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Open mike 07/03/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 7th, 2022 - 114 comments
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114 comments on “Open mike 07/03/2022 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    7 March 2022 at 6:57 am

    Weird to see oil at US$120 a barrel. It's so 1979.

    Good to see Bill McKibben encouraging us all to see the moment for what it is.

    @billmckibben

    "The uncanny confluence of Putin's invasion and the IPCC report is a stark reminder: fossil fuel powers the worst crises facing our planet. If we use this moment to get off oil and gas, we have a fighting chance as a planet."

  2. Hongi Ika 2
    7 March 2022 at 7:15 am

    Poot’s wants to out do his mentor Stalin and to be remembered as one of the nastiest little barstard’s the Soviet Union has produced, the guy has severe mental health issues similar to Kim Jong Il from North Korea. All this shit is totally unnecessary.

  3. PsyclingLeft.Always 3
    7 March 2022 at 7:19 am

    Oligarchs, in the Russian context, are the ultrawealthy business elites with disproportionate political power. They emerged in two distinct waves.

    The first group emerged out of the privatization of the 1990s, particularly the all-cash sales of the largest state-owned enterprises after 1995.

    https://theconversation.com/meet-russias-oligarchs-a-group-of-men-who-wont-be-toppling-putin-anytime-soon-178474

    Yep. They are POS alright. But anyone see a …SIMILARITY with NZ ? Fay,Richwhite !,Myers,etc etc…..

    • Blazer 3.1
      7 March 2022 at 8:00 am

      There is a direct comparison.

      A high % of NZ's rich list are there compliments of cheap state assets.

      The list includes ACT funder Alan Gibbs,NZ's richest man-G.Hart,and the perennial bubble boys Fay/Richwhite.

    • Ad 3.2
      7 March 2022 at 8:15 am

      I think you mean Christopher Chandler – our own NZ billionaire who made bank on major Gazprom shares and property investments in Moscow.

      Do not ever accuse him of anything you can't prove in court.

      Note he was defended by a UK Conservative MP Steve Baker. You can look up his background for yourself.

      I'm not even going to mention what Legatum does.

      • Tiger Mountain 3.2.1
        7 March 2022 at 8:33 am

        And lets not forget one Roger Owen Douglas, who in 1992 gave a series of speeches on economics in Russia as part of a privatisation advisory committee organised by the World Bank.

        • Tricledrown 3.2.1.1
          7 March 2022 at 9:40 am

          Roger Douglas a lecturer in economics.The only business he ran went bankrupt.

          Poverty has remained endemic and grown in NZ since rogernomics

      • Tricledrown 3.2.2
        7 March 2022 at 9:37 am

        Chandler Russian oligarchs stole all his money and told him to fuck off.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.2.3
        7 March 2022 at 6:10 pm

        You think ? Ive NEVER heard of him. You've assumed something….. I hadnt even thought !

        My post was likening the RUSSIAN oligarchs to …..as I said. Fay, Richwhite, Myers, and all of their NZ ilk. Remember the Business Roundtable ? As every other person commenting on it noted.

        • Ad 3.2.3.1
          7 March 2022 at 6:19 pm

          Yes it was apparent you hadn't thought and didn't know.

          So now you do.

          • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.2.3.1.1
            7 March 2022 at 6:50 pm

            Do not ever accuse him of anything you can't prove in court.

            Yea…not really sure where youre coming from. Strange……………..

    • Stuart Munro 3.3
      7 March 2022 at 4:22 pm

      Exactly – Roger Douglas was basically Chernomyrdin with the redeeming personal qualities.

  4. Jenny how to get there 4
    7 March 2022 at 8:19 am

    Justice needs to be seen to be done for the people of Syria

    The Ukrainian Security Services need to hand over the captured Russian Air Force Major to the ICC to be investigated for involvement in committing war crimes in Syria.

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported that a Russian Air Force pilot who took part in the war in Syria and met with the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, has been captured.

    "For him, bombing civilian cities is nothing new. As the criminal himself tells it, he didn't think about concepts like 'residential blocks of flats or neighbourhoods': 'There are just targets with coordinates'".

    Ukrainian Security Service: Russian pilot who fought in Syria and met Assad captured

    Valentyna Romanenko — Saturday, 5 March 2022, 17:32

    There can be little doubt that Major Krasnoyartsev was involved directly or knew of the multiple war crimes committed in Syria by the Russian air force.

    Syrians celebrate Ukraine capturing Russian pilot accused of Aleppo air strikes

    People who fled Moscow’s Middle East bombing campaign ‘avenged’ after plane flown by Major Krasnoyartsev was shot down north of Kyiv

    ByJamie Johnson and Josie Ensor, US CORRESPONDENT5 March 2022 • 6:37pm

    Major Krasnoyartsev

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/05/ukraine-pilot-shot-kyiv-syria-russia-invasion-aleppo/

  5. higherstandard 5
    7 March 2022 at 8:23 am

    This post certainly makes mickysavage's 'This is awkward' post from yesterday seem somewhat bombastic.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  6. Matiri 6
    7 March 2022 at 8:49 am

    An Ode to Andrew Coster by Victor Billot

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/an-ode-to-andrew-coster

  7. Blazer 7
    7 March 2022 at 9:07 am

    A small …mercy..

    Covid cases declining rapidly.

    Ukraine

    68% of peak and falling

    388 infections per 100K people reported last 7 days

    Updated 11:08 PM NZDT

    Average number of new infections reported each day in Ukraine falls by more than 7,300 over the last 3 weeks, 21% of its previous peak

    COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Ukraine, with 24,623 new infections reported on average each day. That’s 68% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on February 10.

    • Tricledrown 7.1
      7 March 2022 at 9:43 am

      Those figures would be hard to substantiate as the countries infrastructure is under extreme pressure.

  8. Ad 8
    7 March 2022 at 9:07 am

    Sometimes you wonder why US firms continue to enable the United States to be the dominant economic power in the world, and then sometimes you don't need to wonder at all.

    This analysis showing how Tesla is simply slaying German car makers both now and into the future is a bracing read for sad bastard still aspiring to a luxury European marque.

    The Competitive Weakness of German Automakers Revealed – Fully Charged Show

    • alwyn 9.1
      7 March 2022 at 10:14 am

      What is it the Putin wants?

      It looks just the same as at my local supermarket yesterday where customers were only allowed to buy one pack of flour.

  10. CAnker the pig fucker 10
    7 March 2022 at 10:37 am

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/about-stuff/complaints-and-corrections/127946397/media-council-upholds-professors-complaint

    media council uphold complaint from the Listener 7. Stuff alleged they had sent intimidating lawyers letters to junior staff. It wasn’t true

  11. Jester 11
    7 March 2022 at 10:45 am

    I wonder if Jacinda will decide to no longer appear on Ryan bridges show after this interview as she did with Hoskings show?

    'I totally reject that': PM denies Govt wasteful spending, pushes back on claim NZ in cost of living crisis (msn.com)

    • Barfly 11.1
      7 March 2022 at 12:36 pm

      Jester as you very well know pandemic related inflation is a world wide problem please troll better

      • alwyn 11.1.1
        7 March 2022 at 2:24 pm

        Really? So you are saying that our 5.9% is merely typical and all due to the pandemic of Covid 19?

        In that case, given that the apologists for our present Government like to claim we are less affected by Covid 19 than almost any other country why is our inflation rate so much higher than other countries?

        For 2021 Japan was 0.5%, China 0.9%, Saudi Arabia 1.2%, Switzerland 2.2%, Taiwan 2.8% and Norway 3.2%.

        Why are they doing so much better than we are? Those are just samples of course. A full list is at the reference below and we are a long way down the list.

        https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/inflation-rate?continent=world

        • Macro 11.1.1.1
          7 March 2022 at 3:24 pm

          That’s a bit naughty alwyn! Quoting nz’s current inflation rate and comparing it to the historical rates of other countries.
          For a real comparison here is a chart (from your source link of NZ’s inflation rate over the past 3 years:
          New Zealand Inflation Rate

          • alwyn 11.1.1.1.1
            7 March 2022 at 5:13 pm

            "Quoting nz’s current inflation rate and comparing it to the historical rates of other countries" "is a bit naughty" you say? Try looking at the source of my results.

            They are all the latest figures available and in general they are a month or two later than the New Zealand one. New Zealand was the year to Dec 21. Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Norway were the year ending Jan/22 and Switzerland was Feb 22.

            Current for New Zealand against historical for the other's? Rubbish. If you really got pedantic you would say it is the other way round, as the New Zealand numbers are a month older.

            I merely said, slightly loosely I admit, that they were all for the year 2021.

            • McFlock 11.1.1.1.1.1
              7 March 2022 at 5:47 pm

              NZ seems to be about middle of that list (91/185), lower than USA on 7.2% and only slightly higher (<1%) than EU and UK.

              But hey, keep at it. Sooner or later you might actually find a genuine comparison that makes the govt look bad internationally.

              • alwyn …
                7 March 2022 at 7:29 pm

                The inflation is, in every case in my opinion, caused by the enormous deficits countries are running.

                If you prefer it just call it printing money. We aren't quite as bad as the USA but we are a great deal worse than countries we consider our peers.

                However our inflation is almost totally due to our own actions. It isn't Covid 19 causing it, as Barfly would like us to think. It is our "printing money" as it is termed. It is Robertson throwing money at anything he likes, regardless as to the effect it is having on inflation in New Zealand. Like many amateurs in the subject he likes the power of wasting our resources on rubbish.

                • pat …
                  7 March 2022 at 7:42 pm

                  "However our inflation is almost totally due to our own actions."

                  Which inflation? Housing(asset), you may have a case…. but energy, shipping and commodity prices are all outside our control except in that we placed ourselves in the position to be vulnerable to those risks over previous decades,

                  Government borrowing is very low comparatively and most of that borrowing remains unspent and therefore cannot be inflationary….and wages have been running behind inflation for years so its difficult to attribute inflation to domestic wages.

                  Which all goes to make a nonsense of Nationals announcement… and it will likely get them the votes they want.

                • Nic the NZer …
                  7 March 2022 at 7:43 pm

                  This is completely a ridiculous claim of course. Your essentially positing some kind of demand pull inflation, except we recorded the absence of massive incomes and spending needed to pull demand.

                  Meanwhile we have actually observed disruptions, delays and costs imposed on businesses by Covid-19 public health measures, and the direct impacts of infections (which are on going) and somehow you claim businesses are not responding in a supply side manner to this supply side shock.

                • McFlock …
                  7 March 2022 at 8:11 pm

                  Well, billions of that money kept employees being paid during covid, so probably better for the country than unemployment going through the roof. Even kept the taxpayers' "union" going.

                  • alwyn …
                    7 March 2022 at 8:30 pm

                    Yes. What was done in 2020 during the first lockdown made sense. The trouble is that the Government fell in love with the idea that they can just create money and run deficits without penalty for ever.

                    Well they can't and it is coming home to bite us. Unfortunately the RBNZ Governor has also caught the bug. Unfortunately Adrian isn't in the intellectual class of some of his predecessors.

                    • Blazer …
                      7 March 2022 at 8:42 pm

                      Seems like Orr is just like his predecessors….new boss=same as old..boss.

                    • McFlock …
                      7 March 2022 at 8:43 pm

                      All very nice rhetoric, but if they were as incompetent as all that then we'd be a bit higher up the inflation rate rankings than the middle.

                      So we're running a bit hot on one guage, while the other guages are doing better than many nations (most importantly, fatalities).

        • Barfly 11.1.1.2
          7 March 2022 at 5:41 pm

          https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/461311/us-inflation-hits-7-point-5-percent-highest-since-1982

          https://www.bbc.com/news/business-12196322 inflation 7%

          In January 2022, Canadian inflation surpassed 5% for the first time since September 1991, rising 5.1% on a year-over-year basis

          In its Winter 2022 outlook, the EU projects an average Irish rate of inflation of 4.6% this year

          Alwyn somehow I doubt NZ government policies are creating inflation in USA, UK, Canada, Ireland et cetera.

          https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/news/2022/02/more-tightening-needed

          Statement from NZ reserve bank includes this

          "The level of global economic activity is generating rising inflation pressures, exacerbated by ongoing supply disruptions."

          and

          "The near-term rise in inflation is accentuated by higher oil prices, rising transport costs, and the impact of supply shortfalls."

          I am sure this is information you would prefer not to know as it does not follow Mr. Luxon's drivel about the NZ Government policies causing inflation.cheeky

          • alwyn 11.1.1.2.1
            7 March 2022 at 8:40 pm

            The US Government deficit was $3.13 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year and $2.77 trillion in the 2021 year. In 2021 they collected about $4.05 trillion and spent around $6.82 trillion. The only amazing thing about it is that inflation has only reached 7.5%

            Thus the US policies were similar to our own, and had the same effect. Why did you expect us to follow the same policies as the US and not get the same results?

      • Poission 11.1.2
        7 March 2022 at 2:26 pm

        The production of funny money had done more for inflation,and inequality then the pandemic.

        https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1469296635167526913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1469296635167526913%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fnntaleb2Fstatus2F1469296635167526913widget%3DTweet

        The substantive increases in food cost inflation ( fao 20.7% over last 12 months) is also a mixture of speculation and sustainable mandates ( biofuels)

        The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 140.7 points in February 2022, up 5.3 points (3.9 percent) from January and as much as 24.1 points (20.7 percent) above its level a year ago. This represents a new all-time high, exceeding the previous top of February 2011 by 3.1 points. The February rise was led by large increases in vegetable oil and dairy price sub-indices. Cereals and meat prices were also up, while the sugar price sub-index fell for the third consecutive month.

        https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/

        https://twitter.com/A_Riley17/status/1499390386992652303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499390386992652303%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FA_Riley172Fstatus2F1499390386992652303widget%3DTweet

        • pat 11.1.2.1
          7 March 2022 at 5:53 pm

          "Unless housing prices and stock prices crash inflation is not going away"

          ….or 'when' housing and stock prices crash inflation will end.

          Not long now I suspect.

  12. Siobhan 12
    7 March 2022 at 11:04 am

    "Foetal alcohol injuries in NZ 'could be five times higher' than some official figures suggest"

    Highly likely we live in a country with approximately 250,000 poor souls with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome…most of whom will be undiagnosed and unsupported, with a life long disability/"injury?" that they have no ability to deal with.

    And…with a Government that is clearly determined not to have the facts laid bare.

    A tragedy for not just these people, but for every person who has crossed paths with someone so afflicted, with no understanding of what the problem actually is let alone how they can help…or why the help they offer seems futile..

    and of course, and as usual, the irony of our Market worshiping Budget restrained Government actually ignoring the real cost of this feigned "ignorance"…

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300532318/foetal-alcohol-injuries-in-nz-could-be-five-times-higher-than-some-official-figures-suggest

    • Molly 12.1
      7 March 2022 at 11:53 am

      Been close friends with a family where one member had this diagnosis.

      Devastating, and lacking understanding and support in services meant to assist.

  13. McFlock 13
    7 March 2022 at 11:18 am

    Shane Reti making a pig's breakfast of using charts.

    In an effort to make self-harm admissions look inflated over covid (and how inflated might they be if we'd had hundreds or thousands of covid dead in another question), Reti tweeted a chart that was multiple kinds of misleading. The thread is interesting.

    Firstly, the chart was tweeted, then edited because whoever did the fabrication couldn't even get that right. As for the intended fabrication, it seems that the straight lines in the chart are simply drawn between two largely arbitrary datapoints in a sequence that has wide variability from month to month.

    And this dude is a doctor,I assume his twitter is in the hands of junior staffers: a medical doctor should be able to create better propaganda than that.

    Yes, self harm is a serious issue that has been affected in a number of ways by lockdowns, mandates, a fucking global pandemic that has killed millions, and all sorts of other issues well beyond the control of the NZ govt. Yes, the govt should resource mental health and the entire health system to a much higher level.

    There are ways to address this without resorting to cut-price tactics, if one wants to be an effective politician who improves the lives of citizens. This chicanery is more the purview of someone without any practical ideas.

    • Tricledrown 13.2
      7 March 2022 at 1:39 pm

      We were one of the few countries that had a lower than normal mortality rate.

      Reti has caught National former health spokesperson disease imaginary people sneeking in an out of hospital.

      Look where that got him into the outhouse. Or as simple Simon would he fn useless.

    • McFlock 13.3
      7 March 2022 at 3:08 pm

      Oh wow – apparently the tweets were done to promote an opinion piece Reti wrote for the Herald/Northern Advocate, which has been pulled.

      Reti reckons it's fine, as "He defended the article, nothing [sic: "noting"?McF] that he had said “further data analysis” was needed in the text of the piece."

      Further data analysis, like actually competent and honest analysis.

  14. Peter 14
    7 March 2022 at 11:30 am

    When I was a kid I loved comics. In light of the circumstances a relatively recent comic bears looking at again. Ukraine.

    "We hired 2 comic creators from the world of DC and Marvel to tell the full story of why Trump was impeached, and what he got away with."

    https://www.insider.com/trump-impeachment-graphic-feature-comic-2020-2

  15. weka 15
    7 March 2022 at 11:45 am

    Seeing increasing advice to take it easy with covid infect re exercise and exertion, including for some weeks after symptoms have gone. Even with mild covid. Prevent lint complications and long covid

    https://twitter.com/drannanz/status/1500557818621206528?s=21

    • Poission 15.1
      7 March 2022 at 11:59 am

      They do not link or say why,but the big news is overlooked.

      https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1499953051251232769

      We show that, beyond the first 30 d after infection, individuals with COVID-19 are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease spanning several categories, including cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure and thromboembolic disease. These risks and burdens were evident even among individuals who were not hospitalized during the acute phase of the infection and increased in a graded fashion according to the care setting during the acute phase (non-hospitalized, hospitalized and admitted to intensive care). Our results provide evidence that the risk and 1-year burden of cardiovascular disease in survivors of acute COVID-19 are substantial

      Paper here.

      https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01689-3

    • Barfly 15.2
      7 March 2022 at 12:40 pm

      "could lead to worse disease" – well they are the professionals frankly I think over exertion with covid can lead to death quite easily.

  16. Adrian 16
    7 March 2022 at 11:49 am

    Reti was in Nat government when it slashed youth mental help funding and closed drug and alcohol treatment schemes. In Marlborough in the Key years 25 different health initiatives had funding cuts. Maybe Shane was in charge of stats and planning then.

  17. DB Brown 17
    7 March 2022 at 1:43 pm

    A poster here recently (I'd attribute if I remembered name) said this war might actually help get clean energy over the line. Here's Jen Psaki (White House Press Secretary):

    'Psaki outlined a range of efforts from the Biden administration to increase production of natural gas and oil, but conceded that "domestic production has not insulated us from the price volatility of fossil fuels or the whims of those who control them, such as President Putin. Americans know that."

    "The only way to protect US over the long term is to become energy independent," she said, reiterating an administration priority. "That is why the President is so focused on deploying clean energy technologies that don't require fossil fuels bought and sold on the global market, which will always be vulnerable to bad actors." '

    Good call.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/06/politics/us-officials-action-ukraine/index.html

  18. ianmac 18
    7 March 2022 at 1:58 pm

    Impressed by a line by Brian Turner in one of his essays.

    Then in his essay he turns and angles his vision on the ‘conspicuously wealthy.’ How many of those, he wonders, “know in their hearts that much of what they have acquired is not earned, has come at others’ expense.”

    Sad that Brian is fading away with Alzheimers. Jillian Sullivan is Brian's partner.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/portrait-brian-turner?utm_source=Friends+of+the+Newsroom&utm_campaign=d2bf48f08b-Daily+Briefing+07.03.2022&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-d2bf48f08b-95522477

    • Ad 18.1
      7 March 2022 at 2:55 pm

      +100 outstanding article.

      If anyone gets to read his poetry/geography/photography/autobiography books you will get no more loving sense of that part of central Otago than anyone has ever done in the form of Brian Turner.

    • mac1 18.2
      7 March 2022 at 3:33 pm

      Totally agree with Ad. +100 outstanding article.

      Beautiful writing, style and substance, insight and understanding. Prose and poetry together.

  20. Jenny how to get there 20
    7 March 2022 at 2:25 pm

    I hope she gets well soon. And doesn't infect too many other people.

    • Hongi Ika 20.1
      7 March 2022 at 2:34 pm

      Sounds like she has got the Covid similar to me locked up in my bedroom for 10 days now, very similar symptoms. Dry cough, tight chest, headaches etc and I wasn't even in Wellington.

      • Jenny how to get there 20.1.1
        7 March 2022 at 2:47 pm

        I can't help wondering howLiz Gunn is getting on?

        Is she getting better, is she getting worse?

        Is she isolating or spreading it around?

        Has she sought medical attention?

        Has she tried Ivermectin?

        • Hongi Ika 20.1.1.1
          7 March 2022 at 3:10 pm

          Definitely Covid IMO has she had a RAT Test or a proper Nasal Swab ?

        • Shanreagh 20.1.1.2
          7 March 2022 at 3:11 pm

          Well if she is one of those who thinks she was infected with magnetic rays or radiation, unvaccinated and not seeking treatment then she may be in for a rough ride. There are still those who were at the protest who think Covid is a hoax, that the vaccines actually are infecting people with Covid and various other conspiracy theories.

          There are several US based websites pulling stories together from around the world about these deniers either of the existence of Covid or of the benefits of vaccination and their journeys in the hospitals.

          Breathing is often (usually) affected and the need to breathe is such an automatic and primeval human urge that when covid deniers or the unvaccinated face this inability they often do make tracks to get medical help very quickly.

          • Peter 20.1.1.2.1
            7 March 2022 at 4:35 pm

            Reported comment from an American nurse:

            “None of the vaccine sceptics seem to be treatment sceptics.

            Every single one of my unvaccinated Covid patients blindly accepts being pumped full of various drugs when their own life is tangibly on the line.”

    • Nic the NZer 20.2
      7 March 2022 at 7:21 pm

      When was this? Apparently she was lunching out during the weekend.

  21. Hongi Ika 21
    7 March 2022 at 2:45 pm

    Red appears to lack Logic at times.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  22. Peter 22
    7 March 2022 at 3:08 pm

    The Liz Gunn video.

    Wondering if she's got something from what was sprayed on the crowd.

    Presumably about Ardern:
    "Was it ever real? Did she actually get in legitimately into power? We will have to look at that one day, when we, when the people have taken back the country."

    “… one of the worst human beings New Zealand has ever given birth to…”

    I remember Amy Winehouse. When she died after the dramas of her life so many said things like, "We could see it happening before our eyes. Why didn't we do something about it."

    If you are a friend of Liz Gunn your chance is there.

    • Hongi Ika 22.1
      7 March 2022 at 3:13 pm

      Is Liz saying there was political interference in the last Election, did Poots interfere in the NZ Election as well ? Interesting allegations hopefully someone can enlighten us on the Standard.

      • Peter 22.1.1
        7 March 2022 at 3:43 pm

        Interesting allegations? No. They're in the strategies in Chapter One of "Starting Conspiracy Theories to Sink Someone."

        Part of the chapter is about how to appeal to simpletons to gently get them to spread rumours.

        I hope you feel enlightened.

    • Shanreagh 22.2
      7 March 2022 at 3:19 pm

      If you are a friend of Liz Gunn your chance is there.

      I am sure many friends and family not infected by her conspiracy theories and concerned since October last year about her collapsing mental state, will have tried their very best to get her help. This inability to stop a train wreck occurring in front of one is a very sad part of addictive thinking and being trapped in a cult.

      Hopefully if she does get much worse a real person concerned about her health will intervene.

      Her fiends interviewing her from Counterspin not so much.

  23. DB Brown 23
    7 March 2022 at 3:17 pm

    Nice work. Anonymous has hacked at least two streaming sites and several government television stations to broadcast the Ukranian war to Russian people. Putin's war of disinformation is being lost.

  24. Ad 24
    7 March 2022 at 3:17 pm

    Good to see Justice Francis Cooke hearing this case about vaccine mandates affecting teachers and medical specialists.

    Zero tolerance for unvaccinated doctors and teachers necessary to prevent transmission, Crown tells judge | Stuff.co.nz

    This is the same judge that made the rulings on the NZPolice and NZDF mandates and found them wanting.

    I suspect he's going to have to weigh severity and spread of Omicron, as well as access to essential medical services.

    Hopefully with the same judge we get more and more precedent that is very consistent in its framing and language.

  25. Patricia Bremner 25
    7 March 2022 at 3:45 pm

    Please if you get Omicron, no matter how lightly, REST please or you will have real problems. The Covid Ward Dr on the Gold Coast told Grant " 10 min activity 2hrs rest" '
    Omicron is deceptively mild.

    • Jenny how to get there 25.1
      7 March 2022 at 4:40 pm

      heart

    • Barfly 25.2
      7 March 2022 at 5:59 pm

      Absolutely – one of the big problems with Covid affecting the lungs is the blood oxygen saturation rate

      "A healthy oxygen saturation level ranges between 95% and 100%"

      I have read of Covid patients with levels as low as 60%. Oxygen deficit from exertion with Covid is easy to do and likely to kill you.

    • Herodotus 25.3
      7 March 2022 at 6:15 pm

      Pity our government doesn’t see it that way. As someone who is now in their 4th week another member in their 3rd and still also struggling. Went to doctors with infections and major fatigue and struggling for breath was told as I had past my 10th day and been passed as clear, the cost was unable to be subsided by the govt and had to pay $100 for the visit. Fortunately I can cope financially but had to ring 5 surgeries including my own and was told on 4 instances that they would only do on line, no contact. How do you then diagnose infections then. Feel for the health workers but the system is not appropriate for purpose.

      • Barfly 25.3.1
        7 March 2022 at 7:21 pm

        If you are struggling for breath I recommend looking at buying an oximeter

        https://www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/search?searchtext=oximeter

        They stock 2 brands look around for reviews and other suppliers to choose between

        If your oxygen saturation is below 92% you very likely have a problem

        • Herodotus 25.3.1.1
          7 March 2022 at 7:45 pm

          Already have 1 and recoding the trends heart and o2.

          and to you muttonbird why just isolate the right I have heard our dir of health, ministers and PM make the same comments, so open your eyes and ears you maybe surprised at what you see/hear., or are you so simple that you have been captured by the pr spin ??

          • Muttonbird 25.3.1.1.1
            7 March 2022 at 7:53 pm

            Director of Health and PM are jointly responsible for for continued health measures, mandates, and border controls in order to slow the spread of this variant.

            All these policies have been criticised by anti-vax protestors and the right wing alike. Some might say these are the same people.

            The spin is yours in trying to claim Bloomfield and Ardern aren't taking this seriously.

      • Muttonbird 25.3.2
        7 March 2022 at 7:34 pm

        This can't be true because we are told by pandemic sceptics and other forms of right wing people that Omicron is mild.

  26. McFlock 26
    7 March 2022 at 6:03 pm

    Luxon tests positive for covid.

    Shoulda learned to wear his damned mask properly.