Very sad. Wanky media think it’s funny duping ordinary workers. I’ve had to deal with a few incidents of media (sometimes via politicians, employers and sadly a time or two by other benefit advocates) putting everyday people in unnecessary spotlight and seen terrible consequences there as well – not far away from this.
That whole notion that came through in the 80’s that staff were simply a resource and no longer people is one of the reasons this sort of crap happens.
People don’t even think about the consequences of humiliating a resource.
Perhaps this tragedy will begin the demise of the tabloid culture in broadcasting that has gone unbridled since the advent of “pirate radio” – where disc jockeys have masqueraded as commentators with opinions of some worth. Ratings driven please-the-advertisers-justification drivel.
It’s all a symptom of the Murdoch type world.
And we have a government here who would like to commercialise RNZ. Just the way they have stuffed Television New Zealand.
It is sad. But it’s sad because, this nurse, doing one of the most important jobs for society, only became known to us because of her association with royals.
It’s sad that the royal pregnancy has got saturation coverage in the NZ media, while the MSM largely ignore a far more important event going on right under their noses: the international TPPA negotiations going on this week at Sky City in Auckland.
From the above linked article:
The nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, was a 46-year-old mother of two.
I hope Jacintha is now at peace. She made an important contribution to this world as a nurse and parent.
Simply a symptom of the break down of society, the dumbing down of the masses.
The sensationalism and tabloid culture the entertainment factor of journalism these days is simple in response to this.
Not only tragic and appalling for all the individuals involved; but serves crystal clear notice to the media industry that it’s long past time for a complete cleanout of all the venal, slimy, craven lack of professional journalistic standards that have become the accepted norm.
If journalism wants to survive as a profession it needs to take a very long hard look at itself. Self-righteous defensiveness and posturing no longer cuts mustard.
Perhaps this tragedy will begin the demise of the tabloid culture in broadcasting that has gone unbridled since the advent of “pirate radio” – where disc jockeys have masqueraded as commentators with opinions of some worth. Ratings driven please-the-advertisers-justification drivel.
It’s all a symptom of the Murdoch type world.
Such will only happen if the particular station gets done for causing the death.
And we have a government here who would like to commercialise RNZ. Just the way they have stuffed Television New Zealand.
That’s National and Act and UF to the core. Sell everything into private ownership so that the private owners get to control everything. Capitalism is just another form of dictatorship.
Commercialising Radio New Zealand isn’t going to make things worse. The National program is pretty well down in the dregs already.
I was listening to Jim Mora’s program on Thursday with his “panel” of Jock Anderson and Josie McNaught. A chunk of the fake call was played and the three of them certainly didn’t see anything wrong with doing it. If anything they appeared to regard it as funny and certainly nothing to worry about. There was mild sympathy with the nurse who was fooled but certainly no concern for the invasion of Kate’s privacy.
alwyn
That’s silly. Public National Radio is important. Complain if there is some program you want to change or improve but don’t talk about throwing it away in favour of commercialisation.
(I see I have to give up my? pseudonym Vindow Viper – some clever clogs always has thought of it first!)
If you re-read what I said, I didn’t actually call for National Radio to be commercialised, or privatised.
What I said was that they were just as appalling in their approach to this story as most of the commercial radio stations probably were (I didn’t hear anything they were playing so I can’t say).
I think we are entitled to rather better behaviour from National Radio than the juvenile giggling they did turn on. It was a gross invasion of privacy and it should NOT have been repeated in their broadcasts.
alwyn
I find the responses from Jim Mora’s guests very variable.
And that some of them would find the prank amusing is not surprising, they can be pretty vapid.
Of course it was not foreseen then that this poor lady would be soon dead.
Yes alwyn I agree with you. I turned the radio off in disgust because of the flippant attitude they were exhibiting. We are entitled to much better behaviour from the only non commercial radio station we have in NZ.
As someone who was a victim of a number of vicious hoaxes in the distant past (not from the media in my case) I know the feeling of embarrassment, humiliation, fear and most of all… the violation of one’s privacy.
When malice and violation of privacy is involved, it should automatically become a criminal offence. The police approached my complaints with such a cavalier attitude, they might as well have told me what they were clearly thinking: ” Oh, you must have asked for it”. I still have a low opinion of the NZ Police as a result of that experience and probably always will have.
fender/same sentiment less eloquent Viper 1.1.1.4.1.3
If you listen to RNZ often you will know there’s often a right-wing panel one day and a left-wing panel the next. I think they should be commended for trying to be fair and balanced, but I’ll always be down on them for banning Bomber when all he did was tell the truth.
While I agree with the theory, the plain simple reality is the right wing manufacturing of slogan should have seen a much more balanced Moro being able to counter them.
Take the kid in the corner, he basically allowed one of his guests to say it was all okay, because civics taught by religion classes was a social good. Have these people not been anywhere in the last 500 years, religion is death – to culture, to learning, to people, its prescriptivist nature has long been the enemy of the people.
It’s all part of the me generation that seeks pleasure and amusement and to hell with other considerations. Paul Holmes, Paul Henry, fun-loving types playing merry japes from Oz or NZ. Sociopathic at base. A proud hardworking ambitious medico may have felt her reputation and future had been fatally marked as she was being censured.
In the wake of these very sad events, hopefully we will witness the passing of the age of the boorish insensitive media shock jock?
Maybe the coarse laddish cheap and nasty reactionary humour of the John Tamiheres’ and Paul Henrys’ of this world, with behaviour previously excused, as “Ladish Fun” will no longer be considered acceptable behaviour for media broadcasters?
We can only hope that this is the case.
Boorish and reactionary, often misogynist and racist, radio and TV announcers are no longer funny, if they ever were.
Populuxe1 1.2
Tedious shock jocks not media? If they are broadcasting from a position of employment then every comment they distribute is part of their media presentation, including tweets and facebook.
They aren’t “tedious Australian shock jocks” – they’re victims.
We’re seriously concerned about their welfare and we’re doing whatever we can to help them…This is a tragic event that could not have been reasonably foreseen and we’re deeply saddened by it.
You seem to be implying they should be held responsible for their behaviour this tragic event or something.
Bwana Dave Shearer attempting to brush a few Labour crumbs off of the table in the Greens direction,
I see nothing to be gained by the Greens in accepting a ‘nothing’ position such as Deputy Prime Minister, the position in terms of coalition politics is simply ‘a bauble’ of office which would leave the incumbent powerless but tarred with the brush of having to accept the policies of the larger partner in the coalition while also being held to account for policy not of it’s own making by the electorate,
I would hope that the Greens are giving some thought this far out from 2014 to some bottom lines in policy where they can show the electorate specific gains to be made from soiling themselves in any coalition Government,
There may be far more to gain in terms of electoral support for the Greens to allow Labour as a minority Government with Green confidence and supply votes while extracting from Labour a specific set of goals via legislation within a stated time-frame…
Aha, the worry here is that the Greens could wind up in coalition with Labour while holding specific portfolio’s such as Conservation and then find their Ministries hamstrung by a Labour strangle-hold on the Finance Ministry,
I am sure that the Green Party is well up with this concern and would seek iron-clad budget guarantees as part of any coalition negotiations,
There is nothing i would like to see more in politics than a strong Green presence in a New Zealand Government, the codicil to that of course would have to be the careful balancing of the gains to be made by having that Cabinet representation as opposed to being able to extract the same gains from a confidence and supply agreement without the negative political effects that most junior coalition party’s suffer…
FFS I’m with Karol on this one.
Memo to the Left. Women vote for you in large quantites. Women have taken a pounding under Nact [along with young people, children, those on social assistance etc etc].Most voters aren’t rich white males.
There is no need for tokenism you have plenty of competent women, use them.
Why isn’t the greens other co leader being considered for deputy PM? Maybe even a shared deputy PM.
“Finance is obviously the most important role in a government and that would go to the party with the greatest proportion of votes, and that’s what people in New Zealand would expect,” Mr Shearer said.
No Mr Shearer, I’d expect it to go to the person most suited to the role within the ruling coalition.
He would like Labour to be above 40 per cent, but whatever the Greens scored “we’ll work it out from there”.
Will Russel Norman become the Nick Clegg of New Zealand
And destroy his party in the process?
David Shearer appears to be weighing up his options for deputy prime minister between Green co-leader Russel Norman and NZ First leader Winston Peters as he looks for ways to reward support partners without letting go of the key finance portfolio.
For Russel Norman to accept a high cabinet position while Labour oversees a huge expansion in coal mining and oil drilling, would be to take a poisoned chalice for the Green Party. While Russel Norman may personally profit, like Nick Clegg in the the UK his party would be destroyed. Especially as looks likely the Labour Party will be committed to the strip mining of coal of West coast coal at Denniston and deep sea oil drilling and fracking all of which the Greens oppose.
Under the last Labour administration environmentalists were getting illegally spied on and arrested for protesting such things. No doubt under Shearer this will continue and Russel Norman will be seen to be a party to it.
Far better for the Greens to stay out of formal coalition with Labour and be captured. As happened with the Alliance, as happened to the Maori Party with National, as happened to the British Liberal Democrats with the Conservatives. And all see their votes collapse. Better to keep fighting for
your principles rather than trade them away.
Started work friday at 8am finished at 11pm so a very very long day for me.
Weekend will be groceries, gardening weeding veg garden, looking after baby naps and then back to work on Monday.
ACT leader John Banks wants to be excused from appearing in court over the Dotcom donations saga.
A judge summoned the Epsom MP to appear in Wellington District Court next week, after retired accountant Graham McCready launched a rare private prosecution on a charge of knowingly filing a false election return
Jones is asking if Banks can be excused and instead represented by a lawyer.
Poor Morrissey – Sexual problems? You’re just jealous of smoothy Bill Clinton. There’s too much interest in the ordinary sex habits of pollies. Leave them alone until they do it in the street and frighten the horses.
You could not be more wrong. Clinton has a history of foolish and reckless sexual behaviour, but then so do many politicians.
And, take my word for it, he’s welcome to his ghastly wife—and to the pathetic matrons who threw themselves at him in Queenstown and Auckland when he was here in 1999.
7.3 magnitude quake off the coast of Miyagi prefecture yesterday. Miyagi prefecture is right next to Fukushima prefecture. So, no tsunami or what not. But haven’t seen any reports about Fukushima-Daiichi Unit 4. Anyone?
And if you’re reading this but are unaware of the importance of Unit 4, then….last I heard (from the fairewinds website some months back), its walls were bulging due to quake damage and the fear was that a good sized aftershock could cause it to split or collapse.
And if Unit 4 loses its water and the cooling rods are exposed to air they will, apparently, ignite and it will not be possible to extinquish the resulting highly radioactive fire. And the release of radiation would exceed the culmutive radiation from all nuclear tests.
So, given the potential for an absolutely unprecedented disaster scenario if Unit 4 is compromised, I’ve have expected news reports of a major aftershock to carry specific info on the integrity of that cooling pool. (ie, something more detailed or focussed than some Tepco mouthpiece issuing a blanket – ‘It’s all A-OK at all of our plants’ – type statement.)
I’d like to buy a badge to wear to all Labour Party meetings with the words:
“I am Colonial Viper!”
This would be a great fund raiser for the Dunedin South Labour party. I’d pay $10 for one (incl P&P and GST).
They could use half the proceeds for the Hillside families and the other half to fund a better election campaign in 2014.
Maybe they are vetting the applications for left wing bloggers hence the time delays.
How about CV for Dunedin South. Replace a twit tweeter with a Activist blogger.
Reply to Lenore at 41 in the ‘Just how wrong…’ thread.
I instinctively wanted to argue with your comment.
But it reminded me of a blog-post of Chris Trotter’s from way back, in which he lamented that gatherings of the left seem more rancorous, cliquey, unfriendly, and sometimes downright nasty, on a personal level, than similar groups on the right. And sadly, that has largely been my experience of left-wing activism too.
Even allowing for my own ineptness in group settings, memories of being quite outrageously patronised, feeling deliberately excluded much more often than I felt included, of cliquiness not otherwise seen outside of adolescence, and of personalised belittling, backstabbing, and malicious gossip completely unrelated to any idealogical differences, do tend to predominate.
I don’t see activism as a social outlet, or expect “fun”, and I think I understand that the left is diversity by definition, and solidarity in diversity is much harder work than I imagine a National Party fundraising dinner would be. Fighting oppression will never be a smooth ride, and so in that respect I do understand and share your trepidation at rejoining the fray.
But hey, the Labour Party isn’t particularly left-wing, so you might be pleasantly surprised….
I’d suggest that this lack of sociability among left-wing activists has it’s roots in the idea that most of us are fundamentally introverted personalities. In a world that largely values and celebrates extroversion it’s very difficult for us to learn constructive ways to assert ourselves, because for much of our lives we experience exclusion and marginalisation everywhere.
Put a bunch of us face to face in a room we find it all a bit intense, hard work, and it’s not so very surprising that it’s a more than a little dysfunctional. It’s also why if you let us remove ourselves back to the privacy of our own homes … we can often connect quite successfully with each other on the net.
I was active for a while in the dim dark past but well my local party was geared up as anti newbie and very very focused on power plays and knife tossing. Little real activity and organisational skills. Now ten years on all focused around the sitting MP support core from the culled woman’s branch.
I remember my first LEC meeting after doing a review of the leaflet drop zones, the red neck affiliate rep judged me as ” great another fucking homo”, the feminist urban renewal supporter sniffed and exclaimed “I don’t need a man to accompany me doing canvassing”, the regional rep mumbled and stumbled shyly stating ” I don’t do public speaking”, and th sitting MP hinted at dark economic tidings on the horizon.
Anyway long live the revolution within the party and membership rights.
LOL
I could tell a few funny stories of a similar ilk – but not without identifying myself and potentially offending fellow activists – who as individuals were good people. (I always imagined one particular group as a satirical tv show).
And yes, shoot me right now and get it over with, identity cliques, including feminist cliques seem to naturally occur, gain powerbases, start playing power games….
Understandable in many ways, and there can be an element of overcompensating once we “identities” find our voices.
In reply to Bill, I think changes to the ways we organise ourselves could help ameliorate the problem, but I don’t think hierarchical structures are the only cause. There are a whole lot of factors at play I think.
And Vindow Viper – I find it hard to believe that the majority of left-wingers can be introverted because introversion is a minority trait. We are probably disproportionately represented though. Another part of the jigsaw is differences in how the working classes are socialised (compared to the ruling classes). Unconsciously, many of our parents prepared us to be “good workers” – rather than the smooth social operators the ruling class tend to train their kids to be.
I think the places like TS can help overcome the problem, not just because many of us are shy, but because conversations can develop over time. So often in real world setttings we can’t get past action and reaction, to actually listening to each other.
Unconsciously, many of our parents prepared us to be “good workers” – rather than the smooth social operators the ruling class tend to train their kids to be.
IMO there’s two parts. Socialisation needs to be taught but the majority of families fail to actually teach it and so children are left to pick up socialisation from the people around them which is, more often than not, other children in places such as school. So the majority of people grow up with failed socialisation.
The part where you say prepared us to be “good workers” is exactly that – the parents, used to nothing other than working themselves, tell their children that they need to have a job. It’s all they’ve known. Other families teach their children how to be successful within the present hierarchical paradigm which really isn’t about having a job but about having the right social connections and having others work for them.
Interesting idea Draco, that there can be an absence of teaching socialisation which sees kids scratching around picking up what they can from their peers who might also be largely untaught. That rings true to me.
My whole group are what you call elites…take last new years one fly in by his own helicopter for the party but my point thru education and self or taught drive and determination either through group socialisation or individual drive etc we should all be elites. Further to this is that even the multi millionaire is a worker basically just more cleverer or more socialised connected or had a better start so therefore all workers given the right or left tools should be the same.
We can’t all be elites. That is a contradiction in terms.
The idea that through hard work, and determination, blah blah blah……. is a prevalent right-wing meme which is not founded in reality.
Similar to “we can all be winners”. If we were all winners there would be no winners because there can be no winning without others losing. Good for keeping us in aspirational la-la land though.
It’s called a rule change if you don’t like the rules stand up and change them just don’t sit it out.
First step…power to the party i.e members
Two.. Plan and organise in the long term
Three. Promote key identifiers into position of change.
Four. Disseminate ideas of change to the masses.
Five. Systematically create change or await an event that fosters the right environment for change….big bang or crunch will do nicely.
Hmm. Meetings. In not very democratic settings, all the nasty, cliquey, power tripping shit gets free reign. So quieter or shyer people get excluded, options or opinions sidelined if they are not ‘in tune’ with the dominant suggestion (which is usually framed as a yes/no, agree/disagree ‘decision’). Even the agenda for what is/isn’t to be discussed is set from ‘on high’…by ‘the committee members, the clique etc, ie those with more access to information and by extention, ability to excercise power.
There are fairly simple ways around all of that. In a word: democracy.
Level the environment where the decisions are going to be made. No permanently appointed or elected committees, chairpeople or whatever to preside over meetings. Revolving position of facilitators whose main task is identify what the group is actually saying, ensure or encourage input from those who are less dominant in group settings, see to it that all opinions are canvassed and not casually dismissed ‘just because’, deny the opportunity to dominate…etc, etc, etc.
Facilitator = potentially poisoned chalice of being King/ Queen/dictator/ diplomat (depending on their approach/skill level)….for a few hours. And next time around they are just one of the unwashed like everyone else and somebody else gets to fill those shoes. Which aren’t very pleasant btw…it can be bloody hard work and usually involves a very steep learning curve. And is utterly disempowering on the level that the facilitator does not actually engage in terms of input to whatever decisions are up for consideration.
Could LEC meetings run along those lines? I’d love to hear any excuses as to why they couldn’t or shouldn’t…or any arguments that would attempt to justify why such meetings should be considered as ‘special cases’ allowed to practice ‘less than democratic’ meeting procedures.
So, vulture capitalists. I hadn’t paid much attention before, just another lot of financiers ripping people off with derivatives, bonds, currency trading an the like. But it’s worse than that when they can:
– Impound a frigate of a sovereign state and get a court order from some country or another (in this case Ghana) to hold it until the State pays the vultures the debt they bought up for a song
… A few months ago, the Argentine frigate Libertad, which ironically means freedom in Spanish, was seized in Ghana after a local judge ruled in favour of Elliott Capital Management. …
…Elliott Capital Management, a vulture fund based in the tax haven Cayman Islands owned by conservative financier Paul Singer (a big donor to the Romney campaign), refused to accept the terms of the debt restructuring that was accepted by more than 92% of bondholders in 2005 and 2010. It has demanded payment in full, and has actively pursued its case in different courts across the world
– Buy up debt from a defaulting sovereign state, get a court ruling from some country (in this case the U.S.) to force a country who had defaulted to pay billions, with interest – at the expense of debtors who agreed to take less to facilitate the default and without any concern whatsoever for the citizens of the country, or the economic recovery that has made the demand for payment viable.
The ruling also contradicts US internal bankruptcy laws, which force minority creditors to confirm to deals accepted by 70% of creditors. If this ruling is supported in the higher courts (both Argentina and other creditors have already appealed) it will create an unviable situation for global bond markets. Creditors will only be making one-way bets if no possibility of restructuring is accepted, making the only options all (full payment) or nothing (complete default)…
…Ironically, this may turn out to be counterproductive. It is not just that these recent moves are deeply unjust and anti-democratic – it is also that they threaten the global financial system itself. Allowing vulture funds to get precedence over other bondholders that accept restructuring undermines any possibility of renegotiating debts, without which no credit system can function.
Big issues here for how the Greek, Spanish and Portugese debt is handled, and maybe something of the reason for the convoluted drawn out process in managing Greek debt.
There must be something going on behind the scenes to get rid of these people. Surely even the eyes at the top of the financial tree can see there is a massive risk of it crashing to the ground.
Yep this means the whole idea of partial write-downs of debt will be out of the window. But the finacial elite don’t care – they have their interests nicely protected
What I find amazing is that while the super-rich have always been able to bend ‘justice’ to their will in the name of obscene profiteering, they now believe they have the power to take on an entire nation – impounding a frigate!
Maybe the feisty Cristina Kirchner should consider formally declaring war on Paul Singer and all the interests of Elliot Capital Management
So what explains all the downgrading and undermining of the country in financial markets and the media?
The real reason may lie in the very success of the country’s economy after its default and forced debt restructuring process. After 2002, Argentina reversed the austerity measures promoted by the IMF, renationalised key productive sectors like aviation, pensions and most recently oil, increased social protection and income transfers to the poor, and reduced poverty substantially. Real wages have increased, and wage inequalities have been reduced.
Yep, as far as the capitalists go it’s proof that their preferred financial method doesn’t actually work and they can’t have that as people will break the bonds that the capitalists have spent centuries putting in place.
Good on you, you’re making your point. Those who would censor take note.
If you’re joining the viper army, however, a reminder that the first comment under a new name goes into moderation. Once the new name is cleared, away you go as usual. But in the weekend moderation can take a while sometimes…
(I can see the headlines now – The Standard is a nest of vipers!)
No, I was answering your question about why.
The “look it up” was sarcastic (apologies) because I thought the reasons we “vipers” are trying to offer our support, were quite obvious. Did you read yesterday’s open mike?
I did read the article, but it does not make sense from what has been discussed.
I would have thought that as CV self proclaimed does not work, and apparantly does not have to, that he would be in an ideal position to really get stuck into the system, so to speak.
Being a prolific poster on blogs is not enough to have to take cover from blogging, if it can have no blow back – Perhaps it about his family as opposed to him, which would be understandable.
Looking for some more details, in a generalist sense as to what else could have triggered this, as it sounds like its overblown to me.
Sure there might be more to it in the background, but the posts do not tell that.
Solidarity is great, but so is some information, above what has been given.
Oh for olde petes sake….a song coched in old lost language.
Old farmer will had a farm, sheep dogs and pigs and an old work horse called one left shoe. Now on that farm there was a mouse called Micky…..Micky mouse had a friend called pig man E N G O and that’s what his name is NGO NGO loud and shrill but solid and kind who walked and talked until he was red deep red in the face….poor old NGO.
Me-thinks the latest attempt to muzzle internet comment on the Labour Party leadership is an attempt to silence those in the Party who support Cunliffe as leader,
The intent of such would seem to be a view that a challenge can be fore-stalled in February if such activists within the Party can be silenced,
To me Labour and the Shearer faction and supporters in the Party, (if there are in fact many, any ???), have gone about this all arse about face,
Perhaps the Shearer faction ‘knows’ that should a vote be triggered in February they don’t have the numbers, but, putting that aside for now most of us, (an assumption), would have found it to be the mark of a real leader if the Shearer camp had of from the moment the Conference re-wrote the rules on leadership selection openly stated that it would be they, (the Shearer faction), who would trigger that vote by the wider party in February,
Complaining about and threatening Party members for voicing their opinions on websites such as the Standard is at the least weak,
Further to that i believe that Labour as a Party should not rest on it’s laurels as far as having added the ‘democratic’ element to it’s choice of leadership and the same voting system could anbd should be extended in the future to selecting future Labour Cabinets with the Parliamentary Leader allocating the relevant portfolios…
Yes that much is clear, but is it more about the outing of the real identity as a way of trying to quiet the blogging community as a whole, or does CV have a specific role as member of the LP which would seem to make sense to the person alledged to be putting the heat on?
Does CV have a blog site, or a role inside the membership which would explain this attention?
Does CV have a blog site, or a role inside the membership which would explain this attention?
Not to my knowledge except he has shown himself to be a very effective communicator. I suspect that was the sin he committed.
[Some details deleted. r0b] While there may be some other incidences of bullying going on, I don’t think its a campaign on the part of the Labour caucus to stamp out criticism or dissent. I hope not.
I will give you an example that happened a few months ago. The MP in question ‘outed’ one of The Standard’s most well known (and highly regarded) commenters… on Red Alert. I doubt the person in question was too phased because he’s never made any attempt to hide his real identity anyway. What I’m saying is: she has a history of this kind of silly behaviour.
If it’s not an LP campaign, then it’s a further example of Shearer’s poor control over his caucus – he’s heavy handed with MPs he, or his leadership team see as a threat, but lets his supporters get away with actions that undermine the principles of a left wing party.
PS: Is it possible that the repressive approach of the leadership team to MPs in the Labour caucus, is causing lone MPs to act pre-emptively against LP members, in order to preserve their own standing with the caucus leaders?
Muzza, you seem to be saying a) What’s so special about Colonial Viper?
and b) you question the importance to CV of his pseudonymity, and believe you have a right to know his reasons and have the right to judge whether his reasons are “valid.”
You do get that CV is a commenter on a blog, and you have no right to know anything about his “real” life? Any more than I have a right to any information about yours. That CV has been silenced (albeit temporarily I hope) by Labour management shows his right to privacy is very important to him. And CV is one of us.
And we know, because it has been discussed here extensively, that some, maybe many, would not be able to participate at all, or would have their right to freedom of speech significantly curtailed without this protection.
Labour management is silencing dissent by bullying its own members (who are, it’s worth noting, its (unpaid) workforce). If you don’t see this as important enough to warrant a rallying of support from this community, and/or don’t see CV as ‘important” enough, I’d be kind of interested in your criteria.
Who would be important enough?
What would be important enough?
Muzza, you seem to be saying a) What’s so special about Colonial Viper?
Thats not what I’m saying
and b) you question the importance to CV of his pseudonymity, and believe you have a right to know his reasons and have the right to judge whether his reasons are “valid.”
Everyone who wants to remain anonymous should be able to expect that is maintainable, whether or not that becomes maintainable will depend on how out there they put themselves, and the type of people they are putting themselves out there with/against. Politics is theatre, the media is theatre, and the people inside the political theatre are low quality, as we see by the state of NZ.
Should people be outed, or threatened to be outed, no, but is that likely to happen, yes of course!
If en masse people, following some vague details and a blogger saying he needs to check out for a while, want to show outward solidarity, thats great, and I understand the positions people are taking.
So far as having a right to know, no, not at all, just the right to ask questions (answered ot not), and form my own opinions based on what makes sense from the little info available!
You do get that CV is a commenter on a blog, and you have no right to know anything about his “real” life? Any more than I have a right to any information about yours. That CV has been silenced (albeit temporarily I hope) by Labour management shows his right to privacy is very important to him. And CV is one of us.
Again, I do not want/expect/have rights to anything, and yes he is as far as I am aware, a commentator on a blog, and seemingly LP member. Would that in its own right be enough to attact that sort of attention, unless the MP involved has lost the plot, ot there ir more to the story than has come across the posts – I suspect much of both. –
If CV has been silenced that is his choice to allow, or not, and if the threat of being outed has lead to the silencing, that is unfortunate, but again, its his choice. Do I agree with outing, absolutely not, but see my comment above about who/how much people involved themselves.
And we know, because it has been discussed here extensively, that some, maybe many, would not be able to participate at all, or would have their right to freedom of speech significantly curtailed without this protection.
Actually i think there may be a bigger agenda at play, in so far as the *freedom of the net/speech* is concerned, and perhaps this might be a trigger. Hard to say though as its all rather under the radar from what I can tell.
Labour management is silencing dissent by bullying its own members (who are, it’s worth noting, its (unpaid) workforce). If you don’t see this as important enough to warrant a rallying of support from this community, and/or don’t see CV as ‘important” enough, I’d be kind of interested in your criteria.
I see the LP having been taken over decades back, and woudl consider this alledged behaviour as another example of the takeover of politics, which has allowed the takeover of NZ, in case no one else noticed!
Yes its important, but I’m not the blond support/cheer leader type – CV is one of the many commentators here which can be enjoyed, and if he is being harrassed, that is out of order.
Support takes many forms, not always the outwardly obvious!
a) Yeah, all the world is a stage. And?
b)Are you familiar with the concept of victim-blaming?
c)What, exactly, do you imagine is flying under what radar?
d)Support and victim-blaming are mutually exclusive as far as I’m concerned.
What the heck are you talking about. Threatening to expose someone when they’ve used a pseudonym to debate on blogs is bullying at best and blackmail at worst.
This issue is not “political theatre”, nor is it just “harassment”, it is both a personal attack on an individual’s rights, and total contempt for the premise which gives bloggers the freedom to question the means and ends of those in power without having their livelihood threatened by bullies.
Outed
What kind of word is that? To me it suggests that you equate the threat of damaging someone by releasing their private information to an inevitable act of ‘bringing something out into the open’
And do you really think CV would be receiving this degree of support if it were purely based on “Following vague details”
Over the last two days reliable contributors have corroborated information that blackmail/bullying is happening. But keep on asking your questions…..and forming your opinions.
Haven’t ‘vipered’ me name. But have quietly wondered what the effect would be if every person simply posted under the name ‘colonial viper’ instead of variously x,y or z viper. A lot of the discussion around psuedonyms was that it potentially gave more power to the idea being expressed rather than the person expressing it.
Everyone under the same posting name = absence of recognisable personality. Just wonder what it could do for enhancing debate/discussion of ideas?
Anyway…wasn’t here yesterday. And just want to say that I’m more than just a little pissed off and angry that a commentator of the quality of CV has been (temporarily?) silenced.
Just about forgot, a small spot of praise from an unlikely quarter directed at a just as unlikely recipient,
Fonterra have just celebrated it’s one year of ‘milk in schools’ program in low decile schools in the Far North, reports are that milk consumption, (apparently off of the back of the ‘milk in schools), has risen markedly in the North and reports from the education sector say that after the daily dose of the white stuff the kids are showing definite rises in levels of both happiness and concentration,
Fonterra should (a), be congratulated for the ‘milk in schools’ initiative, and, urged to take the ‘trial’ further and roll it out across the country….
Has Cunliffe been allowed back into the fold again? he was speaking in parliament the other
day,also there was an economic meeting in Invercargill last night, from all media releases
on it he was confirmed to attend,while the local MP, Roy, declined, there were others confirmed as well including Winston,Turei, i can’t find anything on the meeting at all today.
CV, your fight is our fight for democracy,we stand together.
Hmmmm Internet is simple words and words have power. More likely it’s who control the flow of words and there meaning that have the power…or not as words are free
Interesting interview by Kim Hill of Rebecca Watson, sceptic and feminist on, among other things, attempts at censorship of women by intimidation and cyberbullying:
“What happens is not too surprising: the economy very fast chews up the environmental resources, depletes those reservoirs, resulting in a significant amount of environmental damage,” Werner said during his talk. He is still finishing up the model, so no details on the inputs and the final simulations are available. Still, I asked him afterward to clarify if his model had answered his baseline question. Is Earth fucked? “More or less,” he said.
It’s the stupid economy. It’s very nature must result in all resources being used up as fast as possible which must result in the collapse of the environment.
Hard to take seriously some guy who dresses like he rides a unicycle around the big tent.
Actually he looks like he fire dances to Goa trance on ‘rooms till dawn and has those uber ketch psuedo mystical psychedelic posters plastered all over his bedroom wall ( his mum won’t let him put them up in the TV room )
Predictably, he blames everything on Capitalism and wants us to shift to some notion he has about an anarchic never-never-land, Romantic pre industrial society – which was oh so full of loving kindness and harmony with nature.
Is it really practical or even possible for the 30 million + inhabitants of Tokyo to just walk away from their skyscrapers back into the forests and fields, picking wild berries and digging up roots?
“And how do you think that’s working out? Social, economic and environmental collapse starting to unravel before your eyes … and you will not see.”
I’m not claiming that Capitalism is perfect. But I’m not some extreme anti capitalist pushing some Rousseau Romantic “civilisation is decadent lets take all our clothes off and go back to nature” la la land nonsense either.
You would be wise to remember that the Left help build a balance between Democracy, social rights and Capitalism.
“Only old white guys in suits get taken seriously.”
You forgot to be heterophobic and chuck “straight” into that too. At least you got ageist, sexist and racist covered, 3 out of 4, not bad.
No doubt like all the rest of the little PC foot soldiers around here, you believe being sexist, racist, heterophobic and ageist is all ok when the target is the sworn enemy.
k_p, you just proved that you’re a fucken idiot. Given the data and the argument you then attacked the person rather than the data and the argument, i.e, you advanced a typical ad hominem attack characteristic of the terminally stupid.
I didn’t say you weren’t allowed, I just said you showed your stupidity by doing so. And yes, I thought the same about the article for doing so as it had nothing to do with his point.
It’s one thing for an MP and one presume on behalf of the leadership clique, to have a private chat regarding some kind of perceived dissent but surely one is allowed to be vocal in expressing opinion.
To go further and give a stop or expulsion order is borderline dictatorial and surely runs counter to the very principles of Labour. The double standard vs CV and JT is staggering…and the crux ban ban ban lets ban blogging.
David ” stalin” Shearer lived by his action and deeds now he must back off or fall come feb.
I think time for the real leader in the pack to step up,.
Grant Robertson this is your time, early but necessary and please please take cunliffe with you, not as finance but economic development and policy. Dull Parker can host out treasury.
As far as I can see Robertson is part of the current leadership team that is causing all the divisions and ruthless repression. The LP needs another leadership team to step up. An Cunliffe would be the best person for finance.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
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Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/8054196/Nurse-who-took-Middleton-prank-call-found-dead
Very sad. Wanky media think it’s funny duping ordinary workers. I’ve had to deal with a few incidents of media (sometimes via politicians, employers and sadly a time or two by other benefit advocates) putting everyday people in unnecessary spotlight and seen terrible consequences there as well – not far away from this.
That whole notion that came through in the 80’s that staff were simply a resource and no longer people is one of the reasons this sort of crap happens.
People don’t even think about the consequences of humiliating a resource.
Bastards.
Terrible terribly sad poor poor woman.
Perhaps this tragedy will begin the demise of the tabloid culture in broadcasting that has gone unbridled since the advent of “pirate radio” – where disc jockeys have masqueraded as commentators with opinions of some worth. Ratings driven please-the-advertisers-justification drivel.
It’s all a symptom of the Murdoch type world.
And we have a government here who would like to commercialise RNZ. Just the way they have stuffed Television New Zealand.
It is sad. But it’s sad because, this nurse, doing one of the most important jobs for society, only became known to us because of her association with royals.
It’s sad that the royal pregnancy has got saturation coverage in the NZ media, while the MSM largely ignore a far more important event going on right under their noses: the international TPPA negotiations going on this week at Sky City in Auckland.
From the above linked article:
The nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, was a 46-year-old mother of two.
I hope Jacintha is now at peace. She made an important contribution to this world as a nurse and parent.
Simply a symptom of the break down of society, the dumbing down of the masses.
The sensationalism and tabloid culture the entertainment factor of journalism these days is simple in response to this.
Not only tragic and appalling for all the individuals involved; but serves crystal clear notice to the media industry that it’s long past time for a complete cleanout of all the venal, slimy, craven lack of professional journalistic standards that have become the accepted norm.
If journalism wants to survive as a profession it needs to take a very long hard look at itself. Self-righteous defensiveness and posturing no longer cuts mustard.
Such will only happen if the particular station gets done for causing the death.
That’s National and Act and UF to the core. Sell everything into private ownership so that the private owners get to control everything. Capitalism is just another form of dictatorship.
Commercialising Radio New Zealand isn’t going to make things worse. The National program is pretty well down in the dregs already.
I was listening to Jim Mora’s program on Thursday with his “panel” of Jock Anderson and Josie McNaught. A chunk of the fake call was played and the three of them certainly didn’t see anything wrong with doing it. If anything they appeared to regard it as funny and certainly nothing to worry about. There was mild sympathy with the nurse who was fooled but certainly no concern for the invasion of Kate’s privacy.
Its called bullying, and when the whole world is watching it should be a crime.
Just what happens when she has a miscarriage, am I to be blasted by news about
how great Moro and the Media in bringing us more vomit?
alwyn
That’s silly. Public National Radio is important. Complain if there is some program you want to change or improve but don’t talk about throwing it away in favour of commercialisation.
(I see I have to give up my? pseudonym Vindow Viper – some clever clogs always has thought of it first!)
If you re-read what I said, I didn’t actually call for National Radio to be commercialised, or privatised.
What I said was that they were just as appalling in their approach to this story as most of the commercial radio stations probably were (I didn’t hear anything they were playing so I can’t say).
I think we are entitled to rather better behaviour from National Radio than the juvenile giggling they did turn on. It was a gross invasion of privacy and it should NOT have been repeated in their broadcasts.
alwyn
I find the responses from Jim Mora’s guests very variable.
And that some of them would find the prank amusing is not surprising, they can be pretty vapid.
Of course it was not foreseen then that this poor lady would be soon dead.
Yes, well, when has the media ever concerned itself with going to far.
Yes alwyn I agree with you. I turned the radio off in disgust because of the flippant attitude they were exhibiting. We are entitled to much better behaviour from the only non commercial radio station we have in NZ.
As someone who was a victim of a number of vicious hoaxes in the distant past (not from the media in my case) I know the feeling of embarrassment, humiliation, fear and most of all… the violation of one’s privacy.
When malice and violation of privacy is involved, it should automatically become a criminal offence. The police approached my complaints with such a cavalier attitude, they might as well have told me what they were clearly thinking: ” Oh, you must have asked for it”. I still have a low opinion of the NZ Police as a result of that experience and probably always will have.
If you listen to RNZ often you will know there’s often a right-wing panel one day and a left-wing panel the next. I think they should be commended for trying to be fair and balanced, but I’ll always be down on them for banning Bomber when all he did was tell the truth.
While I agree with the theory, the plain simple reality is the right wing manufacturing of slogan should have seen a much more balanced Moro being able to counter them.
Take the kid in the corner, he basically allowed one of his guests to say it was all okay, because civics taught by religion classes was a social good. Have these people not been anywhere in the last 500 years, religion is death – to culture, to learning, to people, its prescriptivist nature has long been the enemy of the people.
It’s all part of the me generation that seeks pleasure and amusement and to hell with other considerations. Paul Holmes, Paul Henry, fun-loving types playing merry japes from Oz or NZ. Sociopathic at base. A proud hardworking ambitious medico may have felt her reputation and future had been fatally marked as she was being censured.
In the wake of these very sad events, hopefully we will witness the passing of the age of the boorish insensitive media shock jock?
Maybe the coarse laddish cheap and nasty reactionary humour of the John Tamiheres’ and Paul Henrys’ of this world, with behaviour previously excused, as “Ladish Fun” will no longer be considered acceptable behaviour for media broadcasters?
We can only hope that this is the case.
Boorish and reactionary, often misogynist and racist, radio and TV announcers are no longer funny, if they ever were.
Tedious Australian shock jocks are hardly “media”.
Populuxe1 1.2
Tedious shock jocks not media? If they are broadcasting from a position of employment then every comment they distribute is part of their media presentation, including tweets and facebook.
They aren’t “tedious Australian shock jocks” – they’re victims.
You seem to be implying they should be held responsible for
their behaviourthis tragic event or something.Yes, like we should hound them, like they were royalty…
All hail the Menz Party! Not impressed with the retrograde leadership of this party from a by-gone era.
Hope you’re having a good weekend Mr Viper & regathering your energy for future struggles to democratise this lost caucus.
Despite similar polling problems, the Aussie Labor party is actually growing its membership. There may be some lessons to be learned for NZ Labour.
There may be some lessons to be learned for NZ Labour.
Such as total and utter subjugation to the diktats of the Imperial Master….
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/backbench-revolt-overturns-pm-on-un-palestine-vote/story-fn59nm2j-1226524953437
Bwana Dave Shearer attempting to brush a few Labour crumbs off of the table in the Greens direction,
I see nothing to be gained by the Greens in accepting a ‘nothing’ position such as Deputy Prime Minister, the position in terms of coalition politics is simply ‘a bauble’ of office which would leave the incumbent powerless but tarred with the brush of having to accept the policies of the larger partner in the coalition while also being held to account for policy not of it’s own making by the electorate,
I would hope that the Greens are giving some thought this far out from 2014 to some bottom lines in policy where they can show the electorate specific gains to be made from soiling themselves in any coalition Government,
There may be far more to gain in terms of electoral support for the Greens to allow Labour as a minority Government with Green confidence and supply votes while extracting from Labour a specific set of goals via legislation within a stated time-frame…
bad 12 I agree with you.
Aha, the worry here is that the Greens could wind up in coalition with Labour while holding specific portfolio’s such as Conservation and then find their Ministries hamstrung by a Labour strangle-hold on the Finance Ministry,
I am sure that the Green Party is well up with this concern and would seek iron-clad budget guarantees as part of any coalition negotiations,
There is nothing i would like to see more in politics than a strong Green presence in a New Zealand Government, the codicil to that of course would have to be the careful balancing of the gains to be made by having that Cabinet representation as opposed to being able to extract the same gains from a confidence and supply agreement without the negative political effects that most junior coalition party’s suffer…
Did the fledgling Labour Party seek coalition with the Liberals?
No they stood their ground and refused to water down their principles.
What happened. As the Labour Party vote grew the ersatz enemies of the Country Party and the Liberals collapsed together to form National.
bad12 +1
Old Labour could be a lame duck party and Greens could get a reputation of being a bunch of quacks if joined at the hip to Old Labour.
FFS I’m with Karol on this one.
Memo to the Left. Women vote for you in large quantites. Women have taken a pounding under Nact [along with young people, children, those on social assistance etc etc].Most voters aren’t rich white males.
There is no need for tokenism you have plenty of competent women, use them.
Why isn’t the greens other co leader being considered for deputy PM? Maybe even a shared deputy PM.
No Mr Shearer, I’d expect it to go to the person most suited to the role within the ruling coalition.
/snigger
Will Russel Norman become the Nick Clegg of New Zealand
And destroy his party in the process?
David Shearer appears to be weighing up his options for deputy prime minister between Green co-leader Russel Norman and NZ First leader Winston Peters as he looks for ways to reward support partners without letting go of the key finance portfolio.
Vernon Small Fairfax News
For Russel Norman to accept a high cabinet position while Labour oversees a huge expansion in coal mining and oil drilling, would be to take a poisoned chalice for the Green Party. While Russel Norman may personally profit, like Nick Clegg in the the UK his party would be destroyed. Especially as looks likely the Labour Party will be committed to the strip mining of coal of West coast coal at Denniston and deep sea oil drilling and fracking all of which the Greens oppose.
Under the last Labour administration environmentalists were getting illegally spied on and arrested for protesting such things. No doubt under Shearer this will continue and Russel Norman will be seen to be a party to it.
Far better for the Greens to stay out of formal coalition with Labour and be captured. As happened with the Alliance, as happened to the Maori Party with National, as happened to the British Liberal Democrats with the Conservatives. And all see their votes collapse. Better to keep fighting for
your principles rather than trade them away.
Started work friday at 8am finished at 11pm so a very very long day for me.
Weekend will be groceries, gardening weeding veg garden, looking after baby naps and then back to work on Monday.
Banksy’s Christmas card
That’s Banksy the brilliant artist, not the corrupt politician….
https://twitter.com/johncusack/status/276448960099528707/photo/1
AND I see “I have nothing to hide” Banks, wants to send his lawyer to court!!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8051774/Banks-seeks-Dotcom-court-excuse
ACT leader John Banks wants to be excused from appearing in court over the Dotcom donations saga.
A judge summoned the Epsom MP to appear in Wellington District Court next week, after retired accountant Graham McCready launched a rare private prosecution on a charge of knowingly filing a false election return
Jones is asking if Banks can be excused and instead represented by a lawyer.
I bet Bill Clinton’s weekly whoring budget that Banks will not appear in court.
Poor Morrissey – Sexual problems? You’re just jealous of smoothy Bill Clinton. There’s too much interest in the ordinary sex habits of pollies. Leave them alone until they do it in the street and frighten the horses.
You’re just jealous of smoothy Bill Clinton.
You could not be more wrong. Clinton has a history of foolish and reckless sexual behaviour, but then so do many politicians.
And, take my word for it, he’s welcome to his ghastly wife—and to the pathetic matrons who threw themselves at him in Queenstown and Auckland when he was here in 1999.
7.3 magnitude quake off the coast of Miyagi prefecture yesterday. Miyagi prefecture is right next to Fukushima prefecture. So, no tsunami or what not. But haven’t seen any reports about Fukushima-Daiichi Unit 4. Anyone?
And if you’re reading this but are unaware of the importance of Unit 4, then….last I heard (from the fairewinds website some months back), its walls were bulging due to quake damage and the fear was that a good sized aftershock could cause it to split or collapse.
And if Unit 4 loses its water and the cooling rods are exposed to air they will, apparently, ignite and it will not be possible to extinquish the resulting highly radioactive fire. And the release of radiation would exceed the culmutive radiation from all nuclear tests.
So, given the potential for an absolutely unprecedented disaster scenario if Unit 4 is compromised, I’ve have expected news reports of a major aftershock to carry specific info on the integrity of that cooling pool. (ie, something more detailed or focussed than some Tepco mouthpiece issuing a blanket – ‘It’s all A-OK at all of our plants’ – type statement.)
But hey. Maybe my expectations are just too high?
5.8 in NZ
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10852726
The only real certainty about Unit 4 Bill, like the entire episode at Fukishima, is that the wall of lies are thick.
This should be front page news every day of the bloody week!
Bill
I heard a mention of a 1 metre tsunami up there.
I’d like to buy a badge to wear to all Labour Party meetings with the words:
“I am Colonial Viper!”
This would be a great fund raiser for the Dunedin South Labour party. I’d pay $10 for one (incl P&P and GST).
They could use half the proceeds for the Hillside families and the other half to fund a better election campaign in 2014.
Yep, the members now have the power. A concerted effort is required to take the party back from these autocratic bullies.
How do you change the name you post under? Do you re-register or something?
If you don’t log-in, you can comment under any name you like.
Thanks. Here goes!
Aha, just clocked-in to TS on another post and was wondering… who the hell is Olsviper? 🙂
🙂
Brilliant ….tshirt are getting printed as we speak lol
Long live CV
Please send a link so we can purchase t-shirts as soon as they are available. Will be great for the summer BBQ season.
Perhaps the Wellington head office could run the the “I’m Colonial Viper” fund raiser.
Use the money to pay for additional staff to process the flood of membership renewals. There seems to be some delays at present…….
Maybe they are vetting the applications for left wing bloggers hence the time delays.
How about CV for Dunedin South. Replace a twit tweeter with a Activist blogger.
Reply to Lenore at 41 in the ‘Just how wrong…’ thread.
I instinctively wanted to argue with your comment.
But it reminded me of a blog-post of Chris Trotter’s from way back, in which he lamented that gatherings of the left seem more rancorous, cliquey, unfriendly, and sometimes downright nasty, on a personal level, than similar groups on the right. And sadly, that has largely been my experience of left-wing activism too.
Even allowing for my own ineptness in group settings, memories of being quite outrageously patronised, feeling deliberately excluded much more often than I felt included, of cliquiness not otherwise seen outside of adolescence, and of personalised belittling, backstabbing, and malicious gossip completely unrelated to any idealogical differences, do tend to predominate.
I don’t see activism as a social outlet, or expect “fun”, and I think I understand that the left is diversity by definition, and solidarity in diversity is much harder work than I imagine a National Party fundraising dinner would be. Fighting oppression will never be a smooth ride, and so in that respect I do understand and share your trepidation at rejoining the fray.
But hey, the Labour Party isn’t particularly left-wing, so you might be pleasantly surprised….
I’d suggest that this lack of sociability among left-wing activists has it’s roots in the idea that most of us are fundamentally introverted personalities. In a world that largely values and celebrates extroversion it’s very difficult for us to learn constructive ways to assert ourselves, because for much of our lives we experience exclusion and marginalisation everywhere.
Put a bunch of us face to face in a room we find it all a bit intense, hard work, and it’s not so very surprising that it’s a more than a little dysfunctional. It’s also why if you let us remove ourselves back to the privacy of our own homes … we can often connect quite successfully with each other on the net.
+1 good point.
VindowViper … hehe.
I was active for a while in the dim dark past but well my local party was geared up as anti newbie and very very focused on power plays and knife tossing. Little real activity and organisational skills. Now ten years on all focused around the sitting MP support core from the culled woman’s branch.
I remember my first LEC meeting after doing a review of the leaflet drop zones, the red neck affiliate rep judged me as ” great another fucking homo”, the feminist urban renewal supporter sniffed and exclaimed “I don’t need a man to accompany me doing canvassing”, the regional rep mumbled and stumbled shyly stating ” I don’t do public speaking”, and th sitting MP hinted at dark economic tidings on the horizon.
Anyway long live the revolution within the party and membership rights.
LOL
I could tell a few funny stories of a similar ilk – but not without identifying myself and potentially offending fellow activists – who as individuals were good people. (I always imagined one particular group as a satirical tv show).
And yes, shoot me right now and get it over with, identity cliques, including feminist cliques seem to naturally occur, gain powerbases, start playing power games….
Understandable in many ways, and there can be an element of overcompensating once we “identities” find our voices.
In reply to Bill, I think changes to the ways we organise ourselves could help ameliorate the problem, but I don’t think hierarchical structures are the only cause. There are a whole lot of factors at play I think.
And Vindow Viper – I find it hard to believe that the majority of left-wingers can be introverted because introversion is a minority trait. We are probably disproportionately represented though. Another part of the jigsaw is differences in how the working classes are socialised (compared to the ruling classes). Unconsciously, many of our parents prepared us to be “good workers” – rather than the smooth social operators the ruling class tend to train their kids to be.
I think the places like TS can help overcome the problem, not just because many of us are shy, but because conversations can develop over time. So often in real world setttings we can’t get past action and reaction, to actually listening to each other.
IMO there’s two parts. Socialisation needs to be taught but the majority of families fail to actually teach it and so children are left to pick up socialisation from the people around them which is, more often than not, other children in places such as school. So the majority of people grow up with failed socialisation.
The part where you say prepared us to be “good workers” is exactly that – the parents, used to nothing other than working themselves, tell their children that they need to have a job. It’s all they’ve known. Other families teach their children how to be successful within the present hierarchical paradigm which really isn’t about having a job but about having the right social connections and having others work for them.
Interesting idea Draco, that there can be an absence of teaching socialisation which sees kids scratching around picking up what they can from their peers who might also be largely untaught. That rings true to me.
Is it socialisation or rise of individualism or both maybe.
It’s certainly the rise of the individual, as taught to the kids of the elite. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
My whole group are what you call elites…take last new years one fly in by his own helicopter for the party but my point thru education and self or taught drive and determination either through group socialisation or individual drive etc we should all be elites. Further to this is that even the multi millionaire is a worker basically just more cleverer or more socialised connected or had a better start so therefore all workers given the right or left tools should be the same.
We can’t all be elites. That is a contradiction in terms.
The idea that through hard work, and determination, blah blah blah……. is a prevalent right-wing meme which is not founded in reality.
Similar to “we can all be winners”. If we were all winners there would be no winners because there can be no winning without others losing. Good for keeping us in aspirational la-la land though.
It’s called a rule change if you don’t like the rules stand up and change them just don’t sit it out.
First step…power to the party i.e members
Two.. Plan and organise in the long term
Three. Promote key identifiers into position of change.
Four. Disseminate ideas of change to the masses.
Five. Systematically create change or await an event that fosters the right environment for change….big bang or crunch will do nicely.
Hmm. Meetings. In not very democratic settings, all the nasty, cliquey, power tripping shit gets free reign. So quieter or shyer people get excluded, options or opinions sidelined if they are not ‘in tune’ with the dominant suggestion (which is usually framed as a yes/no, agree/disagree ‘decision’). Even the agenda for what is/isn’t to be discussed is set from ‘on high’…by ‘the committee members, the clique etc, ie those with more access to information and by extention, ability to excercise power.
There are fairly simple ways around all of that. In a word: democracy.
Level the environment where the decisions are going to be made. No permanently appointed or elected committees, chairpeople or whatever to preside over meetings. Revolving position of facilitators whose main task is identify what the group is actually saying, ensure or encourage input from those who are less dominant in group settings, see to it that all opinions are canvassed and not casually dismissed ‘just because’, deny the opportunity to dominate…etc, etc, etc.
Facilitator = potentially poisoned chalice of being King/ Queen/dictator/ diplomat (depending on their approach/skill level)….for a few hours. And next time around they are just one of the unwashed like everyone else and somebody else gets to fill those shoes. Which aren’t very pleasant btw…it can be bloody hard work and usually involves a very steep learning curve. And is utterly disempowering on the level that the facilitator does not actually engage in terms of input to whatever decisions are up for consideration.
Could LEC meetings run along those lines? I’d love to hear any excuses as to why they couldn’t or shouldn’t…or any arguments that would attempt to justify why such meetings should be considered as ‘special cases’ allowed to practice ‘less than democratic’ meeting procedures.
So, vulture capitalists. I hadn’t paid much attention before, just another lot of financiers ripping people off with derivatives, bonds, currency trading an the like. But it’s worse than that when they can:
– Impound a frigate of a sovereign state and get a court order from some country or another (in this case Ghana) to hold it until the State pays the vultures the debt they bought up for a song
– Buy up debt from a defaulting sovereign state, get a court ruling from some country (in this case the U.S.) to force a country who had defaulted to pay billions, with interest – at the expense of debtors who agreed to take less to facilitate the default and without any concern whatsoever for the citizens of the country, or the economic recovery that has made the demand for payment viable.
Big issues here for how the Greek, Spanish and Portugese debt is handled, and maybe something of the reason for the convoluted drawn out process in managing Greek debt.
There must be something going on behind the scenes to get rid of these people. Surely even the eyes at the top of the financial tree can see there is a massive risk of it crashing to the ground.
Yep this means the whole idea of partial write-downs of debt will be out of the window. But the finacial elite don’t care – they have their interests nicely protected
What I find amazing is that while the super-rich have always been able to bend ‘justice’ to their will in the name of obscene profiteering, they now believe they have the power to take on an entire nation – impounding a frigate!
Maybe the feisty Cristina Kirchner should consider formally declaring war on Paul Singer and all the interests of Elliot Capital Management
Yep, as far as the capitalists go it’s proof that their preferred financial method doesn’t actually work and they can’t have that as people will break the bonds that the capitalists have spent centuries putting in place.
Calling all Vipers…
Good on you, you’re making your point. Those who would censor take note.
If you’re joining the viper army, however, a reminder that the first comment under a new name goes into moderation. Once the new name is cleared, away you go as usual. But in the weekend moderation can take a while sometimes…
(I can see the headlines now – The Standard is a nest of vipers!)
What is it that CV has actually been doing which would attract this kind of attention?
He’s not a regular author on the site, prolific poster sure, but thats not enough to cover it off…
No specific details required, in generalistic terms it would be helpful to get some sort of context, otherwise this just all seems a little, dramatic!
Solidarity.
Look it up.
So making an enquiry is to go against “solidarity”!
It doesn’t work like that….
Grow up!
No, I was answering your question about why.
The “look it up” was sarcastic (apologies) because I thought the reasons we “vipers” are trying to offer our support, were quite obvious. Did you read yesterday’s open mike?
Hmmm, digital communications distortion..
I did read the article, but it does not make sense from what has been discussed.
I would have thought that as CV self proclaimed does not work, and apparantly does not have to, that he would be in an ideal position to really get stuck into the system, so to speak.
Being a prolific poster on blogs is not enough to have to take cover from blogging, if it can have no blow back – Perhaps it about his family as opposed to him, which would be understandable.
Looking for some more details, in a generalist sense as to what else could have triggered this, as it sounds like its overblown to me.
Sure there might be more to it in the background, but the posts do not tell that.
Solidarity is great, but so is some information, above what has been given.
Oh for olde petes sake….a song coched in old lost language.
Old farmer will had a farm, sheep dogs and pigs and an old work horse called one left shoe. Now on that farm there was a mouse called Micky…..Micky mouse had a friend called pig man E N G O and that’s what his name is NGO NGO loud and shrill but solid and kind who walked and talked until he was red deep red in the face….poor old NGO.
Me-thinks the latest attempt to muzzle internet comment on the Labour Party leadership is an attempt to silence those in the Party who support Cunliffe as leader,
The intent of such would seem to be a view that a challenge can be fore-stalled in February if such activists within the Party can be silenced,
To me Labour and the Shearer faction and supporters in the Party, (if there are in fact many, any ???), have gone about this all arse about face,
Perhaps the Shearer faction ‘knows’ that should a vote be triggered in February they don’t have the numbers, but, putting that aside for now most of us, (an assumption), would have found it to be the mark of a real leader if the Shearer camp had of from the moment the Conference re-wrote the rules on leadership selection openly stated that it would be they, (the Shearer faction), who would trigger that vote by the wider party in February,
Complaining about and threatening Party members for voicing their opinions on websites such as the Standard is at the least weak,
Further to that i believe that Labour as a Party should not rest on it’s laurels as far as having added the ‘democratic’ element to it’s choice of leadership and the same voting system could anbd should be extended in the future to selecting future Labour Cabinets with the Parliamentary Leader allocating the relevant portfolios…
CV has been bullied and threatened by a Labour MP who has apparently acquired (by one means or another) his actual identity.
The above comment was meant to be in reply to Muzza at 9.1
Hi Anne,
Yes that much is clear, but is it more about the outing of the real identity as a way of trying to quiet the blogging community as a whole, or does CV have a specific role as member of the LP which would seem to make sense to the person alledged to be putting the heat on?
Does CV have a blog site, or a role inside the membership which would explain this attention?
Does CV have a blog site, or a role inside the membership which would explain this attention?
Not to my knowledge except he has shown himself to be a very effective communicator. I suspect that was the sin he committed.
[Some details deleted. r0b] While there may be some other incidences of bullying going on, I don’t think its a campaign on the part of the Labour caucus to stamp out criticism or dissent. I hope not.
Hi Anne,
It doesn’t stack up for me at this stage, but something’s to look into in any case.
I will give you an example that happened a few months ago. The MP in question ‘outed’ one of The Standard’s most well known (and highly regarded) commenters… on Red Alert. I doubt the person in question was too phased because he’s never made any attempt to hide his real identity anyway. What I’m saying is: she has a history of this kind of silly behaviour.
If it’s not an LP campaign, then it’s a further example of Shearer’s poor control over his caucus – he’s heavy handed with MPs he, or his leadership team see as a threat, but lets his supporters get away with actions that undermine the principles of a left wing party.
PS: Is it possible that the repressive approach of the leadership team to MPs in the Labour caucus, is causing lone MPs to act pre-emptively against LP members, in order to preserve their own standing with the caucus leaders?
Muzza, you seem to be saying a) What’s so special about Colonial Viper?
and b) you question the importance to CV of his pseudonymity, and believe you have a right to know his reasons and have the right to judge whether his reasons are “valid.”
You do get that CV is a commenter on a blog, and you have no right to know anything about his “real” life? Any more than I have a right to any information about yours. That CV has been silenced (albeit temporarily I hope) by Labour management shows his right to privacy is very important to him. And CV is one of us.
And we know, because it has been discussed here extensively, that some, maybe many, would not be able to participate at all, or would have their right to freedom of speech significantly curtailed without this protection.
Labour management is silencing dissent by bullying its own members (who are, it’s worth noting, its (unpaid) workforce). If you don’t see this as important enough to warrant a rallying of support from this community, and/or don’t see CV as ‘important” enough, I’d be kind of interested in your criteria.
Who would be important enough?
What would be important enough?
Thats not what I’m saying
Everyone who wants to remain anonymous should be able to expect that is maintainable, whether or not that becomes maintainable will depend on how out there they put themselves, and the type of people they are putting themselves out there with/against. Politics is theatre, the media is theatre, and the people inside the political theatre are low quality, as we see by the state of NZ.
Should people be outed, or threatened to be outed, no, but is that likely to happen, yes of course!
If en masse people, following some vague details and a blogger saying he needs to check out for a while, want to show outward solidarity, thats great, and I understand the positions people are taking.
So far as having a right to know, no, not at all, just the right to ask questions (answered ot not), and form my own opinions based on what makes sense from the little info available!
Again, I do not want/expect/have rights to anything, and yes he is as far as I am aware, a commentator on a blog, and seemingly LP member. Would that in its own right be enough to attact that sort of attention, unless the MP involved has lost the plot, ot there ir more to the story than has come across the posts – I suspect much of both. –
If CV has been silenced that is his choice to allow, or not, and if the threat of being outed has lead to the silencing, that is unfortunate, but again, its his choice. Do I agree with outing, absolutely not, but see my comment above about who/how much people involved themselves.
Actually i think there may be a bigger agenda at play, in so far as the *freedom of the net/speech* is concerned, and perhaps this might be a trigger. Hard to say though as its all rather under the radar from what I can tell.
I see the LP having been taken over decades back, and woudl consider this alledged behaviour as another example of the takeover of politics, which has allowed the takeover of NZ, in case no one else noticed!
Yes its important, but I’m not the blond support/cheer leader type – CV is one of the many commentators here which can be enjoyed, and if he is being harrassed, that is out of order.
Support takes many forms, not always the outwardly obvious!
a) Yeah, all the world is a stage. And?
b)Are you familiar with the concept of victim-blaming?
c)What, exactly, do you imagine is flying under what radar?
d)Support and victim-blaming are mutually exclusive as far as I’m concerned.
What the heck are you talking about. Threatening to expose someone when they’ve used a pseudonym to debate on blogs is bullying at best and blackmail at worst.
This issue is not “political theatre”, nor is it just “harassment”, it is both a personal attack on an individual’s rights, and total contempt for the premise which gives bloggers the freedom to question the means and ends of those in power without having their livelihood threatened by bullies.
What kind of word is that? To me it suggests that you equate the threat of damaging someone by releasing their private information to an inevitable act of ‘bringing something out into the open’
And do you really think CV would be receiving this degree of support if it were purely based on “Following vague details”
Over the last two days reliable contributors have corroborated information that blackmail/bullying is happening. But keep on asking your questions…..and forming your opinions.
Except when it comes to conspiracy theories.
Haven’t ‘vipered’ me name. But have quietly wondered what the effect would be if every person simply posted under the name ‘colonial viper’ instead of variously x,y or z viper. A lot of the discussion around psuedonyms was that it potentially gave more power to the idea being expressed rather than the person expressing it.
Everyone under the same posting name = absence of recognisable personality. Just wonder what it could do for enhancing debate/discussion of ideas?
Anyway…wasn’t here yesterday. And just want to say that I’m more than just a little pissed off and angry that a commentator of the quality of CV has been (temporarily?) silenced.
Red striped viper in the green green grass.
r0b
😀
This is fun….
One more viper!
This could catch on…..
Just about forgot, a small spot of praise from an unlikely quarter directed at a just as unlikely recipient,
Fonterra have just celebrated it’s one year of ‘milk in schools’ program in low decile schools in the Far North, reports are that milk consumption, (apparently off of the back of the ‘milk in schools), has risen markedly in the North and reports from the education sector say that after the daily dose of the white stuff the kids are showing definite rises in levels of both happiness and concentration,
Fonterra should (a), be congratulated for the ‘milk in schools’ initiative, and, urged to take the ‘trial’ further and roll it out across the country….
Has Cunliffe been allowed back into the fold again? he was speaking in parliament the other
day,also there was an economic meeting in Invercargill last night, from all media releases
on it he was confirmed to attend,while the local MP, Roy, declined, there were others confirmed as well including Winston,Turei, i can’t find anything on the meeting at all today.
CV, your fight is our fight for democracy,we stand together.
Nope Clayton crosgrove took the promised spot
Yes,just found it on the side ticker,by bsprout,the best man was missing.
Here’s one for CV:
“The internet, our greatest tool of emancipation, has been transformed into the most dangerous facilitator of totalitarianism we have ever seen”
A new interview with Julian Assange in the Grauniad.
Hmmmm Internet is simple words and words have power. More likely it’s who control the flow of words and there meaning that have the power…or not as words are free
Interesting interview by Kim Hill of Rebecca Watson, sceptic and feminist on, among other things, attempts at censorship of women by intimidation and cyberbullying:
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/sat/sat-20121208-1105-rebecca_watson_girls_and_shopping-048.mp3
About 26 minutes, 9.4 MB
LEST WE FORGET
Why the U.K./U.S. axis is determined to get Julian Assange
http://www.collateralmurder.com/
Quite a shaky eq this morning here in NZ – 5.something. Felt it rocking in Nelson at 7.25 a.m.
After extensive mathematical modeling, scientist declares “Earth is F**ked”
It’s the stupid economy. It’s very nature must result in all resources being used up as fast as possible which must result in the collapse of the environment.
Hard to take seriously some guy who dresses like he rides a unicycle around the big tent.
Actually he looks like he fire dances to Goa trance on ‘rooms till dawn and has those uber ketch psuedo mystical psychedelic posters plastered all over his bedroom wall ( his mum won’t let him put them up in the TV room )
Predictably, he blames everything on Capitalism and wants us to shift to some notion he has about an anarchic never-never-land, Romantic pre industrial society – which was oh so full of loving kindness and harmony with nature.
Is it really practical or even possible for the 30 million + inhabitants of Tokyo to just walk away from their skyscrapers back into the forests and fields, picking wild berries and digging up roots?
Typical marxist derivative Leftie nonsense.
Hard to take seriously some guy who dresses like he rides a unicycle around the big tent.
Only old white guys in suits get taken seriously.
Predictably, he blames everything on Capitalism
And how do you think that’s working out? Social, economic and environmental collapse starting to unravel before your eyes … and you will not see.
which was oh so full of loving kindness and harmony with nature.
Human beings are neither angels nor devils, but adapt their behaviour to their environment.
Typical marxist derivative Leftie nonsense.
How about saying something interesting for once?
“And how do you think that’s working out? Social, economic and environmental collapse starting to unravel before your eyes … and you will not see.”
I’m not claiming that Capitalism is perfect. But I’m not some extreme anti capitalist pushing some Rousseau Romantic “civilisation is decadent lets take all our clothes off and go back to nature” la la land nonsense either.
You would be wise to remember that the Left help build a balance between Democracy, social rights and Capitalism.
“Only old white guys in suits get taken seriously.”
You forgot to be heterophobic and chuck “straight” into that too. At least you got ageist, sexist and racist covered, 3 out of 4, not bad.
No doubt like all the rest of the little PC foot soldiers around here, you believe being sexist, racist, heterophobic and ageist is all ok when the target is the sworn enemy.
kp go back to your closet
k_p, you just proved that you’re a fucken idiot. Given the data and the argument you then attacked the person rather than the data and the argument, i.e, you advanced a typical ad hominem attack characteristic of the terminally stupid.
The bloody article itself tries to make something out of his techno stoner pink hair, so I don’t see why I’m not allowed.
I didn’t say you weren’t allowed, I just said you showed your stupidity by doing so. And yes, I thought the same about the article for doing so as it had nothing to do with his point.
Some good laughs today, courtesy of CV… Vindow Viper, and the Standard as a nest of vipers 😀
Just joining the nest of
I’m going to have to stop this………please come back CV. Just tell the bastards to get f**cked.
It’s one thing for an MP and one presume on behalf of the leadership clique, to have a private chat regarding some kind of perceived dissent but surely one is allowed to be vocal in expressing opinion.
To go further and give a stop or expulsion order is borderline dictatorial and surely runs counter to the very principles of Labour. The double standard vs CV and JT is staggering…and the crux ban ban ban lets ban blogging.
David ” stalin” Shearer lived by his action and deeds now he must back off or fall come feb.
I think time for the real leader in the pack to step up,.
Grant Robertson this is your time, early but necessary and please please take cunliffe with you, not as finance but economic development and policy. Dull Parker can host out treasury.
As far as I can see Robertson is part of the current leadership team that is causing all the divisions and ruthless repression. The LP needs another leadership team to step up. An Cunliffe would be the best person for finance.
Wheels within wheels