“A comedy tour de farce in the hilarious tradition of “Tea Party”; Abbott and Keystello follow the Shonkey Python road to wherever the ailing Oz god beckons next”
“Audiences will be mesmerised, leaving all progressive hope at the door. You’re not in Godzone any more, Dorothy, and boy does Rupert let her know it! Not to be missed. By anyone.”
Counties wins the Ranfurly Sheld, awesome. Well if you want to see a microcosm of free market failure versus a regulated success then you donât have to look any further than our rugby National Provincial Competition(NPC). Between the time that rugby went professional in 1996 to 2005, the NPC was a free market winner take all f%$#en chaos . The big unions, Canterbury, Auckland and Wellington were completely dominating, overall crowd numbers and interest was dropping and the All Blacks couldnât win a World Cup to save themselves. Small Unions were driving themselves into insolvency trying to match the big unions. The whole competition was incredibly unfair, the bigger unions were getting bigger and the smaller unions were dying.
In 2005 the competition was regulated (A process headed by Brian Roche now NZ Post CEO). The large unions complained loudly that this would be the end of NZ rugby as we know it. The regulation of the competition was to create FAIRNESS and EQUITY within the competition so that ALL teams had a chance of winning and stay financially viable. The big unions reckoned that FAIRNESS was not good for NZ rugby because their financial strength (a consequence of their unfair dominance) meant that they could look after the All Blacks, bugger the smaller unions, the big unions needed to stay financially dominant (Sound familiar?).
Anyway fast forward to 2013, the NPC competition has been regulated for a number of years, it is clearly much more EQUAL and the overall consequences are interesting. Most Unions are now prospering, both on the field and off the field. The ABâs have never been stronger also. In 2005 Counties were nearly insolvent struggling in the second division, now they are on top of the world. The Free Market certainly failed New Zealand rugby.
And it isn’t fair at all! As a Hawkes Bay boy I think that fairness would have required that the Bay should have been allowed to hold it for at least three years.
As the old joke goes though, even after Hawkes Bay lost I slept like a baby last night. I slept for two hours, then woke up and cried for two hours, slept for another two hours etc. etc.
“Our sallow sleazemeister pulls it off again: grimace with glee as the portly prince of pomp chases the tory vote for a Labour prize! Hold you sides as the hapless scribes fawn at their creation’s crotch: “All hail the fat lazy brown wanker of our dreams!” Limited season.
Shearer still blaming others for his poor performance. David as I told you at the meeting at Auckland University you simply are/ were never ready to lead the Labour Party. The fact that you put your hand up showed what a huge ego you have, perhaps it is time for you to concentrate on being a good local MP!
I am guessing that Mr Shearer is/was not too fussed about labels such as left, right or centre but was more keen to do the stuff that mattered most for the betterment of all sections of the people and the country. It is true that he did not convey/communicate this well.
It is, in my opinion, silly and wrong to base or look at all policies and all solutions purely in terms of only one direction, left, right or centre. Different problems need different solutions that WORK and produce the desired just aspirations and results. Some issues need a ‘left’ socialist perspective, some issues need a right ‘capitalist’ perspective and some social need a ‘middle’ ground. Labour party is a very broad representative organisation encompassing a diverse membership.
What IS important is that there is justice, fairness, equality of opportunity and prosperity with everyone, that can, working and paying their fair share back to society in order to reduce the ever widening income gap and make NZ a just, independent and happy place.
P.S :
In the present time, my desire for Labour party is…..
* Leader : Cunliffe [He will need to be true to his vision]
* Co-Deputy leaders :
Shane Jones [He will need to tone his ways]
Jacinda Arden [She will need to learn on the job]
That I believe will be a wise and winning combination.
I believe in interventionist/state controlled free market/capitalism where the capitalists that enable the creation of most jobs, goods and services also pay their fair share back to society. I don’t advocate state controlled communism masquerading as socialism. Doesn’t work anywhere, not even in China, which is no longer a ‘socialist’ state.
It argues against the idea that business people are ‘job creators’. Apparently, it was ‘too controversial’ for the TED talks founder, Chris somebody or other.
Thanks for that educational video. I partly agree with what TED says.
Without customers, demand and consumers, there is no business or profits or jobs. True enough.
However, I still stand by my statement that without the business people who are the actual economic risk takers, investors and entrepreneurs, goods, income and jobs cannot be produced.
The problem lies in letting them earn and keep uncontrolled amounts of wealth disproportionately, particularly because, their wealth, not withstanding their own initiative, enterprise and risk taking, has come from society, from the consumers. People and services in society need government assistance for a civilised just society which should not allow ever widening gap between the wealthy and the rest.
That means,
(1) the government has to be interventionist through controls, laws and progressive taxation. Higher the income, higher the tax rate.
(2) Free market should not mean free license for anyone to make and keep excessive amounts of wealth in comparison to the median income. Government needs to claw back the siphoned income.
(3) I am in favour of a set wage ratio of Min to Max of 1:20 in all organisations to bridge wage gap and help wages to go up equitably. The only way the top wages can go up is if the bottom wages go up correspondingly.
(4) I also advocate lowering CST to 10% or 12.5% as it affects the poorest most. Instead bring in estate duties and CGT for everything including property and all kinds of investments.
To coin a new term, it is Socialised Ethical Capitalism!
I would tell TED that it is a symbiotic relationship between business and consumer: One can’t do without the other.
(And Goverment needs both and needs to take care of both)
Business and consumer need government as well. Without government, there is no value to money, and no rule of law for economic transactions to occur within.
Craig GlenEden +1….and Grant Robertson despite his politicking talents is not a match for John Key…nor is Shane Jones with his ‘smoko charm’.
….Time to let David Cunliffe have a clean run and the Labour Party to unite behind Cunliffe …. ready to take on Nact and win in 2014!
….then form a coalition with the Greens and really look after this country and ALL NZers
….There is a lot of talent in the Green Party which must be utilized in the next government.
I was very impressed with Mr Shearer. In this interview he came across as potentially a good PM that NZ has missed out on. His sincerity, goodness and good character came across very well to me. Wish he was as clear, as articulate and as open to the public, the caucus and the media during his ‘reign’ as he was today. During his ‘reign’, what he had lacked was some help/training to improve his communication and public speaking skills.
He will be a very loyal and exemplary Labour member and an excellent MP/Minister.
Those who missed out on the interview, see it on ‘On Demand’ to get the measure of the man.
So true gobsmacked. In Shearers interview played this morning on Q and A he was most confident when talking about the Syria situation however his lack of judgement in why he failed as Labour leader was quite shocking. I thought it particularly telling when he couldn’t own up to the fact that he was not good at communicating a message via the media and then blamed members and other people for continually raising it as an issue.
The guy is in Noddy land seriously and he believed he was making headway at the begging of the year! OMG.
I saw the interview and was also impressed. He spoke well and sincerely and honestly and from the heart. I am pleased to hear he will be staying on and hope to see him back as PM sometime in the future. I to think that we have missed out on a potentially good Leader if he does not stay on for any reason. I’m not too happy with the three running for leader at the moment but would have to go with Robertson if pushed.
Shearer was a good guy and I think he would have made a honest and great PM, but it is the general voting public that should be convinced of that and they were not because of lack of clear communication as well as the media mischief and inside lack of openly displayed loyalty or support.
Look at the National party. They show great unity in public. Labour party MPs and members need to learn that very essential lesson. I admired Mr Shearer when he said, he will give absolute 100% support to whoever becomes the leader now. Hats off to him.
True. I so wish that he had communicated with the media and the public, as well and as effortlessly and as straight up and affable way as he did today.
[P.S:
Your 9 September 2013 at 12:26 am comment does not have a ‘reply’ link. Wonder what happened!]
[lprent: On desktop versions of the site, the comments will indent to a maximum depth of 10 and then the reply will disappear (gotta stop at some point). The mobile theme doesn’t have threaded replies. Working on that. ]
Here is a brief summary from TV3 of the TV1 interview :
Outgoing Labour leader David Shearer says he will not publicly endorse any of the candidates vying to replace him, but will back whoever is chosen 100 percent.
Mr Shearer told Q+A the biggest issue the party faced was disunity.
He wouldn’t reveal who he planned to vote for or publicly endorse a candidate.
“Certainly from my point of view, whoever wins this competition, I will give them 100 percent support, and I don’t care who it is. Well, I’d say I do care who it is, but if that person wins, then we get in behind them … because if we don’t do that, then we won’t win.”
Mr Shearer said, as leader, he had not felt the party was united behind him at all times.
“At the beginning of this year, for example, I felt that we had a real head of steam up. But there’s a group that obviously had been supportive of me before and moved away.”
Mr Shearer, who worked for the United Nations for more than a decade, said he felt more comfortable in war zones than in politics.
“I mean, obviously in politics you’re getting sniped at from all directions. In a war zone, you can generally tell who the good guys are and who are the bad guys.”
David Shearer says he was relieved and disappointed to give up the leadership last month, but he also acknowledged it had been difficult and frustrating.
“The thing I found most difficult really was the pettiness of politics and being in opposition. A lot of it was petty, a lot of it was venal. Politicians from all sides come in to make difference, to actually get something done. And what you get caught up with, particularly as a leader, is point-scoring and that sort of pettiness.
David Shearer gave his best ever interview on Q&A. He looked relaxed and rested. Some interesting comments re- the infighting within caucus and the party. I had the impression he is not happy with certain caucus members who originally gave him support and then pulled it (presumably when they thought the time was right for them?). Contrary to Shane Jones’ supporters claims, he has not and will not reveal who he would like to see win the contest. He is adamantly opposed to NZ joining the US in unilateral action against Syria and for all the right reasons.
Shearer perfectly demonstrates why he could be Foreign Minister. He talks about Syria – he’s engaged, informed, reasonable.
He also perfectly demonstrates why he should never have been Labour leader. He doesn’t like opposition politics, it’s too negative, but … what? He had no choice? Trev told him to do it? He was the leader, for crying out loud. Take some responsibility for your own decisions, man.
Not liking the ‘pettiness’ of politics is exactly why he should never have aspired to be Labour’s leader. The party leader NEEDS to thrive on the cut and thrust of politics. That’s what makes the papers and captures the interest of people who are not interested in politics.
It’s an absolute requirement and Shearer is as thick as two bricks if he doesn’t understand this. It still makes me incredibly angry that he sought the leadership when he clearly had no idea what he was signing up for.
This continuing disaster has so far no foreseeable resolution: We need to begin sampling of all seafood coming to market for radiation. The sooner the better. E.G. I’ve seen fish from Alaska being sold. Also where does most of our tuna come from? Radiation testing would reassure the Public that fish, so far is still safe, hopefully. Fukushima is becoming the most epic environmental disaster of all time except may be Climate Change.
Hilary Clinton came to a ‘won’t ask, don’t tell’ arrangement with Japan just under two years ago. But since tuna are top of the food chain, I’d say there is an inevitability regards their contamination. How much? Any tasting is kinda cursory…check for gamma. So that misses ‘hot particles’ and strontium amongst a host of other things.
meanwhile… that mutton bird you have in your freezer? I wouldn’t.
For non-advert saturated updates from qualified nuclear engineers and other suitably qualified scientists etc, try this http://www.fairewinds.com/
Tokyo will be a bit stretched to attend to life changing nuclear problems, which need government intervention not letting the players make up their own game rules. They have just now got the go-ahead for some olympic or other major world event there which will probably cost lots and bring far more people over to the country that they will have to provide safe non-contiminated food for, as well as for their own people and those in particular need in their own ‘Red Zone’.
It’s such a downer having a nuclear disaster and destruction and death. Reminds me of the cartoon of middle class people chatting with friends about their recent trip to Africa. It hadn’t been a great success. “They had a famine all the time we were there” they said sadly. (Forgive me if I’ve told this one before. It keeps on being relevant.)
There will be neglible amounts of radiation in the ocean caused by the Fukushima station except in the immediate vicinity of the place where it enters the water. It will very rapidly get diluted in the ocean.
Fish from Alaska aren’t going to be affected.
As far as Tuna goes isn’t it a deep water, rather than a coastal, fish and if so it is also unlikely to be affected by the comparitvely small releases of radiation into the sea.
If you are really worried of course, are you aware that there is an estimated 4.5 Billion tonnes of Uranium in the world’s sea-water?
Hi Alwyn
Thankyou for your concern. What do you think of this?
“Death of the Pacific? Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Caught Off California Coast (Study shows Fukushima nuclear pollution becoming more concentrated as it approaches U.S. West Coast Plume crosses ocean in a nearly straight line toward N. America Appears to stay together with little dispersion)”
Monday, August 26, 2013 16:4
I have just come back to look at this so I’ll briefly comment here.
Headlines like “Death of the Pacific” and pictures of comedy movie villains don’t really strikr me as very good science.
However to some numbers.
The pictures illustrating the article you are quoting would appear to me to cover an area of about 3,000 km by 2,000 km. Assuming that any pollution has been spread through an average depth of 1 km, This would represent a volume of about 6 million cubic kilometres.
This is therefore 6 million billion cubic metres or 6 billion billion litres.
Accepting the comment below that there are about 30 million litres of polluted water you discover that it has been diluted by a factor of about 2 hundred thousand million times.
Am I worried by concentrations like that? No way.
Excerpt:
“Yet in April 2012, fish caught more than 120 miles from Fukushima showed extremely high levels of contamination with radioactive cesium traceable to the failed nuclear plant. That same month, a report from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution showed cesium-137 in ocean eddies 180 miles from Fukushima at levels hundreds to thousands of times higher than expected to occur naturally.”
“TEPCO has stored enough radioactive water in its weak, faulty tanks to fill more than 130 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The government ordered the company to transfer all the water held in those tanks to more reliable tanks with welded seams” (1 pool hold 2.5 million lt of water – that is 32,500 000 lt of contaminated water that is currently stored in leaking tanks)
I suggest that you see my comment above about the level of dilution that might be expected.
As I said. Apart from the area near to the spillage the dilution is enormous and I wouldn’t worry.
Comments about the wild life, and people, getting ill in Hawaii from the radiation are rubbish.
Will Key be selling his house in Hawaii? I think he probably will. Here is a report based on geiger counter readings that Hawaii is already contaminated by Fukushima: includes beaches.
There are accusations the military have used live depleted uranium rounds in Hawaii which they deny.
and the media, including dann, will be oblivious to their part in presenting him as someone other than the man we saw on tv today. ds did well to resist danns constant desire for ds to turn on lp, and did well not to point the finger back at dann.
Mike Williams after looking at the Oz results warns that it shows that voters will punish a party for disunity. This is true. But the risk has to be taken to change something and upset a status quo that is defunct. Or more of the same.
Free market excesses do not now result in bankruptcy and resetting of rules for financials and business. So more of the same!
Roger Douglas said that first the pain and then the gain was the slogan. Now time to return the compliment with complementary meth.
There was a talk with 88 year old communist on Radionz.
Ideas for 8 September 2013 – Communism (â46âČâ03âłâ)
10:06 In the latest of our occasional Lived Philosophies series we’re taking a look at
communism. Dr Kerry Taylor will tell us about the history of revolutionary socialism in New Zealand; and
Max Wilkinson, the son of one of the founders of the New Zealand Communist Party, looks back on a life of social activism. Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Max Wilkinson commented on the way that free market is nursed and nurtured in times of trouble by government. I notice this is not so for the poorer members of the community in hard times. And the wealthy getting state assistance tend not to pay back the government with large lumps of taxes from their profits if they ever return to profit. So if government is going to risk its resources on possible failures in the business world, why not put its resources into the poorer world and boost the economy from the demand side??
In the current contest for the Labour leadership, both David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson have positioned themselves against neoliberalism. That is to say, against the dominant form capitalism has taken in the past 30 years. A form defined by deregulation of markets, withdrawal of state intervention in the economy, low tax rates, and so on.
A potential problem with speaking about neoliberalism is that it obscures the real problem, capitalism itself. Capitalism goes through different forms in response to the particularities of the situation of the day, it takes on new forms to survive and grow.
In fact, today we can see capitalism in the process of developing a new post-neoliberal form. It’s no longer all about freeing up markets and removing state intervention. In the context of the financial crisis, and the beginnings of a rise of anger by people bearing the brunt of capitalism, we are seeing new post-neoliberal experiments taken on by governments.
One of the watch cry’s of this new form is ‘partnership’. For instance we have the ‘public private partnerships’ experimented with by both the current National government and the previous Labour government. Rather than a pure neoliberal retreat of the state from the market, we have the state working alongside capital to help capitalism maintain itself. The partial (rather than full) asset sales are another example of the tendency this new form is taking.
It’s important at this moment to remember that the root cause of the problems facing humanity and the planet today are based not in a particular form of capitalism (eg. neoliberalism), but in the general system of capitalism itself, a system in which decisions of any import for the future of people’s lives and the health of the planet are not made in the interests of humanity and the planet, but in the interests of a tiny minority whose real interest is the accumulation of cash.
We should watch then with dismay, as David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson, whilst they begin to push political discourse to the left, fall into the trap of this tendency toward a new form of capitalism, a form which will no doubt be stronger than neoliberalism. The recurring theme of ‘partnership’ enunciated by the Labour leadership contenders in a recent Q and A episode (http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a/2013-09-01-video-5551750) shows that there is still a long way to go in shifting political discourse beyond capitalism itself.
All I can say is that David Cunliffe and Grant Roberston could be a start in what will hopefully be the right direction. I want to see David win because he is further advanced in his political preparation and experience and he is right ready for the role. But I would see Grant Robertson as his natural successor in a future leadership role after some cabinet experience under his belt. If they are both genuine about their need to see a much more hands on approach – and I believe they are – then I see no reason why together they couldn’t succeed in changing the course of this country for the better. I see others with obvious talents – eg. David Parker – adding their weight and once again NZ could become a world leader in innovation and good democratic procedures as did the First Labour government.
Pie in the sky? Well we did it before so we can do it again.
Oh, and lets not forget the Greens who also have some very talented MPs.
A really good discussion on radio nz I think in the weekend had the interviewer talking about good nz companies innovating and then selling to someone overseas. The reply was I think that this could be okay if we had the economy bouncing. I think that was the general tone of the reply. And I think it was a discussion of the book Get off the Grass which Sir Paul Callaghan was involved in. It was interesting – worth going to radionz and looking up.
Too offen offshore investors poach our best startup companies.
Time the state either directly invested too or created some mechanism to partnership our start up innovators.
I think what the person (a scientist) was saying in the interview was that it mattered less to him that companies got bought up so long as New Zealand kept the people – as that was where the innovation came from.
Puddleglum
Ah yes that was it. For his argument that is sufficient.
But then if one adds in the current /ac problems exacerbated by foreign investment owning an increasing bulk of NZ profits, we can’t improve that no matter how well we do, following his ideas.
It becomes like a ponzi scheme except it’s new businesses being created and going into the mix to make up for the ones already sold off. Or perhaps it’s like farming, we are growing businesses to maturity and then selling them on so that other owners themselves utilise and profit from the product. Similar to the government selling off all or part of our assets into private hands.
Correct Jon. The language of capitalism is all National and Labour seem to understand. This shows how far Labour have moved from their roots and I believe its the primary reason they are not popular with voters who would traditionally gravitate towards Labour.
Oh don’t be so hard; Labour was always a capitalist political party, has been since the First Labour Government. Plenty of the labour movement split off from Labour around that time because they felt betrayed over the issue.
If you thought shifting discourse was hard, shifting policy is harder, shifting a country so hard it’s unlikely. A progressive policy as simple as making Working for Families benefit available to beneficiaries was resolutely shouted down by the electorate last time.
We are never ever going to be Bolivia. Thankfully.
“A progressive policy as simple as making Working for Families benefit available to beneficiaries was resolutely shouted down by the electorate last time.”
WFF is an in work tax credit. Making it available to those on welfare is ridiculous. Even Helen Clark got that. It will never happen. Unless the incoming government wants to be a one term government.
Also, WFF is not the same thing as the In-Work Tax Credit – that’s the name of the credit you get if you’re working and don’t have kids, making you ineligible for WFF.
Once again srylands proves that he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about because he has never had anything to do with NZ.
Just fucking give it up and go back to your old username you dildo.
Why can’t non-employed people get an in-work tax credit? Apart from an arbitary distinction about where one’s income comes from (and apart from neoliberal stick is better than carrot ideology), what is the difference between someone on a wage and someone on a benefit?
So on one hand you welcome a universal income – and on the other you would deny it to around 1/4 million children, who through no fault of their own, have parents who (for what ever reason – disability, lack of jobs, at home supporting young/older family, etc etc) are unable to work?
“If you thought shifting discourse was hard, shifting policy is harder, shifting a country so hard itâs unlikely”
Shifting NZ country has been done many times. Some examples:
– universal suffrage
– the welfare state
– state housing
– anti-apartheid movement
– environmental movement (Manapouri and the Values Party)
– nuclear free New Zealand
– homosexual law reform
– neo-liberalism
It’s one of the things the struck my partner when moved to NZ – an idea streams through the country rapidly, at a guess because of the small population. It’s the will to attempt it that’s lacking.
The term “partnership” and PPPs seem to me to be just a continuation of neoliberalism, and, for Labour parties, a soft version of neoliberalism.
I don’t see either Robertson or Cunliffe making a major shift away from that without a lot of pressure from activists and others: both a change in discourse and a shift in policies.
But, in the short term, I want to see a government that works to lessen the inequality gap, strengthen worker-friendly employment laws, stop bennie bashing and improve social security provisions – and also hopefully start working towards an environment friendly steady state economy that provides necessary and life-enhancing jobs and services.
“But, in the short term, I want to see a government that works to lessen the inequality gap, strengthen worker-friendly employment laws, stop bennie bashing and improve social security provisions â and also hopefully start working towards an environment friendly steady state economy that provides necessary and life-enhancing jobs and services.”
So to translate – you want a government that increases tax, increases welfare payments, while reducing economic growth to zero? How do you think that is going to go down? You think a government that adopted those policy targets would get a second term?
Eventually some Government is going to have to bite the bullet and do it. preferably before it is forced on us by AGW and resource depletion.
As for increasing tax and welfare payments, our Governments part of GDP is half that of many more successful countries, so we have plenty of room to move.
“So to translate â you want a government that increases tax, increases welfare payments, while reducing economic growth to zero? How do you think that is going to go down? You think a government that adopted those policy targets would get a second term?”
Reducing economic growth to zero is essential.
Simply growing the economic pie does not ensure that everyone gets a bigger slice.
The ideology that states that growing the economy is essential to ensure better outcomes for all is simply the lie that is constantly fed to the unknowing voter by the politicians and their minions the media. Economists of the neo-liberal school – who regrettably have held the ear of government for far to long perpetuate this myth. And it is a myth as, any decent examination of this unfortunate experiment of, the past 3 decades would demonstrate.
Following the Depression and during the War years knowing what the Nation produced and growing that, was an essential target. However developed economies have now reached a stage where continued growth is being pursed with diminishing returns. We have reached the point where for some commodities further growth is “uneconomic”. We should not be surprised by this, Smith predicted this in his “Wealth of Nations”.
Furthermore and much more pertinent to the welfare of voters is the unfortunate fact that for the vast majority, they have experienced a decline over the past 3 decades in their relative net worth. For instance in the UK, personal debt as a % of GDP has risen from 60% to over 100% in just 15 years – and continues to increase, while savings as a % of disposable income has fallen from 11% to nothing in the same period. Meanwhile, employment conditions have deteriorated, and while the uber rich get super rich, the rest get poorer.
A sensible government that understood the need to change our economic direction would in the first instance begin a nation wide education programme and discussion forum in which every adult and young person was encouraged to participate. Nation wide hui’s up and down the country in every town and across every city, where the the desires and aspirations of everyone was considered. The results of the past presented the ideas and possibilities of new and exciting future pathways discussed and at the end of the day the move towards a more fairer and equitable economy would be possible, because then the people would be involved.
That is such a good idea.
May be the Labour Party should organise and start this during the next 10 months through locally organised meetings, through postbox leaflets, through internet/facebook, newspaper articles, blogs, YouTube videos, TV ads etc. Worth the cost, effort and time to create a new social and economic exciting revolution.
Exactly. Unfortunately the conventional wisdom – as expounded by S’lands and others holds sway. The god of our nation is GDP, if it falls the nation morns, newsreaders frown and the general populace fidget, yet GDP measures earthquake repairs and other natural disasters, spending on cancer and other terminal illness, spending on prisons, and a host of other undesirable expenditures. I does not measure the technical prowess that enables NZ to compete in a world class event such as the Americas Cup, although some of the expenditure is. But the off shore expenditure does not count. It does not include the value of our National Parks or the beauty of our shorelines, or the pricelessness our our kiwi, or the cultural heritage we as NZ possess.
We need a new measure to assess our economic progress, one that encapsulates all that makes us who we are, and what we wish to become.
Oh Karol…we sing from the same song book one thinks.
Here goes.
Next way….PPP could provide direct state intervention or control at private sector board level in a meaningful manner.
Say govt invested cash and infrastructure in a particular sector or business um forestry but conditional on union awards, pays rates conditions and well anything…govt bring to bear its influence to bring about change in the private market.
Why not all a combination mixed model…private, state and ppp businesses.
Now ppp could also be collectives too. Worker state ppp sharing profits etc. ( my fav).
Thoughts?
Define new way then please?
Third way ppp were simply state giving away our money with little involvement or influence.
I favour direct meaningful involvement in the private sector to bring about change and betterment for workers etc in a real and timly manner.
This is beyond the failed third way and neo lib consensus.
The influential pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee will deploy hundreds of activists next week to win support in Congress for military action in Syria, amid an intense White House effort to convince wavering U.S. lawmakers to vote for limited strikes.
Crimplene suits now all we need is a Skoda car and we will be Back to the Future.
Still for all of Pat Hunts sarcastic denigration of Social Credit in a pique of losing his seat we owe a certain vote of thanks to that party. They managed to eject Brash from a nice safe National seat in East Coast Bays (with a little help from Muldoon)
If only Labour could effect a similar coup and get rid of McCully from that seat. Almost any other party would be preferable to McCully
ahhh, yes, that was it. While skedaddling through Feb’s New Scientist , as you do, I noticed the library’s subscription to Creation magazine, $7.50 Australian you’re not going to need in the ‘promised land’.
“I hear that Trevor Mallard threatened to resign if David Cunliffe won. Folks, thatâs a two for one special that no one can turn down. ” This is from Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog.
Most see that in Mallard: the bruising, fiery frontrower who deals out the rough stuff and sometimes goes too far (think of his brawl with National MP Tau Henare or select committee stoush with policeman Mike Bush). In contrast, he sees the ultimate utility player, a team man who helps wherever he can. Whoever emerges victorious from the leadership battle (he’s backing Grant Robertson), Mallard – despite the longevity of his parliamentary career – wants to continue in the engine room.
“It depends on whoever wins, whether they want to use my talents or not – that’s up to them, I’m not pushy.”
Dear Tangata Whenua, this is “spiritual” and “enlightening”, I suggest to take a listen and view, as this is YOUR way also, to go, to assert your culture, and your collective interests:
Like in Chile, or other places, whenever questions of “power” arise, the forces diallowing free speech and democracy are right there and HIT us, it is the actual breach of international laws, that is intimidating most. It is a criminal organisation, based in the US and even US dominated UN that keep us locked into dependency and servitude.
It is time for ALL NZers, and sadly most are wage and salary “slaves”, to take a bloody stand now and get rid of this corrupt, lying, self serving government.
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1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition  NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamarikiâs statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. âThere are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a âfirst strikeâ (that is, a âstage-1 convictionâ under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a âsecond strikeâ. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesnât normally happen in politics. Thatâs refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to âsaveâ the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Governmentâs official website – arrived in Point of Orderâs email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive  Melissa Lee â as may be discerned from the screenshot above â has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Governmentâs focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes –Â Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu â often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the governmentâs readiness to make urgent changes to âthe resource management systemâ through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes donât go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a âmedia summitâ to discuss âthe state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalismâ. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes –Â This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
 Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for âfast trackâ consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill â currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes-Â The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you arenât wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said âSince we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that âNew Zealandâs economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerfulâ. They also believe that âNew Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerfulâ. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
Te PÄti MÄori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veteransâ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veteransâ affairs spokesperson Greg OâConnor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxonâs management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonightâs court decision to overturn the summons of the Childrenâs Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about MÄori without evidence, says Te PÄti MÄori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. âThe judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last yearâs severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labourâs environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our countryâs most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te PÄti MÄori Justice Spokesperson, TÄkuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, MÄori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. âThis act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.â Said Te PÄti MÄori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mĆ TÄmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with MÄori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen â good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood â a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - Â It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Â Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Â Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. âOur Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where heâll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Governmentâs work to restore law and order. âAttending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the worldâs largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. âThe reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealandâs wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin  NgÄ mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho  Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.  I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. âOur Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealandâs overseas missions.  âOur diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealandâs interests around the world,â Mr Peters says.  âI am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. Â âOver 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. âIt is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. âOur coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
âChina remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,â Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
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I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
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A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peaceâs new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a womanâs hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The âWicked Gameâ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didnât stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from âWicked Gameâ, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called đ, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
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The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao MÄori and remove many specialist MÄori roles. ...
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Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, weâve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedinâs India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoaâs drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says itâs hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. Itâs been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you donât believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Iâm going to do it, right now. Iâm going to say ...
Itâs not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Muskâs vociferous opposition to ...
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Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
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Iâm on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener youâre likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
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Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now sheâs very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice â both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high schoolâs head girl and ...
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A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble. Â Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
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Counties wins the Ranfurly Sheld, awesome. Well if you want to see a microcosm of free market failure versus a regulated success then you donât have to look any further than our rugby National Provincial Competition(NPC). Between the time that rugby went professional in 1996 to 2005, the NPC was a free market winner take all f%$#en chaos . The big unions, Canterbury, Auckland and Wellington were completely dominating, overall crowd numbers and interest was dropping and the All Blacks couldnât win a World Cup to save themselves. Small Unions were driving themselves into insolvency trying to match the big unions. The whole competition was incredibly unfair, the bigger unions were getting bigger and the smaller unions were dying.
In 2005 the competition was regulated (A process headed by Brian Roche now NZ Post CEO). The large unions complained loudly that this would be the end of NZ rugby as we know it. The regulation of the competition was to create FAIRNESS and EQUITY within the competition so that ALL teams had a chance of winning and stay financially viable. The big unions reckoned that FAIRNESS was not good for NZ rugby because their financial strength (a consequence of their unfair dominance) meant that they could look after the All Blacks, bugger the smaller unions, the big unions needed to stay financially dominant (Sound familiar?).
Anyway fast forward to 2013, the NPC competition has been regulated for a number of years, it is clearly much more EQUAL and the overall consequences are interesting. Most Unions are now prospering, both on the field and off the field. The ABâs have never been stronger also. In 2005 Counties were nearly insolvent struggling in the second division, now they are on top of the world. The Free Market certainly failed New Zealand rugby.
And it isn’t fair at all! As a Hawkes Bay boy I think that fairness would have required that the Bay should have been allowed to hold it for at least three years.
As the old joke goes though, even after Hawkes Bay lost I slept like a baby last night. I slept for two hours, then woke up and cried for two hours, slept for another two hours etc. etc.
As an Otago boy I don’t really have a great deal of sympathy for you…
Having said that the last couple of weeks have been great for NZ rugby but nows the time for Counties to hang on to it for a little while
Look for the diamond shape of how the shield has travelled.
Will Taranaki have a challenge?
Taranaki challenge next week for the sheild.
Strength and depth comes from a broad base and tribalism in backing your union, great to see the smaller unions back on track.
great players come from all over we must ensure they still can.
And at a theatre near you….
VIAGARANA JONES – Quest for the Lost Libido
“Our sallow sleazemeister pulls it off again: grimace with glee as the portly prince of pomp chases the tory vote for a Labour prize! Hold you sides as the hapless scribes fawn at their creation’s crotch: “All hail the fat lazy brown wanker of our dreams!” Limited season.
interesting how the panel on q&a reported a poll showing cunnliffe far and away in the lead..
..and then spent all their time talking about/up shane jones..(and largely ignoring that clear leader)
..(mike williams..who has pimped jones from day one..even resorting to waving magazine-photos of his favourite around..)
..jones must be the rights’ last desperate hope…
..eh..?
..and seriously..as others have noted..should beltway-grant play the numbers-game well enough to rebuff that wave of popular support for cunnliffe..
..and despite running last..snare the job..
..the labour party will explode..
..and the green/mana votes will leap..
..phillip ure..
and of course..convergant with that push for jones from the right..
..comes the attempt to rip away what support robertson..(their previous favourite)..has..
..so that (hopefully) flows to their new-right-hope..
..how to do that..?
..easy..!..run that vid of robertson lying about alf being in the pub..
..and all curl lips in unison..
..done..and dusted..
..that was the right..throwing robertson to the wolves..
..and chief of their wolf-pack..?..
..one shane jones..
..phillip ure..
David Shearer speaks exclusively to Q+A
Today, September 8 at 11am.
Could be interesting to see body language and to read between the lines.
Shearer still blaming others for his poor performance. David as I told you at the meeting at Auckland University you simply are/ were never ready to lead the Labour Party. The fact that you put your hand up showed what a huge ego you have, perhaps it is time for you to concentrate on being a good local MP!
favourite/most telling quote from shearer:..his barely concealed contempt/curled-lip wrapping around this beauty:
“..those in the party who want to take labour to the left – whatever that means’..
..(’nuff said..?..)
..phillip ure..
I am guessing that Mr Shearer is/was not too fussed about labels such as left, right or centre but was more keen to do the stuff that mattered most for the betterment of all sections of the people and the country. It is true that he did not convey/communicate this well.
It is, in my opinion, silly and wrong to base or look at all policies and all solutions purely in terms of only one direction, left, right or centre. Different problems need different solutions that WORK and produce the desired just aspirations and results. Some issues need a ‘left’ socialist perspective, some issues need a right ‘capitalist’ perspective and some social need a ‘middle’ ground. Labour party is a very broad representative organisation encompassing a diverse membership.
What IS important is that there is justice, fairness, equality of opportunity and prosperity with everyone, that can, working and paying their fair share back to society in order to reduce the ever widening income gap and make NZ a just, independent and happy place.
P.S :
In the present time, my desire for Labour party is…..
* Leader : Cunliffe [He will need to be true to his vision]
* Co-Deputy leaders :
Shane Jones [He will need to tone his ways]
Jacinda Arden [She will need to learn on the job]
That I believe will be a wise and winning combination.
If capitalism is the answer then you’re asking the wrong question.
I believe in interventionist/state controlled free market/capitalism where the capitalists that enable the creation of most jobs, goods and services also pay their fair share back to society. I don’t advocate state controlled communism masquerading as socialism. Doesn’t work anywhere, not even in China, which is no longer a ‘socialist’ state.
Hi Clement Pinto,
re “the capitalists that enable the creation of most jobs”
Have you seen this clip of a banned TED talk?
It argues against the idea that business people are ‘job creators’. Apparently, it was ‘too controversial’ for the TED talks founder, Chris somebody or other.
Thanks for that educational video. I partly agree with what TED says.
Without customers, demand and consumers, there is no business or profits or jobs. True enough.
However, I still stand by my statement that without the business people who are the actual economic risk takers, investors and entrepreneurs, goods, income and jobs cannot be produced.
The problem lies in letting them earn and keep uncontrolled amounts of wealth disproportionately, particularly because, their wealth, not withstanding their own initiative, enterprise and risk taking, has come from society, from the consumers. People and services in society need government assistance for a civilised just society which should not allow ever widening gap between the wealthy and the rest.
That means,
(1) the government has to be interventionist through controls, laws and progressive taxation. Higher the income, higher the tax rate.
(2) Free market should not mean free license for anyone to make and keep excessive amounts of wealth in comparison to the median income. Government needs to claw back the siphoned income.
(3) I am in favour of a set wage ratio of Min to Max of 1:20 in all organisations to bridge wage gap and help wages to go up equitably. The only way the top wages can go up is if the bottom wages go up correspondingly.
(4) I also advocate lowering CST to 10% or 12.5% as it affects the poorest most. Instead bring in estate duties and CGT for everything including property and all kinds of investments.
To coin a new term, it is Socialised Ethical Capitalism!
I would tell TED that it is a symbiotic relationship between business and consumer: One can’t do without the other.
(And Goverment needs both and needs to take care of both)
Business and consumer need government as well. Without government, there is no value to money, and no rule of law for economic transactions to occur within.
That’s just it though – they don’t no matter how much they want you to believe otherwise.
Craig GlenEden +1….and Grant Robertson despite his politicking talents is not a match for John Key…nor is Shane Jones with his ‘smoko charm’.
….Time to let David Cunliffe have a clean run and the Labour Party to unite behind Cunliffe …. ready to take on Nact and win in 2014!
….then form a coalition with the Greens and really look after this country and ALL NZers
….There is a lot of talent in the Green Party which must be utilized in the next government.
I was very impressed with Mr Shearer. In this interview he came across as potentially a good PM that NZ has missed out on. His sincerity, goodness and good character came across very well to me. Wish he was as clear, as articulate and as open to the public, the caucus and the media during his ‘reign’ as he was today. During his ‘reign’, what he had lacked was some help/training to improve his communication and public speaking skills.
He will be a very loyal and exemplary Labour member and an excellent MP/Minister.
Those who missed out on the interview, see it on ‘On Demand’ to get the measure of the man.
He didn’t lack media training, he had plenty.
He lacked judgment. In taking the job, and in doing the job. You can’t train that.
So true gobsmacked. In Shearers interview played this morning on Q and A he was most confident when talking about the Syria situation however his lack of judgement in why he failed as Labour leader was quite shocking. I thought it particularly telling when he couldn’t own up to the fact that he was not good at communicating a message via the media and then blamed members and other people for continually raising it as an issue.
The guy is in Noddy land seriously and he believed he was making headway at the begging of the year! OMG.
I saw the interview and was also impressed. He spoke well and sincerely and honestly and from the heart. I am pleased to hear he will be staying on and hope to see him back as PM sometime in the future. I to think that we have missed out on a potentially good Leader if he does not stay on for any reason. I’m not too happy with the three running for leader at the moment but would have to go with Robertson if pushed.
Shearer was a good guy and I think he would have made a honest and great PM, but it is the general voting public that should be convinced of that and they were not because of lack of clear communication as well as the media mischief and inside lack of openly displayed loyalty or support.
Look at the National party. They show great unity in public. Labour party MPs and members need to learn that very essential lesson. I admired Mr Shearer when he said, he will give absolute 100% support to whoever becomes the leader now. Hats off to him.
You have to be able to make it to your first election as leader to get a shot at being PM.
True. I so wish that he had communicated with the media and the public, as well and as effortlessly and as straight up and affable way as he did today.
[P.S:
Your 9 September 2013 at 12:26 am comment does not have a ‘reply’ link. Wonder what happened!]
[lprent: On desktop versions of the site, the comments will indent to a maximum depth of 10 and then the reply will disappear (gotta stop at some point). The mobile theme doesn’t have threaded replies. Working on that. ]
“I so wish that he had communicated with the media and the public, as well and as effortlessly and as straight up and affable way as he did today.”
Probably he needed to have a greater belief in what he was saying to do that.
Here is a brief summary from TV3 of the TV1 interview :
Outgoing Labour leader David Shearer says he will not publicly endorse any of the candidates vying to replace him, but will back whoever is chosen 100 percent.
Mr Shearer told Q+A the biggest issue the party faced was disunity.
He wouldn’t reveal who he planned to vote for or publicly endorse a candidate.
“Certainly from my point of view, whoever wins this competition, I will give them 100 percent support, and I don’t care who it is. Well, I’d say I do care who it is, but if that person wins, then we get in behind them … because if we don’t do that, then we won’t win.”
Mr Shearer said, as leader, he had not felt the party was united behind him at all times.
“At the beginning of this year, for example, I felt that we had a real head of steam up. But there’s a group that obviously had been supportive of me before and moved away.”
Mr Shearer, who worked for the United Nations for more than a decade, said he felt more comfortable in war zones than in politics.
“I mean, obviously in politics you’re getting sniped at from all directions. In a war zone, you can generally tell who the good guys are and who are the bad guys.”
Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Shearer-mute-on-choice-for-replacement/tabid/1607/articleID/312356/Default.aspx#ixzz2eGc68Ze2
Other points he made:
David Shearer says he was relieved and disappointed to give up the leadership last month, but he also acknowledged it had been difficult and frustrating.
“The thing I found most difficult really was the pettiness of politics and being in opposition. A lot of it was petty, a lot of it was venal. Politicians from all sides come in to make difference, to actually get something done. And what you get caught up with, particularly as a leader, is point-scoring and that sort of pettiness.
And what you get caught up with, particularly as a leader, is point-scoring and that sort of pettiness.
Yeah, Mumblefuck, you and your mates demonstrated a lot of it.
The take on this from Imperator Fish is short, and to the point.
Edit: http://imperatorfish.com/2013/09/08/so-whos-to-blame-for-shearers-failure-an-imperator-fish-exclusive-2/
Sorry.
That link didn’t work for me.
does anyone know when polls began the march toward replacing thinkng and fact as the founation of our democratic system…
interesting that shearer says the previous labour voter who walked away was white male and middleclass.
He listened oh so well to Pagani and Trotter.
Brian Edwards on The Nation, having a go at TV3 for a “piece of Shameless Publicity for Shane Jones.” re the 3rd Degree piece last week.
It would have been fair if they did a piece each for all three.
According to Brian, Grant and David both declined the offer.
mind you he is for cunliffe and didnt think there should be a leadership contest
David Shearer gave his best ever interview on Q&A. He looked relaxed and rested. Some interesting comments re- the infighting within caucus and the party. I had the impression he is not happy with certain caucus members who originally gave him support and then pulled it (presumably when they thought the time was right for them?). Contrary to Shane Jones’ supporters claims, he has not and will not reveal who he would like to see win the contest. He is adamantly opposed to NZ joining the US in unilateral action against Syria and for all the right reasons.
One wonders if shearer has cut a deal for the foreign ministry.
Shearer perfectly demonstrates why he could be Foreign Minister. He talks about Syria – he’s engaged, informed, reasonable.
He also perfectly demonstrates why he should never have been Labour leader. He doesn’t like opposition politics, it’s too negative, but … what? He had no choice? Trev told him to do it? He was the leader, for crying out loud. Take some responsibility for your own decisions, man.
Plus another sideswipe at the “blogs”. Sad.
Not liking the ‘pettiness’ of politics is exactly why he should never have aspired to be Labour’s leader. The party leader NEEDS to thrive on the cut and thrust of politics. That’s what makes the papers and captures the interest of people who are not interested in politics.
It’s an absolute requirement and Shearer is as thick as two bricks if he doesn’t understand this. It still makes me incredibly angry that he sought the leadership when he clearly had no idea what he was signing up for.
Fukushima
This continuing disaster has so far no foreseeable resolution: We need to begin sampling of all seafood coming to market for radiation. The sooner the better. E.G. I’ve seen fish from Alaska being sold. Also where does most of our tuna come from? Radiation testing would reassure the Public that fish, so far is still safe, hopefully. Fukushima is becoming the most epic environmental disaster of all time except may be Climate Change.
For continuous updates on Fukushima go to: http://www.rense.com/
Continuous updates on adverts…
Hilary Clinton came to a ‘won’t ask, don’t tell’ arrangement with Japan just under two years ago. But since tuna are top of the food chain, I’d say there is an inevitability regards their contamination. How much? Any tasting is kinda cursory…check for gamma. So that misses ‘hot particles’ and strontium amongst a host of other things.
meanwhile… that mutton bird you have in your freezer? I wouldn’t.
For non-advert saturated updates from qualified nuclear engineers and other suitably qualified scientists etc, try this http://www.fairewinds.com/
Tokyo will be a bit stretched to attend to life changing nuclear problems, which need government intervention not letting the players make up their own game rules. They have just now got the go-ahead for some olympic or other major world event there which will probably cost lots and bring far more people over to the country that they will have to provide safe non-contiminated food for, as well as for their own people and those in particular need in their own ‘Red Zone’.
It’s such a downer having a nuclear disaster and destruction and death. Reminds me of the cartoon of middle class people chatting with friends about their recent trip to Africa. It hadn’t been a great success. “They had a famine all the time we were there” they said sadly. (Forgive me if I’ve told this one before. It keeps on being relevant.)
The olympic games will be held in Tokyo in 2020. Money over the environment.
There will be neglible amounts of radiation in the ocean caused by the Fukushima station except in the immediate vicinity of the place where it enters the water. It will very rapidly get diluted in the ocean.
Fish from Alaska aren’t going to be affected.
As far as Tuna goes isn’t it a deep water, rather than a coastal, fish and if so it is also unlikely to be affected by the comparitvely small releases of radiation into the sea.
If you are really worried of course, are you aware that there is an estimated 4.5 Billion tonnes of Uranium in the world’s sea-water?
Hi Alwyn
Thankyou for your concern. What do you think of this?
“Death of the Pacific? Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Caught Off California Coast (Study shows Fukushima nuclear pollution becoming more concentrated as it approaches U.S. West Coast Plume crosses ocean in a nearly straight line toward N. America Appears to stay together with little dispersion)”
Monday, August 26, 2013 16:4
http://beforeitsnews.com/environment/2013/08/death-of-the-pacific-radioactive-bluefin-tuna-caught-off-california-coast-study-shows-fukushima-nuclear-pollution-becoming-more-concentrated-as-it-approaches-u-s-west-coast-plume-crosses-2478392.html
I have just come back to look at this so I’ll briefly comment here.
Headlines like “Death of the Pacific” and pictures of comedy movie villains don’t really strikr me as very good science.
However to some numbers.
The pictures illustrating the article you are quoting would appear to me to cover an area of about 3,000 km by 2,000 km. Assuming that any pollution has been spread through an average depth of 1 km, This would represent a volume of about 6 million cubic kilometres.
This is therefore 6 million billion cubic metres or 6 billion billion litres.
Accepting the comment below that there are about 30 million litres of polluted water you discover that it has been diluted by a factor of about 2 hundred thousand million times.
Am I worried by concentrations like that? No way.
Your comments show a great deal of ignorance, that is equally shocking as the silencing for a long time of a disaster worse then Chernobyl.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/3/japan-to-fund-icewalltostopreactorleaks.html
Excerpt:
“Yet in April 2012, fish caught more than 120 miles from Fukushima showed extremely high levels of contamination with radioactive cesium traceable to the failed nuclear plant. That same month, a report from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution showed cesium-137 in ocean eddies 180 miles from Fukushima at levels hundreds to thousands of times higher than expected to occur naturally.”
“TEPCO has stored enough radioactive water in its weak, faulty tanks to fill more than 130 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The government ordered the company to transfer all the water held in those tanks to more reliable tanks with welded seams” (1 pool hold 2.5 million lt of water – that is 32,500 000 lt of contaminated water that is currently stored in leaking tanks)
Just to give you something to read up on, see below. Cesium 137 is one of the compound found in fish off the coast of Alaska after the leak.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/fisfrag.html
Great to see your contributions here.
alwyn
Oh okay, no worries then. Business as usual. Don’t know why people are getting concerned.
I suggest that you see my comment above about the level of dilution that might be expected.
As I said. Apart from the area near to the spillage the dilution is enormous and I wouldn’t worry.
Comments about the wild life, and people, getting ill in Hawaii from the radiation are rubbish.
Will Key be selling his house in Hawaii? I think he probably will. Here is a report based on geiger counter readings that Hawaii is already contaminated by Fukushima: includes beaches.
There are accusations the military have used live depleted uranium rounds in Hawaii which they deny.
” Hawaii; Paradise, or Nuclear Radiation Contamination Zone?”
http://agreenroad.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/hawaii-paradise-or-nuclear-radiation.html
Quote: At the 9th minute paraphrase: Anyone going to Hawaii now is committing suicide. The narrator says Hawaiians already sick increasingly.
anne
and the media, including dann, will be oblivious to their part in presenting him as someone other than the man we saw on tv today. ds did well to resist danns constant desire for ds to turn on lp, and did well not to point the finger back at dann.
Agreed Tracey.
Mike Williams after looking at the Oz results warns that it shows that voters will punish a party for disunity. This is true. But the risk has to be taken to change something and upset a status quo that is defunct. Or more of the same.
Free market excesses do not now result in bankruptcy and resetting of rules for financials and business. So more of the same!
Roger Douglas said that first the pain and then the gain was the slogan. Now time to return the compliment with complementary meth.
There was a talk with 88 year old communist on Radionz.
Ideas for 8 September 2013 – Communism (â46âČâ03âłâ)
10:06 In the latest of our occasional Lived Philosophies series we’re taking a look at
communism. Dr Kerry Taylor will tell us about the history of revolutionary socialism in New Zealand; and
Max Wilkinson, the son of one of the founders of the New Zealand Communist Party, looks back on a life of social activism. Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Max Wilkinson commented on the way that free market is nursed and nurtured in times of trouble by government. I notice this is not so for the poorer members of the community in hard times. And the wealthy getting state assistance tend not to pay back the government with large lumps of taxes from their profits if they ever return to profit. So if government is going to risk its resources on possible failures in the business world, why not put its resources into the poorer world and boost the economy from the demand side??
Don’t miss this very great Oz satire on elections.
Aussie election a game of polls
Thank you x1000
In the current contest for the Labour leadership, both David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson have positioned themselves against neoliberalism. That is to say, against the dominant form capitalism has taken in the past 30 years. A form defined by deregulation of markets, withdrawal of state intervention in the economy, low tax rates, and so on.
A potential problem with speaking about neoliberalism is that it obscures the real problem, capitalism itself. Capitalism goes through different forms in response to the particularities of the situation of the day, it takes on new forms to survive and grow.
In fact, today we can see capitalism in the process of developing a new post-neoliberal form. It’s no longer all about freeing up markets and removing state intervention. In the context of the financial crisis, and the beginnings of a rise of anger by people bearing the brunt of capitalism, we are seeing new post-neoliberal experiments taken on by governments.
One of the watch cry’s of this new form is ‘partnership’. For instance we have the ‘public private partnerships’ experimented with by both the current National government and the previous Labour government. Rather than a pure neoliberal retreat of the state from the market, we have the state working alongside capital to help capitalism maintain itself. The partial (rather than full) asset sales are another example of the tendency this new form is taking.
It’s important at this moment to remember that the root cause of the problems facing humanity and the planet today are based not in a particular form of capitalism (eg. neoliberalism), but in the general system of capitalism itself, a system in which decisions of any import for the future of people’s lives and the health of the planet are not made in the interests of humanity and the planet, but in the interests of a tiny minority whose real interest is the accumulation of cash.
We should watch then with dismay, as David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson, whilst they begin to push political discourse to the left, fall into the trap of this tendency toward a new form of capitalism, a form which will no doubt be stronger than neoliberalism. The recurring theme of ‘partnership’ enunciated by the Labour leadership contenders in a recent Q and A episode (http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a/2013-09-01-video-5551750) shows that there is still a long way to go in shifting political discourse beyond capitalism itself.
Thanks for that summary Jon. Excellent.
All I can say is that David Cunliffe and Grant Roberston could be a start in what will hopefully be the right direction. I want to see David win because he is further advanced in his political preparation and experience and he is right ready for the role. But I would see Grant Robertson as his natural successor in a future leadership role after some cabinet experience under his belt. If they are both genuine about their need to see a much more hands on approach – and I believe they are – then I see no reason why together they couldn’t succeed in changing the course of this country for the better. I see others with obvious talents – eg. David Parker – adding their weight and once again NZ could become a world leader in innovation and good democratic procedures as did the First Labour government.
Pie in the sky? Well we did it before so we can do it again.
Oh, and lets not forget the Greens who also have some very talented MPs.
A really good discussion on radio nz I think in the weekend had the interviewer talking about good nz companies innovating and then selling to someone overseas. The reply was I think that this could be okay if we had the economy bouncing. I think that was the general tone of the reply. And I think it was a discussion of the book Get off the Grass which Sir Paul Callaghan was involved in. It was interesting – worth going to radionz and looking up.
Too offen offshore investors poach our best startup companies.
Time the state either directly invested too or created some mechanism to partnership our start up innovators.
I think what the person (a scientist) was saying in the interview was that it mattered less to him that companies got bought up so long as New Zealand kept the people – as that was where the innovation came from.
Puddleglum
Ah yes that was it. For his argument that is sufficient.
But then if one adds in the current /ac problems exacerbated by foreign investment owning an increasing bulk of NZ profits, we can’t improve that no matter how well we do, following his ideas.
It becomes like a ponzi scheme except it’s new businesses being created and going into the mix to make up for the ones already sold off. Or perhaps it’s like farming, we are growing businesses to maturity and then selling them on so that other owners themselves utilise and profit from the product. Similar to the government selling off all or part of our assets into private hands.
Correct Jon. The language of capitalism is all National and Labour seem to understand. This shows how far Labour have moved from their roots and I believe its the primary reason they are not popular with voters who would traditionally gravitate towards Labour.
Oh don’t be so hard; Labour was always a capitalist political party, has been since the First Labour Government. Plenty of the labour movement split off from Labour around that time because they felt betrayed over the issue.
If you thought shifting discourse was hard, shifting policy is harder, shifting a country so hard it’s unlikely. A progressive policy as simple as making Working for Families benefit available to beneficiaries was resolutely shouted down by the electorate last time.
We are never ever going to be Bolivia. Thankfully.
Achtung Baby ; Until the end of the world.
“A progressive policy as simple as making Working for Families benefit available to beneficiaries was resolutely shouted down by the electorate last time.”
WFF is an in work tax credit. Making it available to those on welfare is ridiculous. Even Helen Clark got that. It will never happen. Unless the incoming government wants to be a one term government.
“Elections are one MAN one vote. It would be ridiculous to extend them to women.
It’ll never happen.
etc etc ad tedium”
Said every conservative about everything ever.
wrylands
Don’t you know we can think of six ridiculous things even before breakfast? /sarc
Also, WFF is not the same thing as the In-Work Tax Credit – that’s the name of the credit you get if you’re working and don’t have kids, making you ineligible for WFF.
Once again srylands proves that he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about because he has never had anything to do with NZ.
Just fucking give it up and go back to your old username you dildo.
Why can’t non-employed people get an in-work tax credit? Apart from an arbitary distinction about where one’s income comes from (and apart from neoliberal stick is better than carrot ideology), what is the difference between someone on a wage and someone on a benefit?
So on one hand you welcome a universal income – and on the other you would deny it to around 1/4 million children, who through no fault of their own, have parents who (for what ever reason – disability, lack of jobs, at home supporting young/older family, etc etc) are unable to work?
“If you thought shifting discourse was hard, shifting policy is harder, shifting a country so hard itâs unlikely”
Shifting NZ country has been done many times. Some examples:
– universal suffrage
– the welfare state
– state housing
– anti-apartheid movement
– environmental movement (Manapouri and the Values Party)
– nuclear free New Zealand
– homosexual law reform
– neo-liberalism
It’s one of the things the struck my partner when moved to NZ – an idea streams through the country rapidly, at a guess because of the small population. It’s the will to attempt it that’s lacking.
The term “partnership” and PPPs seem to me to be just a continuation of neoliberalism, and, for Labour parties, a soft version of neoliberalism.
I don’t see either Robertson or Cunliffe making a major shift away from that without a lot of pressure from activists and others: both a change in discourse and a shift in policies.
But, in the short term, I want to see a government that works to lessen the inequality gap, strengthen worker-friendly employment laws, stop bennie bashing and improve social security provisions – and also hopefully start working towards an environment friendly steady state economy that provides necessary and life-enhancing jobs and services.
“But, in the short term, I want to see a government that works to lessen the inequality gap, strengthen worker-friendly employment laws, stop bennie bashing and improve social security provisions â and also hopefully start working towards an environment friendly steady state economy that provides necessary and life-enhancing jobs and services.”
So to translate – you want a government that increases tax, increases welfare payments, while reducing economic growth to zero? How do you think that is going to go down? You think a government that adopted those policy targets would get a second term?
Eventually some Government is going to have to bite the bullet and do it. preferably before it is forced on us by AGW and resource depletion.
As for increasing tax and welfare payments, our Governments part of GDP is half that of many more successful countries, so we have plenty of room to move.
“So to translate â you want a government that increases tax, increases welfare payments, while reducing economic growth to zero? How do you think that is going to go down? You think a government that adopted those policy targets would get a second term?”
Reducing economic growth to zero is essential.
Simply growing the economic pie does not ensure that everyone gets a bigger slice.
The ideology that states that growing the economy is essential to ensure better outcomes for all is simply the lie that is constantly fed to the unknowing voter by the politicians and their minions the media. Economists of the neo-liberal school – who regrettably have held the ear of government for far to long perpetuate this myth. And it is a myth as, any decent examination of this unfortunate experiment of, the past 3 decades would demonstrate.
Following the Depression and during the War years knowing what the Nation produced and growing that, was an essential target. However developed economies have now reached a stage where continued growth is being pursed with diminishing returns. We have reached the point where for some commodities further growth is “uneconomic”. We should not be surprised by this, Smith predicted this in his “Wealth of Nations”.
Furthermore and much more pertinent to the welfare of voters is the unfortunate fact that for the vast majority, they have experienced a decline over the past 3 decades in their relative net worth. For instance in the UK, personal debt as a % of GDP has risen from 60% to over 100% in just 15 years – and continues to increase, while savings as a % of disposable income has fallen from 11% to nothing in the same period. Meanwhile, employment conditions have deteriorated, and while the uber rich get super rich, the rest get poorer.
A sensible government that understood the need to change our economic direction would in the first instance begin a nation wide education programme and discussion forum in which every adult and young person was encouraged to participate. Nation wide hui’s up and down the country in every town and across every city, where the the desires and aspirations of everyone was considered. The results of the past presented the ideas and possibilities of new and exciting future pathways discussed and at the end of the day the move towards a more fairer and equitable economy would be possible, because then the people would be involved.
That is such a good idea.
May be the Labour Party should organise and start this during the next 10 months through locally organised meetings, through postbox leaflets, through internet/facebook, newspaper articles, blogs, YouTube videos, TV ads etc. Worth the cost, effort and time to create a new social and economic exciting revolution.
Exactly. Unfortunately the conventional wisdom – as expounded by S’lands and others holds sway. The god of our nation is GDP, if it falls the nation morns, newsreaders frown and the general populace fidget, yet GDP measures earthquake repairs and other natural disasters, spending on cancer and other terminal illness, spending on prisons, and a host of other undesirable expenditures. I does not measure the technical prowess that enables NZ to compete in a world class event such as the Americas Cup, although some of the expenditure is. But the off shore expenditure does not count. It does not include the value of our National Parks or the beauty of our shorelines, or the pricelessness our our kiwi, or the cultural heritage we as NZ possess.
We need a new measure to assess our economic progress, one that encapsulates all that makes us who we are, and what we wish to become.
now that’s a Macro effort!
If one is in a partnership arrangement then that partner has a fair amount of control or influence, don’t you think carol.
that partner
It takes more than one to make a partnership. Which partner are you thinking has that “fair amount of control and influence”?
Oh Karol…we sing from the same song book one thinks.
Here goes.
Next way….PPP could provide direct state intervention or control at private sector board level in a meaningful manner.
Say govt invested cash and infrastructure in a particular sector or business um forestry but conditional on union awards, pays rates conditions and well anything…govt bring to bear its influence to bring about change in the private market.
Why not all a combination mixed model…private, state and ppp businesses.
Now ppp could also be collectives too. Worker state ppp sharing profits etc. ( my fav).
Thoughts?
Oh KarolâŠwe sing from the same song book one thinks.
I don’t think so. PPPs are to me a third way thing, not a “new way”.
Define new way then please?
Third way ppp were simply state giving away our money with little involvement or influence.
I favour direct meaningful involvement in the private sector to bring about change and betterment for workers etc in a real and timly manner.
This is beyond the failed third way and neo lib consensus.
You’re the one talking “new way”, so why would I have a definition of it?
The state does have involvement in PPPs.
If the state is directly involved in private sector enterprises, to the point of having dominant control, it would no longer be a private enterprise.
Obvious ahhh.
AIPAC pushes for action in Syria.
The influential pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee will deploy hundreds of activists next week to win support in Congress for military action in Syria, amid an intense White House effort to convince wavering U.S. lawmakers to vote for limited strikes.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Sep-07/230402-pro-israel-us-lobbying-group-sets-major-push-for-syria-action.ashx#ixzz2eGxWETd7
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9138635/Spoiling-for-a-fight
– Is this Mallard calling in favors because he knows he’ll have some explaining to do when Cunliffe wins the leadership?
th’ feck is he wearing?
Blending in with the greystone. Impersonating a permanent fixture.
A crimplene suit. Have they come back again after 40 years?
But with a black T-shirt?
Who does he think he is? Bono?
male menopause.
He needs male menofastforward.
clever clogs
Crimplene suits now all we need is a Skoda car and we will be Back to the Future.
Still for all of Pat Hunts sarcastic denigration of Social Credit in a pique of losing his seat we owe a certain vote of thanks to that party. They managed to eject Brash from a nice safe National seat in East Coast Bays (with a little help from Muldoon)
If only Labour could effect a similar coup and get rid of McCully from that seat. Almost any other party would be preferable to McCully
Excellent to see Two more of the unions behind David Cunliffe.
[lprent: I adjusted your excess bold. ]
was a typo đ
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=380482265412513&set=a.376167095844030.1073741828.375464442580962&type=1
http://www.priceoftravel.com/555/world-taxi-prices-what-a-3-kilometer-ride-costs-in-72-big-cities/
and?
edit: let me help. Which stupid case would you like to make?
stupid 1. taxi drivers in Melbourne are richer than chimney sweeps in Albania so why are they complaining, or
stupid 2. a barman poured me a beer in 30 seconds and charged me 10 bucks, therefore bartenders are on $1200 per hour.
is srylands back in melbourne?
A letter from the Syrian American community.
http://www.unitedfreesyria.org/letter2antiwarmovement/
The Muslim Public Affairs Council position on intervention in Syria.
http://www.mpac.org/assets/docs/publications/MPAC-Intervention-in-Syria-Position-Paper.pdf
http://www.mpac.org
Solved.
ahhh, yes, that was it. While skedaddling through Feb’s New Scientist , as you do, I noticed the library’s subscription to Creation magazine, $7.50 Australian you’re not going to need in the ‘promised land’.
“Solved.”
What, you think the New World Order can’t comandeer a few eagles?
“I hear that Trevor Mallard threatened to resign if David Cunliffe won. Folks, thatâs a two for one special that no one can turn down. ” This is from Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog.
I wish !
Lolz.
Most see that in Mallard: the bruising, fiery frontrower who deals out the rough stuff and sometimes goes too far (think of his brawl with National MP Tau Henare or select committee stoush with policeman Mike Bush). In contrast, he sees the ultimate utility player, a team man who helps wherever he can. Whoever emerges victorious from the leadership battle (he’s backing Grant Robertson), Mallard – despite the longevity of his parliamentary career – wants to continue in the engine room.
“It depends on whoever wins, whether they want to use my talents or not – that’s up to them, I’m not pushy.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9138635/Spoiling-for-a-fight
đ
Did he define those talents? I haven’t noticed much except stupid sideshows and closing schools, plus foundation membership of ABC.
Exploratory and interesting music from a Chilean group in concert in Chicago, really worth looking at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZlKUhN368c
El pueblo unido jamas cera vencido!
Dear Tangata Whenua, this is “spiritual” and “enlightening”, I suggest to take a listen and view, as this is YOUR way also, to go, to assert your culture, and your collective interests:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4naoHdZxw8
Excuse me, I am just an observer, but see this as important.
Like in Chile, or other places, whenever questions of “power” arise, the forces diallowing free speech and democracy are right there and HIT us, it is the actual breach of international laws, that is intimidating most. It is a criminal organisation, based in the US and even US dominated UN that keep us locked into dependency and servitude.
It is time for ALL NZers, and sadly most are wage and salary “slaves”, to take a bloody stand now and get rid of this corrupt, lying, self serving government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkYoHxzaKs4
Good morning Xtasy, “rise up the slaves”!
el derecho de vivir en paz – documental completo – VICTOR JARA ( Carmen Luz Parot ) 1999
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a64W_N5MgLU