By using the phrase herding kittens you are othering some of the the participants in the conversation yesterday. It trivialises and belittles. Please stop.
I read all the posts of pejorative language yesterday and it occurs to me that we're being a bit precious.
Is it not just the normal and endlessly fascinating evolution of the English language.
I would think most of the participants will be well aware of how the words; damn, bugger, bastard were viewed 6 or 7 decades ago. Then not so long ago was the Gaye alphabet soup stuff and the F word, the C word not so much, but watch this space.
thanks gsays. It was a bit of work, but tbh I enjoyed a lot of the conversation and think it was good. It was great to see Standardistas grappling with a gnarly topic and talking about it and without the personalised stuff and acrimony that used to be a feature here.
Cheers BG. I've had no inspiration to write posts, so am very grateful to the other authors. But feelings a bit of a renewal in teh past few days. The Atlas post probably has something to do with it 😈
Not entirely sure what Mark Mitchell is up to. Still on holiday, perhaps? He has strutted around for the last years, a self proclaimed sheriff who was going to crush the gangs.
But here they are in the $1000 VVIP section of Juicy Fest with Bulldog face tattoos, and gang colours starting fights and barking like dogs.
Here's another who deserves our gratitude. A story on Stuff of a remarkable woman to whom I lift my hat. She spent twenty years, including Christmases, in an Auckland court advocating for, helping, supporting the homeless and dispossessed, the 'returned citizens' and the broken ones. At 72 years of age, she retires to be with her whanau.
One story- a Māori man in the dock is not granted bail since the judge says he has no suitable home address. His calm reply and the interpretation given it by Whaea Michelle Kidd is a short history of generations of New Zealanders.
A sobering challenge or wero such as she gave to the court is given to us also, with her comment on the effects of poverty and inter-generational dispossession for Māori.
She sounds like an admirable woman, working from the heart. The stories relate to all she has helped, without referring to them as solely Māori.
This comment is an opinion, based on her perspective rather than evidence. Not all Māori had access to, or possession of land. What they had – as opposed to non-Māori were networks of kin, and community places to restore and heal.
"“When you dispossess people of their land, there is an intergenerational trauma that should not be denied.”
She spoke of an example where a judge declined bail for a Māori man because he didn’t have a suitable address.
In a calm voice, the man managed to respond: “You took our f…… land, and now I’m going to prison because I don’t have any.”
This recitation is a catechism. This man may know the details of an historical land claim directly related to him, but that detail is unnecessary when it can be used as the sole excuse for his present situation.
That simplistic view, creates an encouragement of passive victimhood which is not helpful to current generations. Bastion Point has living people who are directly affected by government land taking. The historical – and convoluted land confiscations from the latter part of the 1800s, have processes available and although may have direct, immediate and devastating consequences on those elders who were dispossessed, that should lessen over generations. Māori – as with any other people – possess resilience and autonomy, and are currently living in a country where they have the same rights and access to justice as everyone else.
Since that time, intervening generations have had trauma shared across all NZers:
One of my affiliated maraes held a welcome back weekend, full of workshops, which was great. One – however – was a workshop run by a very dedicated woman who worked with youth, who was determined to make the marae the first – and only – support place for young people struggling. The problem that arises though – comes from the fact that further conversation during the weekend is that various forms of abuse committed against young people, were suspected to be done by people holding positions of authority in that same marae.
Healthy systems, with appropriate safeguarding and effective constant review – whether Māori or not – give better outcomes. Māori can have organisations and networks – just like non-Māori – that don't perform as they say on the label.
I have a great deal of respect for the older women in my family, and their amazing ability to nurture and care for others, but am fairly pragmatic in what is achieved in the long run.
This paragraph is an example of emotive writing:
"A recent example was her work with a 501 deported from Australia for breaking the law. Whaea Michelle doesn’t use a number to refer to people. Instead, she calls them “a returned citizen”.
He appeared in the dock as a “staunch Aussie” and was uncooperative when asked questions by the judge.
Whaea Michelle went into the dock with him, leaned towards him, and quietly spoke the words “welcome back to your whenua”.
“He burst into tears and I had to hold him.”
It leaves the reader here. My question is: "…and then what?"
It's missing the complete story, and follow up to this person who has been used as a prop for the main dramatic character. That is not to say that nothing else was done for this man, but THAT aspect is the evidential part of the anecdote and is missing.
Thanks for the response, Molly. You're right that there is a story to be told of what happened to the returned citizen after the court appearance, but for me the story was that even the staunchest have feelings as human beings and that welcoming and compassion open the door to those returning from whatever exile or distancing. In fact, thinking about this, it's better we are left to imagine what happened because that will engage our hope and our compassion and not allow negativity to dominate, if we knew the real outcome, such as "he got what he deserved" or "typical woke judge let him off too lightly."
I do believe there is a place for emotion and emotive writing. We can recognise it. I did, feeling quite choked as I told my wife of the article. The writer was writing about the power of emotion, after all.
As for the power of a retained sense of history, an older woman who was one of several powerful in my upbringing, an Irish nun, once gave me a growling about respect for history. As an adult I made some joking reference to her about some of my ancestors with Scottish names who must have been part of the Protestant Ulster Plantation.
"There are some things," she said, "we don't joke about!"
Because it's not history. It's still part of life- the consequences of history and past actions. The poverty, the dispossession, the loss of culture and respect, the racism, the misogyny, the loss of hope, the crushing personal despair.
That is what we here in Aotearoa have been challenged with, in 2024. In our next term or two of government we will have to meet it.
As mentioned, the growling is both a familiar and loved aspect of relationships with many beloved Nannies. I think the deftness that skill requires benefits from decades of caring and honed practice.
(Some old ladies- no doubt, like Irish nuns – hone other skills, and are just mean).
It seems her retirement comes just as people like her are needed the most, given that this new goverment is determined to use police, courts and prisons to solve social problems.
15, Fifteen, Judges sit on the bench of the International Court of Justice, ICJ.
The current 15 sitting judges of the ICJ are:
President Joan Donoghue (United States), Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation), Judge Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) and Judge Hilary Charlesworth (Australia). Judge Peter Tomka (Slovakia), Judge Ronny Abraham (France), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia), Judge Xue Hanqin (China), Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda), Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India), Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), Judge Iwasawa Yuji (Japan), Judge Georg Nolte (Germany) and Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant (Brazil).
Under Article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the Court, a nation bringing a case to the ICJ that does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, have the right to appoint 1, One, Judge ad hoc to the hear and decide on that specific case.
Judges ad hoc take part in any decision on terms of complete equality with their colleagues
South Africa have exercised their right under Article 31 and have appointed Justice Dikgang Moseneke as their judge ad hoc.
16, Sixteen, Judges will decide in the South Africa v Israel genocide case.
16 Judges opens up the possibility of a tied vote.
There is 1, One. Presiding President of the ICJ.
In the event of tied vote. the Presiding President gets an extra vote to break the deadlock.
The current President of the ICJ is Judge Joan E. Donoghue. On the strength of this one case, Judge Donoghue's name is likely to become familiar to the world. In the unlikely event that the vote of the judges is tied, and Judge Donoghue has to cast the deciding vote, Judge Donoghue's name will go down in history.
(Information for this comment was compiled from several sources).
Oops! I neglected to notice that Israel also does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, which means that Israel too has the right to appoint a judge ad hoc to help decide the case.
With four days to go to court, time is running out for them to get their act together.
The clock is ticking
It looks likely from this evidence that Israel will be mounting a minimal defence of the charges being brought against them by South Africa, and instead are trying to use extra legal measures to pressure the court to reject making any order against them.
Inside Israel's plan to quash South Africa's Gaza genocide case
Barak Ravid, Jan 5, 2024
……The cable, sent by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday, illustrates Israel's diplomatic action plan ahead of next week's ICJ hearing: to create international pressure on the court to not issue an injunction that orders Israel to suspend its military campaign in Gaza.
New Zealand along with many other countries would have received one of these diplomatic cables. Which could account for the fact that while New Zealand and 31, Thirty one, other countries submitted their country's legal opinion to the ICJ over the case of Ukraine vs Russia, only two countries, Malaysia and Turkey have made submissions giving their country's legal opinion on the case South Africa vs. Israel.
Our parliamentary reporters and opposition MPs need to be asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs if pressure from Israel influenced his Ministry's decision not to file a submission as an “Intervening State” giving our country’s legal opinion in the case of South Africa vs. Israel.
Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of Sudan’s feared rebel army the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) met President Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the country’s brutal civil war.
Fighting erupted in April between Dagalo’s RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council
Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing Dagalo gave him and commended the central role of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) under Djibouti’s chair in mediating between the RSF and Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the presidency said.
He also welcomed the participation of the people of Sudan and civil society society “in finding a lasting solution to the security and political challenges,” it added in a statement.
I hope to be proved wrong.
If South Africa wins its case against Israel at the ICJ and the ICJ impose orders on Israel to stop its genocidal actions in Gaza. The seperation into two opposing global camps may be averted, or even reversed.
But if Israel is successful in its campaign to avoid having any orders imposed on it by the ICJ, the global separation into two opposing and potentially warring camps will be accelerated.
"In the novel Ayn Rand compares this mythology to her view that the leaders of industry collectively held up the world, and had long struggled and suffered under the weight of it. Her response is that they should simply shrug it off, let the world fall to pieces, and thus show who’s really in charge here. That’s the basic plot of the entire novel: that a relatively small cadre of hard-working creators is the only thing keeping industrial society operating, and when most of them agree to go on strike, and withdraw their efforts from society, everything quickly falls apart."
Russia today may be worth watching to determine what happens when (the metaphorical) Atlas shrugs.
The captains of industry (and finance) have largely abandoned Russia in the face of the threat of sanctions and Putins actions….the current coping mechanisms dont appear (from this distance) to be terribly successful. and indicate worse to come.
I struggled through Atlas Shrugged. Most of the novel was a turgid maelstrom of fantastical thinking insofar as private enterprises would deliver social goods better and cheaper than the public sector.
halfway through, the diatribe really doubled down on that. Rand’s writing really went for the extreme end of government failures when explaining why Taggart Industries was the only way forward. A giant behemoth of a corporation, beset by internal bureaucracy and cost pressures, overseen by Dagny, was in essence just an allegory for comparing with a government behemoth, beset by bureaucracy, overseen by a Minister, struggling with cost pressures.
what atlas shrugged completely neglected was that government is not as beset by cost pressures as private sector is. If funds are needed, govt can always get money and spread it out over the longer term (60 years in the case of Interisland iRex project). Whereas private sector, while being able to pay off over a 5-20 year period, still needs to ensure a steady transfer of profit to the shareholders.
In all, after 1071 pages of the most trashy novel I’ve ever read, that so few people have done, its easy to see why the Atlas Network focus on the “private delivers better” claim of the novel, whilst completely ignoring that Rand’s fantastical thinking completely ignored the ability of the state to take a longer term horizon view.
Even the handful of “liberals” i know that think the state needs to be smaller have never read the novel.
My own take is that the novel was a great reason why the state needs to take ownership and control of things that actually contribute to a functioning society – transport, ferries, electricity and internet.
my guess is no Randian will respond given how few of them seem to have read the book (although that is based on my limited experience) but even David Seymour has said he hasn’t read the book.
Anyone who believes the private sector is better should read the novel after which they might realise social utilities are actually better retained in state control.
NZs own experience with the railways should be enough for that, but unlikely historical knowledge will be a feature in such analysis!
Listening to RNZ they are playing New Zealand song's and on comes Pauli Faumauina's Land of Plenty it makes me cry to hear the lyrics. Now it’s the country of the Landed Gentry!
Food poverty when we have enough food to feed 40 million
Housing shortage when we have enough land and trees to house a 100 million
The clean rivers all but a few can't be swam in or drink out of now.
thats all happened relatively recently.
I have rewritten the song
Came to this land of vultures praying on the peasants
Came to this land of bad times where food banks are plenty
Came to this land of hate and division.
Where only the landed Gentry have entry!
They are the only ones now that have plenty while the rest of us can't pay the rent today.
The BNZ used Pauli's song to sell us out while the peasants struggle to even get enough food from the ever expanding number of food bank's
”New Zealand has already chosen a rhetorical side based, presumably, on its support for the principles of freedom of navigation and its rejection of the argument that the Houthis are doing the little that they can to resist genocide in Gaza. Should NZ send a warship to join the CTF-153 naval picket fence protecting commercial ships running the gauntlet at Bad-el-Mandeb, then it will have further staked its position on the side of its Western security partners as well as put its sailors in harm’s way. Some will say that it has placed more value on containers than the lives of Gazan children.
That may be a pragmatic decision based on sincere belief in the “freedom of the seas” principle, disbelief in the Houthi’s sincerity when it comes to resisting genocide (or the argument itself), concern about Iranian machinations and the presence of Russia and the PRC in the regional balance of power contest, indirect support for Israel or simply paying, as John Key once said, “the price for being on the team.” Whatever the reason or combination thereof, it appears to the neutral eye that once again NZ has put facilitation of trade ahead of upholding universal human rights in its foreign policy calculations.”
Over time it has become clear that the attacks were against the trade of nations in Europe supportive of Ukraine and thus did not impact on Russia or China etc.
Which makes the claim of the Houthi to be focused on opposition to genocide clearly fallacious. Unsurprising since they began in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza even before serious claims of war crimes, let alone genocide, had occurred.
People spent years calling for some sort of accountability and all it took was a tv drama.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences after the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters.
The police confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the handling of the Horizon IT scandal – "such as the monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions".
Finished doing the storage hardware updates at 0016 this monday morning. SPC noticed me taking the site offline even if no-one else did.. This was porting the old motherboard off the bleeding edge one that I put in in 2017 to one that was current at the start of last year
Theoretically, the site should be running about 11x faster on data storage operations. For commenters, that means on comments. But my testing says that it is about 6-8x faster. I need to look at other contributing factors like the spam filters. There are other changes to the backup operations that also helped.
The main reason for doing this now was developing the new site theme.
I wanted to test it with the live data of 30 thousand posts and 1.8 million comments. Works on the test set of 500 post / 2800 comment testing data set. However with the relentless scraper activity by bots, that was proving to be hard to do.
The full-site theme editing was just too slow when there was so much background traffic – especially if I turned local and offsite caching off.
Back to work tomorrow so the theme gets the rest of its testing and fixes in unpaid time. So it will be a little longer.
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Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says the deal with China “complements, not replaces” the relationship with New Zealand after signing it yesterday. Brown said “The Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2025-2030” provides a structured framework for engagement between the Cook Islands ...
The government should not set military style academies into youth justice law, the children's commissioner says, despite its first bootcamp getting a glowing report. ...
The infamous over-the-suit T-shirt worn by the PM at a Parliament barbecue has gone on sale to raise funds for children living in poverty, in a TradeMe auction. ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
I was born in the back of my grandfather’s ute, by an overgrown windbreak in a remote place called Wahi-Rakauyou can’t find on a map. I was born a girl but given the man’s name Harvey, as my dad always wanted a violent-minded boy to one day help him ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
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In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
Just wanna kick off the day by acknowledging and thanking weka for all the mahi yesterday.
At times it was akin to herding kittens.
Thanks for your time and patience yesty weka, it will be a positive influence on TS.
By using the phrase herding kittens you are othering some of the the participants in the conversation yesterday. It trivialises and belittles. Please stop.
Very offensive to those that identify as cats
Exactly.
The downside to identifying as a cat: https://twitter.com/MattCartoonist/status/1671205803246727185?lang=en
Meooow!
F for Feline, and mice make great play mates.
lol, that's actually quite funny.
Yes, weka and all the moderators do an admirable job of preventing The Standard from becoming a sewer like kiwiblog.
It's been shown on here before, but worth reprising: weka chasing a right wing stoat!
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=weka+chasing+stoat&sca_esv=596241605&sxsrf=AM9HkKmQWO5rU3p0zUMjt5gjSBthx0WV_Q%3A1704568667006&source=hp&ei=WqeZZYqDO4-Svr0Px4iCgAY&iflsig=AO6bgOgAAAAAZZm1a4n4s4YmjrxMY6zYWnx1XxOWjv0V&oq=weka+chasing+&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ig13ZWthIGNoYXNpbmcgKgIIADIGEAAYFhgeMgsQABiABBiKBRiGAzILEAAYgAQYigUYhgMyCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMgsQABiABBiKBRiGA0jMTFAAWNYccAB4AJABAJgB1gKgAaQVqgEHMC43LjUuMbgBAcgBAPgBAcICChAjGIAEGIoFGCfCAgQQIxgnwgIREAAYgAQYigUYkQIYsQMYgwHCAhEQLhiABBiKBRiRAhixAxiDAcICCxAAGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIREC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAg4QABiABBiKBRixAxiDAcICEhAjGIAEGIoFGCcYnQIYRhiAAsICCxAAGIAEGIoFGJECwgILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwHCAhEQLhiDARivARjHARixAxiABMICCxAuGIMBGLEDGIAEwgIFEAAYgATCAgsQLhivARjHARiABMICBxAAGIAEGAo&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a5e7285e,vid:gQ-IJ7-mUXY,st:0
But, thanks to all the moderators!
😂
https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?feature=shared
For a laugh, herding cats.
I read all the posts of pejorative language yesterday and it occurs to me that we're being a bit precious.
Is it not just the normal and endlessly fascinating evolution of the English language.
I would think most of the participants will be well aware of how the words; damn, bugger, bastard were viewed 6 or 7 decades ago. Then not so long ago was the Gaye alphabet soup stuff and the F word, the C word not so much, but watch this space.
thanks gsays. It was a bit of work, but tbh I enjoyed a lot of the conversation and think it was good. It was great to see Standardistas grappling with a gnarly topic and talking about it and without the personalised stuff and acrimony that used to be a feature here.
Thanks for all the work Weka. I'd be lost without TS.
(Sitting here in the Karamea Pub….so friendly….pondering the excellent post today on the Taxpayers Union, Koch brothers etc)
Cheers BG. I've had no inspiration to write posts, so am very grateful to the other authors. But feelings a bit of a renewal in teh past few days. The Atlas post probably has something to do with it 😈
Lucky you in Karamea!
Not entirely sure what Mark Mitchell is up to. Still on holiday, perhaps? He has strutted around for the last years, a self proclaimed sheriff who was going to crush the gangs.
But here they are in the $1000 VVIP section of Juicy Fest with Bulldog face tattoos, and gang colours starting fights and barking like dogs.
So much for the rhetoric.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fights-assaults-mongrel-mob-gang-members-ruin-juicy-fest-wellington-man-says/EZB3GWF3EVBMHI2JGSLW2EKF6E/
Here's another who deserves our gratitude. A story on Stuff of a remarkable woman to whom I lift my hat. She spent twenty years, including Christmases, in an Auckland court advocating for, helping, supporting the homeless and dispossessed, the 'returned citizens' and the broken ones. At 72 years of age, she retires to be with her whanau.
One story- a Māori man in the dock is not granted bail since the judge says he has no suitable home address. His calm reply and the interpretation given it by Whaea Michelle Kidd is a short history of generations of New Zealanders.
A sobering challenge or wero such as she gave to the court is given to us also, with her comment on the effects of poverty and inter-generational dispossession for Māori.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/301031777/whaea-to-the-homeless-who-wasnt-afraid-to-give-judges-a-growling-retires-after-20-years
She sounds like an admirable woman, working from the heart. The stories relate to all she has helped, without referring to them as solely Māori.
This comment is an opinion, based on her perspective rather than evidence. Not all Māori had access to, or possession of land. What they had – as opposed to non-Māori were networks of kin, and community places to restore and heal.
"“When you dispossess people of their land, there is an intergenerational trauma that should not be denied.”
She spoke of an example where a judge declined bail for a Māori man because he didn’t have a suitable address.
In a calm voice, the man managed to respond: “You took our f…… land, and now I’m going to prison because I don’t have any.”
This recitation is a catechism. This man may know the details of an historical land claim directly related to him, but that detail is unnecessary when it can be used as the sole excuse for his present situation.
That simplistic view, creates an encouragement of passive victimhood which is not helpful to current generations. Bastion Point has living people who are directly affected by government land taking. The historical – and convoluted land confiscations from the latter part of the 1800s, have processes available and although may have direct, immediate and devastating consequences on those elders who were dispossessed, that should lessen over generations. Māori – as with any other people – possess resilience and autonomy, and are currently living in a country where they have the same rights and access to justice as everyone else.
Since that time, intervening generations have had trauma shared across all NZers:
Spanish flu – https://nzhistory.govt.nz/te-akomanga/contexts-activities/comparing-pandemics#:~:text=The%20flu%20pandemic%20of%201918,so%20communities%20were%20already%20traumatised.
The World Wars: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/first-world-war-by-numbers
The polio epidemic: https://teara.govt.nz/en/epidemics/page-5#:~:text=New%20Zealand%20experienced%20polio%20epidemics,if%20they%20catch%20this%20disease.
…etc…
One of my affiliated maraes held a welcome back weekend, full of workshops, which was great. One – however – was a workshop run by a very dedicated woman who worked with youth, who was determined to make the marae the first – and only – support place for young people struggling. The problem that arises though – comes from the fact that further conversation during the weekend is that various forms of abuse committed against young people, were suspected to be done by people holding positions of authority in that same marae.
Healthy systems, with appropriate safeguarding and effective constant review – whether Māori or not – give better outcomes. Māori can have organisations and networks – just like non-Māori – that don't perform as they say on the label.
I have a great deal of respect for the older women in my family, and their amazing ability to nurture and care for others, but am fairly pragmatic in what is achieved in the long run.
This paragraph is an example of emotive writing:
"A recent example was her work with a 501 deported from Australia for breaking the law. Whaea Michelle doesn’t use a number to refer to people. Instead, she calls them “a returned citizen”.
He appeared in the dock as a “staunch Aussie” and was uncooperative when asked questions by the judge.
Whaea Michelle went into the dock with him, leaned towards him, and quietly spoke the words “welcome back to your whenua”.
“He burst into tears and I had to hold him.”
It leaves the reader here. My question is: "…and then what?"
It's missing the complete story, and follow up to this person who has been used as a prop for the main dramatic character. That is not to say that nothing else was done for this man, but THAT aspect is the evidential part of the anecdote and is missing.
…as an addendum.. most Nanas are spectacularly good at growling.
It's considered to be both a privilege of old age, and an expected form of affection.
Thanks for the response, Molly. You're right that there is a story to be told of what happened to the returned citizen after the court appearance, but for me the story was that even the staunchest have feelings as human beings and that welcoming and compassion open the door to those returning from whatever exile or distancing. In fact, thinking about this, it's better we are left to imagine what happened because that will engage our hope and our compassion and not allow negativity to dominate, if we knew the real outcome, such as "he got what he deserved" or "typical woke judge let him off too lightly."
I do believe there is a place for emotion and emotive writing. We can recognise it. I did, feeling quite choked as I told my wife of the article. The writer was writing about the power of emotion, after all.
As for the power of a retained sense of history, an older woman who was one of several powerful in my upbringing, an Irish nun, once gave me a growling about respect for history. As an adult I made some joking reference to her about some of my ancestors with Scottish names who must have been part of the Protestant Ulster Plantation.
"There are some things," she said, "we don't joke about!"
Because it's not history. It's still part of life- the consequences of history and past actions. The poverty, the dispossession, the loss of culture and respect, the racism, the misogyny, the loss of hope, the crushing personal despair.
That is what we here in Aotearoa have been challenged with, in 2024. In our next term or two of government we will have to meet it.
As mentioned, the growling is both a familiar and loved aspect of relationships with many beloved Nannies. I think the deftness that skill requires benefits from decades of caring and honed practice.
(Some old ladies- no doubt, like Irish nuns – hone other skills, and are just mean).
Truly inspiring thankyou.
It seems her retirement comes just as people like her are needed the most, given that this new goverment is determined to use police, courts and prisons to solve social problems.
Numbers count
15, Fifteen, Judges sit on the bench of the International Court of Justice, ICJ.
The current 15 sitting judges of the ICJ are:
President Joan Donoghue (United States), Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation), Judge Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) and Judge Hilary Charlesworth (Australia). Judge Peter Tomka (Slovakia), Judge Ronny Abraham (France), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia), Judge Xue Hanqin (China), Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda), Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India), Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), Judge Iwasawa Yuji (Japan), Judge Georg Nolte (Germany) and Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant (Brazil).
Under Article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the Court, a nation bringing a case to the ICJ that does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, have the right to appoint 1, One, Judge ad hoc to the hear and decide on that specific case.
Judges ad hoc take part in any decision on terms of complete equality with their colleagues
South Africa have exercised their right under Article 31 and have appointed Justice Dikgang Moseneke as their judge ad hoc.
16, Sixteen, Judges will decide in the South Africa v Israel genocide case.
16 Judges opens up the possibility of a tied vote.
There is 1, One. Presiding President of the ICJ.
In the event of tied vote. the Presiding President gets an extra vote to break the deadlock.
The current President of the ICJ is Judge Joan E. Donoghue. On the strength of this one case, Judge Donoghue's name is likely to become familiar to the world. In the unlikely event that the vote of the judges is tied, and Judge Donoghue has to cast the deciding vote, Judge Donoghue's name will go down in history.
(Information for this comment was compiled from several sources).
Oops! I neglected to notice that Israel also does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, which means that Israel too has the right to appoint a judge ad hoc to help decide the case.
[deleted]
https://www.newarab.com/news/who-representing-israel-s-africa-gaza-genocide-case
deleted copypasta. Did you read my mod note from yesterday?
It seems from the New Arab article, the Israel defence seems to be in total disarray.
https://www.newarab.com/news/who-representing-israel-s-africa-gaza-genocide-case
With four days to go to court, time is running out for them to get their act together.
The clock is ticking
It looks likely from this evidence that Israel will be mounting a minimal defence of the charges being brought against them by South Africa, and instead are trying to use extra legal measures to pressure the court to reject making any order against them.
Numbers Count:
New Zealand along with many other countries would have received one of these diplomatic cables. Which could account for the fact that while New Zealand and 31, Thirty one, other countries submitted their country's legal opinion to the ICJ over the case of Ukraine vs Russia, only two countries, Malaysia and Turkey have made submissions giving their country's legal opinion on the case South Africa vs. Israel.
Our parliamentary reporters and opposition MPs need to be asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs if pressure from Israel influenced his Ministry's decision not to file a submission as an “Intervening State” giving our country’s legal opinion in the case of South Africa vs. Israel.
Meanwhile, and you couldn't make this shit up if you tried, the President of SA plays footsie with Hemedti, AKA the butcher of Darfur, leader of the Janjaweed militia who participated in the Darfur genocide.
Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of Sudan’s feared rebel army the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) met President Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the country’s brutal civil war.
Fighting erupted in April between Dagalo’s RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council
Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing Dagalo gave him and commended the central role of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) under Djibouti’s chair in mediating between the RSF and Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the presidency said.
He also welcomed the participation of the people of Sudan and civil society society “in finding a lasting solution to the security and political challenges,” it added in a statement.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-01-05-sudans-feared-rsf-rebel-leader-dagalo-meets-ramaphosa/
https://archive.li/fP1dw
The always good Joe90:
"…..the President of SA plays footsie with Hemedti, AKA the butcher of Darfur, leader of the Janjaweed militia who participated in the Darfur genocide."
The world is in danger of separating out into two opposing camps.
Each claiming to be arbiters of morality and law
Neither of which really care about the Rules Based International Order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_international_order#:~:text=In%20international%20relations%2C%20the%20liberal,liberal%20internationalism%20since%20the%20late
I hope to be proved wrong.
If South Africa wins its case against Israel at the ICJ and the ICJ impose orders on Israel to stop its genocidal actions in Gaza. The seperation into two opposing global camps may be averted, or even reversed.
But if Israel is successful in its campaign to avoid having any orders imposed on it by the ICJ, the global separation into two opposing and potentially warring camps will be accelerated.
Just don't get your hopes up that ICJ rulings will alter Israel's policy or political direction.
May even make them more determined. Particularly if Hamas are called as witnesses
What would happen if Atlas shrugged?
"In the novel Ayn Rand compares this mythology to her view that the leaders of industry collectively held up the world, and had long struggled and suffered under the weight of it. Her response is that they should simply shrug it off, let the world fall to pieces, and thus show who’s really in charge here. That’s the basic plot of the entire novel: that a relatively small cadre of hard-working creators is the only thing keeping industrial society operating, and when most of them agree to go on strike, and withdraw their efforts from society, everything quickly falls apart."
_(ツ)_/
please provide the link.
Russia today may be worth watching to determine what happens when (the metaphorical) Atlas shrugs.
The captains of industry (and finance) have largely abandoned Russia in the face of the threat of sanctions and Putins actions….the current coping mechanisms dont appear (from this distance) to be terribly successful. and indicate worse to come.
The bind being the industrialists build a civilisation that requires their permanent dominance; collapsing is unthinkable!!
Most of civilisation has swallowed that myth.
I struggled through Atlas Shrugged. Most of the novel was a turgid maelstrom of fantastical thinking insofar as private enterprises would deliver social goods better and cheaper than the public sector.
halfway through, the diatribe really doubled down on that. Rand’s writing really went for the extreme end of government failures when explaining why Taggart Industries was the only way forward. A giant behemoth of a corporation, beset by internal bureaucracy and cost pressures, overseen by Dagny, was in essence just an allegory for comparing with a government behemoth, beset by bureaucracy, overseen by a Minister, struggling with cost pressures.
what atlas shrugged completely neglected was that government is not as beset by cost pressures as private sector is. If funds are needed, govt can always get money and spread it out over the longer term (60 years in the case of Interisland iRex project). Whereas private sector, while being able to pay off over a 5-20 year period, still needs to ensure a steady transfer of profit to the shareholders.
In all, after 1071 pages of the most trashy novel I’ve ever read, that so few people have done, its easy to see why the Atlas Network focus on the “private delivers better” claim of the novel, whilst completely ignoring that Rand’s fantastical thinking completely ignored the ability of the state to take a longer term horizon view.
Even the handful of “liberals” i know that think the state needs to be smaller have never read the novel.
My own take is that the novel was a great reason why the state needs to take ownership and control of things that actually contribute to a functioning society – transport, ferries, electricity and internet.
Well described, James!
I wonder how any "smart" Randian might respond to your critique.
Thanks Robert.
my guess is no Randian will respond given how few of them seem to have read the book (although that is based on my limited experience) but even David Seymour has said he hasn’t read the book.
Anyone who believes the private sector is better should read the novel after which they might realise social utilities are actually better retained in state control.
NZs own experience with the railways should be enough for that, but unlikely historical knowledge will be a feature in such analysis!
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-atlas-shrugged
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrug#:~:text=The%20shrug%20emoticon%2C%20better%20known,character%20tsu%20from%20Japanese%20katakana.
Listening to RNZ they are playing New Zealand song's and on comes Pauli Faumauina's Land of Plenty it makes me cry to hear the lyrics. Now it’s the country of the Landed Gentry!
Food poverty when we have enough food to feed 40 million
Housing shortage when we have enough land and trees to house a 100 million
The clean rivers all but a few can't be swam in or drink out of now.
thats all happened relatively recently.
I have rewritten the song
Came to this land of vultures praying on the peasants
Came to this land of bad times where food banks are plenty
Came to this land of hate and division.
Where only the landed Gentry have entry!
They are the only ones now that have plenty while the rest of us can't pay the rent today.
The BNZ used Pauli's song to sell us out while the peasants struggle to even get enough food from the ever expanding number of food bank's
Hello….??
Yes….I am BACK everyone!!! Ready to take on this abomination of the 6th National government.
Is the coalition on the wrong side of history again?
From Kiwipolitico.
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2024/01/about-the-houthi-red-sea-blockage/
”New Zealand has already chosen a rhetorical side based, presumably, on its support for the principles of freedom of navigation and its rejection of the argument that the Houthis are doing the little that they can to resist genocide in Gaza. Should NZ send a warship to join the CTF-153 naval picket fence protecting commercial ships running the gauntlet at Bad-el-Mandeb, then it will have further staked its position on the side of its Western security partners as well as put its sailors in harm’s way. Some will say that it has placed more value on containers than the lives of Gazan children.
That may be a pragmatic decision based on sincere belief in the “freedom of the seas” principle, disbelief in the Houthi’s sincerity when it comes to resisting genocide (or the argument itself), concern about Iranian machinations and the presence of Russia and the PRC in the regional balance of power contest, indirect support for Israel or simply paying, as John Key once said, “the price for being on the team.” Whatever the reason or combination thereof, it appears to the neutral eye that once again NZ has put facilitation of trade ahead of upholding universal human rights in its foreign policy calculations.”
Watch the oil futures graphs closely, and you'll see if we should be interested.
Over time it has become clear that the attacks were against the trade of nations in Europe supportive of Ukraine and thus did not impact on Russia or China etc.
Which makes the claim of the Houthi to be focused on opposition to genocide clearly fallacious. Unsurprising since they began in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza even before serious claims of war crimes, let alone genocide, had occurred.
People spent years calling for some sort of accountability and all it took was a tv drama.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences after the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters.
The police confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the handling of the Horizon IT scandal – "such as the monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions".
https://news.sky.com/story/post-office-investigated-by-police-over-potential-fraud-offences-13042832
Edit:
@flaminhaystacks
THREAD
Seema Misra who is married to Davinder, took over the Post Office in West Byfleet, Surrey, in 2005
She noticed the Horizon computer system showed a shortfall of £80 on her first day of training
The trainer told her the accounts were never exact
https://twitter.com/flaminhaystacks/status/1743545499104244208
More on the PO shortfalls scandal
https://twitter.com/flaminhaystacks/status/1742094530713632768
Finished doing the storage hardware updates at 0016 this monday morning. SPC noticed me taking the site offline even if no-one else did.. This was porting the old motherboard off the bleeding edge one that I put in in 2017 to one that was current at the start of last year
Theoretically, the site should be running about 11x faster on data storage operations. For commenters, that means on comments. But my testing says that it is about 6-8x faster. I need to look at other contributing factors like the spam filters. There are other changes to the backup operations that also helped.
The main reason for doing this now was developing the new site theme.
I wanted to test it with the live data of 30 thousand posts and 1.8 million comments. Works on the test set of 500 post / 2800 comment testing data set. However with the relentless scraper activity by bots, that was proving to be hard to do.
The full-site theme editing was just too slow when there was so much background traffic – especially if I turned local and offsite caching off.
Back to work tomorrow so the theme gets the rest of its testing and fixes in unpaid time. So it will be a little longer.