What will the Labour leadership team look like come Monday should, as is likely, he loses the defamation case?
Things to consider:
The party didn’t vote for him
Caucus didn’t vote for him
He’s only leader because of the Unions
Jacinda already polls better than him
Labour rates lower than when Shearer was rolled
Does making Jacinda leader improve Labour’s chances in September? And who do you think would be her deputy? And can she improve Labour’s numbers enough to ensure they win without having to rely on duplicitous people like Winston First?
The case brings to light the questionable donations made to the national party by wealthy business people who go on to get government support in one way or another. Any good opposition leader would question the governments actions, which the incoming PM has, those with money and business interests do not like those types of questions shining a spotlight on their dealings. And it’s all in the view of the public.
I’ve heard of so many Nat party supporters and voters deciding to vote for Winnie this year, so many and I can’t say I blame them.
I have not heard of one Labour voter or supporter who will not be voting for Labour because of this court case, rather I’ve heard people tell me they support him even more.
The party didn’t vote for him. Wrong. The party voted in huge numbers for him. Caucus didn’t vote for him. Half wrong. Nearly half the caucus voted for him. He’s only leader because of the Unions. Wrong. Union votes represent only 20% of the final result – if my memory serves me right. Jacinda already polls better. Inevitable. In a shallow consumer obsessed society you have to expect a good looking young woman is going to register well in the polls. Its more a negative reflection of the ignorance and shallowness of many voters. Its not the vote that counts. Labour rates lower than when Shearer was rolled. Bullshit and jellybeans. There’s been a lot of murky water flowing under that bridge and Shearer may well have ended up faring a lot worse than Little. Labour and the Greens are now close enough to the Nats backs they can almost touch them.
Trying to resurrect the fractious times of yesteryear are you LivinInThebay? Who are you working for? Slater and Carrick?
Exactly. And while I think that Ardern is skilled as an MP and has good potential as a future leader, I think putting her in as leader now would be purely for the advantage of the show pony effect (a reflection on NZ politics not Ardern) but to the detriment of all the other things Little has achieved.
Besides, I think Anne is right and LivinintheBay is concern trolling.
Also if Andrew does lose, the righties will try and frame it as should Andrew go as leader to try to get Natz in by default again and distract from the real issues about their terrible performance and their constant taking of public money to the private sector.
Instead the question should be back to should big business be funding political parties and should our aid money being spent on aiding business not those that actually need it?
There is a David and Goliath issue. The average joe is unable to even stand up for their rights anymore, let alone speak them.
Do we still have freedom of speech in this country?
Are we now unable to question where public money goes in case some rabid right winger with too much dough litigates from their near grave, because that’s all they believe in and can get a cool $2 million for their troubles?
In the first round of votes he got only 15.63% of caucus, and only 25.71% of party votes. The Unions’ votes of 64.12% of the Union vote is all that even kept him in the voting. In fact he didn’t receive over 50% of any of the votes of than from the Unions in any of the rounds of voting.
Moving on to the alleged defamation – why didn’t he apologise straight away and issue a retraction? Why when it came to light a trust board awarded the contract and not the Govt (a board that Mr Ardern was on by the way) didn’t he also make that known? Leaving it as long as he did could make one think he isn’t really sorry for the accusations he made.
Holding the Govt to account is important, and we need a strong opposition but at the same time we also need our politicians to know how to go about that.
From the Election Rules governing Parliamentary Leadership elections:
3.2.3 The votes of each candidate in each section will be calculated as a percentage of the total votes cast in that section, and shall then be apportioned as follows:
Section 1, individual members of the New Zealand Labour Party – 40%
Section 2, members of the Parliamentary Labour Party – 40%
Section 3, the affiliate vote as detailed above – 20%.
Yep. I was right. Union votes represent only 20% of the total vote count under the preferential system adopted by the conference delegates in 2012.
Concern troll LITB sounds like someone I used to know. If so, he was once an LP member but ‘turned’ some years ago under a massive cloud.
Without support in caucus he wouldn’t be leader.
Without support in the membership he wouldn’t be leader.
Little happened to outright win the sector that had the weakest vote weighting, but he still wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without significant support from the other sectors.
His support from both caucus and the wider membership was very very low. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that Unions get to block vote he wouldn’t be leader.
They don’t “block vote”. Different unions cast different votes according to the internal processes determined by their members. Because lots of union members aren’t party members, and vice versa, yet the Labour Party and the union movement are closely aligned.
A bit like the relationship between the nats and rich fuckwits, only the left are more honest about it.
If it weren’t for the Unions he wouldn’t be leader.
Bullshit!
If you were to say… if it weren’t for the membership dah,dah… then you would have a point. Since your reading ability appears below normal, let me reiterate… the union vote counts for 20% of the final tally. Got it? 20%.
Andrew Little won the leadership because during the leadership candidate meetings around the country he convinced the majority of the membership that he was the best person for the job of leader. End of story.
You are NOT a member and you say you have never been a member, so you can bow to the superior knowledge of those of us who ARE members and who know a darn sight more than you do what happened.
Go read the article I posted which shows clearly the voting % in each round of voting. He lagged a long way behind other candidates in the caucus and membership votes. That is a matter of public record. He got over the line because he had massive union support, even if that support ‘only counted’ for 20% of the vote.
Candidate Andrew Little Grant Robertson
Percentage 50.52%[1] 49.48%
Caucus 6.25% 17.5%
Members 10.28% 15.3%
Affiliates 12.82%. 3.78%
That was the final round – so Little won by 0.04% of the vote, and the only vote he won was the Union vote. So tell me again how the Unions weren’t responsible for him winning?
The Little/Ardern combination really gives you guys the shits. The “cosmetic change” approach tanked so you’re rehashing the Labour caucus leadership election? How democratic was the fucking change in prime minister?
Little is an awful leader. Which is probably why he polls at 7%.
For the right Ardern could actually be a god send as she’d be eaten alive in debates. She really is an example of form over substance.
As for the PM, I hate the fact someone can resign as PM and another can come in without having faced the electorate. That said someone on here posted along the lines of “we don’t vote for the leader” so on that basis given National won they are entitled to do it. Still something I don’t like myself and personally don’t think English has a mandate.
But carry on with the insults – note that I haven’t once resorted to insulting anyone here.
That said someone on here posted along the lines of “we don’t vote for the leader” so on that basis given National won they are entitled to do it.
As one of the people who posted along those lines (truthfully, at that, because Prime Ministers genuinely aren’t chosen by a poll of voters), I can tell you that Bill English has the same mandate to be Prime Minister as every other Prime Minister in recent history – he was handed the job by his colleagues. If Little becomes PM, at least he can say the franchise for his mandate extended a little further than his parliamentary caucus.
Changing leader at this stage in the electoral cycle would destroy Labour’s chances completely. At this point winning is dependent on presenting as competent as a party and yet another leadership change would undermine that.
Little will make a good PM and he’s been doing a good job at leading Labour. Focus on the strengths.
Money is needed in elections to find pretty much everything.
How would you see it working ifnthere wasn’t money involved?
Similarly, in a democratic society l, with the right of free speech isn’t it a right for all of us to be able to donate to whoever we want to?
These people seem to have donated to pretty much all the major parties over the years. And also, just because one party is better than another at fund raising should that be a reason to stop donations?
The rule of one person one vote is built on the principle that each individual should have an equal influence over the result of an election.
If money can be used to exercise influence then its use must also conform to that principle.
Therfore:
– no donations from organisations of any sort.
– transparent donations from named individuals only not exceeding 0.05% of the median fulltime income in any one year
– topup funding from the state especially during election campaigns. Most likely proportional to a party’s level of support.
I think these are very clear principles that would be supported by all true democrats.
Ok, so let’s say funding from the State was to happen – I don’t agree with it but I’ll play along.
How much do parties get, and howndo you allocate it? Does everyone get the same? If so why should a party polling a lot lower than another get the same? After all they’re not as popular.
Thanks for listing the National Party’s talking points for us, but if you want to do this on a regular basis you need to learn how to dress it up so it looks more like a personal opinion and less like you’re reading it off a piece of paper.
Not reading it from a piece of paper. And am not a National party member either. I would call myself a Capitalist/Socialist.
I believe in strong leadership, strong government, and also strong opposition. I dislike oppos My goodnpolicy for the sake of opposing. I’d think much more of politicians if when things are good for the country they admit it regardless of political persuasion – that’s probably naive of me but there you go.
I also believe in choice. Choice of schooling, choice of healthcare, choice of where I can live/work/play.
I believe that the Govt should only be providing essential services as they do a crap job running businesses, and that the private sector run business far better than any politician ever will.
I believe in freedom of speech and association. I’m not religious, but believe in freedom to worship who one wants to worship.
I believe in law and order and a strong police force. I believe there’s consequences to ones actions.
And I definitely don’t get my views from a piece of paper 🙂
I believe in capitalism. Without it we wouldn’t have the great things we have. We wouldn’t have some of the fantastic products we all take for granted – the phone I’m using to make this post for instance.
What I don’t like, is the obscene profits some of these companies make – how much money does one person need?
I also firmly believe in the welfare state – to a point. Helping those who genuinely can’t help themselves is something a civilised society should be proud of. The problem with the welfare state though, is some, not all, but some take advantage. It’s also hugely costly. Same with NZ Super – it’s amassive cost that is only going to increase as we get older, and have children later, and live longer.
I also dislike Govt control. The Govt should control very little of our lives. The vast majority of us can get on just fine without it.
Free speech has been mentioned – this is another bastion of a free society and should not be infringed. But that doesn’t mean you can defame someone which if you take off your Labour bias you’d admit that’s what Andrew has done here – linking a donation to potential corruption automatically links the person ornpwolle who made that donation.
Anyway, that’s why I call myself a capitalist/socialist. Maybe it is an oxymoron, but it fits how I think and view the world.
Basically, you’re a tory who wants the government to assist the “deserving poor” just enough that they don’t put you off your restaurant dining experience.
linking a donation to potential corruption automatically links the person ornpwolle who made that donation.
In the same way that checking to see if a person was struck “automatically links” them to a potential assault.
The one thing private enterprise does not do well is run public services, think Serco, think private hospitals who dump their private patients back on the public system as soon as there is a complication, think private schools who do not cater for the special needs of some children, think NGO,s who dump there difficult clients back on to the State system,
Livininthebay i think you are livininfools paradise and not livininaninclusivesociety.
OK, not a National Party member, just someone whose beliefs fit with the National Party and who happened to post the Party’s talking points on this thread. Glad we could clear that up.
Er, every sentence in comment 1. None of them is particularly more of a Nat talking point than the others.
Do you mean the fact that Mr Ardern sat on the board that awarded the contract to Scenic? Or is that just an inconvenient truth?
That wasn’t in the comment, but provides a handy example. It’s an irrelevant piece of information that might at first glance appear relevant to casual readers not familiar with what the term “relevant” means, and also sounds like it ought to be politicially damaging to Little in some way, although not in any way you could actually put your finger on. It’s a true statement that implies malfeasance or incompetence without actually claiming it or having any basis for claiming it, which makes it perfect propaganda material for dropping into conversations about the case. This is why it’s been handed to you for insertion here, although “handing it to you” may just have consisted of you reading it on Kiwblog, Whaleoil or similar.
But he was in the board, and still people here in particular seem to think the Govt awarded the contract.
The inconvenient truth is the above – Mr Ardern is really neither here nor there, it is ironic though.
I know you won’t believe it, butnthe above are my thoughts and mine alone. And for what it’s worth, I’m permanently banned from WhaleOil for providing dissenting opinion on his/her articles. Which is also ironic given he says he welcomes debate.
Ok, your own thoughts exactly match the talking points being distributed by Nat blogs. Not something I’d be proud of myself, but each to his own.
…still people here in particular seem to think the Govt awarded the contract.
Well, some maybe. I’d phrase it more like “people here in particular know that anything in which Murray McCully is even peripherally involved can be assumed likely to be well dodgy.”
“If” it goes against Andrew Little I hope those in New Zealand who feel it is the duty of the leader of the loyal opposition to hold the Government to account, are prepared to put their hand in their pockets to group fund his costs.
Surely civilised debate should be above that? I never understand the need to belittle people with insults such as “gutter scum”. To me it goes a way to negating your argument.
The bottom line is that the government appears to be running scared with its quick acceptance of the NZDF clean up job. One video from a US helicopter and the NZDF report on the raid – a chronicle of events that leaves numerous questions unanswered – is all that it took to convince PM Bill English that all was hunky dory that night. Given that there were likely to be multiple camera angles and audio communications recorded during the raid… the fact that just one served to convince the PM of the veracity of the NZDF account leaves me with only one simple conclusion with regard to Mr. English. In the words of Jack Nicholson playing a Marine Colonel under investigation for covering up a homicide… in the movie “A Few Good Men:”
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Perfectly sums up the current Govt. stance on the story.
Ray .If we don’t the Hagamans will seize Andrews house, gift it to the double dipper to add to his collection. Double dipper will then in turn rent it back to Andrew. Claim a grand a week back on it, and become Triple dipper.
Leave all as is . I don,t believe he set out to “defame” whatever the court outcome is . It would have been stupid to and he is not stupid. This is said by someone who is not necessarily a Labour supporter or an any party supporter , but one who votes on the year and the issues in front and the qualities of the people standing for the electorate.
BUT this round I definitely will not be voting National! I wish Winnie for PM and Little his righthand man – somehow – with lots of Green MPs ! Then National will be kicked for touch !
While I understand the attraction for some of Peters, the only parties committed to changing the govt and preventing National from a 4th term are Labour and the Greens. NZF could choose National under the right circumstances.
Gosh I don’t understand anyone voting for Winston.
I understand people voting Greens or Labour or National or Act. They’ve all shown consistency in their thoughts and policies over the last election cycle.
The only consistency Winston has shown is that he is an opportunist and will jump at most news cycles to get more exposure. He literally never delivers, and is a proven liar. NZF are still, as far as I am aware, to repay the money to the tax payer they spent illegally.
As a left or right supporter, why would you vote for someone that could jump either way depending on how big the bauble is?
No, if Winston is the answer the question is definitely wrong.
If you are an avid watcher of Parliament and have been for many years, you would have observed on many occassions how Winny gets on with the outgoing government, no love lost there.
You obviously don’t live in Northland.
I have always found Winston to be consistent on the big issues for years and years.
He consistently “listens” and correctly reflects back the views of the majority – the “silent” majority.
We all know he is very experienced at getting his vocal messages out but I am amazed at just how visible and available he has been in Northland. I hear he also works solidly behind the scenes for individuals.
But most importantly he has the experience, confidence and presence needed of a PM. I hate to see this go to waste and National get in again!
Based on the fact that the Natz even can arrange for the SIS to work for them and defame opposition like in the Phil Goff case, then it looks more like a set up for Natz cronies to cheat and cling to power by creating a scandal that takes the focus off their appalling running of this country into the ground and the theft and exploitation of it.
Hey Janet, I like your ideas 😀 A friend and I thought that Winston would make a wonderful “Speaker” of the House, as well as the Minister for Seniors (would be great to have a new ministry looking after the seniors). He was brilliant as Minister of Foreign Affairs and would make a very fine PM. It will be a great day when we can finally feel proud of our PM, it’s sure been a long time coming.
It sure is going to be an exciting election this year.
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President Hillary Clinton quietly sent her son-in-law, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, to Iraq on Monday, adding “winning the war against ISIS” to his growing list of responsibilities, which also include “solving Middle East peace,” “heading the new White House Office of American Innovation,” “managing the U.S.-China summit,” and “ending the opioid crisis.” The Chinese government, convinced of Mezvinsky’s importance in the Clinton White House, not only has established a “back channel” to him through its ambassador in Washington, it has also quietly encouraged a Chinese state bank to invest in his troubled hedge fund. While Clinton’s husband has largely stayed out of the White House and remained at home in New York, her daughter Chelsea has also taken a unpaid role in the administration while continuing to run the family foundation and earning five- and six-figure fees giving speeches to corporations with interests in Washington. Meanwhile, most top sub-Cabinet level positions are still unfilled, though in one piece of unexpected news, longtime Clinton confidante and political adviser Sidney Blumenthal has been removed from his brief stint as a member of the National Security Council.
The statement from Little that some could interpret as defamatory to the Hagamans is still on the Labour Party website. Is that wise, given the defamation proceedings that are happening at the moment?
I can imagine the Hagamans would not have been too happy about this from the statement:
It is why I have today written to the Auditor-General asking her to investigate whether Earl Hagaman – who was the largest living financial donor to the National Party – giving money to the party at the same time his company was tendering for the Niue contract was above board.
It’s the 5 or 6 statements to the media he then followed that up with that are where the defamation allegedly occurred.
I quote:
“The Hagamans’ lawyer Richard Fowler QC said Little’s comments went beyond a neutral position that the issue required investigation, as his use of the phrases “stinks to high heaven”, “murky” and “dodgy deals” showed.”
Yeah Right! Now that Assad is holding all the aces when it comes to defeating his enemies and the fact that Trump’s approval rating by the American public is below 35%, the major aggressors in the middle east can ease up.
Trump is playing the American public like a fiddle, just like during the election campaign. The USA will never send boots on the ground to fight Assad and sending the air force against Russian planes is out of the question, even Donald won’t be forced to play that game against Putin.
So basically Putin can back down publicly, or the Trump administration can back down publicly/disown the statement, or we’re looking at a war where both sides officially have troops on the ground.
Watch as Porter & Ross with 50+ tomahawks gives Assad a subtle message. No reply by the Russians, which means Putin is put on notice despite their two military bases. Trump is singing a different tune as the Generals call the shots in Washington.
edit: I’m not opposed to the strikes as such, and if the generals are in charge that’s not too bad. But the Russian committment is a massively complicating factor that to me requires serious input from diplomats, as well.
Before the tomahawks hit their target, the Russian top brass in Syria were notified/warned what was going to happen.
“But the Russian commitment is a massively complicating factor that to me requires serious input from diplomats, as well”. What the FUCK are you on about? The reason for Russian involvement in Syria is quite elementary. Do a little bit of research before shooting off your mouth.
Bases and internal prestige, as well as some nice systems evaluation opportunities.
But my point is that it’s all very well retaliating against someone who doesn’t have significant support from a dominant power, leave it to the generals. Fine.
But the changes in the state department, trump’s appointments, and his personality suggest that when it comes to nuances about international diplomacy, the US is a blind bull in a china shop (giggles @ appropriate metaphor).
So they warned the Russian top brass. Did they leave time for it to filter down to evacuate troops on the ground? Were they damned sure there weren’t even a couple of airplane mechanics advising the syrians on maintenance at that base? You know, genuine reasons for the Russians to get pissed rather than “yeah, fair call, Assad deserved a slap in the face”. Is the damage from the attack so bad it changes the picture in the battle zone, or is it just an inconvenience?
This isn’t like launching cruise missiles at Afghanistan or even Saddam’s Iraq: you might piss off someone who can do something in response. Do you trust trump to know how to deal with that sort of situation? I sure don’t.
You may want to get back to your readers, when you have some pertinent info instead of spouting off your fairy tale opinions.
You seem to have no idea about the time line of this event, who was informed and why Shayrat Air Base was targeted.
Well, if you have any you can feel free to present it, rather than just doing a TS-typical “you know nothing you silly person, educate yourself while I offer no evidence or even formulate an explicit contrary opinion”.
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Had a look at the Great Greens and it looks pretty good to me. It emphasises it is onto the modern pace, that any age, nationality, can be for the NZ life and citizenship. They are thinking of the future, that life should have its fun times that everyone can enjoy, that others out there care about the country and want friendly interaction with others, and they introduced a bit of humour, a cute animal, and I give it 100%. Time later for more definite details. We have lost our vision of NZ as a good place to live in, and this gives us a series of images to hold onto and showing the sort of outgoing, non pretentious people that it is easy to warm to.
That’s my feeling.
Donald Trump can show off to the media that he can walk on water, and the sooner the better.
It’s cheery, bright and full of smiley faces, but politically it doesn’t inspire me. It’s more like a send yourself to Wellington ad. Unlike Trumps ad that hits at the core of the problem. Thus I would have preferred something more along those lines.
The Chairman
Perhaps they are tailored to the progress of the campaign. Could it be they start off smiley before we get into the teeth baring when they may look too lightweight? Hitting the core of the problem at this moment may be too much of a punch, and they are saving that for the ko at the end. Woohoo for that.
Anyone who wants serious information about the Greens would look at their website, esp the policy and press releases.
The Chairman has a ratio of something like 90% negative criticism to 10% positive (Greens and Labour). Comparing the Greens to Trump tells me they don’t know much about the Greens, what they are doing or why. It’s a complete no-sequitur.
I like the video and agree that it’s part of a tailored campaign. Their strategy this year is showing voters who they are as people and as a party (they reckon that people know what their environmental stances are), and that they’re engaged and competent. This is the start of that.
weka
Any party seriously wanting to grow their support and voter interest to go look at their website would want to ensure they have an effective ad/marketing campaign to entice more to go there in the first place.
I wasn’t comparing the Greens to Trump. The Trump commercial was an example of the type of hard hitting political ad that inspired me.
The Greens ad didn’t relay they are engaged with the issues we are facing. Nor did they come across as professional and competent, but it did portray them and their supporters as a diverse, warm and cheery bunch.
However, those with serious political concerns and those doing it ruff will be wondering what they are so happy and cheery about? Therefore, to some, this ad would paint the Greens as being somewhat out of touch.
weka
As for being critical, am I not allowed to dislike the Green’s ad? Moreover, to express that dislike?
Does ones criticism have to fall within a certain ratio (negative positive) to be acceptable or considered? Was insinuating I’m more critical than not your attempt to somewhat invalidate me, thus imply any criticism from me holds no merit?
Surely it’s the criticism you should be looking at and addressing, not the ratio of ones criticism.
Can you not see how the Greens could benefit from the feedback (albeit if it’s criticism)? If a large number feel like me, it would be in their best interest to change tack. If I’m the odd one out and it’s widely liked, then they will know they are on the right track.
Additionally, if the Greens were confidently and genuinely happy with their ad, then wouldn’t any criticism merely be water off a ducks back?
The same applies to any party and the positions (and policies) they take or propose. Fear of criticism doesn’t relay confidence in their stance. And if they don’t believe in it, why would voters?
The Little jury is out now.
Jastice Karen Clark said to the jury: “…As Lani Hagaman had not been named by Little in any of his comments, the jury had to decide whether an ordinary, fair-minded reader would identify her as being criticised.
Clark said she had ruled that Little’s comments were protected by qualified privilege as he had a duty, “whether legal or social or moral”, to comment.
However, that defence could be “defeated or effectively negated” if the jury found his comments were predominantly motivated by ill will targeted directly at the Hagamans, or if he had taken improper advantage of the occasion….”
”Clark said she had ruled that Little’s comments were protected by qualified privilege as he had a duty, “whether legal or social or moral”, to comment.”
if that isn’t judge code for chuck this case in the trash were it belongs ill eat my cow shit stained hat.
Apparently the jury has retired for the weekend. Can’t find anything on the Stuff or RNZ websites but the Herald’s Claire Trevett gives me the impression that she really, really, really want’s the jury to find in the plaintiffs’ favour. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11834187
When housing problems became overwhelming in London in the 1960-70s young people would squat. And though frowned on it didn’t mean that you would be evicted by uniformed armed men. Does anyone have a tale to tell about those days?
Holiday homes are part of it. Lots of holiday towns have high rates of housing not permanently occupied. You can find the stats on line by city/town (can’t remember where).
The number of unoccupied dwellings rose 16.4 percent between 2006 and 2013. There were:
185,448 in 2013
159,276 in 2006.
In 2013, 1 in 10 dwellings were unoccupied. Nearly one-quarter were classified as unoccupied because all the occupants were temporarily away at the time of the census, but about three-quarters had no occupants at all.
Every region had more unoccupied dwellings than at the last census, although there was little change in the Auckland region. The largest percentage increase was in the Canterbury region, which had 28,317 unoccupied dwellings in 2013, up from 18,117 in 2006. This was a 56.3 percent increase, and was related to the 2010–11 Canterbury earthquakes.
Can’t find the Auckland or Welly numbers but here are some SI ones,
“There are 46,590 occupied dwellings and 3,915 unoccupied dwellings in Dunedin City.
…
There are 186 dwellings under construction in Dunedin City, and 9,756 under construction in New Zealand.”
“There are 11,508 occupied dwellings and 4,467 unoccupied dwellings in Queenstown-Lakes District.
…
There are 237 dwellings under construction in Queenstown-Lakes District, and 9,756 under construction in New Zealand.”
Woolsey’s beaten John bomb Iran Bolton to the punch.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey stopped by Jake Tapper’s show on CNN* to talk bombs, Iran and Syria. His goal, apparently, was to make the case that not only should the United States bomb Syria in retaliation for the gas attack earlier this week (because killing more innocents is clearly a way to punish Assad?), but also Iran
Breaking: U.S. launches cruise missiles at Syrian regime airbase in response to chemical attack https://t.co/JjOtG3LE6O— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 7, 2017
I sincerely hope, that if this is the first of a series of steps by western governments that we, ordinary people, see to it that it all blows up in the fuckers faces like nothing they’ve ever seen before.
” The airstrikes were carried out less than an hour after the president concluded a dinner with Xi Jinping, the president of China, at his estate in Mar-a-Lago in Florida, sending an unmistakably aggressive message about Mr. Trump’s willingness to use the military power at his disposal.
Mr. Trump authorized the strike with no congressional approval for the use of force, an assertion of presidential authority that contrasts sharply with the protracted deliberations over the use of force by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.
Unlike Mr. Obama, who weighed — and ultimately rejected — the use of a similar strike at targets after Syria used chemical weapons in 2013, Mr. Trump moved with remarkable speed, delivering the punishing military strike barely 72 hours after the devastating chemical attack that killed 80 people this week.”
With all the denial going on over Hit and Run, this interview on Hardtalk nine years ago is a very telling reminder of what we should be doing our utmost to avoid.
Science should never be protected from critical and rational discussion. Funding bodies should also be aware of problems in the research they fund. Image credit:The value of experience in criticizing research. The ...
A discussion document on our TIES legislation was introduced by the Conservation Minister recently. This Act is the main tool we use to as a party of the CITES treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 1973). The motivation for the proposed changes clearly comes from the dramatic decline ...
Last week, the government introduced an odious bill to allow it to apply "control orders" - effectively a bail regime - on suspected terrorists entering New Zealand, without the need for prosecution or evidence. But National refused to support it (because, naturally, it wasn't tyrannical enough), meaning the bill looked ...
As expected, the government has chickened out on agricultural emissions. Given the option to put farmers in the ETS and make them properly pay for their pollution like the rest of us, they have instead decided to threaten them with it, in the hope that this will cause climate-change denying ...
Some of us at Redline are part of a Marxist and anarchist gender-critical e-group that consists of activists in several countries – trade unionists, women’s liberation activists, gay and straight, male and female. Through this we became aware of the case outlined below. Thanks to Thistle for writing this for ...
Tiwai Point's electricity contract is up for renewal. And as usual, they're sticking their hand out, demanding a government subsidy, and threatening to close if they don't get one:The owners of the aluminium smelter said on Wednesday that there were seeking talks with the Government amid a strategic review which ...
Climate 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 like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzEveryone is going on about reducing our carbon footprint, zero ...
So, it turns out that the ACT Party - which previously called itself "the liberal party" - is financed by Nazis:ACT Party leader David Seymour says his party will not return a donation from Mike Allen, a Christchurch businessman who sells mock "Make America Great Again" hats to fund advertising ...
Just in case you don’t have a seven-year-old boy in your house (in which case this will be obvious) a well-known brand of breakfast cereal here in NZ is currently coming with All-Blacks stats cards. Perfect for finding out your favourite rugby player’s height, number of caps, and how much ...
Over the past month we've heard some horrificstories about bullying in the police. The police's response? Try to bully people into silence:The police have told a whistleblower to retract his statements to RNZ about being bullied or face legal action. The demand came just hours after Police Commissioner Mike ...
Today is a Member's Day, which should see the final part of the committee stage of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. The big question today is the referendum clause: will it be necessary, or can the bill pass without it? While the majorities for his amendments during the ...
One of the key arguments used by trans ideologists is that some male-bodied people (ie men) are women because they ‘feel’ they are women. To make this hocus-pocus sound a bit more credible, some will argue that such men have a ‘female brain’. But this is thoroughly anti-scientific too. . ...
Canadians went to the polls today in parliamentary elections, and appear to have re-elected blackface wearer Justin Trudeau. Unfortunately, they use first-past-the-post, and they've provided a perfect demonstration of how unfair this system is:PartySeats% Seats% VoteLiberal15746.4%33.1%Conservative12135.8%34.4%Bloc Québécois329.5%7.7%New Democratic Party247.1%15.9%Green Party30.9%6.5%Other10.3%2.4% [Results from Elections Canada] Yes, the Liberals got fewer votes ...
A few days ago, a friend sent me a link to a health-related FB page that had published a post from a homeopathist, offering homeopathic “vaccination”¹ against measles (using something called a “Morbillinum nosode” at a “potency” of 200C, which I’ll explain shortly). I followed the link, left a comment ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh This year marks the 20th anniversary of the La Gabarra massacre. The community organised an event to remember the most well-known of the horrendous heart-breaking events that befell the communities of this area of the municipality of Tibú: the massacre carried out on August 21st 1999. ...
There was another police chase in Christchurch this morning, resulting in a crash which killed one person and injured five more. Because someone died, the chase is being investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority. And based on previous reports by the IPCA, we know how it will go: the ...
Just a month ago we saw the biggest protest in a generation as people marched to demand stronger action on climate change. A core demand of the protesters was to strengthen the Zero Carbon Bill's target to net-zero by 2040. So what is the government's response? Judging by the ...
Back in 2010, I wrote about the strange tale of the zombie ants, which do the bidding of their fungal overlords. (They’re not an isolated example; a range of parasites change their hosts’ behaviour. See here and here for example – though as you’ll find, the toxoplasmosis story may be ...
Shouldn't That Be: "Wrong White Crowd"? Rather than apportion guilt, would it not have been wiser for the makers of Land Of The Long White Cloud to accept that the Pakeha of 2019 are not – and never will be – “Europeans”? Just as contemporary Maori are not – and ...
One, Two, Many Truths: With the collapse of “actually existing socialism” in 1991, the universities of the West found themselves saddled with a new mission. With their ideological competitors now soundly defeated they were no longer required to demonstrate the superiority of capitalist values. Their job now was to cement ...
by the Council of Disobedient Women We call on the Council of Trade Unions to show some fortitude and take a stand with your sisters. Unionists know that there is a material world, otherwise workers could simply identify out of poverty. They could declare themselves Well Paid. Why stop ...
I spent some time reading the Regulatory Impact Statement and Bill of Rights Act advice for the government's odious control order scheme today. I am not impressed with either of them. Starting with the RIS, it is built on some pretty questionable assumptions. For example:Unless individuals have been convicted of ...
#NoFly: Walking the talk on climate change, by Shaun Hendy. BWB Texts, 2019. Reviewed by Robert McLachlan In June 2018, Swede Maja Rosén founded We stay on the ground with a pledge not to fly in 2019, and a goal of persuading 100,000 other Swedes to join her. In August, ...
We all know that NZ First is a party of and for old people who hate the young. But they've topped their previous pedophobia with a proposal that all young people be forced to do 100 hours community work:NZ First wants all young people to do 100 hours of community ...
A couple days ago the NZ Herald published a story with the headline, “Science says Bella Hadid is world’s most beautiful woman“, and followed up with the ridiculous statement that Supermodel Bella Hadid has been declared as the world’s most beautiful woman following a scientific study into what constitutes as ...
A Sustainable Proposition: With as much as 18 percent of the electorate declaring itself “undecided” about who to vote for, there is obviously plenty of space for a party like former Green Party member, Vernon Tava's, about-to-be-launched "Sustainable NZ Party" to move into. The most hospitable political territory for such ...
Keir Starmer has hinted that Labour might vote in favour of the Johnson government's shoddy deal, with the proviso that a second referendum is attached:Speaking to BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said: “We will see what that looks like but it makes sense to say that by whatever ...
In 1994, I was the editor for an issue of Planet magazine focused on cannabis, its culture and the prospects for the end of its prohibition. Part of that issue was an interview with 'Ringo', an experienced cannabis dealer.I recently posted my essay from that issue, and I figured it ...
Dr Helen Waite, sports sociologist and former elite athlete, on the invasion of women’s sport by men and the anti-scientific and misogynist ideology used to rationalise it. ...
As Brexit comes to a grisly conclusion (perhaps) people on all sides are saying intemperate and uwise things. Some, like the Daly Mail, have been doing it for years.People as normally level headed as Jon Lansman are calling for automatic deselection of MPs who vote against a (likely) Labour three ...
I've got one source saying more Labour MPs than expected are mulling whether to vote for the deal - including names who were not on the letter to Juncker and Tusk— Emilio Casalicchio (@e_casalicchio) 17 October 2019 I've compiled a list of possible reasons why Labour ...
On Wednesday, the government was loudly telling us that it needed to legislate to allow it to impose "control orders" - effectively a parole regime, but imposed without charge, prosecution, conviction or real evidence - on suspected terrorists because they couldn't be prosecuted for their supposed crimes. Today, it turns ...
On Monday, the Hit and Run inquiry heard from NZDF's former director of special operations, who claimed that the defence Minister knew everything about the Operation Burnham raid. Today, the inquiry heard from that (former) Minister - and it turns out that he didn't know nearly as much as NZDF ...
Yoga gurus and cult leaders – I’ve seen a few. Two weeks ago, I unknowingly joined an alleged new-age cult at the Kāpiti coast, together with a giant kraken and some neatly dressed pensioners who would make any book club proud.They were among the two hundred people of all ages ...
The last decade has seen a trend of increasing weapons availability to police. Assault rifles. Tasers on every hip. Guns in cars. And following the march 15 massacre, pistols on every hip, all over the country. At the same time, its also seen an increase in the abuse of force: ...
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busy preparing for our summer paper on Science Communication. Looking for something amusing about ‘risk’ in science, I came across this neat xkcd.com cartoon about why so many people come knocking on my door (or phoning me, or emailing me) desperately wanting ...
by John Edmundson The International Socialist Organisation (ISO) have recently reposted a February article, by Romany Tasker-Poland, explaining ISO’s position in the “trans rights” debate. It is available on their website and on their Facebook Page. The article sets out to explain why “socialists support trans rights”. It reads more ...
"Auckland City Mission: 10% of Kiwis experiencing food insecurity", RNZ, 16 October 2019:About half a million people are experiencing food insecurity, according to new research from the Auckland City Mission. Food insecurity, or food poverty, is defined as not having enough appropriate food. The City Mission said over the last ...
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...
There is plenty of evidence of the way the business mentality has permeated every level of society since the recrudescence of market liberalism 35 years ago. You only need to think of how citizens in need of help from their government, their state, their country, are now routinely described as ...
John MacCormickOver the last 40 years, New Zealanders – and people in other countries – have experienced big changes in the jobs they do and where they live and work. These changes include: a decline in manufacturing jobs an increase in jobs in ‘information-intensive’ industries (which are better paid ...
Nick Wilson, Leah Grout, Mereana Wilson, Anja Mizdrak, Phil Shoemack, Michael BakerProtecting waterways has the benefits of: (1) protecting water from hazardous microbes; (2) minimising cancer risk and other problems from nitrates in water; (3) avoiding algal blooms that are hazardous to health; (4) protecting mahinga kai uses (cultural ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In a press release today Massey University announced it has decided to rebrand and reorientate after struggling to be a University for grown-ups. For some time the University has wanted to be a safe play space for wee-woke-misogynists who have been really badly triggered ...
After a brief dalliance with 'hard Revoke' it looks like the Lib Dems are changing ground on on Brexit, with leader Jo Swinson reverting to calling for a second referendum on Johnson's deal.The party has tabled an amendment to the Queen’s speech requesting that any deal brought back from Brussels ...
The government has decided that someone has done Something Bad. But despite their belief, there seems to be no evidence that they have actually broken the law. So the government's solution is to pass a retrospective law allowing them to be punished anyway, on a lower standard of proof. If ...
So, Judith Collins has done a Facebook rant about climate change, peddling the same shit National has been shovelling for the past twenty years: the impacts are overstated, there's no need to do anything about it, and its too hard anyway (oh, and its so unfair that people who peddle ...
Climate 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 like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzThere is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...
I came across this song quite by accident. If it isn't one of Greta Thunberg's favourites - it should be.Video courtesy of YouTube.This post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
Last month, NZDF's shoddy coverup of what it knew about civilian casualties in Operation Burnham began to fall apart, with the revelation that a report on the matter, which NZDF claimed not to have, had been sitting in an NZDF safe for the past nine years. Yesterday, the man responsible ...
While many imagine that countries like the USA and Europe dominate space activities, in fact India is now a major player on this stage. It launches satellites for its own purposes and also commercially, and has constellations orbiting our planet and returning data of vital importance to that nation in ...
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...
For the past week, Extinction Rebellion has been peacefully protesting in London to demand action on climate change. The British government's response? Ban their protests:Police have banned Extinction Rebellion protests from continuing anywhere in London, as they moved in almost without warning to clear protesters who remained at the movement’s ...
An essay by Judith Collins MP reported on Carbon News yesterday seems to show an alarming shift in attitude within the National Party. Collins argues against the Zero Carbon Bill, the Paris Agreement, and downplays the magnitude of climate impacts. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 and ratified ...
When they were running for election, Labour promised to overhaul the Employment Relations Act and introduce fair pay agreements to set basic pay and conditions on an industry level, preventing bad employers from undercutting good ones. They followed this up by establishing a working group, which reported back in January ...
A list of indicators of bad science – many of these are found in articles promoted by anti-fluoride activists. Anti-fluoride activists have been pouring money into a scaremongering campaign warning pregnant women not to drink fluoridated water. They claim fluoride will lower the IQ of their future child. Fluoride ...
Nothing Left To Say: Labour's pollster, Stephen Mills, remains swaddled-up in the comforting myths of the 1980s. As if the experience of Roger Douglas’s genuinely radical post-Muldoon policy agenda was literally a once-in-a-lifetime thing – as much as the party could possibly absorb for at least the next 50 years.MEMO ...
The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...
With an unfair voting system, uneven electorates and an un-elected upper house, the UK's "democracy" is barely worthy of the name. But now the government wants to make it worse:The government has been accused of suppressing voters’ rights with the potential disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of people after plans ...
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the building industry was building leaky homes which should never have been granted consent. Now it turns out they've been building dodgy office blocks as well:New imaging technology has revealed hundreds of major buildings nationwide have defective or missing concrete or reinforcing steel. ...
Local body election results were released over the weekend, to joy or despair depending on where you live. In Auckland, Phil Goff trounced John Tamihere, who is muttering darkly about running for Parliament again (but which party would want him?) Wellington is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weta Workshop, except ...
How could government evolve over the next decades? Reports of democracy’s imminent demise are greatly exaggerated. However, satisfaction with political systems in many countries is low, so there is much to do for governments of all political stripes to improve relevance and trust. Digital technologies are seen as one ...
Two years have now gone by since the Friday afternoon when my university-student son and I headed out of our Barcelona flat to a nearby primary school, designated as a polling station for the vote that was to be held the following Sunday: the referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain ...
Overruled: The joint decision of Finance Minister, Grant Robertson (Labour) and his Associate Minister, David Parker (Labour) arguably the two most powerful ministers in Jacinda Ardern’s government, to grant OceanaGold the consents which Land Information Minister, Eugenie Sage (Greens) had earlier denied them, offers bitter proof of how hard fighting ...
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...
A Statement on Abortion Law Reform by the Council of Disobedient Women On the eve of bringing an end to antiquated, anti-women abortion laws Green MP Jan Logie intends to write women out of the Bill. With a stroke of the pen, the woke are aiming for total erasure ...
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...
The Ugandan government wants to murder gay people:Uganda has announced plans to impose the death penalty on homosexuals. The bill, colloquially known as “Kill the Gays” in Uganda, was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government said on Thursday it plans to resurrect it within weeks. The ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), through its skills and employment programme,Te Ara Mahi, is investing a further $1.6m into Tairāwhiti’s workforce development, said Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. “This PGF funding follows on from significant PGF investment earlier this ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says the Government’s steps to reduce farm livestock emissions are necessary and timely. Today the Government and farming leaders announced a plan to measure and price emissions at the farm level by 2025. “Many farmers ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones has hit back at those who are upset over a change in approach to partnership visas. There has been a specific government directive to stop waiving requirements such as couples needing to have lived together for 12 months - a test Indian couples who have ...
The North Auckland Line rejuvenation kicks off with teams surveying the rail corridor and Northland construction contractors are showing interest in the project.KiwiRail provided an industry briefing for Northland contracting and construction companies about future work opportunities on rejuvenating Northland’s rail lines. The briefing session in Whangarei was held to ...
Journalist Andrew Dickens, reporting from the 2019 New Zealand First Conference, states that the Party once again proved “they are more than a sideshow”. In his op-ed article for NewstalkZB, Mr Dickens said he has always been an admirer of the Party, saying they are “a true centrist party”. “[NZ ...
New Zealand First's potential policy of compulsory community service for ages 15-19 years old has been getting support from those in the industry. A policy remit was passed during their recent Conference in Christchurch, gaining the support of a majority of its membership. Party leader Winston Peters has been talking ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Party hopes to decide it’s stance pill testing at music festivals "before the season of concern", with festivals generally held during the summer months. Mr Peters' comments come in an interview with TVNZ's Q+A and follow a remit from the party's youth ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says he has been told to be "alert" to potential cost blowouts for the light rail project in Auckland. Mr Peters said no such concerns were raised with him from ministerial colleagues, including Transport Minister Phil Twyford of the Labour Party. He suggested that ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First The Benefits of having New Zealand First in the Centre: Security, Experience & Balance 2.00pm, 20th October 2019 Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you all for your warm welcome to this, the party’s 26thConvention. Speaking on behalf of caucus colleagues, it’s great to ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Fletcher Tabuteau is travelling to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu this week to continue toadvance important bilateral relationships in our region consistent with thePacific Reset. Mr Tabuteau will engage in a range of bilateral meetings and visit New Zealand development ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...
Speaking at the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) biennial conference, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told unionists that any future attacks on the Government won't work. "Now, we are being attacked by the union movement in this country. You can have your views but I'm here to say standing ...
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill will have its first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Andrew Little says. “The control orders Bill will mean our community is better protected from the risks of the very small number of New Zealand citizens who have engaged in terrorism related activities overseas. ...
The Government and farming sector leaders have agreed to a world-first partnership to reduce primary sector emissions in one of the most significant developments on climate action in New Zealand's history. Today farming leaders and the Government announced a plan to join forces to develop practical and cost-effective ways to ...
More houses for homeless New Zealanders are being opened today in Tauranga by Associate Housing Minister Kris Faafoi. Six 2-bedroom quality units are being opened at 878 Cameron Road by Minister Faafoi and Accessible Properties, a local Community Housing Provider (CHP). Accessible Properties now provides more than 1,700 community housing ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson departs tomorrow for events and meetings in Japan and Vietnam. While in Japan, he will discuss economic and fiscal issues including meeting with the Minister of Finance, Taro Aso, and Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy, Yasutoshi Nishimura. He will meet with the Minister of Education, ...
The Government’s Housing Dashboard released today confirms record numbers of state houses are under construction and shows the Government build programme is gaining momentum. “After nine years of inaction, and a hands-off attitude from the previous government we’re starting to see things move in the right direction for housing,” says ...
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a ministerial statement relating to the Auckland fire. The Government is closely monitoring the situation with the fire at the NZ International Convention Centre and is thankful that everyone is now safe. Firefighters are doing an incredible job managing the fire and bringing it ...
The Government is investing in ambitious research that will digitise Te Reo, grow the low-carbon protein efficient aquaculture industry, help interpret environmental trends, and large data sets says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The four projects range from teaching Siri to speak Te Reo to crunching large environmental ...
A new education-to-employment brokerage service to strengthen connections between local employers and schools. Funding for more trades focused ‘speed-dating’ events to connect schools with employers. Promotional campaign to raise profile of vocational education. The Government is taking action to increase the number of young people taking up vocational education and ...
A Bill to improve prison security and ensure the fair, safe, and humane treatment of people in prison while upholding public safety has passed its third reading. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the Corrections Amendment Bill makes a number of changes to ensure the Corrections Act 2004 is fit for ...
Minister for Māori Development, Nanaia Mahuta, has selected Arihia Bennett MNZM, Chief Executive Officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, as the Te Puni Kōkiri appointed representative on the New Zealand-China Council. The New Zealand-China Council (the Council) was established in 2012 as a New Zealand led and funded organisation ...
Responsibility for processing the small number of Southern Response claims still to be settled will be transferred to EQC by the end of the year. “As claim numbers reduce, it no longer makes sense for the Crown to have two organisations processing the remaining Canterbury claims,” Grant Robertson says. “Since ...
Health Minister David Clark is encouraging Whanganui residents to take up the opportunity for free bowel screening, which can detect cancer early when it’s easier to treat. Over the next two years 12,000 Whanganui locals, aged 60 to 74 will be invited to participate in the National Bowel Screening ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, heads to Oslo today to represent New Zealand at the sixth Our Ocean Conference, which is being hosted by the Norwegian Government from the 23-24 October. “The Our Ocean Conference mobilises real action on issues like marine plastic pollution and the impacts of ...
Two secondary-school initiatives are being expanded as part of the Government’s plan to see more young New Zealanders take up a trade to help close the skills gap. This includes the largest single increase in Trades Academy places in recent years. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris ...
Session 4: Pacific Connectivity – Youth, Media and New Opportunities Kia ora tatou katoa and Warm Pacific greetings to one and all. Representatives of Tainui, the local people of the land, or manawhenua – the indigenous peoples of this area – have welcomed you this morning in accordance with ...
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Legislation Amendment Bill. “Every New Zealander has a stake in New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension,” says Carmel Sepuloni. “They are our most common form of social assistance – nearly 800,000 New ...
Babies in Auckland aged six months and over can receive a free vaccination and children will all have access to vaccines, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced today at Papatoetoe High School. The move comes as part of Government efforts to step up the fight against measles. ...
***Check against delivery*** Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here, and to have the honour of opening this important conference on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Let us take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have helped make today possible, including our special ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the safety of frontline officers and members of the public will be the focus of a new trial of specialist Police response teams in three of our largest urban centres. Police have this morning released details of an initiative to be trialled in Counties Manukau, ...
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Question
What will the Labour leadership team look like come Monday should, as is likely, he loses the defamation case?
Things to consider:
The party didn’t vote for him
Caucus didn’t vote for him
He’s only leader because of the Unions
Jacinda already polls better than him
Labour rates lower than when Shearer was rolled
Does making Jacinda leader improve Labour’s chances in September? And who do you think would be her deputy? And can she improve Labour’s numbers enough to ensure they win without having to rely on duplicitous people like Winston First?
The case brings to light the questionable donations made to the national party by wealthy business people who go on to get government support in one way or another. Any good opposition leader would question the governments actions, which the incoming PM has, those with money and business interests do not like those types of questions shining a spotlight on their dealings. And it’s all in the view of the public.
I’ve heard of so many Nat party supporters and voters deciding to vote for Winnie this year, so many and I can’t say I blame them.
I have not heard of one Labour voter or supporter who will not be voting for Labour because of this court case, rather I’ve heard people tell me they support him even more.
The party didn’t vote for him. Wrong. The party voted in huge numbers for him.
Caucus didn’t vote for him. Half wrong. Nearly half the caucus voted for him.
He’s only leader because of the Unions. Wrong. Union votes represent only 20% of the final result – if my memory serves me right.
Jacinda already polls better. Inevitable. In a shallow consumer obsessed society you have to expect a good looking young woman is going to register well in the polls. Its more a negative reflection of the ignorance and shallowness of many voters. Its not the vote that counts.
Labour rates lower than when Shearer was rolled. Bullshit and jellybeans. There’s been a lot of murky water flowing under that bridge and Shearer may well have ended up faring a lot worse than Little. Labour and the Greens are now close enough to the Nats backs they can almost touch them.
Trying to resurrect the fractious times of yesteryear are you LivinInThebay? Who are you working for? Slater and Carrick?
+1. NZers don’t party vote PMs. Putting Ardern in because of a popularity contest would be daft.
There’s more to being a leader than public popularity.
Exactly. And while I think that Ardern is skilled as an MP and has good potential as a future leader, I think putting her in as leader now would be purely for the advantage of the show pony effect (a reflection on NZ politics not Ardern) but to the detriment of all the other things Little has achieved.
Besides, I think Anne is right and LivinintheBay is concern trolling.
+1 Anne
Also if Andrew does lose, the righties will try and frame it as should Andrew go as leader to try to get Natz in by default again and distract from the real issues about their terrible performance and their constant taking of public money to the private sector.
Instead the question should be back to should big business be funding political parties and should our aid money being spent on aiding business not those that actually need it?
There is a David and Goliath issue. The average joe is unable to even stand up for their rights anymore, let alone speak them.
Do we still have freedom of speech in this country?
Are we now unable to question where public money goes in case some rabid right winger with too much dough litigates from their near grave, because that’s all they believe in and can get a cool $2 million for their troubles?
Thank you Anne for bringing us back to the facts from the alphabet soup of reality-deniers.
@Anne
I’m not sure where you got your numbers from:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Labour_Party_leadership_election,_2014
In the first round of votes he got only 15.63% of caucus, and only 25.71% of party votes. The Unions’ votes of 64.12% of the Union vote is all that even kept him in the voting. In fact he didn’t receive over 50% of any of the votes of than from the Unions in any of the rounds of voting.
Moving on to the alleged defamation – why didn’t he apologise straight away and issue a retraction? Why when it came to light a trust board awarded the contract and not the Govt (a board that Mr Ardern was on by the way) didn’t he also make that known? Leaving it as long as he did could make one think he isn’t really sorry for the accusations he made.
Holding the Govt to account is important, and we need a strong opposition but at the same time we also need our politicians to know how to go about that.
From the Election Rules governing Parliamentary Leadership elections:
Yep. I was right. Union votes represent only 20% of the total vote count under the preferential system adopted by the conference delegates in 2012.
Concern troll LITB sounds like someone I used to know. If so, he was once an LP member but ‘turned’ some years ago under a massive cloud.
I’ve never been a LP member so doubt I’m someone you know.
My point is that if it weren’t for the Unions he wouldn’t be leader. Like it or not, that much is fact.
ooow gee a labour party leader having the backing of the unions (those people that protect workers from scum) shocking news !!
My point was that without their support he wouldn’t be leader as the party membership clearly wanted someone else, as did caucus.
Without support in caucus he wouldn’t be leader.
Without support in the membership he wouldn’t be leader.
Little happened to outright win the sector that had the weakest vote weighting, but he still wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without significant support from the other sectors.
keep spinning, though
That is true enough, but again misses the point.
His support from both caucus and the wider membership was very very low. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that Unions get to block vote he wouldn’t be leader.
Whatever happened to one person, one vote?
They don’t “block vote”. Different unions cast different votes according to the internal processes determined by their members. Because lots of union members aren’t party members, and vice versa, yet the Labour Party and the union movement are closely aligned.
A bit like the relationship between the nats and rich fuckwits, only the left are more honest about it.
If it weren’t for the Unions he wouldn’t be leader.
Bullshit!
If you were to say… if it weren’t for the membership dah,dah… then you would have a point. Since your reading ability appears below normal, let me reiterate… the union vote counts for 20% of the final tally. Got it? 20%.
Andrew Little won the leadership because during the leadership candidate meetings around the country he convinced the majority of the membership that he was the best person for the job of leader. End of story.
You are NOT a member and you say you have never been a member, so you can bow to the superior knowledge of those of us who ARE members and who know a darn sight more than you do what happened.
Go and do your lying elsewhere.
Go read the article I posted which shows clearly the voting % in each round of voting. He lagged a long way behind other candidates in the caucus and membership votes. That is a matter of public record. He got over the line because he had massive union support, even if that support ‘only counted’ for 20% of the vote.
But hey, accuse me of lying all you like.
Here’s the figures for you:
Candidate Andrew Little Grant Robertson
Percentage 50.52%[1] 49.48%
Caucus 6.25% 17.5%
Members 10.28% 15.3%
Affiliates 12.82%. 3.78%
That was the final round – so Little won by 0.04% of the vote, and the only vote he won was the Union vote. So tell me again how the Unions weren’t responsible for him winning?
No more than any of the members and caucus who voted for him, but whatever.
How many national party members voted for Bill English as caucus leader/pm?
lolnice.
The Little/Ardern combination really gives you guys the shits. The “cosmetic change” approach tanked so you’re rehashing the Labour caucus leadership election? How democratic was the fucking change in prime minister?
Careful, your tory hypocrisy is showing…
Little is an awful leader. Which is probably why he polls at 7%.
For the right Ardern could actually be a god send as she’d be eaten alive in debates. She really is an example of form over substance.
As for the PM, I hate the fact someone can resign as PM and another can come in without having faced the electorate. That said someone on here posted along the lines of “we don’t vote for the leader” so on that basis given National won they are entitled to do it. Still something I don’t like myself and personally don’t think English has a mandate.
But carry on with the insults – note that I haven’t once resorted to insulting anyone here.
Except for insulting everyone’s intelligence.
That said someone on here posted along the lines of “we don’t vote for the leader” so on that basis given National won they are entitled to do it.
As one of the people who posted along those lines (truthfully, at that, because Prime Ministers genuinely aren’t chosen by a poll of voters), I can tell you that Bill English has the same mandate to be Prime Minister as every other Prime Minister in recent history – he was handed the job by his colleagues. If Little becomes PM, at least he can say the franchise for his mandate extended a little further than his parliamentary caucus.
Changing leader at this stage in the electoral cycle would destroy Labour’s chances completely. At this point winning is dependent on presenting as competent as a party and yet another leadership change would undermine that.
Little will make a good PM and he’s been doing a good job at leading Labour. Focus on the strengths.
The court case highlights the need to take the money out of election politics.
to Carolyn_ nth at 1.4 : Really good point …long time since I’ve heard it.
Agree – take the money out of election politics.
@Corolyn_nrh
Money is needed in elections to find pretty much everything.
How would you see it working ifnthere wasn’t money involved?
Similarly, in a democratic society l, with the right of free speech isn’t it a right for all of us to be able to donate to whoever we want to?
These people seem to have donated to pretty much all the major parties over the years. And also, just because one party is better than another at fund raising should that be a reason to stop donations?
You appear to be confusing money with speech.
The rule of one person one vote is built on the principle that each individual should have an equal influence over the result of an election.
If money can be used to exercise influence then its use must also conform to that principle.
Therfore:
– no donations from organisations of any sort.
– transparent donations from named individuals only not exceeding 0.05% of the median fulltime income in any one year
– topup funding from the state especially during election campaigns. Most likely proportional to a party’s level of support.
I think these are very clear principles that would be supported by all true democrats.
Ok, so let’s say funding from the State was to happen – I don’t agree with it but I’ll play along.
How much do parties get, and howndo you allocate it? Does everyone get the same? If so why should a party polling a lot lower than another get the same? After all they’re not as popular.
Oh and if money = election wins, why didn’t Clinton won given they spent a significant amount more than Trump?
Money has a powerful effect != money trumps all other factors.
Thanks for listing the National Party’s talking points for us, but if you want to do this on a regular basis you need to learn how to dress it up so it looks more like a personal opinion and less like you’re reading it off a piece of paper.
Hi @Psycho Milt
Not reading it from a piece of paper. And am not a National party member either. I would call myself a Capitalist/Socialist.
I believe in strong leadership, strong government, and also strong opposition. I dislike oppos My goodnpolicy for the sake of opposing. I’d think much more of politicians if when things are good for the country they admit it regardless of political persuasion – that’s probably naive of me but there you go.
I also believe in choice. Choice of schooling, choice of healthcare, choice of where I can live/work/play.
I believe that the Govt should only be providing essential services as they do a crap job running businesses, and that the private sector run business far better than any politician ever will.
I believe in freedom of speech and association. I’m not religious, but believe in freedom to worship who one wants to worship.
I believe in law and order and a strong police force. I believe there’s consequences to ones actions.
And I definitely don’t get my views from a piece of paper 🙂
Cognitive dissonance exemplified.
Haha maybe, maybe not.
Let me explain myself.
I believe in capitalism. Without it we wouldn’t have the great things we have. We wouldn’t have some of the fantastic products we all take for granted – the phone I’m using to make this post for instance.
What I don’t like, is the obscene profits some of these companies make – how much money does one person need?
I also firmly believe in the welfare state – to a point. Helping those who genuinely can’t help themselves is something a civilised society should be proud of. The problem with the welfare state though, is some, not all, but some take advantage. It’s also hugely costly. Same with NZ Super – it’s amassive cost that is only going to increase as we get older, and have children later, and live longer.
I also dislike Govt control. The Govt should control very little of our lives. The vast majority of us can get on just fine without it.
Free speech has been mentioned – this is another bastion of a free society and should not be infringed. But that doesn’t mean you can defame someone which if you take off your Labour bias you’d admit that’s what Andrew has done here – linking a donation to potential corruption automatically links the person ornpwolle who made that donation.
Anyway, that’s why I call myself a capitalist/socialist. Maybe it is an oxymoron, but it fits how I think and view the world.
Basically, you’re a tory who wants the government to assist the “deserving poor” just enough that they don’t put you off your restaurant dining experience.
In the same way that checking to see if a person was struck “automatically links” them to a potential assault.
It’s an oxymoron because what you describe is not socialism.
The one thing private enterprise does not do well is run public services, think Serco, think private hospitals who dump their private patients back on the public system as soon as there is a complication, think private schools who do not cater for the special needs of some children, think NGO,s who dump there difficult clients back on to the State system,
Livininthebay i think you are livininfools paradise and not livininaninclusivesociety.
OK, not a National Party member, just someone whose beliefs fit with the National Party and who happened to post the Party’s talking points on this thread. Glad we could clear that up.
Which talking points in particular?
Do you mean the fact that Mr Ardern sat on the board that awarded the contract to Scenic? Or is that just an inconvenient truth?
LivinInTheBay….. strikes me you are too young to know what a good society was/is like.
Which talking points in particular?
Er, every sentence in comment 1. None of them is particularly more of a Nat talking point than the others.
Do you mean the fact that Mr Ardern sat on the board that awarded the contract to Scenic? Or is that just an inconvenient truth?
That wasn’t in the comment, but provides a handy example. It’s an irrelevant piece of information that might at first glance appear relevant to casual readers not familiar with what the term “relevant” means, and also sounds like it ought to be politicially damaging to Little in some way, although not in any way you could actually put your finger on. It’s a true statement that implies malfeasance or incompetence without actually claiming it or having any basis for claiming it, which makes it perfect propaganda material for dropping into conversations about the case. This is why it’s been handed to you for insertion here, although “handing it to you” may just have consisted of you reading it on Kiwblog, Whaleoil or similar.
But he was in the board, and still people here in particular seem to think the Govt awarded the contract.
The inconvenient truth is the above – Mr Ardern is really neither here nor there, it is ironic though.
I know you won’t believe it, butnthe above are my thoughts and mine alone. And for what it’s worth, I’m permanently banned from WhaleOil for providing dissenting opinion on his/her articles. Which is also ironic given he says he welcomes debate.
Ok, your own thoughts exactly match the talking points being distributed by Nat blogs. Not something I’d be proud of myself, but each to his own.
…still people here in particular seem to think the Govt awarded the contract.
Well, some maybe. I’d phrase it more like “people here in particular know that anything in which Murray McCully is even peripherally involved can be assumed likely to be well dodgy.”
Livinginthebay – your use of the word, “duplicitous” sounds very natural.
“If” it goes against Andrew Little I hope those in New Zealand who feel it is the duty of the leader of the loyal opposition to hold the Government to account, are prepared to put their hand in their pockets to group fund his costs.
Here’s one who will…
to Anne at 3.1 : and another…
I’ll support Andrew
It’s the least we can do for a man of honour
The man of honour is Mr Hagaman and the defamation case is because Chicken defamed a man of honour.
Are you paid per comment or per word?
Oh really! I knew some nincompoop would come up with something like that!
National Party gutter scum don’t have ethics let alone honour.
So about 46-48 % of voters in NZ are gutter scum without ethics or honour.
Good work OAB, you are a great advocate for the left, keep it up.
Alan you are pretty close to being correct. However , many of that 46% are too stupid to realize that they are basically ‘scum’ of this planet.
OAB – why the need to resort to name-calling?
Surely civilised debate should be above that? I never understand the need to belittle people with insults such as “gutter scum”. To me it goes a way to negating your argument.
It’s not a need.
It’s often a pleasure when the opponent is not interested in genuine debate.
Absolutely, count me in.
Superb reflections on Hit & Run aftermath by Paul Buchanan over at Kiiwipolitico:
http://www.kiwipolitico.com/
An abridged version of last few sentences:
Perfectly sums up the current Govt. stance on the story.
Ray .If we don’t the Hagamans will seize Andrews house, gift it to the double dipper to add to his collection. Double dipper will then in turn rent it back to Andrew. Claim a grand a week back on it, and become Triple dipper.
+100 The decrypter
Leave all as is . I don,t believe he set out to “defame” whatever the court outcome is . It would have been stupid to and he is not stupid. This is said by someone who is not necessarily a Labour supporter or an any party supporter , but one who votes on the year and the issues in front and the qualities of the people standing for the electorate.
BUT this round I definitely will not be voting National! I wish Winnie for PM and Little his righthand man – somehow – with lots of Green MPs ! Then National will be kicked for touch !
While I understand the attraction for some of Peters, the only parties committed to changing the govt and preventing National from a 4th term are Labour and the Greens. NZF could choose National under the right circumstances.
@weka 6.1
Gosh I don’t understand anyone voting for Winston.
I understand people voting Greens or Labour or National or Act. They’ve all shown consistency in their thoughts and policies over the last election cycle.
The only consistency Winston has shown is that he is an opportunist and will jump at most news cycles to get more exposure. He literally never delivers, and is a proven liar. NZF are still, as far as I am aware, to repay the money to the tax payer they spent illegally.
As a left or right supporter, why would you vote for someone that could jump either way depending on how big the bauble is?
No, if Winston is the answer the question is definitely wrong.
If you are an avid watcher of Parliament and have been for many years, you would have observed on many occassions how Winny gets on with the outgoing government, no love lost there.
Don’t trust NZF. How many times does their track record have to be regurgitated?
The outgoing government are freaking out about New Zealand First, as well they should be.
Move aside and let the man go through..
You obviously don’t live in Northland.
I have always found Winston to be consistent on the big issues for years and years.
He consistently “listens” and correctly reflects back the views of the majority – the “silent” majority.
We all know he is very experienced at getting his vocal messages out but I am amazed at just how visible and available he has been in Northland. I hear he also works solidly behind the scenes for individuals.
But most importantly he has the experience, confidence and presence needed of a PM. I hate to see this go to waste and National get in again!
Based on the fact that the Natz even can arrange for the SIS to work for them and defame opposition like in the Phil Goff case, then it looks more like a set up for Natz cronies to cheat and cling to power by creating a scandal that takes the focus off their appalling running of this country into the ground and the theft and exploitation of it.
Wasn’t there a famous court case involving Defamation and David Lange? I think it ended with the right to opinion especially re politics.
Hey Janet, I like your ideas 😀 A friend and I thought that Winston would make a wonderful “Speaker” of the House, as well as the Minister for Seniors (would be great to have a new ministry looking after the seniors). He was brilliant as Minister of Foreign Affairs and would make a very fine PM. It will be a great day when we can finally feel proud of our PM, it’s sure been a long time coming.
It sure is going to be an exciting election this year.
“He was a brilliant minister of foreign affairs”
Really?
You do know that it took years to rebuild relations with some of our closest partners after her was foreign affairs minister?
I know you just said it. Does that make it fact?
Yes really… ask Condoleeza Rice ex US Secretary of State.
LITB you’ve been busy as on here today, how about you back up your reply to my comment with some facts.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Winston_Peters_Condoleezza_Rice_Auckland_2008_DSC_4939_a.jpg
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Awesomesauce, thank you for the link, will tune into the stream, sounds like it will be a brilliant event. Enjoy 😀
Cheers Cinny
Meanwhile, far far away, in a parallel universe……
President Hillary Clinton quietly sent her son-in-law, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, to Iraq on Monday, adding “winning the war against ISIS” to his growing list of responsibilities, which also include “solving Middle East peace,” “heading the new White House Office of American Innovation,” “managing the U.S.-China summit,” and “ending the opioid crisis.” The Chinese government, convinced of Mezvinsky’s importance in the Clinton White House, not only has established a “back channel” to him through its ambassador in Washington, it has also quietly encouraged a Chinese state bank to invest in his troubled hedge fund. While Clinton’s husband has largely stayed out of the White House and remained at home in New York, her daughter Chelsea has also taken a unpaid role in the administration while continuing to run the family foundation and earning five- and six-figure fees giving speeches to corporations with interests in Washington. Meanwhile, most top sub-Cabinet level positions are still unfilled, though in one piece of unexpected news, longtime Clinton confidante and political adviser Sidney Blumenthal has been removed from his brief stint as a member of the National Security Council.
https://civichall.org/civicist/imagine-the-alternatives/
+1
+2.
You missed out the results of Hillary’s war against Russia!
https://28pages.org/2017/04/06/complaint-in-911-suit-reveals-depth-of-case-against-kingdom/
‘Where Britain’s Regions Fit in the Brexit’
.. free article from a well-known US publisher
https://www.stratfor.com/sample/image/where-britains-regions-fit-brexit?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_3E0tg1_cgmXuMH2WnSO0xOcNRbHR-OblrnVjROQuHVwywDpUpQ8ecOZvRBgjy7j3k97UGNP1oWFjipmlUK82-Jf9oiQ&_hsmi=50112927&utm_campaign=LL_Content_Digest&utm_content=50110662&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hs_email
The statement from Little that some could interpret as defamatory to the Hagamans is still on the Labour Party website. Is that wise, given the defamation proceedings that are happening at the moment?
http://www.labour.org.nz/auditor_general_must_investigate_niue_deal_for_donor
I can imagine the Hagamans would not have been too happy about this from the statement:
You think that is defamation? Wow.
It’s the 5 or 6 statements to the media he then followed that up with that are where the defamation allegedly occurred.
I quote:
“The Hagamans’ lawyer Richard Fowler QC said Little’s comments went beyond a neutral position that the issue required investigation, as his use of the phrases “stinks to high heaven”, “murky” and “dodgy deals” showed.”
The Hagaman’s lawyer is being paid a lot of money to say stupid nonsense like that. Such statements do not constitute defamation.
Yep might as well be in a political police state if that’s considered defamation! Oops maybe we are….
US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson “those steps are underway” in reference to an international coalition to remove Assad. Shit, not good.
Yeah Right! Now that Assad is holding all the aces when it comes to defeating his enemies and the fact that Trump’s approval rating by the American public is below 35%, the major aggressors in the middle east can ease up.
Trump is playing the American public like a fiddle, just like during the election campaign. The USA will never send boots on the ground to fight Assad and sending the air force against Russian planes is out of the question, even Donald won’t be forced to play that game against Putin.
Fucking stupid statement.
So basically Putin can back down publicly, or the Trump administration can back down publicly/disown the statement, or we’re looking at a war where both sides officially have troops on the ground.
Watch as Porter & Ross with 50+ tomahawks gives Assad a subtle message. No reply by the Russians, which means Putin is put on notice despite their two military bases. Trump is singing a different tune as the Generals call the shots in Washington.
“Fucking stupid statement”, Yeah Right!
…and what if Russians at this base were killed?
edit: I’m not opposed to the strikes as such, and if the generals are in charge that’s not too bad. But the Russian committment is a massively complicating factor that to me requires serious input from diplomats, as well.
Before the tomahawks hit their target, the Russian top brass in Syria were notified/warned what was going to happen.
“But the Russian commitment is a massively complicating factor that to me requires serious input from diplomats, as well”. What the FUCK are you on about? The reason for Russian involvement in Syria is quite elementary. Do a little bit of research before shooting off your mouth.
Bases and internal prestige, as well as some nice systems evaluation opportunities.
But my point is that it’s all very well retaliating against someone who doesn’t have significant support from a dominant power, leave it to the generals. Fine.
But the changes in the state department, trump’s appointments, and his personality suggest that when it comes to nuances about international diplomacy, the US is a blind bull in a china shop (giggles @ appropriate metaphor).
So they warned the Russian top brass. Did they leave time for it to filter down to evacuate troops on the ground? Were they damned sure there weren’t even a couple of airplane mechanics advising the syrians on maintenance at that base? You know, genuine reasons for the Russians to get pissed rather than “yeah, fair call, Assad deserved a slap in the face”. Is the damage from the attack so bad it changes the picture in the battle zone, or is it just an inconvenience?
This isn’t like launching cruise missiles at Afghanistan or even Saddam’s Iraq: you might piss off someone who can do something in response. Do you trust trump to know how to deal with that sort of situation? I sure don’t.
You may want to get back to your readers, when you have some pertinent info instead of spouting off your fairy tale opinions.
You seem to have no idea about the time line of this event, who was informed and why Shayrat Air Base was targeted.
🙄
Well, if you have any you can feel free to present it, rather than just doing a TS-typical “you know nothing you silly person, educate yourself while I offer no evidence or even formulate an explicit contrary opinion”.
Anyone watching RNZ’s Prime Minister retrospective series by Guyon? Quite enlightening so far:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/the-9th-floor/story/201839427/the-reformer-geoffrey-palmer
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Seems the Greens want to make Aotearoa great again.
Does their new campaign commercial inspire you to vote Green? Or do they need to go back to the drawing-board?
I’m sure the Greens would appreciate your feedback.
Say what you like about Trump, but I personally found this ad inspiring:
Had a look at the Great Greens and it looks pretty good to me. It emphasises it is onto the modern pace, that any age, nationality, can be for the NZ life and citizenship. They are thinking of the future, that life should have its fun times that everyone can enjoy, that others out there care about the country and want friendly interaction with others, and they introduced a bit of humour, a cute animal, and I give it 100%. Time later for more definite details. We have lost our vision of NZ as a good place to live in, and this gives us a series of images to hold onto and showing the sort of outgoing, non pretentious people that it is easy to warm to.
That’s my feeling.
Donald Trump can show off to the media that he can walk on water, and the sooner the better.
It’s cheery, bright and full of smiley faces, but politically it doesn’t inspire me. It’s more like a send yourself to Wellington ad. Unlike Trumps ad that hits at the core of the problem. Thus I would have preferred something more along those lines.
The Chairman
Perhaps they are tailored to the progress of the campaign. Could it be they start off smiley before we get into the teeth baring when they may look too lightweight? Hitting the core of the problem at this moment may be too much of a punch, and they are saving that for the ko at the end. Woohoo for that.
Anyone who wants serious information about the Greens would look at their website, esp the policy and press releases.
The Chairman has a ratio of something like 90% negative criticism to 10% positive (Greens and Labour). Comparing the Greens to Trump tells me they don’t know much about the Greens, what they are doing or why. It’s a complete no-sequitur.
I like the video and agree that it’s part of a tailored campaign. Their strategy this year is showing voters who they are as people and as a party (they reckon that people know what their environmental stances are), and that they’re engaged and competent. This is the start of that.
Thanks weka for that about the Greens. That sounds very wise and media sussed to me.
weka
Any party seriously wanting to grow their support and voter interest to go look at their website would want to ensure they have an effective ad/marketing campaign to entice more to go there in the first place.
I wasn’t comparing the Greens to Trump. The Trump commercial was an example of the type of hard hitting political ad that inspired me.
The Greens ad didn’t relay they are engaged with the issues we are facing. Nor did they come across as professional and competent, but it did portray them and their supporters as a diverse, warm and cheery bunch.
However, those with serious political concerns and those doing it ruff will be wondering what they are so happy and cheery about? Therefore, to some, this ad would paint the Greens as being somewhat out of touch.
weka
As for being critical, am I not allowed to dislike the Green’s ad? Moreover, to express that dislike?
Does ones criticism have to fall within a certain ratio (negative positive) to be acceptable or considered? Was insinuating I’m more critical than not your attempt to somewhat invalidate me, thus imply any criticism from me holds no merit?
Surely it’s the criticism you should be looking at and addressing, not the ratio of ones criticism.
Can you not see how the Greens could benefit from the feedback (albeit if it’s criticism)? If a large number feel like me, it would be in their best interest to change tack. If I’m the odd one out and it’s widely liked, then they will know they are on the right track.
Additionally, if the Greens were confidently and genuinely happy with their ad, then wouldn’t any criticism merely be water off a ducks back?
The same applies to any party and the positions (and policies) they take or propose. Fear of criticism doesn’t relay confidence in their stance. And if they don’t believe in it, why would voters?
greywarshark
One certainly hopes they will progress and improve as they go. I wouldn’t rely on this one drawing in the crowds.
The Little jury is out now.
Jastice Karen Clark said to the jury: “…As Lani Hagaman had not been named by Little in any of his comments, the jury had to decide whether an ordinary, fair-minded reader would identify her as being criticised.
Clark said she had ruled that Little’s comments were protected by qualified privilege as he had a duty, “whether legal or social or moral”, to comment.
However, that defence could be “defeated or effectively negated” if the jury found his comments were predominantly motivated by ill will targeted directly at the Hagamans, or if he had taken improper advantage of the occasion….”
There is s smidgen of hope then.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/91320547/jury-retires-in-labour-leader-andrew-littles-defamation-trial
”Clark said she had ruled that Little’s comments were protected by qualified privilege as he had a duty, “whether legal or social or moral”, to comment.”
if that isn’t judge code for chuck this case in the trash were it belongs ill eat my cow shit stained hat.
Yeah, that “predominantly motivated by ill will or targeted directly at the Hagamans” was a good line, too.
Either way I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s appealed.
what would be the timeframe for an appeal?
no idea. I just think one side has money to burn, and the other side might well be irked at falling foul of an injustice.
just wondering if it would happen before the election. In which case there is probably added motivation for the Hagaman’s to go to appeal.
agreed
Apparently the jury has retired for the weekend. Can’t find anything on the Stuff or RNZ websites but the Herald’s Claire Trevett gives me the impression that she really, really, really want’s the jury to find in the plaintiffs’ favour. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11834187
Yes, she’s a thoroughly nasty piece of work, that one , isn’t she!
Tweet from Vernon Small today:
It’s here on the Stats NZ website.
So, if that’s an accurate measurement, it means there are over 100,000 unoccupied dwellings in NZ. How so?
When housing problems became overwhelming in London in the 1960-70s young people would squat. And though frowned on it didn’t mean that you would be evicted by uniformed armed men. Does anyone have a tale to tell about those days?
Holiday homes are part of it. Lots of holiday towns have high rates of housing not permanently occupied. You can find the stats on line by city/town (can’t remember where).
e.g.
More unoccupied dwellings
The number of unoccupied dwellings rose 16.4 percent between 2006 and 2013. There were:
185,448 in 2013
159,276 in 2006.
In 2013, 1 in 10 dwellings were unoccupied. Nearly one-quarter were classified as unoccupied because all the occupants were temporarily away at the time of the census, but about three-quarters had no occupants at all.
Every region had more unoccupied dwellings than at the last census, although there was little change in the Auckland region. The largest percentage increase was in the Canterbury region, which had 28,317 unoccupied dwellings in 2013, up from 18,117 in 2006. This was a 56.3 percent increase, and was related to the 2010–11 Canterbury earthquakes.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-housing/occupied-unoccupied-dwellings.aspx
Can’t find the Auckland or Welly numbers but here are some SI ones,
“There are 46,590 occupied dwellings and 3,915 unoccupied dwellings in Dunedin City.
…
There are 186 dwellings under construction in Dunedin City, and 9,756 under construction in New Zealand.”
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=15022&tabname=
“There are 11,508 occupied dwellings and 4,467 unoccupied dwellings in Queenstown-Lakes District.
…
There are 237 dwellings under construction in Queenstown-Lakes District, and 9,756 under construction in New Zealand.”
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=15000&tabname=
Bill English is just like us….
http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/opinion-i-too-am-a-human-look-at-my-failure-it-is-like-your-failure/
Woolsey’s beaten John bomb Iran Bolton to the punch.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey stopped by Jake Tapper’s show on CNN* to talk bombs, Iran and Syria. His goal, apparently, was to make the case that not only should the United States bomb Syria in retaliation for the gas attack earlier this week (because killing more innocents is clearly a way to punish Assad?), but also Iran
http://crooksandliars.com/2017/04/former-cia-director-argues-two-fer-bomb
They’re off.
Reacting on the balance of probability? Where’s the proof, the smoking gun etc…
Nice video. Obvious parallels.
I sincerely hope, that if this is the first of a series of steps by western governments that we, ordinary people, see to it that it all blows up in the fuckers faces like nothing they’ve ever seen before.
Yes, unfortunately the parallels are far to similar.
the world is full of fuckwits.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/world/middleeast/us-said-to-weigh-military-responses-to-syrian-chemical-attack.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
” The airstrikes were carried out less than an hour after the president concluded a dinner with Xi Jinping, the president of China, at his estate in Mar-a-Lago in Florida, sending an unmistakably aggressive message about Mr. Trump’s willingness to use the military power at his disposal.
Mr. Trump authorized the strike with no congressional approval for the use of force, an assertion of presidential authority that contrasts sharply with the protracted deliberations over the use of force by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.
Unlike Mr. Obama, who weighed — and ultimately rejected — the use of a similar strike at targets after Syria used chemical weapons in 2013, Mr. Trump moved with remarkable speed, delivering the punishing military strike barely 72 hours after the devastating chemical attack that killed 80 people this week.”
the world is full of fuckwits.
Depressingly true.
Exactly , and it turns out Obama was one of them!
I know, and Labour did it too.
I mean, gosh, golly and here have some pudding.
With all the denial going on over Hit and Run, this interview on Hardtalk nine years ago is a very telling reminder of what we should be doing our utmost to avoid.
Wow. Never thought the damages would be that much.