Parata is meeting the unions seperately.
Ironic that it is fine for teachers to deal with a variety of pupils in larger classes, but Parata cant deal with a varietty of unions togetherr.
Also interesting to hear key on morning report
Said the govt needs to be able to explain the change better to parents.
They have been fed misinformation.
(To help with this the min needs to release the info to schools!)
THEN he went on to talks about class sizes of 15 16. They only exist in private schools.
Interview with John Key this morning on Morning Report. A very vague response.
Then an interview with Professor John O’Neal Education, who quietly explains the implications of larger class sizes. John points out that the teacher numbers have grown in an effort to catch up on other countries. The OECD average is about 1:22 so Parata’s 1:27 is pretty grim. http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20120607-0822-education_professor_says_small_classes_improve_teaching-048.mp3
Yesterday’s bene bashing bombshell dropped by Bennett was a bit of a surprise to put it mildly. It dog whistled compulsory sterilisation but we were assured that this would not occur. It appears to me to be a diversionary tactic to take the public’s attention away from something really important.
But what?
What is this Government doing that is deeply unpopular, that is opposed by most of the population and that will permanently damage our economy? What is it that the Government does not want us discussing or thinking about?
Yesterdayâs bene bashing bombshell dropped by Bennett was a bit of a surprise to put it mildly.
You could be right about National needing a distraction, but yesterdays suggestion by Bennett was no bombshell for those who have been following welfare reform closely.
She has discussed this before and the Welfare Working Group pretty much pushed a eugenics line without coming out and saying it directly.
The problem is nobody pays much attention to what is being done to those at the bottom of the heap unless it is extreme. Then after expressing their disgust the good old middle class move on to something more interesting.
Thats why the people at the bottom have realised its a waste of time voting.
“Our big problem would be … if Europe goes, China could slow down, Australia would be very badly affected by the China slowdown and that’s the nightmare scenario for us â a slowdown in China, our second-largest market, a slowdown in Australia, our largest market, a weak United States and we’re in a diabolical position.” John Key, London, 7-6-2012.
âLet’s assume for a moment that John Key did not earn his fortune with what in 1993 was already recognised as the instrument which would eventually bring down our entire global economy and just realise what he said here in public.
If all these markets stumble there will be a major recession worldwide, if not a depression. And we all know what’s next. Of cause everybody is looking up and down the lines whether they are being hoodwinked into ever more belt tightening or whether some serious preparation is required. Unfortunately, the “don’t make the public panic” will always be in place as the funds need to stay in the bank(books) and any to be withdrawn will go to the few in the know. Besides, it is already forecast that China is slowing down and Australia will follow. To what extent needs to be seen.
John Key and mates know that we dear constituents cannot cope with real facts, so BLiP, they are just protecting us in a cocoon of bliss. “Hush little babies. Nothing to worry about. Just go to sleep. Daddy John and Daddy Bill will fix everything.”
It is getting serious though. The Minister and Ministry of Ed are particularly remiss given the current debate. Show us the money! Oops. I mean show us the figures!
Fuck-all point being offered the theoretical choice of chosing to be either moral or immoral within an overall system that makes the manifestation of your choices either impossbile or ineffectual. The story forgets that. Lack of wider perspective. Any colour you like… as long as it’s black.
“In sum, the left has a tendency to place caring for the weak, sick and vulnerable above all other moral concerns. It is admirable and necessary that some political party stands up for victims of injustice, racism or bad luck. But in focusing so much on the needy, the left often fails to address â and sometimes violates â other moral needs, hopes and concerns. ”
That a professor could write a book about moral choices and say something like this means he doesn’t even know how to locate morality. I suppose he is a professor of a business school after all.
Joe Bageant’s “Deer Hunting with Jesus” looks into the same sort of thing with greater depth and insight. He argues that the modern left have come to have a high-handed, patronising attitude to the poor, which puts them off, while the right take steps to actively and directly engage them, albeit via their prejudices and status anxieties.
I see it like this. In the sixties and seventies, the left was an amalgam of the working class and the avante garde. Various victories on the identity politics front have allowed large sections of the avante garde to be absorbed into the middle class, while Reagan/Thatcher economics have driven the working class into poverty. This leaves the political left not knowing who to represent and the poor not knowing who to blame.
Is this a problem of being unable to differentiate between morals in the wider context and political expediency or an orchestrated misinformation effort? The professor’s words suggests that ambition and undefined concepts of fairness are simultaneously rights and virtues. Without any examination, and examination cannot take place at a political level, such a statement is false. Certainly in the UK, it would be unrealistic to say that the government concentrates too much on the needy.
As I see it, the political left know exactly who to represent, some do. There is only dispute among entertainers who cannot retain existing power structures while abandoning the support base – a common problem. If the poor do not know what’s up, they may have a – usually rare – intelligence problem or a failure to grasp realty, but this has nothing to do with being poor.
“He argues that the modern left have come to have a high-handed, patronising attitude to the poor, which puts them off, while the right take steps to actively and directly engage them, albeit via their prejudices and status anxieties.”
It’s not unusual to find that those who receive assistance often suffer subtle and influential prejudice from the source of assistance, however, the steps the right take to “engage directly” is much like someone else described recently: handing out band aids to the person you just punched in the face. On the one hand we hear him saying that the left need to stand up for the weak, since the right won’t, but that the left cannot remain politically viable if they do, based on the incorrect assumption that the left need the poor to stay in business. Then we hear him suggesting societal dysfunction is better than addressing basic need. His argument is flawed in that it suggests he doesn’t understand who or what the left is, outside of mainstream six o’clock politics, or maybe he does, so he makes up lies about it all.
I fail to see how this makes the political right a more likely choice for the working poor. His unsubstantiated argument is a plea to “a poor working class” who he imagines is a bunch of people who are not intelligent enough to see through his illogical conclusions. He then blames the left for his prejudices. Funny how projection works like that. Not a level of argument I would expect from a professor.
I am certainly no advocate for the right, and neither was Bageant. However, you need to be in a pretty abject position to see yourself as one of the “needy.” The “needy” is what someone else calls you, not what you call yourself. Our own earlier working class movements were quite clear about wanting justice, not charity. The middle class left often want to be nice to the poor, without feeling genuine solidarity with them, while the poor themselves want to be represented, positions which are hard to synthesise on a political level. The right do not represent the working class’s interests, but their prejudices. However they at least make a connection on that level, and thus inveigle people into voting against their interests. I am with you regarding the moral position, I think that it is the one the left should make central. But the core moral value ought to be justice, not charity (in the modern, degraded sense of the word). And I also thought the professor’s piece was lightweight and morally confused.
Because people are poor, by no means infers that they lack a sense of self-esteem and integrity, or that they lack intelligence or make “bad decisions”. Agreed, justice comes first, maybe tempered with charity (which of any of us, poor or otherwise, is not in some need of charitable intent?)
I did add a little caveat to charity, Dr Terry. By “in the modern degraded sense” I meant the sort of patronising charity that gave rise to the saying “cold as charity.” Simone Weil has said that we degrade both justice and charity when we separate them: that real justice includes charity and real charity includes justice.
Uturn It is moral to run a country so that everybody who needs and wants
it can have a job with a living wage. There are lots of rights to be considered by governments but that is an important point applying to the whole society. It’s so basic that it can get overlooked when viewing those who have handicaps. Sometimes the people without handicaps, including caregivers, become invisible.
I completely agree with you Olwyn. This inequity of outcome for the various parts of the left is a huge problem. Those whose dignity, well-being, and human rights have been eroded so easily turn against those who have experienced a net benefit from the changes over the last 25 years, especially those groups that society had previously set below the white, het, working class.
I’ve read a bit of Haidt’s stuff and have found his analysis to be shallow right-wing apologism. His latest book was reviewed on NZ’s Sciblog and it didn’t impress the reviewer much either.
This can cut both ways unfortunately. Not only do those who are left out resent those who have benefited, sometimes those who have benefited feel superior to those who have not. It is just human psychology; we think we merit our gains and are unlucky in our losses. But however it is understood, it is the left’s biggest problem in my eyes. We have been divided and ruled. Gore Vidal has said, solidarity is easy for the right, because they are all after one thing – money. Whereas the left are after all sorts of things and easily fall into disagreement – I am paraphrasing, Vidal said it a whole lot better.
Yeah that’s true. In being allowed to join the “respectable” class, members of formerly heavily stigmatised groups too often look down on and victim-blame the poor and still severely oppressed.
I’m reading a (very distrubing) book ‘Scapegoat’ about hate crimes against people with disabilities, which, while always a problem, have increased as those at the bottom are squeezed harder and harder in the UK. It can’t be denied that there is also a problem of “traditional”-working -class hatred for other disdained and vulnerable minorities, as a function of their own hardship, where legitimate anger is taken out on those least able to fight back, rather than on those with the power.
There must be a way that the anger can be channelled into solidarity.
In the sixties and seventies, the left was an amalgam of the working class and the avante garde. Various victories on the identity politics front have allowed large sections of the avante garde to be absorbed into the middle class, .
But actually, you haven’t really explained how the right were able to split off a narrowed version of so-called “identity politics” from the class struggle.
The neoliberal divide and conquer was (at least partly) the outcome of the right targeting the shift from classic marxism to neo-marxism; from a materialistc/economic-based left-wing analysis to a focus on culture.
And that shift was a result of the difficulty marxists (and socialists generally) had with explaining why the (r)evolution predicted by Marx, hadn’t happened – why the working classes hadn’t joined to over-throw their oppressors & exploiters. The neo-marxist explanation was that cultural/social constructions and processes were keeping the exploited working classes in a state of “false consciousness” – i.e. they’d been conned into supporting capitalism, against their own interests by (in Althusser’s terms) Ideological State Apparatuses e.g. media, religious organisations, education, the family etc. The New Left started to shift away from (what many saw as) the underlying material and economic determinism of classical marxism.
This began the ‘turn to culture’…. but the postmodernists – enthused by the increasing proliferation of easily replicated communication, and media productions (videos, visual images etc), really went intensely into the cultural realm. (i.e. just change culture, and thence attitudes, then all the inequalities can be dissolved and economic and social justice will reign. They split off from the materially-based class struggle.
But the strength of the neoliberal right is, that they had a unifying model – the “business does it best” trope. Through this they amalgamated policies that target material and economic circumstances, with methods of cultural persuasion : the business model of dealing with the financial and economic realities, while also using marketing and advertising techniques to sell their political product – and increasingly a kind of viral marketing through all areas of culture and media.
So, in my view, the crucial thing is for the left to find their own unifying concept. Then use this as a way to unify material/economic struggles with relevant discourses, cultural productions and policies targeting social divisions social division. …. and probably includes those kind of values that you are calling “moral”.
Hi Carol, to start at the end, I am not using the term “moral” in any prissy sense, but in the sense that I think social and economic justice are best construed in terms of a moral issue; that of how we treat our fellow human beings. I realise, however, in saying this that the term “moral” is also employed divisively and on a petty level, eg. Ms Bennett’s recent moves. It is hard to win with language.
“…the biggest beneficiaries from changes in social attitudes will be those within the middle & upper classes (women, LGBT people, Maori elite etc).”
I agree, but such people were then often exiles from the middle classes. In a way, you could say that the neo-libs broadened the criteria for being members of the middle class, and that not all of those on the above list naturally gravitated to the avante garde anyway. In fact do we still have an avante garde beyond comic and graffiti artists?
“…the strength of the neoliberal right is, that they had a unifying model.”
The closest I can think of as a unifying model for the left is the idea that being allowed into the middle classes, whether you are blue collar, female, brown or rainbow, (or any combination) is not exactly power. Power is either physical or economic might, and anything less depends upon the acquiescence of might. If there was a sudden need for large numbers of soldiers, for example, the blue-collar male workers could just as easily be invited back into the tent, & the LGBT, etc unceremoniously kicked out, as workers were under Thatcher. Someone said recently in a post on the Herald site (I forget which one) that if you are not able to take a year off work without going on the dole and without loss on the scale of losing your house, you are not part of the elite, whatever airs you give yourself. This seems to me like a good place to start. I think it is hard to separate the economic from the social so far as oppression is concerned, since you are economically punished if you are socially on the outer, and you are socially punished if you are economically on the outer. And the only might we have is in our numbers, whichever form of injustice we have suffered, or seen others suffer.
Ah, Olwyn, I see you quoted from my post before I edited it out (I looked at what I’d posted and it seemed awfully long).
Yes, it is a complicated situation, and I mostly agree with you. I think left and right wing ideas of moral behaviour tends to differ. So I just talk about left wing values. Of course, the neolibs talk as though their policies are based in some objective reality, while it masks some very self-centred values.
Maybe, though the middleclass is going to shrink in the future as resources become more scarce.
Yes, ultimately political power lies in force – it’s a negative form of power – stopping people from doing things.. Foucault talked of a more positive form of creative power. People exercise power with their actions e.g. by doing something innovative, an imaginative protest, or making something useful for people – such things can be quite powerful.
Maybe, though the middleclass is going to shrink in the future as resources become more scarce.
Already happening. Look at the UK, USA, Spain, Greece, Portugal. In Australia, the coastal capital city middle class isn’t shrinking, but it is stagnating.
Carol: Yes I was speaking of power purely in terms of might. There are most certainly creative powers and the power of an idea whose time has come, etc. However, if the middle class shrinks it will not because that is what the middle class want.
Well, they are going to shrink, but they are going to continue to tear away at the under class and the working class in order to maintain their own position for as long as possible.
Trotter seems finally to have seen the light. However, the possibility of government reclaiming the right to be the sole creator of money seems to be the “elephant in the living room” these days. It is something all columnists should be “shouting from the rooftops”.
it was certainly a good introduction and for many people it probably scared them stupid but why did he limit the scope of the reality as if it only applies to Home Loans. It reads as if he was wanting to expose the big lie . . . only to mention a smaller fib ? Or maybe he has a drip feed plan to slowly acclimatise people to the truth that the entire Global Economy is a big ol’ scam with me, you and the other seven billion who call Earth home as the oblivious marks.
Either way it was great to see it in a mainstream newspaper.
( as a bonus the Peter Taylor & Moriarty show running in the comments is funny stuff )
I saw that article the part that confused me about it though was he was saying the home loan is just a book entry. Surely they have to pay the person you are purchasing the house off?
Well my point was about the house is paid for with money part. The article and you seem to ignore that part – the bank is not creating money by book entry only – they are actually making a payment to a person.
Judging by his article I’d say yes he’s on the barmy side. Banks don’t print money out of thin air, he’s dreadfully misinformed there. Time he retired IMO.
No they don’t, your linked article states that “banks are said to create money.” Note the word ‘said’. And they don’t create it out of thin air anyway, which is what Trotter was claiming. They can only lend money which is deposited with them (or borrowed), they can’t create a loan from nothing.
NZ doesn’t really have fractional reserve banking either, in practice the banks do retain a fraction of deposits for daily withdrawals etc but the Govt doesn’t set reserve ratios on banks here. We use capital ratios to control lending.
They can only lend money which is deposited with them (or borrowed), they canât create a loan from nothing.
Then you explain how a $1000 deposit in a bank becomes $10000 in circulation and that the original deposit can be withdrawn without decreasing the money in circulation.
NZ doesnât really have fractional reserve banking either, in practice the banks do retain a fraction of deposits for daily withdrawals etc but the Govt doesnât set reserve ratios on banks here. We use capital ratios to control lending.
C’mon people you’re not that financially illiterate. The M3 money supply grows because money lent by banks usually ends up back in the bank for them to lend out again. Banks just do not create any money out of thin air, that’s fantasy thinking.
Spare the facepalm BS, check for yourself and you’ll find NZ is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t set a fractional reserve for trading banks. (well it didn’t last time I read up on it) We use capital adequacy instead.
Of course they had it, banks can’t lend from a negative balance sheet. When a bank lends money they take it out of their cash account and transfer it to the recipient, it’s real money. It’s a paper entry only because that’s the way we do things these days, we don’t lug wads of cash around any more
Guys I’m not one to belittle others but this talk about banks printing money from nothing just makes people appear a little foolish IMO. The banking system leads to money creation but we’re just as much a part of that as the banks are. M3 money supply includes bank deposits. If someone pays us with borrowed money, and we put that money in the bank, well we’ve just created more money (M3 money anyway).
When you read informed commentary about banks creating money they’re usually talking about the whole banking system, not the banks per se.
I don’t know what they taught you guys at school but banking doesn’t look to be part of it. Fractional reserve banking means they lend out a fraction of what they borrow, not a multiple. They retain a small fraction for cash reserves, that’s the fractional reserve, and they lend out the larger fraction.
And as I’ve stated NZ banks aren’t required to retain a fractional reserve, they can lend out 100% of deposits if they want (provided they have enough capital).
Keep on with your misconceptions, doesn’t bother me, but whenever you bring this up among people who do understand banking they just laugh at you.
“In 1985, New Zealand was the first country to abandon reserve ratios completely, and we are still among the minority in not having a ratio system at all.”
Like all modern monetary systems, the monetary system in New Zealand is based on fiat and fractional-reserve banking. In a fractional-reserve banking system, the largest portion of money created is not created by the Reserve Bank itself, 80% or more is created by private sector commercial banks.
Fractional-reserve banking:
Like all modern monetary systems, the monetary system in New Zealand is based on fiat and fractional-reserve banking. In a fractional-reserve banking system, the largest portion of money created is not created by the Reserve Bank itself, 80% or more is created by private sector commercial banks.[6]
Very Matrix-y. The human (I assume) with the programme pseudonym just revealed a human-looking response to be little more than the output of a search engine.
Most of the money supply is created as debt against future earnings. Thin air.
Only a small fraction is money held as deposits.
There is absolutely know reason why we cannot do that themselves instead of paying fees/interest to banks, which really is money out of thin air. And one reason why our economic system requires continual growth.
Sneering and sniggering about prisoners’ rights
National Radio, Thursday 7 June 2012
Maybe you heard this nasty little item on National Radio just before 9 o’clock this morning. In a tone of barely contained levity, Simon Mercep said that prisoners have been “grumbling” about the quality of the food they get. Prisoners have laid 374 complaints about food in the past year.
Obviously, in the minds of the producers at National Radio, this is a matter for amusement and sniffy disdain, and it was treated as such. Corrections Association head Bevan Hanlon clearly thinks it’s a big joke: “One of their main complaints was that, ha ha ha, the bread was only buttered on one side.” He called their complaints “whingeing” and said that the only reason they complain is “because they can.”
Of course, the prisoners’ concerns are much more profound than that, and it’s a concern to hear someone in Hanlon’s position dismissing so callously the views of the people he and his colleagues are entrusted to look after.
The final insult was to give the last word to that moral pygmy and outspoken advocate of knife-killing, Garth “the Knife” McVicar. He asserted that he has been into every prison in New Zealand and that “they are all very humane places”. He repeated Bevan Hanlon’s contention that the prisoners are simply “whingeing”.
In view of his defiant support for child-killer Bruce Emery, for the monstrous ACT member of parliament David Garrett, and for the brutal and extreme Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, surely McVicar is a discredited and thoroughly disreputable commentator. It beggars belief that Radio New Zealand should go to him for comment about anything at all.
Surely for all the crimes he has committed, Garrett himself should be sensibly sentenced? There was drunk driving, there was an assault in Tonga, and lets not forget the whole dead baby thing.
Garrett also loudly and truculently supported the knife-killing of that boy in Manurewa. He was speaking in his capacity as an SS Trust “legal adviser”.
And wasn’t the hypocrisy of the SST silence in condeming, and as you point out, even supporting the murderer of the 16 year old Manurewa boy so very telling of their ethnic compass. Can’t remember the name of the murderer now but I do remember he only got a minimum sentence and was out in under half the time served. Imagine if the victim had been Pakeha and middle class?
It was Bruce Emery. He was supported not only by the SS Trust, but vociferously championed by NewstalkZB and sympathetically covered by (among others) the New Zealand Herald and TV3.
Sorry Morrissey, a duh moment on my behalf. Of course, Bruce Emery’s name is in your post above! I recall the sympathy the media gave him at the time and the way they angled a justification for his vile crime. It was chilling,and truely sickening.
Lawyer John Pike told the court that sending copies of the evidence taken from DotCom’s computers to the USA was not a breach of the Solicitor General’s ruling because “that only covered ‘original material’, not copies”.
So, in making this statement, it is clear that the Crown and the FBI themselves have shown that there is a massive distinction between an original work and a copy.
By highlighting this distinction, and effectively saying that a copy is not an original and therefore ought not be subject to the same laws as apply to an original — they are striking at the very heart of the MPAA/RIAA’s own assertion that unauthorised copying is theft.
That’s interesting Dv. And maybe if I steal a replica of a medal or gun or jewel it is not theft. And as you say any stuff downloaded must be a copy and therefore not illegal. What a tangle!
FBI agents who copied data from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom’s computers and took it overseas were not acting illegally because information isn’t “physical material”, the Crown says.
FBI agents who copied data from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcomâs computers and took it overseas were not acting illegally because information isnât âphysical materialâ, the Crown says.
Interesting legal approach. I’m sure it will stand them in good stead when dotcom’s lawyers argue that that there was no problem. That holding copyrighted data isn’t unlawful because it isn’t “physical material”.
If a teacher cannot teach maths, cannot even do the basics…
Such a teacher would not survive. Such a teacher exists only in the minds of ideologues in the ACT and National parties. The children soon make life intolerable for an incompetent teacher. Unlike incompetent Education Ministers, teachers have no place to hide.
Ok i’ll bite,
I read your post which as always says little and suggests nothing
so PG the question to you is HOW?????????
do you isolate the 10-20% into special in-class groups? How?
do you introduce specialty teachers who travel the country doing Workshops? How?
do you group the failing kids from various schools into multi-school hubs? How?
do you introduce additional user-pays programmes for failing kids? How?
or do you just waffle on as usual supplying sidetracks to empty yards and building bridges for trolls all the while ignoring the reality that without a massive gigantic and really really big increase in funding, Education of NZ children is looking down the barrel of a shotgun loaded with disparity.
being unable to offer any actual answers you proffer a response that only highlights the inadequacies of the current system. PG if ‘it’s already done’? What are you suggesting needs to change?
The best things that could change would be for Government to do it’s homework properly, and for both Government and teacher groups to learn how to work together rather than have schoolyard scraps all the time.
The attitude of both sides of the incessant arguments is the biggest impediment to improvement.
you had a straightforward out if you had simply said something like:
‘the government could reverse the hundred million it has given to private schools since 2008 and return it to the public schools it stole it from’ but no just carry on ignoring the theft of the dwindling Education resources and blame the teachers.
btw, the only people who need to remove impediment is the succession of governments who have committed Education to the asylum of user pays bean counting
How about the Government could actually listen to the Teachers and researchers instead of simply following blindly whatever fuckup is the latest fashion in the USA and UK.
The sheer stupidity and arrogance of the Government is the biggest obstacle to improvement.
Or maybe it is not stupidity. Just a another way of ensuring State schooled kids cannot compete for jobs with their inbred brats. “Keeping their winning ticket”.
Because I just have a peripheral interest in the topic.
And I thought that putting up questions might get some sensible responses, even some intelligent responses, rather than resorting to abuse.
There might even be teachers that are able to contribute, they should be adept at discussions, and I’m sure they wouldn’t try to put down any student that asked questions.
You have regularly been corrected by many people, including teachers. Yet you persist in posting up your frivolous, half-baked contributions about something you know nothing about, then when confronted, you scuttle away and claim that you were just “putting up questions.”
You rarely make a serious or coherent statement about anything, and when exasperated regulars point this out to you, you squeal about being “abused”.
what abuse PG?
please point out the abuse you have suffered since posting your insightful questions.
( please note i edited out a line earlier that was admittedly a bit snarky but not abusive)
also, as someone who wanted to be an MP how can you only have a peripheral interest in what is arguably the single most important policy matter facing any nation, ie the funding of the education of its people?
No politician is an expert on everything, they all specialise. And my main interests are more general than specific, although there are some I have more experience with.
more bs puerile git Massey university say the cuts will affect the bottom 14% of children not reaching the required levl of education to function in the workplace.
There have been âSave TVNZ 7âł public meetings around the country. Itâs Dunedinâs turn tomorrow night:
Thursday 7 June, 6-8pm
Colquhoun Theatre, 1st floor of Dunedin Hospital, Great King Street
– entrance just to the left (north) of the main hospital entrance
I miss the ‘latest comments’ box which used to be on the right of the screen.
Do other people using more sophisticated devices still get it?
[lprent: Fixed. There was a problem with the latest minify update. Turned it off and logged it for looking at why it works on the first page, but not the post pages. ]
Umm.. it’s a nuisance to have to hit ‘Comments RSS’ everytime though. Is there something else I can do to retrieve the comments box at top right of screen?
When I hit “comments RSS” I get an error page “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.” with all the latest comments scripted, no gui.
Shouldn’t need to hit the âComments RSSâ link at all especially considering that the box (technically, all three boxes) is still there on the main page.
10 years ago there were 2 effective (at least) interventions in Decile 1 schools the
Feso’otaiga Academic and Community Leadership Program and
AMHI
Both were successful and both have had their funding cut.
This is the Nats commenting on the funding in 1998
The funding was seeding, and then to be carried on by the schools.
BUT the model was broken, because the schools couldn’t afford to carry on.
In a dissent in that case, Justice John Paul Stevens predicted that such spending would overwhelm state court races, which would be especially harmful since judges must not only be independent but be seen to be independent as well. North Carolina is proving him right.
Peak Oil hits another snag
The story of Peak Oil just canât get legs; for 50 years the Greens have found that stating a lie over and over doesnât make it true.
The US Geological Survey recently announced a 200 year supply of Shale OIL under Utah/Colorado; this known as the Brakken shale.
Well today, Forbes has announced a shale oil/gas source called the Bazhenov shale; 80 times the size of the Brakken, in a large area of Siberia. Bye bye Peak Oil.
No – shale production has proved very efficient in the USA.
“The Bakken is a huge boon, both to the economic health of the northern Plains states, but also to the petroleum balance of the United States. From just 60,000 barrels per day five years ago, the Bakken is now giving up 500,000 bpd, with 210,000 bpd of that coming on in just the past year.”
So no problem; and the cost of gas in the USA is about one-third of what it was 5 years ago.
They are now setting up export contracts of LPG/CNG to the likes of India.
Some 800,000 real [not subsidized] jobs have been the result of the boom.
This will be a key part of the USA shaking of the economic slump
Meanwhile”green jobs” are still holding back Europe as they subsidize Wind/solar and kill real jobs as companies harvest Government subsidies.
Always nice to meet another idiot. You certainly are one.
The point about peak oil is that it is when the costs of extracting oil and gas start to rise. It is not (as morons like yourself seem to think) when there are no liquid hydrocarbons to available to extract. So your comment merely shows your major deficiencies in the understanding of economics. Now we have done a hasty repair on your basic lack of understanding with sarcasm as the tack, have another look at your linked article…
Any mention of cost? Nope. I wonder why?
Hell, we’ll probably never run out of hydrocarbons. As the germans proved in WW2 you can create industrial levels of producing the right hydrocarbon factions for liquid fuel from crap coal if you are willing to pay the cost of production. Of course that cost is sky-high and it is probably cheaper to simply produce a complete network of magnalev trains…
Were these ‘new’ fields known about previously? Ah yes…
From the looks of it, geologists have been looking at the Bazhenov for more than 20 years.
I guess that means they have. In fact you can find mentions of this structure from as far back as early last century if you hunt around in geological texts. Geologists have known about shale fields in Utah and Colorado since the 19th century. Neither were economic to mine and as we can see from this following statement from your link…
Itâs only in the last five years that the technology and expertise has been developed that will enable drillers to harvest it. Lukoilâs president Vagit Alekperov said a year ago that his company was also experimenting with the shale.
…there is a pretty good probability that they may still not be economic. It will take another decade at least to find out because it depends on a lot of uncertainties. This is pretty much a puff piece trying to attract investment capital to the field. Less than a third of fields at this stage of development prove to be worthwhile to put into ‘reserves’. Only a very few get made commercially viable in less than a few decades. And the only reason they’re looking at fields like this at present for oil is because the oil price is going through the roof.
You are a wee fool aren’t you. Hammer isn’t that good a name for you. Dumbo would be better…
Your link reckons there is 24 billion barrels recoverable from Bakken shale. You know how much oil that represents? About 6 – 9 months worth at present rates of use.
And ‘your’ Bazhenov saving grace is 80 times the land area. Not 80 times the quantity of recoverable oil.
And even if it was 80 times the oil, it would represent much less than a 40 year supply. Y’know, because we use more of the stuff year on year
Talking of Europe being held back by pursuing the “Green Dream” of running on more and more wind and solar sources of energy, we have the sad case of Spain.
Recently from the New York Post:
In January, the Spanish government removed lavish subsidies for its renewable-energy industry, and the industry all but imploded. You could say it was never a renewable-energy industry at all, but a government-subsidy industry: The government gave the makers of inefficient windmills and solar panels piles of cash that consumers never would.
âThey destroyed the Spanish market overnight with the moratorium [on subsidies],â European Wind Energy Association CEO Christian Kjaer told Bloomberg News.
The Spanish example shows how the whole green-energy ârevolutionâ was really an ideologically driven boondoggle from the start.
âŚâŚ.researchers at King Juan Carlos University found in 2009 that Spain had destroyed 2.2 jobs in other industries for every green job it created, and that the Spanish government has spent more than half a million euros for each green job created since 2000.
If Spain is effectively bankrupt then so is the UK, the USA, and numerous other highly indebted nations.
All you’ve really shown here is your basic lack of understanding economics. That’s real economics, not the delusional stuff that economists, this government and Treasury use.
Hi dumbo. I see that you’re still cherrypicking your examples without bothering to apply either intelligence or industry to the task.
As far as I’m aware there are no subsidies still in place for the Baltic and North Sea windfarms, nor for those in Texas.
All of them took subsidies to get the industry up and running. Just as there were subsidies in the 19th and 20th centuries to get coal, hydro, geothermal and nuclear power industries up and running. Private industry are pretty useless about getting into new infrastructure areas that may be a wee bit risky. Governments use power infrastructure subsidies to get things up and running to the point that the economies of scale kick in and the risks become clearer. Subsequently the subsidies get progressively removed after a decade or so (except for nuclear – which was a complete waste of time and a soak for subsidies).
Right now I think that Germany is trying to push for more offshore windfarms and is moving the subsidies to encourage an industry to form (there are close to 10,000 towers producing nearly 10% of their power on land). The reason for this is obvious. They closed their nuclear power stations last year at a considerable saving in subsidies and are now trying to catch up with the cheap Danish power from their offshore windfarms.
The only problem that Spain had was that they’d only started to push their windfarm industries relatively recently. So the fledgeling industry hadn’t hit critical mass yet and was unlikely to do so for another decade. But you were clearly too lazy to read.
Basically you are a simple munter who seems to never engage your brain and who is too lazy to find some actual information. You’re like a idiot parrot who sees a few Key words and then tries to extrapolate a idea from them. Too stupid to think really.
BTW: It’d pay to link when you quote. When I wear my moderators cap I’ll ban quite rapidly for that particular tactic.
Â
“researchers at King Juan Carlos University found in 2009 that Spain had destroyed 2.2 jobs in other industries for every green job it created, and that the Spanish government has spent more than half a million euros for each green job created since 2000.”
Â
Rubbish. Debunked here Hammer:
hey ham murmurer Lies and BS you are telling porkies the Spanish economy has Imploded because of over investment in their property bubble you bubble brain.
You can laugh but we are going through another property bubble right here in god zone.
Sooner than later its going to crash again.
Iprent:
Well this is a pleasureâŚ.
weâve got the “Leaders of the Left” explaining away the observations of the Right by using such in-depth explanations as to why I am wrong by using indepth analysis such asâŚ.
: another idiot; morons like yourself ; you are a wee fool arenât you:    Dumbo would be betterâŚ
 You’ve missed the point Iprent –  I achieved the  response which I expected to my fact based comments; have another nice day.
Keep it up  lprent7 June 2012 at 4:15 pm
It is a pleasure to meet minds with you
Umm. As far as I am aware all I do is express my opinions mostly on this site. Anyone thinking I am a leader of the left is really stupid. For a starter, I’m quite noticeably right on things like economic policy compared to most on this site and around the left.
But I guess if it helps you then I guess it is a harmless conceit for you to believe… I always like helping people with their self help procedures on their way to a climatic revelation. In your case I think that a paper towel may be good to have handy rather than a calculator.
A meeting of minds it is not. So far you haven’t actually managed to express an opinion of your own as far as I can see. You have merely repeated something you read somewhere without really understanding it.
Which is of course why you whine about how others treat you with contempt. That you never address the holes they chop into your poorly constructed comments could explain their attitude.
It is a common fallacy of the inept that inconvieniences like contradictions to a theory are just part of an intelligent design to fool those with more skepticism than your simple faith in your own omni-potence of understanding. Unfortunately others usually tend to view this trait of ignoring the blindingly obvious is because you’re just too damn lazy to exert yourself. I know I do…
When you do provide links, people only have to quote the parts of your own links that clearly contradict your plagiarized argument. But, like me, they probably suspect that you are incapable of understanding why there is a contradiction.
 Sorry Iprent – I missed a few more of your GEMS;  apparently I am also:
… dumbo ;     Basically you are a simple munter ;    seems to never engage your brain Â
too lazy to find some actual information ;     Youâre like a idiot parrot  ; Too stupid to think really ;
Iâll ban quite rapidly  –
ohhhhhh – Â sounding desperate ??
No doubt replying to you with your own words will be an excuse for banning me for being honest.
If you may have any doubt – have a nice day.  Enjoy the sun.
– I was just pointing out where the state of world oil/gas supplies are going over the next few decades.Â
This is obviously a threat to your world view – Sad!
I am sorry for your poor state of mind. Â Maybe you should seek help?Â
I see that as usual for our more pathetically ignorant trolls you have :-
1. Been pretty much incapable of making up your own words and instead have to mostly quote the words of your betters amongst the internet mythmakers instead. Based on your previous efforts, I suspect that is all you can actually do apart from a rather juvenile and ineffectual attempt at taunting. I have seen prepubescent relatives with far better stirring techniques – It appears that you were raised in a convent?
2. Found it impossible to put the quotes in a coherent context. In this case you failed to locate the reply button (hard to do, but clearly not impossible), failed to link to the comment you were replying to, and failed to even mention the number of the comment that you were replying to. Of course that could be part of a “cunning plan” to make it hard for observers to gauge your level of ignorance. That probably also explains why you didn’t even attempt to rebutt anything that I said and didn’t even argue about any of the counter points I made to your dumb unthinking claims.. But if so, then Baldric was way better at the planning.
3. Gone immediately to try for victim status rather than arguing. Probably because your self-esteem has been crushed by people thinking that you have no idea about what you ae commenting on and expressing their incredulity that you could use a keyboard. But this forum is all about arguing, so what better place to exercise your rather useless skills at it into something more substantial*.
Perhaps you should READ the policy to find out what gets people banned. I realize that it may FEEL like exerting your lazy arse. However if you are capable of understanding words (rather than just cut’n’pasting) it is the easiest way to find out what moderators will be looking to eradicate.
If I’d thought that you were worth banning then I’d have done it already when I was moderating, rather than giving a reply and a gentle warning about linking.
* I am sure that a few of the other commentators will be happy to treat you as a chew toy (try again) act as a sadistic drill instructor (damnit) assist you. It was only the other day that some were complaining that I was too abrupt and that they had noone to assist…
Let me guess, Hammer, you’re trying to win a bet that you can get banned from the Standard for terminal stupidity? The content of your comments was the first clue, your failure to work out how the reply button works was the real giveaway.
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 weâve 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 Zealandâs 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 Zealandâs 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 âmoisture-ladenâ 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 governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ 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 â that the Budget âwill 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 – Itâs 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-MÄori andâŚ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â 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 countryâs 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 isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 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, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â 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 yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, 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 â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs 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 â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs 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 Zealandâs 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 –Â Â 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 – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. 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 Petersâ 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 â 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 Newshubâs 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 cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague â whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak â has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ 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 sheâs 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 Governmentâs 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 Americaâs 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 wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs 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 Labourâs 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 Firstâs 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 âco-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 PÄti MÄori 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. âIâm 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 âtake back our countryâ 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 Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs 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 public service 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 public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs 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 doesnât 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. âIt 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. âThe 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.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â 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. âRoad 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. âOur 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 Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam 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. âI 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. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, 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 governmentâs 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 Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe 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.                                        âThe 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.  âThese changes are long overdue â 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 Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe 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 Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere 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. âToday 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 Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â 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. âWeâre 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 Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI 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. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â 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. âComprising 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. âI 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. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs 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 Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs 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 Iâm sorry I canât 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 WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 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 ...
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 â Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? â 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 Booksâ 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 pickânâmix 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 youâre at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, donât panic: The Spinoffâs 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 letâs 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 â 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 ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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 havenât accessed support to come forward and engage with the councilâs recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “Itâs official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “weâre 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 Parliamentâs 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 âdisappearanceâ of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people âsequesteredâ in this weekâs 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 Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs 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? â 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 thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â 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 Educationâs 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 Luxonâs 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 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs 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 youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs 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 âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ 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 â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori 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 âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs 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 âDead in Bedâ 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 â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs 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 Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 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 Queenâs 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 â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs 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 wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ 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 countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori 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, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellingtonâs Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservationâs biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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 planâs treatment of Auckland passed through the councilâs transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealandâs 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 âimproperâ ...
Hi there comrades, please give our new branch a “like” on FB. We need all the support we can get in such a strong National electorate http://www.facebook.com/groups/163564560349751/#!/pages/Young-Labour-Marlborough/152818718149669
By the way, I agree with enough is enough re Alliance and Kiwibank
Not sure how your labour branch is relevant to honours or Cullen- might be better posted in the Open Mike thread? đ
This should have been posted in the Open Thread not here.
[lprent: Yep… moved. ]
Does anyone know whether teachers are entitled to redundancy? Haven’t heard the government offering it …
Yes, or at least they used to.
I lay odds that the redundancy costs are not in cluded in the costings.
I saw an item on stuff? Today it is gone that Key had told Parata to talk to the unions.
.
Here ’tis
ThaNks blip.
I liked the emmerson cartoon.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10811241
Parata is meeting the unions seperately.
Ironic that it is fine for teachers to deal with a variety of pupils in larger classes, but Parata cant deal with a varietty of unions togetherr.
Also interesting to hear key on morning report
Said the govt needs to be able to explain the change better to parents.
They have been fed misinformation.
(To help with this the min needs to release the info to schools!)
THEN he went on to talks about class sizes of 15 16. They only exist in private schools.
Interview with John Key this morning on Morning Report. A very vague response.
Then an interview with Professor John O’Neal Education, who quietly explains the implications of larger class sizes. John points out that the teacher numbers have grown in an effort to catch up on other countries. The OECD average is about 1:22 so Parata’s 1:27 is pretty grim.
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20120607-0822-education_professor_says_small_classes_improve_teaching-048.mp3
Yesterday’s bene bashing bombshell dropped by Bennett was a bit of a surprise to put it mildly. It dog whistled compulsory sterilisation but we were assured that this would not occur. It appears to me to be a diversionary tactic to take the public’s attention away from something really important.
But what?
What is this Government doing that is deeply unpopular, that is opposed by most of the population and that will permanently damage our economy? What is it that the Government does not want us discussing or thinking about?
Could it be this?
You could be right about National needing a distraction, but yesterdays suggestion by Bennett was no bombshell for those who have been following welfare reform closely.
She has discussed this before and the Welfare Working Group pretty much pushed a eugenics line without coming out and saying it directly.
The problem is nobody pays much attention to what is being done to those at the bottom of the heap unless it is extreme. Then after expressing their disgust the good old middle class move on to something more interesting.
Thats why the people at the bottom have realised its a waste of time voting.
I thought it would have been something to do with asset sales. They appear to be abusing parliamentary process again. Oh dear.
“Our big problem would be … if Europe goes, China could slow down, Australia would be very badly affected by the China slowdown and that’s the nightmare scenario for us â a slowdown in China, our second-largest market, a slowdown in Australia, our largest market, a weak United States and we’re in a diabolical position.” John Key, London, 7-6-2012.
âLet’s assume for a moment that John Key did not earn his fortune with what in 1993 was already recognised as the instrument which would eventually bring down our entire global economy and just realise what he said here in public.
If all these markets stumble there will be a major recession worldwide, if not a depression. And we all know what’s next. Of cause everybody is looking up and down the lines whether they are being hoodwinked into ever more belt tightening or whether some serious preparation is required. Unfortunately, the “don’t make the public panic” will always be in place as the funds need to stay in the bank(books) and any to be withdrawn will go to the few in the know. Besides, it is already forecast that China is slowing down and Australia will follow. To what extent needs to be seen.
.
A worryng trend . . .
– Treasury pulling figures from the collective arse of its battalion of consultants
– Minister of Education witholding vital numbers on staffing cuts in schools
– Department of Statistics cancelling release of unemployment figures
– Tourism operators astounded by government figures showing domestic tourism is soaring
– Expert dismisses government figures on retirement as “meaningless”
. . . isn’t National Ltd⢠being run by some sort of financial genius known for his acumen with figures?
John Key and mates know that we dear constituents cannot cope with real facts, so BLiP, they are just protecting us in a cocoon of bliss. “Hush little babies. Nothing to worry about. Just go to sleep. Daddy John and Daddy Bill will fix everything.”
It is getting serious though. The Minister and Ministry of Ed are particularly remiss given the current debate. Show us the money! Oops. I mean show us the figures!
.
Heh! Its here now folks . . . Daddy State!!
Why working-class people vote Conservative
‘
=>conservative
This?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/05/why-working-class-people-vote-conservative
Fuck-all point being offered the theoretical choice of chosing to be either moral or immoral within an overall system that makes the manifestation of your choices either impossbile or ineffectual. The story forgets that. Lack of wider perspective. Any colour you like… as long as it’s black.
“In sum, the left has a tendency to place caring for the weak, sick and vulnerable above all other moral concerns. It is admirable and necessary that some political party stands up for victims of injustice, racism or bad luck. But in focusing so much on the needy, the left often fails to address â and sometimes violates â other moral needs, hopes and concerns. ”
That a professor could write a book about moral choices and say something like this means he doesn’t even know how to locate morality. I suppose he is a professor of a business school after all.
Joe Bageant’s “Deer Hunting with Jesus” looks into the same sort of thing with greater depth and insight. He argues that the modern left have come to have a high-handed, patronising attitude to the poor, which puts them off, while the right take steps to actively and directly engage them, albeit via their prejudices and status anxieties.
I see it like this. In the sixties and seventies, the left was an amalgam of the working class and the avante garde. Various victories on the identity politics front have allowed large sections of the avante garde to be absorbed into the middle class, while Reagan/Thatcher economics have driven the working class into poverty. This leaves the political left not knowing who to represent and the poor not knowing who to blame.
Is this a problem of being unable to differentiate between morals in the wider context and political expediency or an orchestrated misinformation effort? The professor’s words suggests that ambition and undefined concepts of fairness are simultaneously rights and virtues. Without any examination, and examination cannot take place at a political level, such a statement is false. Certainly in the UK, it would be unrealistic to say that the government concentrates too much on the needy.
As I see it, the political left know exactly who to represent, some do. There is only dispute among entertainers who cannot retain existing power structures while abandoning the support base – a common problem. If the poor do not know what’s up, they may have a – usually rare – intelligence problem or a failure to grasp realty, but this has nothing to do with being poor.
“He argues that the modern left have come to have a high-handed, patronising attitude to the poor, which puts them off, while the right take steps to actively and directly engage them, albeit via their prejudices and status anxieties.”
It’s not unusual to find that those who receive assistance often suffer subtle and influential prejudice from the source of assistance, however, the steps the right take to “engage directly” is much like someone else described recently: handing out band aids to the person you just punched in the face. On the one hand we hear him saying that the left need to stand up for the weak, since the right won’t, but that the left cannot remain politically viable if they do, based on the incorrect assumption that the left need the poor to stay in business. Then we hear him suggesting societal dysfunction is better than addressing basic need. His argument is flawed in that it suggests he doesn’t understand who or what the left is, outside of mainstream six o’clock politics, or maybe he does, so he makes up lies about it all.
I fail to see how this makes the political right a more likely choice for the working poor. His unsubstantiated argument is a plea to “a poor working class” who he imagines is a bunch of people who are not intelligent enough to see through his illogical conclusions. He then blames the left for his prejudices. Funny how projection works like that. Not a level of argument I would expect from a professor.
I am certainly no advocate for the right, and neither was Bageant. However, you need to be in a pretty abject position to see yourself as one of the “needy.” The “needy” is what someone else calls you, not what you call yourself. Our own earlier working class movements were quite clear about wanting justice, not charity. The middle class left often want to be nice to the poor, without feeling genuine solidarity with them, while the poor themselves want to be represented, positions which are hard to synthesise on a political level. The right do not represent the working class’s interests, but their prejudices. However they at least make a connection on that level, and thus inveigle people into voting against their interests. I am with you regarding the moral position, I think that it is the one the left should make central. But the core moral value ought to be justice, not charity (in the modern, degraded sense of the word). And I also thought the professor’s piece was lightweight and morally confused.
Because people are poor, by no means infers that they lack a sense of self-esteem and integrity, or that they lack intelligence or make “bad decisions”. Agreed, justice comes first, maybe tempered with charity (which of any of us, poor or otherwise, is not in some need of charitable intent?)
I did add a little caveat to charity, Dr Terry. By “in the modern degraded sense” I meant the sort of patronising charity that gave rise to the saying “cold as charity.” Simone Weil has said that we degrade both justice and charity when we separate them: that real justice includes charity and real charity includes justice.
Uturn It is moral to run a country so that everybody who needs and wants
it can have a job with a living wage. There are lots of rights to be considered by governments but that is an important point applying to the whole society. It’s so basic that it can get overlooked when viewing those who have handicaps. Sometimes the people without handicaps, including caregivers, become invisible.
I completely agree with you Olwyn. This inequity of outcome for the various parts of the left is a huge problem. Those whose dignity, well-being, and human rights have been eroded so easily turn against those who have experienced a net benefit from the changes over the last 25 years, especially those groups that society had previously set below the white, het, working class.
I’ve read a bit of Haidt’s stuff and have found his analysis to be shallow right-wing apologism. His latest book was reviewed on NZ’s Sciblog and it didn’t impress the reviewer much either.
This can cut both ways unfortunately. Not only do those who are left out resent those who have benefited, sometimes those who have benefited feel superior to those who have not. It is just human psychology; we think we merit our gains and are unlucky in our losses. But however it is understood, it is the left’s biggest problem in my eyes. We have been divided and ruled. Gore Vidal has said, solidarity is easy for the right, because they are all after one thing – money. Whereas the left are after all sorts of things and easily fall into disagreement – I am paraphrasing, Vidal said it a whole lot better.
Olwyn, I much appreciate your line of thinking.
Yeah that’s true. In being allowed to join the “respectable” class, members of formerly heavily stigmatised groups too often look down on and victim-blame the poor and still severely oppressed.
I’m reading a (very distrubing) book ‘Scapegoat’ about hate crimes against people with disabilities, which, while always a problem, have increased as those at the bottom are squeezed harder and harder in the UK. It can’t be denied that there is also a problem of “traditional”-working -class hatred for other disdained and vulnerable minorities, as a function of their own hardship, where legitimate anger is taken out on those least able to fight back, rather than on those with the power.
There must be a way that the anger can be channelled into solidarity.
Olwyn+1
Olwyn, I largely agree with you here:
In the sixties and seventies, the left was an amalgam of the working class and the avante garde. Various victories on the identity politics front have allowed large sections of the avante garde to be absorbed into the middle class, .
But actually, you haven’t really explained how the right were able to split off a narrowed version of so-called “identity politics” from the class struggle.
The neoliberal divide and conquer was (at least partly) the outcome of the right targeting the shift from classic marxism to neo-marxism; from a materialistc/economic-based left-wing analysis to a focus on culture.
And that shift was a result of the difficulty marxists (and socialists generally) had with explaining why the (r)evolution predicted by Marx, hadn’t happened – why the working classes hadn’t joined to over-throw their oppressors & exploiters. The neo-marxist explanation was that cultural/social constructions and processes were keeping the exploited working classes in a state of “false consciousness” – i.e. they’d been conned into supporting capitalism, against their own interests by (in Althusser’s terms) Ideological State Apparatuses e.g. media, religious organisations, education, the family etc. The New Left started to shift away from (what many saw as) the underlying material and economic determinism of classical marxism.
This began the ‘turn to culture’…. but the postmodernists – enthused by the increasing proliferation of easily replicated communication, and media productions (videos, visual images etc), really went intensely into the cultural realm. (i.e. just change culture, and thence attitudes, then all the inequalities can be dissolved and economic and social justice will reign. They split off from the materially-based class struggle.
But the strength of the neoliberal right is, that they had a unifying model – the “business does it best” trope. Through this they amalgamated policies that target material and economic circumstances, with methods of cultural persuasion : the business model of dealing with the financial and economic realities, while also using marketing and advertising techniques to sell their political product – and increasingly a kind of viral marketing through all areas of culture and media.
So, in my view, the crucial thing is for the left to find their own unifying concept. Then use this as a way to unify material/economic struggles with relevant discourses, cultural productions and policies targeting social divisions social division. …. and probably includes those kind of values that you are calling “moral”.
Hi Carol, to start at the end, I am not using the term “moral” in any prissy sense, but in the sense that I think social and economic justice are best construed in terms of a moral issue; that of how we treat our fellow human beings. I realise, however, in saying this that the term “moral” is also employed divisively and on a petty level, eg. Ms Bennett’s recent moves. It is hard to win with language.
“…the biggest beneficiaries from changes in social attitudes will be those within the middle & upper classes (women, LGBT people, Maori elite etc).”
I agree, but such people were then often exiles from the middle classes. In a way, you could say that the neo-libs broadened the criteria for being members of the middle class, and that not all of those on the above list naturally gravitated to the avante garde anyway. In fact do we still have an avante garde beyond comic and graffiti artists?
“…the strength of the neoliberal right is, that they had a unifying model.”
The closest I can think of as a unifying model for the left is the idea that being allowed into the middle classes, whether you are blue collar, female, brown or rainbow, (or any combination) is not exactly power. Power is either physical or economic might, and anything less depends upon the acquiescence of might. If there was a sudden need for large numbers of soldiers, for example, the blue-collar male workers could just as easily be invited back into the tent, & the LGBT, etc unceremoniously kicked out, as workers were under Thatcher. Someone said recently in a post on the Herald site (I forget which one) that if you are not able to take a year off work without going on the dole and without loss on the scale of losing your house, you are not part of the elite, whatever airs you give yourself. This seems to me like a good place to start. I think it is hard to separate the economic from the social so far as oppression is concerned, since you are economically punished if you are socially on the outer, and you are socially punished if you are economically on the outer. And the only might we have is in our numbers, whichever form of injustice we have suffered, or seen others suffer.
Ah, Olwyn, I see you quoted from my post before I edited it out (I looked at what I’d posted and it seemed awfully long).
Yes, it is a complicated situation, and I mostly agree with you. I think left and right wing ideas of moral behaviour tends to differ. So I just talk about left wing values. Of course, the neolibs talk as though their policies are based in some objective reality, while it masks some very self-centred values.
Maybe, though the middleclass is going to shrink in the future as resources become more scarce.
Yes, ultimately political power lies in force – it’s a negative form of power – stopping people from doing things.. Foucault talked of a more positive form of creative power. People exercise power with their actions e.g. by doing something innovative, an imaginative protest, or making something useful for people – such things can be quite powerful.
Already happening. Look at the UK, USA, Spain, Greece, Portugal. In Australia, the coastal capital city middle class isn’t shrinking, but it is stagnating.
Carol: Yes I was speaking of power purely in terms of might. There are most certainly creative powers and the power of an idea whose time has come, etc. However, if the middle class shrinks it will not because that is what the middle class want.
“IF the middle class shrinks…”
Well, they are going to shrink, but they are going to continue to tear away at the under class and the working class in order to maintain their own position for as long as possible.
god knows what happened to that link
thankyou yes, that article
Has Cris Trotter gone over to the barmy side? Turns out money is printed out of thin air after all. What do you reckon does John Key know it too?
Trotter seems finally to have seen the light. However, the possibility of government reclaiming the right to be the sole creator of money seems to be the “elephant in the living room” these days. It is something all columnists should be “shouting from the rooftops”.
it was certainly a good introduction and for many people it probably scared them stupid but why did he limit the scope of the reality as if it only applies to Home Loans. It reads as if he was wanting to expose the big lie . . . only to mention a smaller fib ? Or maybe he has a drip feed plan to slowly acclimatise people to the truth that the entire Global Economy is a big ol’ scam with me, you and the other seven billion who call Earth home as the oblivious marks.
Either way it was great to see it in a mainstream newspaper.
( as a bonus the Peter Taylor & Moriarty show running in the comments is funny stuff )
I saw that article the part that confused me about it though was he was saying the home loan is just a book entry. Surely they have to pay the person you are purchasing the house off?
The book entry creates the money that pays for the house. Another book entry destroys that money. The two do not happen at the same time.
Sorry but that really didn’t explain anything to me.
Money is created
House paid for with money
Money is then destroyed as the loan is paid back
Which bit are you having trouble with?
Well my point was about the house is paid for with money part. The article and you seem to ignore that part – the bank is not creating money by book entry only – they are actually making a payment to a person.
The money was created through bookkeeping. If the money had not been created then the person could not have been paid.
Judging by his article I’d say yes he’s on the barmy side. Banks don’t print money out of thin air, he’s dreadfully misinformed there. Time he retired IMO.
Actually, they do. In fact, ~95% of the money in circulation is bank printed money.
No they don’t, your linked article states that “banks are said to create money.” Note the word ‘said’. And they don’t create it out of thin air anyway, which is what Trotter was claiming. They can only lend money which is deposited with them (or borrowed), they can’t create a loan from nothing.
NZ doesn’t really have fractional reserve banking either, in practice the banks do retain a fraction of deposits for daily withdrawals etc but the Govt doesn’t set reserve ratios on banks here. We use capital ratios to control lending.
Then you explain how a $1000 deposit in a bank becomes $10000 in circulation and that the original deposit can be withdrawn without decreasing the money in circulation.
/facepalm
C’mon people you’re not that financially illiterate. The M3 money supply grows because money lent by banks usually ends up back in the bank for them to lend out again. Banks just do not create any money out of thin air, that’s fantasy thinking.
Spare the facepalm BS, check for yourself and you’ll find NZ is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t set a fractional reserve for trading banks. (well it didn’t last time I read up on it) We use capital adequacy instead.
The fact is, before loaning out the money, the bank didn’t have it.
They changed a word but it’s still the same thing. Drop those ratios and you will see the economy collapse as not enough new money enters circulation.
Of course they had it, banks can’t lend from a negative balance sheet. When a bank lends money they take it out of their cash account and transfer it to the recipient, it’s real money. It’s a paper entry only because that’s the way we do things these days, we don’t lug wads of cash around any more
Guys I’m not one to belittle others but this talk about banks printing money from nothing just makes people appear a little foolish IMO. The banking system leads to money creation but we’re just as much a part of that as the banks are. M3 money supply includes bank deposits. If someone pays us with borrowed money, and we put that money in the bank, well we’ve just created more money (M3 money anyway).
When you read informed commentary about banks creating money they’re usually talking about the whole banking system, not the banks per se.
It’s called Fractional Reserve Banking. I linked to it further up. They loan out a multiple of the money that is deposited with them.
Yeah, that’s what we’ve been saying all along. Banks create money.
And it’s not the banks that perform this modern miracle of financing but lolly shops.
DH seriously has no idea.
Hey DH, look up “quantitative easing” and get back to us, OK?
I don’t know what they taught you guys at school but banking doesn’t look to be part of it. Fractional reserve banking means they lend out a fraction of what they borrow, not a multiple. They retain a small fraction for cash reserves, that’s the fractional reserve, and they lend out the larger fraction.
And as I’ve stated NZ banks aren’t required to retain a fractional reserve, they can lend out 100% of deposits if they want (provided they have enough capital).
Keep on with your misconceptions, doesn’t bother me, but whenever you bring this up among people who do understand banking they just laugh at you.
It is rare if ever I agree with Draco but, yeah, facepalm.
Quoted from the reserve bank;
“In 1985, New Zealand was the first country to abandon reserve ratios completely, and we are still among the minority in not having a ratio system at all.”
Like all modern monetary systems, the monetary system in New Zealand is based on fiat and fractional-reserve banking. In a fractional-reserve banking system, the largest portion of money created is not created by the Reserve Bank itself, 80% or more is created by private sector commercial banks.
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research/bulletin/2007_2011/2008mar71_1lawrence.pdf
Fractional-reserve banking:
Like all modern monetary systems, the monetary system in New Zealand is based on fiat and fractional-reserve banking. In a fractional-reserve banking system, the largest portion of money created is not created by the Reserve Bank itself, 80% or more is created by private sector commercial banks.[6]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_Bank_of_New_Zealand#Fractional-reserve_banking
Very Matrix-y. The human (I assume) with the programme pseudonym just revealed a human-looking response to be little more than the output of a search engine.
He is actually more correct than you are.
Most of the money supply is created as debt against future earnings. Thin air.
Only a small fraction is money held as deposits.
There is absolutely know reason why we cannot do that themselves instead of paying fees/interest to banks, which really is money out of thin air. And one reason why our economic system requires continual growth.
Sneering and sniggering about prisoners’ rights
National Radio, Thursday 7 June 2012
Maybe you heard this nasty little item on National Radio just before 9 o’clock this morning. In a tone of barely contained levity, Simon Mercep said that prisoners have been “grumbling” about the quality of the food they get. Prisoners have laid 374 complaints about food in the past year.
Obviously, in the minds of the producers at National Radio, this is a matter for amusement and sniffy disdain, and it was treated as such. Corrections Association head Bevan Hanlon clearly thinks it’s a big joke: “One of their main complaints was that, ha ha ha, the bread was only buttered on one side.” He called their complaints “whingeing” and said that the only reason they complain is “because they can.”
Of course, the prisoners’ concerns are much more profound than that, and it’s a concern to hear someone in Hanlon’s position dismissing so callously the views of the people he and his colleagues are entrusted to look after.
The final insult was to give the last word to that moral pygmy and outspoken advocate of knife-killing, Garth “the Knife” McVicar. He asserted that he has been into every prison in New Zealand and that “they are all very humane places”. He repeated Bevan Hanlon’s contention that the prisoners are simply “whingeing”.
In view of his defiant support for child-killer Bruce Emery, for the monstrous ACT member of parliament David Garrett, and for the brutal and extreme Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, surely McVicar is a discredited and thoroughly disreputable commentator. It beggars belief that Radio New Zealand should go to him for comment about anything at all.
Surely for all the crimes he has committed, Garrett himself should be sensibly sentenced? There was drunk driving, there was an assault in Tonga, and lets not forget the whole dead baby thing.
Garrett also loudly and truculently supported the knife-killing of that boy in Manurewa. He was speaking in his capacity as an SS Trust “legal adviser”.
And wasn’t the hypocrisy of the SST silence in condeming, and as you point out, even supporting the murderer of the 16 year old Manurewa boy so very telling of their ethnic compass. Can’t remember the name of the murderer now but I do remember he only got a minimum sentence and was out in under half the time served. Imagine if the victim had been Pakeha and middle class?
Canât remember the name of the murderer…
It was Bruce Emery. He was supported not only by the SS Trust, but vociferously championed by NewstalkZB and sympathetically covered by (among others) the New Zealand Herald and TV3.
Sorry Morrissey, a duh moment on my behalf. Of course, Bruce Emery’s name is in your post above! I recall the sympathy the media gave him at the time and the way they angled a justification for his vile crime. It was chilling,and truely sickening.
By the way, apparently the lobbying arm of Garth McVictim is no longer a trust. So it’s just “SS”
…the murderer of the 16 year old Manurewa boy
Actually, Pihema Cameron was just FIFTEEN years old when Bruce Emery chased him down and knifed him to death.
Re dotcom
From aardvark
http://www.aardvark.co.nz/daily/2012/0607.shtml#continue
Lawyer John Pike told the court that sending copies of the evidence taken from DotCom’s computers to the USA was not a breach of the Solicitor General’s ruling because “that only covered ‘original material’, not copies”.
So, in making this statement, it is clear that the Crown and the FBI themselves have shown that there is a massive distinction between an original work and a copy.
By highlighting this distinction, and effectively saying that a copy is not an original and therefore ought not be subject to the same laws as apply to an original — they are striking at the very heart of the MPAA/RIAA’s own assertion that unauthorised copying is theft.
That’s interesting Dv. And maybe if I steal a replica of a medal or gun or jewel it is not theft. And as you say any stuff downloaded must be a copy and therefore not illegal. What a tangle!
AND here is a stuff report
Sounds like dancing on the head of a pin
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/7054878/Dotcom-info-not-physical
FBI agents who copied data from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom’s computers and took it overseas were not acting illegally because information isn’t “physical material”, the Crown says.
Interesting legal approach. I’m sure it will stand them in good stead when dotcom’s lawyers argue that that there was no problem. That holding copyrighted data isn’t unlawful because it isn’t “physical material”.
Laws are only there for the convenience of keeping the punters in punterland cowed for the ruling elite.
Giving the material to the FBI was legal because USA!! USA!! USA!!
Why don’t they both increase and decrease class sizes?
Nudging up the size of average classes of average kids will hardly make a difference.
Redirecting substantial resources to the bottom 10-20% of kids that are failing could make a big difference.
Nudging up the size of average classes of average kids will hardly make a difference.
What an ignorant statement. You need to do some serious research, and talk to some teachers.
You know, the biggest issue in the class is the quality of teaching. It does not matter if 1 child is exposed or 40 is exposed to a useless teacher.
Is a teacher cannot teach maths, cannot even do the basics, class size is an irrelevance as all the children are fuked.
If a teacher cannot teach maths, cannot even do the basics…
Such a teacher would not survive. Such a teacher exists only in the minds of ideologues in the ACT and National parties. The children soon make life intolerable for an incompetent teacher. Unlike incompetent Education Ministers, teachers have no place to hide.
Itâs already done, low decile schools already get extra resources
Ok i’ll bite,
I read your post which as always says little and suggests nothing
so PG the question to you is HOW?????????
do you isolate the 10-20% into special in-class groups? How?
do you introduce specialty teachers who travel the country doing Workshops? How?
do you group the failing kids from various schools into multi-school hubs? How?
do you introduce additional user-pays programmes for failing kids? How?
or do you just waffle on as usual supplying sidetracks to empty yards and building bridges for trolls all the while ignoring the reality that without a massive gigantic and really really big increase in funding, Education of NZ children is looking down the barrel of a shotgun loaded with disparity.
I’m just posing a question. It’s a very complex issue with no easy one size fits all solution.
being unable to offer any actual answers you proffer a response that only highlights the inadequacies of the current system. PG if ‘it’s already done’? What are you suggesting needs to change?
p.s. are you serious in your insinuation that the only kids that are failing are from low decile schools? Perhaps you need a referesher in what the term means
http://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz/articles/school-deciles/
note:
“Does the decile of a school tell me anything about the quality of the education at that school?
Absolutely not. Deciles are a funding mechanism only and in no way reflect the quality of the education delivered at that school.”
The best things that could change would be for Government to do it’s homework properly, and for both Government and teacher groups to learn how to work together rather than have schoolyard scraps all the time.
The attitude of both sides of the incessant arguments is the biggest impediment to improvement.
you had a straightforward out if you had simply said something like:
‘the government could reverse the hundred million it has given to private schools since 2008 and return it to the public schools it stole it from’ but no just carry on ignoring the theft of the dwindling Education resources and blame the teachers.
btw, the only people who need to remove impediment is the succession of governments who have committed Education to the asylum of user pays bean counting
Just do what I do freedom, treat all of PG’s questions as rhetorical and move on to the next post.
How about the Government could actually listen to the Teachers and researchers instead of simply following blindly whatever fuckup is the latest fashion in the USA and UK.
The sheer stupidity and arrogance of the Government is the biggest obstacle to improvement.
Or maybe it is not stupidity. Just a another way of ensuring State schooled kids cannot compete for jobs with their inbred brats. “Keeping their winning ticket”.
pathetic grovelling again
‘Iâm just posing a question’ a.k.a. trolling PG
Iâm just posing a question.
Instead of idiotically posing questions, why don’t you do some reading and talk to some teachers?
Because I just have a peripheral interest in the topic.
And I thought that putting up questions might get some sensible responses, even some intelligent responses, rather than resorting to abuse.
There might even be teachers that are able to contribute, they should be adept at discussions, and I’m sure they wouldn’t try to put down any student that asked questions.
You have regularly been corrected by many people, including teachers. Yet you persist in posting up your frivolous, half-baked contributions about something you know nothing about, then when confronted, you scuttle away and claim that you were just “putting up questions.”
You rarely make a serious or coherent statement about anything, and when exasperated regulars point this out to you, you squeal about being “abused”.
Are you actually Judith Collins, by any chance?
what abuse PG?
please point out the abuse you have suffered since posting your insightful questions.
( please note i edited out a line earlier that was admittedly a bit snarky but not abusive)
also, as someone who wanted to be an MP how can you only have a peripheral interest in what is arguably the single most important policy matter facing any nation, ie the funding of the education of its people?
No politician is an expert on everything, they all specialise. And my main interests are more general than specific, although there are some I have more experience with.
Pretentious in all trades, master at none…
Which, IMO, is a serious mistake. Politicians need to have a basic understanding of everything.
Correct. Subject area specialists should advise the pollies, who need a much broader view of the country to put the advice into context.
more bs puerile git Massey university say the cuts will affect the bottom 14% of children not reaching the required levl of education to function in the workplace.
Save TVNZ 7 â Dunedin public meeting
There have been âSave TVNZ 7âł public meetings around the country. Itâs Dunedinâs turn tomorrow night:
Thursday 7 June, 6-8pm
Colquhoun Theatre, 1st floor of Dunedin Hospital, Great King Street
– entrance just to the left (north) of the main hospital entrance
I miss the ‘latest comments’ box which used to be on the right of the screen.
Do other people using more sophisticated devices still get it?
[lprent: Fixed. There was a problem with the latest minify update. Turned it off and logged it for looking at why it works on the first page, but not the post pages. ]
I’m emabarassed now. It’s still there, I just needed to hit the “Comments RSS”.
sigh.
Umm.. it’s a nuisance to have to hit ‘Comments RSS’ everytime though. Is there something else I can do to retrieve the comments box at top right of screen?
I’m seriously technically challenged!
When I hit “comments RSS” I get an error page “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.” with all the latest comments scripted, no gui.
Google Chrome.
[lprent: adding to list. ]
seems to be fixed, cheers đ
Shouldn’t need to hit the âComments RSSâ link at all especially considering that the box (technically, all three boxes) is still there on the main page.
10 years ago there were 2 effective (at least) interventions in Decile 1 schools the
Feso’otaiga Academic and Community Leadership Program and
AMHI
Both were successful and both have had their funding cut.
This is the Nats commenting on the funding in 1998
The funding was seeding, and then to be carried on by the schools.
BUT the model was broken, because the schools couldn’t afford to carry on.
The debate is an interesting commentary
http://www.vdig.net/hansard/archive.jsp?y=1998&m=11&d=19&o=82&p=82
They bought democracy and now the law.
In a dissent in that case, Justice John Paul Stevens predicted that such spending would overwhelm state court races, which would be especially harmful since judges must not only be independent but be seen to be independent as well. North Carolina is proving him right.
Peak Oil hits another snag
The story of Peak Oil just canât get legs; for 50 years the Greens have found that stating a lie over and over doesnât make it true.
The US Geological Survey recently announced a 200 year supply of Shale OIL under Utah/Colorado; this known as the Brakken shale.
Well today, Forbes has announced a shale oil/gas source called the Bazhenov shale; 80 times the size of the Brakken, in a large area of Siberia. Bye bye Peak Oil.
http://thegwpf.org/energy-news/5896-meet-the-oil-shale-eighty-times-bigger-than-the-bakken.html
And it’s going to take 400 years to get that 200 years of supply out.
No – shale production has proved very efficient in the USA.
“The Bakken is a huge boon, both to the economic health of the northern Plains states, but also to the petroleum balance of the United States. From just 60,000 barrels per day five years ago, the Bakken is now giving up 500,000 bpd, with 210,000 bpd of that coming on in just the past year.”
So no problem; and the cost of gas in the USA is about one-third of what it was 5 years ago.
They are now setting up export contracts of LPG/CNG to the likes of India.
Some 800,000 real [not subsidized] jobs have been the result of the boom.
This will be a key part of the USA shaking of the economic slump
Meanwhile”green jobs” are still holding back Europe as they subsidize Wind/solar and kill real jobs as companies harvest Government subsidies.
Always nice to meet another idiot. You certainly are one.
The point about peak oil is that it is when the costs of extracting oil and gas start to rise. It is not (as morons like yourself seem to think) when there are no liquid hydrocarbons to available to extract. So your comment merely shows your major deficiencies in the understanding of economics. Now we have done a hasty repair on your basic lack of understanding with sarcasm as the tack, have another look at your linked article…
Any mention of cost? Nope. I wonder why?
Hell, we’ll probably never run out of hydrocarbons. As the germans proved in WW2 you can create industrial levels of producing the right hydrocarbon factions for liquid fuel from crap coal if you are willing to pay the cost of production. Of course that cost is sky-high and it is probably cheaper to simply produce a complete network of magnalev trains…
Were these ‘new’ fields known about previously? Ah yes…
I guess that means they have. In fact you can find mentions of this structure from as far back as early last century if you hunt around in geological texts. Geologists have known about shale fields in Utah and Colorado since the 19th century. Neither were economic to mine and as we can see from this following statement from your link…
…there is a pretty good probability that they may still not be economic. It will take another decade at least to find out because it depends on a lot of uncertainties. This is pretty much a puff piece trying to attract investment capital to the field. Less than a third of fields at this stage of development prove to be worthwhile to put into ‘reserves’. Only a very few get made commercially viable in less than a few decades. And the only reason they’re looking at fields like this at present for oil is because the oil price is going through the roof.
You are a wee fool aren’t you. Hammer isn’t that good a name for you. Dumbo would be better…
More like bye bye Siberia. Rivers up there are flowing black already. If the yanks don’t wake up, it’ll be bye bye Utah and Colorado as well.
Your link reckons there is 24 billion barrels recoverable from Bakken shale. You know how much oil that represents? About 6 – 9 months worth at present rates of use.
And ‘your’ Bazhenov saving grace is 80 times the land area. Not 80 times the quantity of recoverable oil.
And even if it was 80 times the oil, it would represent much less than a 40 year supply. Y’know, because we use more of the stuff year on year
Not “justice” “charity”(urrgh!)tension. Compassion.
Seems like a wee weak man that MCVICTIM chappie.(urrgh!)
D te B, u the person! A liberal education a day….
Uturn, Wonder about we?
Some of you may enjoy the updated –
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/uncategorized/john-banks-do-the-honorable-thing-resign/#comments
– with the ‘Open Letter’ calling for John Banks to do the ‘Honorable’ thing – and RESIGN?
Kind regards
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Talking of Europe being held back by pursuing the “Green Dream” of running on more and more wind and solar sources of energy, we have the sad case of Spain.
Recently from the New York Post:
In January, the Spanish government removed lavish subsidies for its renewable-energy industry, and the industry all but imploded. You could say it was never a renewable-energy industry at all, but a government-subsidy industry: The government gave the makers of inefficient windmills and solar panels piles of cash that consumers never would.
âThey destroyed the Spanish market overnight with the moratorium [on subsidies],â European Wind Energy Association CEO Christian Kjaer told Bloomberg News.
The Spanish example shows how the whole green-energy ârevolutionâ was really an ideologically driven boondoggle from the start.
âŚâŚ.researchers at King Juan Carlos University found in 2009 that Spain had destroyed 2.2 jobs in other industries for every green job it created, and that the Spanish government has spent more than half a million euros for each green job created since 2000.
Spain is now effectively bankrupt.
If Spain is effectively bankrupt then so is the UK, the USA, and numerous other highly indebted nations.
All you’ve really shown here is your basic lack of understanding economics. That’s real economics, not the delusional stuff that economists, this government and Treasury use.
Hi dumbo. I see that you’re still cherrypicking your examples without bothering to apply either intelligence or industry to the task.
As far as I’m aware there are no subsidies still in place for the Baltic and North Sea windfarms, nor for those in Texas.
All of them took subsidies to get the industry up and running. Just as there were subsidies in the 19th and 20th centuries to get coal, hydro, geothermal and nuclear power industries up and running. Private industry are pretty useless about getting into new infrastructure areas that may be a wee bit risky. Governments use power infrastructure subsidies to get things up and running to the point that the economies of scale kick in and the risks become clearer. Subsequently the subsidies get progressively removed after a decade or so (except for nuclear – which was a complete waste of time and a soak for subsidies).
Right now I think that Germany is trying to push for more offshore windfarms and is moving the subsidies to encourage an industry to form (there are close to 10,000 towers producing nearly 10% of their power on land). The reason for this is obvious. They closed their nuclear power stations last year at a considerable saving in subsidies and are now trying to catch up with the cheap Danish power from their offshore windfarms.
The only problem that Spain had was that they’d only started to push their windfarm industries relatively recently. So the fledgeling industry hadn’t hit critical mass yet and was unlikely to do so for another decade. But you were clearly too lazy to read.
Basically you are a simple munter who seems to never engage your brain and who is too lazy to find some actual information. You’re like a idiot parrot who sees a few Key words and then tries to extrapolate a idea from them. Too stupid to think really.
BTW: It’d pay to link when you quote. When I wear my moderators cap I’ll ban quite rapidly for that particular tactic.
Â
“researchers at King Juan Carlos University found in 2009 that Spain had destroyed 2.2 jobs in other industries for every green job it created, and that the Spanish government has spent more than half a million euros for each green job created since 2000.”
Â
Rubbish. Debunked here Hammer:
http://greeneconomypost.com/debunk-spanish-study-green-jobs-1582.htmÂ
hey ham murmurer Lies and BS you are telling porkies the Spanish economy has Imploded because of over investment in their property bubble you bubble brain.
You can laugh but we are going through another property bubble right here in god zone.
Sooner than later its going to crash again.
The Herald apparently thinks there is a film director named Coward Robert Ford. Sub editors … who needs ’em?
Iprent:
Well this is a pleasureâŚ.
weâve got the “Leaders of the Left” explaining away the observations of the Right by using such in-depth explanations as to why I am wrong by using indepth analysis such asâŚ.
: another idiot; morons like yourself ; you are a wee fool arenât you:    Dumbo would be betterâŚ
 You’ve missed the point Iprent –  I achieved the  response which I expected to my fact based comments; have another nice day.
Keep it up  lprent 7 June 2012 at 4:15 pm
It is a pleasure to meet minds with you
hahahahahaha
Fact based? No, not even close which is what Lynn showed you and now you seem to have taken exception to have been shown to be a moron.
Umm. As far as I am aware all I do is express my opinions mostly on this site. Anyone thinking I am a leader of the left is really stupid. For a starter, I’m quite noticeably right on things like economic policy compared to most on this site and around the left.
But I guess if it helps you then I guess it is a harmless conceit for you to believe… I always like helping people with their self help procedures on their way to a climatic revelation. In your case I think that a paper towel may be good to have handy rather than a calculator.
A meeting of minds it is not. So far you haven’t actually managed to express an opinion of your own as far as I can see. You have merely repeated something you read somewhere without really understanding it.
Which is of course why you whine about how others treat you with contempt. That you never address the holes they chop into your poorly constructed comments could explain their attitude.
It is a common fallacy of the inept that inconvieniences like contradictions to a theory are just part of an intelligent design to fool those with more skepticism than your simple faith in your own omni-potence of understanding. Unfortunately others usually tend to view this trait of ignoring the blindingly obvious is because you’re just too damn lazy to exert yourself. I know I do…
When you do provide links, people only have to quote the parts of your own links that clearly contradict your plagiarized argument. But, like me, they probably suspect that you are incapable of understanding why there is a contradiction.
Kind of defines why you’re known as dumbo..
 Sorry Iprent – I missed a few more of your GEMS;  apparently I am also:
… dumbo ;     Basically you are a simple munter ;    seems to never engage your brain Â
too lazy to find some actual information ;     Youâre like a idiot parrot  ; Too stupid to think really ;
Iâll ban quite rapidly  –
ohhhhhh – Â sounding desperate ??
No doubt replying to you with your own words will be an excuse for banning me for being honest.
If you may have any doubt – have a nice day.  Enjoy the sun.
– I was just pointing out where the state of world oil/gas supplies are going over the next few decades.Â
This is obviously a threat to your world view – Sad!
I am sorry for your poor state of mind. Â Maybe you should seek help?Â
I see that as usual for our more pathetically ignorant trolls you have :-
1. Been pretty much incapable of making up your own words and instead have to mostly quote the words of your betters amongst the internet mythmakers instead. Based on your previous efforts, I suspect that is all you can actually do apart from a rather juvenile and ineffectual attempt at taunting. I have seen prepubescent relatives with far better stirring techniques – It appears that you were raised in a convent?
2. Found it impossible to put the quotes in a coherent context. In this case you failed to locate the reply button (hard to do, but clearly not impossible), failed to link to the comment you were replying to, and failed to even mention the number of the comment that you were replying to. Of course that could be part of a “cunning plan” to make it hard for observers to gauge your level of ignorance. That probably also explains why you didn’t even attempt to rebutt anything that I said and didn’t even argue about any of the counter points I made to your dumb unthinking claims.. But if so, then Baldric was way better at the planning.
3. Gone immediately to try for victim status rather than arguing. Probably because your self-esteem has been crushed by people thinking that you have no idea about what you ae commenting on and expressing their incredulity that you could use a keyboard. But this forum is all about arguing, so what better place to exercise your rather useless skills at it into something more substantial*.
Perhaps you should READ the policy to find out what gets people banned. I realize that it may FEEL like exerting your lazy arse. However if you are capable of understanding words (rather than just cut’n’pasting) it is the easiest way to find out what moderators will be looking to eradicate.
If I’d thought that you were worth banning then I’d have done it already when I was moderating, rather than giving a reply and a gentle warning about linking.
* I am sure that a few of the other commentators will be happy to
treat you as a chew toy(try again)act as a sadistic drill instructor(damnit) assist you. It was only the other day that some were complaining that I was too abrupt and that they had noone to assist…Hi Iprent
Are you actually seeking help?
Most of us hope so….
Peace be with you.Â
Let me guess, Hammer, you’re trying to win a bet that you can get banned from the Standard for terminal stupidity? The content of your comments was the first clue, your failure to work out how the reply button works was the real giveaway.
One major advantage of trains have over cars and trucks.
Awesome!