John Armstrong has made a full on attack against Russel Norman and the Greens in todays Herald.
Obviously the Greens are starting to worry the National Party’s number 1 PR man.
Norman needs to continue to attack National FULL ON, he has my support 100%. In fact the more Armstrong complains the better, it just provides a gauge on how affective his attacks actually are.
Despite the tight secrecy and media blackout that surrounded the Green Party AGM, details of what went on are starting to come out.
The new rules mean getting a remit on to the floor of the conference will be a logistical nightmare as all remits will require endorsement by two other branches, one of which must be in another region than that of the branch promoting the remit.
Branch remits will be subject to stricter vetting and potential redrafting by the party’s standing orders committee.
If a remit does not satisfy certain conditions, the committee can “suspend” it. If the remit reflects discontent with a wider issue, then it will be subject to a dispute procedure.
A copy of the committee’s proposals for changing the party’s standing orders which was obtained by the Weekend Herald acknowledges remits provide a “safety valve” if a sufficiently large number of members are disgruntled with some aspect of party operations.
But the report says it is possibly more important that unresolved issues between the party at large and a branch does not consume “valuable and finite time” at the party’s annual conference.
All of this has some members crying foul. There is concern that the rule changes will leave branches reduced to chores such as fundraising, leafletting and campaigning and having no input into how the party is run. Annual conferences will likewise become sterile affairs.
There is also suspicion that the effective blocking of a means of expressing dissent is motivated by the hierarchy’s fears the party’s wider and idealistic membership will find the necessary compromises of coalition too hard to stomach.
John Armstrong
If what Armstrong reports is true;
Then it seems that this conference saw a steep reduction in the Greens inner party democracy. With the right to veto membership remits or amend them out of all recognition by the top table, power has been concentrated with the leadership. As well as this, the increased and complex bureaucracy imposed to make branch remits harder to put in the first place, will put a further crimp on the members ability to influence the direction of their party.
In my estimation these new rules to restrict inner party democracy are much tougher than those in the Labour Party. And though I am not as familiar with the remit procedures of the other parties, possibly every other parliamentary party as well.
Business As Usual will not be upset by upstart political parties.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Green Party?
weka has posited here, that it is a natural progression for political parties to become more corrupted as they become more mainstream. (Probably because of their greater attraction for careerists). I would go further and say that it is actually, not a natural progression at all, but a time honoured but still conscious process that protects privilege and power for a minority of elitist self servers from the threat inherent in democracy to challenge both, Privilege and Power and elitism.
I’ve said before that I think it is possible that the GP will eventually compromise too far. That is the nature of politics – those on the edge, as their ideas becomes popular and as they influence the mainstreamthus become corrupted. The difference between you and I is that I just don’t see how that is anything other than inevitable
weka
I on the other hand argue that this degeneration is not inevitable at all.
But it seems the Green Party are determined not to learn from history and not resist the dilution of their inner party democracy, and their transformation into an autocratic top down traditional political organisation.
Personally I think this is a sad day for the Greens. And for our democracy in general. Not to mention the future of our civilisation, which could well hinge on whether leading political organisations can break away from the BAU model or not.
P.S. Suppressing inner party democracy has never succeeded in ending inner party political tensions. That they will break out into the open in some other form, and usually at the worst possible place and time is inevitable. The resulting inner party explosion/implosion, what ever form it takes, could well mark the end of the Green Party as a political force.
That you would take an article written by Armstrong of all people, as proof of the corruption of the GP, says alot about you Jenny.
I’d like to put my earlier comment in context. It’s not that the GP will inevitably become corrupt. It’s that parliament, as it is at this point in time, is a culture that demands certain behaviours. The very nature of the adversarial system is that it undermines creative solutions and co-operation. People who come into parliament as MPs (and I would guess this is true of staff too), have to adapt to the culture or they won’t fit in/be able to gain anything for their party. While I hope that the GP can influence that culture for the better, I’m not sure that it’s their job to transform it.
You look at people like Marilyn Waring, who got out early, and her contemporaries like Clark and Shipley, who stayed in. Waring once talked about what happened to women in parliament, the pressure to become something else. It was brutal. How do people survive that? Her contention was that some just get out, and those that stay get changed by the place. There is no way that Clark would have become PM if she hadn’t adapted in such a way as to be able to take power and use it.
Sad, but true. You can see manifestations of that brutality here on ts, where it tends to be cruelty, both to each other, and towards politicians. What this means is that only the tough survive, both here and in parliament. And thus we lose the more sensitive people who would probably bring much to the table.
Unless MPs are betraying their party, I think that we should be supporting them, and helping them find ways to survive the brutality as long as possible. They are doing us a service and should be acknowledged for that, not pilloried before they even get started (Jenny).
The Green Party IMHO are set on a well worn course for destruction. The question is: How will they avoid the fate of the Maori Party and the Alliance before them?
First off the Green Party could announce that they will not go into coalition with any government that approves the Denniston Coal Mine or Deep Sea Oil Drilling off our coasts.
Which would most likely mean they don’t get to be part of govt. I’m asking you how GP MPs could be part of a NZ govt and not be changed by the experience.
First off the Green Party could announce that they will not go into coalition with any government that approves the Denniston Coal Mine or Deep Sea Oil Drilling off our coasts.
Secondly give the Labour Party Confidence and Supply.
If the Labour Party still want to proceed with wrecking the environment, the Greens need to let them know that they are on their own.
Simple, clear, direct, principled. This will future proof the Green Party. As the coal and extreme oil schemes go sour.
I’m asking you how GP MPs could be part of a NZ govt and not be changed by the experience.
weka
This question answers itself. The Green Party cannot be part of a government committed to Deep Sea Oil Drilling, and mining Denniston. And not be changed.
Mr Armstrong tries a long bow, and drops the arrow on his foot.
Would like to see a more sober account of the Green Party’s remit changes. But even the way it’s told by Armstrong, it doesn’t amount to anything like the anti-democratic practices of Key’s government or Muldoon.
By all accounts, the motion to streamline the party’s antiquated remit system easily obtained the required 75 per cent backing to effect a change to the party’s standing orders.
So that means the vote was well over 75%?
And the “Green’s are thirsting for power”. …. who is using a less than measured tone there, Mr Armstrong, even as you blast Norman for the same, and ignore how much the right wing bloggers and Key use way less than measured tones when they launched the attack on the Greens?
It’s very unlikely that party members voted to reduce the voice of their branches while strengthening the power of centralised control. Not saying it didn’t happen; its far more likely Armstrong has the wrong end of the stick.
Would like to see a more sober account of the Green Party’s remit changes.
karol
Green Party Mt Eden branch convener Jeremy Hall said in the party newsletter Te Awa that there was irony to Greens’ holding a conference on democracy because its rule changes would make it near-impossible for branches to raise issues and participate in the internal democracy of the party.
He added: “It will turn branches simply into volunteer units to just do fundraising, leafletting and campaigning, where their input into how the party is run will no longer be welcome.”
The concerns came from a minority within the party – the remit was believed to have passed with around 80 per cent support.
Green Party members vote to curtail their democracy by 80%
80%?
80 percent support for a vote to limit inner party democracy. The sad thing about such votes, is that by their nature they can not be revisited.
But democracy is a funny thing, you suppress here, it pops up somewhere else, in some other form. Like that other great human impulse, it is as perennial as the grass.
And Armstrong is starting to come across a more than a little hysterical lately.
Now we just have to wait for the hysterical screeching of the Nats number one fan boy, Roughan.
I read it as Key and co, knowing they will most likely lose the election, fucking things up as much as they can, and leaving the cupboard bare, so the incoming Government can change as little as possible.
There is however also the imperative to deliver as much of the “commons” to their corporate funders as possible, before they get voted out to secure their retirement funding.
The feather bedded directorships and sinecures they expect to get, with the private sector, as a reward for stealing from tax payers and wage earners.
@kjt..re yr first paragraph..i don’t know if it is necessarily that..i think it is just them doing what they promised..
..(i mean..i mean..!..did the moronic component of that massive majority opposed to selling our power assets/means into foreign ownership..who voted for national..
..did they think key/national were just joshing when they promised to do just that..?
..how was that for an epic-disconnect..?..on the part of those asset-selling opposed/voting national moron-component..?)
..yr second paragraph i totally agree with..with labour as enmeshed in that corrupt revolving-door process as national..
..with the neo-lib/randite-apologist ex labour party president williams..being a textbook example of a revolving-door too many..
(if you doubt my assesment of williams..go to the radio new zealand archives..and pull up a couple of his recent appearances as .(wait for it!..)..a spokesperson for the left..(!)..)..(as someone else said:..’oh irony..!..thou art a harsh mistress..!’..)
..and looking back to the right-revolution..the then union uber-boss frantically/serially blinked..and just went and sat in the corner..as the right dismantled the welfare state/broke the union-movement..and he uttered not a whimper..
..(but he did do rather well out of it..like williams..seats on boards/honours etc..and both about as far from the shop-floor as you can get..)
..and the contrast with that union leader here of course is australia..
..where the union movement stood up and went ‘no yr fucken not..!’..
..(and what is the size of our wage-gap with aust..?…and growing..we are told..)
..that didn’t work out too well for us..did it..?..
..corruption takes many forms..it isn’t all envelopes stuffed with cash..slipped into pockets..
..our new zealand version is far more subtle..(sort of..)
Interesting how there is liitle by way of useful disucussion, which comes from the NZH, while its no surprise, its become very transparent, that all the NZH has to offer, is proarchial support for the owners, chosen governmnent!
Its rather sad, to see society demoted to such a low level of, *informative debate*
Its the ,confuse, contain, control tactics geared up to prevent people from piecing together cogent views, and the decisions/actions, which might then follow changing view formation.
It genuinely sadens me, this country is under such a ferocious attack, which is even more powerful incentive to stay vigilant, and up to speed.
Its the primary reason I stay in touch sites such as this, for the angles/perspectives which don’t see the light of day elsewhere.
yes, I reckon that the NZH/Armstrong/O Sullivan et al are very effective at creating a support base for National that would be better off voting Left. When you look at Slane’s cartoon on another post here it actually reflects the truth, but National’s support base is much larger than the very small/elite group that benefit from their policies.
Actually the real damage is done by Radio stations like the Edge who insinuate the consumer culture into the young, invite Key along as their best mate etc.
This is where the dumbing down of society is occurring.
Now we have cold war hysteria from Hooten about communists in the Greens. Its going to be one hell of an 18 months, with the Green party on the wrong end of it. Im pretty sure that Key might even try and ban them (like Australia did with their communist party in the 1950’s).
2014 is going to be an ugly election campaign. The neo-libs, god-botherers and RWNJs, along with the swivel-eyed loons are just getting warmed up.
Of course the very system that Dunne appears to have leaked a report on probably has records of Dunne’s emails but cannot release them because that would confirm what Dunne was trying to expose. Spy vs Spy here?
If Dunne was trying to expose anything, that would be a valid reason to do what he has done. He has admitted several times that he has no good reason for what eventuated. Honey trapped buffoon who has far too many skeletons in his closet, absolutely . . . Valiant warrior battling evil, not so much.
On thursday June 5 weka and Jenny went toe to toe on how far the Green Party should be prepared to compromise to gain seats in a Labour led cabinet.
So would you be happy if the GP went into govt and as part of that won an agreement from Labour to not mine Denniston?
weka
Weka, YES. Yes, I would. This would be a major concession from Labour. And major blow to the fossil fuel industry. Stopping Denniston would be a step forward in the war against climate change in this country. I would be overjoyed. I would be stunned if the Greens could win such a concession from the Labour Party.
Jenny
Can one of the Labour people here tell us if that would be a hard thing for Labour to give up?
weka
Yes, come on Labour Party people, tell us what you think.
How about you Colonial Viper? How about you R0B? Or maybe lprent?
Would any of you like to have a go at answering weka’s question?
Maybe even EDDIE might like to share his opinion with us?
Jenny
To date. Not one of the Labour Party people here, have chosen to give up their opinion on this question.
So I thought I would give them another opportunity .
Would any Labour Party People here, like to venture an answer to weka’s question?
Of course, an ominous silence could also count as an answer.
Pretty obvious in my opinion. *Maybe*. Especially in the euphoria of coalition talks post election.
If the Greens were willing to settle for a short term objective in lieu of something more substantive, then I think that Labour would happy to let them take the flak from the coasters. Labour MPs would undoubtedly prefer that Green MPs dissipated their political capital that way rather than in something more widespread like looking at the question of exploration and mining in conservation areas.
I’m not so sure the Greens membership would be that happy after spending decades to get MPs into cabinet to be that concerned with a single bauble rather than a policy shift.
Politics is the art of the possible and the careful use of painfully acquired political capital. I am pretty sure that was what was being discussed in the closed door sessions at the Greens conference last weekend.
Like the others, I am working during the week. Explaining politics 201 isn’t high on my priority queue.
I catch some of these older comments when I’m scanning for people talking to me. In this case the “lprent”.
Nice. I might have to quote that
You’re welcome to it. It is a paraphrase of something that I read or heard somewhere at some time. It is an accurate representation of the practice of politics.
One qualified maybe from lprent and a no-comment from Colonial Viper. It’s not looking good.
So how about you Te Reo Putake?
The question is; If the Green Party refuse to join any coalition which would approve the Denniston Coal Mine. Can you tell us, if that would be a hard thing for Labour to give up?
The discussion on The Nation over the International Transfer of Prisoners was interesting; NZ the only OECD country not a signatory, in fact, the parts of the world that are really only excluded Africa and parts of Asia in the main. It is not politically palatable it seems to have these folk repatriated to serve their sentences, particularly for those chasing the conservative vote as the cost to the tax-payer would be humungous; 850 serving time in Aus, just for starters; that would be around a Billion dollars for the first year for them to be imprisoned here.
Collins generalized that “they are drug dealers and rapists” (from the two featured) and that those in Aus had “lived all their lives there, paid there taxes there” blah blah. Aus keeps hitting NZ govt up about it. They are signatories http://www.ag.gov.au/Internationalrelations/Internationalcrimecooperationarrangements/TransferOfPrisoners/Pages/default.aspx
Some under-arm return for not providing social security measures to kiwis over there. 😉
Anyway, these tory Ministers may have professions to there name yet they sure appear thick!
Next, a critique of the rise of the ‘victim’ culture; like monetary compensation is a reinforcer.
😀
Phoebe Fletcher makes an excellent point today on the Daily Blog: the media storm around Dunne’s resignation is diverting big time from the extremely worrying changes to the GCSB legislation.
I don’t really care about speculation over whether Dunne has done a Clinton. It’s not like he was instagramming his penis like US Senator Anthony Weiner – from all accounts it seems like a couple of tweets and some emails. The more important issue is the legislation, and the potential impact Dunne’s demotion will have on the coalition government. I don’t have to agree with every single statement that comes out of a politician’s mouth to support them on issues of confluence. It seems extraordinary to me that Norman on behalf of the Greens is calling for the police to investigate – it would be better to let Peters lead that line of attack, given that he has continually complained about the level of secrecy around the Security Committee. At the end of the day, it is not about a soap opera, it is about our rights as citizens. And this needs to be the focus of the opposition, not continuing the blood bath for political points.
Indeed, the deflective glare is strong, the focus , hard as it is in this country, must remain on the legislation, because the *grid*, is tightening its grip!
People think little to nothing, about smart meters, the UFB roll out etc, but these are part of the *grid*, and even now, privacy/freedom are concepts, relegated to the history books, never to be seen again, if people don’t get involved.
It occurs to me the latest blog post by Farrar is an outstanding example of how the government use him to try and control the media naarative. Effectively, he is trying to frame how the whole story around the demise of Dunne is told by lazy and/or time pressed journalists by providing in a nice, easy digestible format a whole narrative of the winners and losers. Very cunning, and highlights the lack of a comparable blog on the left.
I would contend that The Standard itself is a blog comparable in influence to Kiwiblog, and further that; The Daily Blog is a rapidly emerging foil to WhaleOil (that there’s some long standing rivalry between Bradbury and Slater has long been evident; even on Tumeke – I imagine it goes back to uni days if not before). Personally, I don’t read either of the RWNJ blogs – life’s too short. Plus Kiwiblog just makes me feel manipulated (DPF is certainly good at what he does!), while WhaleOil makes me feel unclean (though I did have a glance over on Queen’s birthday weekend to savour the panic).
That MSM journalists take their cues from Farrar and Slater probably has more to do with; editorial policies and lack of; time and resources, than; inaccesability of alternate viewpoints on the net.
Was the Dunne/Vance imbroglio a “honey trap” ( to quote an old cold war term )? And shouldn’t the morality and ethics of that be discussed? Admittedly for Herald and Dominion journalists they are almost certainly really big words they would need to look up.
“The Independent
The A-list conspiracy: Did Hollywood tell Obama to take down internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom?
As the infamous file-sharing mogul fights US extradition, Steve Anderson hears his lawyer’s claims of a murky connection between Washington and the movie industry.”
In the UK they are seeing the implications of American big business being able to control politicians and the internet.
Corporate-Political influence in the US is really fubar. It is a broken system. It actively encourages companies to hire people whose only job is to stand in a queue and hold that place until the salaried lobbyist shows up to tell the pretzel-spined politicians exactly what they are doing with their votes that day. We have our problems in NZ but we are not quite that far gone and I like to think we can resist a whilst longer.
On The Nation just now we saw Winston Peters making another series of accusations – that the Dunne emails also contained leaks of other information apart from the GCSB report, and that because of the nature of the leak (effectively a top secret document with limited “eyes only” distribution) the government came under pressure from our ECHELON allies to find out who the potential spy was. Peters also was unequivocally able to state they contained personally embarassing stuff on Dunne. Of course, Peters could be bluffing, but in this case I think he has clearly seen the unedited emails. So, where did Peters get those?
Looks like the GCSB stitiched up Dunne to placate our allies concern over the leak, which raises yet more thorny questions about an agency that has clearly (Kim Dotcom, illegal spying, Dunne) gone rogue. Who is the master of this country, the GCSB (who can clearly access and leak anything about anyone who threatens their mana) or the politicians? Because at the moment, it looks like the spies are getting the politicians to dance to their tune.
I wonder what they said to John Key to ensure the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill was to their liking?
PS I was astonished at how inept Rachel Smalley’s performance was. There was Winston Peters dangling all sorts of juicy tidbits – shadowy foreign pressure to find the leaker, additional sectet material being leaked – she relentless stuck to the pre-scripted panty-sniffing line about trying to find out if Dunne wanted to be a tampon, or something.
Sanctuary – The *presenters*, are simply there to ensure the narrative is controlled, and it is, by the producers.
No need to be astonished, this is what the MSM is designed to do, except that sadly its seems in NZ, we have plumbed even lower depths.
Smalley, not all that long ago had some promise, but over the past 3-6 months, she has become as debased, as the like of Corin Dann, and the other puppets!
The media repeat what they are told to write. Everyone with a modicum of curiosity and critical thinking cano see that.
You want evidence TC? Iraq and WMD.
My question to you.
Why are you such a relentless defender of the corporate elite?
But at least I don’t make completely erroneous statements about imaginary foes based purely on ill informed rhetoric gleaned from conspiracy sites and crank doctors.
But at least I don’t make completely erroneous statements about imaginary foes based purely on ill informed rhetoric gleaned from conspiracy sites and crank doctors.
TC, can you point to the conspiracy sites, which I personally , have linked to on here, you have a problem with.
If you can locate any such links, give your reasoning, why you have a problem, and try to avoid becoming a parody of your handle name, in the process, eh!
You can’t believe a thing you read in Murdoch’s rags. The Guardian, which has just started up in Oz, contains a lot less fantasy. According to Murdoch, they might as well save money and not even have the election because Abbott has already won in a landslide. I hope not, because while Gillard is about as left as Key, Abbott makes John Banks look balanced.
Colonel Viper . Thanks for that link to Andrew Nikifororuk on the characteristics of a Petro State.
Suddenly it all becomes explainable. With fracking and oil drilling in the offing in the Canterbury Basin both on land and at sea…. and the strange undemocratic manoeuverings of the National Government eg.
* extensive GCSB powers to spy on ordinary NZers,
* outlawing of environmental protest where it affects economic corporate activity( whether this be harmful for NZers environment or not),
* promotion of education dumbing down and no standards for charter schools ( undermining a fine NZ education tradition of egalitarian , high quality , state funded , secular education, which promotes critical thinking and scholarship for all)
* ousting of the democratically elected Environment Canterbury away from Cantabrians’ voting control and into the hands of National Government appointed commissioners.
* the prolonged state of emergency in Christchurch and power and control wrested away from the City Council and Christchurch residents.
All NZers should watch this video and be warned of what could be in store!
Interesting interviews on Radionz today. The last one was from Jaron Lanier who explains how he changed his mind about making the web accessible and free to all, as he now sees that the benefits of this are being scooped up by those with the biggest computers. And lots more of intelligent stuff.
He is great to listen to, a lively speaker and thinker and a great laugh. Still with a sense of humour, someone to treasure and pay attention to. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup
(Who Owns the Future – book)
Jaron Lanier radionz 1.40pm Sat 8/6
Lanier is a miserable whiney bore who is just pissy that the web has left him behind and his precious digital utopia never came about because people would rather watch porn and exchange recipies for meatloaf.
A free colostomy bag if you can spot what’s wrong with this sentence…
Breton Grove resident Marc Nicholas and his Priscilla Cres neighbour Gavin Forman were evacuated from their homes with their families when the slip struck at 4.30am last Saturday.
And at this point I have to say I’m not ‘highly confident’ about this claim:
Wellington City Council city networks manager Stavros Michael said he was “highly confident” the water main had nothing to do with the landslide. Council staff went to check reports of a leak on Friday night, and booked in to do the repairs on Saturday morning. A small hairline fracture was found then.
“There was no indication that the leak had been going for more than a matter of hours.”
I’m thinking that Mr Michael’s staff may have indeed found a hairline crack on the Friday night, but they’ve missed, or are covering up for something much larger. Much better for the man to have withheld comment until all the evidence was in. Because at this early stage such an unsupported claim just looks horribly self-serving.
I wouldn’t want my family to be evacuated in a landslip. The house we were in ?…sure, but damned if i’m gonna let a team suck the shit out of me and mine in an emergency.
mindfulness (or a wee dram). Better go “cook tea” now (before witnessing all the wasted human life (fatalities, local and international) on the box.).
Kind regards, bet it was a cold week down there too.
Daytime TV Review
Three Wise Men discuss “Relationship Woes”
Hands up all those who cannot abide Willie Jackson!
Okay, okay, but first I need to tell you something about a program he featured on the other day….
Good Morning, TV1, 9:10 a.m., Tuesday 4 June 2013 Relationship Woes, a Men’s Panel discussion featuring Wallace Chapman, Miles Davis and Willie Jackson
Trashy television has its charms. Take TV1’s ailing Good Morning program, for instance. Last year, host Jeanette Thomas got hypnotized on air, performed the haka, conducted an imaginary orchestra with a raw chicken, tried to seduce Tom Cruise and had a go at pole dancing. And all of that happened in just one morning’s episode. Over the years, one of the perverse highlights, or lowlights, for this writer, i.e. moi, was watching the perplexed, slightly hostile look on the dial of macho man Brendon Pongia as Steve Gray gave his movie reviews.
Despite all this top quality entertainment, however, Good Morning has been cursed with low ratings, and as a result it has been cut back this year from three hours to just one—from 9 to 10 o’clock.
Today the coiffured blond host, whose name I could not ascertain even after extensive hunting, introduced a semi-serious panel discussion, about Relationship Woes. The three “talents” chosen for the task were lovable and impish professional boy-man Wallace Chapman, professional cheeky cockney chappy Miles Davis, and professional cheeky Maori fulla Willie Jackson.
Here are the highlights…..
MILES DAVIS: You have to admit that ninety-nine per cent of the time the woman is the one in the right. WALLACE CHAPMAN: Yeah, but you don’t want to be a male doormat. MILES DAVIS:[accentuating the East End wide-boy accent] I’m no’ a doormat.
………
WILLIE JACKSON: Ya see, the problem with you Wallace is, it’s all academic, it’s all P.C. with you. You can’t solve relationships with an academic approach and it’s SHOCKING really. WALLACE CHAPMAN:[diffidently and sensitively] I-I-I-I… MILES DAVIS: Talk to us, Wozza! HOST: We’re going to continue our debate on relationships and the blame game with THESE GUYS, after THIS.
BLOND HOST: Well, we’re back with the Men’s Panel discussing Relationship Woes. Wallace, you were talking about your kayaking session.
Wallace Chapman embarks on a long and terribly dull story about going kayaking with his family. Nothing at all seems to have happened, but apparently it was very important for strengthening his family relationships. At least that’s what he reckons. After he finishes talking, there is a long awkward silence….
HOST: That’s it? WILLIE JACKSON: Terrible story. MILES DAVIS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
…….
Later on, Miles Davis talks about how it is possible to argue constructively with one’s wife or partner. This attempt at sensitivity is quickly scotched by Willie Jackson, who has no patience for such displays of SNAGgery….
WILLIE JACKSON: It just gets WORSE!!!! Next thing you’re into a PUNCH-UP!!!!!
Jackson’s main gig these days is the Radio Live program he hosts with the equally erudite John Tamihere. Several years ago, Willie and JT had dwarf-boxing impesario Dean Lonergan on to talk sensitively and learnedly on the subject of marital infidelity. Both Deano and JT made it clear that there was no excuse for violence against any woman, even if one came home one day midway through the afternoon to find her in bed with, say, half the ACT caucus. Willie Jackson, though, was having none of that P.C. nonsense. “If I found out that my missus was fooling around on me,” he said, with quiet sincerity, “I’d put a knife through her heart.”
This shocked even the crass and offensive Lonergan, who felt moved to remonstrate: “I think that’s going a bit far, mate.”
Willie didn’t back down an inch, however. “Nah, nah, nah—don’t give me THAT,” he said, without even a hint of his usual playfulness. “I would. I would put a knife through her heart. I WOULD.”
JT snorted sardonically and laughed, “You’re a mongrel, Willie, a mongrel.”
interestingly, I have an aquaintence (aquainted with his whanau as well) and he did take a tomahawk to the man, in bed with his wife; 4 years later, upon release, no wife. sigh, was getting muscle fatigue keeping my arm up.
sigh, I do have a volume or three of actual / factual stories to tell, I know, as many of us do; fortunately, or other wise, many of them are memorable, yet Robert Plant (another Rock god) advised to keep on rolling and resist writing a book…and I DO NOT YET OWN A WORKING COMPUTER OF MY OWN…yet when it does happen, it could be a lot worse than a hybrid of The Bone People and Tough Guys Don’t Dance with a little Child In Time wound in. 😉 yeeha!
“It’s all about defence! Y’ know, the All Blacks won the World Cup in 2011 because of their outstanding defence!”
—Ant Strachan, Radio Sport, 75 minutes into the New Zealand-France friendly, Saturday 8 June 2013
See also….
No. 17: Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.
No. 16: Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months”
No. 15: Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14: Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13: Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12: U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question”
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
I just hope that tomorrow (Sun) someone puts up an interesting enough post or two that we can stop talking about fluoridation and conspiracy theories :-/
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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http://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/6810936/Lawyer-named-Shearers-chief-of-staff
Fired. Shearer has fired Roberson’s plant in his office. Cameron was ‘gone by lunchtime ‘ yesterday.
Has Shearer finally worked out that his real enemy is poorly polling Wellington central mp?
“Has Shearer finally worked out that his real enemy is poor polling Welington central mp?”
Nope. His real enemy is his own incompetence as a political leader.
He needs to Fire himself.
Maybe a sex scandal can be arranged?
Where did you get this bit of news from ? I can’t find it on Scoop, Herald, Dom Post – so please elucidate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10889121
John Armstrong has made a full on attack against Russel Norman and the Greens in todays Herald.
Obviously the Greens are starting to worry the National Party’s number 1 PR man.
Norman needs to continue to attack National FULL ON, he has my support 100%. In fact the more Armstrong complains the better, it just provides a gauge on how affective his attacks actually are.
+1
The Green Party Conference will not be televised
Despite the tight secrecy and media blackout that surrounded the Green Party AGM, details of what went on are starting to come out.
If what Armstrong reports is true;
Then it seems that this conference saw a steep reduction in the Greens inner party democracy. With the right to veto membership remits or amend them out of all recognition by the top table, power has been concentrated with the leadership. As well as this, the increased and complex bureaucracy imposed to make branch remits harder to put in the first place, will put a further crimp on the members ability to influence the direction of their party.
In my estimation these new rules to restrict inner party democracy are much tougher than those in the Labour Party. And though I am not as familiar with the remit procedures of the other parties, possibly every other parliamentary party as well.
Business As Usual will not be upset by upstart political parties.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Green Party?
weka has posited here, that it is a natural progression for political parties to become more corrupted as they become more mainstream. (Probably because of their greater attraction for careerists). I would go further and say that it is actually, not a natural progression at all, but a time honoured but still conscious process that protects privilege and power for a minority of elitist self servers from the threat inherent in democracy to challenge both, Privilege and Power and elitism.
I on the other hand argue that this degeneration is not inevitable at all.
But it seems the Green Party are determined not to learn from history and not resist the dilution of their inner party democracy, and their transformation into an autocratic top down traditional political organisation.
Personally I think this is a sad day for the Greens. And for our democracy in general. Not to mention the future of our civilisation, which could well hinge on whether leading political organisations can break away from the BAU model or not.
P.S. Suppressing inner party democracy has never succeeded in ending inner party political tensions. That they will break out into the open in some other form, and usually at the worst possible place and time is inevitable. The resulting inner party explosion/implosion, what ever form it takes, could well mark the end of the Green Party as a political force.
Game set and match for the establishment.
That you would take an article written by Armstrong of all people, as proof of the corruption of the GP, says alot about you Jenny.
I’d like to put my earlier comment in context. It’s not that the GP will inevitably become corrupt. It’s that parliament, as it is at this point in time, is a culture that demands certain behaviours. The very nature of the adversarial system is that it undermines creative solutions and co-operation. People who come into parliament as MPs (and I would guess this is true of staff too), have to adapt to the culture or they won’t fit in/be able to gain anything for their party. While I hope that the GP can influence that culture for the better, I’m not sure that it’s their job to transform it.
You look at people like Marilyn Waring, who got out early, and her contemporaries like Clark and Shipley, who stayed in. Waring once talked about what happened to women in parliament, the pressure to become something else. It was brutal. How do people survive that? Her contention was that some just get out, and those that stay get changed by the place. There is no way that Clark would have become PM if she hadn’t adapted in such a way as to be able to take power and use it.
Sad, but true. You can see manifestations of that brutality here on ts, where it tends to be cruelty, both to each other, and towards politicians. What this means is that only the tough survive, both here and in parliament. And thus we lose the more sensitive people who would probably bring much to the table.
Unless MPs are betraying their party, I think that we should be supporting them, and helping them find ways to survive the brutality as long as possible. They are doing us a service and should be acknowledged for that, not pilloried before they even get started (Jenny).
“I on the other hand argue that this degeneration is not inevitable at all.”
So tell use Jenny, how you think it can be avoided. Please give specific examples that work in the real world, not just your ideals.
The Green Party IMHO are set on a well worn course for destruction. The question is: How will they avoid the fate of the Maori Party and the Alliance before them?
First off the Green Party could announce that they will not go into coalition with any government that approves the Denniston Coal Mine or Deep Sea Oil Drilling off our coasts.
Which would most likely mean they don’t get to be part of govt. I’m asking you how GP MPs could be part of a NZ govt and not be changed by the experience.
First off the Green Party could announce that they will not go into coalition with any government that approves the Denniston Coal Mine or Deep Sea Oil Drilling off our coasts.
Secondly give the Labour Party Confidence and Supply.
If the Labour Party still want to proceed with wrecking the environment, the Greens need to let them know that they are on their own.
Simple, clear, direct, principled. This will future proof the Green Party. As the coal and extreme oil schemes go sour.
This question answers itself. The Green Party cannot be part of a government committed to Deep Sea Oil Drilling, and mining Denniston. And not be changed.
It’s happening already.
Mr Armstrong tries a long bow, and drops the arrow on his foot.
Would like to see a more sober account of the Green Party’s remit changes. But even the way it’s told by Armstrong, it doesn’t amount to anything like the anti-democratic practices of Key’s government or Muldoon.
So that means the vote was well over 75%?
And the “Green’s are thirsting for power”. …. who is using a less than measured tone there, Mr Armstrong, even as you blast Norman for the same, and ignore how much the right wing bloggers and Key use way less than measured tones when they launched the attack on the Greens?
The bleeting coming from Armstrong and others over Norman calling Key , Muldoon , could end up biting the right in the bum.
In over egging the situation , they’ve raise the bar , or at least drawn attention to the language used by politicians,
This could have a stifling effect on Key , who relies heavily on put downs, and negative name calling etc.
It’s very unlikely that party members voted to reduce the voice of their branches while strengthening the power of centralised control. Not saying it didn’t happen; its far more likely Armstrong has the wrong end of the stick.
GP members here: please confirm.
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/green-party-central-strips-away-power-from-green-party-branches-as-party-hierachy-tighten-their-control-pre-coalition-ed-but-hey-they-are-only-formalising-already-de-facto-means-of-control/
(excerpt:..”..so what will be changed..?..
..when it has always been thus in the green party..
..this is only formalising those de-facto power-realities..
..and as for party conferences being hotbeds of political/ideas-debate..?
..back then they were tightly controlled top-down-exercises..(with (now mp) delahunty being the enforcer of that control..)
..as with most/(all?) political conferences…the green party ones were also exercises in agenda-control/suppressing any dissent/idea-challenges..”)
..this is just an exercise in formalising the de-facto..
phillip ure..
Green Party members vote to curtail their democracy by 80%
80%?
80 percent support for a vote to limit inner party democracy. The sad thing about such votes, is that by their nature they can not be revisited.
But democracy is a funny thing, you suppress here, it pops up somewhere else, in some other form. Like that other great human impulse, it is as perennial as the grass.
And Armstrong is starting to come across a more than a little hysterical lately.
Now we just have to wait for the hysterical screeching of the Nats number one fan boy, Roughan.
Roughan represents the pits of print journalism in this country.
o’sullivan is also getting more and more ‘reds-under-beds!’ hysterical..
..her defence of key as not being muldoonist (published today) is to point at norman and go ‘nyah nyah..!..you are too..!’..
..the right seems to be getting more and more jangled..
..and what a stinking/corrupt govt this has become..
..dunne..and banks..
..and national/key knowing they probably won’t get back in again..
..are going gangbusters..
..stitching together all the dirty-deals they can..
..and key must be torn two ways at the moment..
..he is so bored/over it all..he must be dreading the long grind from now to election-time..
..he must want to go..
..but the other force is all that unfinished (privatisation/union-busting) business..
..which they have to cram /ram through between now and the next election..
..and tho’ that business-imperative is strong..
..i don’t think key is up personally for it all..
..a long/slow grind..to destination failure…
..that isn’t how key sees himself rolling..
..so those two pressures are grinding on key like clashing tectonic-plates..
..something’s gotta give..
..so i would still prepare for an early election..
..with maybe key not being there for that..
..phillip ure..
I read it as Key and co, knowing they will most likely lose the election, fucking things up as much as they can, and leaving the cupboard bare, so the incoming Government can change as little as possible.
There is however also the imperative to deliver as much of the “commons” to their corporate funders as possible, before they get voted out to secure their retirement funding.
The feather bedded directorships and sinecures they expect to get, with the private sector, as a reward for stealing from tax payers and wage earners.
Yep.
@kjt..re yr first paragraph..i don’t know if it is necessarily that..i think it is just them doing what they promised..
..(i mean..i mean..!..did the moronic component of that massive majority opposed to selling our power assets/means into foreign ownership..who voted for national..
..did they think key/national were just joshing when they promised to do just that..?
..how was that for an epic-disconnect..?..on the part of those asset-selling opposed/voting national moron-component..?)
..yr second paragraph i totally agree with..with labour as enmeshed in that corrupt revolving-door process as national..
..with the neo-lib/randite-apologist ex labour party president williams..being a textbook example of a revolving-door too many..
(if you doubt my assesment of williams..go to the radio new zealand archives..and pull up a couple of his recent appearances as .(wait for it!..)..a spokesperson for the left..(!)..)..(as someone else said:..’oh irony..!..thou art a harsh mistress..!’..)
..and looking back to the right-revolution..the then union uber-boss frantically/serially blinked..and just went and sat in the corner..as the right dismantled the welfare state/broke the union-movement..and he uttered not a whimper..
..(but he did do rather well out of it..like williams..seats on boards/honours etc..and both about as far from the shop-floor as you can get..)
..and the contrast with that union leader here of course is australia..
..where the union movement stood up and went ‘no yr fucken not..!’..
..(and what is the size of our wage-gap with aust..?…and growing..we are told..)
..that didn’t work out too well for us..did it..?..
..corruption takes many forms..it isn’t all envelopes stuffed with cash..slipped into pockets..
..our new zealand version is far more subtle..(sort of..)
..phillip ure..
+1
.. re williams
.. (completely, totally, utterly)
Scared, dogmatic, confused old man!
Interesting how there is liitle by way of useful disucussion, which comes from the NZH, while its no surprise, its become very transparent, that all the NZH has to offer, is proarchial support for the owners, chosen governmnent!
Its rather sad, to see society demoted to such a low level of, *informative debate*
Interesting also in how Armstrong is following the Lusk plan to pick up on and circulate propaganda begun on right wing blogs.
Very true, Karol.
Its the ,confuse, contain, control tactics geared up to prevent people from piecing together cogent views, and the decisions/actions, which might then follow changing view formation.
It genuinely sadens me, this country is under such a ferocious attack, which is even more powerful incentive to stay vigilant, and up to speed.
Its the primary reason I stay in touch sites such as this, for the angles/perspectives which don’t see the light of day elsewhere.
+1 Muzza
yes, I reckon that the NZH/Armstrong/O Sullivan et al are very effective at creating a support base for National that would be better off voting Left. When you look at Slane’s cartoon on another post here it actually reflects the truth, but National’s support base is much larger than the very small/elite group that benefit from their policies.
Actually the real damage is done by Radio stations like the Edge who insinuate the consumer culture into the young, invite Key along as their best mate etc.
This is where the dumbing down of society is occurring.
Probably a crosby textor strategy…
doesn’t match this though:
(^=^)
Get Hauraki and some Revolution Rock;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZ6GsSpsUQ
and Rebel Waltz
Maybe someone paid Lusk to pay him.
Now we have cold war hysteria from Hooten about communists in the Greens. Its going to be one hell of an 18 months, with the Green party on the wrong end of it. Im pretty sure that Key might even try and ban them (like Australia did with their communist party in the 1950’s).
2014 is going to be an ugly election campaign. The neo-libs, god-botherers and RWNJs, along with the swivel-eyed loons are just getting warmed up.
Of course the very system that Dunne appears to have leaked a report on probably has records of Dunne’s emails but cannot release them because that would confirm what Dunne was trying to expose. Spy vs Spy here?
I’m inclined to agree with your theory Logie.
Dunne has been played. His vulnerability and vanity has been used to make him impotent!
The spy boys needed a fall guy, a distraction from the past screw ups and probably a third driver that has yet to appear.
Winston is probably being played too, amd perhaps a bit knowlingly…. He is always for sale.
And where has Shearer and Labour been in all this? AWOL
Robertson on TV this morning repeated “if I was Prime Minister” three times. What a fucking boffoon.
Are you being serious? You didn’t mean Ross Robertson by any chance?
Ross Robertson was able to build his electorate and party vote. Definitely not to be confused with the Wellington Central “Robertson”.
Possibly. But I also heard that there were fewer than 100 members in his electorate. Don’t know if that is accurate though.
If Dunne was trying to expose anything, that would be a valid reason to do what he has done. He has admitted several times that he has no good reason for what eventuated. Honey trapped buffoon who has far too many skeletons in his closet, absolutely . . . Valiant warrior battling evil, not so much.
On thursday June 5 weka and Jenny went toe to toe on how far the Green Party should be prepared to compromise to gain seats in a Labour led cabinet.
Pretty obvious in my opinion. *Maybe*. Especially in the euphoria of coalition talks post election.
If the Greens were willing to settle for a short term objective in lieu of something more substantive, then I think that Labour would happy to let them take the flak from the coasters. Labour MPs would undoubtedly prefer that Green MPs dissipated their political capital that way rather than in something more widespread like looking at the question of exploration and mining in conservation areas.
I’m not so sure the Greens membership would be that happy after spending decades to get MPs into cabinet to be that concerned with a single bauble rather than a policy shift.
Politics is the art of the possible and the careful use of painfully acquired political capital. I am pretty sure that was what was being discussed in the closed door sessions at the Greens conference last weekend.
Like the others, I am working during the week. Explaining politics 201 isn’t high on my priority queue.
So it is a *Maybe* from lprent.
Any other takers?
What do you think CV?
“Like the others, I am working during the week. Explaining politics 201 isn’t high on my priority queue.”
I just assumed that by the time the conversation got to that point, no-one else was reading.
“Politics is the art of the possible and the careful use of painfully acquired political capital.”
Nice. I might have to quote that.
I catch some of these older comments when I’m scanning for people talking to me. In this case the “lprent”.
You’re welcome to it. It is a paraphrase of something that I read or heard somewhere at some time. It is an accurate representation of the practice of politics.
How’s your pissing into the tent strategy working out Jenny?
Anyway: when it comes to issues of Labour coalition agreements, I don’t deal in hypotheticals.
One qualified maybe from lprent and a no-comment from Colonial Viper. It’s not looking good.
So how about you Te Reo Putake?
The question is; If the Green Party refuse to join any coalition which would approve the Denniston Coal Mine. Can you tell us, if that would be a hard thing for Labour to give up?
You’re not part of the Greens. You’re not part of Labour.
You have a real issue with being a self righteous and indignant busybody telling everyone else what they should be doing.
The discussion on The Nation over the International Transfer of Prisoners was interesting; NZ the only OECD country not a signatory, in fact, the parts of the world that are really only excluded Africa and parts of Asia in the main. It is not politically palatable it seems to have these folk repatriated to serve their sentences, particularly for those chasing the conservative vote as the cost to the tax-payer would be humungous; 850 serving time in Aus, just for starters; that would be around a Billion dollars for the first year for them to be imprisoned here.
Collins generalized that “they are drug dealers and rapists” (from the two featured) and that those in Aus had “lived all their lives there, paid there taxes there” blah blah. Aus keeps hitting NZ govt up about it. They are signatories
http://www.ag.gov.au/Internationalrelations/Internationalcrimecooperationarrangements/TransferOfPrisoners/Pages/default.aspx
Some under-arm return for not providing social security measures to kiwis over there. 😉
Anyway, these tory Ministers may have professions to there name yet they sure appear thick!
Next, a critique of the rise of the ‘victim’ culture; like monetary compensation is a reinforcer.
😀
NZ politicians, in general, have a super shit and 50 year outdated approach to Corrections.
“If the Green Party refuse to join any coalition which would approve the Denniston Coal Mine”
Wow, you really don’t get what a coalition is do you. Do you honestly think it’s about the GP throwing down demands?
Phoebe Fletcher makes an excellent point today on the Daily Blog: the media storm around Dunne’s resignation is diverting big time from the extremely worrying changes to the GCSB legislation.
Indeed, the deflective glare is strong, the focus , hard as it is in this country, must remain on the legislation, because the *grid*, is tightening its grip!
People think little to nothing, about smart meters, the UFB roll out etc, but these are part of the *grid*, and even now, privacy/freedom are concepts, relegated to the history books, never to be seen again, if people don’t get involved.
Agree about the GP. They’re at risk of overplaying their hand here.
There was some speculation on ts yesterday about why had Dunne actually resigned. Maybe this is it, he’s the diversion.
It occurs to me the latest blog post by Farrar is an outstanding example of how the government use him to try and control the media naarative. Effectively, he is trying to frame how the whole story around the demise of Dunne is told by lazy and/or time pressed journalists by providing in a nice, easy digestible format a whole narrative of the winners and losers. Very cunning, and highlights the lack of a comparable blog on the left.
I would contend that The Standard itself is a blog comparable in influence to Kiwiblog, and further that; The Daily Blog is a rapidly emerging foil to WhaleOil (that there’s some long standing rivalry between Bradbury and Slater has long been evident; even on Tumeke – I imagine it goes back to uni days if not before). Personally, I don’t read either of the RWNJ blogs – life’s too short. Plus Kiwiblog just makes me feel manipulated (DPF is certainly good at what he does!), while WhaleOil makes me feel unclean (though I did have a glance over on Queen’s birthday weekend to savour the panic).
That MSM journalists take their cues from Farrar and Slater probably has more to do with; editorial policies and lack of; time and resources, than; inaccesability of alternate viewpoints on the net.
Was the Dunne/Vance imbroglio a “honey trap” ( to quote an old cold war term )? And shouldn’t the morality and ethics of that be discussed? Admittedly for Herald and Dominion journalists they are almost certainly really big words they would need to look up.
No. An old guy with an unrequited woody for a younger woman does not constitute a “honey trap”.
Millhouse noted this last night.
In the UK they are seeing the implications of American big business being able to control politicians and the internet.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-alist-conspiracy-did-hollywood-tell-obama-to-take-down-internet-entrepreneur-kim-dotcom-8648426.html
Corporate-Political influence in the US is really fubar. It is a broken system. It actively encourages companies to hire people whose only job is to stand in a queue and hold that place until the salaried lobbyist shows up to tell the pretzel-spined politicians exactly what they are doing with their votes that day. We have our problems in NZ but we are not quite that far gone and I like to think we can resist a whilst longer.
On The Nation just now we saw Winston Peters making another series of accusations – that the Dunne emails also contained leaks of other information apart from the GCSB report, and that because of the nature of the leak (effectively a top secret document with limited “eyes only” distribution) the government came under pressure from our ECHELON allies to find out who the potential spy was. Peters also was unequivocally able to state they contained personally embarassing stuff on Dunne. Of course, Peters could be bluffing, but in this case I think he has clearly seen the unedited emails. So, where did Peters get those?
Looks like the GCSB stitiched up Dunne to placate our allies concern over the leak, which raises yet more thorny questions about an agency that has clearly (Kim Dotcom, illegal spying, Dunne) gone rogue. Who is the master of this country, the GCSB (who can clearly access and leak anything about anyone who threatens their mana) or the politicians? Because at the moment, it looks like the spies are getting the politicians to dance to their tune.
I wonder what they said to John Key to ensure the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill was to their liking?
PS I was astonished at how inept Rachel Smalley’s performance was. There was Winston Peters dangling all sorts of juicy tidbits – shadowy foreign pressure to find the leaker, additional sectet material being leaked – she relentless stuck to the pre-scripted panty-sniffing line about trying to find out if Dunne wanted to be a tampon, or something.
Sanctuary – The *presenters*, are simply there to ensure the narrative is controlled, and it is, by the producers.
No need to be astonished, this is what the MSM is designed to do, except that sadly its seems in NZ, we have plumbed even lower depths.
Smalley, not all that long ago had some promise, but over the past 3-6 months, she has become as debased, as the like of Corin Dann, and the other puppets!
Muzza – All fucking talk no fucking facts.
The media repeat what they are told to write. Everyone with a modicum of curiosity and critical thinking cano see that.
You want evidence TC? Iraq and WMD.
My question to you.
Why are you such a relentless defender of the corporate elite?
“My question to you.
Why are you such a relentless defender of the corporate elite?”
Sorry to answer a question with a question but “Huh?”
“Everyone with a modicum of curiosity and critical thinking cano see that.”
Critical thinking =/= believing anything based purely on your say so.
Facts, references, cites and evidence. Please provide,
The media copied the story told them about Iraq having WMD
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3036750/ns/msnbc-documentaries/vp/50736581
Can be sourced in multiple places………
Why do you defend the elite?
Pointing out stupid conspiracy fallacies =/= Defending the elite
If you look at your posts that is not what you do on this site…….
But at least I don’t make completely erroneous statements about imaginary foes based purely on ill informed rhetoric gleaned from conspiracy sites and crank doctors.
Is that, really how you see yourself bro?
“Is that, really how you see yourself bro?”
No, it’s how I see you.
TC, can you point to the conspiracy sites, which I personally , have linked to on here, you have a problem with.
If you can locate any such links, give your reasoning, why you have a problem, and try to avoid becoming a parody of your handle name, in the process, eh!
Think you can manage all that?
Hey muzza,
facts?
TC – You making it personal now bro?
So agressive, and angry sounding, you taking anything to manage it?
I’d suggest avoiding alcohol!
It’s just my Morgellons acting up again.
Things are getting interesting across the Tasman Ditch ..
“Rudd blitz begins as host of Labor MPs back a national tour”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/rudd-blitz-begins-as-host-of-labor-mps-back-a-national-tour/story-fnii5s3y-1226659596090
and
http://news.google.com.au/news/rtc?ncl=dpBheRHTARv3I4MW21X_3qszqa4GM&topic=h&ar=1370645967
You can’t believe a thing you read in Murdoch’s rags. The Guardian, which has just started up in Oz, contains a lot less fantasy. According to Murdoch, they might as well save money and not even have the election because Abbott has already won in a landslide. I hope not, because while Gillard is about as left as Key, Abbott makes John Banks look balanced.
Yeah, but who’s laughing right now ?
http://www.smh.com.au/national/rudd-backers-frolic-as-pm-loses-her-grip-20130607-2nviv.html
Probably Gina Stoneheart, at anyone who thinks the Fairfax media isn’t just a crude big mining propaganda bulletin.
Did I get it right?
.. and in Ye Olde Countrie
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2013/06/lord-ashcroft-we-cant-afford-to-waste-another-six-months.html
Canada: undemocratic political behaviour of a petrostate
Colonel Viper . Thanks for that link to Andrew Nikifororuk on the characteristics of a Petro State.
Suddenly it all becomes explainable. With fracking and oil drilling in the offing in the Canterbury Basin both on land and at sea…. and the strange undemocratic manoeuverings of the National Government eg.
* extensive GCSB powers to spy on ordinary NZers,
* outlawing of environmental protest where it affects economic corporate activity( whether this be harmful for NZers environment or not),
* promotion of education dumbing down and no standards for charter schools ( undermining a fine NZ education tradition of egalitarian , high quality , state funded , secular education, which promotes critical thinking and scholarship for all)
* ousting of the democratically elected Environment Canterbury away from Cantabrians’ voting control and into the hands of National Government appointed commissioners.
* the prolonged state of emergency in Christchurch and power and control wrested away from the City Council and Christchurch residents.
All NZers should watch this video and be warned of what could be in store!
see more on Petrostates in the ‘Slane sums up’ thread.
Interesting interviews on Radionz today. The last one was from Jaron Lanier who explains how he changed his mind about making the web accessible and free to all, as he now sees that the benefits of this are being scooped up by those with the biggest computers. And lots more of intelligent stuff.
He is great to listen to, a lively speaker and thinker and a great laugh. Still with a sense of humour, someone to treasure and pay attention to.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup
(Who Owns the Future – book)
Jaron Lanier radionz 1.40pm Sat 8/6
Lanier is a miserable whiney bore who is just pissy that the web has left him behind and his precious digital utopia never came about because people would rather watch porn and exchange recipies for meatloaf.
he makes shitty tunes too.
Excellent Gingerbread recipe;
-cream butter and sugar
-add 1 egg
-add molasses
-add flour, baking soda, salt
-add cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, grated lemon.
Mix
Chill
Roll into a log on gladwrap (or generic).
Bake at 180 Degrees celsius, 15-20 minutes.
😀
A free colostomy bag if you can spot what’s wrong with this sentence…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8771257/Slip-victims-Where-did-the-water-come-from
Neighbours with different street names, but looking on map it appears they are on a corner.
or, the article attributes wrong houses to these residents i.e. : Gavin Formans’ house is in Breton Gr.
If I’m correct, you can keep the bag.
I feel for the family without insurance in this very sad event.
Sadly, and indicative of shitty journalistic standards…but no
the clue is in the bag 🙂
And at this point I have to say I’m not ‘highly confident’ about this claim:
I’m thinking that Mr Michael’s staff may have indeed found a hairline crack on the Friday night, but they’ve missed, or are covering up for something much larger. Much better for the man to have withheld comment until all the evidence was in. Because at this early stage such an unsupported claim just looks horribly self-serving.
I concur…
Oh for an Oxford comma or two
I wouldn’t want my family to be evacuated in a landslip. The house we were in ?…sure, but damned if i’m gonna let a team suck the shit out of me and mine in an emergency.
another example of the lack of subeditors.
Hay, Clover, name-checked your worthy self in the ‘Slane sums up’ thread. Bah, Hmmm.
-Bug
good cartoon, but the comments seem to be a bit earnest for my current mood.
Weekend Blues (Sunday afternoon on Bay FM). 😀
nah – more enjoying a quiet day without too much thought. Busy week.
mindfulness (or a wee dram). Better go “cook tea” now (before witnessing all the wasted human life (fatalities, local and international) on the box.).
Kind regards, bet it was a cold week down there too.
Daytime TV Review
Three Wise Men discuss “Relationship Woes”
Hands up all those who cannot abide Willie Jackson!
Okay, okay, but first I need to tell you something about a program he featured on the other day….
Good Morning, TV1, 9:10 a.m., Tuesday 4 June 2013
Relationship Woes, a Men’s Panel discussion featuring Wallace Chapman, Miles Davis and Willie Jackson
Trashy television has its charms. Take TV1’s ailing Good Morning program, for instance. Last year, host Jeanette Thomas got hypnotized on air, performed the haka, conducted an imaginary orchestra with a raw chicken, tried to seduce Tom Cruise and had a go at pole dancing. And all of that happened in just one morning’s episode. Over the years, one of the perverse highlights, or lowlights, for this writer, i.e. moi, was watching the perplexed, slightly hostile look on the dial of macho man Brendon Pongia as Steve Gray gave his movie reviews.
Despite all this top quality entertainment, however, Good Morning has been cursed with low ratings, and as a result it has been cut back this year from three hours to just one—from 9 to 10 o’clock.
Today the coiffured blond host, whose name I could not ascertain even after extensive hunting, introduced a semi-serious panel discussion, about Relationship Woes. The three “talents” chosen for the task were lovable and impish professional boy-man Wallace Chapman, professional cheeky cockney chappy Miles Davis, and professional cheeky Maori fulla Willie Jackson.
Here are the highlights…..
MILES DAVIS: You have to admit that ninety-nine per cent of the time the woman is the one in the right.
WALLACE CHAPMAN: Yeah, but you don’t want to be a male doormat.
MILES DAVIS: [accentuating the East End wide-boy accent] I’m no’ a doormat.
………
WILLIE JACKSON: Ya see, the problem with you Wallace is, it’s all academic, it’s all P.C. with you. You can’t solve relationships with an academic approach and it’s SHOCKING really.
WALLACE CHAPMAN: [diffidently and sensitively] I-I-I-I…
MILES DAVIS: Talk to us, Wozza!
HOST: We’re going to continue our debate on relationships and the blame game with THESE GUYS, after THIS.
……….
Shark Steam Mop advert….
WOMAN: What?!!??!? Nine ninety-nine?!!!!??!?? You’ve gone MAD!!!!
MAN: I’ve gone C-R-R-RAAAZY!
……….
BLOND HOST: Well, we’re back with the Men’s Panel discussing Relationship Woes. Wallace, you were talking about your kayaking session.
Wallace Chapman embarks on a long and terribly dull story about going kayaking with his family. Nothing at all seems to have happened, but apparently it was very important for strengthening his family relationships. At least that’s what he reckons. After he finishes talking, there is a long awkward silence….
HOST: That’s it?
WILLIE JACKSON: Terrible story.
MILES DAVIS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
…….
Later on, Miles Davis talks about how it is possible to argue constructively with one’s wife or partner. This attempt at sensitivity is quickly scotched by Willie Jackson, who has no patience for such displays of SNAGgery….
WILLIE JACKSON: It just gets WORSE!!!! Next thing you’re into a PUNCH-UP!!!!!
Jackson’s main gig these days is the Radio Live program he hosts with the equally erudite John Tamihere. Several years ago, Willie and JT had dwarf-boxing impesario Dean Lonergan on to talk sensitively and learnedly on the subject of marital infidelity. Both Deano and JT made it clear that there was no excuse for violence against any woman, even if one came home one day midway through the afternoon to find her in bed with, say, half the ACT caucus. Willie Jackson, though, was having none of that P.C. nonsense. “If I found out that my missus was fooling around on me,” he said, with quiet sincerity, “I’d put a knife through her heart.”
This shocked even the crass and offensive Lonergan, who felt moved to remonstrate: “I think that’s going a bit far, mate.”
Willie didn’t back down an inch, however. “Nah, nah, nah—don’t give me THAT,” he said, without even a hint of his usual playfulness. “I would. I would put a knife through her heart. I WOULD.”
JT snorted sardonically and laughed, “You’re a mongrel, Willie, a mongrel.”
All right, you can put your hands down now.
interestingly, I have an aquaintence (aquainted with his whanau as well) and he did take a tomahawk to the man, in bed with his wife; 4 years later, upon release, no wife. sigh, was getting muscle fatigue keeping my arm up.
Blinking hell, ghostrider! Can you spin that out into a dramatic reconstruction for us? It sounds like a riveting story.
sigh, I do have a volume or three of actual / factual stories to tell, I know, as many of us do; fortunately, or other wise, many of them are memorable, yet Robert Plant (another Rock god) advised to keep on rolling and resist writing a book…and I DO NOT YET OWN A WORKING COMPUTER OF MY OWN…yet when it does happen, it could be a lot worse than a hybrid of The Bone People and Tough Guys Don’t Dance with a little Child In Time wound in. 😉 yeeha!
Al-Qaeda, and post-Assad Syria
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10889164
and from the Business desk;
the diluting of the Infant Formula brand
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10889176
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business-editors-picks/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501981&objectid=10889015 (greed cannot help itself. a New Image? Don’t think so Murry).
“Farming the Elderly”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10889082
(retirement eats capital).
Chocolate Aeroplane 😉 wings
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10889079
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10889128
(price-fixing).
Fonterra share, unit prices, shake-up.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/agriculture/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=10888777
(spilt milk).
LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 18: Ant Strachan
“It’s all about defence! Y’ know, the All Blacks won the World Cup in 2011 because of their outstanding defence!”
—Ant Strachan, Radio Sport, 75 minutes into the New Zealand-France friendly, Saturday 8 June 2013
See also….
No. 17: Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.
No. 16: Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months”
No. 15: Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
No. 14: Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13: Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12: U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question”
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
I just hope that tomorrow (Sun) someone puts up an interesting enough post or two that we can stop talking about fluoridation and conspiracy theories :-/