Tufton Street in London is a synonymous descriptor for right wing think tanks and lobby groups close to the Conservative government. Particularly 55 Tufton Street, which houses a who's who of Eurosceptics, Brexiteers, libertarians, fossil fuel lobby groups, climate change deniers, anti-immigration groups and interestingly (or not), the LGB Alliance.
Birds of a feather flock together.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
The LGB alliance has stated "the office [at 55 Tufton Street] was chosen because it's handy, flexible, and that it became available at the right time".
“I can tell you we’ve rented a single large room that is ideal for our purposes. The office is fantastically well-served In terms of transport links. In addition, we spend a lot of time trying to make our case to politicians and the office is just a few minutes’ walk from the Houses of Parliament.
– Kate Barker, Managing Director LGB Alliance
As equalities secretary, Liz Truss is reported to have had regular meetings at 55 Tufton Street with groups such as the IEA. The UK government staged a significant U-turn on its attitude towards progressing LGBTQIA+ rights during the same period, culminating in a backpedal on Gender Recognition Act reform and the collapse of the #SafeToBeMe2022 event earlier this year.
Truss’s second-in-command at the time, Kemi Badenoch, has now taken on the post. She too has links to Tufton Street via the Cato Institute and her former adviser Alex Morton, who went on to become head of policy at the Centre for Policy Studies and subsequently the IEA’s director of strategy.
This is why I mentioned it. Pertaining to the influence of right wing think tanks which is the purpose of the post, the LGB Alliance is a highly political lobby group now housed the the very building synonymous with far right/libertarian lobby groups, and as such should not be immune from scrutiny and criticism.
Aye, some lefties still don't get that politicised lesbians will flock with the people who support their rights. That's probably not you.
Do you believe that lesbians should date males who have socially but not surgically transitioned to identifying as female. If you can't answer that with an unequivocal no, then you really are incapable of why LGBA might not GAF about who is in the building with them.
I don't know if the LGBA are RW (it would surprise me if they were positionally), or politically naive, or just working with what they've got.
Myself, if I was running such an organisation, no way would I have made that choice. But I'm a leftie. Many people aren't and increasing numbers used to be but are no longer. If the LGBA are getting assistance from other Grafton St tenants, maybe that's because they can't get it from the left (and the right is taking full advantage of that, duh).
Which just brings us back to the lady dick question, and why some lefties still think there is any kind of respect for the position that lesbians should like lady dick. Do you really think lesbians and gays are going to care about the opinions of lefties with such a strong degree of homophobia?
I think many in the LGBA are lifelong lefties who have been vilified and rejected because they maintain the orthodox view of biology that was unchallenged across time and culture until a strange movement took hold of the narrative in the last 10 years. Here's one of them:
I don't want the far left, or the new left, I want the old left.
Working people paid properly for their time, their housing secure, their kids educated to the highest standard, their food nutritious, their communities maintained.
We're a very long way from home now. I like Serena's twitter. While GC people like KJK are obviously conservative and in her case, ex-swing voter (or maybe she still is), I haven't seen anything obvious like that with LGBA. I would guess you are right in that there's a core of old left. Probably people from across the spectrum. The new politics is mixed, and not partisan. Trad lefties can't get their head around it, but we know that Māori have their own politics, so why not LGB, or women.
Have seen this play out in my own family. Family member who is lesbian and a hard-left voter all her life, highly supportive and activist in the 2017 campaign for Ardern. Did not vote in the last election. She couldn't stomach any of the left parties, given their (in her eyes) abandonment of LG people in favour of trans; and couldn't square it with her conscience to vote right.
[Please note, in common with most urban liberal gay people, she is in no way 'anti-trans' – and has very long-standing friendships with many in the trans community – but believes that women's spaces (and lesbian relationships) need to be for women.]
However, if there was a centrist party which supported LG in an upcoming election – I wouldn't be surprised to see her voting for them….
What some lefties seem to be missing is that a) people who used to vote left or centre left are starting to hate the left and b) the right are laughing all the way to the bank on this one and are very good at making use of it.
In fact, I didn't call you a [insert prejudice] last time, I pointed out to you the shortcomings of political slur name calling. You appear to not have grasped this and are doing it again.
So now I will directly call you a homophobe. I asked if you believe that lesbians should have to include males in their dating pool, you have responded by saying you're not getting into it, which I will take as an admission that you are ok with lesbians being told to date males.
That’s lesbophobic. It’s just an updated version of blokes saying lesbians just need a proper shag (by a bloke), and it’s based in the position that lesbians don’t get body autonomy and sovereignty but men do. It’s classic, core patriarchy, and it’s rape culture, so yeah, you’re a misogynist too.
You also threw in a TRA diverting cliche about GCFs – that the political arguments we make are about penile obsession. Heard it all before mate, all very Freud when really women just want our bodies and our politics to be respected.
and while I'm here, let me just spell it out some more.
Historically lesbians have been raped by men because 'lesbians just need a good shag'. That still happens, and it’s part of het bloke culture. ie heterosexual male culture sanctions this.
I've listened to young lesbians talk about what it's been like in LGBTQI+ communities where older males who have transitioned to being a trans woman 'mentor' them, and then after a while the pressure to be sexual arrives.
To make that very clear, the young women are homosexual, and the TW are male heterosexuals.
When women object to this they are told they are bigots, and ostracised in via peer pressure. It's horrible, disgusting, and the lefties who support this and/or are in denial that it is happening should be ashamed of themselves.
You also can't then wonder why so many are abandoning the left. Did you really think women would roll over and see our rights destroyed and rape culture entrenched via liberal politics?
So what? Plenty of left wing orgs, mps and activists share buildings with or rent from right wing outlets.
Activists who don't like the Lgb alliance aren't going to win people over by attacking them.
As a gay man, there is a large and ever increasing number of lesbians and gay men all over the world who are extremely uncomfortable with being connected with Trans activists and want to split from a movement that share wildly different goals to lesbians and gays.
It's a lot closer to a 50/50 split than many trans activists are willing to admit because most gay and lesbian people who feel this way stay silent because they fear being ostracized, but in private…
Gays and lesbians have had cis hetero women and men utterly highjack our bars, our apps and our culture.
Lesbians and gays are constantly being told now by progressives that our sexuality is "genital preference" that we'd like the genitals of the opposite sex if we only gave them a chance, that we are sexual racists for not sleeping with trans people, that our same sex spaces must be open to members with genitalia of the opposite sex and calling us same gender attracted, which is why you hear more and more l and gs refer to themselves as homosexual.
We've had our history rewritten by progressives saying that trans activists threw the first brick at stone wall (as someone whose been to stonewall it's untrue and the trans person they say did it openly states she wasn't even there)
Gay and lesbian culture survived it being illegal for millenia and it will survive this new homophobic progressive form of conversion therapy.
LGBT acceptance has been trending down for the first time in decades for the four years because of trans activists, we're not going back in the closet.
You're not gonna win over gays and lesbians by calling us right wing for liking the same sex.
The left needs to stop attacking people it disagrees with and start actually trying to win over voters the left have already lost the youth vote (Trump now wins with young voters in all recent polling) we've lost working class people of every race and we are starting to even lose lesbians and gays… The left are running out of voters to alienate…
Maybe it's time the left stopped telling people how to live their lives and attacking people for wrong think and start focusing on economically making people's lives better because identity politics ain't never gonna win the left another election.
So what? Plenty of left wing orgs, mps and activists share buildings with or rent from right wing outlets.
Really? Not at 55 Tufton St, I expect.
A movement that share wildly different goals to lesbians and gays.
What goals are those, to live without prejudice, harassment, discrimination and with dignity. Seems like you share the same goals…
Gays and lesbians have had cis hetero women and men utterly highjack our bars, our apps and our culture.
What is with the us and them vibe? You complain about activists ostracising people yet create this ugly division between gay people and heterosexual people. You can't exclude people from bars.
I said before I'm not going to get into people pants on this because it really is none of my business. Warfare within the LGBT community is something for that community to sort out. There are laws against harassment, online or otherwise, based on sexual preference, I believe, and anyone breaking those laws should be held accountable.
Gay and lesbian culture survived it being illegal for millenia and it will survive this new homophobic progressive form of conversion therapy.
Restricting or banning identity, therapy, education and support for transgender people is a road which leads directly to it being made illegal.
LGBT acceptance has been trending down for the first time in decades for the four years because of trans activists, we're not going back in the closet.
On the conservative right, possibly. They have never accepted transgender people anyway.
The rest is just right wing talking points, but following your post history you have always been highly critical of progressive politics, so no surprise there.
The left will do what they always do, empathise with and support those marginalised for things they have no control over and try to provide an environment for everyone to live in healthy, safe and dignified lives, notwithstanding they don't always hit those targets, and sometimes don’t even get close.
I dont think anyone who call themselves socially liberal or left, can argue from any position that LGBT support networks in schools should be broken up.
sweet, so your exhibit A doesn't in fact demonstrate your claim that the LGBA are socially conservative. You apparently just made that up.
Let's look at Exhibit B.
The first thing I'll point out is that Pink News doesn't cite primary sources and in fact goes out of its way to avoid linking people to the original material. For instance, when they say,
Oh yes we can very much support supposed LGBT "support groups" in schools from being removed from the position where they deny the very existence of same sex attraction, and influence young people to believe that humans can change sex and that their adolescent concerns and problems can be solved with chemical castration and/or sterilising and mutilating surgery.
LGB is about same sex attraction but we are force teamed with a bunch of straight people whose interests are not ours and in many cases are incompatible with our interests.
Yeah I noted that, not seeing the point is not a policy of banning.
His opine of a bygone era of teachers hitting on pupils, and teens with a known same sex identity being at greater risk so not supporting LGBT, is in fact an argument against LGB groups.
He is raising safeguarding issues, and relating how he recognised the safeguarding failures in his own school life.
There is also a discussion to be had around sexual orientation being asked to be considered by pre-pubescent children – ie. at primary school. Many children will understand the beginnings of attraction, but will not relate this to sexual activity at this age, unless introduced to this adult perspective.
The discussion point in this case, is whether it is harmful to children to be prematurely exposed to such considerations or discussions.
There have also been recent safeguarding failures reported by clubs, that have allowed predatory and exploitative behaviour to occur:
So then the question becomes: in a time of societal acceptance are these clubs necessary, or do they cement the othering of those with homosexual orientations, and allow for exploitation at a time of exploration, growth and personal understanding of self (exacerbated by hormone fluctuations)?
Are they conducted with strict adherence to gold standard safeguarding vetting and practices?
The so-called LGBT Alliance want LGBT support groups in schools broken up.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[please provide evidence for this assertion. Evidence here means all of these:
a link that contains the evidence (and no, you can’t use Pink News, see my comments elsewhere on this).
supporting quotes.
explanations for why you think the links/quotes support your assertion.
Or, you can retract the assertion and agree that from now on you will provide evidence for such assertions, up front, at the time you make the comment.
I’m also going to remind you of why you were banned this time last year for a whole year. This is partly about you perpetually running fact free lines on TS, and also because it ended up taking a lot of moderator time (not just me and not just on this topic). The is a clear pattern of behaviour and what you might not know is that the mods have even less patience now than a year ago.
I see another mod also also talked to you in the brief few days you have been back from your ban. If you do actually want to be here to take the government to task, I suggest you stick to that, but even with that you still need to abide by the above regarding evidence and assertions. I won’t be asking again. – weka]
and you're in premod until this is resolved. I won't be letting any other comments through, and if you don't follow the above instructions and instead muck me around, I will just ban you again to save myself the time.
Washington Post propagandist Elizabeth Dwoskin has waded into a situation way beyond her competence. She's been telling lies about real journalists. One of them, Max Blumenthal, decided to call her live, on air. She did not perform well….
There could be the start to a little like minded, like operating club – she might start one. Maggie and Gaurav Sharma. If anyone besides me remembers who he is.
With his usual puckish humour, here is David Slack's take on the matter:
DON’T YOU HATE IT ON AN AIR NZ FLIGHT when you go to say: Oh sorry, I didn’t realise I needed to take this off, I’ll do it right now
and it somehow comes out as something that causes a 20-minute flight delay and requires the cops to sort it all out?
You will notice this picture is not well coloured-in.
It was no worries she breezily says—and I’m paraphrasing here to make it shorter—the silly Air NZ people for whom I have the utmost respect seemed to have got hold of the wrong idea and once I understood what the silly girl was trying to tell me to do, I did it, and very soon we were up up and away with the useful assistance of His Majesty’s police force.
See sidebar "More than a Fielding” for whole post".
Here is a perfect example of why the West has finally (and totally) lost what ever tattered remains of it's supposed 'moral high ground' in the arena of world geo-politics….and probably why the story of the most televised genocide in history that was published here on The Standard yesterday, only got 17 comments….compare the amount of comments that the war in Ukraine got for over a year on TS, with the Liberal class, amped up by their news feeds, which had them running around with their hair on fire…holy hell, the Liberal class are just so fucking pliable and so willfully ignorant, that it even catches an old cynic like me out sometimes……
"All reporters in Israel must sign an agreement to abide by such rules set by the IDF, and Israel has reportedly censored thousands of news stories since the beginning of the current massacre in Gaza"
bbc-bias…An indepth report on the obvious BBC bias re; Gaza genocide.
And yet I can guarantee you, that while it will be without doubt, still acceptable to use both these compromised sources for any geo-political story on TS going forward, if any one were to use RT as a source in a debate here, it would be instantly dismissed out of hand….without even the slightest thought of double standards….but then as we have witnessed with dismay, the Liberal class and their media have been torturing and upending logic and truth so regularly over the last decade, why would they see a problem…of course they don't…up is down, black is white…got it.
John Pilger: Silencing the Lambs: How Propaganda Works https://consortiumnews.com/
“Leni Riefenstahl said her epic films glorifying the Nazis depended on a “submissive void” in the German public. This is how propaganda is done. “
I'd also think that much the same is happening over the Gaza situation on TS as happened over Ukraine.
The same talking points being repeated, and countered, and neither 'side' convincing the other. My observation is that many commentators have just stopped engaging.
"The same talking points being repeated, and countered, and neither 'side' convincing the other. My observation is that many commentators have just stopped engaging"….Yeah you are probably right, I know have mostly given up on TS…shame it used to be fun going hard here, giving it out and getting it back just as hard…but those good times are long gone.
That’s an average of 5 Posts per month here on TS.
These had a combined total of 665 comments and 12,063 views. Of course, these are quantitative metrics and don’t tell us much about quality or impact.
Only a dimwit would ignore the fact that we just had a General Election and that almost everybody is currently on holiday recuperating & recharging. Site traffic reflects this, as does pretty much everything in MSM and SM; Daily Review is lying on the beach.
… if any one were to use RT as a source in a debate here, it would be instantly dismissed out of hand….without even the slightest thought of double standards …
This is your usual biased bollocks. It depends on the context and the merit/strength of the comment presented, among other things.
… but then as we have witnessed with dismay, the Liberal class and their media you have been torturing and upending logic and truth so regularly over the last decade, why would they you see a problem…of course they you don't…up is down, black is white…[you] got it.
In my case, I see evil and wrong doing on both sides of the Israel / Palestine conflict. Those who cheerlead only for Palestine often hold up Al Jazeera as a reliable source – when in fact it is owned by Qatar, a mysogynistic, authoritarian monarchy that provides massive funding to the terrorist organisation Hamas. My observation is that Al Jazeera is every bit as biased as the BBC.
…none of the agencies are honest in their claims of neutrality. There are various examples that show that BBC is favoring the Israeli view of the operation while Al Jazeera clearly promotes the Palestinian.
Can people please not use so many initials. Shorthand may be helpful for the poster but for others of us left struggling to keep up they can be unhelpful. Having to resort to internet searches to work out what initials mean can become tiring.
I guess GCF is a gender critical feminist? TRA? IEA? I had to look up LGB Alliance because I'd never heard of it.
Over time we come to understand some shorthand if we regularly enter certain discussion spaces but if we enter them infrequently to me they are barrier.
I wholeheartedly agree Grey. I try to follow the thread of the conversation to be fair to the participants.
But, especially with the gender alphabet soup stuff, after 20 or 30 he said she said comments in an alien vocabulary, that seems to not progress the discussion, my eyes glaze over.
It would be nice if their was a button at the bottom of my phone screen that I could activate to get to the next subject and bypass this type of non productive dialogue
It's difficult to follow this stuff but appreciate that commenters like yourself and Grey Area take the time to do so without prejudice.
I have looked back at my comments and I have used one acronym/abbreviation but the explanation for it is in the appropriate link. Also appreciate the time taken to read those links which isn't available to everyone.
One issue with the comment @1 is that it was removed by a moderator, for some reason and without explanation, from it's original context as part of another post which makes it more difficult to follow.
Thanks. When I searched for TRA, out of the first 60 hits Google's AI provided there was nothing about gender. And putting in "TRA meaning" didn't help either.
Fair point Grey Area. I will try to remember to use the full name at the start of a comment (but will prob use the initials after that, maybe as the thread goes on too).
Thanks Weka. If the full term is in view the initials are okay but I also agree with Johnr about the alien vocabulary. I also try to follow discussions like the preceding one but it's tough when initialised terms are used as if we should know what they mean.
this is useful feedback. Sometimes it's easy to slip into thinking everyone is ignoring a topic apart from a few people who are commenting, so thanks for raising this aspect as well.
National are happy to have cult religions which have women in subservience take money and help from these happy clappy patriarchal cult like religious nutters who also have jumped on the conspiracy theorist band wagon finance ,help and legislate for a few votes.
Youth suicide and social division will increase while these moral lowlives control everyone else.
I really doubt that Bert Potter followers were National voters (a hippy commune-style enclave – which would have been exceedingly alien to the National Party of the 20th century).
I equally doubt that Brian Tamaki followers are voting National (except, possibly, strategically as their local MP in an electorate vote). Given that Tamaki had an endorsed party in the last election, and absent that, they would seem to be more closely aligned to Peters and NZF (certainly in its most recent incarnation).
If you have any actual evidence that 'cult religions' are funding National (election donation amounts over $20K have to be declared within 10 days) – perhaps you could provide it.
Nothing to do with new Gov…..this is an issue thats been building for decades and accentuated by population growth.
200 litre rainwater tanks are not going to do anything
Slagging off the Nat led Gov may make you feel better but it ignores the fundamental causes of the problem, and so we will continue to make the stupid mistake of expecting a change of Gov to solve the problems
Obviously not….it may however be "the fault' of a growth model that demands us to increase infrastructure to the point we can no longer provide the resources to maintain that which we have built….a problem not solved by blaming any particular political party as they all advocate 'growth'….and we all vote for them when they do.
Sustainable, modest, manageable and managed growth is fine. The Greens, MP and Labour all nod to this either in policy or action.
I agree the 130K net immigration gain is ridiculous, but so too is the reluctance in NZ by the Atlas types, the Rand lot to make sure innovations to service any growth are available.
200L water tanks make a huge difference when it's the only water you have.
Agree about the fundamental causes, but tbf NACTF were agin 3 Waters, and isn't the situation in Wellington exactly the kind of thing that 3 Waters was set up to address?
"I was really concerned during the election campaign, that I was told by a candidate that we're just trying to 'trans-ify' kids. What on earth does that even mean? I hadn't even heard of the 'woke gender curriculum', I had to look it up, and saw that it was something that was an imported culture war. That really concerns me. Our kids are beyond that.
"We have a really good curriculum in this country. The guidelines are not the curriculum, they are adding to how we can make sure the curriculum is taught well. They are not compulsory, but they are absolutely superb."
– Jan Tinetti.
Basically we are now leaving sex ed up to Winston Peters and his influencers…
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“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
“The Bill does not provide environmental protection, good quality decision making, certainty, public participation or speed. It should be withdrawn.” ...
RNZ News Television New Zealand has breached its collective agreement with the E tū union when deciding on discontinuing programmes, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled. It was announced in March that 68 staff members who work for news programmes Midday and Tonight, consumer justice programme Fair Go, current affairs ...
Asia Pacific Report Barangay New Zealand’s Rene Molina has interviewed the country’s first Filipino Green MP Francisco Hernandez who was sworn into Parliament yesterday as the party’s latest member. This is the first interview with Hernandez who replaces former Green Party co-leader James Shaw after his retirement from politics to ...
An Australian Strategic Policy Institute report says Pillar Two could raise the industry to state of the art capability - or "crush" it "under the weight of the globe's biggest player". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marlene Longbottom, Associate Professor, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, James Cook University ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the violence experienced by First Nations people in encounters with the Australian carceral system. It also contains references to ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
The New Zealand comedy legend takes us through her life in television, including the time she hugged Elton John and the unshakeable legacy of a girl named Lyn. In 1981, Ginette McDonald stood on the stage of Auckland’s St James Theatre and directly addressed Queen Elizabeth II. It was a ...
An essay by Lily Duval from the just-released anthology Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child adjacent.I was 22 when my friend Alice gave birth in the living room of our pokey Addington flat. She laboured in the blow-up pool for hours. Garish fish swam along the inflated ...
Ella Borrie on the best books about motherhood she’s come across so far. Over the past few years I’ve been drawn to books about motherhood. I’m fascinated by the joys and horrors of becoming a parent. The question of children also feels more pressing than it used to. It’s like ...
Out of gift ideas for mum? You can’t go wrong with a bottle of toilet cleaner and a new squeegee. Emily Writes is the writer and editor of Emily Writes Weekly. This week marks five years since I published a post on The Spinoff about Mother’s Day marketing titled ‘A ...
My husband is posted overseas for 12 months and I’m armed with an expensive, newfangled vibrator. Will I miss him? The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.A few days after my husband leaves, a new sex toy arrives at the front door. Nestled ...
Jaimie Baird’s new book Here Today Gone Tomorrow is a record of four decades of graffiti and street art in Wellington, told through more than 1,200 photographs. He spoke with Joel MacManus about what inspired the book. How did you first get interested in photographing street art? I remember ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at a busy week where food of all political leanings dominated. Sometimes you’re just going about your week thinking you’ve got a good handle on what might be coming as far as news topics and then someone (usually a politician) says something so ridiculous that ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
In a week of cold rain and frost, the climate in courtroom four upstairs at the Invercargill courthouse was simmering with restrained indignation. At times it felt like the famous Mexican standoff scene from Reservoir Dogs, or, as someone watching the proceedings described it, there was so much throwing of ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
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Tufton Street in London is a synonymous descriptor for right wing think tanks and lobby groups close to the Conservative government. Particularly 55 Tufton Street, which houses a who's who of Eurosceptics, Brexiteers, libertarians, fossil fuel lobby groups, climate change deniers, anti-immigration groups and interestingly (or not), the LGB Alliance.
Birds of a feather flock together.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Nasty snots.
Organisations rent premises in shared buildings. Hardly a headliner.
"…interestingly (or not), the LGB Alliance."
Why – and how – is that interesting?
it's interesting because it's a TRA stick to beat them with. Brilliant example from MB.
The LGB alliance has stated "the office [at 55 Tufton Street] was chosen because it's handy, flexible, and that it became available at the right time".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB_Alliance#Media_coverage_and_criticism
Yeah, it's all just a coincidence:
– Kate Barker, Managing Director LGB Alliance
This is why I mentioned it. Pertaining to the influence of right wing think tanks which is the purpose of the post, the LGB Alliance is a highly political lobby group now housed the the very building synonymous with far right/libertarian lobby groups, and as such should not be immune from scrutiny and criticism.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/lgb-alliance-55-tufton-street-think-tanks/
It's interesting that it is so hard to discern if any organisation not seen as aligned with political right has a place there.
Aye, some lefties still don't get that politicised lesbians will flock with the people who support their rights. That's probably not you.
Do you believe that lesbians should date males who have socially but not surgically transitioned to identifying as female. If you can't answer that with an unequivocal no, then you really are incapable of why LGBA might not GAF about who is in the building with them.
I don't know if the LGBA are RW (it would surprise me if they were positionally), or politically naive, or just working with what they've got.
Myself, if I was running such an organisation, no way would I have made that choice. But I'm a leftie. Many people aren't and increasing numbers used to be but are no longer. If the LGBA are getting assistance from other Grafton St tenants, maybe that's because they can't get it from the left (and the right is taking full advantage of that, duh).
Which just brings us back to the lady dick question, and why some lefties still think there is any kind of respect for the position that lesbians should like lady dick. Do you really think lesbians and gays are going to care about the opinions of lefties with such a strong degree of homophobia?
I think many in the LGBA are lifelong lefties who have been vilified and rejected because they maintain the orthodox view of biology that was unchallenged across time and culture until a strange movement took hold of the narrative in the last 10 years. Here's one of them:
We're a very long way from home now. I like Serena's twitter. While GC people like KJK are obviously conservative and in her case, ex-swing voter (or maybe she still is), I haven't seen anything obvious like that with LGBA. I would guess you are right in that there's a core of old left. Probably people from across the spectrum. The new politics is mixed, and not partisan. Trad lefties can't get their head around it, but we know that Māori have their own politics, so why not LGB, or women.
Have seen this play out in my own family. Family member who is lesbian and a hard-left voter all her life, highly supportive and activist in the 2017 campaign for Ardern. Did not vote in the last election. She couldn't stomach any of the left parties, given their (in her eyes) abandonment of LG people in favour of trans; and couldn't square it with her conscience to vote right.
[Please note, in common with most urban liberal gay people, she is in no way 'anti-trans' – and has very long-standing friendships with many in the trans community – but believes that women's spaces (and lesbian relationships) need to be for women.]
However, if there was a centrist party which supported LG in an upcoming election – I wouldn't be surprised to see her voting for them….
thanks, that's a good explanation.
What some lefties seem to be missing is that a) people who used to vote left or centre left are starting to hate the left and b) the right are laughing all the way to the bank on this one and are very good at making use of it.
You've called me a misogynist and a homophobe in recent weeks. I don't care much but they are fairly direct accusations against a commenter.
I’m not getting into the chicks with dicks obsession because that is certainly prejudicial, demeaning, othering, harmful speech.
In fact, I didn't call you a [insert prejudice] last time, I pointed out to you the shortcomings of political slur name calling. You appear to not have grasped this and are doing it again.
So now I will directly call you a homophobe. I asked if you believe that lesbians should have to include males in their dating pool, you have responded by saying you're not getting into it, which I will take as an admission that you are ok with lesbians being told to date males.
That’s lesbophobic. It’s just an updated version of blokes saying lesbians just need a proper shag (by a bloke), and it’s based in the position that lesbians don’t get body autonomy and sovereignty but men do. It’s classic, core patriarchy, and it’s rape culture, so yeah, you’re a misogynist too.
You also threw in a TRA diverting cliche about GCFs – that the political arguments we make are about penile obsession. Heard it all before mate, all very Freud when really women just want our bodies and our politics to be respected.
edited.
and while I'm here, let me just spell it out some more.
Historically lesbians have been raped by men because 'lesbians just need a good shag'. That still happens, and it’s part of het bloke culture. ie heterosexual male culture sanctions this.
I've listened to young lesbians talk about what it's been like in LGBTQI+ communities where older males who have transitioned to being a trans woman 'mentor' them, and then after a while the pressure to be sexual arrives.
To make that very clear, the young women are homosexual, and the TW are male heterosexuals.
When women object to this they are told they are bigots, and ostracised in via peer pressure. It's horrible, disgusting, and the lefties who support this and/or are in denial that it is happening should be ashamed of themselves.
You also can't then wonder why so many are abandoning the left. Did you really think women would roll over and see our rights destroyed and rape culture entrenched via liberal politics?
So what? Plenty of left wing orgs, mps and activists share buildings with or rent from right wing outlets.
Activists who don't like the Lgb alliance aren't going to win people over by attacking them.
As a gay man, there is a large and ever increasing number of lesbians and gay men all over the world who are extremely uncomfortable with being connected with Trans activists and want to split from a movement that share wildly different goals to lesbians and gays.
It's a lot closer to a 50/50 split than many trans activists are willing to admit because most gay and lesbian people who feel this way stay silent because they fear being ostracized, but in private…
Gays and lesbians have had cis hetero women and men utterly highjack our bars, our apps and our culture.
Lesbians and gays are constantly being told now by progressives that our sexuality is "genital preference" that we'd like the genitals of the opposite sex if we only gave them a chance, that we are sexual racists for not sleeping with trans people, that our same sex spaces must be open to members with genitalia of the opposite sex and calling us same gender attracted, which is why you hear more and more l and gs refer to themselves as homosexual.
We've had our history rewritten by progressives saying that trans activists threw the first brick at stone wall (as someone whose been to stonewall it's untrue and the trans person they say did it openly states she wasn't even there)
Gay and lesbian culture survived it being illegal for millenia and it will survive this new homophobic progressive form of conversion therapy.
LGBT acceptance has been trending down for the first time in decades for the four years because of trans activists, we're not going back in the closet.
You're not gonna win over gays and lesbians by calling us right wing for liking the same sex.
The left needs to stop attacking people it disagrees with and start actually trying to win over voters the left have already lost the youth vote (Trump now wins with young voters in all recent polling) we've lost working class people of every race and we are starting to even lose lesbians and gays… The left are running out of voters to alienate…
Maybe it's time the left stopped telling people how to live their lives and attacking people for wrong think and start focusing on economically making people's lives better because identity politics ain't never gonna win the left another election.
Really? Not at 55 Tufton St, I expect.
What goals are those, to live without prejudice, harassment, discrimination and with dignity. Seems like you share the same goals…
What is with the us and them vibe? You complain about activists ostracising people yet create this ugly division between gay people and heterosexual people. You can't exclude people from bars.
I said before I'm not going to get into people pants on this because it really is none of my business. Warfare within the LGBT community is something for that community to sort out. There are laws against harassment, online or otherwise, based on sexual preference, I believe, and anyone breaking those laws should be held accountable.
Restricting or banning identity, therapy, education and support for transgender people is a road which leads directly to it being made illegal.
On the conservative right, possibly. They have never accepted transgender people anyway.
The rest is just right wing talking points, but following your post history you have always been highly critical of progressive politics, so no surprise there.
The left will do what they always do, empathise with and support those marginalised for things they have no control over and try to provide an environment for everyone to live in healthy, safe and dignified lives, notwithstanding they don't always hit those targets, and sometimes don’t even get close.
LGB Alliance hold a number of views that could be interpreted as socially conservative.
Exhibit A: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB_Alliance#Views
The founder also wants LGBTQ clubs at school banned:
https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/01/23/lgb-alliance-co-founder-malcolm-clark-predatory-gay-teachers-anti-gay/
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
From exhibit A:
Now tell me millsy, which of those positions is conservative (and please explain your thinking)
Weka..
As I said above:
The founder also wants LGBTQ clubs at school banned:
https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/01/23/lgb-alliance-co-founder-malcolm-clark-predatory-gay-teachers-anti-gay/
I dont think anyone who call themselves socially liberal or left, can argue from any position that LGBT support networks in schools should be broken up.
sweet, so your exhibit A doesn't in fact demonstrate your claim that the LGBA are socially conservative. You apparently just made that up.
Let's look at Exhibit B.
The first thing I'll point out is that Pink News doesn't cite primary sources and in fact goes out of its way to avoid linking people to the original material. For instance, when they say,
They don't link to that online discussion, so we have no easy way of knowing the context.
That approach means PN are basically a propaganda machine. You can compare to the approach on TS, where we expect links and back up to mean something.
Oh yes we can very much support supposed LGBT "support groups" in schools from being removed from the position where they deny the very existence of same sex attraction, and influence young people to believe that humans can change sex and that their adolescent concerns and problems can be solved with chemical castration and/or sterilising and mutilating surgery.
LGB is about same sex attraction but we are force teamed with a bunch of straight people whose interests are not ours and in many cases are incompatible with our interests.
"The founder also wants LGBTQ clubs at school banned.."
Why would you think that is the case?
Let's see what Malcolm Clark actually wrote, and discuss whether his concerns are warranted or can be mitigated:
Yeah I noted that, not seeing the point is not a policy of banning.
His opine of a bygone era of teachers hitting on pupils, and teens with a known same sex identity being at greater risk so not supporting LGBT, is in fact an argument against LGB groups.
He is raising safeguarding issues, and relating how he recognised the safeguarding failures in his own school life.
There is also a discussion to be had around sexual orientation being asked to be considered by pre-pubescent children – ie. at primary school. Many children will understand the beginnings of attraction, but will not relate this to sexual activity at this age, unless introduced to this adult perspective.
The discussion point in this case, is whether it is harmful to children to be prematurely exposed to such considerations or discussions.
There have also been recent safeguarding failures reported by clubs, that have allowed predatory and exploitative behaviour to occur:
https://reduxx.info/trans-teacher-placed-on-indefinite-leave-after-disturbing-videos-surface/
https://reduxx.info/scottish-lgbti-police-association-fundraising-for-youth-charity-under-investigation-for-historic-child-abuses/
So then the question becomes: in a time of societal acceptance are these clubs necessary, or do they cement the othering of those with homosexual orientations, and allow for exploitation at a time of exploration, growth and personal understanding of self (exacerbated by hormone fluctuations)?
Are they conducted with strict adherence to gold standard safeguarding vetting and practices?
The so-called LGBT Alliance want LGBT support groups in schools broken up.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[please provide evidence for this assertion. Evidence here means all of these:
Or, you can retract the assertion and agree that from now on you will provide evidence for such assertions, up front, at the time you make the comment.
I’m also going to remind you of why you were banned this time last year for a whole year. This is partly about you perpetually running fact free lines on TS, and also because it ended up taking a lot of moderator time (not just me and not just on this topic). The is a clear pattern of behaviour and what you might not know is that the mods have even less patience now than a year ago.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07-01-2023/#comment-1929460
I see another mod also also talked to you in the brief few days you have been back from your ban. If you do actually want to be here to take the government to task, I suggest you stick to that, but even with that you still need to abide by the above regarding evidence and assertions. I won’t be asking again. – weka]
That’s a fairly random and unreferenced accusation. Do you feel that any group in sparkly colours should be given a free pass at the school gates?
mod note.
and you're in premod until this is resolved. I won't be letting any other comments through, and if you don't follow the above instructions and instead muck me around, I will just ban you again to save myself the time.
I retract the allegations.
…and I agree to post evidence in future.
"Let's give her a call…"
Washington Post propagandist Elizabeth Dwoskin has waded into a situation way beyond her competence. She's been telling lies about real journalists. One of them, Max Blumenthal, decided to call her live, on air. She did not perform well….
Maggie Barry being her usual entitled self despite her protestations to the contrary:
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/07/maggie-barry-misunderstanding-led-to-police-being-called-to-flight/
2 truths going head-to-head! 🙂
There could be the start to a little like minded, like operating club – she might start one. Maggie and Gaurav Sharma. If anyone besides me remembers who he is.
Hilarious. Shades of that absurd old fool Sir Robert Jones being kicked off a plane after he refused to follow seatbelt procedure.
Rules?
RULES?
Pour moi?
With his usual puckish humour, here is David Slack's take on the matter:
Here is a perfect example of why the West has finally (and totally) lost what ever tattered remains of it's supposed 'moral high ground' in the arena of world geo-politics….and probably why the story of the most televised genocide in history that was published here on The Standard yesterday, only got 17 comments….compare the amount of comments that the war in Ukraine got for over a year on TS, with the Liberal class, amped up by their news feeds, which had them running around with their hair on fire…holy hell, the Liberal class are just so fucking pliable and so willfully ignorant, that it even catches an old cynic like me out sometimes……
All CNN Gaza Coverage Seen by Bureau Monitored by IDF Before Publication
"All reporters in Israel must sign an agreement to abide by such rules set by the IDF, and Israel has reportedly censored thousands of news stories since the beginning of the current massacre in Gaza"
bbc-bias …An indepth report on the obvious BBC bias re; Gaza genocide.
And yet I can guarantee you, that while it will be without doubt, still acceptable to use both these compromised sources for any geo-political story on TS going forward, if any one were to use RT as a source in a debate here, it would be instantly dismissed out of hand….without even the slightest thought of double standards….but then as we have witnessed with dismay, the Liberal class and their media have been torturing and upending logic and truth so regularly over the last decade, why would they see a problem…of course they don't…up is down, black is white…got it.
John Pilger: Silencing the Lambs: How Propaganda Works
https://consortiumnews.com/
“Leni Riefenstahl said her epic films glorifying the Nazis depended on a “submissive void” in the German public. This is how propaganda is done. “
I don't think the number of comments angle hunts well – there was only 10 on Open Mike..
I'd also think that much the same is happening over the Gaza situation on TS as happened over Ukraine.
The same talking points being repeated, and countered, and neither 'side' convincing the other. My observation is that many commentators have just stopped engaging.
"The same talking points being repeated, and countered, and neither 'side' convincing the other. My observation is that many commentators have just stopped engaging"….Yeah you are probably right, I know have mostly given up on TS…shame it used to be fun going hard here, giving it out and getting it back just as hard…but those good times are long gone.
You’re still the same habitual one-eyed whiner.
Since 7 October 2023, there have been 14 Posts with “Israel” as category:
https://thestandard.org.nz/category/international/israel/
That’s an average of 5 Posts per month here on TS.
These had a combined total of 665 comments and 12,063 views. Of course, these are quantitative metrics and don’t tell us much about quality or impact.
Only a dimwit would ignore the fact that we just had a General Election and that almost everybody is currently on holiday recuperating & recharging. Site traffic reflects this, as does pretty much everything in MSM and SM; Daily Review is lying on the beach.
This is your usual biased bollocks. It depends on the context and the merit/strength of the comment presented, among other things.
For example, look at this thread (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-06-2023/#comment-1956312) in which a commenter linked to RT and your own singularly biased response about news sources.
FIFY
The BBC is quite often guilty of bias, I agree.
In my case, I see evil and wrong doing on both sides of the Israel / Palestine conflict. Those who cheerlead only for Palestine often hold up Al Jazeera as a reliable source – when in fact it is owned by Qatar, a mysogynistic, authoritarian monarchy that provides massive funding to the terrorist organisation Hamas. My observation is that Al Jazeera is every bit as biased as the BBC.
Neutral News? A study of the neutrality in BBC’s and Al Jazeera’s reporting on the Israeli military operation “Pillar of defense”
Well said.
Can people please not use so many initials. Shorthand may be helpful for the poster but for others of us left struggling to keep up they can be unhelpful. Having to resort to internet searches to work out what initials mean can become tiring.
I guess GCF is a gender critical feminist? TRA? IEA? I had to look up LGB Alliance because I'd never heard of it.
Over time we come to understand some shorthand if we regularly enter certain discussion spaces but if we enter them infrequently to me they are barrier.
I wholeheartedly agree Grey. I try to follow the thread of the conversation to be fair to the participants.
But, especially with the gender alphabet soup stuff, after 20 or 30 he said she said comments in an alien vocabulary, that seems to not progress the discussion, my eyes glaze over.
It would be nice if their was a button at the bottom of my phone screen that I could activate to get to the next subject and bypass this type of non productive dialogue
It's difficult to follow this stuff but appreciate that commenters like yourself and Grey Area take the time to do so without prejudice.
I have looked back at my comments and I have used one acronym/abbreviation but the explanation for it is in the appropriate link. Also appreciate the time taken to read those links which isn't available to everyone.
One issue with the comment @1 is that it was removed by a moderator, for some reason and without explanation, from it's original context as part of another post which makes it more difficult to follow.
I didn’t intend for it to be stand alone.
TRA = Trans(gender) Rights Activist
IEA = Institute of Economic Affairs, basically the UK's version of the Business Roundtable.
Thanks. When I searched for TRA, out of the first 60 hits Google's AI provided there was nothing about gender. And putting in "TRA meaning" didn't help either.
Fair point Grey Area. I will try to remember to use the full name at the start of a comment (but will prob use the initials after that, maybe as the thread goes on too).
Thanks Weka. If the full term is in view the initials are okay but I also agree with Johnr about the alien vocabulary. I also try to follow discussions like the preceding one but it's tough when initialised terms are used as if we should know what they mean.
this is useful feedback. Sometimes it's easy to slip into thinking everyone is ignoring a topic apart from a few people who are commenting, so thanks for raising this aspect as well.
National are happy to have cult religions which have women in subservience take money and help from these happy clappy patriarchal cult like religious nutters who also have jumped on the conspiracy theorist band wagon finance ,help and legislate for a few votes.
Youth suicide and social division will increase while these moral lowlives control everyone else.
Watch an episode of how I escaped a cult.
Bert Potter 'Brian Tamaki etc etc
Taking conspiracy theory quite a bit too far.
I really doubt that Bert Potter followers were National voters (a hippy commune-style enclave – which would have been exceedingly alien to the National Party of the 20th century).
I equally doubt that Brian Tamaki followers are voting National (except, possibly, strategically as their local MP in an electorate vote). Given that Tamaki had an endorsed party in the last election, and absent that, they would seem to be more closely aligned to Peters and NZF (certainly in its most recent incarnation).
If you have any actual evidence that 'cult religions' are funding National (election donation amounts over $20K have to be declared within 10 days) – perhaps you could provide it.
https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/political-parties-in-new-zealand/donations-exceeding-20000/
National have history with the Exclusive Brethren, and half of the current Nats are Evangelical Christian
The Hollow Men (book) – Wikiwand
The coalition government's new infrastructure policy:
No Waters.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2024/01/wellingtonians-queue-for-hours-for-emergency-storage-tanks-as-water-shortages-loom.html
Nothing to do with new Gov…..this is an issue thats been building for decades and accentuated by population growth.
200 litre rainwater tanks are not going to do anything
Slagging off the Nat led Gov may make you feel better but it ignores the fundamental causes of the problem, and so we will continue to make the stupid mistake of expecting a change of Gov to solve the problems
Of course, it's all Labour's fault. What was I thinking?
Obviously not….it may however be "the fault' of a growth model that demands us to increase infrastructure to the point we can no longer provide the resources to maintain that which we have built….a problem not solved by blaming any particular political party as they all advocate 'growth'….and we all vote for them when they do.
Sustainable, modest, manageable and managed growth is fine. The Greens, MP and Labour all nod to this either in policy or action.
I agree the 130K net immigration gain is ridiculous, but so too is the reluctance in NZ by the Atlas types, the Rand lot to make sure innovations to service any growth are available.
"Sustainable, modest, manageable and managed growth is fine. The Greens, MP and Labour all nod to this either in policy or action."
And there you have it….same problems , different managers.
30+ years of failure to build and maintain infrastructure by Wellington City Council/Wellington Water.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/130757094/wellingtons-water-problems-have-been-decades-in-the-making
200L water tanks make a huge difference when it's the only water you have.
Agree about the fundamental causes, but tbf NACTF were agin 3 Waters, and isn't the situation in Wellington exactly the kind of thing that 3 Waters was set up to address?
(4 x 50L tanks would be better, because you can fit them in the back of some vehicles and take them somewhere to get filled).
Just not really practical in a city – especially with terrace housing and/or apartments (which is quite a lot of Wellington central).
– Jan Tinetti.
Basically we are now leaving sex ed up to Winston Peters and his influencers…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/506348/government-accused-of-conspiracy-based-thinking-in-changes-to-sex-education