling of an instant refutation to the claim requested by Peters (ruled admissible by an earlier Speaker’s Ruling) was denied by Roy.
Then, following Key receiving advice during QT concerning an error made earlier by DC, freakin’ bolshy Brownlee starts winding up, challenging the Speakers ruling at least 3 times to enable Key to grand-stand, then Key starts tag-teaming with Brownlee also challenging the Speaker’s ruling, more than once, finally blurting out the reference to make his points victory.
Great work by Grant Robertson standing up to the bully Brownlee, more than a match!
Brownlee attempts for the last word…”Will the Speaker give consideration to…”
Eric Roy capably sums up that “the House is in a fractious mood” (all that sublimated tension).
Yet, it got better, or worse, depending on your humanity,
Q.9 Jan Logie to Collins regarding implementing trials of alternative evidence-giving (inquisitive ) Criminal Trial formats for sexual offences, particularly in light of these recent pack-rapes of minors.
Collins (just getting warmed up under the collar) -refers to what is currently being done to assist victims and rules out inquisitive format. Ironically, referencing the work around and by Louise Nicholas, who was a rape victim of the Police.
Logie-” yet 90% of sexual abuse victims still do not lay complaints”
Collins- “I accept that there are many who do not come forward…” Then …Collins really hit her strides and repeated that Logie raising these matters “could taint trials”. hmmm.
Still winding up, along came some Supplementaries from her old play-mate Andrew Little
Little- “Will she modify evidence-giving procedures for sexual abuse trials?”
Collins- really seeing red, and spitting tacks, “that man lacks the courage..etc etc etc”)
Onto the Ardern / Bennett tussling
Q.10 Ardern questions Bennett on the government using, and obtaining, an objective measure of Child Poverty in New Zealand.
Bennett (clearly emotional ) cannot deny that this government does not possess such a measure with which to verify any reduction in child poverty arising from their policies.
However, she can argue this- “If the member (Ardern) can get on her high horse…”
Yep, that’s how it was today with our people. 😀
Emissions hit a new high but the rate of increase slows.
Actual global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a new record of 34.5 billion tonnes in 2012. Yet, the increase in global CO2 emissions in that year slowed down to 1.1% , which was less than half the average annual increase of 2.9% over the last decade. This is remarkable, as the global economy grew by 3.5%. This development signals a shift towards less fossil-fuel-intensive activities, more use of renewable energy and increased energy saving. Increases in fossil-fuel consumption in 2012 were 2.2% for natural gas, 0.9% for oil products, and 0.6% for coal.
http://www.pbl.nl/en/news/newsitems/2013/2012-sees-slowdown-in-the-increase-in-global-co2-emissions
Infographic:
http://infographics.pbl.nl/website/globalco2/
is the upshot sustainable…ERoEI…
I think a lot of this “growth” was via financial speculation – not very energy and fuel intensive. Nor is it ‘real’ growth, just more gaming of the numbers system.
Europe is about to have their democracy smashed by a TPPA style agreement
Corporate power rules.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/04/us-trade-deal-full-frontal-assault-on-democracy
And finds new ways to enrich itself.
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21588379-mutation-way-companies-are-financed-and-managed-will-change-distribution
Something rotten in the state of Victoria
Why is Gai Waterhouse being lionized? She should be shunned.
The trainer of Fiorente, the horse that won the Melbourne Cup today, is one Gai Waterhouse. Far from being hugged and praised after the race, many people believe she should not be allowed anywhere near Flemington, or indeed any other race course.
Gai Waterhouse’s husband was responsible for the most notorious racing ring-in in Australasian equine history. In August 1984 at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm race-course, an ordinary 8-year-old gelding, Fine Cotton, was replaced for a novice handicap by a horse called Bold Personality, complete with white paint on his legs in a crude attempt to match Fine Cotton’s white markings on his hind legs. Officials smelt a rat when betting on Fine Cotton dived in from 33-1 to 7-2. The horse won by a short head, but with the paint beginning to run down the horse’s legs as it returned to scale and some onlookers shouting “ring-in” the game was up. New Zealand trainer Hayden Haitana shot through shortly after the race, only to be nabbed by police in South Australia and subsequently jailed along with scam organiser John Gillespie. But it involved some of Australia’s big racing names, and prominent bookmakers Bill and Robbie Waterhouse were warned off the country’s tracks for 14 years. ….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10370810
The controversy continues to swirl around Gai Waterhouse. At the 2013 Sydney Cup, owner John Singleton sacked Gai Waterhouse live on television after her son Tom Waterhouse, a bookmaker, allegedly told acquaintances that Singleton’s horse More Joyous would lose the All Ages Stakes, which it did. Both Gai Waterhouse and Tom Waterhouse denied any wrong doing. ….
http://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/john-singleton-and-gai-waterhouse-in-spectacular-bust-up-at-randwick/story-fndpqu3p-1226630746541
“… many people believe she should not be allowed anywhere near Flemington, or indeed any other race course.”
Who they, Morrissey?
And is there a word for people who think woman are defined by their husbands? Mozogynist, perhaps?
ps. fine for a minor ‘failure to disclose’ verdict in the “controversial” Singleton case: $5k. Winnings in the last couple of hours: $3.5 million. Giddy up!
Who they, Morrissey?
People who care about integrity in sports. Yes, Te Reo, I know that, when you consider such travesties as the 1999 and 2011 RWC finals, every single Tour de France and nearly every professional boxing bout, that’s probably a crazy idea, but some people still do believe in the IDEA of sportsmanship and honesty.
And is there a word for people who think woman are defined by their husbands?
I don’t think the Gai Waterhouse should be judged by her criminal husband, any more than I think John Banks, should be judged by his criminal parents, or Hillary Clinton should be judged by her criminal husband. The misdeeds of Gai Waterhouse, like the misdeeds of John Banks and Hillary Clinton, should be judged on their own terms.
Just as a matter of interest, however, are you trying to suggest that Gai Waterhouse was innocent of any involvement in the Fine Cotton fraud?
Mozogynist, perhaps?
Good one! I see what you did there.
Name them, Moz! Cite the “many people” who agree with you.
If you don’t think Gai Waterhouse “should be judged by her criminal husband”, why did you do it? And why do you libel her by claiming she was involved in the Fine Cotton affair?
Name them, Moz! Cite the “many people” who agree with you.
You obviously have spent no time in Australia.
If you don’t think Gai Waterhouse “should be judged by her criminal husband”, why did you do it?
I made it clear that I had not done that. To further clarify for you, I even made the analogy with two other notorious people who should not be judged by their criminal family members, but have earned opprobrium for themselves by their own foul deeds. You have made a habit of deliberately disregarding the evidence I put up to counter your rabid accusations and also of willfully misconstruing what I write; here you are at it again, pretending I judged this dodgy woman by her husband’s crimes. If I had done that, then you would have a fair point. But I had not, and you have not.
And why do you libel her by claiming she was involved in the Fine Cotton affair?
I did not libel her. She was involved in that ridiculously unsuccessful fraud just as surely as she was involved with her dodgy son’s foolish activity in Sydney this year. Or maybe you think she was, and is, the very picture of the saintly wife and mother, oblivious to the actions of her husband and son?
C’mon, Moz, get the whip out! Usually when you’re caught out bullshitting you try to defend yourself, so I guess this time even you know you’ve blown it. To put this one in racing terms, you’ve just dead heated with the ambulance.
Again, bluster to hide the fact I’ve called you out. You’re quite humorous, though, so I don’t mind you too much.
While you’re on the line, buddy, could you just tell us what it is about Gai Waterhouse that you find so appealing?
Who says I find her appealing? Why, just you! Poor Moz, such a fascination with the English language and, alas, such a weak grip on the finer points of its effective use.
Morrisey
You’re just sore because you’re horse lost.
You’re just sore because you’re [sic] horse lost.
I refrained from betting this time, warbler.
Morrisey
Watch it, you’ll become a wowser next. Then you may have to give up the joy of poking fun at Jim Mora and we’ll lose some fine moments of irony and farce, pathos and bathos. (I’ve always wanted to use that word, bathos. Not seen much. I give it to you like a rare, fine pearl (of wisdom)!
Indeed, warbler, “bathos” is a fine word. Here’s a splendid recent example of it, all the more effective because this appallingly bad actor obviously lacks even the slightest sense of irony….
Willie and JT were incredibly misogynistic in their interview with a victim of the rapists known as the “Roast Bunchers” – http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Friend-of-an-alleged-Roast-Busters-victim-calls-Willie–JT/tabid/506/articleID/38783/Default.aspx
Make sure to lodge a compaint – http://bsa.govt.nz/complaints/formal-complaint
Thankfully I missed it, Jackson’s opening statement had me doing my man shouts at cloud shtick and turning the damn thing off.
Homosexuals, unionists, feminists, teenage girls. Is there not a group that JT doesnt want to string up with piano wire?
I wouldnt want to be a lesbian teenage female trade union member…JT’s Waitakere brownshirts would come for me.
Banks make off with billions.
Nationalise the lot of them and recover our stolen money.
A few trials might restrain their corporate greed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11151951
Mr Richards makes a point in todays DomPost.
Adding insult to injury, the American bank that bought 8 per cent of the shares that were sold in Meridian (US Meridian buy-up fuels Labour’s foreigner fear, Nov 1) would have received money from United States taxpayers in the form of quantative easing, with the intention that the money would be lent out to stimulate the US economy.
The trouble is that as very few people want to take on more debt (surprise, surprise) the banks are now using that money to buy up overseas assets.
US taxpayer money is being used to buy assets paid for by Kiwi taxpayers and the dividends are going overseas to the one per cent.
It’s not possible to get out of debt by taking on more debt, and it’s not prudent to sell an asset that’s returning a 17 per cent yield to pay off debt that’s being charged at five per cent.
The only winners in this madness are the banks who got us into this mess in the first place.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/letters-to-the-editor/9362122/Letter-The-asset-sales-money-go-round
The only incorrect line is this:
Liquidity from QE does not come from tax payers; it is not money from tax revenues. It is money magicked “out of thin air” via the Fed.
>> It is money magicked “out of thin air” via the Fed.
Social Credits funny money.
Another round of upgrades to (hopefully) improve performance. Let me know if anything shows up in the javascript as it is using a new minification system.
Next stage is the automatic spawning of a extra servers when the load goes up. Which will be pleasant as it can spike to 4-5x ‘normal’ levels over an hour.
Testing entering a comment whilst not logged in.
Better. I have cookies back again.
Umm something wrong in the minify and re-edit. Now why wasn’t that a surprise…
It is in the CSS this time..
ok an irritating lack of any ability to survive minification. It can stay off.
Yes that works…
Some deferred javascript… That seems to work..
Good.
How can we expect young women who have been raped to make formal statements when there is a clear lack of funding for qualified and experienced support for them?