Open mike 06/12/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 6th, 2010 - 44 comments
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44 comments on “Open mike 06/12/2010 ”

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  1. Bored 1
    6 December 2010 at 6:46 am

    Theres going to be some fun with Wikileaks..the climate change issue comes out in its full glory of avoidance of reality by the USA and Saudi Arabia amongst others The Saudis believe greenhouse-gas regulation is one of the greatest threats to their economic future, right up there with a nuclear Iran and internal political instability. Crazy stuff, you live in hot sand that wont grow a single sesame seed with a runaway population and you want more heat? Madness.

    http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-12-05/content-dec-5

  2. Pascal's bookie 2
    6 December 2010 at 8:17 am

    Why the Onion sucks and the daily Mash doesn’t.

    Onion

    Mash [This is not a link? — r0b]

  3. higherstandard 3
    6 December 2010 at 8:35 am

    fuck off winston

    [lprent: moved to open mike as being irrelevant to the post. ]

    • ianmac 4.1
      6 December 2010 at 10:23 am

      After watching the Onion and the daily mash I wondered if Pharyngula was real or not. Anyway for we mortals it does highlight the sliding scales and the need for “eternal vigilance”. Maybe that is the importance of Wikileaks?

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2
      6 December 2010 at 11:05 am

      It’s a little disturbing, too. It’s like they’re describing us.

      Especially the bit about inequality, the power to make decisions, respect etc.

  5. Muzza 5
    6 December 2010 at 8:44 am

    I’m not sure if this topic has come up in open mike before but Annette Sykes recently presented the Bruce Jesson lecture. She gives a useful history and critique of the Iwi Leadership Group and Maori authorities in general.

    http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1011/Annette_Sykes_Lecture_2010.pdf

    • Bored 5.1
      6 December 2010 at 9:30 am

      Good stuff Muzza, just read the whole 36 pages and find it hard to fault. As a perspective on how the Maori elite appointed themselves and became part of the neo lib revolution: this is brilliant. More importantly the last few pages on where to next are amazingly insightful.

      • ianmac 5.1.1
        6 December 2010 at 10:18 am

        Yes Muzza. Great stuff. That last bit confirms the glimpses of Annette as seen on TV briefly, where she seemed to be challenging the elite who seem to have taken over the voice of Maori. Does the Maori Party represent Maori and does the Iwi Leadership Group who meet secretly with Ministers signal an unpleasant shift?

        • KJT 5.1.1.1
          6 December 2010 at 10:36 am

          It is confirmation from a Maori leader of what many Hapu have been saying for a while.

          I’ve blogged on the Maori moneyocracy before. As has Marty Mars.

          You could call it the enclosure of the commons again. The Moneyocracy have a common cause with NACT because their aim is the same. To enable individual enrichment from exploiting what should belong to all Maori people.

          This is also diverting all of us from the real enemy of our society. Corporate greed.

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1.1
            6 December 2010 at 11:05 am

            IMO the real enemy of society is personal greed for capital and control, and an ignorance of the beauty of common wealth.

            The corporate embodiment is merely the machine of choice.

          • Muzza 5.1.1.1.2
            6 December 2010 at 11:39 am

            The speech certainly was a challenge to iwi leaders to clarify their kaupapa. I am particularly glad she highlighted the neo liberal agenda of the Iwi Leadership Group so I posted on the topic here;

            http://mauistreet.blogspot.com/2010/12/annette-sykes-maori-elite-and-neo.html

            Marty Mars provides an insightful rebuttal in the comments section as well.

          • marty mars 5.1.1.1.3
            6 December 2010 at 11:48 am

            For the sake of a good discussion I have added a comment to Muzza’s great post from a contrary-slightly-devils-advocate view. This is part way through

            “… So what is the story? They are victims like all maori because they are maori. They aren’t some powerful elite – they are ex truck drivers and school teachers who have been elevated to positions within their iwi. They didn’t ask the government to set up the corporate iwi structures – they were given them and we have seen the scrutiny they get and the ridicule when mistakes are made. By defining maori via class or some other western construct, we devalue our own heritage and kaupapa… ”

            I do think the corporate elite iwi line slips too easily off the tongue – there is more to it than easy slogans and we need to discuss it. And by victims I mean of colonisation.

            As I state on my post on the subject

            “My point around the ranting is that the real enemies for all of us are capitalist, commodification, individualist, selfish and greedy ideologies – they are not maori constructs although some maori follow those false gods with vigour.”

            • KJT 5.1.1.1.3.1
              6 December 2010 at 1:40 pm

              “My point around the ranting is that the real enemies for all of us are capitalist, commodification, individualist, selfish and greedy ideologies – they are not maori constructs although some maori follow those false gods with vigour.”

              Exactly. and far too many Pakeha also.

              Both Maori and Pakeha have traditions of more inclusive and fair societies within NZ.

  6. Pascal's bookie 6
    6 December 2010 at 11:03 am

    “The most effectual means of preventing the perversion of power into tyranny are to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes.” –Thomas Jefferson: Diffusion of Knowledge Bill, 1779. FE 2:221, Papers 2:526

  7. Treetop 7
    6 December 2010 at 11:28 am

    Commissions of Inquiry Act 1908
    The age of this legislation would not serve the purpose that is required of a Royal Commission or a Commission of inquiry today. Are the public of NZ any wiser as to: Who killed the Crewes? What the full police evidence is in regard to the Colin Moyle inquiry? What happened to Collin’s note book at the lock up at Mc Murdo base? Who caused the systemic failure at Cave Creek?

    There needs to be new legislation because there is so much doubt found in inquiries in modern times and some essential witnesses are excluded from giving evidence. An example of this is Gilpin and Leighton regarding Collin’s notebook being tampered with.

  8. Tigger 8
    6 December 2010 at 11:30 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10692406

    Okay, so they’ve budgeted poorly, and their response is – cuts in spending.

    How about reversing tax cuts Blinglish because they sure as hell aren’t creating the wealth you thought they would. I got a huge whack in the tax cuts and I’m flinging it against our mortgage. Oh, and upping my Labour Party contributions…

  9. prism 9
    6 December 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Listening to the pol comms on radionz this morning saying that TPP trade talks are being held secretly in Auckland Casino. I thought we had agreement with government that stopped the secrecy in past years. Silly me. Just thinking about Wikileaks. What we need is something similar – tralah – Kiwileaks. We need some good leaks to a reliable recipient. (I am talking generally and not suggesting any particular entity for receipt of the info.)

  10. oscar 10
    6 December 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Australian banks are heading into a maelstrom of defaulting mortgages. Rudd’s 17k package for first home buyers allowed many into the market that probably shouldn’t have gone in, in the first place.
    Now that interest rates are rising steeply over there, anecdotal evidence suggests many are finding it hard to keep up mortage payments with an increase in defaults become more apparent by the day.
    What does this mean for NZ? Will we eventually have to pay for the Aussies inability to manage their debt servicing?
    Keep an eye on this area, as it’s likely to have financial implications for us.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1
      6 December 2010 at 2:07 pm

      Defaults will only get serious if property prices start declining.

      At the moment too many people feel confident because although in debt they are not underwater.

      Do you follow Steve Keen’s commentary?

  12. Tigger 12
    6 December 2010 at 3:52 pm

    Front page of NBR – Pansy Wong raised $200K for National but how was it accounted for? (not free on their site sorry and I ain’t typing the damn thing out)

    Raised $200K at a 2007 fundraiser but how was it accounted for? The only National Party donation over $50K that year was from the Waitemata Trust.

    So did the money go to the Trust? Or another trust (and was then given to National). Or did it go somewhere else?

    And who was at the fundraiser? Why Mr Key, who auctioned a tie he wore for…$50K.

    • Herodotus 12.2
      6 December 2010 at 7:26 pm

      Then there must be someone connected to this site that can use the sytem (police, IRD,returning officer?) available to those who know how to use the system and make a complaint. There maybe issues of declearation, undisclosed income of the such like.
      Also to Marty is there some changes that have occurred within the site? As on the right there are not the drill downs of current posts or topics in cronological order. I am a creature of habit and struggle with change !!! 😉

      • lprent 12.2.1
        6 December 2010 at 9:21 pm

        There was a site update a few days ago… Broke some of my hacks. I’m working on it

        • Herodotus 12.2.1.1
          6 December 2010 at 9:48 pm

          Thanks for that L. It i sfast approaching Christmas so don’t stress out too much. Perhaps I will get my Christmas want … That Phil and David will be able to define rich and middle class just in case something approaching a Teachers/Principal salary is considered rich again by Lab and I have to readjust my affairs, as do those with real wealth are able to do. Or even the preoccupation with tax on earnings can be widened to incorporate other means of income that is currently not taxed. 😉

  13. Vicky32 13
    6 December 2010 at 6:28 pm

    Duncan Garner (I can’t call him Fatty any more, he became frankly gaunt after his idol/business partner Rodney Hide lost *his* weight), will go to the most extreme lengths to try to undermine Labour. A bizarre little item just now after Phil Goff’s slip of the tongue in calling David Cunliffe ‘Caygill’, and a sneer at Cunliffe when he refused to get angry about it!
    Then the obligatory footage of Key speechifying, even though he didn’t comment on the ‘issue’…
    Deb

  14. ak 14
    6 December 2010 at 11:02 pm

    ‘No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable,’ said Adam Smith.

    http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/opinion-income-inequality-new-zealand

    Worth a squiz

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    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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