….and this promotion of fear can “activate” certain groups in society into becoming proponents of authoritarianism.
“…According to Stenner’s theory, there is a certain subset of people who hold latent authoritarian tendencies. These tendencies can be triggered or “activated” by the perception of physical threats or by destabilizing social change, leading those individuals to desire policies and leaders that we might more colloquially call authoritarian.
It is as if, the NYU professor Jonathan Haidt has written, a button is pushed that says, “In case of moral threat, lock down the borders, kick out those who are different, and punish those who are morally deviant.”….
Grim reading for leftists however all is not lost apparently. The revolution can be saved with a managed float and perhaps the country has more stashed away than originally thought.
Perhaps we should worry about Venezuela after our failed finance minister and failing prime minister show that they can break even without borrowing $20 billion a year.
Do you get paid Gosman? Or simply a volunteer, but you ought to get an honorarium, or a nice bottle of whisky from the group leader each Christmas. Perhaps we should protest about the principle of you deserving compensation if not receiving some reward. Just let us know who you work for and we will decide what approach would be most suitable. We of course are trying to hold onto principles, but you wouldn’t be conversant with such matters.
You definitely do a good job of adding to the smoke and confabulation around the running of our nation. If it was cigarette smoke, it would be bad but yours is more noxious coming from lower regions.
Keyistas in the “National” party are attempting to use a symbol associated with rugby on a new national flag despite mounting medical evidence of life-changing injury.
I do apologise for bordering on spam with my repetitive woeful cries about the fact that Justin Lester, Deputy Mayor of Wellington and Mayoral candidate has a conflict of interest as he sits on the executive of the Wellington branch of the NZ Property Council (and other issues, background and history).
But now it’s becoming clear why this hasn’t been declared as a conflict of interest – the council don’t see it as one, not when they are considering creating a council body who purpose is to be a property market player:
“This year’s draft Annual Plan includes a new climate change strategy, with a focus on reducing car ownership, as well as plans for a new council-controlled organisation that can play the property market.”
WTF?
and more WTF?
“The formation of an Urban Development Agency has also been proposed. The new council-controlled organisation would be able to purchase land, enter into agreements with developers, and prepare ‘master plans’ for urban growth and big projects that boost economic development.”
The seedy links the council already with developers, (and they already have agreements with developers) instead of being destroyed for the public good will now be formalised and entrenched.
So ratepayers who can barely afford to cover their rates as it is because they are on inadequate wages or fixed wages, can’t afford to buy their first house, or struggling with their own mortgage will now get to fund the council and it’s property development fantasies. Our $$$ will be used to invest in an unstable volatile “product” that is exposed to the ever changing winds of the market.
So we are well and truly stuffed here in Wellington. This year we have a choice between the faux left that run council now and National Party aligned Nicola Young, so either way we will end up with the same.
I didn’t say anything about climate adaptation projects being more expensive that doing nothing. I have no idea how you got to that conclusion.
I’m talking about the duplicity that exists between developers and the council, how that unhealthy relationship may possibly be formalised and how the ratepayer will provide the funds for the council’s property development fantasies – we can’t afford to prop this plaything up.
If you’d read my previous comments about WCC and it’s amazing lack of interest in developing ANY climate change strategy (we are faux green as well as faux left) you would assume I would welcome some sort gesture towards mitigating climate change.
The idea to get more cars off the road is a good start but it is merely a token gesture. Reasons being:
a) Wellingtonians are the highest users of public transport in the country already. This can be built upon by reducing fares on public transport and providing free public transport in the weekend, as has been proposed by actual Green councillor, Iona Pannett, but rejected.
b)I have spoken at length with councillors, and council officers about the lack of climate strategy for the mass development projects they are so fond of. As I’ve said many times on TS, there has been no environmental protections in place on these development areas, let alone measures put in place to reduce the impact development ultimately has on climate.
Huge tracts of land have been turned into housing. This means more tarmac, less vegetation, more people sucking up resources like air conditioning as there is no shade provided by tree’s – these areas are hotter than traditional suburbs with established trees. There is no expectation for developers to plant tree’s to offset increased carbon levels. Very little public transport has been put in to these new areas, so people drive cars to work instead of catching the bus. There is no commercial zoning in these developments, so people have to drive several KM’s to get to the nearest shops and service centres.
These poorly designed developments have a detrimental effect on the environment.
Our council are a bunch of hypocrites when they pay lip service to climate change.
You’re focusing on the costs to ratepayers as well as potential conflicts of interest; your link describes climate projects as being (at least partially) behind the cost increases.
You’re making sense. People aren’t listening to each other very well at the moment. Don’t know why. OAB does lots of small, fast comments which suggest to me he is at work and can’t devote a lot of time to looking at things indepth, or taking time to check things out (that’s also a social skill that to many here lack). But his comments to you today look weird even allowing for that.
I mean that from what you’re saying, they’re using climate issues as a smokescreen: the article makes much of the increased spending that will have to occur as a result, when the real purpose is simply to channel public funds to developers.
OK OAB. I was using the article as reference only, not analysing it’s reporting of WCC’s options.
What I am doing is trying to highlight the sheer hypocrisy of the WCC around their potential implementation of climate change strategy when they’ve had their heads in the sand for years and years and refuse to acknowledge the unnecessary damage development does.
And, yes, agreed, the real purpose is to channel funds to developers.
Without looking very closely at it (only reading your comment not the link), I’d say that in theory council’s investing in property to have more control over subdivision development and thus housing is potentially a useful thing (because it’s been left to private developpers for too long). But in practice, in this neoliberal environment, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. That they use the word ‘play’ the market in a document suggests just how far up their own arses they already are that they don’t see anything wrong with that.
I don’t know what you can do other other than what you already do. Write submissions, make oral submissions, organise. Have you talked to the GP? Are they putting up candidates this year on the GP ticket?
There’s been a lot of jiggery pokery done to local bodies in recent years, I haven’t kept up with it, but it concerns me that we don’t look at how National have been fucking with that as much as with health, education, welfare etc. It’s been low hanging fruit for them and we’ve ignored it to our detriment.
Yes, on the surface weka, it could look like council investment in private residential development could be socially beneficial, after all this council has been very good at refurbishing social housing stock to a comfortable and safe standard and building good quality new social housing.
But you’re right, the neoliberal approach is the one they are taking. This has been confirmed to me through my ongoing conversations with certain councillors.
As for getting things done, I have tried to organise at a local level on our development and others but have been met with silence. (The northern ward roughly sits within the same footprint as the Ohariu electorate, very conservative).
Ironically the only councillor supporting me is a right winger, who is more aghast at the behaviour of the council than anything. he legit though, completely on the level. The Green Party councillor won’t respond to my emails. I’ve had meetings with council managers, at the council and meetings with a councillor at my house.
I’ve really run out of options as just one person.
As for the National Government, you’re right there too, they have had a profound influence in Wellington in regard to the SHA Accord and roading.
Can’t speak for other regions. Thats why it’s always good to hear from other commenters about what’s happening in their turf, both at a local and government level. Often the regional political news doesn’t make it to the MSM, so it’s good to stay connected in other ways.
Rosie – while it is true that the WCC has done a good job of refurbishing some of its social housing stock, the reason may have been lost in some of the mists of recent history. The investor sharks were circling until the government put the kaibosh on the intended privatisation of some of the council housing stock. The deal ended up with a healthy dollop of taxpayer funding and a ‘no-sale’ edict.
Otherwise, and more pertinent to your comments, the Council (elected and administrative) have a lengthy grab-bag of strategies to aid and abet a coterie of favoured developers who can already do much as they please with the wink and nod of planning and compliance staff which constantly frustrates local communities throughout the city. In most cases, the developers eventually get largely what they want, unless cases are taken to the Environment Court. The quandry then is, how many small groups of ratepayers can affort to front against the high paid lawyers engaged by Council and developers who act as a ‘tag team’, along with their so called ‘expert’ witnesses who, on occasions, prove to be little more than paid obfuscators. The other interesting feature of the Wellington Council is that it engages its former employees as ‘Independent’ Commissioners and has an open door policy when private sector ex-colleagues are engaged by developers. Recently it seems, they also had ex-employees contracted to cover full-time staff who were engaged in the MDH propaganda campaign. It all seems pretty incestuous and getting closer to something more sinister. The latest utterances regarding the proposed new CCO is taking the situation into the ball-park of the questionable deals like those of WWL and subsequently City Shaper which is under the same developer friendly leadership.
Petertoo. I hadn’t been aware of the intention to sell off some of the housing, or only vaguely aware perhaps….was that mid to late 2000’s? During Clark’s Government and during Prendergast’s time? I had only just recently arrived back in Wellington. Or was it more recent?
“The other interesting feature of the Wellington Council is that it engages its former employees as ‘Independent’ Commissioners and has an open door policy when private sector ex-colleagues are engaged by developers.”
You mentioned this recently. It’s fascinating, as is your statement about ex employees being engaged in the MDH campaign.
You really do seem to have some very detailed knowledge of the motivations and processes of some councillors and council officials. I really would like to know the full story – after having spent 18 months dealing with these people, both developer and council and having my eyes opened to some disturbing behavioural patterns and alliances. But I only have part of the picture. I want to see the whole picture. It will also help me join a few dots that I haven’t been able to connect.
Would you consider writing a guest post about the matter?
Rosie – a number of people have been around the traps a bit but so far, the Council/developer cabal have been fortunate in that they have only had to deal with small isolated individuals and inadequately financed community groups. That said, the Council and their fellow-traveller developer friends invariably get pegged back, even by amateur litigants, at Court hearings if cases proceed that far. It is unfortunate that no-one has yet been sufficiently motivated to write a guest post, this commentor included but this will doubt change if there is evidence of the metaphorical brown paper bag or two filled with cash. In the meantime, it is suggested you keep an eye on wellington.scoop.co.nz which constantly exposes gems of information for those of a justified cynical disposition.
As an additional comment, it is not fair to be too hard on some of the Councillors. The Council administration, no doubt with some guidance from the spin-meister, Richard McLean, seem to do a good job of ensuring that any criticism is sanitised before it gets to them.
Thanks for the reminder about scoop. They DO have some interesting council snippets that would never make it to the Dom Post.
I do look forward to a time when you may be able to do a guest post – you’ve got a good writing style and you have more of a 360 degree view than me. I’m a relative newbie to the shenanigans at WCC. I was naive enough to trust them earlier on due to the political colours of a good number of the councillors.
Now, it’s anything but that. As a Labour member I can’t bring myself to attend the electorate AGM next week as Justin Lester will be speaking. He has been an active enabler, contributing to my problems with the developer in my neighbourhood and standing by as I was abused by these powerful men.
He damn well better not give any speeches about the rights and equality of women, ever.
These Auckland problems are just on my periphery at the mo and having scanned through your post on TS and the public address it would take some digesting.
Just quickly are the outsourced planners local but being paid more in fee’s than council employees would be, or are they so outsourced that they’re from another country? – (Outsourcing design tasks to other countries happens in the engineering sector, so it wasn’t a funny ha ha question).
It’s a very National Government way of working – outsource work to “consultants” and pay more while reducing job security for those who have the knowledge of the systems.
I have just voted in the flag referendum and could not help reflecting that the system is broken due to the
closure of local post offices. I have to trek to mine a few suburbs away.
Indeed. A friend of mine who works for the PWUA said something like 1300 “street receivers”, those street side boxes used to post mail, have been removed in recent years. Posties receive a lot of complaints from the public about inconvenient this is.
Can someone wise in the ways of the web and the intellectual ownership industry advise me why the link to some NZ Vimeo content that I had put in one of my comments just disappears after a short time? Are people not allowed to show examples of performances, work on line if done by Vimeo? Youtube can be invoked with little trouble, and is a great way to bring content to new viewers or refresh memories of past content.
I should mention that it was a song written for an advertisement for AMP. I don’t think it is still being used by them though I wouldn’t know as I gave up TV on changeover from digital.
“Plan A was based on a future promise that told us to stay the course. Things will come right once our trade negotiators have prevailed. This is now not going to happen. We will have some small successes in opening up new markets, but the big step change promised since the Uruguay Round now won’t happen. We need a Plan B that can actually address the problems, shocks, surprises that are starting to overwhelm us here and now.
Actually, we need multiple Plan B’s. One of the most hypnotic and seductive aspects of the liberalization plan was that it presented governments and policymakers with a ‘one size fits all’ answer to any policy problem. It would be a dire mistake to respond to the monolithic quality of Plan A by suggesting that there is a fully formed one size fits all Plan B just waiting to be implemented. Achieve resilient transitions to a more sustainable future will require many solutions of varying size fitted to problems of varying scale. We will need to draw on the reservoir of marginalized and neglected alternatives that sit outside Plan A. We will need to know as much as we can about small-scale food provisioning, medium-scale networks of food production and consumption, and the relationship between food systems and energy systems. We will need to pay attention to how specific communities and localities are trying to create their own Plan B’s in fitting these things together into credible transition pathways. In order to do so, we must first recognize that Plan A no longer provides a full or sufficient answer to the challenges of agriculture and food in the 21st century. “
Power outages.
The NZH reports this morning that there was an outage in the Auckland CBD ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11601121)
Most consumers were only out for a short period but 88 for about 5 hours.
BTW Outage is not in my dictionary but I think it is a very neat and clever word
Not reported by the NZH is another outage in Milford on Saturday 5.3.16, which lasted from about 2pm to 8.30pm.
It was reported by Stuff who said that the cause was that a seagull
had broken the line which must have been weakened by wind and age? One person was hospitalised for electric shock.
Is it then appropriate that the lines company is called Vector?
The 2nd meaning of Vector in my dictionary is ” The carrier of a disease or infection”.
Private providers of electricity services in the USA have vectored in mass outages that are called brown-outs, not quite black-outs.
Brownout (electricity) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownout_(electricity)
A brownout is an intentional or unintentional drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Intentional brownouts are used for load reduction in an emergency. The reduction lasts for minutes or hours, as opposed to short-term voltage sag (or dip).
This will no doubt be adopted here, as being more efficient than aiming for 100% provision at any time whatever the load, which involves over and under capacity, and that would probably lead to lower profits.
in the film enron; the smartest guys in the room, brownouts (unscheduled maintenance on a generator or two) were a deliberate ploy used in california to up the spot price of power therefore making massive returns to enron.
The “employment issue” in a National Party electorate office is understood to involve a claim a secret recording was made by Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.
Long-serving staff member Glenys Dickson left Mr Barclay’s Gore office last month after 18 years in the job.
The circumstances of her departure have been kept under wraps.
The Otago Daily Times asked the National Party if it was investigating a claim about a secret recording, but party secretary Greg Hamilton said in a statement it was not the role of the party to investigate or comment on staffing matters.
Mr Barclay said he could not comment because it involved staff.
Last week, Gore branch secretary Maeva Smith said an “employment issue” was behind Mrs Dickson’s departure.
At the weekend, electorate chairman Stuart Davie resigned, calling his position untenable, but he declined to comment further.
It is understood some southern party members feel the matter warrants further investigation.
A central issue is whether the recording was made, or whether its existence was an unfounded claim.
A party member, who declined to be named, said that the issue was sensitive for the party because of the prominence of surveillance and spying issues during its time in office.
The Parliamentary Service, which employs electorate secretaries, declined to comment.
Mrs Dickson had worked for Deputy Prime Minister Bill English when he was Clutha-Southland MP.
Yesterday, Mr English declined to comment, but earlier this week told reporters in Wellington the resignations reflected a transition phase in which an MP builds their own team, and he was not concerned about the situation.
Queenstown electorate secretary Barbara Swan has also resigned, and is working out a notice period.
Earlier this week, Mr Barclay apologised for releasing Ms Swan’s resignation letter to a media outlet.
Mr Barclay (25), who grew up in Dipton and Gore, was elected to Parliament in 2014 after Mr English opted to become a list MP.
His youth and previous employment at Phillip Morris New Zealand prompted comment when he was selected for the blue-ribbon seat.
The “employment issue” in a National Party electorate office is understood to involve a claim a secret recording was made by Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.
If the kid was found to have made a recording the woman that resigned could take a personal grievance against him for recording their conversations without her knowledge.
Yeah, there was a chat about this on Open Mike last Friday.
Nats need to respond to the membership who want an investigation and grant it………. If they have any sense of responsibility to the membership they would.
And how neurotic/paranoid/nutty is that kid if he IS recording conversations.
My understanding is the challenge could come from the Queenstown guy who pulled out at the last minute in the last pre selection process. From recollection his name was Simon Flood and he was…drumroll please…. a currency trader…. that had parachuted in from Singapore to contest the seat.
Interesting dynamic in this seat because it is a mix of ultra rural heartland Southland and cosmopolitan Queenstown. The Queenstown faction have always wanted a Queenstown advocate which is fair enough given the distinct issues they face so maybe they now sense their opportunity. Of course that will not be popular with the rural base who have plenty of issues of their own to deal with at present.
Fair point Weka. I suspect though if Barclay has been so woeful or infact has acted illegally as an employer and Queenstown can get a credible candidate up, then it could all be on. Although Barclay is based in Gore and is originally from Dipton his rural credentials as a tabacco lobbyist are hardly overwhelming. Does this disarray signal the chance of another Northland upset?
One would hope that Labour, the Greens and NZF would try talking to each other. Probably shouldn’t hold our breaths though.
I’m not sure what the rest of Southland would think about a Queenstown candidate. I guess it would depend on who it was. I can see how Baccy could easily lose the nomination next time round, he’s a really bad fit for that electorate. And now the National Party nationally appear to be saying that Clutha Southland should suck it up and get used to things being run by the suits. It will indeed be interesting to follow.
Labour had what seemed to be a credible candidate last time. I think she was a health professional or the like but she was heavily defeated. I think someone with a strong rural background would poll well here.
Skulduggery by Parata?
At Rangiora High School they administer a Trust which owns about $16million worth of land. This Trust has operated for about 100 years and the Trust is usuallyv mostly by the BOT and Principal. The school was running well until the Ministry spotted the $16million. The Trust refused to give it to the Ministry to fund repairs and build a new hall.
After a Commissioner was put in to get at the millions, Ministry fired the BOT and suspended the Principal Peggy Burrows hinting at Financial malpractice. No such malpractice exists as an audit has cleared them all but now Peggy has been fired by the Commissioner anyway. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11601495
Another principal sacked in Invercargill won her Employment Court case and was awarded $158,000. That principal compared Hekia Parata to Hitler which was a bit unfair on Adolf.
I’m not sure if the Minister and her motley Ministry crew will be compared to Hitler in this case. I don’t know how corrupt, vindictive and plain nasty Hitler was.
The old School Inspectorate, independent educational experts working directly to the Department of Education, would have nipped any problems in the bud a long time ago and before it got to this crisis point whereby a very good, highly qualified woman School Principal is sacked.
The Labour Party under Rogernomics and David Lange made a huge mistake by bringing in ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’
Hekia Parata does not have the experience or educational qualifications or ethics to be judge in this matter … she is captured by John Key’s and ACT’s privatising agenda for Charter Schools…a USA model whereby privatised schools are run by corporations …(replacing State run schools which employed highly qualified educational professionals) …and a model which has failed
“I don’t know how corrupt, vindictive and plain nasty Hitler was.”
Unutterably vile, petty, vindictive and mean-spirited. Much worse than Trump – he was even worse than Cruz (who is much more evil than Trump. Cruz is the one who’s promising to legislate Government discrimination against minorities if he gets elected).
Fairly bad in fact – I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Intrepid-Incredible-Narrative/dp/159921170X – outlines a lot about Hitler et al from an external perspective. Jung has a nice anecdote in Psychology and the Unconcious too. The Gnats are probably more like the Italian Fascists – crookeder but less about racial destiny.
Best Joke of the year, when he was asked what he gave to Rupert Murdoch, as a wedding present, Guest, Barry Humphries replied, a set of Jumper Leads. Hilarious,
Regarding Trump’s hideous behaviour of making the crowd vote for him, there is a really apt word for this ‘trumpery’. It is actually an old word which means foolish words or actions and has a secondary meaning of worthless and useless. All of which I gleaned from Bryan Gould’s brilliant post below.
Donald Trump appears to take aspects of his German background seriously. John Walter works for the Trump Organization, and when he visits Donald in his office, Ivana told a friend, he clicks his heels and says, “Heil Hitler,” possibly as a family joke.
Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed. Kennedy now guards a copy of My New Order in a closet at his office, as if it were a grenade. Hitler’s speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist.
“Did your cousin John give you the Hitler speeches?” I asked Trump.
Trump hesitated. “Who told you that?”
“I don’t remember,” I said.
“Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and he’s a Jew.” (“I did give him a book about Hitler,” Marty Davis said. “But it was My New Order, Hitler’s speeches, not Mein Kampf. I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but I’m not Jewish.”)
Later, Trump returned to this subject. “If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.”
“Bernie Sanders has attacked Hillary Clinton over her record with corporate America and “disastrous trade agreements” destructive to the US economy, as well as multibillion bailouts that robbed the state of jobs – all at the expense of the US middle class….
‘Assange: Vote for Hillary Clinton is ‘vote for endless, stupid war’ which spreads terrorism’
Yes, let’s just ignore Sanders’ shilling for the NRA, Lockheed Martin and the war machine and his commitment to an ongoing drone programme.
Fuck it, while we’re at it let’s just forget about Sanders’ part in the export of nuclear waste to some place far far away where brown people live, too.
/
The Government is being accused of going easy on Chinese authorities when making trade deals for the infant formula industry.
Dozens of Kiwi brands made by small businesses going down the drain.
There were 200 brands – and now there are just 20.
Michael Barnett of the Infant Formula Exporters Association said “MPI have allowed them to control that process, so we’ve ended up with a small group of privileged exporters.”
He says many of those exporters are Chinese-owned companies based in New Zealand.
Despite the growing attacks on Donald Trump from within the Republican establishment, all three of his challengers vowed to support Trump if he wins the nomination.
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In times of hysteria about the “World coming to an end” and “rising sea levels” so-called ‘Journalists’ who can barely spell words longer than four letters are having a ball! Though the majority of the Public have worked out that manmade climate change is nothing short of pseudo-science, and the ...
I don't want to give pblicity to certain parts of the internet that are better left to fester in their own irrelevance (I know, a bit like this place) but the listing of Chris Trotter as a 'author' on Cameron Slater's spinoff website, the BFD requires some explanation.Now, I don't ...
The text below is a Twitter thread by Heather Heying that explains the essence of sexual reproduction and it long evolutionary history. She is an evolutionary biologist and a “professor-in-exile” after she and her husband, Bret Weinstein, stood up to supporters of an enforced “Day of Absence” for white staff and teachers ...
With crunch time for new Zealand climate policy approaching, most of the New Zealand media have got on board with a global reporting effort to cover the issue. There's one strand of stories today about polling and what it shows about changing public attitudes to the crisis, but the strand ...
Dangerous Foes: For those readers of Bowalley Road who feel disposed to dismiss any prospect of an Israeli destabilisation of New Zealand politics, the example of the United Kingdom repays close attention. Ever since the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party, the Israelis have sanctioned, funded and ...
Make It 16, the youth-led campaign to lower New Zealand's voting age, is holding an official campaign launch at Parliament this Friday from 16:30. If you'd like to attend, you can register using EventBrite here. ...
by Don Franks It was a lovely sunny Wellington afternoon with blue skies above the beaches. In Courtenay Place, political activists packed out a stuffy upstairs room for an important meeting. The assembled pacifists, anarchists, communists and independent young radicals of Peace Action Wellington felt the need for a mission ...
Current and former NZDF top brass are being publicly grilled this week by the hit and run inquiry over their public responses to allegations of civilian casualties. Previously, they've claimed there were no casualties, a position which led them to lie to Ministers and to the public. Now, they're saying ...
by Rafael D. Quiles (gender-critical gay man from Puerto Rico) The writing on the wall is right in people’s faces and people just don’t see it or don’t want to. What could actually possess a heterosexual male to want to feminize himself and claim that he is a lesbian? Because ...
From the Wall Street Journal:Inside a room of the ornately decorated Hotel du Palais during last month’s Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France, President Trump awaited a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. Mr. Trump looked over a gathering of American and Egyptian officials and called out in ...
by the Redline blog collective At Redline we are very saddened to hear of the death of Magdalen Burns who passed away on the morning of Friday, September 13 (British time). Magdalen was a great fighter for the rights of women in general and lesbian women in particular, a defender ...
The Brexit issue has certainly brought with it a series of apparently difficult constitutional issues, many of them concerning the respective roles of the executive and parliament. Most of them arise because of the unwillingness of MPs, despite their professions to the contrary, to be bound by a constitutional rarity ...
. . This blogpost is different to my usual format of reporting on issues… Since July 1011, I have blogged on a variety of political issues; near always political and/or environmental; mostly highly critical of the previous National Government. Other issues included Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and repression of ...
Those close to the Police Minister believe the initiative may be the result of Nash “seeing a great deal” on AliExpress. In a move that comes seemingly out of nowhere, Police Minister Stuart Nash announced this afternoon that he expects all frontline staff to don bearskin hats, famously worn by ...
The government has released its Arms Legislation Bill, containing the second tranche of changes to gun laws following the March 15 massacre. And it all looks quite sensible: a national gun register, higher penalties for illegal possession and dealing, tighter restrictions on arms dealers and shooting clubs, and a shorter ...
Private prisons are a stain on humanity. Prison operators explicitly profit from human misery, then lobby for longer prisons terms so they can keep on profiting. And in the US, prison companies run not only local and state prisons, but also Donald Trump's immigration concentration camps. Faced with this moral ...
When National was in power, they were very keen on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) - basicly, using private companies to finance public infrastructure as a way of hiding debt from the public. They were keen on using them for everything - roads, schools, hospitals. But as the UK shows, that "service" ...
Moving And Shaking: There was a time when people spoke matter-of-factly about the “labour movement” – a political phenomenon understood to embrace much more than the Labour Party. Included within the term’s definition was the whole trade union movement – many of whose members looked upon the Labour Party as ...
by Philip Ferguson Much of the left, even people who formally identify as marxists, have collapsed politically in the face of postmodern gender theory of the sort pioneered by American philosopher Judith Butler. For Butler even biological sex is socially constructed. “If the immutable character of sex is contested, perhaps ...
The media is reporting that the (alleged) Labour party sexual assaulter has resigned from their job at Parliament, which means hopefully he won't be turning up there making people feel unsafe in future. Good. But as with everything about this scandal, it just raises other questions. Most significantly: why the ...
By Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern I am every bit as angry as you are. I am every bit as disappointed as you must be. The people with power, oversight and the ability to do something about these processes within the Labour Party should be ashamed. Whoever those people are, I ...
Property developers think there is an "oversupply" of houses in Auckland:High turnover rates and falling prices may be a sign that there are too many new houses going in to some parts of Auckland, commentators say. [...] Property developer David Whitburn said there was a "bit of an oversupply" in ...
Labour Party president Nigel Haworth resigned yesterday over the party's sexual assault scandal. But while that's good news, its unlikely to take away the stench of a coverup. Because according to Paula Bennett in Parliament yesterday, pretty much everyone in the Prime Minister's office was involved as well:I have been ...
Two-Faced? Labour insiders' commitment to the neoliberal status quo puts them at odds with their party’s membership; its trade union affiliates; and a majority of Labour voters, but this only serves to strengthen the perception they have of themselves as a special elite. Among the lesser breeds, they’ll talk up a ...
There has been a lot of talk about Boris Johnson wanting an election, and he has blustered with great gusto about 'chicken' Jeremy Corbyn refusing one, but I think there are many reasons why he is secretly glad he has been refused the opportunity:The Tories are an utter rabble,tearing themselves ...
Scottish appeal court judges have declared that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to the October Brexit deadline is unlawful. The three judges, chaired by Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge, overturned an earlier ruling that the courts did not have the powers to interfere in the prime ...
By Simon Bridges. The following is a press release from the office of Simon Bridges, leader of The National Party. Key ora, New Zealand. Happy Maori Language Week. Look, I’m writing to you today because I want to clear something up. There’s been a lot of kerfuffle around some things ...
I understand there's some stuff going round about how the SIS "was removed from the list of public offices covered by the Public Records Act in 2017". The context of course being their records derived from US torture, which will be disposed of or sealed. The good news is that ...
Dr. Christopher Labos and Jonathan Jarry discuss the recent Canadian fluoride/IQ research. They provide an expert analysis of the paper and its problems. Click on image to go to podcast. The critical debate about the recent ...
Australia is burning down again, and meanwhile its natural disaster minister is denying climate change:Australia’s minister responsible for drought and natural disasters, David Littleproud, has said that he doesn’t “know if climate change is manmade”. Clarifying earlier comments that the question is “irrelevant” when considering the Coalition government’s response to ...
Auckland Philippines Solidarity is excited to host Professor Judy Taguiwalo for a speaking tour of NZ in September. She is a well-known activist in the Philippines and was a political prisoner under the Marcos dictatorship. Professor Taguiwalo briefly served as a Cabinet member under President Duterte but was forced from ...
This open letter to the Green Party was penned after an opinion piece by Jill Abigail, a feminist and founding member of the party, was censored by the Greens’ leadership. (Redline has reprinted her article here).The intolerance of the Green Party leaders and their acceptance of the misogyny of gender ...
Today is a Member's day, and David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill continues its slow crawl through its committee stage. They're spending the whole day on it today, though the first hour is likely to be spent on voting left over from last time. After that they'll move on ...
An ambitious plan to fly to Los Angeles petered out into a brief sight-seeing trip and a desire to return home and get some sleep before work tomorrow. Air New Zealand has confirmed a flight to Los Angeles last night was turned back about a quarter of the way into ...
There appears to be consensus – by omission – that the concept of indigenous futures should be accepted at face value. So I scavenged the internet to see if I could locate an academic descriptor or a framework around how we think about it as a concept, and whether it ...
Here’s another novelty chocolate to shove in your gob, New Zealand Cadbury could be seeking to make itself great again with a rumoured new release: Pineapple Trumps, a spin on its classic chocolate-encased pineapple treat and do-it-yourself tooth remover. The global confectionery manufacturer and bumbling “before” character in an infomercial, ...
During my time in the Pentagon I had the privilege of sitting down with military leaders and defence and security officials from a variety of Latin American nations. Sometimes I was present as a subordinate assistant to a senior US defence department official, sometimes as part of a delegation that ...
Kia ora, Aotearoa. It’s that magical time of year. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. In English, the week that frightens talk radio. As you probably know by now, all your favourite media outlets are participating, some more successfully than others. Stuff has changed its name to Puna for the ...
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. So how's that going? I was curious, so I asked for all advice about the proposal. ...
As the Brexit saga staggers on, the focus is naturally enough on the Prime Minister and his attempts to achieve Brexit “do or die”. But the role played by the Leader of the Opposition is of almost equal interest and complexity. The first problem for Jeremy Corbyn is that he ...
Last week, English Prime Minister Boris Johnson boldly declared that he would rather die be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit. Unfortunately for him, the UK parliament accepted the challenge, and promptly dug one for him. The "rebellion bill" requires him to ask for and secure yet another temporary ...
Lost In Political Space: The most important takeaway from this latest Labour sexual assault scandal, which (if I may paraphrase Nixon’s White House counsel’s, John Dean’s, infamous description of Watergate) is “growing like a cancer” on the premiership, is the Labour Party organisation’s extraordinary professional paralysis in the face of ...
by Daphna Whitmore Every Sunday for the past two months unionists from First Union, with supporters from other unions, have set out to the Ihumatao land protest, put up gazebos and gas barbeques, and cooked food for a few hundred locals and supporters who have come from across the country. ...
Newsroom today has an excellent, in-depth article on pine trees as carbon sinks. The TL;DR is that pine is really good at soaking up carbon, but people prefer far-less efficient native forests instead. Which is understandable, but there's two problems: firstly, we've pissed about so long on this problem that ...
Canan Kaftancioglu is a Turkish politician and member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Like most modern politicians, she tweets, and uses the platform to criticise the Turkish government. She has criticised them over the death of a 14-year-old boy who was hit by a tear gas grenade during ...
NZDF Attends Commemorations to Mark International Mission in East Timor A New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent participated today in the 20th anniversary commemorations of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) mission in Dili. The commemoration ...
They’ve only been up and running for a few months, but a New Zealand not-for-profit has already made a big impact on period poverty in New Zealand. ...
The allocation of money for publicly funded broadcasting for election campaigns should be turned on it's head according to Massey University professor of communication design Claire Robinson. ...
Disappointment expressed by Fletcher Building CEO, Ross Taylor, reflects the increasing frustration held by many with this Government’s failure to protect private property rights.[1] ...
The independent Interim Climate Change Committee today launched an eight-week, nationwide call for evidence on options available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Social Credit has lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman over the way the Overseas Investment Office is handling its official information request for disclosure of documents on the sale of Westland Milk Products to Chinese company Inner Mongolian ...
This Friday in Solidarity with the Global Climate Strike All of the SodaStream’s e-commerce platforms and head office operations will be closed to kick-off the week-long event, and employees will march the #CLIMATESTRIKE in Auckland on 27 September. ...
Federated Farmers congratulates the Auditor-General’s office on its release today of its report Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges and Opportunities. ...
Growth has now slowed to a 6-year low, and downside risks are dominating. June quarter GDP growth came in at 0.5%qoq, in line with our expectation, and slightly above consensus. Although there were a few sensational reports of the chance of a negative print. ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is calling the release of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) framework a good first step in balancing New Zealand’s response to climate change. ...
Family First NZ says that a new Colorado report compiled by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area finds marijuana-positive traffic fatalities, hospitalisations, marijuana use, and illegal market activity have exploded since marijuana legalization. ...
This year’s Ratepayers’ Report , local government league tables released yesterday, reveals which local councils owe the most and which owe the least. ...
Rachel MacGregor welcomes the decision released today by Justice Hinton. The key issue on which all the various litigation has been based is the question, did Colin Craig sexually harass Rachel. That question has been answered – he did. Justice ...
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) has today ratified a ground breaking pay deal with Dunedin Railways which will see all union members being paid a living wage and the lowest paid receiving an 18% wage increase. Higher paid RMTU members ...
Inclusion for trans women/men and non-binary peoples has today been announced as the cornerstone of a new resolution for the National Council of Women New Zealand (NCWNZ). ...
It took a testy Morning Report interview this week to remind me that Simon Bridges was still the Leader of the Opposition. Until then, he had been largely invisible as the events of recent weeks unfolded. ...
The National Council of Women NZ has today welcomed the news that the Government has purchased Kate Sheppard’s house in Christchurch, the base for the NZ suffrage campaign. ...
The Māori Party supports mana whenua of Ihumātao and acknowledges their coming together to reach consensus on the future of their whenua. “We also acknowledge the leadership of the Kīngitanga who have played an important role in supporting ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning why, for the second time, Jacinda Ardern has appointed a Crown-owned company Chief Executive to Chair her “Business Advisory Council”, following her announcement that Mercury CEO Fraser Whineray ...
Responding to the Government’s decision to give around $300 million to Amazon as a sweetener for filming a TV series in New Zealand, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “As a matter of simple waste, this is striking, ...
I am very pleased with Air New Zealand’s Decision to backdown and withdraw their application to trademark into a logo Kia Ora. I said at the time that it was an ill conceived idea and poorly thought out – more importantly it should never have been ...
NZEI Te Riu Roa members will be joining with others across the union movement by wearing black and white in support of pay equity on Suffrage Day tomorrow, and urging the Government to commit to a settlement for teacher aides this year. ...
Yesterday’s announcement from the Minister for Immigration, to improve temporary work visas for migrant workers, provides some positive changes but more detail is needed. The Council of Trade Unions fundamentally supports the principle of making ...
FIRST Union today welcomed Westpac’s public admission of the significant gender pay gap in its workforce and reiterated its call for employers to work with unions to close this disparity, arguing that this work must begin at the bottom of the pay ...
Changes to the work visa system announced by the Minister of Immigration are not all positive for employers or migrants, comments Ms June Ranson, chair of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI) , a leading voice in the ...
The Dairy Workers Union (DWU) has welcomed the announcement from dairy company, Synlait, that they will be boosting parental leave entitlements significantly for working parents. ...
In June, the Children’s Commissioner announced a thematic review into Oranga Tamariki’s policies, processes and practice relating to care and protection issues for tamariki Māori aged 0-3 months. Today the Children’s Commissioner has released the full ...
“Closing the Gap” Tauranga, one of the area groups of Income Equality Aotearoa NZ Inc., has surveyed all candidates in the three local body elections to discover attitudes to some basic issues of the Western Bay region. We believe that this is ...
In response to DairyNZ's attempt to dismiss an economic report that highlighted dairy's role in the New Zealand economy is only three per cent of GDP, Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says: "If DairyNZ wishes to reject a report ...
Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has successfully guided the mana whenua of lhumaatao to reach a consensus on the future of their whenua. ...
Two activists disguised as shareholders interrupted the AGM of a gold mining company in central Auckland this morning to inform shareholders their plans to mine for gold in conservation estate in the Karangahake Gorge were unwelcome. ...
The Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) has been labelled ‘NATO’ (no action, talk only) when it comes to child mental health, with just 0.6 full time staff (24 hours per week) for inpatient child psychology and just 0.8 full time staff ...
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has awarded three New Zealand climate youth groups with its Ambassador of Conscience award, its highest recognition for human rights work, previously given to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Ai Weiwei and Malala Yousafzai. ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union , in partnership with the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance , has today published this year's Ratepayers' Report – online local government league tables – at www.ratepayersreport.nz . ...
NZUS Council executive director Jordan Small welcomes the news New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with US President Donald Trump in New York next week. ...
The recent NZIER report trivialises the significant role the dairy sector plays in New Zealand’s economy – and fails to look at the specifics of the Government’s freshwater package, according to DairyNZ. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said ...
This week, the New Zealand Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will jointly host a seminar on tackling the global spread of illicit weapons. ...
In a landmark judgment issued this morning, the Court of Appeal confirmed that the Southern Response Concealment Class Action will proceed issued on an "opt out” basis. ...
Mainstream media, as the purveyors of truth and source of balanced information, took another backward step today with the announcement by Stuff that most New Zealand organisations had joined 170 media outlets from around the world in the “Covering ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Leigh Sullivan discusses Scott Morrison’s new family law inquiry with Michelle Grattan. They also speak of the developments in the Tamil family from Biloela’s case, and the UN barring ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern heads for the UN as the sexual assault scandal rumbles on at home, and Simon Bridges says he isn't going to ease off his personal attacks on the PM. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dries Verstraete, Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Design and Propulsion, University of Sydney CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d ...
In this episode of our new tarot reading show Wild Card, The Spinoff’s resident psychic divines the outcome of the All Blacks’ opening match against the Springboks on Saturday.In the first and potentially only episode of Wild Card, we have a focus on sport. The Spinoff’s psychic-in-residence, Jo Sees, specialises ...
Recently-retired Sky TV chief executive John Fellet talks to Newsroom business editor Nikki Mandow about baseball, media, goldfish, accountancy - and more baseball. ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.With Duncan enjoying a MAFS-style beach holiday in Bali, Alex and Jane are left to cover another crazy week in reality television. Shannon Ryan has gone full beast-mode in Celebrity Treasure Island, Married ...
Dr Bryce Edwards“Diversity” is a central theme of the current local government elections – with the common criticism that incumbent politicians are generally too “stale, male, and pale” (or variations on that). Numerous commentators and candidates have lamented the lack of women, ethnic minorities, and youth in local government. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Climate change, environment Paul Gorman (Stuff): How would you spend an unlimited war chest for ...
A review into the Ministry for Culture and Heritage will look into the relationship between a staffer and the external developer responsible for a massive data breach. ...
Covering Climate Now: The Spinoff crew who took on climate change with a vegan diet for the week reflect on the highs, the lows, the pies and the fries. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here!As I write, I’m tucking into ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roger Crisp, Professorial Fellow, Dianoia Institute of Philosophy, Australian Catholic University As world chiefs and youth leaders gather in New York at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, many of us as individuals are feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Making big personal changes ...
The head of one of the country's biggest news media firms is the latest subject of criticism for darkening his face at a staff party he attended dressed as US basketballer Lamar Odom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Coral Gartner, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland Health authorities in the United States are investigating 530 cases of lung illness, including seven deaths, reportedly connected to vaping. Some of these patients have been diagnosed with lung inflammation ...
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 Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Chatto & Windus, $48)Obvs. (Read our review by Pip Adam here)2 Three ...
When comedy documentary Funny As was made, a lot of interviews got left on the cutting room floor which NZ On Screen quickly picked up. Here are some of our favourites.We’re a pretty funny bunch us Kiwis. Trapped on a tiny island at the end of the earth it appears ...
Auckland rapper JessB has just released a new EP and wraps up a national mini-tour tonight in her home town. Jogai Bhatt talked to her about her world travels, performing at Ihumātao, and how her community and her music intersect.It’s only been two years since JessB entered the public radar ...
A new poem by Waiheke poet Rata Gordon.PacingA deep bow to NerudaIt so happens I am sick of being a woman. It happens that I walk into BP stations and supermarkets greasy, swollen, like a cow made of soap, losing my way in a field of placentas and pesticides.The smell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Gardiner, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University In August, a 24-year-old woman appeared before the Western Australian District Court after pleading guilty to concealing the birth of her newborn baby in 2018. The charge of concealment of birth refers to hiding the dead ...
Voting papers are being sent out today, and lots of people say they won’t fill them out because they don’t know anything about the candidates. Respected website ‘The Spinoff’ is trying to fix that through its Policy Local tool. But it’s not the only one. Catherine Jeffcoat talks to the ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by literary editor Steve Braunias ...
Writer and cannabis legalisation expert Russell Brown watched episode two of Patrick Gower on Weed, and found it highly entertaining but dangerously light on facts. Patrick Gower is good value when he’s high. In the second part of his documentary Patrick Gower on Weed, he does what you’d expect in a ...
Sydney shock-jock Alan Jones has written to Jacinda Ardern saying he didn't intend any violence towards her when he said on air that Australia's Prime Minister should "shove a sock down [her] throat". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caio Seguin, PhD candidate, University of Melbourne Brain regions exchange information by sending and receiving signals through a network of nerve connections. This exchange is crucial to all aspects of the brain’s functioning, including how we experience the world, form and retrieve ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Miranda Kaye, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney Over the next 12 months, a joint parliamentary committee will examine Australia’s family law system. It will be led by conservative Liberal MP Kevin Andrews and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Allen, Senior Lecturer in Public Management, Victoria University of Wellington This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. For three years in a row, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Moscova, Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, UNSW Women’s nipples have long been a source of fascination and controversy, from celebrity gossip stories of wardrobe malfunctions and “nip slips” to feminist movements for gender equality. Nipples even became a fashion accessory. Men’s nipples ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Holmes, Director, Climate Change Communication Research Hub, Monash University One of the great paradoxes of climate change communication in Australia is that politicians command the most attention on the issue, yet are among the least trusted sources of climate information. Research ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Sharman, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of the Sunshine Coast This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Thousands of school students across Australia are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin., Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Newstart recipients and other Australians on benefits get their half-yearly pay rise today (and also on March 20). This one is vanishingly small. Announced very quietly by Social Services Minister ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Warren Hogan, Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney The budget was for practical purposes in neither deficit nor in surplus in 2018-19, the final figures released by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann on Thursday reveal. The underlying cash deficit ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW This week NBN Co announced pricing changes for the National Broadband Network. It includes a new plan boasting a download speed of 1 gigabit per second and an upload speed of 50 megabits per second for ...
Covering Climate Now: Just how much of an impact would a shift to vegetarian diets have on the battle to halt climate change, asks Mirjam Guesgen.The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here!Kiwi cuisine is replete with meat: fish and chips, meat and ...
It's not a risk assessment, but it's a start: an instruction manual for the experts who'll be writing New Zealand's first national climate risk report for the government was released on Thursday. ...
The Wellington Mayor's main rival in the upcoming local elections, Andy Foster, won't say how much Sir Peter Jackson has stumped up in a bid to get him elected. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: GDP growth slows in the latest quarter, questions raised over utter NZDF incompetence, and NZTA sends money intended for light rail elsewhere.The numbers are in, and GDP growth has slowed down for the second quarter of the year. Radio NZ reports it ...
As climate change crumbles coasts, lengthens droughts and increases extreme weather events, New Zealand’s seed bank for threatened indigenous plants lacks on-going funding. ...
Steve Tew marked the magnitude of the day by openly attacking the Six Nations power bloc and suggesting former ABs should be free to play for Samoa, Tonga or Fiji. ...
A classical approach to freshwater policy only serves to enforce well-established views, argue Maria Armoudian and Nicolas Pirsoul. Here they offer some more innovative alternatives. ...
Freedom camping, public transport and affordable housing are challenges Queenstown’s Mayor Jim Boult says he’s uniquely poised to solve – if only people would do what they’re told.The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click ...
Broadcaster Mark Sainsbury is calling for a “champion for the elderly”. But the truth is, every single politician in parliament already fits that bill. Just look at the enduring nature of NZ Super, writes TOP leader Geoff Simmons. No doubt Mark Sainsbury’s call for an elderly commissioner to be created will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra John Howard is remembered by his Liberal tribe as a reformer, but his legacy is mixed. The GST has endured but he essentially doomed his government when he let his ideological obsession with industrial relations ...
Open mike 07/03/2016 
Open mike is your post.
Today is the first day of the global climate strike. Led by schoolkids, people all around the world are going to protest to demand action on climate change. New Zealand isn't doing it till next Friday (join us!), but if you want to get active early, there's plenty to do ...8 hours ago
To Protect and Serve: When the Prime Minister finds herself enmeshed in the coils of a full-blown political scandal, her colleagues and party comrades have only one priority: to release her as swiftly – and with as little lasting injury – as possible. Is this what Jacinda Ardern’s colleagues and ...10 hours ago
When military leaders cover up and lie to elected civilian authorities, the foundation of democratic civil-military relations is undermined because it is those authorities who are entrusted to hold the military accountable to the public that they mutually serve. But this is only true if civilian political authorities take their ...11 hours ago
by Daphna Whitmore The long years of Netanyahu’s reign are drawing to an end. For years he has epitomized reactionary zionism as he oversaw hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers seize land in the West Bank. There are now 700,000 settlers, putting an end to the myth that Israel was ...13 hours ago
BP, Z and Mobil all insist that petrol price hikes are temporary, “in a very literal sense.” The nation’s major petrol providers are trying to allay customer fears over prices, promising that they’ll move to lower them again “immediately” when the Middle East is returned to its formerly peaceful state. ...1 day ago
South African coach Rassie Erasmus says he has no idea what they’re going to do about the boat. In a highly anticipated press conference this afternoon, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has finally unveiled the team’s boat for its Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign. In a press conference that went ...1 day ago
Get Back Jojo! The elation in Mayor Phil Goff’s camp may be easily imagined as they watched social media light up in indignation at challenger John Tamihere’s "Sieg Heil to that" quip. Just when JT’s notoriously right-wing, sexist and homophobic stains were beginning to fade back into his ‘colourful’ past, ...2 days ago
Patrick Gower is good value when he's high. Not that I've ever, you know, got stoned with him. But in the second part of his documentary Patrick Gower on Weed, he does what you'd expect in a modern weed documentary and immerses himself – first with a doctor, then a ...2 days ago
We surveyed candidates on their attitudes to issues facing the Western Bay Region, find out what they think: “Closing the Gap” Tauranga, one of the area groups of Income Equality Aotearoa NZ Inc., has surveyed all candidates in the three local body elections to discover attitudes to some basic issues ...2 days ago
Why is New Zealand climate change policy so crap? The Herald this morning has a long article on the twists and turns of climate change policy in New Zealand [paywalled / depaywall script], which shows where we've been. The short version is that the government first began worrying about this ...2 days ago
The All Blacks have been, for more than a century, arguably the most successful International sports team in the world. But they are more than that; even for those Kiwis who are immune to the charms of rugby (and there are more than a few), the All Blacks are ambassadors ...3 days ago
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The media promotes fear.
Fear of crime
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=11600999
Fear of Islam
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/325102-muslims-attacks-media-britain/
Better to be scared than questioning why the 1% have everything.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/18/richest-62-billionaires-wealthy-half-world-population-combined
Of course they do.
Fear sells.
And I sense you condone it
….and this promotion of fear can “activate” certain groups in society into becoming proponents of authoritarianism.
“…According to Stenner’s theory, there is a certain subset of people who hold latent authoritarian tendencies. These tendencies can be triggered or “activated” by the perception of physical threats or by destabilizing social change, leading those individuals to desire policies and leaders that we might more colloquially call authoritarian.
It is as if, the NYU professor Jonathan Haidt has written, a button is pushed that says, “In case of moral threat, lock down the borders, kick out those who are different, and punish those who are morally deviant.”….
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism
Grim reading for leftists however all is not lost apparently. The revolution can be saved with a managed float and perhaps the country has more stashed away than originally thought.
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/11832
ha ha, and where is Zimbabwe gosman? If only the world were so black and so white you funny man
How is El Salvador coming along?
How is Ukraine coming along?
And the environmentalist murders in Honduras?
How’s the economy going in the Ukraine?
Perhaps we should worry about Venezuela after our failed finance minister and failing prime minister show that they can break even without borrowing $20 billion a year.
must be the beginning of a new working week…i see our resident troll are back on the clock.
Do you get paid Gosman? Or simply a volunteer, but you ought to get an honorarium, or a nice bottle of whisky from the group leader each Christmas. Perhaps we should protest about the principle of you deserving compensation if not receiving some reward. Just let us know who you work for and we will decide what approach would be most suitable. We of course are trying to hold onto principles, but you wouldn’t be conversant with such matters.
You definitely do a good job of adding to the smoke and confabulation around the running of our nation. If it was cigarette smoke, it would be bad but yours is more noxious coming from lower regions.
Who.Oh no not Grossman again!
lol…I see i missed the “s” off trolls
Hows your boy Ron Paul doing?
Keyistas in the “National” party are attempting to use a symbol associated with rugby on a new national flag despite mounting medical evidence of life-changing injury.
http://deeperweb.com/results.php?cx=%21004415538554621685521%3Avgwa9iznfuo&cof=FORID%3A11%3BNB%3A1&ie=UTF-8&q=rugby+injury&as_qdr=
Nationalism is the last refuge of the scoundrel
I’d leave off the -ism.
Nationalism comes in positive and negative forms – some of which may be necessary to resist the ills of globalisation.
It is National that is the refuge of scoundrels.
I do apologise for bordering on spam with my repetitive woeful cries about the fact that Justin Lester, Deputy Mayor of Wellington and Mayoral candidate has a conflict of interest as he sits on the executive of the Wellington branch of the NZ Property Council (and other issues, background and history).
But now it’s becoming clear why this hasn’t been declared as a conflict of interest – the council don’t see it as one, not when they are considering creating a council body who purpose is to be a property market player:
“This year’s draft Annual Plan includes a new climate change strategy, with a focus on reducing car ownership, as well as plans for a new council-controlled organisation that can play the property market.”
WTF?
and more WTF?
“The formation of an Urban Development Agency has also been proposed. The new council-controlled organisation would be able to purchase land, enter into agreements with developers, and prepare ‘master plans’ for urban growth and big projects that boost economic development.”
The seedy links the council already with developers, (and they already have agreements with developers) instead of being destroyed for the public good will now be formalised and entrenched.
So ratepayers who can barely afford to cover their rates as it is because they are on inadequate wages or fixed wages, can’t afford to buy their first house, or struggling with their own mortgage will now get to fund the council and it’s property development fantasies. Our $$$ will be used to invest in an unstable volatile “product” that is exposed to the ever changing winds of the market.
So we are well and truly stuffed here in Wellington. This year we have a choice between the faux left that run council now and National Party aligned Nicola Young, so either way we will end up with the same.
How can it be stopped?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/77592281/wellingtons-rates-and-debt-set-to-increase-as-city-council-eyes-big-projects
What makes you think climate adaptation projects will be more expensive than doing nothing?
I didn’t say anything about climate adaptation projects being more expensive that doing nothing. I have no idea how you got to that conclusion.
I’m talking about the duplicity that exists between developers and the council, how that unhealthy relationship may possibly be formalised and how the ratepayer will provide the funds for the council’s property development fantasies – we can’t afford to prop this plaything up.
If you’d read my previous comments about WCC and it’s amazing lack of interest in developing ANY climate change strategy (we are faux green as well as faux left) you would assume I would welcome some sort gesture towards mitigating climate change.
The idea to get more cars off the road is a good start but it is merely a token gesture. Reasons being:
a) Wellingtonians are the highest users of public transport in the country already. This can be built upon by reducing fares on public transport and providing free public transport in the weekend, as has been proposed by actual Green councillor, Iona Pannett, but rejected.
b)I have spoken at length with councillors, and council officers about the lack of climate strategy for the mass development projects they are so fond of. As I’ve said many times on TS, there has been no environmental protections in place on these development areas, let alone measures put in place to reduce the impact development ultimately has on climate.
Huge tracts of land have been turned into housing. This means more tarmac, less vegetation, more people sucking up resources like air conditioning as there is no shade provided by tree’s – these areas are hotter than traditional suburbs with established trees. There is no expectation for developers to plant tree’s to offset increased carbon levels. Very little public transport has been put in to these new areas, so people drive cars to work instead of catching the bus. There is no commercial zoning in these developments, so people have to drive several KM’s to get to the nearest shops and service centres.
These poorly designed developments have a detrimental effect on the environment.
Our council are a bunch of hypocrites when they pay lip service to climate change.
You’re focusing on the costs to ratepayers as well as potential conflicts of interest; your link describes climate projects as being (at least partially) behind the cost increases.
Sounds like it’s just a smokescreen.
What do you mean smoke screen? The extra costs are the stupid convention centre and the latest Peter Jackson project we have to fund.
I really think that OAB has misunderstood what you are talking about Rosie. Make of that what you will 😉
Thats what I figured. Am I not making sense?
You’re making sense. People aren’t listening to each other very well at the moment. Don’t know why. OAB does lots of small, fast comments which suggest to me he is at work and can’t devote a lot of time to looking at things indepth, or taking time to check things out (that’s also a social skill that to many here lack). But his comments to you today look weird even allowing for that.
I mean that from what you’re saying, they’re using climate issues as a smokescreen: the article makes much of the increased spending that will have to occur as a result, when the real purpose is simply to channel public funds to developers.
OK OAB. I was using the article as reference only, not analysing it’s reporting of WCC’s options.
What I am doing is trying to highlight the sheer hypocrisy of the WCC around their potential implementation of climate change strategy when they’ve had their heads in the sand for years and years and refuse to acknowledge the unnecessary damage development does.
And, yes, agreed, the real purpose is to channel funds to developers.
+1 Rosie
Without looking very closely at it (only reading your comment not the link), I’d say that in theory council’s investing in property to have more control over subdivision development and thus housing is potentially a useful thing (because it’s been left to private developpers for too long). But in practice, in this neoliberal environment, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. That they use the word ‘play’ the market in a document suggests just how far up their own arses they already are that they don’t see anything wrong with that.
I don’t know what you can do other other than what you already do. Write submissions, make oral submissions, organise. Have you talked to the GP? Are they putting up candidates this year on the GP ticket?
There’s been a lot of jiggery pokery done to local bodies in recent years, I haven’t kept up with it, but it concerns me that we don’t look at how National have been fucking with that as much as with health, education, welfare etc. It’s been low hanging fruit for them and we’ve ignored it to our detriment.
Yes, on the surface weka, it could look like council investment in private residential development could be socially beneficial, after all this council has been very good at refurbishing social housing stock to a comfortable and safe standard and building good quality new social housing.
But you’re right, the neoliberal approach is the one they are taking. This has been confirmed to me through my ongoing conversations with certain councillors.
As for getting things done, I have tried to organise at a local level on our development and others but have been met with silence. (The northern ward roughly sits within the same footprint as the Ohariu electorate, very conservative).
Ironically the only councillor supporting me is a right winger, who is more aghast at the behaviour of the council than anything. he legit though, completely on the level. The Green Party councillor won’t respond to my emails. I’ve had meetings with council managers, at the council and meetings with a councillor at my house.
I’ve really run out of options as just one person.
As for the National Government, you’re right there too, they have had a profound influence in Wellington in regard to the SHA Accord and roading.
Can’t speak for other regions. Thats why it’s always good to hear from other commenters about what’s happening in their turf, both at a local and government level. Often the regional political news doesn’t make it to the MSM, so it’s good to stay connected in other ways.
Hmm, maybe try phoning the Green one, or doorstepping them?
It’s not good nationally from what I can tell, although some areas seem to be doing good things in isolation.
After 18 months of this fight with the council and the developers I’m kind of pooped. They win.
Fair enough Rosie.
Rosie – while it is true that the WCC has done a good job of refurbishing some of its social housing stock, the reason may have been lost in some of the mists of recent history. The investor sharks were circling until the government put the kaibosh on the intended privatisation of some of the council housing stock. The deal ended up with a healthy dollop of taxpayer funding and a ‘no-sale’ edict.
Otherwise, and more pertinent to your comments, the Council (elected and administrative) have a lengthy grab-bag of strategies to aid and abet a coterie of favoured developers who can already do much as they please with the wink and nod of planning and compliance staff which constantly frustrates local communities throughout the city. In most cases, the developers eventually get largely what they want, unless cases are taken to the Environment Court. The quandry then is, how many small groups of ratepayers can affort to front against the high paid lawyers engaged by Council and developers who act as a ‘tag team’, along with their so called ‘expert’ witnesses who, on occasions, prove to be little more than paid obfuscators. The other interesting feature of the Wellington Council is that it engages its former employees as ‘Independent’ Commissioners and has an open door policy when private sector ex-colleagues are engaged by developers. Recently it seems, they also had ex-employees contracted to cover full-time staff who were engaged in the MDH propaganda campaign. It all seems pretty incestuous and getting closer to something more sinister. The latest utterances regarding the proposed new CCO is taking the situation into the ball-park of the questionable deals like those of WWL and subsequently City Shaper which is under the same developer friendly leadership.
Petertoo. I hadn’t been aware of the intention to sell off some of the housing, or only vaguely aware perhaps….was that mid to late 2000’s? During Clark’s Government and during Prendergast’s time? I had only just recently arrived back in Wellington. Or was it more recent?
“The other interesting feature of the Wellington Council is that it engages its former employees as ‘Independent’ Commissioners and has an open door policy when private sector ex-colleagues are engaged by developers.”
You mentioned this recently. It’s fascinating, as is your statement about ex employees being engaged in the MDH campaign.
You really do seem to have some very detailed knowledge of the motivations and processes of some councillors and council officials. I really would like to know the full story – after having spent 18 months dealing with these people, both developer and council and having my eyes opened to some disturbing behavioural patterns and alliances. But I only have part of the picture. I want to see the whole picture. It will also help me join a few dots that I haven’t been able to connect.
Would you consider writing a guest post about the matter?
Rosie – a number of people have been around the traps a bit but so far, the Council/developer cabal have been fortunate in that they have only had to deal with small isolated individuals and inadequately financed community groups. That said, the Council and their fellow-traveller developer friends invariably get pegged back, even by amateur litigants, at Court hearings if cases proceed that far. It is unfortunate that no-one has yet been sufficiently motivated to write a guest post, this commentor included but this will doubt change if there is evidence of the metaphorical brown paper bag or two filled with cash. In the meantime, it is suggested you keep an eye on wellington.scoop.co.nz which constantly exposes gems of information for those of a justified cynical disposition.
As an additional comment, it is not fair to be too hard on some of the Councillors. The Council administration, no doubt with some guidance from the spin-meister, Richard McLean, seem to do a good job of ensuring that any criticism is sanitised before it gets to them.
Thanks for the reminder about scoop. They DO have some interesting council snippets that would never make it to the Dom Post.
I do look forward to a time when you may be able to do a guest post – you’ve got a good writing style and you have more of a 360 degree view than me. I’m a relative newbie to the shenanigans at WCC. I was naive enough to trust them earlier on due to the political colours of a good number of the councillors.
Now, it’s anything but that. As a Labour member I can’t bring myself to attend the electorate AGM next week as Justin Lester will be speaking. He has been an active enabler, contributing to my problems with the developer in my neighbourhood and standing by as I was abused by these powerful men.
He damn well better not give any speeches about the rights and equality of women, ever.
+1 Rosie
+1 Rosie. Auckland Council is now apparently spending 2 million a MONTH on outsourced planners.
On top of over 1 billion in IT blowouts.
http://publicaddress.net/hardnews/the-unstable-supercity/
You are very wise to be worried.
These Auckland problems are just on my periphery at the mo and having scanned through your post on TS and the public address it would take some digesting.
Just quickly are the outsourced planners local but being paid more in fee’s than council employees would be, or are they so outsourced that they’re from another country? – (Outsourcing design tasks to other countries happens in the engineering sector, so it wasn’t a funny ha ha question).
It’s a very National Government way of working – outsource work to “consultants” and pay more while reducing job security for those who have the knowledge of the systems.
I have just voted in the flag referendum and could not help reflecting that the system is broken due to the
closure of local post offices. I have to trek to mine a few suburbs away.
Indeed. A friend of mine who works for the PWUA said something like 1300 “street receivers”, those street side boxes used to post mail, have been removed in recent years. Posties receive a lot of complaints from the public about inconvenient this is.
& small post offices all around the country too.
annnd some of the large ones in suburban centres.
Can someone wise in the ways of the web and the intellectual ownership industry advise me why the link to some NZ Vimeo content that I had put in one of my comments just disappears after a short time? Are people not allowed to show examples of performances, work on line if done by Vimeo? Youtube can be invoked with little trouble, and is a great way to bring content to new viewers or refresh memories of past content.
I should mention that it was a song written for an advertisement for AMP. I don’t think it is still being used by them though I wouldn’t know as I gave up TV on changeover from digital.
I would ask Lynn first. It always helps if you link to what you are referring to so people can see what is going on directly.
Links are still visible in the search engine but not the actual comments
/?s=vimeo&isopen=none&search_posts=true&search_comments=true&search_sortby=date
Looks like it’s not just grey’s couple of comments. Here’s a comment from Draco where the link is no longer visible,
Draco’s comment should have https://*****.com/71074210 in it (* = vimeo) as per the search results above.
Freaking odd.
I can see what is happening inside the code. It has a div with an iframe. But the other side (ie vimeo) as it set as being off.
I’ll have a look later in the day.
Lots of others are missing too, but I found this one with the link still visible
Thanks weka and lprent
is it the difference between http and https?
Does Farming need a Plan B? – an interesting read.
http://www.brct.org.nz/cuppa-tea/hugh-campbell/high-time-for-a-plan-b-for-new-zealand-agriculture/
“Plan A was based on a future promise that told us to stay the course. Things will come right once our trade negotiators have prevailed. This is now not going to happen. We will have some small successes in opening up new markets, but the big step change promised since the Uruguay Round now won’t happen. We need a Plan B that can actually address the problems, shocks, surprises that are starting to overwhelm us here and now.
Actually, we need multiple Plan B’s. One of the most hypnotic and seductive aspects of the liberalization plan was that it presented governments and policymakers with a ‘one size fits all’ answer to any policy problem. It would be a dire mistake to respond to the monolithic quality of Plan A by suggesting that there is a fully formed one size fits all Plan B just waiting to be implemented. Achieve resilient transitions to a more sustainable future will require many solutions of varying size fitted to problems of varying scale. We will need to draw on the reservoir of marginalized and neglected alternatives that sit outside Plan A. We will need to know as much as we can about small-scale food provisioning, medium-scale networks of food production and consumption, and the relationship between food systems and energy systems. We will need to pay attention to how specific communities and localities are trying to create their own Plan B’s in fitting these things together into credible transition pathways. In order to do so, we must first recognize that Plan A no longer provides a full or sufficient answer to the challenges of agriculture and food in the 21st century. “
Power outages.
The NZH reports this morning that there was an outage in the Auckland CBD ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11601121)
Most consumers were only out for a short period but 88 for about 5 hours.
BTW Outage is not in my dictionary but I think it is a very neat and clever word
Not reported by the NZH is another outage in Milford on Saturday 5.3.16, which lasted from about 2pm to 8.30pm.
It was reported by Stuff who said that the cause was that a seagull
had broken the line which must have been weakened by wind and age? One person was hospitalised for electric shock.
Is it then appropriate that the lines company is called Vector?
The 2nd meaning of Vector in my dictionary is ” The carrier of a disease or infection”.
BTW Outage is not in my dictionary, NZ Oxford.
Private providers of electricity services in the USA have vectored in mass outages that are called brown-outs, not quite black-outs.
Brownout (electricity) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownout_(electricity)
A brownout is an intentional or unintentional drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Intentional brownouts are used for load reduction in an emergency. The reduction lasts for minutes or hours, as opposed to short-term voltage sag (or dip).
This will no doubt be adopted here, as being more efficient than aiming for 100% provision at any time whatever the load, which involves over and under capacity, and that would probably lead to lower profits.
in the film enron; the smartest guys in the room, brownouts (unscheduled maintenance on a generator or two) were a deliberate ploy used in california to up the spot price of power therefore making massive returns to enron.
As some one who had to fight to get on a waiting list.
Big thanks to Idiot/Savant for this piece.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/a-waiting-list-by-another-name.html
Could be a duck….
Matthew Reichbach
@fbihop
Trump rally photo is… something.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cc0Ok4_W8AAdCru.jpg
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/271932-trump-makes-rally-attendees-swear-to-vote-for-him
a GINGER in action politiking…i know he is a badass but i still prefer him to Hillary
of course Bernie is the BESTEST
Always frisk your local MP. The little fucker’s wearing a wire.
I got the impression in one of the earlier articles about this was the implication that it was normal with National MPs to record everything.
Either that’s the wrong link or Stuff have removed any reference to recording. Always best to cut and paste 😉
Not the wrong link – I’m hoping readers can join the dots. Too obscure?
I couldn’t see anything in that about recording at all. ODT link below is reporting it up front.
Yes, that’s what I was hoping they’d join the dots to. Definitely too obscure. Oh, well.
The “employment issue” in a National Party electorate office is understood to involve a claim a secret recording was made by Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.
Long-serving staff member Glenys Dickson left Mr Barclay’s Gore office last month after 18 years in the job.
The circumstances of her departure have been kept under wraps.
The Otago Daily Times asked the National Party if it was investigating a claim about a secret recording, but party secretary Greg Hamilton said in a statement it was not the role of the party to investigate or comment on staffing matters.
Mr Barclay said he could not comment because it involved staff.
Last week, Gore branch secretary Maeva Smith said an “employment issue” was behind Mrs Dickson’s departure.
At the weekend, electorate chairman Stuart Davie resigned, calling his position untenable, but he declined to comment further.
It is understood some southern party members feel the matter warrants further investigation.
A central issue is whether the recording was made, or whether its existence was an unfounded claim.
A party member, who declined to be named, said that the issue was sensitive for the party because of the prominence of surveillance and spying issues during its time in office.
The Parliamentary Service, which employs electorate secretaries, declined to comment.
Mrs Dickson had worked for Deputy Prime Minister Bill English when he was Clutha-Southland MP.
Yesterday, Mr English declined to comment, but earlier this week told reporters in Wellington the resignations reflected a transition phase in which an MP builds their own team, and he was not concerned about the situation.
Queenstown electorate secretary Barbara Swan has also resigned, and is working out a notice period.
Earlier this week, Mr Barclay apologised for releasing Ms Swan’s resignation letter to a media outlet.
Mr Barclay (25), who grew up in Dipton and Gore, was elected to Parliament in 2014 after Mr English opted to become a list MP.
His youth and previous employment at Phillip Morris New Zealand prompted comment when he was selected for the blue-ribbon seat.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/375242/claim-secret-recording
Wee Toddy Baccy must be angling for a role with the SIS.
Wee Toddy Baccy, that’s good.
For a moment there I thought you said Mr Barclay had grown up!
gotta love the local news:
Gotta love good faith employers, eh…
If the kid was found to have made a recording the woman that resigned could take a personal grievance against him for recording their conversations without her knowledge.
Indeed.
and if he was recording conversations that he wasn’t party to, it’s a criminal offence.
If recordings were taken, after all. Unless it was at a photo-op where everyone could expect to be recorded.
Our PM, bold as brass hypocrite.
Yeah, there was a chat about this on Open Mike last Friday.
Nats need to respond to the membership who want an investigation and grant it………. If they have any sense of responsibility to the membership they would.
And how neurotic/paranoid/nutty is that kid if he IS recording conversations.
“And how neurotic/paranoid/nutty is that kid if he IS recording conversations.”
Probably means he’s got got a bright future in national.
What makes you think he hasn’t caught them doing something illegal? They are National Party types, after all.
Well, none of the staffers seem to have been put on the fast track to candidate selection. Does their reputations good…
Looks like the tom toms are getting louder for Barclay.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77630096/disquiet-over-mp-todd-barclays-performance-could-spark-selection-challenge
My understanding is the challenge could come from the Queenstown guy who pulled out at the last minute in the last pre selection process. From recollection his name was Simon Flood and he was…drumroll please…. a currency trader…. that had parachuted in from Singapore to contest the seat.
Interesting dynamic in this seat because it is a mix of ultra rural heartland Southland and cosmopolitan Queenstown. The Queenstown faction have always wanted a Queenstown advocate which is fair enough given the distinct issues they face so maybe they now sense their opportunity. Of course that will not be popular with the rural base who have plenty of issues of their own to deal with at present.
Queenstown population 13,000
Gore 12,000
Clutha Southland voting age population 51,000
Queenstown doesn’t look that special in what is essentially a rural seat.
Can’t find the voter age population for the individual towns, but here’s the polling place breakdown from 2014.
Fair point Weka. I suspect though if Barclay has been so woeful or infact has acted illegally as an employer and Queenstown can get a credible candidate up, then it could all be on. Although Barclay is based in Gore and is originally from Dipton his rural credentials as a tabacco lobbyist are hardly overwhelming. Does this disarray signal the chance of another Northland upset?
One would hope that Labour, the Greens and NZF would try talking to each other. Probably shouldn’t hold our breaths though.
I’m not sure what the rest of Southland would think about a Queenstown candidate. I guess it would depend on who it was. I can see how Baccy could easily lose the nomination next time round, he’s a really bad fit for that electorate. And now the National Party nationally appear to be saying that Clutha Southland should suck it up and get used to things being run by the suits. It will indeed be interesting to follow.
Labour had what seemed to be a credible candidate last time. I think she was a health professional or the like but she was heavily defeated. I think someone with a strong rural background would poll well here.
Skulduggery by Parata?
At Rangiora High School they administer a Trust which owns about $16million worth of land. This Trust has operated for about 100 years and the Trust is usuallyv mostly by the BOT and Principal. The school was running well until the Ministry spotted the $16million. The Trust refused to give it to the Ministry to fund repairs and build a new hall.
After a Commissioner was put in to get at the millions, Ministry fired the BOT and suspended the Principal Peggy Burrows hinting at Financial malpractice. No such malpractice exists as an audit has cleared them all but now Peggy has been fired by the Commissioner anyway.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11601495
Peggy Burrows sacked.
Another principal sacked in Invercargill won her Employment Court case and was awarded $158,000. That principal compared Hekia Parata to Hitler which was a bit unfair on Adolf.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/77622719/rangiora-high-principal-peggy-burrows-sacked
Some background:
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/in-cold-blood-terror-as-an-instrument-of-control-in-state-education-part-1/
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/in-cold-blood-the-rangiora-horror-show-part-2/
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/press-release-from-nz-first-urgent-action-required-at-rangiora-high/
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/rangiora-invidious-deception-but-truth-now-out-burrows-suspended-to-get-at-schools-money/
I’m not sure if the Minister and her motley Ministry crew will be compared to Hitler in this case. I don’t know how corrupt, vindictive and plain nasty Hitler was.
The old School Inspectorate, independent educational experts working directly to the Department of Education, would have nipped any problems in the bud a long time ago and before it got to this crisis point whereby a very good, highly qualified woman School Principal is sacked.
The Labour Party under Rogernomics and David Lange made a huge mistake by bringing in ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’
http://schools.reap.org.nz/tanui/Jubileepages/Tomorrows%20Schools.htm
http://www.ppta.org.nz/events-info-forms/doc_view/26-tomorrow-s-schools-yesterday-s-mistake
Hekia Parata does not have the experience or educational qualifications or ethics to be judge in this matter … she is captured by John Key’s and ACT’s privatising agenda for Charter Schools…a USA model whereby privatised schools are run by corporations …(replacing State run schools which employed highly qualified educational professionals) …and a model which has failed
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/07/06/growing-evidence-charter-schools-are-failing
“I don’t know how corrupt, vindictive and plain nasty Hitler was.”
Unutterably vile, petty, vindictive and mean-spirited. Much worse than Trump – he was even worse than Cruz (who is much more evil than Trump. Cruz is the one who’s promising to legislate Government discrimination against minorities if he gets elected).
Fairly bad in fact – I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Intrepid-Incredible-Narrative/dp/159921170X – outlines a lot about Hitler et al from an external perspective. Jung has a nice anecdote in Psychology and the Unconcious too. The Gnats are probably more like the Italian Fascists – crookeder but less about racial destiny.
Worth watching.
Best Joke of the year, when he was asked what he gave to Rupert Murdoch, as a wedding present, Guest, Barry Humphries replied, a set of Jumper Leads. Hilarious,
Why automation is a bad idea,
E-Lev-in Will never be the same. Ouch!
Good spelling of a Scottish accent!
@joe90 12.57pm
Regarding Trump’s hideous behaviour of making the crowd vote for him, there is a really apt word for this ‘trumpery’. It is actually an old word which means foolish words or actions and has a secondary meaning of worthless and useless. All of which I gleaned from Bryan Gould’s brilliant post below.
http://www.bryangould.com/trumpery-is-the-last-thing-we-need/
….especially as we have had almost eight years of trumpery from key……. I knew there was a word for his unappealing and unacceptable behaviours.
Mr Drumpf is rather proud of his heritage.
Donald Trump appears to take aspects of his German background seriously. John Walter works for the Trump Organization, and when he visits Donald in his office, Ivana told a friend, he clicks his heels and says, “Heil Hitler,” possibly as a family joke.
Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed. Kennedy now guards a copy of My New Order in a closet at his office, as if it were a grenade. Hitler’s speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist.
“Did your cousin John give you the Hitler speeches?” I asked Trump.
Trump hesitated. “Who told you that?”
“I don’t remember,” I said.
“Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and he’s a Jew.” (“I did give him a book about Hitler,” Marty Davis said. “But it was My New Order, Hitler’s speeches, not Mein Kampf. I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but I’m not Jewish.”)
Later, Trump returned to this subject. “If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/07/donald-ivana-trump-divorce-prenup-marie-brenner
Sanders attacks Clinton over Wall Street ties & ‘disastrous trade agreements’
https://www.rt.com/usa/334754-sanders-attacks-clinton-debates/
“Bernie Sanders has attacked Hillary Clinton over her record with corporate America and “disastrous trade agreements” destructive to the US economy, as well as multibillion bailouts that robbed the state of jobs – all at the expense of the US middle class….
‘Assange: Vote for Hillary Clinton is ‘vote for endless, stupid war’ which spreads terrorism’
https://www.rt.com/news/332022-assange-clinton-vote-war/
‘Michael Savage: Only Trump Can Beat Hillary Clinton’
https://www.rt.com/shows/politicking-larry-king/323154-larrry-king-politickin-michael-savage/
Ralph Nader Slams Bernie Sanders for Endorsing Hillary Clinton
Yes, let’s just ignore Sanders’ shilling for the NRA, Lockheed Martin and the war machine and his commitment to an ongoing drone programme.
Fuck it, while we’re at it let’s just forget about Sanders’ part in the export of nuclear waste to some place far far away where brown people live, too.
/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-nra-helped-put-bernie-sanders-in-congress/2015/07/19/ed1be26c-2bfe-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html
http://gui.afsc.org/birddog/bernie-sanders-lockheed-martin-f-35-jets-vermont
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/09/bernie-sanders-loves-this-1-trillion-war-machine.html
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-sanders-troubling-history-supporting-us-military-violence-abroad
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/08/31/3697175/bernie-sanders-wouldnt-end-obamas-drone-program-promises-to-use-it-very-selectively/
http://social-ecology.org/wp/1998/10/the-texas-vermont-maine-nuclear-dump-bringing-environmental-racism-home/
The Government is being accused of going easy on Chinese authorities when making trade deals for the infant formula industry.
Dozens of Kiwi brands made by small businesses going down the drain.
There were 200 brands – and now there are just 20.
Michael Barnett of the Infant Formula Exporters Association said “MPI have allowed them to control that process, so we’ve ended up with a small group of privileged exporters.”
He says many of those exporters are Chinese-owned companies based in New Zealand.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/business/infant-formula-agency-accused-government-going-easy-china?autoPlay=4785655384001
Thoughts?
My inside contact says follow the money.
I say .. also follow the political and personal relationships.
No-one who knows the culture would’ve expected anything different. But where were our government? Drunk? Asleep? Or bought and paid for?
Despite the growing attacks on Donald Trump from within the Republican establishment, all three of his challengers vowed to support Trump if he wins the nomination.
Has anybody else seen Pete Georges new profile picture on YourNZ ???
Something ain’t right.
Think he’s having a mental break down.
I’m still giggling at his description of himself as a “better democracy campaigner”.
“Eminem” anyone ?