Ata Marie Nick. How pleasant to read that. Many of my friends are now living alone. They often comment that cheery morning greetings online or at service centres and food outlets become quite important to them. So thanks for that courtesy.
Antisemitism is the tried and true propaganda tool … used to smear Lorde and her fans … who I presume object to the worst aspects of Zionism…. like Corbyn …
two docos set about 10 years apart … about messages and public opinion
The leader of the Israeli Labor party has said he will cut ties with Jeremy Corbyn and his office over the handling of antisemitism, but would preserve the link with the party as a whole.
Avi Gabbay, the chair of the centre-left Labor party, which is the main opposition to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud, said he would sever all relations with Corbyn on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day.
Gabbay said in a letter sent to the British Labour party leader on Tuesday that it was “my responsibility to acknowledge the hostility that you have shown to the Jewish community and the antisemitic statements and actions you have allowed”.
The Labour leader has been criticised for responding to a Facebook post by street artist, Mear One, in 2012, which asked why the image faced destruction.
Mr Corbyn had written: “Why? You are in good company” – but has now said the image was “deeply disturbing”.
Labour MP Luciana Berger – who highlighted the post on Twitter – called Mr Corbyn’s response “wholly inadequate”.
She said: “It fails to understand on any level the hurt and anguish felt about anti-Semitism. I will be raising this further.”
One of the biggest points of tension was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Corbyn, like many on the socialist left, is staunchly pro-Palestinian — which is of course in no way anti-Semitic. But his advocacy on the issue has gone in a direction that many in Labour are uncomfortable with, most infamously inviting members of the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah to speak at Parliament in 2009 and referring to them as his “friends.”
The old-school Labour leadership — along with a majority of the roughly 263,000 Jews living in Britain — worried that this kind of comment didn’t just reflect Corbyn’s politics on Israel, but rather an overall lack of concern for anti-Semitism and the welfare of Jews.
If anyone should be getting roasted by the media it should be this insane warmonger…
Netanyahu’s Long History of Crying Wolf over Fake ‘WMDs’ in Iran and Iraq
+1 – time for the warmonger to go. Sounds like many in Israel and jews around the world, support that just as much as everyone else in the world. Remember how he was politely asked ‘not to go’ to the Paris Memorial March but forced his way in.
Why do people on the left focus so much on Israel anyway? There are a lot worse regimes around the World to get all uppity about. Many of them are even fascistic in nature. Yet Israel seems to hold a place dear to the heart of the rabid leftist protestor as a kind of totem evil nation to focus anger on.
I think it is because Israel leads international propaganda and many politicians in other countries are following their lead. Aka do what ever you like and say you had to do it to beat terrorism. Even if you become a terrorist yourself and your actions make no sense and you start terrorising your own people as well as the perceived enemy to keep control.
Israel does not lead international propaganda. They do spin the case for their actions but so does pretty much every country. Russia claims that it doesn’t send troops to Eastern Ukraine or Venezuela claims it is being targeted by foreign sanctions for example.
Other countries are using their techniques and it’s turning to mayhem. Personally I think Israel is one of the worst offenders but many other’s may be catching up and I don’t think it is a good thing.
It’s the boy who cried wolf, soon nobody will believe anything government say.
Governments need to act respectfully and truthfully to get respect and truth back. If they keep employing an army of people making up messages then eventually, few will believe any message. Just like MSM. Less and less people believe in them.
Is it is the politicians jobs to represent the government truthfully and to protect their citizens rights and welfare, increasingly it looks more like selling out and outsourcing it to someone else, in return to get individual power and wealth and crossing fingers that someone else will deliver and do their job for them.
ALL countries and ALL politicians are going to try and spin their message to the positive side. Does that mean they are deliberately setting out to tell lies – No. Does it mean they stretch the truth so much it breaks at times – Quite likely.
So why does the Israel propaganda department screen news about the government before allowing it to be printed or broadcasted?
And why do they allow those of Jewish denominations to receive a government allowance to stay at home and read the Torah? But they don’t provide the same for any of any other denominations.
Israel jails any whistleblowers or journalists that attempt to hold their government to account.
“And why do they allow those of Jewish denominations to receive a government allowance to stay at home and read the Torah? But they don’t provide the same for any of any other denominations.”
I suspect it is because they have read and believed this book published a little over a century ago.
Read the book yourself if one of the resident lefties will lend you their copy, suspend belief, and you too will see why the Jews are so bad. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007058
I think you summed up what you say here in the comment from you immediately before this one.
As you put it so succinctly.
“I suspect that you’re talking out your arse yet again”.
I’m pleased to see that you have been talking rubbish.
The anti-Semites you like are certainly in the indefensible category and it is good that, even at a very late stage, you finally recognise that fact.
“Why do people on the left focus so much on Israel anyway?”
Some “people on the left” tend to oppose things such as genocide of indigenous people, such as that which has been inflicted on the indigenous people of Palestine for the last few decades.
I have a feeling it is because it is the closest there is to old school colonialism where lefties can feel morally superior by standing up against ‘white’ oppression against ethnic minorities.
that is where you always go wrong, how about informing yourself by reading widely from all angles about the issue before commenting about your feelings, which really means ‘this is my biased uneducated and ignorant spin’.
Try Noam Chomsky of American Jewish descent to get the opposite view point of extremist fundamentalist Zionism, but still from jewish people, so you can’t label then anti semitic for speaking facts like you can Corbyn etc.
A very informative talk from Robert Fisk … ISIS 10 mins …Al-nusral ‘rebels 13,mins 30 secs Alleppo etc . ” Listen very carefully to that word ‘Rebel’,,, “….
In case people were beginning to wonder about the governments’ response to climate change, the Productivity Commission has released a big set of thinking recently.
For those who haven’t gone through them in detail yet, within this release about the New Zealand policy framework response to climate change are a while series of papers that are worth reading:
– Transition to a zero-carbon electricity system in New Zealand (report by Sapere Consultants)
– An examination of the UK Climate Change Act 2008
– A set of models and assumptions about energy and industry shifts to achieve specific targets (report by Motu)
– The full draft report on transitioning to a low-carbon economy
In a nice little signal that everyone is talking to each other in Wellington, the EPA who are charged with administering the carbon pricing system among other things, have come out in support of this work.
The final report will be delivered to Government in August this year, in time to influence Minister Shaw’s draft bill.
Now, I can’t yet figure out how the work of the Interim Climate Commission, the Commissioner for the Environment, the Productivity Commission, all the other quangos, and Minister Shaw’s own thinking will coalesce towards the end of this year. If people want to have a stab at that, do enlighten me.
But from the government it’s not for lack of thinking and seeking to form broad agreement towards action about climate change at a whole-of-government level.
Which hasn’t been done before. Which is a good thing.
Would Lady Liberty be arrested as a people smuggler?
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
“One man’s freedom fighter, is another man’s terrorist”
Updated, “One man’s life saver is another man’s people smuggler”
Greek authorities accuse Aldeen of people smuggling. If he is found guilty, he faces life in prison.
Rights groups say the arrest is politically motivated to discourage small boats from setting sail for Europe.
Nationalism, Refugees, Borders, Politics, Paranoia, Racism, War.
New Zealanders are being led to believe by the Australian Foreign Minister that a boatload of desperate refugees caught off the coast of Malaysia were attempting to get to New Zealand. No doubt we are supposed to be suitably outraged and feel besieged and paranoid at this unlikely news.
The unspoken message that we are supposed to take on board is that we are being invaded by a horde of foreigners with ill intent, and not desperate human beings looking for refuge.
What is the purpose of instilling these feelings in New Zealanders?
Are Peter Dutton’s claims that this boat was on its way to New Zealand also “political”?
Refugees are often used as political playing cards, to reinforce notions of nation, and war, and racism.
Could it be that Dutton’s claims are being made to keep us in the fold, tied in together with Australia even more tighter into Western military alliances like 5 Eyes and ANZUS?
We demonise and dehumanise those who flee war and oppression and make it as hard as possible for them to escape. We use this narrative to keep the war fever going.
Imagine there’s no countries,
I wonder if you can,
Nothing to fight or die for,
the Brotherhood of man,
Sang John Lennon
Lady Liberty: People smuggler
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips.
The one thing we could do as a nation to show solidarity with the Syrian people suffering under Assad fascism, is throw open our doors to the refugees fleeing the regime.
The other thing we should do to show solidarity with the Syrian people, is expel the Russian ambassador, not because of some ridiculous alleged failed murder attempt in England, but to show the world that New Zealanders don’t tolerate genocide.
On the individual level I would suggest to you Gabby that your immediate first task would be to talk to a Syrian refugee. Or invite a Syrian speak to your group or community so as to become informed about the situation there.
Myself I am currently looking at some sort of fund raising or charity project to raise funds to give to some worthy group on the ground in Syria, to try in some small way to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people.
A couple of interesting appointments were announced yesterday which did not make it to prominent positions in our daily news. As they are unrelated I will cover them in separate comments.
First, following the expiry of Richard Griffin’s last three year appointment as Chair of the Board of RNZ a week ago on on 30 April 2018, Dr Jim Mather has been appointed to the position for the next three years.
Since 2013, Dr Mather has been CE of of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, following nine years as Chief Executive of Māori Television. During his time at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, he “led a multimillion-dollar restructure, streamlined the business, realigned campuses around the country and improved educational experiences for its students.”
In early March 2018 Dr Mather advised that he would not be seeking reappointment to the CE position in Oct 2018 when his current five year contract expires for family reasons.
It is not clear from the reports I have read to date whether Dr Mather will continue as Te Wānanga o Aotearoa CE until Oct or step down earlier.
It is also not clear whether his impending appointment to Chair of the RNZ Board had already been decided/agreed prior to the 5 March announcement that he would not be seeking reappointment to the Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Chief Executive position.
Clinton…
“I do not think we should have pushed for an election in the Palestinian territories. I think that was a big mistake,” said Sen. Clinton. “And if we were going to push for an election, then we should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win.”
Why any thinking citizen would pay to hear her talk bullshit right into to their faces is a real mystery to me, different strokes for different folks I guess.
At a talk in Auckland on Monday night, the former first lady and secretary of state said she had received invitations from many Kiwis to come and live here following her loss.
She “gave them some thought”, she said, but decided to stay in the US as there was work to do.
According to Patrick Gower, Clinton was much better value than Obama and the $500k probable fee was overpriced (especially since Air NZ owned 50% by taxpayers who didn’t get to say boo). Well Gower is probably right on that one.
Scary stuff, post political career the usual gravy train of copious amounts for speeches and influence by bankers and corporates to ex politicians.. I guess it’s we were never going to see them actually doing social good and be a change maker and voice of reason, when there is more money to be made.
Yikes, scary stuff I agree with the taxpayers union. At least Obama isn’t milking millions from small countries for cash for their ‘foundations’. (or maybe he is?)
“This week the Taxpayers’ Union revealed that the new Government is set to continue taxpayer-funded payments to the controversial Clinton Foundation affiliate, the “Clinton Health Access Initiative”. $5.5m will be given in 2018/19. This is on top of the $8million already forked out.”
Most of them simply cannot give up the limelight. They have become so warped in their thinking that they simply cannot accept that their time has gone and they were never as important as they liked to believe.
John Key has done pretty well in withdrawing from the spotlight. His predecessors in Clark and Bolger simply couldn’t accept that nobody gave a damn about them.
The best of course was George Bush senior. He never even published a fictional account of his presidency, calling them memoirs, showing how wonderful everything he did was, as most Presidents come out with.
If you want truly stupendous volumes on how great they were try those by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Volume after volume after volume. Of course if you want real history they don’t provide it.
The only really great Presidential memoirs were written by Ulysses S Grant and published in 1885. If you can obtain a copy it is well worth reading.
” Didn’t he finish writing them … “.
It was actually even more poignant than you say. He had got involved in rotten investments and was basically broke when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1884. He settled down, apparently in terrible pain, to write his memoirs to try and provide some money for his family after his death. The disease was quite incurable of course at that time.
He died from cancer in, I believe, March 1985, shortly after the memoirs were published. He didn’t drop dead precisely. His death was expected and basically he spent the last months of his life doing something for his wife future support.
They are worth reading although you have to have a reasonable grasp of US history before and during the Civil War to really follow them. That or Google of course.
I agree they can’t give up the limelight. But Key reasons are different, my guess is that firstly he was never really interested in the public anyway just wanted the power rush and have PM on the CV and secondly he has skeletons in his closet and doesn’t want anyone digging through it and thirdly I think even many in the National party had had enough of him and he knows not to push his luck too far. He’s considered teflon for a reason.
“more rumour mongering”.
How could you even consider that possibility?
If “savenz” says this it clearly must be true. He is of the left and they never ever tell fibs. At least that is what they claim.
Don’t be mean and ask him to divulge the source of his fantasies. It isn’t very pretty in there. He has a very bad case of Key Derangement Syndrome.
Well maybe KDS is better than KAS (Key Adoration Syndrome) that you seem to suffer from Alwyn.
Look at the state Key left the country, his obsession with the 0% tax havens, blind trusts, ponytails, mass surveillance, if his private life is anything like NZ accounts then keeping a low profile fits.
Even the state he left the National party, I mean Simon Bridges is the best they can do and MP’s leaving like rats deserting the sinking ship?
I’ll put in money for crowd funding for a Nicky Hager biography of Key…. see what falls out.
Well, you are clearly aware that you are suffering from KDS, as you admit you are affected.
That is the first step on the path to being cured. There is hope for you yet I would say although for a dose of it as strong as yours it may take some time.
She is an example of a career politician, who seems to have stopped believing in anything…. yes she is polished and probably a nice person, but lost touch (like many) with reality and how normal people live and what is right and wrong rather than what power to get and what power to take and who is important and who is not.
I know some on this site are convinced she is an evil witch, but I think Hillary Clinton’s warnings about the spreading influence of China in Australia and NZ is timely.
I mean nice, like grandma loves her grandkids, but not so nice what has been allowed to happen around the world under her and people like her that are supposed to be better and different from the republicans, and what is fair and right, gone out the window.
Similar to this heavy weight, with the same sort of affliction, seem to have a complete lack of understanding how Trump got there. Clue, if a person has lost their job as it has been outsourced offshore or to a cheaper worker, telling them how great everything is and how great America is under that system, is probably not going to work and they will stop voting for you. https://www.salon.com/2018/04/07/trump-fascism-and-democracy-heres-what-madeleine-albright-cant-or-wont-say/
Another interesting point, is Clinton reportedly warning NZ against China, but American helped make China powerful by building all their factories there to save money… contract for building UK’s nuclear power stations, infrastructure etc now American’s don’t have jobs but Chinese do and can come and buy up bits of other countries…. and other politicians and have money for influence.
The US has lost touch with reality and their super capitalist individual structures of people competing against each other and nationality being meaningless as one worker is the same as the next and their laws allow predatory behaviour against their own residents… like zombie debt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxUAntt1z2c
…really struck a chord with me. I hope my replies to Fireblade conveyed my deep anger at this….within days of WINZ being told by the PM to be kind.
I emailed Carmel Sepuloni asking her to contact this particular WINZ office and remind them of the PM’s instructions.
I got a prompt response saying the email had been passed to Brendan Boyle, the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development, for his attention.
I sent another email saying that I anticipated this situation will be rectified today, and that to morrow I will be onsite with a camera.
I understand that culture change takes time…but I also understand that rot is best excised promptly to allow the new flesh to grow.
Yep. WINZ has been developing it’s current culture for the past 20 + years and while change takes time, this kind of treatment is simply not acceptable.
I truly get about the intimidation and stress after some years of being the fulltime caring partner of someone on the Supported Living Payment.
The day he turned 65 and graduated to the respectable National Super he was directed to a separate area of the Dinsdale WINZ office reserved for ‘Seniors”.
We both decided, without discussion, to remain in the general seating area…refusing to cooperate with their divide and rule tactics.
Firebrand….rest assured that there are increasing numbers of Kiwis having to approach WINZ for assistance they are entitled to who are finding out what utter shits WINZ can be. These new WINZ clients,on an increasing number of occasions,are extending their outrage to include those who in previous times they might have viewed as ‘bludgers’.
While some feedback might indicate that there is little public sympathy for those on benefits, in my experience this is not generally the case.
It may be a deeper rooted problem Rosemary. WINZ have considerably tightened security since that dreadful shooting a few years back and this looks to be a consequence of that. I doubt there’s any intent or desire to cause grief, I’d expect it’s a security issue.
With managers now being potentially liable for any harm that befalls staff many are going to extreme lengths to protect their staff (and their own asses). Can’t really blame them either, the penalties are pretty severe.
Wins could have reacted by ensuring homeless and mentally ill were housed after the incident, instead of employing security guards and not letting their ‘customers’ into the building or to park there. Crazy reaction at odds with the root of the issue. Very American.
I think it’s more to do with law changes after Pike River. I can only go by what I’ve read but I understand that management can now be held criminally liable for any harm that comes to staff they’re responsible for.
In theory I expect they’d only be liable for acts of negligence but the whole health & safety in the workplace thing has got the point where ‘negligence’ is so subjective it can be seen in any scenario now.
If you were a senior manager and you faced the prospect of going to prison, or seriously penalised financially, for any hurt that befell employees under your watch what would you do?
Natz altered the law to make being a public servant difficult and putting power back to big business. Similar to Kinder surprise being considered harmful to children in the US but Guns for Kids are ok.
I doubt it makes their job more difficult. Bureaucrats have got deep pockets of other people’s money, they just hire consultants to develop comprehensive safety plans that guarantee their arses are covered.
You might picture how it’s unfolded. One safety plan goes a bit overboard but any bureaucrat who ignores it risks being seen as negligent so they come up with their own plan which is even more paranoid and another sees that & comes up with their own….. until you end up needing a security guard to watch you having a crap in case you get a paper cut from the bog roll.
It’s crazy takes money away from the core issues, aka teachers and teaching, now they have to waste time and money. for example many schools employing private firms to scare the wits out of kids in case some armed gun man pops up! The psychological damage is probably great. AKA WINZ, if you were border line mentally ill and forced to wait outside and not be able to access your benefit for example to buy food, maybe that might send you over the edge!
They are creating problems and ignoring the main risks!
Except that an unarmed guard will do piss-all against a gunman.
“Safety and Security” is a great reason to introduce barriers and intimidate people you don’t want to deal with. Used by more folks than social warfare, too – look at workplace drug testing (rather than impairment testing).
That’s true McFlock, it may also not be what’s actually happening. If we want to see the worst in people we’ll always find it but is that what we really want?
I’ll wager that if Rosemary does get a reply & explanation security will be one of the excuses, if not the excuse. Excessive security measures could create the same antagonistic environment as deliberate obstruction. The motives for each are a bit different and the actions you’d take to resolve them would differ too.
If they did, those offices would be closed and there’d be bland little doors in anonymous bland buildings, and everyone would have to go through the call centre and face to face meetings would be almost impossible, and security would be worse than airports.
But they don’t really think most people want to hurt staff. I suspect that the extra barrier helps their stats, though.
By all accounts it’s not far off that, realistically what they do now is probably the limit of what they think they can get away with.
They only need to think that some might hurt staff to enact universal security measures, it’s not about expecting the worst of everyone. Without the ability to profile exactly who might hurt someone they’d (likely) think they need to treat everyone the same.
Safety plans are pretty extreme these days. Managers are expected to anticipate all the possible causes of workplace injury and take steps to prevent them before they (might) happen. If they miss something, and later someone gets hurt as a result of that lapse, they can be in big trouble.
Risk aversion at the expense of reasonableness is not the aim or the content of the legislation, but it is a handy way to be a jerk or not bother with something.
Who’s at fault for it though? In the past the test was whether a person had taken reasonable care and acted in good faith. The law now is pretty unforgiving and it’s hard to judge harshly those who take extreme steps to prevent themselves from being prosecuted for ‘failures’ in the workplace.
Workplace safety has turned into a bit of a mess really. If heightened security was causing angst at WINZ it would only make things worse. People would get more pissed at WINZ staff for the holdups and ‘rude’ treatment. That would increase the risk of the staff being attacked. They’d increase security further to address that heightened risk which would piss people off even more… and so on.
Yeah. The thing about people at many levels of management now is they’re there because they’re ambitious. And ambitious people are by nature pretty self serving; they’ll look out for number one. The further they climb, the more they have to lose.
It’s a nice thought that a big cleanout of WINZ bigwigs will make things better but I do have my doubts.
I wonder how they’d justify creating a helfinsafety risk for the public outside their offices in that case. Angry beneficiaries milling about in the street what.
Yes, I get that. Yet on that day it was not only Sue Bradford wondering why WINZ never saw that coming.
If you treat people in an inhumane way is it surprising when someone finally responds in an inhuman way?
The surprising thing is that there have not been more incidents…especially with the the number of clients for whom mental stability is a real issue.
“With managers now being potentially liable for any harm that befalls staff many are going to extreme lengths to protect their staff (and their own asses). Can’t really blame them either, the penalties are pretty severe.”
In an ideal world, it should have been the Government of the day that was prosecuted for entrenching the culture that drove a desperate person to commit such a desperate act.
Having said that, the PSA is one powerful union, and I heard nothing from them to say their members working at WINZ had concerns or objections about the policies they were ordered to enforce.
Well, they rob banks and people can get hurt, but I don’t see private practise removing their customers, more fake ‘we want to protect our staff’.
Also time to clean up this pathetic laws that make people like teachers, principals and public officials responsible for accidents completely out of their control. It is an absolute curse and ruining education and stopping places like WINZ being functional for what their purpose is.
Funny enough when workers are harmed aka Pike River, no one held to account. Time workplace safety or whoever these idiots are, are overhauled. They pick on the little guy and easy targets and give the abusers a free ride.
Also with the shooting I think the guy that did the shooting went to great effort to try to get help before hand such as going into interviews, writing to MP’s etc. It was not some beneficiary who just shot them out of the blue. If he had got the help, who know the WINZ people might be alive today. They are looking at the incident all wrong.
Another interesting appointment also announced yesterday was the appointment of Andrew Campbell, currently chief strategist and communications director for the Green Party, to the position of Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The Prime Minister’s office has hired Andrew Campbell as its new chief press secretary.
Campbell is currently the chief strategist and communications director for the Green Party.
Campbell has worked for the Green Party for a number of years on and off, including as the chief of staff and communications director. He began his latest stint in December, and was a part of the Green Party’s negotiating team going into Government.
Campbell has also worked for NZ Rugby and teachers’ union NZEI.”
Rather than rewrite what has already been written about the interchange of staff between the Greens and Labour over recent years, I am going to take the unusual step (and to some here on TS possibly the unforgiveable step – LOL) of linking to a post by Pete George on YourNZ outlining this – eg prior to Campbell, Leah Haines, and of course Clint Smith some years ago. https://yournz.org/2018/05/08/greens-staff-loss-is-labours-gain/
This post also mentions David Farrar’s reaction – a smart appointment but “Another former student president, which almost completes their takeover of Labour – Robertson, Hipkins, Kirton and now Campbell.”
[As an aside to the above, I noticed a few weeks ago that Stephanie Rodgers, former author etc here, started work in early April as Press Secretary to Jan Logie. ]
I liked James Shaw’s response to the Campbell appointment. It shows that while elements within the MSM are peddling stories of supposed discord between Labour and the Greens, they are actually working well and collaboratively together:
Green Party co-leader James Shaw said it was a great appointment and Campbell was “one of the best in the business.”
“He and the Prime Minister have my full blessing. He’s an enormously talented strategic communications person,” Shaw said.
“I think he’ll make a fantastic difference in the PM’s office.”
As you say a good response by Shaw. I debated whether to mention that but am trying to shorten my comments.
WO of course is trying to stir things by OIAing the recruitment process, claiming a conflict of interest of some sort (unspecified) in the PM’s Office using JacksonStone & Partners as the recruitment agency for the position, costs of using an agency etc etc.
“Another former student president, which almost completes their takeover of Labour – Robertson, Hipkins, Kirton and now Campbell.”
Did you notice that he had forgotten about Andrew Little? Poor Andrew. Gone and forgotten.
“Sic transit gloria mundi”
Or in the vernacular. Yesterday’s news is todays fish and chip wrapper.
“The Black Stilt or Kakī, is endangered – there are just 100 or so of them left. Most of them live in the Mackenzie basin.
But soon, they’ll have new neighbours. 15,000 cows are planned for a new dairy conversion near Lake Pūkaki.
This is madness. Putting cows in the Mackenzie is like mining in a national park.
But together, we can take it on. Please join the campaign today.” http://greenpeace.nz/black-stilt
What is the point of bank profit?
Is it to make a return to some of its investors so they can afford to sit on their chuffs instead of doing an honest day’s work?
The captains of Industry tell us that they plough their profits back into the business. Much of a bank profit appears to be creamed off by the master banks and salted away in bullion for a rainy day.
I don’t think I have ever seen “Captains of Industry” discuss ploughing back all their profits back in to the business. Indeed that would be a fundamentally foolish idea in the long run. The whole point of profits is to recompense the owners for the use of the capital.
Back in the 80s and 90s the New Right’s chant was: “Profit is not a dirty word.”
Ever since then the profiteers have been profit-gouging, which is in fact a dirty word.
$400 from each person constitutes profit-gouging by an oligarchy in a failed market.
Is that what you wanted someone to say, Gosman?
and-they don’t produce anything.
And are bloodsucking parasites that create digital credit and charge interest,anduse fractional reserve banking to multiply their capital.(create money out of thin air)
Not forgetting there is a tacit agreement that they are too big to fail.
It won’t take you long to find they are involved in fraud,money laundering and misfeasance of every kind,and usually just fined when they are brought to account.
On the banking note, would be nice if Kiwibank wanted to compete more on service. Not everyone wants to queue up at Postshop (especially around Christmas). Funny all these business folks love this idea of customer service but somehow have not really evolved beyond being a place for customers who have few banking needs to maybe look at growing customers with more complex banking needs or just much better customer service.
Now the OZ banks have cost cut customer service to the bone, time for Kiwi banks to actually try to compete a bit more on service.
I tried to change to Kiwibank and they were very bureaucratic. Did not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Saying that, I’m with an OZ bank and their customer service is getting worse and worse and I don’t even trust them to do basic stuff. I even caught them charging me the wrong interest rate (higher of course) yep they paid if back but no apology or even understanding that’s quite a bad mistake to be making in banking. I’m sure if a financial auditor went through people’s banking they would get interesting results of over changing being the norm, because one small computer change can do a lot of damage. $400 profit is just the tip of the iceberg.
But hey all of NZ has headed that way. Look at the holiday pay issue, it’s normal now for big business to just stone wall paying it even though it is illegal or small business to now charge people for their own job while immigration turns a blind eye as it does not meet their Kafka criteria for investigation.
So from a family of 4 the banks make $1600 profits, or more likely they are making profits of $600-900 each from a person who is single/each person who has an account.
Banking (like many businesses) follows an 80/20 rule when it comes to profit. What this means is that the rule of thumb is that 80 percent of the profit comes from just 20 percent of the customer base. The rest of the customers are extremely low value usually.
Here’s a thought.
What if the Government was to direct all government agencies (starting with schools) to bank with Kiwibank – that any tax payer funding they receive must be through Kiwibank. Cannot see any reason why Westpac or BNZ et cetera should be making capital gains out of this money.
Lofty oaks from tiny acorns grow …
What infrastructure would that be then?
Seems a pretty simple bit of capitalistic behaviour wouldn’t go amiss.
Just poach the staff from the existing banks who handle the various schools accounts already.
And on what source/authority do you make such a statement?
I’ll bet there would be a queue of IT developers offering their systems.
That’s how free enterprise works isn’t it?
Because I work in IT and everyone knows the mess their system is in. They recently had to write off 90 million dollars from an attempt to upgrade their core banking system. They actually spent 100’s of millions on this.
Have to agree with Gosman about Kiwibank IT, but they are not the only ones in banking who can’t do IT. When who ever decided to lower wages to ridiculous levels for experienced IT people forcing a lot of them overseas and replacing them with level 5 IT staff or grads, there are implications…. one is there is a big gap in capability because NZ IT is pretty unique in the sense that we don’t have the billions to spend of IT like bigger countries but expect things to work well while paying pauper rates and thinking staff turnover and proven experience is irrelevant… then thinking of filling the gaps up with Morons from overseas at massive rates… aka the place where everyone gets a bargain got more than they bargained for with a recent overseas hire….
Your assumption is wrong. I was merely pointing out that your proposal is impractical at this stage. It is also undesirable in my opinion but that is a separate debate.
Anybody can be tempted to behave badly if completely trusted to do the right thing, and not monitored. This is like the problems that occur with Enduring Powers of Attorney.
A brother and sister and others made trustees after the Maori Trustee passed control in 2012, to manage a block of trees on behalf of other Maori left only $13.41 in the working a/c by 2014. They may have what they consider good reason, but they were given powers with obligations and have not met those. The Court case was reported in October 2017, and now in May 2018 a judgment has been made, nearly six years from the action in dispute. That is slow legal action, which exacerbates the matter.
In June 2012, Dixon, along with her brother Stephen Henare and and five others, were appointed as trustees in place of the Māori Trustee.
In August 2012, about $1.1 million, intended primarily for the management of the land and the forest for the benefit of the owners, was transferred from the Maori Trustee to the Parengarenga 3G Trust bank accounts.
A further $54,480 was also obtained by the trust from the sale of carbon credits.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Dixon intentionally failed to deal with $934,270 of the trust’s funds in accordance with the Parengarenga 3G Trust Order.
She facilitated the transfer of a “significant amount” of the trust’s money into various other bank accounts, including personal accounts and family trusts, the SFO said.
That left debts due for the care of the forest unpaid, and by January 2014 there was only $13.41 left of the funds.
Kiwi fruit industry experiencing a super bumper year.
Top Dog at Apata packing house crying shortage of labour.
“… culture of benefit dependency is a major problem in hiring staff… they’re just not prepared to take work on offer …” And you are going to have a bumper year?
That suggests the bank balance is going to look very healthy.
Here’s an idea – pay more / take a slight cut in your bottom line.
How about you offer these people permanent positions – run cadetships to get them into the industry. Yeah nah – got those off season cruises to consider
… perhaps you didn’t read my initial suggestion (13) that the kiwifruit/avacado barons could invest in these people and create 365 day employment, rather than the piece work bit on the minimum wage rate. Your 13.1.1.1.1.1 says quite a lot about you really.
I’m not sure many can plan a 3 month career around the minimum wages, might be why the industry expects the tax payers to subsidise them and why they are getting so profitable especially where there are cases of underpaying migrants or even having to pay for a job.
I mean sounds so perfect for Kiwi residents, (sarcasm) give up your accomodation, find a few thousand for travel and expenses down to the farm in the back of beyond and time to find accomodation, then work for minimum wages for a few months with no guarantees and then at the end of the season a stand down period to get back on the benefit and then costs of bond/expenses and time of finding a new tenancy and job back where you came from.
What a great work opportunity! But financially you are probably worse off than if you had not picked Kiwifruit.
Gosh and I thought it might at least be 3 months work, but no 3 weeks, really worth it going off the dole for that and then trying to get back on. Could take longer to get that interview with WINZ! No wonder Kiwis are not doing it. Can’t we expect industry to actually try to do something themselves and spend their own money fixing up their worker problems?
They have to pay for their accommodation while on site for the job, I think $120 which is not much BUT they are on the minimum wage. Meanwhile they will need to keep their own, hopefully permanent, accommodation in town. So what about giving them accommodation free, you dork of a manager. Also there may be a stand-down period after the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch says WINZ, – and getting to the stage of saying there Is No Lunch.
Also there may be a grant which could be lost $ for gross$ received before tax, which can sometimes mean that the person ends up working but receiving less than the benefit which they can only just survive on with some help from friends and food bank. Oh why don’t they line up to come and work and get better off. They are so lazy, it is generational laziness and softness etcetc etc etc …. (And indeed there is that, but it induced helplessness impressed on them by the dastardly government and its machinations of hate and spite.)
(Manager used to be a worker and has got all the way to manager. Always said, without thinking that he must be slightly different in some way and is fortunate for that. If as is so often said, why can’t everyone do this,? the person who has achieved would not because he would have been overwhelmed with competition.)
Wouldn’t a rational, effective government have organised teams of seasonal workers who could sign up to travel round the country, and be available for most of the year doing something useful and which they could earn good money at? Trouble with politicians is they come from the class that hates manual work. They pretend they are strong and outdoorsy by rushing round on mountain bikes and going on marathons but ask them to do sustained hard physical work as a way to earn their living and they won’t do it because they are too good for that, and it doesn’t pay enough..
Their attitude is classist and if they respected all work and paid reasonable wages for physical and manual labour, without swingeing stand-downs because of an accumulation of peanut amounts compared to the fat cats on contracts over $100-$800 hourly, they would get people lining up for it, enjoying the life and the status of being on one of the fit permanent teams of travelling seasonal workers.
Grey, that’s excellent news, hope it happens. I know they are looking for pickers around these parts. Good on Willie Jackson for trying to do something about the obstacles.
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said in a pre-Budget announcement that government was committed to lifting the abatement rates for kiwifruit-picking workers within the next three years.
Abatement rates are the amounts cut from a person’s benefit because of income that they receive.
“We stated clearly we will be looking at lifting abatement rates. It will happen,” she said.
But so far it is just talk without urgent action being even promised.It should be we will have this fixed by lunchtime but nothing that gets to the heart and needs of people on the edge is to be hurried.
But – its not that urgent, we’ll get round to it soon. There are many problems and we can’t wave a magic wand you know. This is the attitude that I draw from the pollies and the civil servants!
Instead the industry spokesperson is making statements about what the problem is. This is carrying on with the theme that has been current since neolib came in – that government steps back and industry knows what it wants and organises the workforce to where the jobs are.
Industry and business are totally unsuitable to do this on their own, government should be watching, meeting and talking with them all, drawing up demographics, analysing workforce availability, flexibility and flow, ensuring that there is accommodation for the workers required, and that they are supported when they can’t be earning because of cessation through machinery breakdown, bad weather, injuries, illness, outbreaks of violence, drug and alcohol presence etc.
Providing accommodation – get the tourist drivers off the road doing their freedom thing, and have the vehicles for accommodation for the workers.?
(They rental firms would have to have a big clean up, but theycould pay for that out of their profits., just a necessary part of doing business. NZ would have less easy-riders on $10 a day or whatever. I hear how expensive we are compared to other countries for ordinary people but the young ones from overseas can be very canny at travelling on the smell of an oily rag.)
Our horticultural business is working with fragile, perishable produce – it has needs and time limits, and babysitting by responsible, intelligent, enterprising government is required to
get the good outcomes from good product delivered in a timely fashion.
” Labour Inspectorate operation audited 62 labour companies and interviewed nearly 700 workers over three months last year. They found 53 per cent of employers failed to meet minimum employment standards, and almost all of these employers were using migrant labour.
Truely shocking. Why nothing done about it! I’m sure adding a few zero’s on the fines and actually saying to industry no more migrant work permits, would do the trick and actually get some of our own underemployed into the work force. Picking is hard work, but it’s not rocket science, most people can do it!
I worked kiwifruit. We did 14 hour days for minimum wage in the packhouse. Not much better pruning or picking – the contract rates are long gone, they’ll give you as little as possible, those landowners with their large houses and multiple vehicles, boats, etc. And they’ll complain, oh how they love to complain.
This is standard fare. Critics of wage increases are moronic in their utterances. Poor people spend all their money, poor means you got nothing but bills in my experience. This money then, is immediately circulating in businesses. But no – it’s the Reds under the bed, calamity!
Also worked in a kiwi fruit pack house, in the school holidays. This was before schools moved to four terms so I guess a term break must have been in May back then. At the time any work I could get was snapped up. This was before student loans were introduced of course.
Back in the day, they got local teenagers to do a lot of harvesting, also taught them good work skills for later on. They also employed backpackers and students who were already in the area as well as local unemployed who did not have stand down periods at WINZ.
You have to wonder how bringing over someone for $1000’s in flights and then bringing them into NZ can work out cheaper.. unless there is something else going on there with exploitation and residency or both.
Yes, but teens wanted the pocket money and got good experience. I’m not against teens understanding hard work. Then they understand that hard work is hard later on and are not snobs, they got money to save for their tertiary fees or what not and also message to work hard at school cos being farm hand is probably not a great career move. The teens got something out of it, the farmers got something out of it and the country got something out of it. All good.
Not sure why you think cheap labour from migrants or grown ups might be better than local kids getting work experience and pocket money and also less carbon footprint due to getting locals working locally and also not needing so much accomodation for short term bursts of work.
Pay more prices also go up for joe consumer, likewise people employ less, similarly business has less to reinvest and attract future capital as low returns, likewise business will be higher risk as as if leveraged eneanigs / interest ratio falls etc etc To simply say pay more and all will be rosy is very simplistic
But underpay people who work hard with no palpable reward, and you create a hell-hole of a society where the poor see no point in taking the work available, and crime flourishes. We have been doing this ever since Rogernomics, which claimed that a high-wage economy was a good thing, but then did all it could to force low wages further down. Look at what we are creating to date, Bewildered, and think again. Nothing will be more pernicious than where we are currently heading.
Money circulating is money well spent. It is not that all is complex and I, simple minded humanitarian, do not understand.
Honest work for honest pay is a concept lost to an entire generation. For the honest pay is gone, contract rates no longer No more are workers paid for achievement, but given as little as possible.
I/we broke all manner of picking records on all manner of farms. And for being a freaking legend – pittance. They want workers now, poor landowners and all their hardships. Did the least they could possibly do for workers and many times over did even less than that minimum requirement. How bizarre people don’t want a bar of it.
It’s about squeezing all you can for yourself, grasping tightly. There’s a car to update, a party frock to purchase. More vino darlings.
Pay more prices also go up for joe consumer, likewise people employ less, similarly business has less to reinvest and attract future capital as low returns, likewise business will be higher risk as as if leveraged eneanigs / interest ratio falls etc etc To simply say pay more and all will be rosy is very simplistic I do agree though, supply and demand here, you want workers pay more and make it attractive, can’t be a capitalist in the good times and socialist in the poor
Too late. They got the powers from misleading and deceptive conduct. Expected from spies. Not from AG and PMs.
“If the SIS could live without these powers for six months, it suggests at the least that there was no case for urgency, and possibly no case for the powers at all (DPMC certainly didn’t bother to make one in their shoddy and unprofessional Regulatory Impact Analysis). There’s a lesson here both for future attempts to expand spy powers, and for abuse of urgency, and it is one we should heed. Our spies are power grabbing liars, who use fear to boost both their powers and their budgets. And this is not behaviour we should tolerate.”
It just annoys me that Finlayson is available to comment on this but NO heat has been put on him over the OIA debacle. Where is the pressure from Brudges to remove him as Shadow AG and the media pressuring Brudges to remove that portfolio. You know, like they all did with Turei
And this is partly what you get with a contract system that rewards companies for cut-throat tendering- poor wages, quality services threatened and upheaval.
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Negotiations between Port Otago workers represented by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and management failed today and the unions have issued notice of an overtime ban from Saturday 7th September. ...
Queenstown Lakes District Council’s comments that it has applied for a consent to pollute waterways to avoid 'prosecutions by the Otago Regional Council' are unacceptable,’ Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says. ...
On March 15, the real world impact of online hate became abundantly, horrifically clear. As a shooter opened fire at two Christchurch mosques, the online image board 8chan anticipated, celebrated and amplified his killing spree. ...
Friday, 23 August: Government delegates from around the world, including New Zealand, are meeting in New York for the third of four meetings at the United Nations to agree a Global Oceans Treaty that could help to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Greenpeace ...
The excuses about a reportedly unwanted $57,000 payrise for Dunedin City Council CEO Sue Bidrose are laughable, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has launched the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” committing to no more than 2% annual rate hikes over the next Council term, and has written to all Mayoral and Council candidates asking them to sign. The pledge will ...
This Saturday, Pakuranga Hunt Day at the Ellerslie Racecourse will see anti-horse racing protesters demonstrating at the corner of Ascot Avenue and Greenlane East. ...
Mayoral candidate John Tamihere will meet with Pacific Island leaders and community elders today at Puhunui Reserve in South Auckland to commit to a Pasefika Cultural Centre. ...
Cruel and invalid Forced Swim Tests carried out at Victoria University of Wellington, will be exposed at the University Open Day today, so prospective students can be warned about the flawed and unethical research being conducted at the institute. ...
The organiser of the annual YWCA Equal Pay Awards has expressed her disappointment with the latest Gender Pay Gap figure for New Zealand workers. The figure rose slightly from 9.2% in 2018 to 9.3% for the quarter ended 30 June 2019. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to pass on information to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques now that the period for submissions has been extended to 27 September. ...
An application was filed in the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington today, seeking an injunction to prevent the Board of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation from removing the President from office. ...
The Government’s commitment to support literacy and numeracy training in the workplace is a strong signal from Government on recognising the importance of upskilling, reskilling and increasing productivity alongside their commitment to address the challenges ...
“The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance,” says Paul Blair, incoming CEO of Infrastructure NZ. ...
The AA is calling on the Government to bring forward critical highway projects while time is spent properly developing the plans for a rapid transit system in Auckland. ...
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, DHBs spent $280 million treating patients due to adverse drug reactions, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in its latest briefing paper on health productivity . ...
The Pay Equity Coalition Auckland (PECA) is pleased the gender pay gap has decreased slightly. Statistics released today show the gap is now 11.9%, nearly 2 percent less than last year. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to make sure they pass on any information they have to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques before submissions close tomorrow (Friday). ...
The big electricity companies consider solar energy “disruptive” and want pricing to suppress it. In contrast, advocates of local energy say that solar, energy efficiency, and other local energy solutions are the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions. ...
The Earthquake Commission and Shine Lawyers are delighted to announce that EQC has reached an agreement with the Gibling family, agreeing to cover the cost of repairs of remaining earthquake damage on their property. ...
Four months into the inquiry, the Royal Commission is gathering significant information and continues to receive valuable submissions from the public, from current and former State servants, experts and community groups. ...
While Fish & Game New Zealand is pleased to see Federated Farmers Environment Spokesperson Chris Allen say that 'we all want good, fresh water', he conveniently overlooks some key facts. ...
What: Wellington demo “Save the Amazon Forest/Salve a Amazônia!” When: Friday, 6 September 2019 from 12:30-13:30 Where: Embassy of Brazil in Wellingtona ...
Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, welcomes the visit of His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. ...
A cross political Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing group will be launched on Wednesday 28 August hosted by Sir John Kirwan and Moe Milne (ONZM) who have both been at the forefront of our country’s often difficult conversations about mental ...
Confirmation that the government will be progressing an independent Parliamentary Budget Office is great news for democracy and transparency, Federated Farmers says. ...
At first glance, Simon Bridges’ strident opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an independent office to cost political parties’ election spending plans looks childish and petty. ...
Euthanasia-Free NZ is appalled that Parliament spent so little time debating Part 2 of the End of Life Choice Bill and voted to leave it full of holes. ...
Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and its nationwide sister group the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for his comments today that John Tamihere would need the Government’s support to ...
A ‘one size fits all’, inflexible and punitive regulatory regime for water quality just gets backs - and costs - up and most importantly will not work, Federated Farmers says. ...
Mediation yesterday between secondary principals and the government has resulted in a deal that the principals' negotiating team is recommending to its members. ...
Clubs New Zealand welcomes the decision of Justice Minister Andrew Little to put forward a bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow all licensed premises to remain open for Rugby World Cup matches. ...
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has ordered a review looking at labelling of added sugars in food and drinks. An option under investigation is ‘a pictorial approach applied to sugary beverages / sugar-sweetened beverages’ ...
Labour market data released by Statistics New Zealand today indicates that a gender pay gap persists in New Zealand, despite improvement in some areas. ...
In the midst of the 6th Great Extinction Event the coalition, STOP Trashing Our Planet is urging voters to take full responsibility for the legacy we are leaving our children. ...
ANALYSIS:By David Robie Indonesia’s harsh policies towards West Papua ought to be scrapped. Whatever happened to the brief window of enlightenment ushered in by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2015 with promises of a more “open door” policy towards foreign journalists and human rights groups? They were supposed ...
The House - The grammar of being an MP is harder than you might think. MPs in Parliament choose their words with care, and it just got more complicated. ...
As a format it predates almost all reality TV, and that’s precisely why it works in 2019, writes Duncan Greive.There’s something deeply comforting about watching Celebrity Treasure Island. It is a very pure form of escapism, largely because it explicitly recalls a world without the internet, and before everything started ...
Residents in Los Angeles and Orange County warned to check for symptoms after an infected NZ teen visited theme parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios earlier this month.Californian health authorities have issued warnings to residents and visitors after a New Zealand teenager was found to have spent five days in ...
When you crave fresh, bright flavours but summer veges seem far away, throw together this simple salad.Growing up we often ate this salad, or one very similar to it. My mum is a fantastic cook and this dish is one she still makes to this day – though I must ...
Analysis of New Zealand media headlines reveals a lot of people slamming a lot of other people.Slamming is at epidemic levels in New Zealand news. Drawn from just the last month, we present a selection of slamming.On July 27A union boss slammed David ClarkOn July 29Police slammed a dangerous photographerOn ...
Vana Manasiadis wrote a collection of poetry in the wake of her mother’s death. In this essay, ahead of her appearance at the Going West festival, she argues that as a nation Aotearoa needs to learn to make space for mourning. When Mum died in Athens, I cried loudly and publicly ...
The giant hand that captivated, delighted and disgusted the nation is now settling into its new Wellington home. For City Gallery Wellington’s blog, Spinoff arts editor Megan Dunn talked to Ronnie van Hout, the man who made Quasi.“Quasi is in the wrong place,” wrote art critic Warren Feeney in 2016, ...
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...
Analysis - The prime minister puts a stake in the ground over petrol prices, National balks at having its election promises costed and the government puts millions into helping the homeless. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...
The departure of "two Pākehā men" from the government's justice reform group will not hurt the quality of its final report, another member of the team says. ...
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...
Current leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Is Simon Bridges really trying to channel Donald Trump? Or is he taking his cue from Scott Morrison? Or is he looking to emulate Boris Johnson? Whatever the inspiration, there’s been a clear change in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]Michelle Grattan talks about the sad news of the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini. They also discuss Scott Morrison’s recent announcement about joining ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...
A new poem by Oamaru-born poet Nick Ascroft.SupermanHalfway up the ascent zigzagging from Royal Terrace to upper Stuart Street carrying four too-heavy grocery bags I begin to understand that I will not make it. My huffing personage – from the fingers, white with the strain, to a face the colour of rhubarb – will ooze into the pavement and roll slowly ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sound the alarm, because it’s time for another absolute chaos pod. We’re talking haunted dolls in Waipu, we’re talking giant hands taking over Wellington, we’re talking soft serve cones dipped in powdered Milo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Press, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania This week, the ABC revealed that the Australian Defence Force wants to roll out military technology in Antarctica. The article raises the issue of what is, or is not, ...
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...
The lanky sidekick from Jono and Ben journeys around New Zealand trying to solve small town problems. Does he succeed?Guy Williams, hardly a shy, retiring type, has been screaming out for his own vehicle for years. A loud, lanky, fearless comic, he’s spent nearly a decade in MediaWorks purgatory, sat ...
Ballot Box.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The nature of New Zealand general election campaigns could be significantly changed with the proposed establishment of an “umpire” to adjudicate over political party manifesto policies. A suggestion has been put forward by the Government for the establishment of a parliamentary watchdog ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Ihumātao Delphine Herbert and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Tainui to buy Ihumātao land – sources Danielle ...
Open Mike 08/05/2018 
My wife and I have had dogs for the whole of our 52 years of married life – and that has meant sharing our lives with our little furry friends. Because we usually spend a good part of our evenings watching television, it also means that our dogs have learned ...16 hours ago
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...2 days ago
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...2 days ago
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...2 days ago
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...3 days ago
3 days ago
Nothing from me tody - I'm off to Christchurch to pretend to be other people for a weekend. Normal bloggage should resume on Tuesday. ...3 days ago
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...3 days ago
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...3 days ago
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ... 3 days ago
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...5 days ago
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...6 days ago
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...1 week ago
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...1 week ago
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...1 week ago
1 week ago
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...1 week ago
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...2 weeks ago
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...2 weeks ago
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...2 weeks ago
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...2 weeks ago
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...2 weeks ago
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 2 weeks ago
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...2 weeks ago
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...2 weeks ago
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...2 weeks ago
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...2 weeks ago
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...2 weeks ago
West Papua solidarity activists met yesterday and resolved to call on the Prime Minister to step up to help resolve the escalating crisis in West Papua. ...10 hours ago
ANALYSIS: By David Robie Indonesia’s harsh policies towards West Papua ought to be scrapped. Whatever happened to the brief window of enlightenment ushered in by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2015 with promises of a more “open door” policy towards foreign journalists and human rights groups? They were supposed ...8 hours ago
The House - The grammar of being an MP is harder than you might think. MPs in Parliament choose their words with care, and it just got more complicated. ...10 hours ago
As a format it predates almost all reality TV, and that’s precisely why it works in 2019, writes Duncan Greive.There’s something deeply comforting about watching Celebrity Treasure Island. It is a very pure form of escapism, largely because it explicitly recalls a world without the internet, and before everything started ...11 hours ago
Residents in Los Angeles and Orange County warned to check for symptoms after an infected NZ teen visited theme parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios earlier this month.Californian health authorities have issued warnings to residents and visitors after a New Zealand teenager was found to have spent five days in ...14 hours ago
When you crave fresh, bright flavours but summer veges seem far away, throw together this simple salad.Growing up we often ate this salad, or one very similar to it. My mum is a fantastic cook and this dish is one she still makes to this day – though I must ...16 hours ago
Vana Manasiadis wrote a collection of poetry in the wake of her mother’s death. In this essay, ahead of her appearance at the Going West festival, she argues that as a nation Aotearoa needs to learn to make space for mourning. When Mum died in Athens, I cried loudly and publicly ...18 hours ago
The giant hand that captivated, delighted and disgusted the nation is now settling into its new Wellington home. For City Gallery Wellington’s blog, Spinoff arts editor Megan Dunn talked to Ronnie van Hout, the man who made Quasi.“Quasi is in the wrong place,” wrote art critic Warren Feeney in 2016, ...1 day ago
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...2 days ago
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...2 days ago
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...2 days ago
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...2 days ago
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...2 days ago
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...2 days ago
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...2 days ago
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...2 days ago
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...2 days ago
Internet freedom advocates have slammed the Government for proposing censorship of online gambling sites. ...2 days ago
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...2 days ago
As Indonesia cracks down on protests in the disputed West Papua territory, the Government has declined to condemn the violence. ...2 days ago
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...2 days ago
2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...2 days ago
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...2 days ago
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...3 days ago
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...3 days ago
Fees for company directors are not keeping pace with their rising workload, according to a new survey. ...3 days ago
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...3 days ago
The Warehouse Group has upgraded its full year profit expectations again. ...3 days ago
New Zealand-owned Kiwibank says it is winning more customers, demonstrated by a strong increase in deposits and lending. ...3 days ago
Ata Marie, good morning I hope you all have a great day.
Ata Marie Nick. How pleasant to read that. Many of my friends are now living alone. They often comment that cheery morning greetings online or at service centres and food outlets become quite important to them. So thanks for that courtesy.
A few people have started waving around racist and anti-semite smears against english labour leader Corbyn …. and others ,,,,,
Its a manner of attack which reminds me of John Key shouting “you support the rapists !”
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/john-key-using-sexual-violence-as-a-political-tool-says-greens-co-leader
Antisemitism is the tried and true propaganda tool … used to smear Lorde and her fans … who I presume object to the worst aspects of Zionism…. like Corbyn …
two docos set about 10 years apart … about messages and public opinion
Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/10/israeli-labor-leader-cuts-ties-jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism
The leader of the Israeli Labor party has said he will cut ties with Jeremy Corbyn and his office over the handling of antisemitism, but would preserve the link with the party as a whole.
Avi Gabbay, the chair of the centre-left Labor party, which is the main opposition to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud, said he would sever all relations with Corbyn on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day.
Gabbay said in a letter sent to the British Labour party leader on Tuesday that it was “my responsibility to acknowledge the hostility that you have shown to the Jewish community and the antisemitic statements and actions you have allowed”.
The more they make stupid unjustified attacks on Corbyn, like this one, the more people vote for him.
To many anti-Zionism = anti-Semitism .
Righto Puckish …. so a political party in the Zionist state of Israel calls out anti-Semite
You do know its a neo con zionist strategy to shut down narratives …
38 – 45 mins
Anyway Spread the video and support Corbyn, Lorde … and Roger Waters
Being anti extreme Zionism is not the same as anti Semitic
Yeah what would a centre-left party in Israel know about anti-semitism
Perhaps they are happy to conflate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. – is that too hard an idea for you Pucky?
Well thats one way of looking at it
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43523445
The Labour leader has been criticised for responding to a Facebook post by street artist, Mear One, in 2012, which asked why the image faced destruction.
Mr Corbyn had written: “Why? You are in good company” – but has now said the image was “deeply disturbing”.
Labour MP Luciana Berger – who highlighted the post on Twitter – called Mr Corbyn’s response “wholly inadequate”.
She said: “It fails to understand on any level the hurt and anguish felt about anti-Semitism. I will be raising this further.”
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/29/17168320/labour-corbyn-anti-semitism-mural
One of the biggest points of tension was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Corbyn, like many on the socialist left, is staunchly pro-Palestinian — which is of course in no way anti-Semitic. But his advocacy on the issue has gone in a direction that many in Labour are uncomfortable with, most infamously inviting members of the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah to speak at Parliament in 2009 and referring to them as his “friends.”
The old-school Labour leadership — along with a majority of the roughly 263,000 Jews living in Britain — worried that this kind of comment didn’t just reflect Corbyn’s politics on Israel, but rather an overall lack of concern for anti-Semitism and the welfare of Jews.
If anyone should be getting roasted by the media it should be this insane warmonger…
Netanyahu’s Long History of Crying Wolf over Fake ‘WMDs’ in Iran and Iraq
+1 – time for the warmonger to go. Sounds like many in Israel and jews around the world, support that just as much as everyone else in the world. Remember how he was politely asked ‘not to go’ to the Paris Memorial March but forced his way in.
Hollande Asked Netanyahu Not to Attend Paris Memorial March
https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-hollande-asked-netanyahu-not-to-attend-paris-march-1.5359102
Why do people on the left focus so much on Israel anyway? There are a lot worse regimes around the World to get all uppity about. Many of them are even fascistic in nature. Yet Israel seems to hold a place dear to the heart of the rabid leftist protestor as a kind of totem evil nation to focus anger on.
I think it is because Israel leads international propaganda and many politicians in other countries are following their lead. Aka do what ever you like and say you had to do it to beat terrorism. Even if you become a terrorist yourself and your actions make no sense and you start terrorising your own people as well as the perceived enemy to keep control.
Israel does not lead international propaganda. They do spin the case for their actions but so does pretty much every country. Russia claims that it doesn’t send troops to Eastern Ukraine or Venezuela claims it is being targeted by foreign sanctions for example.
Other countries are using their techniques and it’s turning to mayhem. Personally I think Israel is one of the worst offenders but many other’s may be catching up and I don’t think it is a good thing.
It’s the boy who cried wolf, soon nobody will believe anything government say.
Governments need to act respectfully and truthfully to get respect and truth back. If they keep employing an army of people making up messages then eventually, few will believe any message. Just like MSM. Less and less people believe in them.
Is it is the politicians jobs to represent the government truthfully and to protect their citizens rights and welfare, increasingly it looks more like selling out and outsourcing it to someone else, in return to get individual power and wealth and crossing fingers that someone else will deliver and do their job for them.
ALL countries and ALL politicians are going to try and spin their message to the positive side. Does that mean they are deliberately setting out to tell lies – No. Does it mean they stretch the truth so much it breaks at times – Quite likely.
So why does the Israel propaganda department screen news about the government before allowing it to be printed or broadcasted?
And why do they allow those of Jewish denominations to receive a government allowance to stay at home and read the Torah? But they don’t provide the same for any of any other denominations.
Israel jails any whistleblowers or journalists that attempt to hold their government to account.
“And why do they allow those of Jewish denominations to receive a government allowance to stay at home and read the Torah? But they don’t provide the same for any of any other denominations.”
Ummm… because it is a Jewish State
@ Gosman
Not many regimes support a concentration camp with more than a million people suffering within it. (There is a certain irony here.)
Not many regimes erect illegal settlements for decades in defiance of the UN.
Gaza is not a Concentration camp.
Lot’s of countries have settled conquered land in defiance of the UN.
It kind of is gossy.
I suspect it is because they have read and believed this book published a little over a century ago.
Read the book yourself if one of the resident lefties will lend you their copy, suspend belief, and you too will see why the Jews are so bad.
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007058
I suspect that you’re talking out your arse yet again.
Because they keep killing people and committing war crimes in their ongoing invasion of Palestine. And those crimes are supported by the West.
As opposed to say Russian military intervention in the Caucasus?
They did it to is not an excuse for war crimes.
I think you summed up what you say here in the comment from you immediately before this one.
As you put it so succinctly.
“I suspect that you’re talking out your arse yet again”.
Ah, right, nothing to say that won’t come across as defence of the indefensible.
I’m pleased to see that you have been talking rubbish.
The anti-Semites you like are certainly in the indefensible category and it is good that, even at a very late stage, you finally recognise that fact.
“Why do people on the left focus so much on Israel anyway?”
Some “people on the left” tend to oppose things such as genocide of indigenous people, such as that which has been inflicted on the indigenous people of Palestine for the last few decades.
The Palestinians are not indigenous. Neither are the Jews.
Oh, you’re one of those, a believer in the false “land without a people” rhetoric.
Do you also believe that Australia was “terra nullius” before the English colonised it?
What are these worse regimes that nobody’s getting uppity about gossy?
I have a feeling it is because it is the closest there is to old school colonialism where lefties can feel morally superior by standing up against ‘white’ oppression against ethnic minorities.
‘I have a feeling ‘
that is where you always go wrong, how about informing yourself by reading widely from all angles about the issue before commenting about your feelings, which really means ‘this is my biased uneducated and ignorant spin’.
Try Noam Chomsky of American Jewish descent to get the opposite view point of extremist fundamentalist Zionism, but still from jewish people, so you can’t label then anti semitic for speaking facts like you can Corbyn etc.
A very informative talk from Robert Fisk … ISIS 10 mins …Al-nusral ‘rebels 13,mins 30 secs Alleppo etc . ” Listen very carefully to that word ‘Rebel’,,, “….
A talk about messages and narratives
In case people were beginning to wonder about the governments’ response to climate change, the Productivity Commission has released a big set of thinking recently.
For those who haven’t gone through them in detail yet, within this release about the New Zealand policy framework response to climate change are a while series of papers that are worth reading:
https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiry-content/3254?stage=3
There are papers on:
– Transition to a zero-carbon electricity system in New Zealand (report by Sapere Consultants)
– An examination of the UK Climate Change Act 2008
– A set of models and assumptions about energy and industry shifts to achieve specific targets (report by Motu)
– The full draft report on transitioning to a low-carbon economy
In a nice little signal that everyone is talking to each other in Wellington, the EPA who are charged with administering the carbon pricing system among other things, have come out in support of this work.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1805/S00073/epa-welcomes-productivity-commissions-report.htm
I have a sneaky suspicion that the UK Climate Change Act is going to be an important model for us here.
You can make submissions on the Productivity Commissions’ thinking here:
https://www.productivity.govt.nz/make-a-submission
The final report will be delivered to Government in August this year, in time to influence Minister Shaw’s draft bill.
Now, I can’t yet figure out how the work of the Interim Climate Commission, the Commissioner for the Environment, the Productivity Commission, all the other quangos, and Minister Shaw’s own thinking will coalesce towards the end of this year. If people want to have a stab at that, do enlighten me.
But from the government it’s not for lack of thinking and seeking to form broad agreement towards action about climate change at a whole-of-government level.
Which hasn’t been done before. Which is a good thing.
Charged for saving the lives of refugees, fleeing fascism and war.
Would Lady Liberty be arrested as a people smuggler?
“One man’s freedom fighter, is another man’s terrorist”
Updated, “One man’s life saver is another man’s people smuggler”
Charges: “politically motivated” 2:40 minutes
Nationalism, Refugees, Borders, Politics, Paranoia, Racism, War.
New Zealanders are being led to believe by the Australian Foreign Minister that a boatload of desperate refugees caught off the coast of Malaysia were attempting to get to New Zealand. No doubt we are supposed to be suitably outraged and feel besieged and paranoid at this unlikely news.
The unspoken message that we are supposed to take on board is that we are being invaded by a horde of foreigners with ill intent, and not desperate human beings looking for refuge.
What is the purpose of instilling these feelings in New Zealanders?
Are Peter Dutton’s claims that this boat was on its way to New Zealand also “political”?
Refugees are often used as political playing cards, to reinforce notions of nation, and war, and racism.
Could it be that Dutton’s claims are being made to keep us in the fold, tied in together with Australia even more tighter into Western military alliances like 5 Eyes and ANZUS?
“Was people smuggling boat, intercepted with 130 Sri Lankan refugees, really heading to NZ?”
We demonise and dehumanise those who flee war and oppression and make it as hard as possible for them to escape. We use this narrative to keep the war fever going.
Imagine there’s no countries,
I wonder if you can,
Nothing to fight or die for,
the Brotherhood of man,
Sang John Lennon
Lady Liberty: People smuggler
What can we do to make their homelands more pleasant jens, so they don’t feel compelled to flee?
The one thing we could do as a nation to show solidarity with the Syrian people suffering under Assad fascism, is throw open our doors to the refugees fleeing the regime.
The other thing we should do to show solidarity with the Syrian people, is expel the Russian ambassador, not because of some ridiculous alleged failed murder attempt in England, but to show the world that New Zealanders don’t tolerate genocide.
On the individual level I would suggest to you Gabby that your immediate first task would be to talk to a Syrian refugee. Or invite a Syrian speak to your group or community so as to become informed about the situation there.
Myself I am currently looking at some sort of fund raising or charity project to raise funds to give to some worthy group on the ground in Syria, to try in some small way to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people.
A couple of interesting appointments were announced yesterday which did not make it to prominent positions in our daily news. As they are unrelated I will cover them in separate comments.
First, following the expiry of Richard Griffin’s last three year appointment as Chair of the Board of RNZ a week ago on on 30 April 2018, Dr Jim Mather has been appointed to the position for the next three years.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356822/jim-mather-named-as-incoming-rnz-chair
Since 2013, Dr Mather has been CE of of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, following nine years as Chief Executive of Māori Television. During his time at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, he “led a multimillion-dollar restructure, streamlined the business, realigned campuses around the country and improved educational experiences for its students.”
In early March 2018 Dr Mather advised that he would not be seeking reappointment to the CE position in Oct 2018 when his current five year contract expires for family reasons.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101998077/family-reasons-given-for-not-seeking-reappointment
It is not clear from the reports I have read to date whether Dr Mather will continue as Te Wānanga o Aotearoa CE until Oct or step down earlier.
It is also not clear whether his impending appointment to Chair of the RNZ Board had already been decided/agreed prior to the 5 March announcement that he would not be seeking reappointment to the Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Chief Executive position.
Thanks veutoviper.
Hillary Clinton ends her NZ tour of shameless lies and double standards..
‘2006 Audio Emerges of Hillary Clinton Proposing Rigging Palestine Election’
http://observer.com/2016/10/2006-audio-emerges-of-hillary-clinton-proposing-rigging-palestine-election/
Clinton…
“I do not think we should have pushed for an election in the Palestinian territories. I think that was a big mistake,” said Sen. Clinton. “And if we were going to push for an election, then we should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win.”
Why any thinking citizen would pay to hear her talk bullshit right into to their faces is a real mystery to me, different strokes for different folks I guess.
At a talk in Auckland on Monday night, the former first lady and secretary of state said she had received invitations from many Kiwis to come and live here following her loss.
She “gave them some thought”, she said, but decided to stay in the US as there was work to do.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103707777/hillary-clinton-considered-moving-to-nz-after-loss-to-trump
Does anyone really think or believe that HRC would seriously consider moving to NZ, its such a cheap pop even Mick Foley would have balked at doing it
I suppose its more a complaint about the media reporting it I guess
According to Patrick Gower, Clinton was much better value than Obama and the $500k probable fee was overpriced (especially since Air NZ owned 50% by taxpayers who didn’t get to say boo). Well Gower is probably right on that one.
Scary stuff, post political career the usual gravy train of copious amounts for speeches and influence by bankers and corporates to ex politicians.. I guess it’s we were never going to see them actually doing social good and be a change maker and voice of reason, when there is more money to be made.
Was there ever a time when leaders just sort of went away and were barely heard from again except for a quote or two every now and then?
Yikes, scary stuff I agree with the taxpayers union. At least Obama isn’t milking millions from small countries for cash for their ‘foundations’. (or maybe he is?)
“This week the Taxpayers’ Union revealed that the new Government is set to continue taxpayer-funded payments to the controversial Clinton Foundation affiliate, the “Clinton Health Access Initiative”. $5.5m will be given in 2018/19. This is on top of the $8million already forked out.”
https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/clinton_petition
I always suspected that National would be considered to be to the left of the Democratic party
Most of them simply cannot give up the limelight. They have become so warped in their thinking that they simply cannot accept that their time has gone and they were never as important as they liked to believe.
John Key has done pretty well in withdrawing from the spotlight. His predecessors in Clark and Bolger simply couldn’t accept that nobody gave a damn about them.
The best of course was George Bush senior. He never even published a fictional account of his presidency, calling them memoirs, showing how wonderful everything he did was, as most Presidents come out with.
If you want truly stupendous volumes on how great they were try those by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Volume after volume after volume. Of course if you want real history they don’t provide it.
The only really great Presidential memoirs were written by Ulysses S Grant and published in 1885. If you can obtain a copy it is well worth reading.
Half a million for a couple of hours work. Few million for the post election/term books.
I wouldn’t really count the ones published while campaigning – it’s an easy way to get media time “outside of” campaigning.
Been meaning to look for the Grant memoir. Didn’t he finish writing them as cash for his family while dying, then drop dead immediately after?
” Didn’t he finish writing them … “.
It was actually even more poignant than you say. He had got involved in rotten investments and was basically broke when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1884. He settled down, apparently in terrible pain, to write his memoirs to try and provide some money for his family after his death. The disease was quite incurable of course at that time.
He died from cancer in, I believe, March 1985, shortly after the memoirs were published. He didn’t drop dead precisely. His death was expected and basically he spent the last months of his life doing something for his wife future support.
They are worth reading although you have to have a reasonable grasp of US history before and during the Civil War to really follow them. That or Google of course.
I agree they can’t give up the limelight. But Key reasons are different, my guess is that firstly he was never really interested in the public anyway just wanted the power rush and have PM on the CV and secondly he has skeletons in his closet and doesn’t want anyone digging through it and thirdly I think even many in the National party had had enough of him and he knows not to push his luck too far. He’s considered teflon for a reason.
“secondly he has skeletons in his closet and doesn’t want anyone digging through it”
What skeletons pray tell or is this just more rumour mongering?
“more rumour mongering”.
How could you even consider that possibility?
If “savenz” says this it clearly must be true. He is of the left and they never ever tell fibs. At least that is what they claim.
Don’t be mean and ask him to divulge the source of his fantasies. It isn’t very pretty in there. He has a very bad case of Key Derangement Syndrome.
Well maybe KDS is better than KAS (Key Adoration Syndrome) that you seem to suffer from Alwyn.
Look at the state Key left the country, his obsession with the 0% tax havens, blind trusts, ponytails, mass surveillance, if his private life is anything like NZ accounts then keeping a low profile fits.
Even the state he left the National party, I mean Simon Bridges is the best they can do and MP’s leaving like rats deserting the sinking ship?
I’ll put in money for crowd funding for a Nicky Hager biography of Key…. see what falls out.
Well, you are clearly aware that you are suffering from KDS, as you admit you are affected.
That is the first step on the path to being cured. There is hope for you yet I would say although for a dose of it as strong as yours it may take some time.
She is an example of a career politician, who seems to have stopped believing in anything…. yes she is polished and probably a nice person, but lost touch (like many) with reality and how normal people live and what is right and wrong rather than what power to get and what power to take and who is important and who is not.
I know some on this site are convinced she is an evil witch, but I think Hillary Clinton’s warnings about the spreading influence of China in Australia and NZ is timely.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356850/nz-should-heed-warning-on-china-influence-clinton
Now I will await the accusation that I am a racist. Hello Phil Twyford….
It’s been two years and some folks still think she’s more corrupt than what even Trump’s lawyers say about him 🙂
I wonder if she’s buying any real estate while she’s here.
Yikes, its like you were describing Jacinda…I had to read the thread twice over!
You really are a glutton for punishment aren’t you? “twice over”.
“…probably a nice person…”
yeh nah.
I mean nice, like grandma loves her grandkids, but not so nice what has been allowed to happen around the world under her and people like her that are supposed to be better and different from the republicans, and what is fair and right, gone out the window.
Similar to this heavy weight, with the same sort of affliction, seem to have a complete lack of understanding how Trump got there. Clue, if a person has lost their job as it has been outsourced offshore or to a cheaper worker, telling them how great everything is and how great America is under that system, is probably not going to work and they will stop voting for you.
https://www.salon.com/2018/04/07/trump-fascism-and-democracy-heres-what-madeleine-albright-cant-or-wont-say/
Another interesting point, is Clinton reportedly warning NZ against China, but American helped make China powerful by building all their factories there to save money… contract for building UK’s nuclear power stations, infrastructure etc now American’s don’t have jobs but Chinese do and can come and buy up bits of other countries…. and other politicians and have money for influence.
The US has lost touch with reality and their super capitalist individual structures of people competing against each other and nationality being meaningless as one worker is the same as the next and their laws allow predatory behaviour against their own residents… like zombie debt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxUAntt1z2c
Yesterday on Open Mike there was this post…./open-mike-07-05-2018/#comment-1481992
…really struck a chord with me. I hope my replies to Fireblade conveyed my deep anger at this….within days of WINZ being told by the PM to be kind.
I emailed Carmel Sepuloni asking her to contact this particular WINZ office and remind them of the PM’s instructions.
I got a prompt response saying the email had been passed to Brendan Boyle, the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development, for his attention.
I sent another email saying that I anticipated this situation will be rectified today, and that to morrow I will be onsite with a camera.
I understand that culture change takes time…but I also understand that rot is best excised promptly to allow the new flesh to grow.
If others are concerned about this Sepuloni’s email address is c.sepuloni@ministers.govt.nz
Hi Rosemary. We haven’t made a complaint, as we find dealing with Winz quite intimidating and stressful enough.
I appreciate your concern and admire your resolve. Thank you.
Shocking way to treat people.
Yep. WINZ has been developing it’s current culture for the past 20 + years and while change takes time, this kind of treatment is simply not acceptable.
I truly get about the intimidation and stress after some years of being the fulltime caring partner of someone on the Supported Living Payment.
The day he turned 65 and graduated to the respectable National Super he was directed to a separate area of the Dinsdale WINZ office reserved for ‘Seniors”.
We both decided, without discussion, to remain in the general seating area…refusing to cooperate with their divide and rule tactics.
Firebrand….rest assured that there are increasing numbers of Kiwis having to approach WINZ for assistance they are entitled to who are finding out what utter shits WINZ can be. These new WINZ clients,on an increasing number of occasions,are extending their outrage to include those who in previous times they might have viewed as ‘bludgers’.
While some feedback might indicate that there is little public sympathy for those on benefits, in my experience this is not generally the case.
The tide has turned.
It may be a deeper rooted problem Rosemary. WINZ have considerably tightened security since that dreadful shooting a few years back and this looks to be a consequence of that. I doubt there’s any intent or desire to cause grief, I’d expect it’s a security issue.
With managers now being potentially liable for any harm that befalls staff many are going to extreme lengths to protect their staff (and their own asses). Can’t really blame them either, the penalties are pretty severe.
Wins could have reacted by ensuring homeless and mentally ill were housed after the incident, instead of employing security guards and not letting their ‘customers’ into the building or to park there. Crazy reaction at odds with the root of the issue. Very American.
I think it’s more to do with law changes after Pike River. I can only go by what I’ve read but I understand that management can now be held criminally liable for any harm that comes to staff they’re responsible for.
In theory I expect they’d only be liable for acts of negligence but the whole health & safety in the workplace thing has got the point where ‘negligence’ is so subjective it can be seen in any scenario now.
If you were a senior manager and you faced the prospect of going to prison, or seriously penalised financially, for any hurt that befell employees under your watch what would you do?
Natz altered the law to make being a public servant difficult and putting power back to big business. Similar to Kinder surprise being considered harmful to children in the US but Guns for Kids are ok.
I doubt it makes their job more difficult. Bureaucrats have got deep pockets of other people’s money, they just hire consultants to develop comprehensive safety plans that guarantee their arses are covered.
You might picture how it’s unfolded. One safety plan goes a bit overboard but any bureaucrat who ignores it risks being seen as negligent so they come up with their own plan which is even more paranoid and another sees that & comes up with their own….. until you end up needing a security guard to watch you having a crap in case you get a paper cut from the bog roll.
It’s crazy takes money away from the core issues, aka teachers and teaching, now they have to waste time and money. for example many schools employing private firms to scare the wits out of kids in case some armed gun man pops up! The psychological damage is probably great. AKA WINZ, if you were border line mentally ill and forced to wait outside and not be able to access your benefit for example to buy food, maybe that might send you over the edge!
They are creating problems and ignoring the main risks!
Except that an unarmed guard will do piss-all against a gunman.
“Safety and Security” is a great reason to introduce barriers and intimidate people you don’t want to deal with. Used by more folks than social warfare, too – look at workplace drug testing (rather than impairment testing).
If you wanted to go wild with a gun, you could just wait outside WINZ at 5pm! Crazy logic.
That’s true McFlock, it may also not be what’s actually happening. If we want to see the worst in people we’ll always find it but is that what we really want?
I’ll wager that if Rosemary does get a reply & explanation security will be one of the excuses, if not the excuse. Excessive security measures could create the same antagonistic environment as deliberate obstruction. The motives for each are a bit different and the actions you’d take to resolve them would differ too.
I’ve generally found that suspecting the worst in people was the safest way of dealing with them.
Hard to argue that but I could opine the senior managers of WINZ might view their ‘customers’ that way too…. and thus the onerous security measures.
If they did, those offices would be closed and there’d be bland little doors in anonymous bland buildings, and everyone would have to go through the call centre and face to face meetings would be almost impossible, and security would be worse than airports.
But they don’t really think most people want to hurt staff. I suspect that the extra barrier helps their stats, though.
By all accounts it’s not far off that, realistically what they do now is probably the limit of what they think they can get away with.
They only need to think that some might hurt staff to enact universal security measures, it’s not about expecting the worst of everyone. Without the ability to profile exactly who might hurt someone they’d (likely) think they need to treat everyone the same.
Safety plans are pretty extreme these days. Managers are expected to anticipate all the possible causes of workplace injury and take steps to prevent them before they (might) happen. If they miss something, and later someone gets hurt as a result of that lapse, they can be in big trouble.
Yeah, I’m in a position to write and review them.
Risk aversion at the expense of reasonableness is not the aim or the content of the legislation, but it is a handy way to be a jerk or not bother with something.
Who’s at fault for it though? In the past the test was whether a person had taken reasonable care and acted in good faith. The law now is pretty unforgiving and it’s hard to judge harshly those who take extreme steps to prevent themselves from being prosecuted for ‘failures’ in the workplace.
Workplace safety has turned into a bit of a mess really. If heightened security was causing angst at WINZ it would only make things worse. People would get more pissed at WINZ staff for the holdups and ‘rude’ treatment. That would increase the risk of the staff being attacked. They’d increase security further to address that heightened risk which would piss people off even more… and so on.
You still have to take reasonable steps, not unreasonable ones.
The difference is that higher-echelon managers are also liable, not just individuals and the companies they work for.
Amazing what a little “personal responsibility” does, lol.
Yeah. The thing about people at many levels of management now is they’re there because they’re ambitious. And ambitious people are by nature pretty self serving; they’ll look out for number one. The further they climb, the more they have to lose.
It’s a nice thought that a big cleanout of WINZ bigwigs will make things better but I do have my doubts.
I suspect they think their customers are the Ministry and Minister, from the way they act
I wonder how they’d justify creating a helfinsafety risk for the public outside their offices in that case. Angry beneficiaries milling about in the street what.
Yes, I get that. Yet on that day it was not only Sue Bradford wondering why WINZ never saw that coming.
If you treat people in an inhumane way is it surprising when someone finally responds in an inhuman way?
The surprising thing is that there have not been more incidents…especially with the the number of clients for whom mental stability is a real issue.
“With managers now being potentially liable for any harm that befalls staff many are going to extreme lengths to protect their staff (and their own asses). Can’t really blame them either, the penalties are pretty severe.”
In an ideal world, it should have been the Government of the day that was prosecuted for entrenching the culture that drove a desperate person to commit such a desperate act.
Having said that, the PSA is one powerful union, and I heard nothing from them to say their members working at WINZ had concerns or objections about the policies they were ordered to enforce.
Well, they rob banks and people can get hurt, but I don’t see private practise removing their customers, more fake ‘we want to protect our staff’.
Also time to clean up this pathetic laws that make people like teachers, principals and public officials responsible for accidents completely out of their control. It is an absolute curse and ruining education and stopping places like WINZ being functional for what their purpose is.
Funny enough when workers are harmed aka Pike River, no one held to account. Time workplace safety or whoever these idiots are, are overhauled. They pick on the little guy and easy targets and give the abusers a free ride.
Also with the shooting I think the guy that did the shooting went to great effort to try to get help before hand such as going into interviews, writing to MP’s etc. It was not some beneficiary who just shot them out of the blue. If he had got the help, who know the WINZ people might be alive today. They are looking at the incident all wrong.
Another interesting appointment also announced yesterday was the appointment of Andrew Campbell, currently chief strategist and communications director for the Green Party, to the position of Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103692680/prime-minister-appoints-new-chief-press-secretary-andrew-campbell-from-the-green-party
“The Prime Minister’s office has hired Andrew Campbell as its new chief press secretary.
Campbell is currently the chief strategist and communications director for the Green Party.
Campbell has worked for the Green Party for a number of years on and off, including as the chief of staff and communications director. He began his latest stint in December, and was a part of the Green Party’s negotiating team going into Government.
Campbell has also worked for NZ Rugby and teachers’ union NZEI.”
Rather than rewrite what has already been written about the interchange of staff between the Greens and Labour over recent years, I am going to take the unusual step (and to some here on TS possibly the unforgiveable step – LOL) of linking to a post by Pete George on YourNZ outlining this – eg prior to Campbell, Leah Haines, and of course Clint Smith some years ago.
https://yournz.org/2018/05/08/greens-staff-loss-is-labours-gain/
This post also mentions David Farrar’s reaction – a smart appointment but “Another former student president, which almost completes their takeover of Labour – Robertson, Hipkins, Kirton and now Campbell.”
[As an aside to the above, I noticed a few weeks ago that Stephanie Rodgers, former author etc here, started work in early April as Press Secretary to Jan Logie. ]
I liked James Shaw’s response to the Campbell appointment. It shows that while elements within the MSM are peddling stories of supposed discord between Labour and the Greens, they are actually working well and collaboratively together:
As you say a good response by Shaw. I debated whether to mention that but am trying to shorten my comments.
WO of course is trying to stir things by OIAing the recruitment process, claiming a conflict of interest of some sort (unspecified) in the PM’s Office using JacksonStone & Partners as the recruitment agency for the position, costs of using an agency etc etc.
Agreed +1000 Anne
“Another former student president, which almost completes their takeover of Labour – Robertson, Hipkins, Kirton and now Campbell.”
Did you notice that he had forgotten about Andrew Little? Poor Andrew. Gone and forgotten.
“Sic transit gloria mundi”
Or in the vernacular. Yesterday’s news is todays fish and chip wrapper.
Thanks for the heads up re Rogers now working for Logie.
From Greenpeace..
“The Black Stilt or Kakī, is endangered – there are just 100 or so of them left. Most of them live in the Mackenzie basin.
But soon, they’ll have new neighbours. 15,000 cows are planned for a new dairy conversion near Lake Pūkaki.
This is madness. Putting cows in the Mackenzie is like mining in a national park.
But together, we can take it on. Please join the campaign today.” http://greenpeace.nz/black-stilt
See the banks made $400 PROFIT from EACH person in NZ.
And?
Did you want to say something?
You seem to think making profit is a bad thing. I am unsure why you think that. You haven’t explained it.
Nope, just an interesting factoid.
So you decide to post on a forum dedicated to political debates just a fact about Banking in NZ and expect no further discussion?
Yep
How sad.
Never mind, you will get over it.
What is the point of bank profit?
Is it to make a return to some of its investors so they can afford to sit on their chuffs instead of doing an honest day’s work?
What is the point of ANY profit logie97?
Your arguments against it would apply equally to others.
The captains of Industry tell us that they plough their profits back into the business. Much of a bank profit appears to be creamed off by the master banks and salted away in bullion for a rainy day.
I don’t think I have ever seen “Captains of Industry” discuss ploughing back all their profits back in to the business. Indeed that would be a fundamentally foolish idea in the long run. The whole point of profits is to recompense the owners for the use of the capital.
Do the directors fees and salaries and overseas junkets come out of the bottom line, or have they already been written off further up the accounts?
Back in the 80s and 90s the New Right’s chant was: “Profit is not a dirty word.”
Ever since then the profiteers have been profit-gouging, which is in fact a dirty word.
$400 from each person constitutes profit-gouging by an oligarchy in a failed market.
Is that what you wanted someone to say, Gosman?
Yes.
It is as it’s simply bludging.
and-they don’t produce anything.
And are bloodsucking parasites that create digital credit and charge interest,anduse fractional reserve banking to multiply their capital.(create money out of thin air)
Not forgetting there is a tacit agreement that they are too big to fail.
It won’t take you long to find they are involved in fraud,money laundering and misfeasance of every kind,and usually just fined when they are brought to account.
Don’t lend so much from them then and you might be able to make a profit from the bank.
Apparently DV doesn’t mind they make so much profit.
Did I actually say that
(But I see why i didn’t want to debate with you.)
On the banking note, would be nice if Kiwibank wanted to compete more on service. Not everyone wants to queue up at Postshop (especially around Christmas). Funny all these business folks love this idea of customer service but somehow have not really evolved beyond being a place for customers who have few banking needs to maybe look at growing customers with more complex banking needs or just much better customer service.
Now the OZ banks have cost cut customer service to the bone, time for Kiwi banks to actually try to compete a bit more on service.
Ummm… what sort of services does Kiwibank not offer?
I tried to change to Kiwibank and they were very bureaucratic. Did not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Saying that, I’m with an OZ bank and their customer service is getting worse and worse and I don’t even trust them to do basic stuff. I even caught them charging me the wrong interest rate (higher of course) yep they paid if back but no apology or even understanding that’s quite a bad mistake to be making in banking. I’m sure if a financial auditor went through people’s banking they would get interesting results of over changing being the norm, because one small computer change can do a lot of damage. $400 profit is just the tip of the iceberg.
But hey all of NZ has headed that way. Look at the holiday pay issue, it’s normal now for big business to just stone wall paying it even though it is illegal or small business to now charge people for their own job while immigration turns a blind eye as it does not meet their Kafka criteria for investigation.
Very Bureaucratic in what way?
‘Gosman’…
Who is controlling the handle these days?
Back to its facile state…
So from a family of 4 the banks make $1600 profits, or more likely they are making profits of $600-900 each from a person who is single/each person who has an account.
Yes.
Banking (like many businesses) follows an 80/20 rule when it comes to profit. What this means is that the rule of thumb is that 80 percent of the profit comes from just 20 percent of the customer base. The rest of the customers are extremely low value usually.
What a neat little pseudo factoid
Here’s a thought.
What if the Government was to direct all government agencies (starting with schools) to bank with Kiwibank – that any tax payer funding they receive must be through Kiwibank. Cannot see any reason why Westpac or BNZ et cetera should be making capital gains out of this money.
Kiwibank couldn’t cope. The infrastructure just isn’t in place.
Lofty oaks from tiny acorns grow …
What infrastructure would that be then?
Seems a pretty simple bit of capitalistic behaviour wouldn’t go amiss.
Just poach the staff from the existing banks who handle the various schools accounts already.
More behind the scenes infrastructure. Their IT system is a dog.
And on what source/authority do you make such a statement?
I’ll bet there would be a queue of IT developers offering their systems.
That’s how free enterprise works isn’t it?
Because I work in IT and everyone knows the mess their system is in. They recently had to write off 90 million dollars from an attempt to upgrade their core banking system. They actually spent 100’s of millions on this.
https://billbennett.co.nz/kiwibank-wastes-90-million-software/
Have to agree with Gosman about Kiwibank IT, but they are not the only ones in banking who can’t do IT. When who ever decided to lower wages to ridiculous levels for experienced IT people forcing a lot of them overseas and replacing them with level 5 IT staff or grads, there are implications…. one is there is a big gap in capability because NZ IT is pretty unique in the sense that we don’t have the billions to spend of IT like bigger countries but expect things to work well while paying pauper rates and thinking staff turnover and proven experience is irrelevant… then thinking of filling the gaps up with Morons from overseas at massive rates… aka the place where everyone gets a bargain got more than they bargained for with a recent overseas hire….
cannot dispute your superior knowledge there as someone who works in IT. Begs the question how you can spend so much time on this website.
However, more to the point, Gosman, you don’t disagree with the premise that government money should be handled by Kiwibank.
Nice one … thanks for that.
Where did I agree with that premise?
11.4.1 – by default. Your only concern appeared to be infrastructure.
Your assumption is wrong. I was merely pointing out that your proposal is impractical at this stage. It is also undesirable in my opinion but that is a separate debate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz
I would suggest the eds and Wii should take planting a piece of farmland to hide the track on Te Mata peak as a win.
Anybody can be tempted to behave badly if completely trusted to do the right thing, and not monitored. This is like the problems that occur with Enduring Powers of Attorney.
A brother and sister and others made trustees after the Maori Trustee passed control in 2012, to manage a block of trees on behalf of other Maori left only $13.41 in the working a/c by 2014. They may have what they consider good reason, but they were given powers with obligations and have not met those. The Court case was reported in October 2017, and now in May 2018 a judgment has been made, nearly six years from the action in dispute. That is slow legal action, which exacerbates the matter.
Woman pleads guilty to defrauding Far North Māori trust of nearly $1 million
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/103705306/woman-pleads-guilty-to-defrauding-far-north-mori-trust-of-nearly-1-million
In June 2012, Dixon, along with her brother Stephen Henare and and five others, were appointed as trustees in place of the Māori Trustee.
In August 2012, about $1.1 million, intended primarily for the management of the land and the forest for the benefit of the owners, was transferred from the Maori Trustee to the Parengarenga 3G Trust bank accounts.
A further $54,480 was also obtained by the trust from the sale of carbon credits.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Dixon intentionally failed to deal with $934,270 of the trust’s funds in accordance with the Parengarenga 3G Trust Order.
She facilitated the transfer of a “significant amount” of the trust’s money into various other bank accounts, including personal accounts and family trusts, the SFO said.
That left debts due for the care of the forest unpaid, and by January 2014 there was only $13.41 left of the funds.
Kiwi fruit industry experiencing a super bumper year.
Top Dog at Apata packing house crying shortage of labour.
“… culture of benefit dependency is a major problem in hiring staff… they’re just not prepared to take work on offer …” And you are going to have a bumper year?
That suggests the bank balance is going to look very healthy.
Here’s an idea – pay more / take a slight cut in your bottom line.
How about you offer these people permanent positions – run cadetships to get them into the industry. Yeah nah – got those off season cruises to consider
They are paying more
What are the rates of pay? What are the guaranteed hours of work? How long is the season? What accommodation is provided?
Why don’t YOU find out?
“The reason I ask the question is to highlight the fact that the person making the claim has NOT provided any supporting evidence.
You understand the concept of burden of proof I presume. Apply the concept here.”
Now, which wise man wrote that?
I thought you would have heard about the increase in the minimum wage by now.
… perhaps you didn’t read my initial suggestion (13) that the kiwifruit/avacado barons could invest in these people and create 365 day employment, rather than the piece work bit on the minimum wage rate. Your 13.1.1.1.1.1 says quite a lot about you really.
Read below Gosman. It seems having laws doesnt stop half of growers ignoring them
So that’s why pay has increased?
Not supply and demand? Not equity? Not decency?
But because it’s the least they have to ……………
And even then the law is disobeyed.
I’m not sure many can plan a 3 month career around the minimum wages, might be why the industry expects the tax payers to subsidise them and why they are getting so profitable especially where there are cases of underpaying migrants or even having to pay for a job.
I mean sounds so perfect for Kiwi residents, (sarcasm) give up your accomodation, find a few thousand for travel and expenses down to the farm in the back of beyond and time to find accomodation, then work for minimum wages for a few months with no guarantees and then at the end of the season a stand down period to get back on the benefit and then costs of bond/expenses and time of finding a new tenancy and job back where you came from.
What a great work opportunity! But financially you are probably worse off than if you had not picked Kiwifruit.
3 weeks work, at around $20 an hour so I hear.
Gosh and I thought it might at least be 3 months work, but no 3 weeks, really worth it going off the dole for that and then trying to get back on. Could take longer to get that interview with WINZ! No wonder Kiwis are not doing it. Can’t we expect industry to actually try to do something themselves and spend their own money fixing up their worker problems?
Exactly.
Also when accommodation is provided it’s often not that great, but the accommodation deduction from someone’s wages is.
Orchards are mostly rural, so if one doesn’t have any transport, no bus route etc it makes it even more problematic.
They have to pay for their accommodation while on site for the job, I think $120 which is not much BUT they are on the minimum wage. Meanwhile they will need to keep their own, hopefully permanent, accommodation in town. So what about giving them accommodation free, you dork of a manager. Also there may be a stand-down period after the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch says WINZ, – and getting to the stage of saying there Is No Lunch.
Also there may be a grant which could be lost $ for gross$ received before tax, which can sometimes mean that the person ends up working but receiving less than the benefit which they can only just survive on with some help from friends and food bank. Oh why don’t they line up to come and work and get better off. They are so lazy, it is generational laziness and softness etcetc etc etc …. (And indeed there is that, but it induced helplessness impressed on them by the dastardly government and its machinations of hate and spite.)
(Manager used to be a worker and has got all the way to manager. Always said, without thinking that he must be slightly different in some way and is fortunate for that. If as is so often said, why can’t everyone do this,? the person who has achieved would not because he would have been overwhelmed with competition.)
This is what has been trialled since 2014 – just needs more government money for training, some support instead of smarmy put-downs.
2014 – do more of this with thousands!
https://www.eit.ac.nz/2014/02/eit-and-hort-industry-combat-labour-shortage/
2015
http://www.bostock.nz/new-horticulture-industry-initiative-helps-combat-labour-shortage/
2018
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12011672
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12011680
People give up and have a sniff, drink, prick?
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/social-issues/meth-on-demand-getting-hold-of-p-in-20-minutes-or-less/
Wouldn’t a rational, effective government have organised teams of seasonal workers who could sign up to travel round the country, and be available for most of the year doing something useful and which they could earn good money at? Trouble with politicians is they come from the class that hates manual work. They pretend they are strong and outdoorsy by rushing round on mountain bikes and going on marathons but ask them to do sustained hard physical work as a way to earn their living and they won’t do it because they are too good for that, and it doesn’t pay enough..
Their attitude is classist and if they respected all work and paid reasonable wages for physical and manual labour, without swingeing stand-downs because of an accumulation of peanut amounts compared to the fat cats on contracts over $100-$800 hourly, they would get people lining up for it, enjoying the life and the status of being on one of the fit permanent teams of travelling seasonal workers.
Great points greywarshark
+++
Thanks savenz Cinny
I heard something good on the news about plans to do something good for bennies getting jobs.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018644011/govt-may-remove-benefit-stand-down-for-seasonal-workers
Good comments, greywarshark. The work has to be done, and good sense and good management, with leadership in the right places might get them there.
I’ve always believed that people will ethically pay a little more for a product if they know the workers who produce it are paid fairly.
I read a quote from Norman Kirk today, which might as easily apply to business and agriculture as it does to politics.
“What is morally right is likely to be politically right.”
Grey, that’s excellent news, hope it happens. I know they are looking for pickers around these parts. Good on Willie Jackson for trying to do something about the obstacles.
This is the link to what Carmel Sepuloni said this morning. (Wed)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356954/labour-shortage-prompts-govt-to-rethink-abatement-rates
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said in a pre-Budget announcement that government was committed to lifting the abatement rates for kiwifruit-picking workers within the next three years.
Abatement rates are the amounts cut from a person’s benefit because of income that they receive.
“We stated clearly we will be looking at lifting abatement rates. It will happen,” she said.
But so far it is just talk without urgent action being even promised.It should be we will have this fixed by lunchtime but nothing that gets to the heart and needs of people on the edge is to be hurried.
But – its not that urgent, we’ll get round to it soon. There are many problems and we can’t wave a magic wand you know. This is the attitude that I draw from the pollies and the civil servants!
Instead the industry spokesperson is making statements about what the problem is. This is carrying on with the theme that has been current since neolib came in – that government steps back and industry knows what it wants and organises the workforce to where the jobs are.
Industry and business are totally unsuitable to do this on their own, government should be watching, meeting and talking with them all, drawing up demographics, analysing workforce availability, flexibility and flow, ensuring that there is accommodation for the workers required, and that they are supported when they can’t be earning because of cessation through machinery breakdown, bad weather, injuries, illness, outbreaks of violence, drug and alcohol presence etc.
Providing accommodation – get the tourist drivers off the road doing their freedom thing, and have the vehicles for accommodation for the workers.?
(They rental firms would have to have a big clean up, but theycould pay for that out of their profits., just a necessary part of doing business. NZ would have less easy-riders on $10 a day or whatever. I hear how expensive we are compared to other countries for ordinary people but the young ones from overseas can be very canny at travelling on the smell of an oily rag.)
Our horticultural business is working with fragile, perishable produce – it has needs and time limits, and babysitting by responsible, intelligent, enterprising government is required to
get the good outcomes from good product delivered in a timely fashion.
All of them Gosman?
” Labour Inspectorate operation audited 62 labour companies and interviewed nearly 700 workers over three months last year. They found 53 per cent of employers failed to meet minimum employment standards, and almost all of these employers were using migrant labour.
Inspectors uncovered 94 breaches of the standards, and issued 20 improvement notices and six ‘enforceable undertakings’. Two of the employers given improvement notices were also fined $1000 each. ”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/335331/half-of-audited-kiwifruit-companies-underpaid-workers
Truely shocking. Why nothing done about it! I’m sure adding a few zero’s on the fines and actually saying to industry no more migrant work permits, would do the trick and actually get some of our own underemployed into the work force. Picking is hard work, but it’s not rocket science, most people can do it!
Those who work the kiwifruit orchards should own them.
Otherwise the luxury of the few is predicated on the poverty of the many.
Ownership of the means of production
I worked kiwifruit. We did 14 hour days for minimum wage in the packhouse. Not much better pruning or picking – the contract rates are long gone, they’ll give you as little as possible, those landowners with their large houses and multiple vehicles, boats, etc. And they’ll complain, oh how they love to complain.
This is standard fare. Critics of wage increases are moronic in their utterances. Poor people spend all their money, poor means you got nothing but bills in my experience. This money then, is immediately circulating in businesses. But no – it’s the Reds under the bed, calamity!
Common sense is not a right wing characteristic.
I hear you!
Also worked in a kiwi fruit pack house, in the school holidays. This was before schools moved to four terms so I guess a term break must have been in May back then. At the time any work I could get was snapped up. This was before student loans were introduced of course.
Back in the day, they got local teenagers to do a lot of harvesting, also taught them good work skills for later on. They also employed backpackers and students who were already in the area as well as local unemployed who did not have stand down periods at WINZ.
You have to wonder how bringing over someone for $1000’s in flights and then bringing them into NZ can work out cheaper.. unless there is something else going on there with exploitation and residency or both.
And they used the local teenagers as cheap labour
Yes, but teens wanted the pocket money and got good experience. I’m not against teens understanding hard work. Then they understand that hard work is hard later on and are not snobs, they got money to save for their tertiary fees or what not and also message to work hard at school cos being farm hand is probably not a great career move. The teens got something out of it, the farmers got something out of it and the country got something out of it. All good.
Not sure why you think cheap labour from migrants or grown ups might be better than local kids getting work experience and pocket money and also less carbon footprint due to getting locals working locally and also not needing so much accomodation for short term bursts of work.
Pay more prices also go up for joe consumer, likewise people employ less, similarly business has less to reinvest and attract future capital as low returns, likewise business will be higher risk as as if leveraged eneanigs / interest ratio falls etc etc To simply say pay more and all will be rosy is very simplistic
But underpay people who work hard with no palpable reward, and you create a hell-hole of a society where the poor see no point in taking the work available, and crime flourishes. We have been doing this ever since Rogernomics, which claimed that a high-wage economy was a good thing, but then did all it could to force low wages further down. Look at what we are creating to date, Bewildered, and think again. Nothing will be more pernicious than where we are currently heading.
Money circulating is money well spent. It is not that all is complex and I, simple minded humanitarian, do not understand.
Honest work for honest pay is a concept lost to an entire generation. For the honest pay is gone, contract rates no longer No more are workers paid for achievement, but given as little as possible.
I/we broke all manner of picking records on all manner of farms. And for being a freaking legend – pittance. They want workers now, poor landowners and all their hardships. Did the least they could possibly do for workers and many times over did even less than that minimum requirement. How bizarre people don’t want a bar of it.
It’s about squeezing all you can for yourself, grasping tightly. There’s a car to update, a party frock to purchase. More vino darlings.
A real mans reach exceeds his grasping.
Pay more prices also go up for joe consumer, likewise people employ less, similarly business has less to reinvest and attract future capital as low returns, likewise business will be higher risk as as if leveraged eneanigs / interest ratio falls etc etc To simply say pay more and all will be rosy is very simplistic I do agree though, supply and demand here, you want workers pay more and make it attractive, can’t be a capitalist in the good times and socialist in the poor
Former AG in the news.
Why didnt they ask Finlayson while he was chatty about his deliberate breach of the OIA to deprive someone of evidence in their court case?
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103716999/botched-legislation-left-spies-without-some-powers-for-six-months
From the sidebar, I/S is unimpressed: http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/05/theres-lesson-here.html
Too late. They got the powers from misleading and deceptive conduct. Expected from spies. Not from AG and PMs.
“If the SIS could live without these powers for six months, it suggests at the least that there was no case for urgency, and possibly no case for the powers at all (DPMC certainly didn’t bother to make one in their shoddy and unprofessional Regulatory Impact Analysis). There’s a lesson here both for future attempts to expand spy powers, and for abuse of urgency, and it is one we should heed. Our spies are power grabbing liars, who use fear to boost both their powers and their budgets. And this is not behaviour we should tolerate.”
I think the original article by David Fisher paints a more accurate and factual picture as to what happened and how the various parties responded:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12046732
Thanks for this link Anne
It just annoys me that Finlayson is available to comment on this but NO heat has been put on him over the OIA debacle. Where is the pressure from Brudges to remove him as Shadow AG and the media pressuring Brudges to remove that portfolio. You know, like they all did with Turei
Now this is scary stuff for the poor Chinese citizen wanting an education.
Also totally recommend the black mirror episode they talk about in this article on Netflicks. Do we want to go there! Nope hopefully not!
Thought getting into an NZ school was hard? China’s taking it to the next level
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/05/thought-getting-into-an-nz-school-was-hard-china-s-taking-it-to-the-next-level.html
Stupidest First Lady ever?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/07/melania-trump-plagiarism-row-be-best-campaign
And this is partly what you get with a contract system that rewards companies for cut-throat tendering- poor wages, quality services threatened and upheaval.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/05/go-bus-criticises-striking-bus-drivers.html
It happens in so many public service fields.