My family before me yes, and I voted Labour (or Greens occaisionally) all my life – until the last election, when I finally got so sick of the infighting, the lack of vision, and the slavish conformity to outdated dogma that I voted for National as a protest.
If you’ve seen that graph that shows Labour support over the last 100 years, you’ll recognize that this is just part of the overall pattern of decline in support.
I’m still waiting for The Left to see the writing on the wall. Let alone start to write the story that will make it relevant to The People again. Hence the stories above Titi. Wake up call anyone?
Translation: unions, human rights, fair pay rates, evidence-based policy.
To be replaced by the mindless shite that Sheep believes very hard.
Edit: I note that “outdated dogma” is an oxymoron: if it’s been outdated (by what?) it was once appropriate to its time and therefore, not dogma. This will sail right over Gobsheep’s head.
Anyone wanting to understand why the Left is bleeding support only need study your collected works here OAB.
Anyone not wanting to understand can parrot the Lefts new narrative of blame. The Voters are Stupid / The Voters are Greedy / The Media is against us / The voters are brainwashed / It’s a conspiracy (many conspiracies actually) / Money is an unfair advantage / etc etc etc.
Anything but take a look in the mirror.
You are happy with the status quo aren’t you. No need to change anything.
It’s 20 years since we moved form FPP to MMP Tls. And you didn’t know? Where have you been hiding? Under a rock in the Sahara Desert?
That’s the height of ignorance you know.
Hi Anne this is from below but it seems pertinent to this discussion
Remind me again how many elections Labour have been in power for since the advent of MMP versus how many National have been in
In case you were wondering of the seven elections held under MMP National have won power in four and Labour have won power in three and since National is likely to regain power in 2017 it’ll be 2020 before Labours back in power
[lprent: You really shouldn’t use spurious stats when I am around. I find it irritating. What you are describing is 2 changes of government each currently of 3 terms, and the one term left over from the government at the time of a change to MMP.
And trolling such simple minded bullshit annoys me even more. I suggest that you discontinue ]
Looks as if at some point (Cunliffe’s “sorry”, I’ll wager) you have just decided to abandon your values.
Mate. I voted Labour in ’84 and ’87, and then I voted for them again in ’90.
If i stuck with them through all those changes in values, I think you can take it as read that a relative featherweight like Cunliffe would hardly tip me off the boat!
The Greenslade piece in ‘The Guardian’ is a bit odd. A lot of the analysis seems reasonable, but a fair chunk of what he’s driving at hinges on this …
Despite strolling to the Oldham by-election victory, the party is generally regarded by the majority of its MPs, political journalists and their editors, as unelectable.
Now, count those people up and how many people are we talking of? Not many.
And then there’s….Corbyn’s new army embodies yet another faction: the idealistic middle classes. Reconciling their views with those who lean towards Ukip is more than a stretch.
Does he not understand that many of those who voted UKIP cast their vote as a protest, and does he also not understand that Labour kind of endorsed voting on an immigration ticket with it’s own stupid fucking ‘tough on immigration’ policy?
Anyway. Labour in Scotland is dead. But Labour in England and Wales is possibly on the cusp of a revival given that Miliband’s changes opened up the party far and a way beyond any opening up that has occurred for the NZ Labour Party.
Add to that that the UK Labour Party is, under Corbyn, seeking to articulate the type of sensibilities that now belong to the SNP in Scotland and, well….we’ll see.
My only real criticism of Corbyn is that he’s stuck fast in a dim and irrelevant ‘one world’ past with regards nationalism. He should have signaled an alliance with the SNP and left the corpse of the Blairite Scottish Labour Party to rot. Civic nationalism in Scotland should have embraced by Labour, afterall, you can’t have internationalism without nationalism, and the smaller a political entity is, the greater chance for better accountability, and then the greater the chance is for the emergence of authentic autonomy – the next step beyond nationalism and nation states, y’know, socialism.;-)
He’s an odd mix ,if you keep in mind that he’s a horrible simple minded prick,I find him honest in that he says it how he sees it.
Interestly he was just pushing Finland’s upcoming ubi trial.
“,I find him honest in that he says it how he sees it.”
I find people who say they do this (call a spade a spade type shite) to be intentionally simplistic and hence deceitful. They hide things with their simplistic nonsense.
Despite assurances (lies) from Key, detainees are signing forms that give away their guaranteed right to appeal when they’re coerced to return home.
And of course not any other media except RNZ is reporting this, because it’s just another big lie in the long list of John Key’s lies and we’re becoming numb/used/indifferent to it.
IHC gets 58 NEW homes and 300 LEASED from private owners. The Sally Army gets 50 NEW homes and 37 EXISTING pensioner flats. And goodness knows where the Chinese Settlers will find their 36 homes, or the other 27 subsidies. So the Govt is subsidising private owners yet again, and in reality there will be at least 158 NEW homes of some sort or other built somewhere, and maybe a few more.
Yes, the story just got buried by Stuff & the Herald. Stuff changed their headline from one about deportees having to sign away their right of appeal to one that now reads: John Key ‘confident’ of deportees’ appeal rights despite Australian form.
Still I expect it’s going to be brief news item on telly tonight and it’s hard to see how Key can avoid being seen as either a liar or a dupe. I just hope whoever reports it take the time to read out the offending sentence.
How will the parliamentary left regain the momentum it had with the public over the Australian deportees?
Government’s reshuffle and the Cabinet decisions this week have tilted the momentum back to Key. Very smart decision for Act’s Seymour to stay out of Cabinet.
I am incredibly surprised that the Opposition parties have not built upon the climate change marches momentum and continued strong stories during the Paris COP 21 negotiations.
Momentum will of course come and go, but it will take more than the occasional stunt out of a helicopter to sustain public attention.
Momentum will gradually build up, Ad. That is better than quick ups and downs.
And hopefully the upward momentum will be retained thru to 2017.
I also note that ShonKey’s popularity has been gradually sliding downwards for quite a while …. it’s still respectable, but maybe more and more people are finally waking up to him !
Let me give you an example of the kinds of successes that this current government will ride from 2016 to 2017:
– Announcement of full funding for City Rail Link, first quarter 2016 (and start of early construction works within a couple of weeks)
– Commence works on National Convention Centre with Sky City, first quarter 2016
– Start of full demolition of Auckland’s downtown shopping centre, second quarter 2016
– Commencement of SH1 Puhoi to Wellsford construction, end second quarter 2016
– Announcement of confirmed timing of Waitemata harbor tunnel crossing, second quarter 2016
– Start of Elliot Street tower (over 40 stories high), second quarter 2016
– Start construction on 5 star hotel on Auckland’s waterfront, second quarter 2016
– Queenstown Convention Centre starts construction, third quarter 2016
– Announcement of Auckland light rail options, third quarter 2016
– Opening of new Waterfront theatre, end 2016
– Start of Ruataniwha Dam construction, third quarter 2016
– Opening of Waterview tunnels for SH16 and SH20, first quarter 2017
– Huge number of civic openings in Christchurch as stages complete, first quarter 2017
– Then you have the 2017 budget tax cuts, which will be substantial
etc
What I am indicating is that this government understands the secret to politics in New Zealand right now is real estate and roading. The momentum that they have built and encouraged through incredibly low Reserve Bank targets will see Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown-Lakes take the economic lead as the rest of the economy remains at 2% growth.
The stories that the Opposition break have to be even bigger than this.
That was how good Kelvin’s hit was. The loss of momentum is a serious loss.
These guys are fully geared for a fourth term, and the momentum of the economy is with them.
The CHB Council has all but guaranteed that this dam will go ahead buy buying up water rights to provide drinking water for their constituents… that they currently get for free.
The fact that the Mayor and several councillors will benefit directly from the commencement of this project is probably the worst conflict of interest I have ever seen.
Now we’ll see how good Kelvin Davis is (or if he can be leader) now that he has a real challenge on his hands
Jacinda Ardern is a lightweight dolly bird that couldn’t handle Paula Bennett and Nikki Kay and as such shouldn’t be considered as a viable option for leader of Labour and now Kelvin Davis has a real chance to show what hes got
Yes well a leader that can’t convince an electorate to vote for him either but more importantly I’m looking forward to Davis vs Collins, we’ll see if Davis has what it takes
In case you were wondering of the seven elections held under MMP National have won power in four and Labour have won power in three and since National is likely to regain power in 2017 it’ll be 2020 before Labours back in power
“Our supporters have the same impact when they squabble, bitch and back-stab on so-called ‘left-friendly’ sites like The Standard (a dreadful 21st century bastardisation of a once proud Labour broadsheet)”
I see that USA are being sued under NAFTA because the USA law requiring the labelling of the origin of meat contravenes the agreement.
The United States’ North American trading partners argued that being forced to label where animals were born, raised, and slaughtered placed an undue burden on livestock producers and processors and, as AgriPulse reports, “ultimately persuaded the WTO that the law accorded unfavorable treatment to Canadian and Mexican livestock.”
TPP does not benefit citizens of any country, only giant agrochemical multi nationals who will benefit from relaxed food standards and consumer choice to ram toxic intensive and un proven food with poor animal welfare standards onto unwitting consumers plates.
Very interesting video about how TTIP (and likewise TPP) will destroy small and medium farmers (i.e. like NZ farmers), introduce Genetically modified foods, introduce chlorinated meat washing techniques and USA agricultural intensive farming practises around the world with these ‘free trade’ agreements.
It is not only NZ farms being bought up by agribusiness and foreign investors it is also happening in Europe. Soon as well as being tenants in our own country we will also be able to afford the ‘raw food’ materials of our country as they will be exported using mega supply chains to other countries to be processed.
The video also has a lot of useful statistics like how 70% of the worlds fresh water is used in agribusiness and 52% of emissions are from agribusiness as to get that massive scale petrol is used to ship around the world.
While we like to think NZ is an exporter so TPP will ‘help’ farmers it appears that most mega agribusiness like Montanso and investment companies buying up land for food are most likely to use NZ as a banana republic, and use their own migrant labour, offshore productions and supply chains to export the food cutting out the middle men (Kiwis) and using sophisticated tax laws to pay the minimum of taxes while getting the maximum of corporate welfare.
It is already happening, TPP just means governments will not be able to stop it as they can be sued.
Request: Please do not upset TRP today.
Te Reo Putake is in a very grumpy mood and lashing out at all and sundry. She/He is very very very sensitive to any hint that Robertson and King had a major say in the cabinet selection. TRP is also very very very sensitive to Claire Trevett’s story that King promised her Rongotai seat to Little on condition that he publically humiliate Cunliffe.
te reo putake…
7 December 2015 at 10:40 pm
Chooky, I have a life. I’ve been out, as it happens, and even if I wasn’t, I answer if and when when I fucken well feel like it, not according to your agenda. Bill’s comments are full of shit. The shadow cabinet was chosen by Little as is his right.
I never said what Bill claimed I did, and what he claimed about caucus selecting the shadow cabinet was wrong in fact anyway and the that’s the end of that story.
Bill fucked up out of ignorance. What’s your excuse?
Why do you keep repeating this bullshit, Northsider?
Trevett’s story did not do what you claim yet you keep repeating your lies, and your obsession with Robertson is getting to the pathological stage.
I am not a fan of the way TRP reacts to criticism, but your continuous attempts to enter into long, pointless and ill-informed attacks on Labour in a desperate attempt to get him to respond makes me suspicious of your real motives.
1. Trevett says Annette will surrender Rongotai to Andrew Little. No one disputed this. Trevett has shown she is being fed excellent intelligence throughput this process.
2. All are saying the ABC’s have seen the Cunliffe supporters in the Caucus demoted, relative to Robertson supporter, and Cunliffe himself humiliated.
3. The insulting positiong of Cunliffe had nothing to do with his work rate, ability or behaviour since Little took over.
4. Cunliffe strongly supported Little in the Leadership battle and actually held-off standing down until it was coinfirmed little was elected. So Cunliffe was done to for other reasons that Little was unable to resist.
5. Trevett says there was no room for a “charachter like Cunliffe” . That was code for saying the ABCers wanted Cunliffe fully out this time. Little had no personal or performance related reason to want Cunliffe out.
6. That does mean that the Rongotai seat and Cunliffe were part of the one conversation.
Karen, do not impune my motive. I have not impuned yours. We are all Labour.
Okay Northsider, I’ll take your word that you are not a right wing troll trying to create dissent, but it sure was starting to look like it. And by the way my politics are somewhat to the left of both Labour and the Green Party, but I have supported both electorally and financially .
As to your points:
1. Trevett did not say “Annette will surrender Rongotai to Andrew Little.” She said it was a possibility, which it obviously is. Anybody can see that. Your assumption that Trevett is getting leaked information is based on a misunderstanding of the work of political journalists.
2. A number of Cunliffe supporters have been promoted. This has been pointed out to you before.
3. I was also disappointed with Cunliffe’s demotion, but I do not know what his work rate has been like over recent months compared to others and neither do you.
4. Cunliffe stood down when Little decided to stand, not when Little was elected.
5. I like Cunliffe and supported his leadership, but there is no question he is a decisive figure. I suspect Little has asked for Cunliffe to work with him to see how well he works with others. I know Little wanted caucus members to work together on projects and perhaps Cunliffe found that difficult. I do not know – I am just guessing.
6.Sorry, your conclusion does not follow at all.
+100 CV…from what I have heard Cunliffe is very good to work with and work for…so what the hell is going on?!
…the rank and file Labour members voted for David Cunliffe!…that should be enough to earn him a top place in Cabinet …if the management was good
….and a high place for Mania Mahuta who brought in the Maori seats, when Labour was losing most others ….except for TTT which was won by Kelvin Davis against Hone Harawira
….and we all know Lusk was involved in TTT…he says so himself and there is suggestion of payment of the Maori voters in TTT
….” Duncan Garner also revealed supporters of Labour’s Napier MP Stewart Nash paid Simon Lusk to canvas the option of a new political party, and that Simon Lusk had told him Labour MP Phil Twyford would be his next target.
Simon Lusk also claimed on Story he had been instrumental in unseating Mana Party co-leader Hone Harawira in the last election. Unnamed “businessmen” had paid thousands for that, he said. And in conversation with his co-host last Monday, Duncan Garner said money had been paid to get Maori electors to vote in Te Tai Tokerau.
Was political operative Simon Lusk really paying people on behalf of clients to influence an election? Disappointingly, no more was said about this claim.The following day, Duncan Garner posted a statement from Simon Lusk on the websites of TV3’s Story and Radio Live. In it, Simon Lusk said:
Iwi now have extensive databases of members who they can easily mobilise. Assembling a team of 50 or 100 iwi members to get out the vote is straightforward, legal and effective if it is possible to raise some koha.
He added that “if you’re not paying for votes or offering anything in exchange for a vote, or treating,” it is not against the law. But that statement didn’t answer key questions: How much was paid? By whom? And for what purpose? “…
( Questions need to be asked and answered about what is going on in the Labour Party)
Why do you keep repeating that nonsense Chooky? Why would you believe anything Garner and Lusk (in particular) says? and you’re dreaming re: “new party”
Go and talk with Ngāpuhi, you will find Lusk had nothing to do with Hone losing his seat, it was partnering up with Dotcom that did. I got told Hone lost all credibility when he showed he needed a “white man” (their words) to win.
David Cunliffe is still very much a target by msm, and didn’t he tell John Campbell post election/leadership that he didn’t know if he would be staying on for the 2017 election? Personally I wouldn’t want to see him go, but “IF” he did, I would respect his decision, and you do not know of the talks Cunliffe and Little would have had prior to the reshuffle, which I am sure David Cunliffe was well aware of before the announcement.
That’s just your opinion CV and you have provided no evidence to back up your theories.
You obviously loathe Robertson and you and your small band of supporters are trying desperately to get people to believe your conspiracy theories. To what end I have no idea, but I personally am disappointed that you have decided to undertake this campaign as I used to find your comments on NZ politics worth reading. No longer.
Cheers, Karen, a couple of points well made. I do tend to lash out when people claim I’ve said things I haven’t and it’s a fault, I know. But that and excessive modesty are pretty much my only character defects as far as I can tell 😉
And to te reo putake – people are different, react in different ways, I – personally – find what you have to say refreshing and to the point. So I always read your opinions.
Cheers, Jenny, much appreciated. It’s one of the strengths of the Standard that there are many so many great contributors, yourself included. We have the liveliest, most educated comments of any NZ blog, by quite some distance.
@ E p surveillance started? It has probably been on going the whole time!
What else is the increased 8 million to be spent on, (apart from undermining the political and activist opposition to this corrupt government and their spin doctors)!
Theres a court case coming soon in Dunedin [deleted]
[lprent: I believe that it is also subject to court suppression orders. I’d strongly suggest that if you want to comment here and you don’t think that you can use the name, then you don’t make the detail of the cases obvious either. Otherwise you should state is there is a suppression order and what its limits are. There are multiple levels from simple name suppression through to blanket suppression that will even make mentioning that a suppression order has been made subject to contempt of court. If you can’t state them, then I’m liable, and quite liable to simply kick you off the site for a year or two to make sure I don’t have waste time moderating you.
But really, the courts operational rules on suppression simply don’t work in an online world. I’m forever having to find out about suppression orders to just know what to moderate. It is a bit of a nuisance that the courts run under a stupid secrecy model and don’t supply us with lists of what is and what isn’t suppressed. ]
It turns out Zuckerbergs $45bn ‘donation’ wasn’t a proper gift at all. It has just been “stuffed into a for-profit limited liability company, rather than a foundation, which means that you don’t have to tell everybody exactly what you’re up to, and you’re allowed to make money from poorer people who are making money, do a bit of political lobbying, take some money back, support your very own pet causes, change the world however you fancy and feel just like God: all-powerful and adored.”
‘I was suspicious of the Zuckerbergs’ $45bn donation – and I was right to be”
Michele Hanson
I’ve just been reading about early photographer Nikola Persheid (or Perscheid). He was a good photographer and worked at his studio with many who became as well-known as him on their own. He developed a special camera suitable for portraits that was used internationally. He worked in many different places, after ‘developing’ his trade by being an itinerant photographer. But was not able to make a good living, although his work was high quality and well considered. The competitive self-reliant world can be very hard on individuals who are acting as entrepreneurs breaking into new fields. He came to a sad end. He deserved better.
Wikipedia
Towards the end of the 1920s, Perscheid had severe financial problems. In autumn 1929 he had to sub-rent his apartment to be able to pay his own rent. Shortly afterwards, he suffered a stroke, and was hospitalized in spring of 1930.
While he was at the hospital, his belongings, including his cameras and photographic plates, but also all his furniture were auctioned off to pay his debts. Two weeks after the auction, on 12 May 1930,[6] Perscheid died at the Charité hospital in Berlin.
So he died and I can’t find where he was buried, probably in a pauper’s grave. We need to keep our social welfare so that people of note, who have been of note, or who never achieved a note can be treated fairly and kindly.
lprent
I was browsing on TS and went to scroll up and the blog vanished to a white screen headed Gone and then something about the address had gone with no further addres and to remove all references to it from my computer. I closed down and immediately requested TS again and it came on no trouble.
Also it has been very slow loading at times lately. Just letting you know.
Interesting. That usually indicates that a TCP connection has been forcibly disconnected from the server side. I will have a look at the page load time profile.
Can confirm very slow loading… we’re talking of minutes not seconds. I can also report something similar to gws’s experience – a vanishing TS only to return upon a fresh loading.
If only our opposition could put together real policies and detailed plans that actually say exactly what they will do when they get into power and why.
This should be compulsory reading for the opposition in NZ on how to write up policy and not just on climate change!
(in particular Labour)
i.e. You need to actually have something real, rather than airy fairy words to get people to believe in a party and the words within the policy have to actually make sense and have a detailed action plan.
How serendipitous for the UK government and others going to war against the daesh that ‘The Guardian’ has now obtained blueprints on the planned state building of the self appointed caliphate. Now they can say they are at war with an almost state, which lends a smear of credibility and a veneer of legality to the bombing of, well…let’s face it, it’s just ‘people on the ground’ – men, boys, women, girls, old people, babies….
There is growing support for a day to officially remember the Land Wars, with Labour even opening the door to another public holiday.
The New Zealand Wars were pretty complicated affairs but my pakeha forebears would’ve probably been among, or supported, the European settlers who killed Maori & stole and confiscated their land all around New Zealand. I have the feeling a New Zealand Wars Day would provoke a lot of mutual hostility rather than be treated as a respectful remembrance day.
Grindlebottom – Isn’t it about time that NZers learned what went on during the Land Wars, and why ?
Its not taught in schools as far as I can make out – it wasn’t taught in my day, and it wasn’t taught to my sons – and we’ve had to find out for ourselves.
And it might make some Pakeha realise just why Maori continue to raise grievances which go back decades.
This is a commemmoration whose time has come – but of course ShonKey won’t have a bar of it.
Only because it dovetails in with National’s privatisation ideology.
The treaty settlement process is the biggest privatisation programme in this country’s history, transfering billions of dollars to public assets and cash to tribal elites while single Maori mothers sleep in their cars with their newborn babies.
I agree NZ history including the Land Wars should be taught in our schools Jenny. I’m surprised it still isn’t. I’d rather see that done than establish a New Zealand Land Wars commemoration day. Just maintaining Waitangi Day is a better idea.
I think this is good, if we had a better understanding of the colonisation of this country and its effects I think it would put us a few steps further down the road of a progressive country. It’s an opportunity for compassion from pakeha. These are the most important events that have happened in NZ’s modern history yet they’re largely forgotten, shame on us. We do history so poorly.
The histories of those battles are very interesting in themselves, and if kids and adults knew what took place in their own town or city they might respect those places more, instead of doing stupid shit like building suburbia over them.
The conventional wisdom, taught in textbooks of monetary economics, is that the government creates money, not banks. Furthermore, banks are financial intermediaries: they lend money which they gather as deposits. The reality is that the banks invent the money that they lend. This means that the banks, and not the government, are in control of the money supply in the economy. Bank creation of money acts in ways that are opposite to Keynesian prescriptions, and destabilise the economy.
Time to change the conventional wisdom but the rich won’t like it.
“On November 20, the World Trade Organization (WTO) declared that dolphin-safe labels on cans of tuna are a barrier to trade that place the U.S. in violation of its treaty obligations. The U.S. must stop offering “dolphin-safe” labels or face punitive sanctions from Mexico. Analysts expect the government to cave.
The case is a classic example of what globalization critics have warned of for years: that “free trade” agreements allow foreign corporations to force the repeal of laws that interfere with their profits, thereby gutting protections for consumers, workers and the environment. Observers warn that the soon-to-be implemented Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) contains the exact same provisions, and that more such forced repeals are soon to come.”
Hopefully it’ll be a better rifle then what the guys and girls have now but whether its exactly whats needed only time will tell but its interesting switching from bullpup to conventional layout
Still leaves us open to supply problems when the shit hits the fan which it will, IMO, in the near future. The only solution to which being to make the weapons that our defence forces need in NZ from NZ resources.
In other words, the NZ government should build the factories and do the R&D to produce them here. I guestimate that we could do it with a mere 10,000 people employed most of which would be in R&D.
And, no, I don’t think it should be done by the private sector as I don’t think that the production of weapons should be done for profit at all.
I see that Key now decides who he answers questions to in question time in the House. In today’s session Andrew Little wished to put a question to the “Honourable John Key”. Andrew questioned Carter at the start of the session and wondered why he, listed as question 5 was now listed as putting the question to another Minister. Carter said under the speaker’s rules bla bla bla he was allowed to do this. Andrew then came back with another question to the speaker that he wished to ask the house to make the decision as he particularly wished to ask the PM the question – Carter said to stop wasting his time as it would ultimately come back to he, Carter to make the decision again anyway. When question 5 came up Andrew rose to his feet and said in not so many words to forget it that he was withdrawing the question.
So now Key decides who he wishes to answer to with probably pesky questions. How much more is this government going to be allowed to get away with when sitting in the House? They are not even subtle any more and must think we all are a pack of dumb nuts and can get away with it because we will just lie down and put up with this shit. A revolution anyone???
Interesting.
Probably no great loss though, it’s pretty pointless asking Key anything if you want a genuine answer.
After the dead cat rapists & ‘molesterers’ [sic] fiasco, it occurred to me that the combined opposition should just stop directing questions to the prime minister as he can’t be relied upon to answer without abusiveness.
Who needs to put up with that when they’re just trying to do their job?
Added bonus – being ignored would probably drive the attention seeking Key mad.
You are so right, he is on the back foot always and defensive as well as abusive. A sign of lacking intelligence, where he obviously is berefit of knowledge and so deflects with either dead cats or blatant refusal to answer questions which will put him on the spot. God what an awful man he is. I wonder if other women see him in the same light. We are supposed to have the ability to be intuitive to suss out creeps but still he hangs in there. He didn’t do it for me from the first time he came on the scene and he is getting worse by the day.
Interesting thought ,imagine if they just completely ignored key and directed all their questions at Collins instead.
It would’nt take key long to start jumping up and down like a little boy going what about me.
Young New Zealand women are heading to Iraq and Syria with fears they are joining the droves of Jihadi brides.
Security Intelligence Security director Rebecca Kitteridge revealed on Tuesday the numbers were on the rise and it was a big concern.
Kitteridge was giving evidence to Parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee, chaired by Prime Minister John Key.
…”It’s something we haven’t seen before.”
…Asked by Key if they were leaving for Iraq and Syria to become “Jihadi brides”, Kitteridge declined to comment.
…The committee was told of 24 hour surveillance on some but a lack of evidence to charge them, despite concerns they were accessing radicalised material and talking about committing attacks.
“A lot of them seem to be people who may have other problems in their life,” Kitteridge said.
“It’s not your average person going out to work and happily married and raising kids… it’s a pattern of people who are kind of disengaged in some way with a productive life.”
Big Kurdish population in NZ. Just saying that perhaps the SIS, like other better funded “intelligence” “organisations”, may not be the best source nor judge of character.
I want to see their workings, because their word ain’t worth shit.
Well, yeah, numbers could’ve gone up from one or two to three. And it reads like anybody travelling back to their homeland is now suspect. But this bit was also interesting.
…The committee was told of 24 hour surveillance on some but a lack of evidence to charge them, despite concerns they were accessing radicalised material and talking about committing attacks.
I’m happy for surveillance to quietly continue OAB.
I want to see their workings, because their word ain’t worth shit.
Yeah, so do I but good luck to us with that. That’d be never no matter who in power.
Yes, I am too. But I would like to point out to Ms Kitteridge that if someone is NOT going out to work and happily married and raising kids… , it doesn’t follow they are therefore NOT an average person.
Run by people who if overseas experience is anything to go by, will prey upon vulnerable members of the community to manufacture cases they can bring to court.
Surveillance isn’t “quiet”, Grindlebottom. It’s all-pervasive. It guards you while you sleep.
Those who sacrifice privacy on the altar of security deserve neither. Where have I heard that before? The key to these issues is trust and cameraderie, not fear and panty-sniffing.
PS: watch the video. The phrase “Jihadi Brides” plopped out of the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister’s mouth. Kitteridge didn’t verify it. Funnily enough, the headline implies that the things that plop out of the Prime Minister’s mouth are accurate.
Yeah I know, I did, but that’s our crappy media: you know how they often cite a quote from Key as the headline when it later becomes obvious it was inaccurate or misleading.
That article keeps growing. Every time I look at it the information has increased.
Professor flips out after student yawns loudly in class
If someone yawns during the class you’re teaching, you can laugh it off and say something like “Sorry to wake you up.” Alternatively, there’s the option of going nuclear…
Let me tell you something: my bad side is as bad as my pleasant side is pleasant. All right? Don’t push me that way. I like to keep things informal in here as much as possible, but understand where the difference between informal and impolite is. And I won’t tolerate impolite. If I hear ONE MORE of these overly loud yawns… GET UP AND WALK THE HELL OUT! YAWN OUTSIDE!! STAY OUTA CLASS, WHATEVER IT IS YA NEED TO DO TO GET OVER IT!! I WANNA KNOW WHY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM DON’T FIND THE NEED TO DO THAT! And you should be asking yourself, ‘Why am I the one loser that has to do that when 220 other people KNOW BETTER?’ Don’t push me to this point again…..”
How much is the military paying Springsteen to play at its “Stand Up for Heroes” event?
It was recently revealed that the reason those tedious yet disturbing military displays before American sports events are not done because the people who own NFL, NBA and MLB franchises are super-patriotic, but because the Pentagon pays them millions of dollars to wave huge flags and have jet-fighters fly over the stadia before the action begins.
Presumably the Obama cultist Bruce Springsteen is receiving a fair whack to play this event….
Item One: About a confected crisis Please bear with me for a moment, readers outside Auckland, I wish to sound the klaxon. Auckland, we have until 11pm today to have our say. About what? About this, as copied and pasted from Pippa Coom’s Facebook page:The "austerity" budget is built on ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet again, the statement we were looking for could not be found on the Beehive website. Nor was it on the Scoop or Green Party websites. But – come to think of it – we are probably wasting our time by searching. Our quest is for the ...
The following is from a speech given by Arundhati Roy at the Swedish Academy on March 22, 2023, at a conference called Thought and Truth Under Pressure and reprinted from Literary Hub. I thank the Swedish Academy for inviting me to speak at this conference and for affording me the privilege ...
After almost two decades of racism, Australia is finally getting off its "stop the boats" bullshit. But don't worry, racists - Michael Wood has your back!The Government wants to increase the time it can detain without a warrant people seeking asylum en masse from four days to 28 ...
Last year, the Education and Workforce Committee recommended that the government legislate for pay transparency to prevent employers from secretly discriminating. This ought to be a bread and butter issue for Labour - discrimination sees women (and particularly Māori and Pasifika women) paid significantly less than men. But since then ...
Thomas Cranmer writes – ———— An unruly mob in Albert Park has catapulted New Zealand into the global headlines with ugly images that may become iconic in the debate about the dangers of transgenderism. ———— Bravo Kellie-Jay Keen. She did the job that needed to be done. For all the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global warming is melting the Arctic ice cap, and that’s having unforeseen effects on the world’s weather — even thousands of miles away from the North Pole. Some climate scientists have begun to link increasingly common heat waves in Europe to what is ...
Hot on the heels of the demotion of former police Minister Stuart Nash for breaching the Cabinet Manual, Radio New Zealand has revealed the close links between lobbyists and politicians- an area of New Zealand politics that is completely unregulated. The evidence in Guyon Espiner’s series Mate, Comrade, Brother, the ...
At the Auckland Transport board meeting today a series of papers really highlight the cost of sprawl. For the last few years, the Supporting Growth work has been looking at designing the strategic transport networks for future greenfield areas in the South, Northwest, North (around Dairy flat) and in Warkworth. ...
Hi,Today’s newsletter is something I’ve wanted to report for ages, but I have been waiting on a New Zealand judge to make a ruling. That ruling has been made — so here we go.Enjoy.A scene from Mister Organ.Two Police Officers Knock on My DoorOn November 4 last year, I was ...
Only three days after Nanaia Mahuta had dinner with China’s Foreign Minister, New Zealand’s intelligence chiefs were talking about state actors interfering in New Zealand politics and using ethnic communities here for espionage purposes. Neither GSCB Director (and new SIS director) Andrew Hampton nor acting SIS CEO Phil McKee ...
In what has been one of her most important diplomatic mission, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has opened the door for a visit to Beijing by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins later this year. Such a mission is regarded as vital with a new Prime Minister Li Qiang settling into office. ...
Saturday morning, we went to Albert Park.We were there to show support, to challenge words of demonisation.To repeat those words from Michèle A’Court:Making them sound “other” is a technique used by racists and homophobes to dehumanise whole groups of people who “aren’t like them”. If you dehumanise people, it is ...
Too Strong For The Law’s Web: But, if the USA is too big to punish, why isn’t the Russian Federation? Russia’s economy may be roughly the size of Italy’s, but it’s nuclear arsenal is more than capable of laying human civilisation to waste. Threatening to arrest Vladimir Putin - especially when ...
Nobody likes a fascist, except other fascist’s of course. Thankfully they were completely outnumbered in Auckland last Saturday when a supposed advocate for women’s rights, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull aka Posie Parker, tried to give a public speech about how transgender people are worthy of persecution.You can understand why Parker and her ...
On Friday I sent out a newsletter called Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights to provide information about the visit to our shores of Ms Parker. I attempted to show there were multiple points of view but on balance my sympathies were strongly with the counter protest group standing up for ...
Brian Easton writes – Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector ...
Oh, the irony. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has made a career out of inciting public hostility against the trans community, only to find herself on the receiving end of public hostility at her Auckland rally. In a further case of karmic justice, the people who brought her into the country ended up ...
In 1972, British soldiers tortured a false confession out of Liam Holden, resulting in him being given Britain's last death sentence. While it was commuted to life imprisonment, Holden was wrongly imprisoned for 17 years. Now, the courts have finally recognised that it was torture: In 1973 Liam Holden ...
Taxpayers are not only subsidising already-very-profitable private banks via the cheap ‘Funding For Lending’ loans that helped pumped up house prices in 2021, but are also paying the banks upwards of $2 billion a year in interest for cash kept with the Reserve Bank. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: ...
This weekend saw a showdown between two tribes of contemporary gender politics: those in favour of progressing transgender rights versus women wishing to defend their spaces. It’s a debate with huge passion, outrage and consequences. The figure at the centre of the clash was the British “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” Posie ...
Tomorrow the Auckland Transport board meet again. Here are some of the highlights from their board papers. The open session starts at 9am and can be watched on this Teams link. Closed Session The closed session is typically where the most interesting items are discussed. Items for Approval ...
Mutual Support: Democracy in New Zealand will not be saved by pitting Pakeha against Māori, but by joining together with every other citizen who still understands the meaning of working together to build something good that will last. Call that co-governance if you like, or call it something else – ...
Imagine being a great big business success enjoying your lavish Waiheke island property with infinity pool and ballroom and riparian rights and heli-pad. Sweeeet. But imagine, also, having to take orders from some little bureaucratic oik about how often you can land a chopper on it.I can’t, really, but it ...
Hi,New Zealand’s Life megachurch has confirmed to Webworm it was paid $10,000 by Hillsong for investigating Brian Houston’s sexual misconduct allegations.Following Webworm publishing this piece about the $10,000 payment, Life’s Corporate Communications Manager Phil Irons has confirmed what it was for:Paul [de Jong] was engaged by Hillsong to assist in ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 19, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 25, 2023. Story of the Week Q&A: IPCC wraps up its most in-depth assessment of climate change The final part of the world’s most comprehensive assessment of ...
by Daphna Whitmore I thought the #LetWomenSpeak meeting would be a good time to talk about free speech and why it is important for the left. Then the mob stampeded the open-air gathering and no one got to speak. Here’s what I was had prepared. Today I want to talk ...
By Don Franks Today my friend Ani O’Briien went to a meeting in Auckland and wrote: “No sooner had Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull arrived at the Rotunda, a protestor (who had managed to get past the barrier) ran at her and threw a red substance all over her and a security ...
Jonathan Milne, managing editor for Newsroom Pro, has expressed his indignation about the outcome of a court decision yesterday in an article headed Posie Parker wins the beautiful freedom to make an ugly argument.Newsroom Pro laments: High Court Justice David Gendall has regretfully allowed an outspoken anti-trans activist to enter New ...
imagine my surprise this week when the National Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to release an education policy. As you can imagine, this got us so riled up here in the office that we dusted off our Windows XP laptop, waiting 17 hours for all the updates to be ...
Come on Jess thought Mr Evans come on. He watched the large clock on the wall tick closer to 8:40am. Come on girl.In two minutes he had to submit the class attendance report and with Jess having already been late once that term it’d mean an automatic visit from the ...
This week’s UN IPCC report warned climate emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C. Bronwyn Hayward points out in The Hoon podcast how far behind NZ’s government and councils are now on climate action compared to the rest ...
Chris Hipkins, after he became prime minister, committed to defeating the cost-of- living crisis. He proceeded to make a bonfire of policies that were at the heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration. But, as Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading → ...
Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
* Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR:Auckland MayorWayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
Open access notables The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products has put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
* Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here. A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon may be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but he could be tapping into a rich political vein in describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining, with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
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 ...
RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are weshortchanged democratically by the way ...
RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
The Government’s decision to introduce ‘mass arrivals’ legislation goes against the values we all share of Aotearoa as a place where all people are treated fairly, the Green Party says. ...
MINISTER DAVIDSON MUST RESIGN AFTER 'VIOLENCE' COMMENTS Marama Davidson should stand down as ‘Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence’ for the clear and outrageous statement she made at the Posie Parker protest that ‘white straight men’ are the cause of violence. Her offensive, racist, and sexist remarks ...
In response to Newshub and Amelia Wade’s obvious and ham-fisted attempt at a typical and predicted political hit job. As any politically aware reporter would know, any Cabinet subcommittee has a duty and obligation as a part of any government to respond to any UN declaration, in this case ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today and in your busy lives turning up to this meeting. Forty five years ago, in Howick, often described as racist, and where few Maori lived because it had been a ‘Fencible’ settlement at the time of the Anglo-Maori ...
The Green Party has marked the National Party’s new education policy and given it a fail, especially for its failure to address the underlying drivers of school performance. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
Legislation to enable more build-to-rent developments has passed its third reading in Parliament, so this type of rental will be able to claim interest deductibility in perpetuity where it meets the requirements. Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods, says the changes will help unlock the potential of the build-to-rent sector and ...
A law passed by Parliament today exempts employers from paying fringe benefit tax on certain low emission commuting options they provide or subsidise for their staff. “Many employers already subsidise the commuting costs of their staff, for instance by providing car parks,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “This move supports ...
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), our gold standard free trade agreement between New Zealand and Australia. “CER was a world-leading agreement in 1983, is still world-renowned today and is emblematic of both our countries’ commitment to free trade. The WTO has called it the world’s ...
The Government is making procedural changes to the Immigration Act to ensure that 2013 amendments operate as Parliament intended. The Government is also introducing a new community management approach for asylum seekers. “While it’s unlikely we’ll experience a mass arrival due to our remote positioning, there is no doubt New ...
The Government welcomes progress on public sector pay adjustment (PSPA) agreements, and the release of the updated public service pay guidance by the Public Service Commission today, Minister for the Public Service Andrew Little says. “More than a dozen collective agreements are now settled in the public service, Crown Agents, ...
The Government has introduced the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill to further support the recovery and rebuild from the recent severe weather events in the North Island. “We know from our experiences following the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes that it will take some time before we completely understand the ...
Further assistance is now available to businesses impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with Customs able to offer payment plans and to remit late-payments, Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri has announced. “This is part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to assist economic recovery in the regions,” Meka Whaitiri said. “Cabinet has approved the ...
More than 41,000 sole parent families will be better off with a median gain of $20 a week Law change estimated to help lift up to 14,000 children out of poverty Child support payments will be passed on directly to people receiving a sole parent rate of main benefit, making ...
A major investment by Government-owned New Zealand Green Investment Finance towards electrifying the public bus fleet is being welcomed by Climate Change Minister James Shaw. “Today’s announcement that NZGIF has signed a $50 million financing deal with Kinetic, the biggest bus operator in Australasia, to further decarbonise public transport is ...
A world-leading payments system is expected to provide a significant cash flow boost for Kiwi innovators, Minister of Research, Science, and Innovation Ayesha Verrall says. Announcing that applications for ‘in-year’ payments of the Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) were open, Ayesha Verrall said it represented a win for businesses ...
Minister of Transport Michael Wood joined crowds of keen cyclists and walkers this morning to celebrate the completion of the Te Awa shared path in Hamilton. “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, greener, and more efficient for now and future generations to come,” Michael ...
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges. Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Can I begin by thanking Gary Taylor, Raewyn Peart and others in the EDS team for their herculean work in support of the environment. I’d also like to acknowledge Hon Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, my parliamentary colleagues, and the many activists here who strive ...
A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment. “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
$2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
[CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā tangata katoa, o moana-nui-a-kiwa, E ngā mate, haere, haere, haere atū ra, manuia lau Malaga. Thank you for the kind introduction and opportunity to join you this morning. It is always good to be here in Aukilani, where I ...
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi, tēnā koutou katoa. Talofa lava and thank you Catherine, for the warm welcome. I’m sorry that I can’t be there in person today but it’s great for the opportunity to contribute virtually. I’d like to start by acknowledging: Alzheimers New Zealand, ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
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Grim reading today Comrades!
‘Counter revolution’ in Venezuela…
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-election-idUSKBN0TP03Y20151207
The rise of the Far Right in France…
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/07/frances-governing-socialists-urge-tactical-voting-in-face-of-far-right-surge
The destruction of the British Labour Party….
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/dec/07/labour-is-falling-apart-but-dont-blame-jeremy-corbyn-for-its-collapse
Are you the one whose family voted Labour for generation upon generation until David Cunnliffe became leader?
My family before me yes, and I voted Labour (or Greens occaisionally) all my life – until the last election, when I finally got so sick of the infighting, the lack of vision, and the slavish conformity to outdated dogma that I voted for National as a protest.
If you’ve seen that graph that shows Labour support over the last 100 years, you’ll recognize that this is just part of the overall pattern of decline in support.
I’m still waiting for The Left to see the writing on the wall. Let alone start to write the story that will make it relevant to The People again. Hence the stories above Titi. Wake up call anyone?
outdated dogma
Translation: unions, human rights, fair pay rates, evidence-based policy.
To be replaced by the mindless shite that Sheep believes very hard.
Edit: I note that “outdated dogma” is an oxymoron: if it’s been outdated (by what?) it was once appropriate to its time and therefore, not dogma. This will sail right over Gobsheep’s head.
Anyone wanting to understand why the Left is bleeding support only need study your collected works here OAB.
Anyone not wanting to understand can parrot the Lefts new narrative of blame. The Voters are Stupid / The Voters are Greedy / The Media is against us / The voters are brainwashed / It’s a conspiracy (many conspiracies actually) / Money is an unfair advantage / etc etc etc.
Anything but take a look in the mirror.
You are happy with the status quo aren’t you. No need to change anything.
I’m the Left, apparently, and yet, curiously, I have never once advanced any of Sheep’s litany of alleged Leftie tropes.
Meanwhile, Labour is up 5% since the last election. Gosh, two examples of utterly false assertions in one Gobsheep! 😆
3 elections on, Labour 31% National 47%.
And you are happy.
I rest my case.
It’s 20 years since we moved form FPP to MMP Tls. And you didn’t know? Where have you been hiding? Under a rock in the Sahara Desert?
That’s the height of ignorance you know.
Hi Anne this is from below but it seems pertinent to this discussion
Remind me again how many elections Labour have been in power for since the advent of MMP versus how many National have been in
In case you were wondering of the seven elections held under MMP National have won power in four and Labour have won power in three and since National is likely to regain power in 2017 it’ll be 2020 before Labours back in power
[lprent: You really shouldn’t use spurious stats when I am around. I find it irritating. What you are describing is 2 changes of government each currently of 3 terms, and the one term left over from the government at the time of a change to MMP.
And trolling such simple minded bullshit annoys me even more. I suggest that you discontinue ]
“Happy.”
Fuck off. Confine your observations to things you have a clue about. Yes, that will leave you with nothing to say.
Looks as if at some point (Cunliffe’s “sorry”, I’ll wager) you have just decided to abandon your values.
Looks as if at some point (Cunliffe’s “sorry”, I’ll wager) you have just decided to abandon your values.
Mate. I voted Labour in ’84 and ’87, and then I voted for them again in ’90.
If i stuck with them through all those changes in values, I think you can take it as read that a relative featherweight like Cunliffe would hardly tip me off the boat!
The Greenslade piece in ‘The Guardian’ is a bit odd. A lot of the analysis seems reasonable, but a fair chunk of what he’s driving at hinges on this …
Despite strolling to the Oldham by-election victory, the party is generally regarded by the majority of its MPs, political journalists and their editors, as unelectable.
Now, count those people up and how many people are we talking of? Not many.
And then there’s….Corbyn’s new army embodies yet another faction: the idealistic middle classes. Reconciling their views with those who lean towards Ukip is more than a stretch.
Does he not understand that many of those who voted UKIP cast their vote as a protest, and does he also not understand that Labour kind of endorsed voting on an immigration ticket with it’s own stupid fucking ‘tough on immigration’ policy?
Anyway. Labour in Scotland is dead. But Labour in England and Wales is possibly on the cusp of a revival given that Miliband’s changes opened up the party far and a way beyond any opening up that has occurred for the NZ Labour Party.
Add to that that the UK Labour Party is, under Corbyn, seeking to articulate the type of sensibilities that now belong to the SNP in Scotland and, well….we’ll see.
My only real criticism of Corbyn is that he’s stuck fast in a dim and irrelevant ‘one world’ past with regards nationalism. He should have signaled an alliance with the SNP and left the corpse of the Blairite Scottish Labour Party to rot. Civic nationalism in Scotland should have embraced by Labour, afterall, you can’t have internationalism without nationalism, and the smaller a political entity is, the greater chance for better accountability, and then the greater the chance is for the emergence of authentic autonomy – the next step beyond nationalism and nation states, y’know, socialism.;-)
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11557358
Audrey pimping for collins as is henry who just gave the horrible women collins free reign to reinvent herself into a honest women.
For the hard right, Collins is the way forward.
Henry is simply a pimp for the corporate criminals running this place.
He’s an odd mix ,if you keep in mind that he’s a horrible simple minded prick,I find him honest in that he says it how he sees it.
Interestly he was just pushing Finland’s upcoming ubi trial.
“,I find him honest in that he says it how he sees it.”
I find people who say they do this (call a spade a spade type shite) to be intentionally simplistic and hence deceitful. They hide things with their simplistic nonsense.
You could be right but I tend to think henry isn’t that bright.
Despite assurances (lies) from Key, detainees are signing forms that give away their guaranteed right to appeal when they’re coerced to return home.
And of course not any other media except RNZ is reporting this, because it’s just another big lie in the long list of John Key’s lies and we’re becoming numb/used/indifferent to it.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/291540/detainees-sign-'unusual'-forms-lawyer
508 extra housing units says the Govt. Yeah right – its the usual smoke and mirrors.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11557186
IHC gets 58 NEW homes and 300 LEASED from private owners. The Sally Army gets 50 NEW homes and 37 EXISTING pensioner flats. And goodness knows where the Chinese Settlers will find their 36 homes, or the other 27 subsidies. So the Govt is subsidising private owners yet again, and in reality there will be at least 158 NEW homes of some sort or other built somewhere, and maybe a few more.
There is a very much to the point letter here on this subject of Smith’s drivel.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11557058
To amirite – Surely if detainees have signed such documents without legal advice beforehand then said document is invalid ?
and thank goodness for Radio NZ ! At least one MSM outlet keeping track of things
Yes, the story just got buried by Stuff & the Herald. Stuff changed their headline from one about deportees having to sign away their right of appeal to one that now reads:
John Key ‘confident’ of deportees’ appeal rights despite Australian form.
Still I expect it’s going to be brief news item on telly tonight and it’s hard to see how Key can avoid being seen as either a liar or a dupe. I just hope whoever reports it take the time to read out the offending sentence.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74854431/john-key-confident-of-deportees-appeal-rights-despite-australian-form
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11557630
Also deportees are being charged for the cost of travel back to NZ.
Also deportees are being charged for the cost of travel back to NZ.
How will the parliamentary left regain the momentum it had with the public over the Australian deportees?
Government’s reshuffle and the Cabinet decisions this week have tilted the momentum back to Key. Very smart decision for Act’s Seymour to stay out of Cabinet.
I am incredibly surprised that the Opposition parties have not built upon the climate change marches momentum and continued strong stories during the Paris COP 21 negotiations.
Momentum will of course come and go, but it will take more than the occasional stunt out of a helicopter to sustain public attention.
Momentum will gradually build up, Ad. That is better than quick ups and downs.
And hopefully the upward momentum will be retained thru to 2017.
I also note that ShonKey’s popularity has been gradually sliding downwards for quite a while …. it’s still respectable, but maybe more and more people are finally waking up to him !
I think that’s a little blithe, Jenny.
Let me give you an example of the kinds of successes that this current government will ride from 2016 to 2017:
– Announcement of full funding for City Rail Link, first quarter 2016 (and start of early construction works within a couple of weeks)
– Commence works on National Convention Centre with Sky City, first quarter 2016
– Start of full demolition of Auckland’s downtown shopping centre, second quarter 2016
– Commencement of SH1 Puhoi to Wellsford construction, end second quarter 2016
– Announcement of confirmed timing of Waitemata harbor tunnel crossing, second quarter 2016
– Start of Elliot Street tower (over 40 stories high), second quarter 2016
– Start construction on 5 star hotel on Auckland’s waterfront, second quarter 2016
– Queenstown Convention Centre starts construction, third quarter 2016
– Announcement of Auckland light rail options, third quarter 2016
– Opening of new Waterfront theatre, end 2016
– Start of Ruataniwha Dam construction, third quarter 2016
– Opening of Waterview tunnels for SH16 and SH20, first quarter 2017
– Huge number of civic openings in Christchurch as stages complete, first quarter 2017
– Then you have the 2017 budget tax cuts, which will be substantial
etc
What I am indicating is that this government understands the secret to politics in New Zealand right now is real estate and roading. The momentum that they have built and encouraged through incredibly low Reserve Bank targets will see Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown-Lakes take the economic lead as the rest of the economy remains at 2% growth.
The stories that the Opposition break have to be even bigger than this.
That was how good Kelvin’s hit was. The loss of momentum is a serious loss.
These guys are fully geared for a fourth term, and the momentum of the economy is with them.
Do you honestly believe the Christmas island crims episode was a win for Labour?
In terms content it was neutral overall.
In terms of MSM coverage, and underlining Key’s incompetence, huge win.
That’s a useful summary of forthcoming announcements, thanks Ad.
How much of this is residential housing?
That’s another whole list.
“Start of Ruataniwha Dam construction, third quarter 2016”
Pffft. How are those investment partners going?
The CHB Council has all but guaranteed that this dam will go ahead buy buying up water rights to provide drinking water for their constituents… that they currently get for free.
The fact that the Mayor and several councillors will benefit directly from the commencement of this project is probably the worst conflict of interest I have ever seen.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11544383
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11546675
Coming to a space near you from a right wing that equates laying concrete with growth?? Really last century isn’t it.
It ain’t pretty.
Now we’ll see how good Kelvin Davis is (or if he can be leader) now that he has a real challenge on his hands
Jacinda Ardern is a lightweight dolly bird that couldn’t handle Paula Bennett and Nikki Kay and as such shouldn’t be considered as a viable option for leader of Labour and now Kelvin Davis has a real chance to show what hes got
Things have gotten interesting again
Labour has a Leader, Puckish R. This is just another bit of bs-waving by Nats for which you are the mouthpiece.
Yes well a leader that can’t convince an electorate to vote for him either but more importantly I’m looking forward to Davis vs Collins, we’ll see if Davis has what it takes
Collins appointment is to take the heat of Key and have some more drivel for talk back radio so that real issues don’t come up.
Hard to believe they can find someone less honest than Key to make him look better, but they have!
Collins is a patsy to take the heat off other issues – like the Natz destroying our democracy and TPP.
What better distraction than 2nd hand car dealer promoter/Kauri swamp marketer/minister of Police/corrections Collins to distract!
We are starting to make Malaysia look good!
“can’t convince an electorate to vote for him”
1990 just called, it wants its political strategies back.
Remind me again how many elections Labour have been in power for since the advent of MMP versus how many National have been in
Dark ages often lasted for hundreds of years – National malgovernance only feels like a series of dark eternities.
In case you were wondering of the seven elections held under MMP National have won power in four and Labour have won power in three and since National is likely to regain power in 2017 it’ll be 2020 before Labours back in power
But hey you keep on the good fight
NB if Davis had lost to Hone, Hone and Laila would have both got into Parliament.
And the resulting calculation on Labour Party numbers would have meant that Andrew Little would have missed out.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that would have been a good thing or not
@CV
+100
Instead we have Labourites like Nash who advocates “maintaining our principles’ is a ludicrous proposition.”
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/10/31/tdb-guest-blog-project-stuart-nash-the-most-pressing-issue-in-nz-right-now/
Good to think about that also in the context of bought lobbyists for the oil industry.
https://berniesanders.com/people-before-polluters/
Labourites like Nash……
“Our supporters have the same impact when they squabble, bitch and back-stab on so-called ‘left-friendly’ sites like The Standard (a dreadful 21st century bastardisation of a once proud Labour broadsheet)”
Oh dear.
I see that USA are being sued under NAFTA because the USA law requiring the labelling of the origin of meat contravenes the agreement.
+100 Tautoko Mangō Mata
TPP does not benefit citizens of any country, only giant agrochemical multi nationals who will benefit from relaxed food standards and consumer choice to ram toxic intensive and un proven food with poor animal welfare standards onto unwitting consumers plates.
Very interesting video about how TTIP (and likewise TPP) will destroy small and medium farmers (i.e. like NZ farmers), introduce Genetically modified foods, introduce chlorinated meat washing techniques and USA agricultural intensive farming practises around the world with these ‘free trade’ agreements.
It is not only NZ farms being bought up by agribusiness and foreign investors it is also happening in Europe. Soon as well as being tenants in our own country we will also be able to afford the ‘raw food’ materials of our country as they will be exported using mega supply chains to other countries to be processed.
The video also has a lot of useful statistics like how 70% of the worlds fresh water is used in agribusiness and 52% of emissions are from agribusiness as to get that massive scale petrol is used to ship around the world.
While we like to think NZ is an exporter so TPP will ‘help’ farmers it appears that most mega agribusiness like Montanso and investment companies buying up land for food are most likely to use NZ as a banana republic, and use their own migrant labour, offshore productions and supply chains to export the food cutting out the middle men (Kiwis) and using sophisticated tax laws to pay the minimum of taxes while getting the maximum of corporate welfare.
It is already happening, TPP just means governments will not be able to stop it as they can be sued.
Request: Please do not upset TRP today.
Te Reo Putake is in a very grumpy mood and lashing out at all and sundry. She/He is very very very sensitive to any hint that Robertson and King had a major say in the cabinet selection. TRP is also very very very sensitive to Claire Trevett’s story that King promised her Rongotai seat to Little on condition that he publically humiliate Cunliffe.
te reo putake…
7 December 2015 at 10:40 pm
Chooky, I have a life. I’ve been out, as it happens, and even if I wasn’t, I answer if and when when I fucken well feel like it, not according to your agenda. Bill’s comments are full of shit. The shadow cabinet was chosen by Little as is his right.
I never said what Bill claimed I did, and what he claimed about caucus selecting the shadow cabinet was wrong in fact anyway and the that’s the end of that story.
Bill fucked up out of ignorance. What’s your excuse?
Put it down to being a white middle male
Everyone else blames these factors (race, age, gender) whenever a white middle male does something so may as well join in the fun.
Why do you keep repeating this bullshit, Northsider?
Trevett’s story did not do what you claim yet you keep repeating your lies, and your obsession with Robertson is getting to the pathological stage.
I am not a fan of the way TRP reacts to criticism, but your continuous attempts to enter into long, pointless and ill-informed attacks on Labour in a desperate attempt to get him to respond makes me suspicious of your real motives.
1. Trevett says Annette will surrender Rongotai to Andrew Little. No one disputed this. Trevett has shown she is being fed excellent intelligence throughput this process.
2. All are saying the ABC’s have seen the Cunliffe supporters in the Caucus demoted, relative to Robertson supporter, and Cunliffe himself humiliated.
3. The insulting positiong of Cunliffe had nothing to do with his work rate, ability or behaviour since Little took over.
4. Cunliffe strongly supported Little in the Leadership battle and actually held-off standing down until it was coinfirmed little was elected. So Cunliffe was done to for other reasons that Little was unable to resist.
5. Trevett says there was no room for a “charachter like Cunliffe” . That was code for saying the ABCers wanted Cunliffe fully out this time. Little had no personal or performance related reason to want Cunliffe out.
6. That does mean that the Rongotai seat and Cunliffe were part of the one conversation.
Karen, do not impune my motive. I have not impuned yours. We are all Labour.
Okay Northsider, I’ll take your word that you are not a right wing troll trying to create dissent, but it sure was starting to look like it. And by the way my politics are somewhat to the left of both Labour and the Green Party, but I have supported both electorally and financially .
As to your points:
1. Trevett did not say “Annette will surrender Rongotai to Andrew Little.” She said it was a possibility, which it obviously is. Anybody can see that. Your assumption that Trevett is getting leaked information is based on a misunderstanding of the work of political journalists.
2. A number of Cunliffe supporters have been promoted. This has been pointed out to you before.
3. I was also disappointed with Cunliffe’s demotion, but I do not know what his work rate has been like over recent months compared to others and neither do you.
4. Cunliffe stood down when Little decided to stand, not when Little was elected.
5. I like Cunliffe and supported his leadership, but there is no question he is a decisive figure. I suspect Little has asked for Cunliffe to work with him to see how well he works with others. I know Little wanted caucus members to work together on projects and perhaps Cunliffe found that difficult. I do not know – I am just guessing.
6.Sorry, your conclusion does not follow at all.
The ones who have clearly switched away from Cunliffe to support the ABCs have been promoted.
Cunliffe’s demotion has nothing to do with his work rate, his ability, his experience of his ability to work with others.
It has everything to do with the Robertson crowd and the right wingers in caucus wanting Cunliffe as a future leadership threat permanently gone.
+100 CV…from what I have heard Cunliffe is very good to work with and work for…so what the hell is going on?!
…the rank and file Labour members voted for David Cunliffe!…that should be enough to earn him a top place in Cabinet …if the management was good
….and a high place for Mania Mahuta who brought in the Maori seats, when Labour was losing most others ….except for TTT which was won by Kelvin Davis against Hone Harawira
….and we all know Lusk was involved in TTT…he says so himself and there is suggestion of payment of the Maori voters in TTT
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201779410/dirty-politics-players-back-in-the-frame
….” Duncan Garner also revealed supporters of Labour’s Napier MP Stewart Nash paid Simon Lusk to canvas the option of a new political party, and that Simon Lusk had told him Labour MP Phil Twyford would be his next target.
Simon Lusk also claimed on Story he had been instrumental in unseating Mana Party co-leader Hone Harawira in the last election. Unnamed “businessmen” had paid thousands for that, he said. And in conversation with his co-host last Monday, Duncan Garner said money had been paid to get Maori electors to vote in Te Tai Tokerau.
Was political operative Simon Lusk really paying people on behalf of clients to influence an election? Disappointingly, no more was said about this claim.The following day, Duncan Garner posted a statement from Simon Lusk on the websites of TV3’s Story and Radio Live. In it, Simon Lusk said:
Iwi now have extensive databases of members who they can easily mobilise. Assembling a team of 50 or 100 iwi members to get out the vote is straightforward, legal and effective if it is possible to raise some koha.
He added that “if you’re not paying for votes or offering anything in exchange for a vote, or treating,” it is not against the law. But that statement didn’t answer key questions: How much was paid? By whom? And for what purpose? “…
( Questions need to be asked and answered about what is going on in the Labour Party)
Why do you keep repeating that nonsense Chooky? Why would you believe anything Garner and Lusk (in particular) says? and you’re dreaming re: “new party”
Go and talk with Ngāpuhi, you will find Lusk had nothing to do with Hone losing his seat, it was partnering up with Dotcom that did. I got told Hone lost all credibility when he showed he needed a “white man” (their words) to win.
David Cunliffe is still very much a target by msm, and didn’t he tell John Campbell post election/leadership that he didn’t know if he would be staying on for the 2017 election? Personally I wouldn’t want to see him go, but “IF” he did, I would respect his decision, and you do not know of the talks Cunliffe and Little would have had prior to the reshuffle, which I am sure David Cunliffe was well aware of before the announcement.
That’s just your opinion CV and you have provided no evidence to back up your theories.
You obviously loathe Robertson and you and your small band of supporters are trying desperately to get people to believe your conspiracy theories. To what end I have no idea, but I personally am disappointed that you have decided to undertake this campaign as I used to find your comments on NZ politics worth reading. No longer.
+100 Karen.
Cheers, Karen, a couple of points well made. I do tend to lash out when people claim I’ve said things I haven’t and it’s a fault, I know. But that and excessive modesty are pretty much my only character defects as far as I can tell 😉
And to te reo putake – people are different, react in different ways, I – personally – find what you have to say refreshing and to the point. So I always read your opinions.
Cheers, Jenny, much appreciated. It’s one of the strengths of the Standard that there are many so many great contributors, yourself included. We have the liveliest, most educated comments of any NZ blog, by quite some distance.
Ah – another Bill. Okay. Back to what I was doing before reading that. 😉
What’s the bet the GCSB has started survelliance of SAFE on the grounds that it is an organisation threatening New Zealand’s economic well-being.
@ E p surveillance started? It has probably been on going the whole time!
What else is the increased 8 million to be spent on, (apart from undermining the political and activist opposition to this corrupt government and their spin doctors)!
Do you see know irony in what you are saying.
The gcsb might learn something about spying from safe.
Theres a court case coming soon in Dunedin [deleted]
[lprent: I believe that it is also subject to court suppression orders. I’d strongly suggest that if you want to comment here and you don’t think that you can use the name, then you don’t make the detail of the cases obvious either. Otherwise you should state is there is a suppression order and what its limits are. There are multiple levels from simple name suppression through to blanket suppression that will even make mentioning that a suppression order has been made subject to contempt of court. If you can’t state them, then I’m liable, and quite liable to simply kick you off the site for a year or two to make sure I don’t have waste time moderating you.
But really, the courts operational rules on suppression simply don’t work in an online world. I’m forever having to find out about suppression orders to just know what to moderate. It is a bit of a nuisance that the courts run under a stupid secrecy model and don’t supply us with lists of what is and what isn’t suppressed. ]
Apologies.
It turns out Zuckerbergs $45bn ‘donation’ wasn’t a proper gift at all. It has just been “stuffed into a for-profit limited liability company, rather than a foundation, which means that you don’t have to tell everybody exactly what you’re up to, and you’re allowed to make money from poorer people who are making money, do a bit of political lobbying, take some money back, support your very own pet causes, change the world however you fancy and feel just like God: all-powerful and adored.”
‘I was suspicious of the Zuckerbergs’ $45bn donation – and I was right to be”
Michele Hanson
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/dec/07/suspicious-zuckerbergs-45bn-donation-facebook-gift
It makes him a great Superpac, if he could be persuaded towards the Democrats.
I’ve just been reading about early photographer Nikola Persheid (or Perscheid). He was a good photographer and worked at his studio with many who became as well-known as him on their own. He developed a special camera suitable for portraits that was used internationally. He worked in many different places, after ‘developing’ his trade by being an itinerant photographer. But was not able to make a good living, although his work was high quality and well considered. The competitive self-reliant world can be very hard on individuals who are acting as entrepreneurs breaking into new fields. He came to a sad end. He deserved better.
Wikipedia
Towards the end of the 1920s, Perscheid had severe financial problems. In autumn 1929 he had to sub-rent his apartment to be able to pay his own rent. Shortly afterwards, he suffered a stroke, and was hospitalized in spring of 1930.
While he was at the hospital, his belongings, including his cameras and photographic plates, but also all his furniture were auctioned off to pay his debts. Two weeks after the auction, on 12 May 1930,[6] Perscheid died at the Charité hospital in Berlin.
So he died and I can’t find where he was buried, probably in a pauper’s grave. We need to keep our social welfare so that people of note, who have been of note, or who never achieved a note can be treated fairly and kindly.
lprent
I was browsing on TS and went to scroll up and the blog vanished to a white screen headed Gone and then something about the address had gone with no further addres and to remove all references to it from my computer. I closed down and immediately requested TS again and it came on no trouble.
Also it has been very slow loading at times lately. Just letting you know.
Interesting. That usually indicates that a TCP connection has been forcibly disconnected from the server side. I will have a look at the page load time profile.
I get the “gone page” when shifting from page to page on occasion. Being a hick I just put it down to rural network stuff.
Can confirm very slow loading… we’re talking of minutes not seconds. I can also report something similar to gws’s experience – a vanishing TS only to return upon a fresh loading.
Ummm. Can’t see much myself. But I’ll have a look when I get home in about an hour. Been having an issue with some stray apache2 processes.
2 six shooters a horse and some chewing tabbacee is how you deal with Apaches
Yes, several times in last couple of days the site wouldn’t open or browser couldn’t find it. But it’s fine today.
Same experience last few days.
Bernie Sanders has released his official plan to fight climate change, and it’s very good:
https://berniesanders.com/people-before-polluters/
This is excellent (Bernie Sanders’ Climate Change Plan). Thanks for the link. A very good reference.
@ michael +100
If only our opposition could put together real policies and detailed plans that actually say exactly what they will do when they get into power and why.
This should be compulsory reading for the opposition in NZ on how to write up policy and not just on climate change!
(in particular Labour)
i.e. You need to actually have something real, rather than airy fairy words to get people to believe in a party and the words within the policy have to actually make sense and have a detailed action plan.
How serendipitous for the UK government and others going to war against the daesh that ‘The Guardian’ has now obtained blueprints on the planned state building of the self appointed caliphate. Now they can say they are at war with an almost state, which lends a smear of credibility and a veneer of legality to the bombing of, well…let’s face it, it’s just ‘people on the ground’ – men, boys, women, girls, old people, babies….
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/07/leaked-isis-document-reveals-plan-building-state-syria
I’m not so sure this is a good idea.
The New Zealand Wars were pretty complicated affairs but my pakeha forebears would’ve probably been among, or supported, the European settlers who killed Maori & stole and confiscated their land all around New Zealand. I have the feeling a New Zealand Wars Day would provoke a lot of mutual hostility rather than be treated as a respectful remembrance day.
Any thoughts anyone?
Grindlebottom – Isn’t it about time that NZers learned what went on during the Land Wars, and why ?
Its not taught in schools as far as I can make out – it wasn’t taught in my day, and it wasn’t taught to my sons – and we’ve had to find out for ourselves.
And it might make some Pakeha realise just why Maori continue to raise grievances which go back decades.
This is a commemmoration whose time has come – but of course ShonKey won’t have a bar of it.
National has done at least as good a job – if not a better job – of settling Treaty grievances in the last few years.
Only because it dovetails in with National’s privatisation ideology.
The treaty settlement process is the biggest privatisation programme in this country’s history, transfering billions of dollars to public assets and cash to tribal elites while single Maori mothers sleep in their cars with their newborn babies.
And dont get me started about conservation land.
I agree NZ history including the Land Wars should be taught in our schools Jenny. I’m surprised it still isn’t. I’d rather see that done than establish a New Zealand Land Wars commemoration day. Just maintaining Waitangi Day is a better idea.
I think this is good, if we had a better understanding of the colonisation of this country and its effects I think it would put us a few steps further down the road of a progressive country. It’s an opportunity for compassion from pakeha. These are the most important events that have happened in NZ’s modern history yet they’re largely forgotten, shame on us. We do history so poorly.
The histories of those battles are very interesting in themselves, and if kids and adults knew what took place in their own town or city they might respect those places more, instead of doing stupid shit like building suburbia over them.
The Swiss referendum on Sovereign Money
Time to change the conventional wisdom but the rich won’t like it.
“On November 20, the World Trade Organization (WTO) declared that dolphin-safe labels on cans of tuna are a barrier to trade that place the U.S. in violation of its treaty obligations. The U.S. must stop offering “dolphin-safe” labels or face punitive sanctions from Mexico. Analysts expect the government to cave.
The case is a classic example of what globalization critics have warned of for years: that “free trade” agreements allow foreign corporations to force the repeal of laws that interfere with their profits, thereby gutting protections for consumers, workers and the environment. Observers warn that the soon-to-be implemented Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) contains the exact same provisions, and that more such forced repeals are soon to come.”
http://investmentwatchblog.com/dolphin-safe-food-labeling-declared-illegal-by-globalist-trade-organization-here-comes-the-global-censorship-of-food-labeling/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11557628
Hopefully it’ll be a better rifle then what the guys and girls have now but whether its exactly whats needed only time will tell but its interesting switching from bullpup to conventional layout
Shows up on Wikipedia as two main users – British Armed Forces and New Zealand Army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Machine_and_Tool_Company
Still leaves us open to supply problems when the shit hits the fan which it will, IMO, in the near future. The only solution to which being to make the weapons that our defence forces need in NZ from NZ resources.
In other words, the NZ government should build the factories and do the R&D to produce them here. I guestimate that we could do it with a mere 10,000 people employed most of which would be in R&D.
And, no, I don’t think it should be done by the private sector as I don’t think that the production of weapons should be done for profit at all.
I see that Key now decides who he answers questions to in question time in the House. In today’s session Andrew Little wished to put a question to the “Honourable John Key”. Andrew questioned Carter at the start of the session and wondered why he, listed as question 5 was now listed as putting the question to another Minister. Carter said under the speaker’s rules bla bla bla he was allowed to do this. Andrew then came back with another question to the speaker that he wished to ask the house to make the decision as he particularly wished to ask the PM the question – Carter said to stop wasting his time as it would ultimately come back to he, Carter to make the decision again anyway. When question 5 came up Andrew rose to his feet and said in not so many words to forget it that he was withdrawing the question.
So now Key decides who he wishes to answer to with probably pesky questions. How much more is this government going to be allowed to get away with when sitting in the House? They are not even subtle any more and must think we all are a pack of dumb nuts and can get away with it because we will just lie down and put up with this shit. A revolution anyone???
Interesting.
Probably no great loss though, it’s pretty pointless asking Key anything if you want a genuine answer.
After the dead cat rapists & ‘molesterers’ [sic] fiasco, it occurred to me that the combined opposition should just stop directing questions to the prime minister as he can’t be relied upon to answer without abusiveness.
Who needs to put up with that when they’re just trying to do their job?
Added bonus – being ignored would probably drive the attention seeking Key mad.
You are so right, he is on the back foot always and defensive as well as abusive. A sign of lacking intelligence, where he obviously is berefit of knowledge and so deflects with either dead cats or blatant refusal to answer questions which will put him on the spot. God what an awful man he is. I wonder if other women see him in the same light. We are supposed to have the ability to be intuitive to suss out creeps but still he hangs in there. He didn’t do it for me from the first time he came on the scene and he is getting worse by the day.
Interesting thought ,imagine if they just completely ignored key and directed all their questions at Collins instead.
It would’nt take key long to start jumping up and down like a little boy going what about me.
Why do terrorists attack public health workers?
San Bernardino mass murderers Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik deliberately targeted public health workers. —News.
Targeting public health workers. These people are beneath contempt, surely. Where could they have got such a fiendish idea?
What kind of monstrous fanatics….
https://theintercept.com/2015/11/06/u-s-journalists-who-instantly-exonerated-their-government-of-the-kunduz-hospital-attack-declaring-it-an-accident/
….would deliberately….
http://www.internationalist.org/fallujarape0412.html
….target hospitals…..
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/08/mounting-evidence-deliberate-attacks-gaza-health-workers-israeli-army/
….and ambulances?
http://www.imemc.org/article/73185
+100 Morrissey – it really is a mystery to many….
Bride of Jihadi: the Reckoning.
Interesting OAB. From the article…
numbers are on the rise
From what to what? To where?
Big Kurdish population in NZ. Just saying that perhaps the SIS, like other better funded “intelligence” “organisations”, may not be the best source nor judge of character.
I want to see their workings, because their word ain’t worth shit.
Well, yeah, numbers could’ve gone up from one or two to three. And it reads like anybody travelling back to their homeland is now suspect. But this bit was also interesting.
…The committee was told of 24 hour surveillance on some but a lack of evidence to charge them, despite concerns they were accessing radicalised material and talking about committing attacks.
I’m happy for surveillance to quietly continue OAB.
I want to see their workings, because their word ain’t worth shit.
Yeah, so do I but good luck to us with that. That’d be never no matter who in power.
I’m happy for surveillance to quietly continue..
Yes, I am too. But I would like to point out to Ms Kitteridge that if someone is NOT going out to work and happily married and raising kids… , it doesn’t follow they are therefore NOT an average person.
“A lot of them seem to be people who may have other problems in their life,” Kitteridge said.
I expect they made “bad choices”, because otherwise people might notice that right wing “economic” policies increase terrorism.
Run by people who if overseas experience is anything to go by, will prey upon vulnerable members of the community to manufacture cases they can bring to court.
Surveillance isn’t “quiet”, Grindlebottom. It’s all-pervasive. It guards you while you sleep.
Those who sacrifice privacy on the altar of security deserve neither. Where have I heard that before? The key to these issues is trust and cameraderie, not fear and panty-sniffing.
PS: watch the video. The phrase “Jihadi Brides” plopped out of the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister’s mouth. Kitteridge didn’t verify it. Funnily enough, the headline implies that the things that plop out of the Prime Minister’s mouth are accurate.
Yeah I know, I did, but that’s our crappy media: you know how they often cite a quote from Key as the headline when it later becomes obvious it was inaccurate or misleading.
That article keeps growing. Every time I look at it the information has increased.
It works the same way in any country.
Professor flips out after student yawns loudly in class
If someone yawns during the class you’re teaching, you can laugh it off and say something like “Sorry to wake you up.” Alternatively, there’s the option of going nuclear…
PROFESSOR FLIPS OUT OVER YAWN!
How much is the military paying Springsteen to play at its “Stand Up for Heroes” event?
It was recently revealed that the reason those tedious yet disturbing military displays before American sports events are not done because the people who own NFL, NBA and MLB franchises are super-patriotic, but because the Pentagon pays them millions of dollars to wave huge flags and have jet-fighters fly over the stadia before the action begins.
Presumably the Obama cultist Bruce Springsteen is receiving a fair whack to play this event….
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6786057/bruce-springsteen-river-album-entirety-live