Open Mike 08/04/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 8th, 2017 - 36 comments
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36 comments on “Open Mike 08/04/2017 ”

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  1. Tinfoihat 1
    8 April 2017 at 9:41 am

    In local news I see some charlatans are once again taking advantage of cancer sufferers desperation for their own enrichment.

  2. ianmac 2
    8 April 2017 at 9:52 am

    A charming credible read by Greg Bruce. What a pity that Right Wing people will refuse to read it in case it interferes with the scurrilous image painted by certain politicians.

    “The life that Nicky built: Who is the real Nicky Hager?”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11833309
    PS. Fancy the Herald publishing it!

    • ianmac 2.1
      8 April 2017 at 10:00 am

      And Steve Braunias does it again with the Diary of Bill English, “as the interim Prime Minister of New Zealand.” It is screamingly funny and wicked.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11834009

    • Once ..whatever 2.2
      8 April 2017 at 4:12 pm

      I think Granny might have been in deep and meaningful discussions with editorial staff and bosses before letting that through.
      Early this morning it was there (maybe sometime between 5 and 8am). Then when I backed out to the home page after reading another article, it was gone. A search of “Who is the real Nicky Hager” didn’t find it. Now it’s back again, some time later.
      I wouldn’t put to much faith into whether or not Granny is becoming ‘fair and balanced’.
      More like they’re not wanting their prejudices to be too obvious to the masses, and so far they have been

      • saveNZ 2.2.1
        8 April 2017 at 5:40 pm

        Grannie’s search engine is truly pathetic – maybe both!

        Maybe Grannies trying to lure the centre and lefties back to read them so they can influence the election yet again.

        I think trying to do decent reporting for it’s own sake, might just be beyond them at this stage.

  3. Penny Bright 3
    8 April 2017 at 10:17 am

    PWC – ‘Professionals Without Conscience’

    Seen this?

    http://www.taxjustice.net/2017/04/06/protesting-pwc/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_offshore_wrapper_friday_7_april_2017&utm_term=2017-04-07

    Banking secrecy is not over in Switzerland

    Happy Paniversary

    This week it has been one year since the Panama papers were released, and a number of organisations around the world have been marking the occasion though the global week of action for tax justice.

    In London, activists from the TJN and Methodists for Tax Justice held a protest outside the offices of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

    Why PwC?

    Well the auditor has been one of the biggest promoters of tax avoidance schemes for multinationals, as well as having been implicated in a host of other corporate scandals.

  4. Bill 4
    8 April 2017 at 11:00 am

    Open Question.

    Would ‘we’ be happy for our government to be in cahoots with head choppers?

    Are ‘we’ happy for our government to be supportive of those western governments that are in cahoots with head -choppers?

    Do we understand the ‘message’ behind those cruise missile strikes?

    It’s much more immediate to our individual interests than a message being sent to N. Korea or China or any of the other guff some idiots have spouted.

    It’s a message of just how weakened elected leaders have become before the power of unelected military, intelligence and business interests (Sanders as President would have been under immense pressure to act militarily too), and how those same interests have utterly compromised and corrupted our main sources of news, and by extension, our collective understanding of what is going on in the world today.

    This Brave New World….

    • tinfoilhat 4.1
      8 April 2017 at 11:09 am

      No, No and Yes.

      • Psycho Milt 4.1.1
        8 April 2017 at 11:49 am

        In order:

        No, but that doesn’t stop our government being in cahoots with head-choppers – Saudi Arabia sends students to my university regardless of which party’s in power.

        No, but again, if our government is happy to have good relations with Saudi Arabia it can hardly require other countries not to.

        I think a message behind any of Trump’s actions is a bit much to hope for, unless we stick to messages like “I’m hungry” or “I’m angry.”

        • Bill 4.1.1.1
          8 April 2017 at 12:04 pm

          Saudi Arabia is not generally considered a western government and is not the focus of the question.

          But you know that.

          • Psycho Milt 4.1.1.1.1
            8 April 2017 at 3:44 pm

            You asked how I’d feel if our government were in cahoots with “head-choppers.” I answered that it already is, ie Saudi Arabia is a friend and trading partner, and no I’m not happy about it. No intention of applying Saudi Arabia is a western government – it’s pretty much the complete opposite of one.

        • Skeptic 4.1.1.2
          8 April 2017 at 4:54 pm

          LOL – love that last one PM – had my laugh for the day – I can be a grumpy grandad for the rest of it.

  5. Bill 5
    8 April 2017 at 11:43 am

    Canadian PM in response to leading questions on Syria.

    Q – Do you believe it’s necessary, some kind of military action to re-establish a deterrent for the Assad regime to refrain from using chemical weapons?

    A – There are continuing questions…about who is responsible for these horrible attacks against civilians, and that’s why I’m impressing on the United Nations Security Council to pass a strong resolution that allows the international community to determine first of all who was responsible for these attacks and how we will move forward.

    Q – A small follow up, do you believe there’s some doubt the Assad regime is respnsible for these attacks?

    A – I think it’s important to have all the facts before we move forward in what is obviously an extremely important situation….

    https://twitter.com/jslaternyc/status/850164875368296450

  6. Bill 6
    8 April 2017 at 11:56 am

    Jeremy Corbyn on Syria

    “Unilateral military action without legal authorisation or independent verification risks intensifying a multi-sided conflict that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people.

    “What is needed instead is to urgently reconvene the Geneva peace talks and unrelenting international pressure for a negotiated settlement of the conflict.”

    And, of course, the hawks within UK Labour are baying for his blood.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/syria-attack-jeremy-corbyn-labour-party-divide-tom-watson-backlash-a7672141.html

  7. joe90 7
    8 April 2017 at 12:19 pm

    Yay Bolivia.

    Omfg. Bolivia, who called today's Syria meeting at the UN, holds up Colin Powell's 2003 picture, saying to remember that ISIS was the result pic.twitter.com/dRxKoSEYlH— Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) April 7, 2017

    Bolivia's ambassador walking us through every effed up thing the CIA did in Latin America and how the US picks and chooses multilateralism— Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) April 7, 2017

    https://twitter.com/HayesBrown/status/850375213590208513

  8. NZJester 8
    8 April 2017 at 2:02 pm

    I can’t believe in this day and age it is legal for people to sell the modern versions of Snake oil in New Zealand and they have got a famous New Zealander to say he is using it.
    NZHerald: Water-based product Te Kiri Gold used by rugby great Sir Colin Meads does not meet the Government’s safe drinking water guidelines.
    By Carolyne Meng-Yee 8:20 PM Friday Apr 7, 2017
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11834240

    They are basically selling bleach and salt in water at a cost of $1600 for eight weeks supply.

    After eight weeks users would digest half a kilo of salt, which could be harmful to kidneys, heart and blood pressure.

    Apparently the stuff could kill cancer cells but can also just as easily kill healthy cells also.

    • ianmac 8.1
      8 April 2017 at 2:18 pm

      When Colin Meads endorsed it on TV as “helping” his Pancreatic Cancer, I thought that many with cancer would follow. Colin has now withdrawn his support for the snake oil.
      Not illegal apparently.

  9. The Chairman 9
    8 April 2017 at 2:43 pm

    Anybody else been following this debacle?

    A beginner’s guide to the ‘West Coast mess
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/91315250/beginners-guide-to-the-west-coast-mess

    • Skeptic 9.1
      8 April 2017 at 4:58 pm

      Yeah – been watching The Press on this one over the past week – I see she’s now been stood down and the SFO has been called in. I wonder how far up the chain it goes.

  10. saveNZ 10
    8 April 2017 at 3:01 pm

    According to Guyon Espiner, Jim Bolger has denounced neoliberalism.

    A complete repudiation. He says neoliberalism has completely failed. And this is a time when you do actually hit back a little bit, and say: Well, what did you think that you were doing with the privatisations and the carry-on from Rogernomics and the welfare cuts?

  11. ianmac 11
    8 April 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Funny how the logic of neoliberalism can be explained so clearly and those who decry it are painted as idiots. But with the help of various governments it just carries on neo-ing everyone. Like when I run down hill too fast and I can’t stop or keep going.
    Must have taken an effort for Jim to denounce -if he did.

    • adam 11.1
      8 April 2017 at 3:58 pm

      I see Palmer is still on the TINA buzz about the economy in 1984. For someone who professes to be so smart, it’s hard to hear that level of intellectual dishonesty.

      As for the rest of the interview, it’s OK. But still a technocrat through and through. And yes that is a criticism.

      http://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/07-04-2017/its-a-real-luxury-not-to-have-to-interrupt-guyon-espiner-on-interviewing-the-ex-pms/

      • Once ..whatever 11.1.1
        8 April 2017 at 4:22 pm

        Palmer and his partner both.
        Age certainly hasn’t made Palmer the wiser, but I’d suggest that’s down to his partner / cohort in law. (There goes a real neo-lib)
        The one smart thing I recall of Palmer-the-sage’s ideas was to put an expiry date on legislation. But then I saw a better Idea I think from someone here on TS – and that was to put a 3 or 4 year expiry date on anything passed under urgency and without due process

        • Skeptic 11.1.1.1
          8 April 2017 at 5:03 pm

          Was it Palmer or someone else who was advocating for the return of an Upper Chamber to NZ Parliament? I quite like the idea, but would want to see the make up of this Chamber and it’s powers and how it is to be elected.

          • Janet 11.1.1.1.1
            9 April 2017 at 12:26 pm

            Look at the Swiss system. It allows for smooth transition and continuity, when the parties in power change, and the President is replaced annually based on age and ministerial experience . He has no extra power, all decisions are majority based.

            • Skeptic 11.1.1.1.1.1
              9 April 2017 at 2:54 pm

              Yeah that’s right. They also have a quite devolved system of power down to Cantons and local communities don’t they?

      • Skeptic 11.1.2
        8 April 2017 at 5:01 pm

        I also see he has the cheek to call for compulsory voting like they do in Oz. Isn’t he the turkey who pushed through the toothless BOR Act?

  12. joe90 12
    8 April 2017 at 4:56 pm

    And people believed him when he said infrastructure programme …

    Cutting Off 'Fly-Over' States, Trump to Axe Amtrak for 220 Cities | ONLY MONEY FOR MILITARY. https://t.co/KqO5D2S1kT— Randy Prine (@randyprine) April 6, 2017

    http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/06/cutting-fly-over-states-trump-axe-amtrak-220-cities

  13. Incognito 13
    8 April 2017 at 5:00 pm

    America always had a penchant for lynch mob rule.

  14. greywarshark 14
    8 April 2017 at 5:37 pm

    Another example of insensitivity of humans to animals and treating them as toys and objects to exploit or anthropomorphise.

    Penguin April Fool’s prank sucks in public, news media
    “Otago Polytech’s marketing team” were pleased at the overseas response.
    Grow some integrity down at Otago Polytech! Showing a penguin on a lead is not a good look. And not knowing that it still isn’t acceptable to be photoshopped from an image of a lead tied to a post, says something about devious, skewed minds.

    After putting it on social media a lot of interest came from Asia where a few years ago an ourang outang was found wandering the streets after ceasing to be a cuddly orange chimp and so a problem to the owners who released it in the highrise city.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11830961

  15. Carolyn_nth 15
    8 April 2017 at 5:47 pm

    Maybe this is a case of laugh, or you’ll cry daily.

    The coming incompetence crisis:

    Those who ignore history are condemned to retweet it.

    Trump’s greatest achievements are in the field of ignorance. Up until this period I had always thought of ignorance as a void, as an absence of knowledge. But Trump’s ignorance is not just an absence; it is a rich, intricate and entirely separate universe of negative information, a sort of fertile intellectual antimatter with its own gravitational pull.

    It’s not so much that he isn’t well informed; it’s that he is prodigiously learned in the sort of knowledge that doesn’t accord with the facts of our current dimension.

    • Incognito 15.1
      8 April 2017 at 6:01 pm

      Trump’s incompetence is imaginary, call it i or iTrump; if you multiply it by itself it gives a negative or minus-Trump that is real.

  16. North 16
    8 April 2017 at 10:13 pm

    In simple words a blowhard bully. The type I was taught from 5 years of age to be wary of.