For the good of our nation, Winston Peters needs to be memorialised.
In Parliament with just a few breaks since 1978, he should be sat down and given a proper Celebrity Roast.
Something akin to the final scene of The Wire in which a good but errant cop is laid flat in front of a bar with all his peers old and older, all his enemies, all his friends, all his lovers, all his whanau, all the lawyers he's shafted, all the judges he's just fucked over in the press, all the MPs and Ministers and Prime Ministers he's stabbed in the front and the back and the side, all the reporters that he's spat at to their faces as the nation watched with abandoned glee, all the civil servants who year after year wiped his ass with our cash until he could finally shit no more, and story after story and drink after drink they all recall how he did it, how he got them all, the best lies he ever told, the crimes he never quite nailed, the conspiracies true and should've-been-true from Think Big's Alusuisse to The Winebox to PGF, in short how he was to his core Natural Born Politician, the only one we'v really had since Holyoake, the sum total of his 'hit' files on people are read out and laughed at…
and at the same time as this is happening he is gently tapped of all his fluid and embalmed, so that he can be aid flat on the gun carriage and pulled with 22 black horses down The Terrace and Featherstone Street as people throw black carnations and red roses across his path … but he's still perfectly conscious so that he can enjoy it and repudiate all the concurrent press coverage to their faces …
… and then his head can be gently removed and mounted on a mahogany base to be displayed, with eyes ever-watching, right above the Speakers' Chair, something like a horse.
Wonderful news to start the day. A friend worked at this pharmacy, it was the most abusive workplace she has even been in. It lead to mental health issues for her.
The former owners of a Nelson pharmacy have been hit with almost $400,000 in penalties for price fixing.
"The summary of facts said the pharmacy explained to customers the $1 charge was to draw attention to the under-funding of prescription medicines and to put pressure on the health board to adequately fund them to ensure the pharmacies' survival."
And who do you reckon Hebberd and Wright will support in the upcoming election? Probably the same people that increased prescription charges fro $3 – $5 and who made an art form out of underfunding the health sector during their reign of terror.
Apart from bad employment practices and the fact that the pharmacies all agreed to making a protest charge, the $400,000 is excessive for an extra $1. I suppose that will pay for the CEOs salary at COCO, (I should cocoa! for the English readers), or might stretch for him or her and the Misery of Health (as Rosemary calls them) or the CEO of the DHB who I think may be the one making such a good job of running the Southland/Otago HB.
Now COCO can look at AirNZ and see if they should be charged big quids for holding urgently needed refunds back in a predatory manner.
UMR poll:
– Labour 54% (down marginally from 55% in April)
– ational 30% (up marginally from 29% in April)
– NZ First 5% (down from 6%)
– Greens 4% (down from 5%)
– ACT may be 2.5%
Preferred Prime Minister:
– Jacinda Ardern 65% (no change)
– Todd Muller 13% (Bridges 7% in April)
The poll of 1211 voters was taken from May 26 to June 1 and has a margin of error of +/-3%.
Another very good result for Labour and Ardern but they appear to have peaked.
This isn’t very good for National again, but it suggests the slide may have ended.
And considering a muddled first week and uninspiring second week I don’t think it’s bad for Muller, he at least got about double Bridges last UMR result.
We’re in an unprecedented situation health-wise, socially, politically and economically. It is most likely the Labour-National gap will close a bit at least as we get closer to the election.
I has miskeyed the Naame on the first one and it disappeared so I reposted the comment later. You can delete the first one (no comments on it) if you want to tidy up.
I don’t think it’s bad for Muller, he at least got about double Bridges last UMR result.
No surprise … I was pretty much expecting him to debut around the early to mid teens.
Given the ever-increasing importance of leadership attributes in determining voting behaviour … a new Opposition Leader really needs to be debuting in the 20s or 30s in the Preferred PM stakes and to appear at least reasonably competitive with the PM if they're to have any chance of victory.
Unfortunately UMR have only very recently started to measure Preferred PM ratings … in the past they restricted leadership measures to Favourability only … but here are new Oppo Leader debuts in the Colmar Brunton Preferred PMs this century:
if pugh, or any living human, had replaced simon, their preferred p.m. rating would be about where toddlers is. most nats still dont know anything about toddler ,or his policies, but will vote or a turkey in gumboots, if it wears a nat sticker.
Party Vote Green, tactically or if you are a wavering Labour/Green voter is the message there. Tribal Labour support for the sake of it makes no sense.
We may end up with Act 6 Nats 39 Labour 43 NZF 4.9 GR 4.9 wasted 2.2
Prime Minister Mullet in an ACT/NAT coalition of 61 seats
You mean vote for a party that allowed police free entry into our property. The party that has to swallow dead rats (willingly). Little comment regarding police using AI. And giving the Nats their questions at QT. All to be part of THE govt team, without really BEINg in the team
If they had voted against the Bill, what would have happened next?
I mean, there is a conversation to be had about how MMP *should function, but people saying the Greens should just vote against everything they don't like would stall govt and no-one explains what would happen next given Labour also have to negotiate Bills with NZF, their primary partner who has Ministers inside cabinet.
I really wish people would explain how they think this works, instead of just slagging off a party for making the best of a shitty situation. Doubly so in a conversation about tactical voting, because if the Greens get more MPs this time they will have more chance at swaying Labour.
NZ1st appear to be able to maintain their identity and keep to their principles, Where is the line in the sand that The Greens will not cross? for me this appears to me a moving target.
Are some saying that to be part of the establishment that there are many rats to be swallowed, and what "payback" is there for the Greens ? – I don't see Labour or NZ1 digesting rats. Just saying 🤓
Winston First were in a position to negotiate a coalition agreement containing more latitude and more lollies than the Greens were offered, including seats at the cabinet table.
Politics is the art of the possible. Purity is for those of us sitting on the outside wringing our hands.
I'm going to address the issues you raise there Herodotus, but first I want to point out that you didn't answer the question. If the Greens voted against the Bill, what would have happened next?
What would have happened is the Greens would have started a nationwide debate.
A nationwide debate on anything is what the Greens at 4.7%-5.1% desperately need.
The Greens sure sucked it up and voted for the two-tier welfare payments. And then came out the next day and complained. Trying to start a nationwide debate.
But then Labour would have responded that they've delivered:
– The $5.5 billion Families Package in 2018 which established the Winter Energy and Best Start payments, as well as boosting Working for Families tax credits.
– Indexed main benefits to wage growth from April 2020, meaning benefit payments rise in line with wages – rather than inflation.
NZ1st appear to be able to maintain their identity and keep to their principles,…
Yes, and it's hard for me to understand how this is still so poorly understood given that NZF have been in parliament since the early 90s, and Peters has been fucking with MMP since its introduction. Not trying to be rude, there is a lot I still don't understand about how parliament and government works in NZ. Here's what I understand about this though,
Centrist small parties have institutional power that small parties on the left and right don't. NZF is able to play National and Labour off each other in order to get policy gains. They also had slightly more votes and one more MP than the Greens in 2017.
Labour couldn't govern with the GP alone, it had to do a deal with NZF if it wanted to form government. NZF held the balance of power, because if Labour wouldn't deal with them, they could just support a Nat govt instead. This option isn't available to the GP.
Labour also needed the GP to form govt, but the option for the GP was to support a Lab govt or allow a Nat one. Obviously this is a lot less tenable for a left wing party than a centrist one.
There are some bottom lines, which I'll address below, but I don't see NZF holding the balance of power being one of them. What else should have made the GP not give Confidence and Supply in 2017 and thus given Nat a 4th term? I can't think of any. So this is an institutional power that the Greens hold, but it's a very different power than what NZF have.
Add to that is that the GP practice political ethics. They're not going to bring down a govt over policy unless there is a critical issue of principles.
…Where is the line in the sand that The Greens will not cross? for me this appears to me a moving target.
My understanding of the GP position is that they won't compromise on principles but they will compromise on policy. This is what Sacha is talking about. All parties have to compromise, and in this case that includes Lab and NZF. How much they compromise depends on two things. What kind of institutional power they have, and how they use that power. The Greens aren't in govt for power, they're there for change, and working with other parties is a good way of effecting that. A big part of that is maintaining good working relationships with the parties they depend upon on this issue but also future issues.
Are some saying that to be part of the establishment that there are many rats to be swallowed, and what "payback" is there for the Greens ? – I don't see Labour or NZ1 digesting rats. Just saying
The big problem I see is that the negotiations around Bills are done in secret. I think they should be public. I think NZers should be able to see who is supporting what, and who is blocking what. Atm we can't see what gains the GP have made that NZF or Labour wouldn't have done anyway, but we can make some educated guesses based on the policy platforms of all parties before the election.
Climate is the obvious one. We have a more progressive climate policy than if it had been L/NZF alone.
If you really want to dig into, I would expect that the Select Committee process would likewise show the differences between the parties and then the outcomes would show who made gains for their own policies. This includes the covid Bill, which I understand the Greens argued for changes to.
Even Act has more dignity than to argue about how being an out-there party makes it hard. Act finds the way to make change – which they have done this term with tiny numbers. They will be rewarded for it.
You want to get above 5% go out and fight for it.
Failing that go win a seat and stop whining about how everyone's so mean and no one else has principles.
Your example is totally ridiculous, ACT only exist in parliament because of a deal between them and National, we are all aware of that. ACT represent ideology and policies that the National party want but may not want to campaign on. If your rhetoric is representative of how Labour views the Greens then it's even more clear how different their situation is from your example.
You Green supporters seem about as capable of holding their Green MPs for their performance which is at marginal survival as white evangelicals do to Donald Trump. That's shown by you reacting like a scolded cat to some advice that's applicable to any marginal party.
Act have got the electoral deal that the Greens may well need to stay afloat. Take a lesson and do a deal.
Even Act has more dignity than to argue about how being an out-there party makes it hard. Act finds the way to make change – which they have done this term with tiny numbers. They will be rewarded for it.
You want to get above 5% go out and fight for it.
Failing that go win a seat and stop whining about how everyone's so mean and no one else has principles.
For a guy whose smart about many things including lots of politics, you have a pretty outstanding blindspot on this.
My post wasn't about special pleading, it was simply describing how parties on the edges don't have the same institutional power as those in the middle, so that H could understand the context of what he was expecting and why it's unlikely to happen.
To me this is self-evident, whatever failings the Greens have, by all means explain how I am wrong on this point. Centrist parties can do things that parties on the edge can't. And you know, I'm still waiting for the actual explanation of the people that dump on the Greens on how macho politics from the left of Labour would work. Won't hold my breath though, you do seem to have an ongoing grievance about something to do with the Greens so I don't expect any useful discussion about how governments function.
You try and use ACT as an example of something in all that, but ACT are only in parliament because they do a deal with Nat to have a seat. Instead of opening a conversation about the usefulness or not of Lab and the Greens doing electorate deals, you suggest that ACT are somehow more parliamentarily virutous /massive eyeroll.
Your implication is that the Greens haven't achieved anything, but obviously they have. Maybe they haven't lived up to your expectations, which would be really fucking weird given how much you seem to hate them. No idea what that is about, maybe it's just too much that Labour have to rely on them and you are afraid that it will cost the left the election.
Bugger me why people think dumping on the Greens will improve things, but I guess there are still plenty of lefties out there that think bashing is an incentive. SSDD for NZ after all.
What would happen next ?… Extending that then, The Greens are totally subservient to Labour because they cannot go against their govt.
If there is a partnership then shouldn't Labour be seen tacitly in "giving" the Greens over the last 2.5 years some wins.
From my perspective we see NZ1 standing up as the sole bastion of "Common Sense". Sure Peters pays the game, at many times at a Kindy level and it STILL works. e.g. Fishing at home to gain profile, standing to move to level 1. Saying that there are plenty in politics that are clueless at the most basic of levels.
Is there a reason you won't engage with the question?
Extending that then, The Greens are totally subservient to Labour because they cannot go against their govt.
I'm curious where you get your information about the Greens from. I've seen them going against Labour policy a number of times recently.
If there is a partnership then shouldn't Labour be seen tacitly in "giving" the Greens over the last 2.5 years some wins.
They have. Maybe do some research.
I'm so sick of these conversations. If people want the Greens to do something, then explain how. Otherwise it just comes across as moaning. Personally I think the Greens' weak points are more about their strategy, and their social media work. But we will see how they go in the election campaign.
You mean vote for a party that allowed police free entry into our property.
Are you suggesting voting for one of the other parties that allowed it? Also, are you suggesting that the Greens shouldn't have become part of the government?
Stop the tag wrestling Ad. We don't have time for things to gradually work out – the world is coming to an end and the sky is falling. Times are almost fitting into the stories of children's nursery rhymes – so unbelievable.
Put up or shut up. Don't put down any well meaning Party, put a whoopee cushion under them, and when it farts say 'Look what happens when you sit down, stand up grow good, and get moving like there's no tomorrow'. There may not be – it may come but look completely different than what was expected.
Now children children! If you can't behave nicely to each other, I'm afraid I'm going to have to separate you!
Ad: You go and stand in the purple corner! (Or is it mauve?)
Hero: You're over there in the black, and woe betide if you turn around while you're wearing that ridiculous dunce's hat (Talking about bloody principle and all – especially when Shane the Retail politician has got 'em all up for sale and is negotiating the price of the next bauble for Winnie)
@Grey: Come with me and and we'll go and do the dishes together
As pointed out in that Herald/ODT link, the UMR poll is only part of the story. But we also know National's private polling is bad, because Muller is refusing to share it with the caucus. If it was 35%+ they'd be spinning it like crazy.
I gave up following the issue a while back but I'd be grateful if someone who is considerably considerably better informed than I could tell me about the intricacies of it all. And that's because I'm no longer interested in anything mathmatic and I'm considerably considerably richer than they, and really – why should I give a fuck – I'm in my comfy little nest at the moment, until such time as it all goes tits up!
Does it still mean that people who've been magnanimously granted one of these loans will pay no more than 100% on the principle? The 0.8% per day compounded and all such. Seems wonderful eh? A can of baked beans in watered down tomato sauce might only eventually cost $5 or 6.
And if there is someone who could tell me whether the ultimate incremental pragmatist, kicker-of-the-can-down-the-road is going to monitor everything in this space, just as he has over other of his responsibilites – not the least of which is the state of our media.
As the Tangerine Turkey often says: "It's tremendous. We'll see what happens" and second tier bennies really should be grateful eh? IF they show enough personal responsibility, have the ambition and determination to break free of their circumstance, they could become a Minister of the Crown – it's in their hands
It appears that President Loathe in the Time of Corona has sent a can of his dayglo spraytan to his personal Nosferatu, but instead of using halved ping-pong balls to protect his eyes when applying it, he's used a mask over his mouth. (See the kindergarten tit-for-tat with Piers Morgan starting at 6:30).
Good fkn riddance. Cops who run away at the first whiff of accountability – everyone is better off without them. Hopefully this sets the ball rolling and we'll see a lot more of it.
It's still a step in the right direction when thugs quit an explicit Thug Division, simply because the risk of being held accountable has gone from zero to very small. Net result should still be a reduction in police thuggery.
As far as the Greens/ NZ Police Association thing goes, it strikes me as a bit misdirected and ott from all sides. In particular, one clear message from the George Floyd murder is that death and violence from police can happen even without use of weapons. A point which seems to have been missed in the current posturing from both sides.
Also Greens, given the role Facebook has in seriously fucking up political discourse worldwide, what's up with making us go to Facebook to find material you're publishing? Put it directly on your own site.
Edit
This piles anxiety on top of deeply troublingwhen thinking of how far NZ police behaviour will descend into punitive attacks when they decide to trial new policing methods which might turn out to become routine. Gordon Campbell at Scoop has amassed some relevant background information.
For instance : Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer now facing murder and manslaughter charges for killing Floyd had been the subject of 18 prior complaints. These included his participation in the 2006 killing of a Native American called Wayne Reyes, who had been pulled over by Police in connection with an assault on his girlfriend. In the space of four seconds, Chauvin and five fellow officers poured 43 rounds into the cab of Reyes’ truck, 23 of which hit Reyes.
Tou Thao, one of three other officers present while Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck had been the subject of six prior complaints, including participation in a 2017 Police attack on Lamar Ferguson, a black man out walking with his pregnant girlfriend. Ferguson was left hospitalised with broken teeth and other injuries. While the city of Minneapolis eventually made a $25,000 payout to Ferguson, the officers responsible continued in service.
The man-child is completely tone deaf, and with this latest episode of insensibility one wonders if he can be any more despicable. But his daily scraping of the bottom of the barrel reveals he a character of immense vileness.
Trump started by reading from a script but then launched into his usual unbelievable tirade. Stick to a script Donald. You are less than no public speaker.
The massage is so relaxing – as soon as I hear Trump's dulcet tones I fall asleep. Some might find Trump educational, but he just teaches us bad habits; I advise to flee before your brain turns to mush.
Reminds me of Groucho Marx's jibe at television being educational. "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
I thought this was very timely given the world today and With a Kiwi influence and for some to take time an search Blair Peach abkost kiwiw name one history https://youtu.be/NxD3whUUz30
Who was Blair Peach ? For those who don't know it is good to know your history of what has gone before us at s time like this. Those older SHOULD know, especially visitors to this site and the link to this song of protest.
Never underestimate the covidity of the repug base.
One third of Americans used bleach or other household disinfectants “in non-recommended high risk practices” in attempts to reduce the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a new CDC survey finds.
Among the non-recommended practices were using “bleach on food products, applying household cleaning and disinfectant products to skin, and inhaling or ingesting cleaners and disinfectants,” the CDC says, as The Daily Beast reports.
If NZ First gets 4.8% of the party vote they are gone. NZ First gets 4.8% of the party vote and wins Northland they have a presence.
Could NZF be in the driver's seat again? It's possible. I think anyone expecting Labour to poll 50+% and National >30% is in dreamland. The most likely result is both of those parties in the 40s.
Please stop wasting our time and stick to your user handle, thanks. If you have technical difficulties, e.g. with accessing TS, commenting, or replying to comments, please ask and we (i.e. lprent) will do our best when we have time.
The tRump shit-magnet attracts the world's worst people.
Back in March, at the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, popular QAnon "citizen journalist" Greg Rubini started pushing the narrative that the novel coronavirus was created by the Deep State, in cahoots with Dr. Anthony Fauci, for the purposes of ruining the Trump economy. It was not the first absurd theory he had imagineered and put forth as the truth. The claim, among others, was picked up by OAN "journalist," granddaughter of fake psychic Allene "I've got the answers, call now" Cunningham, and author of one million non-existent young adult detective novels for girls who who hate feminism, Chanel Rion.
Rion, at the time, described Rubini as "a citizen investigator and monitored source amongst a certain set in the DC intelligence community."
Later, in May, Rion would pick up another of his claims — one that the Obama administration had enlisted foreign intelligence to spy on the Trump campaign — and, during a press briefing, ask Kayleigh McEneny, "So to what extent was [former CIA director] John Brennan involved with that?
[…]
This incident set off investigations into Rion's past by outlets like the Daily Mail, which "exclusively" revealed stunning truths about her past that were reported here on Wonkette back in January of 2018 and by me, on Twitter, in February of that same year.
Now a Buzzfeed investigation into Rubini/Palusa's past reveals that his entire life has been just a massive series of lies and delusions of grandeur.
Palusa, it turns out, is from Triesta, a seaport in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy, although his last known area of residence was in Tuscany. Right now he claims to be a "Strategy Advisor at /classified/," but has also worked in design:
A new Trump appointee to the United States’ foreign aid agency has a history of online posts denouncing liberal democracy and has said that the country is in the clutches of a “homo-empire” that pushes a “tyrannical LGBT agenda.”
In one post, Merritt Corrigan, who recently took up a position as deputy White House liaison at the U.S. Agency for International Development, wrote: “Liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life, but life itself.”
Corrigan’s new position in the Trump administration, confirmed by two officials, has not been previously reported.
Corrigan previously worked for the Hungarian Embassy in the United States and tweeted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is “the shining champion of Western civilization,” Politico reported last year. An embassy spokesman, Béla Gedeon, said Corrigan left her position there in mid-April.
For weeks, India's relatively low Covid-19 numbers had baffled experts. Despite the dense population, disease and underfunded public hospitals, there was no deluge of infections or fatalities.
Although India has the sixth highest number of cases, it is 12th in fatalities, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University. Low testing rates explained the former, but not the latter. The hope – which also encouraged the government to lift the lockdown – was that most of India's undetected infections would not be severe enough to require hospitalisation.
An article in the New York Times covered an important detail those with blood type A have the most severe cases – twice as likely to need oxygen and ventialtion. Apparently their stronger immune response causes inflammation.
Whereas Europe/UK/USA and Japan have 40% blood type A – India has only 20%. China has 27% around the world average. The Polynesians have a higher rate than thre Europeans. Just as well our area is largely free of it.
Don't want to sound trivial, but an article in today's Herald said that it seemed that bald men were more susceptible to serious pneumonia Covid problems than men who had retained their head of hair. Is baldness related to blood group?
Scholar Gary Saul Morson sees disturbing parallels between Russia before the Revolution and contemporary America
[…]
The similarities between this week’s riots and the Los Angeles riots of 1992 are obvious. Both were occasioned by appalling video images, and both divided the nation along partisan and ideological lines. The differences between the two events, however, are more revealing. The violence in 1992 came after a court verdict; the beating and arrest of Rodney King had happened more than a year before. This year’s riots came within days of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis officers. The riots of 1992 were mostly confined to poor and working-class areas of Los Angeles. This week saw mayhem all over America, and in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere the rioters targeted wealthy streets and neighborhoods.
But perhaps the most striking difference is the rationalization, and sometimes full-throated defense, of violence from left-wing elites: the glorification of havoc, the vilification of cops and their middle-class admirers, highfalutin defenses of vandalism. The sense of revolution and class warfare was everywhere this week: the cognoscenti and underclass arrayed against the petty bourgeois shop owners; the elite and those they claim to represent against everybody else.
Gary Saul Morson says he has no special insight regarding police actions and the death of George Floyd. But he does have a provocative thesis about America’s current political moment: “To me it’s astonishingly like late 19th-, early 20th-century Russia, when basically the entire educated class felt you simply had to be against the regime or some sort of revolutionary.”
In America, and even more so on Twitter, there’s a whiff of China’s Cultural Revolution in the air.
[…]
In the mid-1960s Mao Zedong, suspicious of those around him, wary of the moves of erstwhile Soviet allies, damaged by a disastrous famine his policies had caused, surveyed the scene and decided it was time for a little mayhem. The problem wasn’t his disastrous ideology, it was, he wrote, “feudal forces full of hatred towards socialism . . . stirring up trouble, sabotaging socialist productive forces.” The party had been “infiltrated” by pragmatists and revisionists. He wrote—it is the epigraph of Frank Dikötter’s “The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History, 1962-1976”—“Who are our friends? Who are our enemies? That is the main question of the revolution.”
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
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For the good of our nation, Winston Peters needs to be memorialised.
In Parliament with just a few breaks since 1978, he should be sat down and given a proper Celebrity Roast.
Something akin to the final scene of The Wire in which a good but errant cop is laid flat in front of a bar with all his peers old and older, all his enemies, all his friends, all his lovers, all his whanau, all the lawyers he's shafted, all the judges he's just fucked over in the press, all the MPs and Ministers and Prime Ministers he's stabbed in the front and the back and the side, all the reporters that he's spat at to their faces as the nation watched with abandoned glee, all the civil servants who year after year wiped his ass with our cash until he could finally shit no more, and story after story and drink after drink they all recall how he did it, how he got them all, the best lies he ever told, the crimes he never quite nailed, the conspiracies true and should've-been-true from Think Big's Alusuisse to The Winebox to PGF, in short how he was to his core Natural Born Politician, the only one we'v really had since Holyoake, the sum total of his 'hit' files on people are read out and laughed at…
and at the same time as this is happening he is gently tapped of all his fluid and embalmed, so that he can be aid flat on the gun carriage and pulled with 22 black horses down The Terrace and Featherstone Street as people throw black carnations and red roses across his path … but he's still perfectly conscious so that he can enjoy it and repudiate all the concurrent press coverage to their faces …
… and then his head can be gently removed and mounted on a mahogany base to be displayed, with eyes ever-watching, right above the Speakers' Chair, something like a horse.
I think we all owe him that.
Possibly a bit premature to discuss stuffing and mounting him while he's still getting regular top-ups of his smoke-and-pickling marinade?
Just 3 months to go.
Wonderful news to start the day. A friend worked at this pharmacy, it was the most abusive workplace she has even been in. It lead to mental health issues for her.
Karma
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/121721644/former-nelson-pharmacy-owners-penalised-394000-for-price-fixing
Great!
"The summary of facts said the pharmacy explained to customers the $1 charge was to draw attention to the under-funding of prescription medicines and to put pressure on the health board to adequately fund them to ensure the pharmacies' survival."
And who do you reckon Hebberd and Wright will support in the upcoming election? Probably the same people that increased prescription charges fro $3 – $5 and who made an art form out of underfunding the health sector during their reign of terror.
Apart from bad employment practices and the fact that the pharmacies all agreed to making a protest charge, the $400,000 is excessive for an extra $1. I suppose that will pay for the CEOs salary at COCO, (I should cocoa! for the English readers), or might stretch for him or her and the Misery of Health (as Rosemary calls them) or the CEO of the DHB who I think may be the one making such a good job of running the Southland/Otago HB.
Now COCO can look at AirNZ and see if they should be charged big quids for holding urgently needed refunds back in a predatory manner.
UMR poll:
– Labour 54% (down marginally from 55% in April)
– ational 30% (up marginally from 29% in April)
– NZ First 5% (down from 6%)
– Greens 4% (down from 5%)
– ACT may be 2.5%
Preferred Prime Minister:
– Jacinda Ardern 65% (no change)
– Todd Muller 13% (Bridges 7% in April)
The poll of 1211 voters was taken from May 26 to June 1 and has a margin of error of +/-3%.
Another very good result for Labour and Ardern but they appear to have peaked.
This isn’t very good for National again, but it suggests the slide may have ended.
And considering a muddled first week and uninspiring second week I don’t think it’s bad for Muller, he at least got about double Bridges last UMR result.
We’re in an unprecedented situation health-wise, socially, politically and economically. It is most likely the Labour-National gap will close a bit at least as we get closer to the election.
Source ODT/NZ Herald
" It is most likely the Labour-National gap will close a bit at least"
A bit? Good prediction and good news for the Left!
Why the duplicate comment?
He is fishing for responses.
It is deliberate.
A cynical and unkind comment, IMO, and as it turns out, incorrect too.
Sorry. My bad.
I has miskeyed the Naame on the first one and it disappeared so I reposted the comment later. You can delete the first one (no comments on it) if you want to tidy up.
Thanks, no problem. I’ve tidied up.
No surprise … I was pretty much expecting him to debut around the early to mid teens.
Given the ever-increasing importance of leadership attributes in determining voting behaviour … a new Opposition Leader really needs to be debuting in the 20s or 30s in the Preferred PM stakes and to appear at least reasonably competitive with the PM if they're to have any chance of victory.
Unfortunately UMR have only very recently started to measure Preferred PM ratings … in the past they restricted leadership measures to Favourability only … but here are new Oppo Leader debuts in the Colmar Brunton Preferred PMs this century:
Initial Preferred PM rating for each new Leader:
First, the 2 successful new Oppo Leaders:
Key 27%
Ardern 30%
Second, the unsuccessful in chronological order:
English 21%
Brash 15%
Goff 6%
Shearer 11%
Cunliffe 12%
Little 12%
Bridges 10%
Muller 13% (UMR … other Leaders CB)
I wonder where Luxon will debut
Let’s not play silly games here … I think we all know Maureen Pugh will be the next Leader of the National Party.
Fair comment, and my apologies.
According to simon shes atleast as capable as him and muller
so now Bridges is no longer leader, he is on point again?
Do you recall what bridges said about pugh in those tapes?
No, but I was being sarcastic.
To BW, Oh that is very good.
Indeed. The only thing missing from her C.V. is that she doesn't appear to have had any experience as a real estate saleswoman
if pugh, or any living human, had replaced simon, their preferred p.m. rating would be about where toddlers is. most nats still dont know anything about toddler ,or his policies, but will vote or a turkey in gumboots, if it wears a nat sticker.
Goff really was a stand-out.
Party Vote Green, tactically or if you are a wavering Labour/Green voter is the message there. Tribal Labour support for the sake of it makes no sense.
We may end up with Act 6 Nats 39 Labour 43 NZF 4.9 GR 4.9 wasted 2.2
Prime Minister Mullet in an ACT/NAT coalition of 61 seats
You mean vote for a party that allowed police free entry into our property. The party that has to swallow dead rats (willingly). Little comment regarding police using AI. And giving the Nats their questions at QT. All to be part of THE govt team, without really BEINg in the team
If they had voted against the Bill, what would have happened next?
I mean, there is a conversation to be had about how MMP *should function, but people saying the Greens should just vote against everything they don't like would stall govt and no-one explains what would happen next given Labour also have to negotiate Bills with NZF, their primary partner who has Ministers inside cabinet.
I really wish people would explain how they think this works, instead of just slagging off a party for making the best of a shitty situation. Doubly so in a conversation about tactical voting, because if the Greens get more MPs this time they will have more chance at swaying Labour.
Amazed at the number of people who seem to think that decreasing the Green vote is the best way to get movement on environmental issues …
Blows my mind every single time. Likewise social justice, or economics, or most things.
Seems like many people still vote according to their personal feelings rather than tactically.
NZ1st appear to be able to maintain their identity and keep to their principles, Where is the line in the sand that The Greens will not cross? for me this appears to me a moving target.
Are some saying that to be part of the establishment that there are many rats to be swallowed, and what "payback" is there for the Greens ? – I don't see Labour or NZ1 digesting rats. Just saying 🤓
Winston First were in a position to negotiate a coalition agreement containing more latitude and more lollies than the Greens were offered, including seats at the cabinet table.
Politics is the art of the possible. Purity is for those of us sitting on the outside wringing our hands.
I'm going to address the issues you raise there Herodotus, but first I want to point out that you didn't answer the question. If the Greens voted against the Bill, what would have happened next?
What would have happened is the Greens would have started a nationwide debate.
A nationwide debate on anything is what the Greens at 4.7%-5.1% desperately need.
The Greens sure sucked it up and voted for the two-tier welfare payments. And then came out the next day and complained. Trying to start a nationwide debate.
But then Labour would have responded that they've delivered:
– The $5.5 billion Families Package in 2018 which established the Winter Energy and Best Start payments, as well as boosting Working for Families tax credits.
– Indexed main benefits to wage growth from April 2020, meaning benefit payments rise in line with wages – rather than inflation.
– Increased most benefits, in its initial Covid-19 economic rescue package, by $25 a week and doubled this year's Winter Energy Payment.
and of course
– Dropped $15billion to keep everyone's jobs going over the last few months – through to October.
So the debate is there if the Greens really want it.
But hell the Greens need a big fat media platform. Guns. Crime. Welfare. Trees. Water. Climate. Anything will do right now.
Head for 5% like they want it.
If only they could buy one..
ah well, pity I didn't read this comment before the Greens should act like ACT one.
I am curious how this scenario would play out. I'll have a proper read of this in the morning, thank fuck someone finally put up some actual strategy.
Yes, and it's hard for me to understand how this is still so poorly understood given that NZF have been in parliament since the early 90s, and Peters has been fucking with MMP since its introduction. Not trying to be rude, there is a lot I still don't understand about how parliament and government works in NZ. Here's what I understand about this though,
Centrist small parties have institutional power that small parties on the left and right don't. NZF is able to play National and Labour off each other in order to get policy gains. They also had slightly more votes and one more MP than the Greens in 2017.
Labour couldn't govern with the GP alone, it had to do a deal with NZF if it wanted to form government. NZF held the balance of power, because if Labour wouldn't deal with them, they could just support a Nat govt instead. This option isn't available to the GP.
Labour also needed the GP to form govt, but the option for the GP was to support a Lab govt or allow a Nat one. Obviously this is a lot less tenable for a left wing party than a centrist one.
There are some bottom lines, which I'll address below, but I don't see NZF holding the balance of power being one of them. What else should have made the GP not give Confidence and Supply in 2017 and thus given Nat a 4th term? I can't think of any. So this is an institutional power that the Greens hold, but it's a very different power than what NZF have.
Add to that is that the GP practice political ethics. They're not going to bring down a govt over policy unless there is a critical issue of principles.
My understanding of the GP position is that they won't compromise on principles but they will compromise on policy. This is what Sacha is talking about. All parties have to compromise, and in this case that includes Lab and NZF. How much they compromise depends on two things. What kind of institutional power they have, and how they use that power. The Greens aren't in govt for power, they're there for change, and working with other parties is a good way of effecting that. A big part of that is maintaining good working relationships with the parties they depend upon on this issue but also future issues.
The big problem I see is that the negotiations around Bills are done in secret. I think they should be public. I think NZers should be able to see who is supporting what, and who is blocking what. Atm we can't see what gains the GP have made that NZF or Labour wouldn't have done anyway, but we can make some educated guesses based on the policy platforms of all parties before the election.
Climate is the obvious one. We have a more progressive climate policy than if it had been L/NZF alone.
If you really want to dig into, I would expect that the Select Committee process would likewise show the differences between the parties and then the outcomes would show who made gains for their own policies. This includes the covid Bill, which I understand the Greens argued for changes to.
What a load of ridiculous special pleading.
Even Act has more dignity than to argue about how being an out-there party makes it hard. Act finds the way to make change – which they have done this term with tiny numbers. They will be rewarded for it.
You want to get above 5% go out and fight for it.
Failing that go win a seat and stop whining about how everyone's so mean and no one else has principles.
Why are you so hostile? Serious question.
Your example is totally ridiculous, ACT only exist in parliament because of a deal between them and National, we are all aware of that. ACT represent ideology and policies that the National party want but may not want to campaign on. If your rhetoric is representative of how Labour views the Greens then it's even more clear how different their situation is from your example.
You Green supporters seem about as capable of holding their Green MPs for their performance which is at marginal survival as white evangelicals do to Donald Trump. That's shown by you reacting like a scolded cat to some advice that's applicable to any marginal party.
Act have got the electoral deal that the Greens may well need to stay afloat. Take a lesson and do a deal.
The Greens need to survive. On their own merits.
Your characterisation of both my reaction and your 'advice' is inaccurate.
Again I ask, why are you so hostile?
Act is consistently given more media space than the Greens. It would be interesting to hear why you think that happens.
For a guy whose smart about many things including lots of politics, you have a pretty outstanding blindspot on this.
My post wasn't about special pleading, it was simply describing how parties on the edges don't have the same institutional power as those in the middle, so that H could understand the context of what he was expecting and why it's unlikely to happen.
To me this is self-evident, whatever failings the Greens have, by all means explain how I am wrong on this point. Centrist parties can do things that parties on the edge can't. And you know, I'm still waiting for the actual explanation of the people that dump on the Greens on how macho politics from the left of Labour would work. Won't hold my breath though, you do seem to have an ongoing grievance about something to do with the Greens so I don't expect any useful discussion about how governments function.
You try and use ACT as an example of something in all that, but ACT are only in parliament because they do a deal with Nat to have a seat. Instead of opening a conversation about the usefulness or not of Lab and the Greens doing electorate deals, you suggest that ACT are somehow more parliamentarily virutous /massive eyeroll.
Your implication is that the Greens haven't achieved anything, but obviously they have. Maybe they haven't lived up to your expectations, which would be really fucking weird given how much you seem to hate them. No idea what that is about, maybe it's just too much that Labour have to rely on them and you are afraid that it will cost the left the election.
Bugger me why people think dumping on the Greens will improve things, but I guess there are still plenty of lefties out there that think bashing is an incentive. SSDD for NZ after all.
What would happen next ?… Extending that then, The Greens are totally subservient to Labour because they cannot go against their govt.
If there is a partnership then shouldn't Labour be seen tacitly in "giving" the Greens over the last 2.5 years some wins.
From my perspective we see NZ1 standing up as the sole bastion of "Common Sense". Sure Peters pays the game, at many times at a Kindy level and it STILL works. e.g. Fishing at home to gain profile, standing to move to level 1. Saying that there are plenty in politics that are clueless at the most basic of levels.
Is there a reason you won't engage with the question?
I'm curious where you get your information about the Greens from. I've seen them going against Labour policy a number of times recently.
They have. Maybe do some research.
I'm so sick of these conversations. If people want the Greens to do something, then explain how. Otherwise it just comes across as moaning. Personally I think the Greens' weak points are more about their strategy, and their social media work. But we will see how they go in the election campaign.
Are you suggesting voting for one of the other parties that allowed it? Also, are you suggesting that the Greens shouldn't have become part of the government?
Maybe they should just sit the next term out.
Might be good for them.
Stop the tag wrestling Ad. We don't have time for things to gradually work out – the world is coming to an end and the sky is falling. Times are almost fitting into the stories of children's nursery rhymes – so unbelievable.
Put up or shut up. Don't put down any well meaning Party, put a whoopee cushion under them, and when it farts say 'Look what happens when you sit down, stand up grow good, and get moving like there's no tomorrow'. There may not be – it may come but look completely different than what was expected.
Now children children! If you can't behave nicely to each other, I'm afraid I'm going to have to separate you!
Ad: You go and stand in the purple corner! (Or is it mauve?)
Hero: You're over there in the black, and woe betide if you turn around while you're wearing that ridiculous dunce's hat (Talking about bloody principle and all – especially when Shane the Retail politician has got 'em all up for sale and is negotiating the price of the next bauble for Winnie)
@Grey: Come with me and and we'll go and do the dishes together
As pointed out in that Herald/ODT link, the UMR poll is only part of the story. But we also know National's private polling is bad, because Muller is refusing to share it with the caucus. If it was 35%+ they'd be spinning it like crazy.
Wow!- https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/05/870833518/black-lives-matter-plaza-across-from-white-house-is-christened-by-d-c-leaders There's amazing footage of the painted road too.
Time someone painted something similar down Hawera's High Street.
Thank the Heavens for small mercies eh?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/418394/people-are-drowning-in-debt-crackdown-on-loan-sharks-welcomed
I gave up following the issue a while back but I'd be grateful if someone who is considerably considerably better informed than I could tell me about the intricacies of it all. And that's because I'm no longer interested in anything mathmatic and I'm considerably considerably richer than they, and really – why should I give a fuck – I'm in my comfy little nest at the moment, until such time as it all goes tits up!
Does it still mean that people who've been magnanimously granted one of these loans will pay no more than 100% on the principle? The 0.8% per day compounded and all such. Seems wonderful eh? A can of baked beans in watered down tomato sauce might only eventually cost $5 or 6.
And if there is someone who could tell me whether the ultimate incremental pragmatist, kicker-of-the-can-down-the-road is going to monitor everything in this space, just as he has over other of his responsibilites – not the least of which is the state of our media.
As the Tangerine Turkey often says: "It's tremendous. We'll see what happens" and second tier bennies really should be grateful eh? IF they show enough personal responsibility, have the ambition and determination to break free of their circumstance, they could become a Minister of the Crown – it's in their hands
Usually I find Jimmy Kimmel a bit ho-hum, but this one's got its moments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB6xszdzBEQ
It appears that President Loathe in the Time of Corona has sent a can of his dayglo spraytan to his personal Nosferatu, but instead of using halved ping-pong balls to protect his eyes when applying it, he's used a mask over his mouth. (See the kindergarten tit-for-tat with Piers Morgan starting at 6:30).
Good fkn riddance. Cops who run away at the first whiff of accountability – everyone is better off without them. Hopefully this sets the ball rolling and we'll see a lot more of it.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/buffalo-police-emergency-response-team-resign_n_5eda99e1c5b6ba25316d970a
They have only thrown their toys out of the cot to support their fellow thugs – still employed.
Of course NZ's own police union would never get on the wrong side of justice like that..
https://twitter.com/devlincolle/status/1268790859111100416
It's still a step in the right direction when thugs quit an explicit Thug Division, simply because the risk of being held accountable has gone from zero to very small. Net result should still be a reduction in police thuggery.
As far as the Greens/ NZ Police Association thing goes, it strikes me as a bit misdirected and ott from all sides. In particular, one clear message from the George Floyd murder is that death and violence from police can happen even without use of weapons. A point which seems to have been missed in the current posturing from both sides.
Also Greens, given the role Facebook has in seriously fucking up political discourse worldwide, what's up with making us go to Facebook to find material you're publishing? Put it directly on your own site.
https://www.greens.org.nz/greens_urge_police_to_rule_out_armed_police_patrols_following_george_floyd_s_death
Dunno, seems pretty straightforward..
https://twitter.com/saniac/status/1269027471074054144
Edit
This piles anxiety on top of deeply troubling when thinking of how far NZ police behaviour will descend into punitive attacks when they decide to trial new policing methods which might turn out to become routine. Gordon Campbell at Scoop has amassed some relevant background information.
http://werewolf.co.nz/2020/06/gordon-campbell-on-the-george-floyd-protests/
For instance : Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer now facing murder and manslaughter charges for killing Floyd had been the subject of 18 prior complaints. These included his participation in the 2006 killing of a Native American called Wayne Reyes, who had been pulled over by Police in connection with an assault on his girlfriend. In the space of four seconds, Chauvin and five fellow officers poured 43 rounds into the cab of Reyes’ truck, 23 of which hit Reyes.
Tou Thao, one of three other officers present while Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck had been the subject of six prior complaints, including participation in a 2017 Police attack on Lamar Ferguson, a black man out walking with his pregnant girlfriend. Ferguson was left hospitalised with broken teeth and other injuries. While the city of Minneapolis eventually made a $25,000 payout to Ferguson, the officers responsible continued in service.
Similar story with the killing in March of Brianna Taylor, a 26 year old emergency nurse who was shot eight times in the course of a night-time police raid on her apartment in Louisville Kentucky :
wt…
https://twitter.com/Yamiche/status/1268918953902059520
Why white evangelicals love their mango messiah, explained:
The man-child is completely tone deaf, and with this latest episode of insensibility one wonders if he can be any more despicable. But his daily scraping of the bottom of the barrel reveals he a character of immense vileness.
The bottom of the barrel gave up after token resistance years ago: he's now blasting into bedrock in his daily quest to go ever lower.
Yep Here we go.
'……one wonders if he can be any more despicable. '
I’m sure he’ll exceed everyones’ expectations.
Trump started by reading from a script but then launched into his usual unbelievable tirade. Stick to a script Donald. You are less than no public speaker.
Oh, come on! He’s the greatest public onanator. His skills are wasted bigly on Twitter, let’s be honest.
Yes, his superb strokes of rhetorical onantation skillfully create a powerful and compelling massage.
The massage is so relaxing – as soon as I hear Trump's dulcet tones I fall asleep. Some might find Trump educational, but he just teaches us bad habits; I advise to flee before your brain turns to mush.
Reminds me of Groucho Marx's jibe at television being educational. "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
I thought this was very timely given the world today and With a Kiwi influence and for some to take time an search Blair Peach abkost kiwiw name one history
https://youtu.be/NxD3whUUz30
Who was Blair Peach ? For those who don't know it is good to know your history of what has gone before us at s time like this. Those older SHOULD know, especially visitors to this site and the link to this song of protest.
Never underestimate the covidity of the repug base.
One third of Americans used bleach or other household disinfectants “in non-recommended high risk practices” in attempts to reduce the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a new CDC survey finds.
Among the non-recommended practices were using “bleach on food products, applying household cleaning and disinfectant products to skin, and inhaling or ingesting cleaners and disinfectants,” the CDC says, as The Daily Beast reports.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/one-out-of-three-americans-used-bleach-in-non-recommended-high-risk-practices-to-battle-coronavirus-cdc-report/?
Or faux news talking heads.
https://twitter.com/laralogan/status/1268932728210194432
15 – 0 – 1
Nice looking numbers, hopefully the 1 gets over it soon & 0 stays 0.
In aid of cooperation perhaps it will become 1501. Much healthier.
Shane Jones standing in Northland is no surprise. But it's certainly news to discover that this is tipped to decide the election. It turns out …
Reporter has been living in a cave since February.
Note the link to an obsolete poll, in the opening sentence. Weird.
Cant help but wonder if bridges was rolled purely because nzf is nationals only path back to power.
National’s position on NZF has not changed, yet. I believe Nikki Kaye said so this morning.
If NZ First gets 4.8% of the party vote they are gone. NZ First gets 4.8% of the party vote and wins Northland they have a presence.
Could NZF be in the driver's seat again? It's possible. I think anyone expecting Labour to poll 50+% and National >30% is in dreamland. The most likely result is both of those parties in the 40s.
@ Observer Tokoroa:
You are currently banned for one month (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-06-2020/#comment-1717411).
Lprent sent you an e-mail about you user names (https://thestandard.org.nz/todd-muller-is-no-jacinda-ardern/#comment-1714989), all 22 of them (https://thestandard.org.nz/todd-muller-is-no-jacinda-ardern/#comment-1715032 and https://thestandard.org.nz/internal-post-may-june-2020/#comment-1715007).
Please stop wasting our time and stick to your user handle, thanks. If you have technical difficulties, e.g. with accessing TS, commenting, or replying to comments, please ask and we (i.e. lprent) will do our best when we have time.
The tRump shit-magnet attracts the world's worst people.
Back in March, at the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, popular QAnon "citizen journalist" Greg Rubini started pushing the narrative that the novel coronavirus was created by the Deep State, in cahoots with Dr. Anthony Fauci, for the purposes of ruining the Trump economy. It was not the first absurd theory he had imagineered and put forth as the truth. The claim, among others, was picked up by OAN "journalist," granddaughter of fake psychic Allene "I've got the answers, call now" Cunningham, and author of one million non-existent young adult detective novels for girls who who hate feminism, Chanel Rion.
Rion, at the time, described Rubini as "a citizen investigator and monitored source amongst a certain set in the DC intelligence community."
Later, in May, Rion would pick up another of his claims — one that the Obama administration had enlisted foreign intelligence to spy on the Trump campaign — and, during a press briefing, ask Kayleigh McEneny, "So to what extent was [former CIA director] John Brennan involved with that?
[…]
This incident set off investigations into Rion's past by outlets like the Daily Mail, which "exclusively" revealed stunning truths about her past that were reported here on Wonkette back in January of 2018 and by me, on Twitter, in February of that same year.
Now a Buzzfeed investigation into Rubini/Palusa's past reveals that his entire life has been just a massive series of lies and delusions of grandeur.
Palusa, it turns out, is from Triesta, a seaport in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy, although his last known area of residence was in Tuscany. Right now he claims to be a "Strategy Advisor at /classified/," but has also worked in design:
https://www.wonkette.com/what-a-prominent-qanon-promoter-doesnt-have-insider-knowledge-is-just-some-dude-from-italy-no
More shit.
A new Trump appointee to the United States’ foreign aid agency has a history of online posts denouncing liberal democracy and has said that the country is in the clutches of a “homo-empire” that pushes a “tyrannical LGBT agenda.”
In one post, Merritt Corrigan, who recently took up a position as deputy White House liaison at the U.S. Agency for International Development, wrote: “Liberal democracy is little more than a front for the war being waged against us by those who fundamentally despise not only our way of life, but life itself.”
Corrigan’s new position in the Trump administration, confirmed by two officials, has not been previously reported.
Corrigan previously worked for the Hungarian Embassy in the United States and tweeted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is “the shining champion of Western civilization,” Politico reported last year. An embassy spokesman, Béla Gedeon, said Corrigan left her position there in mid-April.
https://www.propublica.org/article/new-trump-appointee-to-foreign-aid-agency-has-denounced-liberal-democracy-and-our-homo-empire
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52946508
An article in the New York Times covered an important detail those with blood type A have the most severe cases – twice as likely to need oxygen and ventialtion. Apparently their stronger immune response causes inflammation.
Whereas Europe/UK/USA and Japan have 40% blood type A – India has only 20%. China has 27% around the world average. The Polynesians have a higher rate than thre Europeans. Just as well our area is largely free of it.
Don't want to sound trivial, but an article in today's Herald said that it seemed that bald men were more susceptible to serious pneumonia Covid problems than men who had retained their head of hair. Is baldness related to blood group?
WSJ writers get their Red Scare/Yellow Peril on.
Violent Protest and the Intelligentsia
Scholar Gary Saul Morson sees disturbing parallels between Russia before the Revolution and contemporary America
[…]
The similarities between this week’s riots and the Los Angeles riots of 1992 are obvious. Both were occasioned by appalling video images, and both divided the nation along partisan and ideological lines. The differences between the two events, however, are more revealing. The violence in 1992 came after a court verdict; the beating and arrest of Rodney King had happened more than a year before. This year’s riots came within days of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis officers. The riots of 1992 were mostly confined to poor and working-class areas of Los Angeles. This week saw mayhem all over America, and in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere the rioters targeted wealthy streets and neighborhoods.
But perhaps the most striking difference is the rationalization, and sometimes full-throated defense, of violence from left-wing elites: the glorification of havoc, the vilification of cops and their middle-class admirers, highfalutin defenses of vandalism. The sense of revolution and class warfare was everywhere this week: the cognoscenti and underclass arrayed against the petty bourgeois shop owners; the elite and those they claim to represent against everybody else.
Gary Saul Morson says he has no special insight regarding police actions and the death of George Floyd. But he does have a provocative thesis about America’s current political moment: “To me it’s astonishingly like late 19th-, early 20th-century Russia, when basically the entire educated class felt you simply had to be against the regime or some sort of revolutionary.”
http://archive.li/e3ig7
Get Ready for the Struggle Session
In America, and even more so on Twitter, there’s a whiff of China’s Cultural Revolution in the air.
[…]
In the mid-1960s Mao Zedong, suspicious of those around him, wary of the moves of erstwhile Soviet allies, damaged by a disastrous famine his policies had caused, surveyed the scene and decided it was time for a little mayhem. The problem wasn’t his disastrous ideology, it was, he wrote, “feudal forces full of hatred towards socialism . . . stirring up trouble, sabotaging socialist productive forces.” The party had been “infiltrated” by pragmatists and revisionists. He wrote—it is the epigraph of Frank Dikötter’s “The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History, 1962-1976”—“Who are our friends? Who are our enemies? That is the main question of the revolution.”
http://archive.li/8kioe
I guess the red scare talking point has been circulated.
https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1269057926200778753
Far too much politics and far too little of ideals on the people's side. The latter always has to be far first. The Right has naked power.