Speaking to Takapuna businessmen about growth opportunities for Auckland he demonstrated very clearly his total detachment from reality. For Key there is only growth per se, no other reality, no other concept. Which may help him heat the mansion as the planetary temperature rises. Conversely he may be astounded to find himself and the Takapuna businessmen starving amongst the extra million Aucklanders in twenty years time.
There you go though, this level of vision and leadership might also be found not too far distant from the Treasury benches. I also heard Shearer mention the magic words “growth” recently.
But – Oh nos, he said it but didn’t really mean it – it’s just that head office stuff – but I did really mean it really, it’s contracting due to Auckland’s growth.
Seems a bit like ‘we’d love to see wages drop’ but really I didn’t mean it, but really did.
Wellington is a very popular spot for general Tourism, especially amongst wealthy travellers. It is widely regarded as the coolest little Capital in the world, and often hosts some of the more important conferences that head to this side of the planet. All of this seems to highlight a bit of ignorance on the part of the Minister of Tourism
Yeah, weird choice of words, talk about giving the the left wing contingent of the media something to beat you with.
Dying is rather final, you don’t tend to come back from dying, stagnating, weak,vulnerable would have been a lot better.
I know very little about the economy of Wellington so I can’t really comment on it.
I’m stunned the Key would make such a dumb comment, the only thing I can think of that he was ad libbing part of his speech and dying popped into his head, stuck so he went with that.
If it was part of a written speech I’d be pretty disappointed as it really shows a lack of nous.
Unfortunately he is right…and it his government’s fault too (although to be fair, some of the blame should be shouldered by Wellington’s hopeless council).
Likely setting the scene for a new round of attacks on the public service. The changes to industrial legislation, the welfare reforms and the start of privatising those services, charter schools, health changes like the new mental health unit in Hawkes Bay having half the beds they have now and mention of services being provided in the community instead of by the hospital, traditional service providers like Presbyterian Support and polytechs losing contracts all over the place in the last few years. Crisis in the various departments publicised and publicised and publicised, all of government contracting removing any sense of autonomy, government aim of online transactions, the offloadimg of support to do your tax return from a free service by IRD staff to a paid service by the private sector (disadvantaging the intellectually disabled for instance who are unlikely to access paid services but used to go to IRD previously), government property being looked at to reduce the cost of this including the amount of space per person.
That’s just a random few things that have been through the news in the last year or so.
There seems to be a pattern emerging.
I’m picking a real go at teachers, more contracting to private sector and a considerable downsizing of the Wellington Public Service.
Just waiting for someone in the media to suggest moving government to Auckland next. Where’s Hooten?
I really suggest you don’t go to a private service. They get to act as your tax agent and charge you every year unless you go to IRD and have them taken off.
People will no doubt cite Auckland’s higher population growth as evidence of Wellington malaise, but I think at present the opposite is true: Auckland grows like Topsy and has serious systemic problems, exacerbated by Rodney Hide’s faith-based incompetence, and other examples of Tory sloth and idiocy.
K, if you take the precept that when somebody wants something to happen badly they must have a vested interest: ergo you understand the call for a super city from the Right. Hence the call for amalgamations must be about some bugger getting something at the expense of the rest of us.
Of course the correct precept is that calls for amalgamation of councils are a sure sign that the opposite should occur. They should be fragmented, small is beautiful after all.
Kea, the networking organisation for rich expats (sorry… ‘for business growth through networks’) that somehow received funding from MoBIE, NZTE, MFAT and TPK, is running a survey called ‘Every Kiwi Counts’, to get views from Expats that will be disseminated to very important people in NZ.
I’ve filled it in with a very left wing slant in the comments sections – Environment, social inequality, health, education, democracy (CERA, ECAN soon to be Auckland), shoulder tapping etc. I’m thinking there won’t be too many lefties on the mailing list, so here’s the link if you want your voice heard by very important people.
The World Class New Zealand event was held later that evening at Time Warner. The event was hosted by Mr. Mark D’Arcy and attended by the Prime Minister who was welcomed by Time Warner Chairman and CEO Mr. Jeff Bewkes.
Yep, that’s them. All very sales and marketing. Another go-getter ‘World Class’ business organisation that is quite happy to take taxpayer’s money to run survey to mirror its own values.
Ralston Saul in his dictionary of such matters defined the words “World Class” as uttered by the likes of business leaders as a guarantee of “provincialism”.
Which exemplifies the oh so ethical “networking” being crudely promoted by this right wing business and government funded Uriah Heep organisation. Even more reason to fill in their online survey with some frank opinions about the state of NZ and where the current political and environmental policies are seriously damaging our reputation overseas
I filled it in on behalf of my wife who is working in South Asia. The slant seemed to be a search for highly paid leadership/investment people. Just an impression. Last comment box was opportunity to express concern about NZ direction under current Govt.
And I agree it is a shocker. It completely undermines a number of careful balances that had been reached between individual’s rights and the needs of the state.
One area of concern for me is what information will this now allow our overseas allies to obtain? My understanding is that one of the reasons for the GCSB being set up is that it allowed cooperation with foreign spy agencies without the danger of information about Kiwis being sent overseas. From the looks of the new bill this protection will no longer be there.
The bill may be by design as bad as it looks. Peters was on Radio New Zealand this morning sounding remarkably sanguine about the Government. It may be that the price of NZ First’s support are some dampening of the worst excesses of the bill, intentionally inserted into the legislation so that they could then be taken out to show flexibility on the part of the Government and relevance on the part of NZ First.
All in all this is developing as a major threat to Kiwis’ civil liberties. Be afraid, be very afraid …
And in relation to I/S’s mention of the national security function to include “economic well being”, this in the Stuff article this morning:
It would also be able to help public and private organisations but where that required spying on New Zealanders, it would need signoff from the minister responsible – usually the prime minister – and the commissioner of security warrants.
While I emphatically agree the underlying concern here, the question of the GCSB assisting other public and private sector organisations is probably intended as a reference to the need to set standards and SOP’s around cybersecurity. For example in the USA there are a number of govt. organisations who are active in this area, without any apparent overlap into spying as such.
Spooks are as much involved in maintaining systems integrity and security from outside threats and attacks as they are in actively seeking out other people’s information. In that sense assisting other public and private sector organisations to build and maintain their own defenses can be seen as relatively a benign activity.
This country is so small that what we are doing here is rolling multiple functions into one agency, the GCSB. As we have already seen our spooks have problems with boundaries, so while it may appeal to Key to ‘efficiently’ put them all under one roof; it merely sets us up for more problems in the future.
Spooks are as much involved in maintaining systems integrity and security from outside threats and attacks as they are in actively seeking out other people’s information.
Key says that the legislation stops the GCSB from doing this right now but I am not so sure.
Section 14 of the GCSB Act says:
“Neither the Director, nor an employee of the Bureau, nor a person acting on behalf of the Bureau may authorise or take any action for the purpose of intercepting the communications of a person (not being a foreign organisation or a foreign person) who is a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident.”
The way I read this section it does not prevent assistance from being given to other Government Departments. All it does is stop the GCSB from intercepting communications of Kiwis. As long as, for instance, the SIS had obtained information legally there is nothing stopping the GCSB from analysing it or collating it.
The basic problem is that apart from the Kim Dotcom fiasco the public has no idea what the operational problems are. Key is basically asking us to trust him on this. And I for one am not inclined to do so.
Crickey, for one second there I thought I had woken up in some kind of totalitarian state but then I remembered that you are just a nutter prone to exageration.
KK, where is the exaggeration? Every item on the list has happened or is happening. As an ape you should already be aware that nature is a good teacher and ostriches really do not have the longest life spans.
Which of those is incorrect, or even an exaggeration? Which one? Tell me do. You sound like the typical kiwi, she’ll be right, can’t happen here, yadda yadda yadda ……..
I would suggest that it is you who is the nutter prone to blinkerism and refusal-to-see syndrome.
I really can’t be bothered with this as it is like arguing with the mentally deranged about the existence of fairys at the bottom of the garden.
However, just to humour you, we will start at the first point. Who has been stripped of their vote? and to be clear, so you don’t come back with details on the change in constitution of your local Dungeon and Dragons club, we are talking about national and local elections.
“I really can’t be bothered with this as it is like arguing with the mentally deranged about the existence of fairys at the bottom of the garden.”
Why did you bother posting then?
” Who has been stripped of their vote? and to be clear, so you don’t come back with details on the change in constitution of your local Dungeon and Dragons club, we are talking about national and local elections.”
People in Canterbury, with direct threats made by david Carter to other Councils.
http://parliamenttoday.co.nz/2013/02/ecan-election-suspension-bill-debated/
this latest instalment is only from February, do we really need to pull out every article on ECAN since 2008, or can you admit you are being a stirring prat? You are so disingenuous sometimes it is pitiful and whatever you think you are achieving is not what most people would call socially useful. But then again society is of no interest to you and your ilk, you just like the baubles it can courier to your door.
Great King Kong, thanks for the admission that you got the first on the list wrong.
Next one you raise, forcing off the land.
People in Christchurch are being forced off their land. If you like I can dig out some links to people bitterly unhappy at what this government is doing. Both in the CBD and in Chch East, but as someone who seems to claim to have an awareness of goings-on in the country there should be no need.
As for your facile commentary and smart alec comments ……………………………….
“I really can’t be bothered with this as it is” reality and reality scares me and reality means my selfish ignorant know it all attitude might be shown to be nothing more than slogans and lies
“Who has been stripped of their vote?”
how about CHCH you fucking dickhead
About spying? If you want to send a message privately, only send information which has meaning for the intended recipient due to shared private context.
Eg “Meet me at our favourite restaurant”, not “Meet me at McDonalds”.
About being forced of your land? Know the law of the land. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
“The government is able to enact any law it wishes without limitation.”
That is the body politic would like you to think, but it is pure BS. If it were true then there would be no effective difference between lawful government and conspiracy by the body politic.
If a deal is struck it should also put a cold shiver through Labour’s leadership, because they are still giong to need Winston to form the next coalition government. If Winston can still do deals with Key, then National just got itself a potential coalition partner and can consign Labour and Greens to 9 years in Opposition, rather than 6.
I agree Ad that Labour should be very afraid. Peters’s language was remarkably conciliatory. He obviously wants to be a player. And he seemed to be generally in favour of an increase in powers.
He was asked specifically if he thought National was trying to build a relationship. He ruled out a pre-election understanding being reached. He also made asset sales a bottom line. If one of the SOEs has not been privatized then this will be a bottom line. He also said that agreement to buy back the shares was a bottom line but time will tell.
Winston could easily get a higher weighting for local ownership through amending the investment criteria for ACC, EQC and NZSuper – maybe even amending the Kiwisaver legislation – that would have the effect of buying back a whole lot more of the share % of those 49% companies, and claim a “bottom line” policy win, and Key would take the country back using Winston as the foil that achieved it – and Key would then get to have his asset sale cake, and eat it as well.
Dare we dream that Winnie has a plan? That is to say, might he be planning a bait n switch. Sidling on up to the the slippery one, letting the arrogance of the fool present the details and then expose the mofo for what he is really planning? Just lately in the House Peters has been fighting a good fight and seems genuinely angry with the direction NZ is being steered. I am no fan, but I don’t see Peters rolling for a belly scratch this late in the game.
I will wait to see where Peters goes with the GCSB issue. I’ve read 2 reports (an earlier one on ZB’s website), and this one, claiming that Peters was pissed off that Key had announced Peters was likely to be on board, without consulting him.
Winston Peters is angry at being kept in the dark over proposed laws that will see a major shake up at the country’s top spy agency.
The Government plans to ask Parliament to head into urgency this week so two bills that make changes to our spying laws can pass their first readings.
The New Zealand First leader says he hasn’t been informed of that, or shown the bill – despite the Prime Minister speaking to media about it.
He says he can’t promise to vote for the legislation when he hasn’t had a chance to read it.
“We’ve not received any communication on this issue, so our position is what we set out on the 16th of April.
“And we clearly said that there was need for protection and safety with respect to the privacy and rights of New Zealanders.”
Not as much as he hates Russell Norman and the other Green losers. Plus, NZF voters would drive their zimmer frames up the steps of parliament if Peters ever cuddled up to those hippy pinkos.
“He ruled out a pre-election understanding being reached. He also made asset sales a bottom line. If one of the SOEs has not been privatized then this will be a bottom line. He also said that agreement to buy back the shares was a bottom line but time will tell.”
He seems genuine. He looks trustworthy. I think the government can do business with this Winston Peters.
definitely. That and 5% is a lot more useful than 0.5%.
We all knew Key would come sucking up to Winston this time, the only question was how susceptible Winnie is to the soft words and trinkets (well, very – but we shall see if Key has the style 🙂 )
edit:
heh – didn’t see Karol’s link above.
Apparently JK has been boasting to his mates before actually popping the question to Winston 🙂
As I recall, John Key was specific about the fact that he would not go into any arrangement with Winston until he clarified the truth about the Owen Glenn donations …
“National Party leader John Key has ruled out Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters having a role in any future National coalition, unless he can provide an explanation on the Owen Glenn saga.”
I don’t think Winston has made any clarification about that so far.
He’s being typically shrewd with the wording there Puddleglum. The key word (heh) is “can”.
Statement to come: “No, Mr Peters has not provided me with an explanation but I never asked that he did, I only asked that he can. Mr Peters assures me that indeed he can and I take his word for that.”
Inter-mission : at 3:30
for Ads and The Big yanC Tucker Inn.
Silowet Ablended Sound Sulcate
Schools in for Winter Elgar
movies form like tears
all floats buoyed on a rising tide.
Abreast in dreams
Islands lie apart.
“non verbis” sed rebus
Knots and Crosses from The Black Book
-(A Good Hanging and other Melting Moments)
some Dharma there to peck at Gregory.
Pebylls wobble but they don’t sink down!
La’ Bealltainn smelt, bog-iron ore
-a 1000 points of light.dragoons
dialled up in a robust stable
And Moors forever reflect
This is Not a lap dance;
If it don’t fit,
Faucet a bit; short hair is so attractive.
-Jamie : Sweet you rock and sweet you roll.
Recipe for creation:
Ingredients- Standard as gone before.
Prep time- 30 minuets, give or take an entry or two.
Compost- Two commercial bricks interrupting Criminal Minds.
Presentation- As You Like It. savioured not strained.
Condiments- Watties Tomato Sauce (salty) on Everything.
Dessert- is beautiful in it’s own way, When The War is Over.
j.j.e.
“There is only a now that includes memories and expectations. I grant” (until now) “that our language is not able to express this.”
-Erwin Schroedinger
“Something unknown” (This Way Comes) “is doing we don’t know what”
-Yes Siree Arthur Eddington.
(if these crumbs are Scooped up, that would be tidey).
” it allowed cooperation with foreign spy agencies without the danger of information about Kiwis being sent overseas. From the looks of the new bill this protection will no longer be there.”
which all fits snugly into the TPPA plans to steal all the IP, everywhere and anywhere it can. The employment merry go round of US Government agencies and Corporate appoinments has been carefully planned and they will no doubt be lining up to share the keys to the back door.
I for one am very seriously worried about the precedent of the “rights” of the state removing the rights of the individual, and even more fearful that the decision to allow this rests with an individual who helped put his man at the helm. A truly slippery slope
Chris Trotter points out in todays’ Press strongly and clearly that the Labor Greens must not back down to the bullying excess of the business world, as expressed over NZ Power.
As he states in the article – if business continues to make threats to the major political grouping in New Zealand then all bets are off. It is to war with business we go.
Strap your big balls on Shearer and Norman, you are taking us over a fulcrum in New Zealand’s politics not seen since 1984. Go hard. Get the fuckers. They claim they are all important but as everyone knows, most espcially those in business, nobody is irreplaceable.
Fight and fight hard. No flinch. Steel. Straight back. Step forward, never backwards.
Its twoo, its twoo. I saw some rather hungry cows on teev last night. Their cockie must be distraught. Some lawyer bloke with no idea was hassling him. Just cos he could see the cows backbone, ribs, hips, neck etc etc.
The backbone is the cultural heart of the country. The heartland. The place where most work is done, most decisions stem from, most people are. That is the cities and towns and suburbs. Can you handle that reality?
ha ha, yep, silly people like farmboy are so indoctrinated with their belief system that they are unable to think independently.
Farmboy, do you realise that Fonterra is a full-blown socialist organisation utilising the full array of the collectivist approach to organisation for the benefit of the people? Do you?
Fonterra is not a ‘right wing’ creation. It takes its cue from the left.
Try opening your eyes and thinking for yourself. Then you may realise that the success of the Fonterra structure, if applied elsewhere in our economy, would help the rest of the country. But you will need to confront them blinkers wrapped tightly against your eyes.
If suggesting that you be required by law to take your drinking water from the downstream boundary of your property constitutes an “attack” then I’m guilty as charged, I guess. Keep up the riparian planting initiative 🙂
So,Aaron Gilmore is now a fully paid up member of key’s lying little inner sanctum. Listening to Radio at the moment with the EXPLANATION of what happened and everyone else has got it wrong.Has he spent the last week being schooled up in what to say to the media.Apologise .cry,”not my fault ,they got it wrong, the waiter started it etc. etc. Another one of nats toads who I can’t bear to look at.
Got to go now, I need to laught my head off!
He needs a lesson from Shane Jones on how to apologise.
I think he has actually made things worse by disputing the DPMC referral threat. This will only invite a response from the waiter or the lawyer if they feel sufficiently aggrieved by this.
And who would you believe? A pissed self confessed dickhead or a sober waiter AND a lawyer who has nothing to gain by making the allegation?
“…AND a lawyer who has nothing to gain by making the allegation?”
AND is a lawyer who apparently specialises in employment law and civil litigation. Rather relevant to the circumstances. I can fully understand why Riches would not want to be associated with Gilmore’s supposed remarks and behaviour.
Oh, dear. A bit embarrassing for RT, who are usually a bit more on to it. Mind you, I’m sure you liked this contribution in the comment thread, freedom. It says what we’re all thinking!
‘RT thank you for sharing! Great to get some real solid news! Stay un-biased for the love of Freedom!’
I find it strange you have no questions whatsoever about a Craft International Team being at the event, the denial of bomb drill announcements over the public address system, the chief of Police’s reference to actors or who exactly was the individual stripped naked and escorted away by police?
but good to know you like your cotton wool served warm and cosy
It’s the mad (potential) conspiracy theory bits I found embarrassing, freedom. Not everything is as it seems, but some things actually are. Boston is very straightforward and the only thing unknown at this point is whether they had external assistance (ie, did the dead terrorist go on a bomb making clinic while he was in the east?).
btw, I understand the conspiracy ‘o’ the day actually concerns one James Gilkerson. Why don’t see what fun you can have with that freedom lover’s death?
contrary to whatever fantasy you believe I do not blindingly swallow the ‘conspiracy of the day’
Boston is far from straight forward. It is however a classic patsy job and with today’s tech etc they are easier and easier to pull off, mainly due to the plethora of disinfo that is now organically produced by the web itself. Many of those who distrust the official story of Boston want one simple question answered ( well a half dozen but)
Who is the naked guy the police led away? The feds will not answer, the cops will not answer. This only promotes further doubt, which creates further debate which creates further disinfo which makes the patsy easier to sell.
They have been doing this a long time. They are very good at it. People no longer believe what they see or hear until they are told what it is they are looking at. That takes skill.
=========
As far as the guy shooting up a cop car, first I had seen of it but it looks like he is just a nut job with an automatic weapon who felt he had no other option. With absolutely no back info it is hard not to come to the suggestion he had some things on his mind So yeah, looks like a nutjob with an automatic weapon. America has millions so them, most wear uniforms and do their mindless slaughter in foreign lands though.
What interests you about it? the books? If he had had a copy of Catcher in the Rye would we be warning POTUS?
the only thing unknown at this point is whether they had external assistance (ie, did the dead terrorist go on a bomb making clinic while he was in the east?).
You missed small things like motive, why they made major preparations for the operation but seemed to have no plan to get out, didn’t seem to realise (or care) that there were cameras all through the target site which would allow them to be immediately identified
Not sure about the bomb drills thing but a former NZ reporter who was there said on RNZ that bomb dogs and teams had done sweeps through the whole course and the finish area before the event started (and might still have been present).
They’d aleady considered a suicide bombing, CV, so I guess getting away with wasn’t high on the priorities list.
And, yes, there were bomb sweeps. But before the killers got there, obviously. Remember, they killed the victims well after the serious athletes had finished, so at a guess, the security was a bit more relaxed then.
As for the photoshopping? Meh, just a paper trying to hide the truth from it’s readers, so nothing to see there … oh, wait 😉
there is that small detail about neither of the patsy backpacks matching the type recovered, just dumb luck i guess, what with the quantum world in constant physical flux and all, colours change, styles alter, turning from silver grey to Craft black is a hell of a trick though 🙂
Personally I love how the BBC and CNN are shills and liars, whereas Russian state-funded telly is unbiased regarding western affairs and are unafraid to speak truth to power.
no-one is saying that, and I have seen many many words against Putin on RT. Far more than I have ever witnessed against Obama on CNN MSN NBC or anyone of the other thirty thousand stations newspapers or radio networks owned by AOL/Warner.
As for the BBC, well they still have a good documentary group,( a good friend is a producer with strong values about journalism and says the difference between BBC news and their dept is chalk and cheese)
It is bizarre how the BBC (broadcast division) censor or cancel the presentation of docos the BBC itself created. BBC is far from innocent. The background links between BBC/CNN and Aljazeera are also worth noting.
I really recommend that you watch a few hours of RT and then say it does not leave every other media network in the dust on International News. Let alone the huge resources they make available via various net and mobile services. There are hundreds of hours of past shows, documentaries from all over the world that you normally have to wait for festivals to see, and a vast collection of viewer contributions. ( which CNN started doing very soon afterwards)
As far as RT not doing hard stories on Russia that is simply not true, but sure they protect their interest, they are a media company after all. Now if American media want to start doing the RT treatment to Russian stories all the better. Don’t hold your breathe though. If US media was even half credible do you really think The Daily Show and The Colbert Report would turn up in polls about current affairs shows?
All media has an agenda but there are quantifiable chasms of difference. RT is about as good as we could hope for in this modern world but if you insist on believing the reds under the beds tripe then nothing I say can change your mind.
I’d say it’s pretty good on those areas of news that do not affect Russian foreign policy. As is the BBC with areas that don’t involve British foreign policy.
Whether strong internal US stability is consistent with Russian foreign policy – that is the question. Whether Chechen-related violence spreading beyond Russian borders is in the Russian interest – that is another question.
like how ‘following the money’ was declared by the administration to be of no importance following that little thing that went down that day in that place with those people
Then perhaps Te Reo you’d be so kind as to take a look at this link and scroll down to the parts that show the stills from video taken after the blast that show no blood despite one guy having had his legs blown off. See as an ex army medic this has been baffling me for the past week.
Since your saying everything is as it seems with the Boston marathon it would be good if you can clear this up for me, because for me this is definitely in the category of an unknown.
Yeah, I can explain it. It’s madness. As an ex army medic you’re probably familiar with that too, if the later MASH TV shows are any guide. What a truly awful site, trading on the pain of the victims as it does. Pathetic, truly pathetic.
ps your first clue that site was authored by lunatics was the link to Glenn Beck (Beck gives Obama till Monday to declare this was an inside job – Yeah, right)
‘If it bleeds, it leads’ has long been a motto associated with the media. Even better if the blood has a local link. I vaguely remember a bogus headline: ‘Earthquake in India; thousands dead. No Britons hurt’, that sort of sums it up.
The weird thing is that people are killed by bombs every day, but it’s only of interest to the media, and conspiracy theorists like yourself, when it happens in the States. Cleverer folk than I might be able to draw some conclusions as to what that means about the blinkered world view of both groups.
“but it’s only of interest to the media, and conspiracy theorists like yourself, when it happens in the States”
I can only speak for me but that is categorically untrue. I could write several lengthy qualifications supporting that statement but you either choose to believe it or you won’t.
The problem is many are too afraid to ask questions around things like this because doing so and getting an answer they aren’t prepared for is something they are just not prepared to deal with mentally. Much better to stay wrapped up nice and safe in their cocoon rather than have to rethink the entire world they live in.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
disappointing – bit of a non answer really, google boston bombings no blood and find ones that comment on this without Glenn beck if that better spins your wheels, but other than that it appears you have providing an explanation more than anything. Are you perhaps saying the pictures are fake? I mean that would at leas be an explanation; not a very good one but an explanation none the less.
If you can’t explain it, it’s cool, just say so. I can’t either.
Well on second thoughts I can but you wouldn’t like the answer…
P.S. wanting to know the truth is not limited to the domain of right wing saddos. It’s right wing saddos and those people that have the ability to think for themselves. But then in my view those that really have the ability to think for themselves do not have their views entrenched with one political party or another, or even within the System for that matter.
There’s nothing to explain, PP. It’s a fantasy. Anytime something bad happens in the states, a segment of the right will blame the gummint. It’s boring and its sad. And it obviously pretty offensive to characterise someone who has just has his legs blown off as an ‘actor’. But if you’re cool with being deluded, fine by me. Just don’t waste my time linking to offensive websites and asking me to comment.
That’s ok I’ll just put you in the category of comfortable living in a cocoon when it comes to this sort of thing. But you are right – A guy gets his legs blown off and there’s no blood…. that is indeed a fantasy. Yet that’s what the pictures show… so unfortunately the reality, well that’s the opposite.
The world is the way it is because too many don’t want to actually see what is going on.
Their should have been blood from before the tourniquet was applied. If you have a look at the pics you can see his stumps with no blood on them at all and no tourniquet.
Scroll down to the series of photos on here – this was sent to me in another link a few days ago somewhere but I couldn’t find the original but these are the same pics.
Ok let me rephrase for your benefit – I am open to suggestions that use logic and common sense. i.e. if a guy has his legs freshly blown off their should be blood and a lot of it.
Having this conversation has been effectively me saying this ‘5’ looks like the number 5 and could their be any other explanation I haven’t considered……? Then you come along and say unicorns smell nice.
But hey I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt in that perhaps you misunderstood the question? The guy in the photo has just had his legs blown off. There is no blood on him, his stumps or the people he is lying on. Why?
…. I’m all ears.
Happy to help, PP. The answer is that you’ve been visiting sites that are full of venomous shit. It’s affected your usual empathy for your fellow humans, making it hard for you to spot the bleeding obvious.
I hope your considering a career in politics – you would be stellar.
So just to get this right – Your saying the reason the pictures of the guy with his legs blown off show no blood on him or anyone around him is because………I have been visiting venomous sites.. and further to this, doing so has damaged my ability to empathize. Have I got that right?
Se now the bit that gets me is that can empathize just fine. I just wanted to know why he has no blood on his legs and as I live in a world of logic and common sense…….. I simply cannot accept your answer.
Really based on what. Based on the fact that you can’t give a straight answer. The only one lacking in logic and common sense is you. Seriously have you read your posts!?!
You want to live in a nice safe warm cocoon and this threatens that. I get it. To be honest I was really hoping you would give me a plausible explanation so that I, like you, could crawl back into my nice safe cocoon. But you failed dismally.
Here’s some advice – Stay there. Stay in your cocoon for as long as you can. The rest of your natural life if possible. Its a happier world in there and don’t let anyone take it away from you. When the Government and the MSM tell you something, believe it, never question it. If things don’t look right change the channel and keep changing it until you hear the story you want to hear. In your world that would be the logical and common sense thing to do and I envy you for being able to. seriously I do.
Yeah, what ever. To be fair, PP, you haven’t come up with some whackjob theory of your own, which is the next stage, so there may be hope for you yet. But, seriously, this stuff is astonishly sick. Remember, the site you sent me to claimed the victims were actors. Actors, FFS. Not people who’ve just had their legs blown off by arseholes, but actors. How sick to you have to be write that shit?
“The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That’s how I see football, that’s how I see life.”
Liverpool FC Manager, Bill Shankly.
“The area started to decline in the early 1990s with the city’s economic problems. But Liverpool football club accelerated the decline, by leaving good houses empty and boarded up. It wasn’t a natural decline; it was engineered.”
Anyone notice that Mr Key said at his Press Conference yesterday that he had been speaking with NZF about supporting the GCSB reform and about matters to do with the economy. Mr Peters said there had been no discussions with him about either matter. The Media told him that a letter was coming about the GCSB.
Could Mr Key have mis-spoken or even lied? Watch this space.
The funniest thing about the Gilmore Grill is how he texted the PM an apology.
Seriously? texted the apology ! Is this how the PM now operates so as to limit how often he can be caught out in silly statements. If you were an MP and had caused this fracas, would you not speak directly to your party leader? Key admits numerous discussions between his chief of staff and Gilmore but that he himself only heard from Gilmore by text. So what did Key instruct his chief of staff to do and say and just how much autonomy does the staff have?
But a text apology? What was it?
‘sry bout bn a dkhd’
it’s an apology to the PM. You are not reminding him to grab some milk. These clowns are a frikkin embarassment to the country (wow, so getting tired of writing that line)
You can’t even txt in to take a day off sick at most firms in NZ, but bringing your employer into disrepute apparently can be sorted by txt if you are a National MP. Higher standards, anyone?
Just as an aside, this sends a msg to all Nat backbench MP’s. And that message is ‘we’ve only got a one seat majority, so it’d be nice if you don’t publicly embarrass us, but if you feel you must, well that’s cool too.’
I saw the interview on TV3. My recollection was that the discussions with Mr Peters was said by Mr Key (as well as the letter mention) and that matters of finance had been also discussed with NZF.
Mr English was asked this morning on Morning Report about the “financial discussions.” He said you would have to ask Mr Key about that. (Implying that he knew nothing about that.) Might be wrong karol. Will see.
On TV3 News last night there was the reference that I was looking for starting at about 6:50min in. Mr Key became embarrassed about the detail. http://www.tv3.co.nz/tabid/3692/MCat/3102/Default.aspx
Might be totally unimportant but I had to look.
I thought maybe that Peters was being cute. He said no one had talked directly to him about it. Doesn’t stop lower level conversations taking place and given National’s love of power I would not be surprised if this was the case.
Attacking the Messenger
In Praise of Richard Falk
by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON, May 6, 2013
Shortly after the 15 April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories, published an analysis of the episode entitled “A Commentary on the Marathon Murders.”
In this analysis Falk pointed out that there are “serious deficiencies in how the U.S. sees itself in the world. We should be worried by the taboo . . . imposed on any type of self-scrutiny [of U.S. foreign policy] by either the political leadership or the mainstream media.” This taboo essentially blinds us to the reality of our situation. Falk continues, “The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance in the post-colonial world. . . . Especially if there is no disposition to rethink U.S. relations with others . . . starting with the Middle East.”
……………./
Thus, looked at from outside of the self-justifying perspective of the United States government, everything Richard Falk says is accurate. However, from the inside of the official government worldview, Falk is a heretic and his message dangerous verbal poison. Therefore, the reaction of those dedicated to customary policies and alliances has been shrill.
For instance, Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said that she was “outraged by Richard Falk’s highly offensive Boston comments. Someone who spews such vitriol has no place at the UN. Past time for him to go.” Similar statements came from members of Congress who are collecting signatures on a letter demanding that President Obama “take action” against Falk. The British mission to the UN released a statement to the effect that “this is the third time we have had cause to express our concerns about Mr. Falk’s anti-Semitic remarks.” This is an embarrassingly ignorant statement that confuses criticism of Israel with hostility to Jews in general. By the way, Richard Falk is Jewish. For its part, Israel has long barred Falk from even entering the Palestinian territories for which he has responsibility. Finally, Zionists have accused Falk of being “an anti-American and pro-radical Islam activist.” This is another statement that is both factually incorrect and ignorant, because Falk is a deeply knowledgable American trying to talk some sense to politicians leading the nation toward a dangerous cliff, and because it confuses criticism of Israel with supporting “radical Islam.”
The ugly fact is that, most Americans have been kept dangerously ignorant of the wanton damage caused by their government’s foreign policies, and those who would prevent them from knowing the truth are, at the very least, indirectly responsible for terrorist attacks launched in reaction to those policies.
Richard Falk’s crime is to be a person of note, an esteemed academic and a respected servant of the United Nations, who is trying to break through with the truth. It is all the more frightening to the U.S. and its allies that, in this effort, Falk has access to an independent platform. He regularly reports to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he has the ear of many of the 47 nations that make up this body. Unfortunately, the one group most in need of Falk’s wisdom, the American public, remains beyond the range of his voice.
If it could get away with it, the U.S. government would probably cart Richard Falk off to some hellhole prison, or keep him confined to some foreign embassy (as it has done to Julian Assange). However, despite disturbing signs to the contrary, Washington isn’t yet ready to take such actions against a man of Falk’s stature. However, do not mistake such forbearance for the mark of a mature and stable society. No. Such societies (just like mature and stable adults) are capable of self-criticism. At least at the level of leadership and media, the United States is not capable of such self-reflection and so its citizens are likely to be the last to know that much of the terrorism they fear is a product of their own government’s continuing barbarism.
Do YOU think that Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay, as a supposedly ‘apolitical public servant’ should be a member of the unelected ‘invitation-only’ extremely powerful private sector lobby group, the Committee for Auckland?
I don’t.
I think the Governing Body of Auckland Council should ensure that CEO Doug McKay, terminates his membership of the Committee for Auckland, in order to comply with his ‘apolitical’ role as a ‘public servant, and have requested speaking rights at the upcoming Auckland Council Governing Body meeting to raise this with them directly.
______________________________________________________________________________
Request for speaking rights at Public Forum of the upcoming Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, Thursday 9 May 2013 at 11am.
Reception Lounge
Auckland Town Hall
301-305 Queen Street
Auckland
Dear Mayor Len Brown,
My subject matter is:
Auckland Council Local Government Election Year Policy
“Neutrality of Public Servants”.
At this Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, you are discussing the proposed ‘Auckland Council Local Government Election Year Policy’.
“Who does this policy apply to?
4) This policy applies to all Auckland Council elected members and Auckland Council employees.”
“Neutrality of Public Servants
12. A major characteristic of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements is that public servants are apolitical. This applies to public servants in local and central government.”
If Auckland Council employees are supposed to be apolitical ‘public servants’ – then why is Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay, still a member of the ‘invitation-only’, powerful private sector lobby group – the Committee for Auckland?
Please be reminded of the LGOIMA reply I received from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council dated 10 February 2012
(“Official Information Request No: 9000114213:)
“1. I have advised you previously that Mr McKay is a member of the Committee for Auckland in his capacity as Chief Executive of Auckland Council.
2. Mr McKay is an honorary member of the Committee for Auckland. As such, there was no joining fee charged or paid.
3. No resolution of any committee of the Auckland Council was sought or given in relation to Mr McKay’s membership of the Committee for Auckland.
The Committee for Auckland is an independent organisation and its aims and objectives are a matter of public record.”
Please be reminded that membership of the Committee for Auckland is ‘invitation’ only
_____________________________________________________________________________
Membership to the Committee for Auckland is by invitation. Members meet quarterly and are invited to be involved in those aspects of the work programme that interest them.
Members are Chairs of Boards, Directors and Chief Executives
Corporate Membership annual fee $10,000.
Associate and Individual Membership comprises organisations or individuals who support the aims and purpose of the Committee but who, for various reasons, are unable to take a full part in contributing to the Committee’s portfolio of initiatives.
Associate Membership annual fee $5,000
Individual Membership annual fee $2,500
For further information about Membership, please contact theExecutive Director”
______________________________________________________________________________
How many Auckland Council or Auckland CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland?
How can this not be a ‘perceived conflict of interest’ for the Principal Adminstrative Officer of Auckland Council – the CEO Doug McKay – to be a member of this private sector lobby group, particularly when his membership has not been ‘authorised /endorsed’ by elected members of Auckland Council?
Is the Governing Body of Auckland Council going to ensure that CEO Doug McKay, terminates his membership of the Committee for Auckland, in order to comply with his ‘apolitical’ role as a ‘public servant?
Yes I did freedom. Gave up in the end. Got told it was a server problem.
Actually I’m getting sick of all the gremlins trying to watch online Parliament TV. It started at the beginning of this year. Last year and previous to that the reception was excellent.
The further descents of K2; There is an article in The Herald about the boffin who developed the synthetic cannabinoids claiming they were definitely Not for human consumption. I was interviewed for the paper (photo taken) today on my (informed) opinion on this rubbish. 😀
(photo may not develop, being ecto-plasmic and all that…)
Some very good speeches for Parekura, nice mixture of speaking styles, many funny and warm.
It’s just a shame that two of the poorest speakers in Parliament are the PM and PM-in-waiting. Every time there’s a tribute in the House, they fail to rise to the occasion. Pretty much every MP who followed them showed how to do it, but there’s this leaden log-jam at the top, Messrs Dull and Duller.
AT LAST! JOHN BANKS IS IN THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT COURT (Albert St) Wednesday 8 May 2013 for a first appearance at 10am to face a private prosecution brought by Graham McCready for electoral fraud.
Plan to have banners up outside Court from 9am.
WHEN IS PRIME MINISTER JOHN KEY GOING TO STAND DOWN JOHN BANKS AS A MINISTER?
Details about this case and background information is available here:
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
According to Key Wellington is a dying city http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8639116/Capital-a-dying-city-says-prime-minister
Speaking to Takapuna businessmen about growth opportunities for Auckland he demonstrated very clearly his total detachment from reality. For Key there is only growth per se, no other reality, no other concept. Which may help him heat the mansion as the planetary temperature rises. Conversely he may be astounded to find himself and the Takapuna businessmen starving amongst the extra million Aucklanders in twenty years time.
There you go though, this level of vision and leadership might also be found not too far distant from the Treasury benches. I also heard Shearer mention the magic words “growth” recently.
But – Oh nos, he said it but didn’t really mean it – it’s just that head office stuff – but I did really mean it really, it’s contracting due to Auckland’s growth.
Seems a bit like ‘we’d love to see wages drop’ but really I didn’t mean it, but really did.
From the article…”the Government has no idea…”
Those 4 words pretty much up this government.
And yet, Vic Uni is the uni of choice for Sth Island students; meanwhile Wellington rents are on the up.
In a world first for a PM he actually forgot two entire universities (Massey University + the Wānanga):
“All you have there is government, Victoria University and Weta Workshop.”
Wellington is a very popular spot for general Tourism, especially amongst wealthy travellers. It is widely regarded as the coolest little Capital in the world, and often hosts some of the more important conferences that head to this side of the planet. All of this seems to highlight a bit of ignorance on the part of the Minister of Tourism
Yeah, weird choice of words, talk about giving the the left wing contingent of the media something to beat you with.
Dying is rather final, you don’t tend to come back from dying, stagnating, weak,vulnerable would have been a lot better.
Reality check. Population growth ≠ weakness, let alone death.
I know very little about the economy of Wellington so I can’t really comment on it.
I’m stunned the Key would make such a dumb comment, the only thing I can think of that he was ad libbing part of his speech and dying popped into his head, stuck so he went with that.
If it was part of a written speech I’d be pretty disappointed as it really shows a lack of nous.
and his all too common back peddling denial? any comment on that BM ?
Perhaps it was a rare moment of honesty, from Key!
Unfortunately he is right…and it his government’s fault too (although to be fair, some of the blame should be shouldered by Wellington’s hopeless council).
Wellington’s population continues to increase. So “unfortunately” he is wrong.
Likely setting the scene for a new round of attacks on the public service. The changes to industrial legislation, the welfare reforms and the start of privatising those services, charter schools, health changes like the new mental health unit in Hawkes Bay having half the beds they have now and mention of services being provided in the community instead of by the hospital, traditional service providers like Presbyterian Support and polytechs losing contracts all over the place in the last few years. Crisis in the various departments publicised and publicised and publicised, all of government contracting removing any sense of autonomy, government aim of online transactions, the offloadimg of support to do your tax return from a free service by IRD staff to a paid service by the private sector (disadvantaging the intellectually disabled for instance who are unlikely to access paid services but used to go to IRD previously), government property being looked at to reduce the cost of this including the amount of space per person.
That’s just a random few things that have been through the news in the last year or so.
There seems to be a pattern emerging.
I’m picking a real go at teachers, more contracting to private sector and a considerable downsizing of the Wellington Public Service.
Just waiting for someone in the media to suggest moving government to Auckland next. Where’s Hooten?
http://www.ird.govt.nz/calculators/tool-name/tools-t/calculator-tax-rate.html?id=righttabs
I really suggest you don’t go to a private service. They get to act as your tax agent and charge you every year unless you go to IRD and have them taken off.
Economically speaking its pretty glum.
Loss of manufacturing was a big nail in the coffin.
No Ambulance at the bottom of the cliff?
People will no doubt cite Auckland’s higher population growth as evidence of Wellington malaise, but I think at present the opposite is true: Auckland grows like Topsy and has serious systemic problems, exacerbated by Rodney Hide’s faith-based incompetence, and other examples of Tory sloth and idiocy.
Oh, now it becomes clear: Nine-to-Noon is doing a piece on Wellington becoming an amalgamated “super city”.
Ah ha. Get everyone panicking that Welly is dying and the only cute is…
K, if you take the precept that when somebody wants something to happen badly they must have a vested interest: ergo you understand the call for a super city from the Right. Hence the call for amalgamations must be about some bugger getting something at the expense of the rest of us.
Of course the correct precept is that calls for amalgamation of councils are a sure sign that the opposite should occur. They should be fragmented, small is beautiful after all.
Wellington “Super City”, has been on the cards the moment that Auckland was chained with the oversized liability.
The continued *roll up*, occurs, and will continue to do so until there is *only one*!
Applies to private and public sector, it can’t be any other way, under current manufactured monetary scarcity.
The *whats in it*, has come from off-shore, and is simply consolidating the resource grad, to make it easier than it already appears to be.
Who is driving these consolidations, and who gains most from them: Neither these answers is, *on-shore*
Small is beautiful, agree with that!
+1
For New Zealanders living overseas….
Kea, the networking organisation for rich expats (sorry… ‘for business growth through networks’) that somehow received funding from MoBIE, NZTE, MFAT and TPK, is running a survey called ‘Every Kiwi Counts’, to get views from Expats that will be disseminated to very important people in NZ.
I’ve filled it in with a very left wing slant in the comments sections – Environment, social inequality, health, education, democracy (CERA, ECAN soon to be Auckland), shoulder tapping etc. I’m thinking there won’t be too many lefties on the mailing list, so here’s the link if you want your voice heard by very important people.
http://everykiwicounts.com/
Note – it says it works on tablets, phones etc, but I think there is an error there. PC works fine.
That’d be the Kea that John Key gave a speech to during a 2009 lunch, followed by:
And that’d be the same Mark D’Arcy who was part of the Warners’ team at the Wellington Hobbit, screw Kiwi workers, negotiations.
Yep, that’s them. All very sales and marketing. Another go-getter ‘World Class’ business organisation that is quite happy to take taxpayer’s money to run survey to mirror its own values.
Ralston Saul in his dictionary of such matters defined the words “World Class” as uttered by the likes of business leaders as a guarantee of “provincialism”.
Which exemplifies the oh so ethical “networking” being crudely promoted by this right wing business and government funded Uriah Heep organisation. Even more reason to fill in their online survey with some frank opinions about the state of NZ and where the current political and environmental policies are seriously damaging our reputation overseas
It doesn’t want MY views. Are they already hacking my computer?
I answered the first question about where I live? NZ – then it said thanks, goodbye, I don’t fit the requirements of their survey.
PS; Oh, wait. Tried again, saying I live in “Oceania” and I’m in.
I hate LinkedIn…..Facebook for business types with too few friends.
I filled it in on behalf of my wife who is working in South Asia. The slant seemed to be a search for highly paid leadership/investment people. Just an impression. Last comment box was opportunity to express concern about NZ direction under current Govt.
Idiot Savant is in typical form first out of the block with an analysis of the Spy Bill (http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/the-spy-bill.html).
And I agree it is a shocker. It completely undermines a number of careful balances that had been reached between individual’s rights and the needs of the state.
One area of concern for me is what information will this now allow our overseas allies to obtain? My understanding is that one of the reasons for the GCSB being set up is that it allowed cooperation with foreign spy agencies without the danger of information about Kiwis being sent overseas. From the looks of the new bill this protection will no longer be there.
The bill may be by design as bad as it looks. Peters was on Radio New Zealand this morning sounding remarkably sanguine about the Government. It may be that the price of NZ First’s support are some dampening of the worst excesses of the bill, intentionally inserted into the legislation so that they could then be taken out to show flexibility on the part of the Government and relevance on the part of NZ First.
All in all this is developing as a major threat to Kiwis’ civil liberties. Be afraid, be very afraid …
And in relation to I/S’s mention of the national security function to include “economic well being”, this in the Stuff article this morning:
My bold.
karol,
While I emphatically agree the underlying concern here, the question of the GCSB assisting other public and private sector organisations is probably intended as a reference to the need to set standards and SOP’s around cybersecurity. For example in the USA there are a number of govt. organisations who are active in this area, without any apparent overlap into spying as such.
Spooks are as much involved in maintaining systems integrity and security from outside threats and attacks as they are in actively seeking out other people’s information. In that sense assisting other public and private sector organisations to build and maintain their own defenses can be seen as relatively a benign activity.
This country is so small that what we are doing here is rolling multiple functions into one agency, the GCSB. As we have already seen our spooks have problems with boundaries, so while it may appeal to Key to ‘efficiently’ put them all under one roof; it merely sets us up for more problems in the future.
Spooks are as much involved in maintaining systems integrity and security from outside threats and attacks as they are in actively seeking out other people’s information.
Key says that the legislation stops the GCSB from doing this right now but I am not so sure.
Section 14 of the GCSB Act says:
“Neither the Director, nor an employee of the Bureau, nor a person acting on behalf of the Bureau may authorise or take any action for the purpose of intercepting the communications of a person (not being a foreign organisation or a foreign person) who is a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident.”
The way I read this section it does not prevent assistance from being given to other Government Departments. All it does is stop the GCSB from intercepting communications of Kiwis. As long as, for instance, the SIS had obtained information legally there is nothing stopping the GCSB from analysing it or collating it.
The basic problem is that apart from the Kim Dotcom fiasco the public has no idea what the operational problems are. Key is basically asking us to trust him on this. And I for one am not inclined to do so.
What can one do though?
We are stripped of our votes.
We are already spied on by the KGSB.
We are forced off our land.
We are forced to sell our property to the government.
The government’s tax gatherers have an obscene amount of power.
The government is able to enact any law it wishes without limitation.
The police break the law to achieve their ends.
Our private matters are tossed all around the whole place.
We are made to pay for the excess of the elite.
We are increasingly taxed more and more byt secretive and deceptive means.
We are the fodder.
We are merely the muppets stepping eternally inside the rolling wheel going nowhere..
There is nothing we can do except wait until the extremity date of pitchfork and noose.
Crickey, for one second there I thought I had woken up in some kind of totalitarian state but then I remembered that you are just a nutter prone to exageration.
KK, where is the exaggeration? Every item on the list has happened or is happening. As an ape you should already be aware that nature is a good teacher and ostriches really do not have the longest life spans.
Reality is not your strong point is it kk.
Which of those is incorrect, or even an exaggeration? Which one? Tell me do. You sound like the typical kiwi, she’ll be right, can’t happen here, yadda yadda yadda ……..
I would suggest that it is you who is the nutter prone to blinkerism and refusal-to-see syndrome.
So, come on, which is an exagerration?
I really can’t be bothered with this as it is like arguing with the mentally deranged about the existence of fairys at the bottom of the garden.
However, just to humour you, we will start at the first point. Who has been stripped of their vote? and to be clear, so you don’t come back with details on the change in constitution of your local Dungeon and Dragons club, we are talking about national and local elections.
“I really can’t be bothered with this as it is like arguing with the mentally deranged about the existence of fairys at the bottom of the garden.”
Why did you bother posting then?
” Who has been stripped of their vote? and to be clear, so you don’t come back with details on the change in constitution of your local Dungeon and Dragons club, we are talking about national and local elections.”
People in Canterbury, with direct threats made by david Carter to other Councils.
next
My apologies, I must of missed the story about the local elections in chch being cancelled and a despotic council taking over.
Having being so wrong about that I guess I will just wait for the doorbell to be rung by someone who is there to force me off my land.
Let us storm the Bastile.
http://parliamenttoday.co.nz/2013/02/ecan-election-suspension-bill-debated/
this latest instalment is only from February, do we really need to pull out every article on ECAN since 2008, or can you admit you are being a stirring prat? You are so disingenuous sometimes it is pitiful and whatever you think you are achieving is not what most people would call socially useful. But then again society is of no interest to you and your ilk, you just like the baubles it can courier to your door.
Great King Kong, thanks for the admission that you got the first on the list wrong.
Next one you raise, forcing off the land.
People in Christchurch are being forced off their land. If you like I can dig out some links to people bitterly unhappy at what this government is doing. Both in the CBD and in Chch East, but as someone who seems to claim to have an awareness of goings-on in the country there should be no need.
As for your facile commentary and smart alec comments ……………………………….
Next
Oh I see, when you were saying “we” you were actually talking about a couple of hillbillies in chch, criminals and dole bludgers.
Another three hillbillies in Christchurch:
Landowners David Sloan, Paul Chaney and Peter Schneideman, who own three separate plots of land, said they wanted to retain and develop their sites.
“I don’t think anyone wants to sell. It is confiscation and thievery.
“I am not happy at all with what Cera have offered for my land,” said Sloan.
who wouldn’t be attracted to Misanthropy? ; freakin’ apes put people to shame! 😉
King Kong you have failed miserably on this and in so doing highlighted the totalitarian actions of John Key and his government.
Keep going if you wish but all you have provided so far is ignorance in a smart alec wrapper. Like John Key himself.
“I really can’t be bothered with this as it is” reality and reality scares me and reality means my selfish ignorant know it all attitude might be shown to be nothing more than slogans and lies
“Who has been stripped of their vote?”
how about CHCH you fucking dickhead
i would like to apologise for the profanity it was uncalled for and is unproductive.
I am sure there are plenty of people who contributed to KK’s ignorance
Oh no need to apologise for your profanity, it makes me look bad for never having done so myself.
Please follow KK’s advice and start acting like the sheeple/ostriches you are all supposed to be.
Also this government removed voting rights in general elections for certain groups of prisoners in about 2010.
’twas well publicised at the time.
Where is the exaggeration in what he wrote?
You appear to be a complacent fool if ever there was one.
If GCSB spying paranoia is overwhelming you then just use Apple’s message service. Cannot be intercepted.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbint/1059773866-need-to-send-a-secret–get-an-iphone
Interesting idea, but 106 iOS security vulnerabilities were found in 2012 alone.
http://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-49/product_id-15556/year-2012/Apple-Iphone-Os.html
“What can one do though?”
About spying? If you want to send a message privately, only send information which has meaning for the intended recipient due to shared private context.
Eg “Meet me at our favourite restaurant”, not “Meet me at McDonalds”.
About being forced of your land? Know the law of the land. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
“The government is able to enact any law it wishes without limitation.”
That is the body politic would like you to think, but it is pure BS. If it were true then there would be no effective difference between lawful government and conspiracy by the body politic.
If a deal is struck it should also put a cold shiver through Labour’s leadership, because they are still giong to need Winston to form the next coalition government. If Winston can still do deals with Key, then National just got itself a potential coalition partner and can consign Labour and Greens to 9 years in Opposition, rather than 6.
The audio is now up at http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20130507-0713-govt_wants_nz_firsts_support_for_gcsb_bill-048.mp3.
I agree Ad that Labour should be very afraid. Peters’s language was remarkably conciliatory. He obviously wants to be a player. And he seemed to be generally in favour of an increase in powers.
He was asked specifically if he thought National was trying to build a relationship. He ruled out a pre-election understanding being reached. He also made asset sales a bottom line. If one of the SOEs has not been privatized then this will be a bottom line. He also said that agreement to buy back the shares was a bottom line but time will tell.
Winston could easily get a higher weighting for local ownership through amending the investment criteria for ACC, EQC and NZSuper – maybe even amending the Kiwisaver legislation – that would have the effect of buying back a whole lot more of the share % of those 49% companies, and claim a “bottom line” policy win, and Key would take the country back using Winston as the foil that achieved it – and Key would then get to have his asset sale cake, and eat it as well.
Dare we dream that Winnie has a plan? That is to say, might he be planning a bait n switch. Sidling on up to the the slippery one, letting the arrogance of the fool present the details and then expose the mofo for what he is really planning? Just lately in the House Peters has been fighting a good fight and seems genuinely angry with the direction NZ is being steered. I am no fan, but I don’t see Peters rolling for a belly scratch this late in the game.
Legacy shopping. Winston’s got great energy, but he’s only got 1 maybe 2 terms left in Parliament. Completing 3 more terms would be legendary.
Winnie hates Key and (as the audio shows) hates the asset sell-offs. He will take pleasure in removing him as PM if he gets the chance.
I will wait to see where Peters goes with the GCSB issue. I’ve read 2 reports (an earlier one on ZB’s website), and this one, claiming that Peters was pissed off that Key had announced Peters was likely to be on board, without consulting him.
Not as much as he hates Russell Norman and the other Green losers. Plus, NZF voters would drive their zimmer frames up the steps of parliament if Peters ever cuddled up to those hippy pinkos.
As they probably would if he went into coalition with National.
“He ruled out a pre-election understanding being reached. He also made asset sales a bottom line. If one of the SOEs has not been privatized then this will be a bottom line. He also said that agreement to buy back the shares was a bottom line but time will tell.”
He seems genuine. He looks trustworthy. I think the government can do business with this Winston Peters.
The timing of the new détente with Winston is interesting. Insurance against Banks’ potential demise?
definitely. That and 5% is a lot more useful than 0.5%.
We all knew Key would come sucking up to Winston this time, the only question was how susceptible Winnie is to the soft words and trinkets (well, very – but we shall see if Key has the style 🙂 )
edit:
heh – didn’t see Karol’s link above.
Apparently JK has been boasting to his mates before actually popping the question to Winston 🙂
Dumber and dumberer.
“We all knew Key would come sucking up to Winston”
Labour would do that same and I bet they will if Winnie holds the balance of power (Which I hope he doesn’t)
I don’t recall Labour ever ruling out working with Peters, but then Key has surely demonstrated that his word ain’t worth shit by now anyway.
As I recall, John Key was specific about the fact that he would not go into any arrangement with Winston until he clarified the truth about the Owen Glenn donations …
Oh yes, I was right … he did.
“National Party leader John Key has ruled out Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters having a role in any future National coalition, unless he can provide an explanation on the Owen Glenn saga.”
I don’t think Winston has made any clarification about that so far.
He’s being typically shrewd with the wording there Puddleglum. The key word (heh) is “can”.
Statement to come: “No, Mr Peters has not provided me with an explanation but I never asked that he did, I only asked that he can. Mr Peters assures me that indeed he can and I take his word for that.”
Inter-mission : at 3:30
for Ads and The Big yanC Tucker Inn.
Silowet Ablended Sound Sulcate
Schools in for Winter Elgar
movies form like tears
all floats buoyed on a rising tide.
Abreast in dreams
Islands lie apart.
“non verbis” sed rebus
Knots and Crosses from The Black Book
-(A Good Hanging and other Melting Moments)
some Dharma there to peck at Gregory.
Pebylls wobble but they don’t sink down!
La’ Bealltainn smelt, bog-iron ore
-a 1000 points of light.dragoons
dialled up in a robust stable
And Moors forever reflect
This is Not a lap dance;
If it don’t fit,
Faucet a bit; short hair is so attractive.
-Jamie : Sweet you rock and sweet you roll.
Recipe for creation:
Ingredients- Standard as gone before.
Prep time- 30 minuets, give or take an entry or two.
Compost- Two commercial bricks interrupting Criminal Minds.
Presentation- As You Like It. savioured not strained.
Condiments- Watties Tomato Sauce (salty) on Everything.
Dessert- is beautiful in it’s own way, When The War is Over.
j.j.e.
“There is only a now that includes memories and expectations. I grant” (until now) “that our language is not able to express this.”
-Erwin Schroedinger
“Something unknown” (This Way Comes) “is doing we don’t know what”
-Yes Siree Arthur Eddington.
(if these crumbs are Scooped up, that would be tidey).
” it allowed cooperation with foreign spy agencies without the danger of information about Kiwis being sent overseas. From the looks of the new bill this protection will no longer be there.”
which all fits snugly into the TPPA plans to steal all the IP, everywhere and anywhere it can. The employment merry go round of US Government agencies and Corporate appoinments has been carefully planned and they will no doubt be lining up to share the keys to the back door.
I for one am very seriously worried about the precedent of the “rights” of the state removing the rights of the individual, and even more fearful that the decision to allow this rests with an individual who helped put his man at the helm. A truly slippery slope
With “economic well-being” being listed as one of the GCSB’s areas of concern, I look forward to their disrupting the activities of neo-liberals.
Chris Trotter points out in todays’ Press strongly and clearly that the Labor Greens must not back down to the bullying excess of the business world, as expressed over NZ Power.
As he states in the article – if business continues to make threats to the major political grouping in New Zealand then all bets are off. It is to war with business we go.
Strap your big balls on Shearer and Norman, you are taking us over a fulcrum in New Zealand’s politics not seen since 1984. Go hard. Get the fuckers. They claim they are all important but as everyone knows, most espcially those in business, nobody is irreplaceable.
Fight and fight hard. No flinch. Steel. Straight back. Step forward, never backwards.
VTO
100% right on
who needs a giggle ? point & click your way to the secret machinations of the rich and powerful
http://watergategame.com/
id like to make a comment on [deleted]
[lprent: You are currently banned until the 10th. Doubling the ban for leaving a comment – another two weeks to the 24th. Adding you to auto-spam. ]
The best argument I’ve seen for national standards ?
Its twoo, its twoo. I saw some rather hungry cows on teev last night. Their cockie must be distraught. Some lawyer bloke with no idea was hassling him. Just cos he could see the cows backbone, ribs, hips, neck etc etc.
In fact farmboy you are not the backbone.
The backbone is the cultural heart of the country. The heartland. The place where most work is done, most decisions stem from, most people are. That is the cities and towns and suburbs. Can you handle that reality?
Fool
Lol
Thank Labour for fonterra, eh?
ha ha, yep, silly people like farmboy are so indoctrinated with their belief system that they are unable to think independently.
Farmboy, do you realise that Fonterra is a full-blown socialist organisation utilising the full array of the collectivist approach to organisation for the benefit of the people? Do you?
Fonterra is not a ‘right wing’ creation. It takes its cue from the left.
Try opening your eyes and thinking for yourself. Then you may realise that the success of the Fonterra structure, if applied elsewhere in our economy, would help the rest of the country. But you will need to confront them blinkers wrapped tightly against your eyes.
Attacking you?
If suggesting that you be required by law to take your drinking water from the downstream boundary of your property constitutes an “attack” then I’m guilty as charged, I guess. Keep up the riparian planting initiative 🙂
farmboy
I wonder who are you when you’re not moonlighting as a dick from the sticks?
Look out, everyone, there’s a halfwit loose on the site.
Beware the Enemy within, aye Prof.
So,Aaron Gilmore is now a fully paid up member of key’s lying little inner sanctum. Listening to Radio at the moment with the EXPLANATION of what happened and everyone else has got it wrong.Has he spent the last week being schooled up in what to say to the media.Apologise .cry,”not my fault ,they got it wrong, the waiter started it etc. etc. Another one of nats toads who I can’t bear to look at.
Got to go now, I need to laught my head off!
Aaron Boo hoo, yoo hoo, toodle-oo.
He needs a lesson from Shane Jones on how to apologise.
I think he has actually made things worse by disputing the DPMC referral threat. This will only invite a response from the waiter or the lawyer if they feel sufficiently aggrieved by this.
And who would you believe? A pissed self confessed dickhead or a sober waiter AND a lawyer who has nothing to gain by making the allegation?
But Christchurch East needs a new MP! That seat is rightfully his!
“…AND a lawyer who has nothing to gain by making the allegation?”
AND is a lawyer who apparently specialises in employment law and civil litigation. Rather relevant to the circumstances. I can fully understand why Riches would not want to be associated with Gilmore’s supposed remarks and behaviour.
http://www.saunders.co.nz/andrew-riches/
Is it easier to sort pre-parliamentary employment by asking who wasn’t a lawyer?
http://rt.com/shows/the-truthseeker/boston-bombing-truth-propoganda-755/
at least RT has the balls to ask the questions, and they are simple enough questions
Oh, dear. A bit embarrassing for RT, who are usually a bit more on to it. Mind you, I’m sure you liked this contribution in the comment thread, freedom. It says what we’re all thinking!
‘RT thank you for sharing! Great to get some real solid news! Stay un-biased for the love of Freedom!’
what exactly is embarrassing? really, what part?
I find it strange you have no questions whatsoever about a Craft International Team being at the event, the denial of bomb drill announcements over the public address system, the chief of Police’s reference to actors or who exactly was the individual stripped naked and escorted away by police?
but good to know you like your cotton wool served warm and cosy
It’s the mad (potential) conspiracy theory bits I found embarrassing, freedom. Not everything is as it seems, but some things actually are. Boston is very straightforward and the only thing unknown at this point is whether they had external assistance (ie, did the dead terrorist go on a bomb making clinic while he was in the east?).
btw, I understand the conspiracy ‘o’ the day actually concerns one James Gilkerson. Why don’t see what fun you can have with that freedom lover’s death?
http://whatreallyhappened.com/content/man-who-open-fired-cops-ak-47-had-resistance-tyranny-book-car-0
contrary to whatever fantasy you believe I do not blindingly swallow the ‘conspiracy of the day’
Boston is far from straight forward. It is however a classic patsy job and with today’s tech etc they are easier and easier to pull off, mainly due to the plethora of disinfo that is now organically produced by the web itself. Many of those who distrust the official story of Boston want one simple question answered ( well a half dozen but)
Who is the naked guy the police led away? The feds will not answer, the cops will not answer. This only promotes further doubt, which creates further debate which creates further disinfo which makes the patsy easier to sell.
They have been doing this a long time. They are very good at it. People no longer believe what they see or hear until they are told what it is they are looking at. That takes skill.
=========
As far as the guy shooting up a cop car, first I had seen of it but it looks like he is just a nut job with an automatic weapon who felt he had no other option. With absolutely no back info it is hard not to come to the suggestion he had some things on his mind So yeah, looks like a nutjob with an automatic weapon. America has millions so them, most wear uniforms and do their mindless slaughter in foreign lands though.
What interests you about it? the books? If he had had a copy of Catcher in the Rye would we be warning POTUS?
Cases of photoshopping by the media already noted
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2013/04/8529102/daily-news-doctored-front-page-photo-boston-bombing
You missed small things like motive, why they made major preparations for the operation but seemed to have no plan to get out, didn’t seem to realise (or care) that there were cameras all through the target site which would allow them to be immediately identified
Not sure about the bomb drills thing but a former NZ reporter who was there said on RNZ that bomb dogs and teams had done sweeps through the whole course and the finish area before the event started (and might still have been present).
They’d aleady considered a suicide bombing, CV, so I guess getting away with wasn’t high on the priorities list.
And, yes, there were bomb sweeps. But before the killers got there, obviously. Remember, they killed the victims well after the serious athletes had finished, so at a guess, the security was a bit more relaxed then.
As for the photoshopping? Meh, just a paper trying to hide the truth from it’s readers, so nothing to see there … oh, wait 😉
there is that small detail about neither of the patsy backpacks matching the type recovered, just dumb luck i guess, what with the quantum world in constant physical flux and all, colours change, styles alter, turning from silver grey to Craft black is a hell of a trick though 🙂
Who is this Patsy Backpack? She’s not on fb, twitter or linkdin that I can see. The mystery deepens!
edit: found her! http://www.toyanxiety.com/montypythonpatsy-backpackwpouchandbedroll.aspx
funny 😎
( but t’was not what was written was it?)
Personally I love how the BBC and CNN are shills and liars, whereas Russian state-funded telly is unbiased regarding western affairs and are unafraid to speak truth to power.
Because Putin is so trustworthy, of course.
no-one is saying that, and I have seen many many words against Putin on RT. Far more than I have ever witnessed against Obama on CNN MSN NBC or anyone of the other thirty thousand stations newspapers or radio networks owned by AOL/Warner.
As for the BBC, well they still have a good documentary group,( a good friend is a producer with strong values about journalism and says the difference between BBC news and their dept is chalk and cheese)
It is bizarre how the BBC (broadcast division) censor or cancel the presentation of docos the BBC itself created. BBC is far from innocent. The background links between BBC/CNN and Aljazeera are also worth noting.
I really recommend that you watch a few hours of RT and then say it does not leave every other media network in the dust on International News. Let alone the huge resources they make available via various net and mobile services. There are hundreds of hours of past shows, documentaries from all over the world that you normally have to wait for festivals to see, and a vast collection of viewer contributions. ( which CNN started doing very soon afterwards)
As far as RT not doing hard stories on Russia that is simply not true, but sure they protect their interest, they are a media company after all. Now if American media want to start doing the RT treatment to Russian stories all the better. Don’t hold your breathe though. If US media was even half credible do you really think The Daily Show and The Colbert Report would turn up in polls about current affairs shows?
All media has an agenda but there are quantifiable chasms of difference. RT is about as good as we could hope for in this modern world but if you insist on believing the reds under the beds tripe then nothing I say can change your mind.
Cross Talk and The Big Picture are more panel based and may suit some more than Breaking the Set and Truthseeker
I’d say it’s pretty good on those areas of news that do not affect Russian foreign policy. As is the BBC with areas that don’t involve British foreign policy.
Whether strong internal US stability is consistent with Russian foreign policy – that is the question. Whether Chechen-related violence spreading beyond Russian borders is in the Russian interest – that is another question.
Just because you’re not interested in those specific questions of motive and planning doesn’t mean that they’re not important.
like how ‘following the money’ was declared by the administration to be of no importance following that little thing that went down that day in that place with those people
Then perhaps Te Reo you’d be so kind as to take a look at this link and scroll down to the parts that show the stills from video taken after the blast that show no blood despite one guy having had his legs blown off. See as an ex army medic this has been baffling me for the past week.
Since your saying everything is as it seems with the Boston marathon it would be good if you can clear this up for me, because for me this is definitely in the category of an unknown.
http://enfordummies.com/wordpress/more-proof-evidence-boston-bombing-man-leg-blown-off-fake/
Yeah, I can explain it. It’s madness. As an ex army medic you’re probably familiar with that too, if the later MASH TV shows are any guide. What a truly awful site, trading on the pain of the victims as it does. Pathetic, truly pathetic.
ps your first clue that site was authored by lunatics was the link to Glenn Beck (Beck gives Obama till Monday to declare this was an inside job – Yeah, right)
“trading on the pain of the victims as it does.” you just described the entire policy of the modern MSM
‘If it bleeds, it leads’ has long been a motto associated with the media. Even better if the blood has a local link. I vaguely remember a bogus headline: ‘Earthquake in India; thousands dead. No Britons hurt’, that sort of sums it up.
The weird thing is that people are killed by bombs every day, but it’s only of interest to the media, and conspiracy theorists like yourself, when it happens in the States. Cleverer folk than I might be able to draw some conclusions as to what that means about the blinkered world view of both groups.
“but it’s only of interest to the media, and conspiracy theorists like yourself, when it happens in the States”
I can only speak for me but that is categorically untrue. I could write several lengthy qualifications supporting that statement but you either choose to believe it or you won’t.
The problem is many are too afraid to ask questions around things like this because doing so and getting an answer they aren’t prepared for is something they are just not prepared to deal with mentally. Much better to stay wrapped up nice and safe in their cocoon rather than have to rethink the entire world they live in.
Just what we need. Another conspiracy theory.
disappointing – bit of a non answer really, google boston bombings no blood and find ones that comment on this without Glenn beck if that better spins your wheels, but other than that it appears you have providing an explanation more than anything. Are you perhaps saying the pictures are fake? I mean that would at leas be an explanation; not a very good one but an explanation none the less.
“google boston bombings no blood”
Why? I’m not a right wing saddo, so what possible interest could it hold for me?
If you can’t explain it, it’s cool, just say so. I can’t either.
Well on second thoughts I can but you wouldn’t like the answer…
P.S. wanting to know the truth is not limited to the domain of right wing saddos. It’s right wing saddos and those people that have the ability to think for themselves. But then in my view those that really have the ability to think for themselves do not have their views entrenched with one political party or another, or even within the System for that matter.
There’s nothing to explain, PP. It’s a fantasy. Anytime something bad happens in the states, a segment of the right will blame the gummint. It’s boring and its sad. And it obviously pretty offensive to characterise someone who has just has his legs blown off as an ‘actor’. But if you’re cool with being deluded, fine by me. Just don’t waste my time linking to offensive websites and asking me to comment.
That’s ok I’ll just put you in the category of comfortable living in a cocoon when it comes to this sort of thing. But you are right – A guy gets his legs blown off and there’s no blood…. that is indeed a fantasy. Yet that’s what the pictures show… so unfortunately the reality, well that’s the opposite.
The world is the way it is because too many don’t want to actually see what is going on.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311118/Boston-bombing-brings-tourniquet-Once-doubted-medical-device-stop-bleeding-saved-countless-lives-amidst-bloodshed.html
.
Be warned, not safe for sensitive souls but if you have the stomach for it Cryptome has full sets from the bombing.
google search link
Their should have been blood from before the tourniquet was applied. If you have a look at the pics you can see his stumps with no blood on them at all and no tourniquet.
fuck, joe90 – that’s some rank grievous shit.
And lots and lots of blood.
PP, I’m not sure which pic you’re referring to, but there aren’t many I can see where “not enough blood” could be much of a criticism.
Scroll down to the series of photos on here – this was sent to me in another link a few days ago somewhere but I couldn’t find the original but these are the same pics.
http://enfordummies.com/wordpress/more-proof-evidence-boston-bombing-man-leg-blown-off-fake/
I’m open to explanations…
“I’m open to explanations…”
Apparently not.
Ok let me rephrase for your benefit – I am open to suggestions that use logic and common sense. i.e. if a guy has his legs freshly blown off their should be blood and a lot of it.
Having this conversation has been effectively me saying this ‘5’ looks like the number 5 and could their be any other explanation I haven’t considered……? Then you come along and say unicorns smell nice.
But hey I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt in that perhaps you misunderstood the question? The guy in the photo has just had his legs blown off. There is no blood on him, his stumps or the people he is lying on. Why?
…. I’m all ears.
Happy to help, PP. The answer is that you’ve been visiting sites that are full of venomous shit. It’s affected your usual empathy for your fellow humans, making it hard for you to spot the bleeding obvious.
(Pun very much intended.)
I hope your considering a career in politics – you would be stellar.
So just to get this right – Your saying the reason the pictures of the guy with his legs blown off show no blood on him or anyone around him is because………I have been visiting venomous sites.. and further to this, doing so has damaged my ability to empathize. Have I got that right?
Se now the bit that gets me is that can empathize just fine. I just wanted to know why he has no blood on his legs and as I live in a world of logic and common sense…….. I simply cannot accept your answer.
“I live in a world of logic and common sense”
And yet you show no grasp of either.
Really based on what. Based on the fact that you can’t give a straight answer. The only one lacking in logic and common sense is you. Seriously have you read your posts!?!
You want to live in a nice safe warm cocoon and this threatens that. I get it. To be honest I was really hoping you would give me a plausible explanation so that I, like you, could crawl back into my nice safe cocoon. But you failed dismally.
Here’s some advice – Stay there. Stay in your cocoon for as long as you can. The rest of your natural life if possible. Its a happier world in there and don’t let anyone take it away from you. When the Government and the MSM tell you something, believe it, never question it. If things don’t look right change the channel and keep changing it until you hear the story you want to hear. In your world that would be the logical and common sense thing to do and I envy you for being able to. seriously I do.
Best of luck to you.
Crawl back into the rotting flesh you call home, ghoul.
Yeah, what ever. To be fair, PP, you haven’t come up with some whackjob theory of your own, which is the next stage, so there may be hope for you yet. But, seriously, this stuff is astonishly sick. Remember, the site you sent me to claimed the victims were actors. Actors, FFS. Not people who’ve just had their legs blown off by arseholes, but actors. How sick to you have to be write that shit?
Compare and contrast:
“The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That’s how I see football, that’s how I see life.”
Liverpool FC Manager, Bill Shankly.
“The area started to decline in the early 1990s with the city’s economic problems. But Liverpool football club accelerated the decline, by leaving good houses empty and boarded up. It wasn’t a natural decline; it was engineered.”
Howard Macpherson, resident, Anfield.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2013/may/06/anfield-liverpool-david-conn
Anyone notice that Mr Key said at his Press Conference yesterday that he had been speaking with NZF about supporting the GCSB reform and about matters to do with the economy. Mr Peters said there had been no discussions with him about either matter. The Media told him that a letter was coming about the GCSB.
Could Mr Key have mis-spoken or even lied? Watch this space.
Gilmore got told to front up to Parliament today, will Key?
At about 13.5 minutes, Key just said that he had written to NZ First. Not that he’d had discussions already.
The funniest thing about the Gilmore Grill is how he texted the PM an apology.
Seriously? texted the apology ! Is this how the PM now operates so as to limit how often he can be caught out in silly statements. If you were an MP and had caused this fracas, would you not speak directly to your party leader? Key admits numerous discussions between his chief of staff and Gilmore but that he himself only heard from Gilmore by text. So what did Key instruct his chief of staff to do and say and just how much autonomy does the staff have?
But a text apology? What was it?
‘sry bout bn a dkhd’
it’s an apology to the PM. You are not reminding him to grab some milk. These clowns are a frikkin embarassment to the country (wow, so getting tired of writing that line)
You can’t even txt in to take a day off sick at most firms in NZ, but bringing your employer into disrepute apparently can be sorted by txt if you are a National MP. Higher standards, anyone?
Just as an aside, this sends a msg to all Nat backbench MP’s. And that message is ‘we’ve only got a one seat majority, so it’d be nice if you don’t publicly embarrass us, but if you feel you must, well that’s cool too.’
I saw the interview on TV3. My recollection was that the discussions with Mr Peters was said by Mr Key (as well as the letter mention) and that matters of finance had been also discussed with NZF.
Mr English was asked this morning on Morning Report about the “financial discussions.” He said you would have to ask Mr Key about that. (Implying that he knew nothing about that.) Might be wrong karol. Will see.
the NZF references are about 25 mins in karol
On TV3 News last night there was the reference that I was looking for starting at about 6:50min in. Mr Key became embarrassed about the detail.
http://www.tv3.co.nz/tabid/3692/MCat/3102/Default.aspx
Might be totally unimportant but I had to look.
OK, thanks. Key says NZ First and the government have been working on a number of things “behind the scenes.”
We’ll see, then.
I thought maybe that Peters was being cute. He said no one had talked directly to him about it. Doesn’t stop lower level conversations taking place and given National’s love of power I would not be surprised if this was the case.
Inter-mission :
Attacking the Messenger
In Praise of Richard Falk
by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON, May 6, 2013
Shortly after the 15 April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories, published an analysis of the episode entitled “A Commentary on the Marathon Murders.”
In this analysis Falk pointed out that there are “serious deficiencies in how the U.S. sees itself in the world. We should be worried by the taboo . . . imposed on any type of self-scrutiny [of U.S. foreign policy] by either the political leadership or the mainstream media.” This taboo essentially blinds us to the reality of our situation. Falk continues, “The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance in the post-colonial world. . . . Especially if there is no disposition to rethink U.S. relations with others . . . starting with the Middle East.”
……………./
Thus, looked at from outside of the self-justifying perspective of the United States government, everything Richard Falk says is accurate. However, from the inside of the official government worldview, Falk is a heretic and his message dangerous verbal poison. Therefore, the reaction of those dedicated to customary policies and alliances has been shrill.
For instance, Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said that she was “outraged by Richard Falk’s highly offensive Boston comments. Someone who spews such vitriol has no place at the UN. Past time for him to go.” Similar statements came from members of Congress who are collecting signatures on a letter demanding that President Obama “take action” against Falk. The British mission to the UN released a statement to the effect that “this is the third time we have had cause to express our concerns about Mr. Falk’s anti-Semitic remarks.” This is an embarrassingly ignorant statement that confuses criticism of Israel with hostility to Jews in general. By the way, Richard Falk is Jewish. For its part, Israel has long barred Falk from even entering the Palestinian territories for which he has responsibility. Finally, Zionists have accused Falk of being “an anti-American and pro-radical Islam activist.” This is another statement that is both factually incorrect and ignorant, because Falk is a deeply knowledgable American trying to talk some sense to politicians leading the nation toward a dangerous cliff, and because it confuses criticism of Israel with supporting “radical Islam.”
The ugly fact is that, most Americans have been kept dangerously ignorant of the wanton damage caused by their government’s foreign policies, and those who would prevent them from knowing the truth are, at the very least, indirectly responsible for terrorist attacks launched in reaction to those policies.
Richard Falk’s crime is to be a person of note, an esteemed academic and a respected servant of the United Nations, who is trying to break through with the truth. It is all the more frightening to the U.S. and its allies that, in this effort, Falk has access to an independent platform. He regularly reports to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he has the ear of many of the 47 nations that make up this body. Unfortunately, the one group most in need of Falk’s wisdom, the American public, remains beyond the range of his voice.
If it could get away with it, the U.S. government would probably cart Richard Falk off to some hellhole prison, or keep him confined to some foreign embassy (as it has done to Julian Assange). However, despite disturbing signs to the contrary, Washington isn’t yet ready to take such actions against a man of Falk’s stature. However, do not mistake such forbearance for the mark of a mature and stable society. No. Such societies (just like mature and stable adults) are capable of self-criticism. At least at the level of leadership and media, the United States is not capable of such self-reflection and so its citizens are likely to be the last to know that much of the terrorism they fear is a product of their own government’s continuing barbarism.
———————————————————————————————–
Lawrence Davidson is professor of history at West Chester University in West Chester PA.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/05/06/in-praise-of-richard-falk/
Susan Rice – Quite certain she has rendered herself in default, and outed herself as a traitor, on more than one , recent occasion!
Conflation of Israel/Jewish/anti semetic talking points – The preferred propganda weapon of any base level zionist entity!
The Obama administration lied about Benghazi as well.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/06/the-truth-about-benghazi-terrorist-attack-continues-to-trickle-out-slowly-heres-what-we-know-now/
Linking to Glenn Beck’s site isn’t going to gain you a lot of credibility.
Who is running Auckland Council?
Do YOU think that Auckland Council CEO Doug McKay, as a supposedly ‘apolitical public servant’ should be a member of the unelected ‘invitation-only’ extremely powerful private sector lobby group, the Committee for Auckland?
I don’t.
I think the Governing Body of Auckland Council should ensure that CEO Doug McKay, terminates his membership of the Committee for Auckland, in order to comply with his ‘apolitical’ role as a ‘public servant, and have requested speaking rights at the upcoming Auckland Council Governing Body meeting to raise this with them directly.
______________________________________________________________________________
Request for speaking rights at Public Forum of the upcoming Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, Thursday 9 May 2013 at 11am.
Reception Lounge
Auckland Town Hall
301-305 Queen Street
Auckland
Dear Mayor Len Brown,
My subject matter is:
Auckland Council Local Government Election Year Policy
“Neutrality of Public Servants”.
At this Governing Body meeting of Auckland Council, you are discussing the proposed ‘Auckland Council Local Government Election Year Policy’.
“Who does this policy apply to?
4) This policy applies to all Auckland Council elected members and Auckland Council employees.”
“Neutrality of Public Servants
12. A major characteristic of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements is that public servants are apolitical. This applies to public servants in local and central government.”
If Auckland Council employees are supposed to be apolitical ‘public servants’ – then why is Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay, still a member of the ‘invitation-only’, powerful private sector lobby group – the Committee for Auckland?
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership/member-organisations
“Doug McKay Chief Executive Officer Auckland Council”
Please be reminded of the LGOIMA reply I received from Wendy Brandon, General Counsel for Auckland Council dated 10 February 2012
(“Official Information Request No: 9000114213:)
“1. I have advised you previously that Mr McKay is a member of the Committee for Auckland in his capacity as Chief Executive of Auckland Council.
2. Mr McKay is an honorary member of the Committee for Auckland. As such, there was no joining fee charged or paid.
3. No resolution of any committee of the Auckland Council was sought or given in relation to Mr McKay’s membership of the Committee for Auckland.
The Committee for Auckland is an independent organisation and its aims and objectives are a matter of public record.”
(Item 4)
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OCCUPY-AUCKLAND-APPEAL-APPLICATION-BY-APPELLANT-BRIGHT-TO-ADDUCE-NEW-EVIDENCE-pdf.pdf
Please be reminded that membership of the Committee for Auckland is ‘invitation’ only
_____________________________________________________________________________
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership
Membership Information
Membership to the Committee for Auckland is by invitation. Members meet quarterly and are invited to be involved in those aspects of the work programme that interest them.
Members are Chairs of Boards, Directors and Chief Executives
Corporate Membership annual fee $10,000.
Associate and Individual Membership comprises organisations or individuals who support the aims and purpose of the Committee but who, for various reasons, are unable to take a full part in contributing to the Committee’s portfolio of initiatives.
Associate Membership annual fee $5,000
Individual Membership annual fee $2,500
For further information about Membership, please contact theExecutive Director”
______________________________________________________________________________
How many Auckland Council or Auckland CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland?
How can this not be a ‘perceived conflict of interest’ for the Principal Adminstrative Officer of Auckland Council – the CEO Doug McKay – to be a member of this private sector lobby group, particularly when his membership has not been ‘authorised /endorsed’ by elected members of Auckland Council?
Is the Governing Body of Auckland Council going to ensure that CEO Doug McKay, terminates his membership of the Committee for Auckland, in order to comply with his ‘apolitical’ role as a ‘public servant?
Yes or no?
If not – why not?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption/anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
Is there going to be a Questions for Oral Answers today, or is the time going to be given to farewelling Horomia?
stream won’t load. anyone else having issues?
Watching on TV. Speeches on Parekura.
no tv here,
had a stream playing the pretty muzak then at 1:59 it just dropped out and will not reload
I have tried all three streams from the NZPTV site
Yes – same problem. Neither the video or audio streams would load for me online. Listening on an old fashioned radio!
finally got it back about 2:30
seems to be a regular problem lately
Yes I did freedom. Gave up in the end. Got told it was a server problem.
Actually I’m getting sick of all the gremlins trying to watch online Parliament TV. It started at the beginning of this year. Last year and previous to that the reception was excellent.
Are we asking too much?
It is 2013
it is a live stream from a controlled environment,
this should not be a problem
(posted this and got put in moderation ???)
Just checked online. All OK. Mac/Firefox.
The further descents of K2; There is an article in The Herald about the boffin who developed the synthetic cannabinoids claiming they were definitely Not for human consumption. I was interviewed for the paper (photo taken) today on my (informed) opinion on this rubbish. 😀
(photo may not develop, being ecto-plasmic and all that…)
According to Hekia Parata on Parliament TV, NZ has been celebrating the death of Parekura Horomia for the last 10 days, WTF
*faceplam*
Some very good speeches for Parekura, nice mixture of speaking styles, many funny and warm.
It’s just a shame that two of the poorest speakers in Parliament are the PM and PM-in-waiting. Every time there’s a tribute in the House, they fail to rise to the occasion. Pretty much every MP who followed them showed how to do it, but there’s this leaden log-jam at the top, Messrs Dull and Duller.
Labour wanted another “Joe Ordinary a la Key” as Leader and they succeeded brilliantly.
True dat. Even Dunne showed them up and he barely exists.
Yes, on the whole I felt it was a fitting tribute to a great man
Interesting blog from someone with a serious illness
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.nz/
If Looney Len gets re-elected as mayor, Aucklanders will leave in droves.
Where will they go? Wellington?
No, Celia Wade-Brown and her mates are asleep at the wheel.
Christchurch? Too shakey.
Dunedin? No. Dave Cull is too busy sucking up to China.
I know; Ekatahuna.
zzz
What’s wrong with Hamilton
AT LAST! JOHN BANKS IS IN THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT COURT (Albert St) Wednesday 8 May 2013 for a first appearance at 10am to face a private prosecution brought by Graham McCready for electoral fraud.
Plan to have banners up outside Court from 9am.
WHEN IS PRIME MINISTER JOHN KEY GOING TO STAND DOWN JOHN BANKS AS A MINISTER?
Details about this case and background information is available here:
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/
http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MG_8721.jpg