Anyone got any favorites for the Dunedin South Labour nomination?
Now that the seat stretches into Balclutha, Waihola and Beaumont and beyond it's going to be no sure thing. Those are solid National areas. If Labour lost this seat it would be devastating for morale.
The new candidate is going to have to do some real work.
"At least three people are expected to seek the Labour Party nomination for the Dunedin South electorate to be vacated by sitting member of Parliament Clare Curran at this year’s September general election.
The Star understands that Rachel Brooking, a lawyer specialising in local government and environmental law; Ingrid Leary, broadcaster, lawyer and cultural relations specialist; and Simon McCallum, a senior lecturer in software engineering, are all seeking nomination. It is not known if there are likely to be other nominees."
Apologies @ Andre. Didn't have me specs. I saw Tat Loo in the first line and misread it as him commenting about himself. Far be it for me to accuse you of being 'right'
Here I've been called a RWNJ, a right concern troll, a Clinton stooge and a bunch of other stuff. Suggesting I "could be right" has all the sting of getting savaged by a particularly gentle friendly kitten.
Back in the days of "Red Alert" (remember RA?) Tat was a much appreciated commenter. Glad to hear he's doing the family thing. We might get the old Tat back again.
I never figured out what his grudge actually was – apart from the ongoing row with Clare Curran which exploded into a battle against Labour as a whole.
Could be anything @ WeTheBleeple. Anything from a public relations 'specialist' for gangs trying to improve the ummage going forward, or even a spin doctor for an RNZ management team desperately trying to push their barrow uphill.
Will be interesting to see what comes of the boundary changes. The only group that's happy with them seem to be National Party hacks, presumably so they get multiple bites at the 'fundraising' cherry, and get a new rural electorate in Clutha Taieri (South Dunedin)
Otherwise there's considerable angst around community of interest all around the areas affected by the changes. It looks like the Representation Commission stepped back from a new electorate in Central / Lakes and fudged the boundaries to get constructive feedback, and will come back with something more representative. The changes with South Dunedin and in Central Otago / Upper Clutha can hardly be called representative.
We have so many electorates with MPs who represent the interest of farming so well.
The point is well made that Queenstown-Lakes needs an MP who can represent the interests of tourism.
By the next boundary re-draw it will be more pressing, because Wanaka will be a population of about 10,000 and Queenstown itself will be heading for 16,000.
I think one of the reasons National isn't keen on a Southern Lakes electorate is that it mightn't be as clear-cut as most think. Hamish Walker has ended up looking more like a Labour opposition MP than a National one with health and immigration campaigns. Irony of the situation is he's campaigning again the effects of policies National enacted.
While the place is National voting at present, it is not conservative, but very liberal and green. It sort of inhabits the area around the back between ACT and Green Party. David Parker was a very respected local MP here in the days of the old Otago electorate. I think given a candidate who can understand and is part of the electorate a Southern Lakes electorate could be anyone's.
.
Would certainly make Dunners South more marginal … but easy to overstate implications… Balclutha & Milton, for instance, are Light Blue National-leaners rather than Deep Blue strongholds. (combined Govt Bloc support not too far shy of Nat+ACT).
Will, of course, lose Left-leaning Otago Peninsula to Dunedin North … but again wouldn't want to overstate the ramifications.
Needs an in-depth analysis … but I'm guessing it's still Labour on paper.
Losing port hills and Dunedin south will be a moral crusher. I think we may hold on to Dunedin south but Port hills needs a miracle it was already tight
All of which (above) reminds me – does anyone know what's happened to greywarshark?
My suspicions are maybe she got the biff for some ill-advised remark. No doubt she'll be monitoring though – but it seems she might have been correct about her observations re TDB. It's nice to know Martyn is actually a sensitive wee lad, but I wish there could be a bit of a truce between TS and TDB. (probably not happening though until it all really turns to shit – quite a few egos are at stake)
Waxxing lyrical over on TDB – challenging former TS commenter SaveNZ for the most comments on Open Mic. Also continuing to comment on Bowalley Road – in both cases as greywarbler. What were the observations re TDB?
Didn't get the biff per se, but was pulled up by me and others on Open Mike 21 Dec 2019 for a couple of ill-advised remarks. See the discussion preceding the link below. Has only made a couple of small comments here since.
But be careful using female pronouns or you may be the subject of consderable displeasure as I was for doing so – although may others had done so in the past including moderators, eg weka. Comment:Open mike 21/12/2019 LOL
PS – If you are lurking grey – Happy Birthday.
I seem to recall you posting in late Jan 2019 that you would not be commenting much on TS because it was your 7X birthday in February and you would be focussing on cleaning out possessions etc.
Yep, well – some things just rark me up so much it gets hard to hold my tongue.
Like the Concert FM proposals for example. As for the 7X birthday, I've just become a real person now upon recently receiving my gold card.
After a lifetime of being a Labour suppota (and acknowledging JA's massive contribution), I'm considering turning Green, or even Brown, and if it wasn't for Shane, Black could even be a possibility. And the reason is that there's only a certain amount of dead rats that can be swallowed.
– The way some immigrants have been treated and the bugger's muddle of an institution that handles it all. Reform of an administration that's allowed scams to become normalised and then blaming its victims
– The way people are being exploited and the time its taken for it to be recognised as a problem – ditto the victim blaming
– Worksafe's failure to prosecute on a number of things
– The Archices NZ and Natlib situation
– and now Concert FM and PSB (I might not be around in 2023)
Things might have to get worse before they eventually get better, but as my friends and family keep telling me – Rome wasn't built in a day
Well that's interesting, OWT – you yourself have been reading -and replying to – Greywarbler at TDB.
Indeed, less than two days ago on TDB Open Mic 7 February, you replied to one of a couple of Greywarbler comments* re the Wuhan evacuations of NZers, and Greywarbler then replied to you, ie:
Our compassion, commitment, and organising power is not all used up on one flight is it. Is it? What about those who couldn’t make it the first time? We welcomed people into NZ, and now we must embrace them just as we did in Christchurch. And learn from our failures after then, that goodwill and kindness must be a continuing thing while the need continues, now. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/409002/wuhan-coronavirus-people-still-in-wuhan-urge-further-government-intervention
I did hear somewhere @Greywarbler that ‘officials’ are looking at ways of providing support for those still stuck there. Rome wasn’t built in a day though, and I expect they’ve called for a business case to determine what the best options are in this space going forward. I suspect an announcement will be made soon – in the interests of transparency, transformation and kindness.
The holdup might be that they negotiating with Julie Christie over rights to a ‘Border Force’ style reality TV show
I suspect that you may be right OwT. But loet’s look on the bright side sometimes, it’s good to be wrong about lack of commitment to good principles.
Did you really not connect that "Greywarbler" to" greywarshark"? Grey previously commented here at TS at Greywarbler but changed handle to greywarshark at the time of the Rawshark revelations. (Also used a couple of other handles here prior to that – Prism and a very shortlived Rosetinted.)
[* As an aside, of the seven comments on TDB's Open Mic that day, five were from Greywarbler.]
I'm absolutely useless remembering names!!!! (I can remember my phone number 45 years ago, but names confuse me.) It's poss I've confused a warbler with a shark.
What she was correct about though is that sometimes comments might disappear if they challenge an ego. It might eventually surface.
But again, just like PSB complementing rather than trying to compete, there's a place (or should I say 'space') for both TS and TDB.
Yep, I have confused the warbler and the shark.
Cup of tea and lay down time,
Grey previously commented here at TS at Greywarbler but changed handle to greywarshark at the time of the Rawshark revelations. (Also used a couple of other handles here prior to that – Prism and a very shortlived Rosetinted.
Fascinating. How many others here have that sort of multi-handle history?
There was Paul/Ed/Tammy/Milly plus a few other handles I don't remember.
Then there's the Agora/Paaparakauta situation that Incognito has been trying to put a lid on.
Morrissey and Professor Longhair certainly have an astonishingly similar collection of interests and way of expressing themselves, but haven't been explicitly called out as being one and the same. Perhaps use of different devices going through different ISPs is sufficient differentiation.
Paul is the reason I became a Tim, and the only reason I choose anonymity is in the interests of the family – everyone in NZ with my surname is realated and they're generally nice folks whereas I can be a prat at times. Thinking about it now, I've surprised myself I didn't pick up on how similar a shark and a warbler are. Especially since the other examples are a dead giveaway.
Dude ran around telling people to set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world, while his own fucking house was a shambling, benzo'd to the tits mess.
If we only listened to advice from people whose lives are perfect, we’d be listening to no-one. Gloating about someone’s addictions, no matter how much you dislike that person, is just a bit sick.
As joe said, Jordan Peterson built an empire around that phrase. We might have guessed he himself was not taking his own advice.
Nope, while that transphobic misogynist might deserve sympathy for his plight on a personal level it is important the full picture of the man is revealed.
What really irked me was that he profited from spreading paranoia, hatred and division among impressionable young men.
As someone who has been prone to anxiety attacks much of my life I consider myself fortunate not to have managed not to need drugs to control it. Anxiety disorders are exceedingly common, and are often not treated well.
Whether an individual is more or less sensitive to anxiety seems to be very much hard wired in as part of our genetic legacy, much like other aspects of our personality. Like skin colour, there isn't anything I can do to change this propensity, but I have learned to control it reasonably well most of the time.
And in some extreme scenarios (such as when my mother was dying) I still struggle. I should imagine that when Jordan's wife Tammy was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer, this would rate as highly anxiety provoking. Would you not agree?
To compound matters one of the more common drugs used to treat this condition, the so-called 'benzos', have a track record of causing physiological brain damage. This is a recognised problem.
As for the spreading paranoia, hatred and division among impressionable young men tag; try reading the comment thread under the above linked video. There is now over 23,000 of them, many many of them expressing a heartfelt gratitude to JP for turning around dysfunctional lives, people battling depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, addictions, PTSD and all manner of personal struggles.
I quickly scanned several hundred, and didn't see any expressing paranoia, hatred, misogyny or division. Quite the opposite really.
Having addictions, or whatever other faults, does not make anyone a ‘fraud’. Bill Clinton was a sexual predator, who used his power to indulge his sexual addiction. It’s questionable that makes his successes as president fraudulent.
Women do their aggression in a different way; often by exclusion.
About 18 months ago I had to attend an all day work training session. It was run by a woman who was perfectly competent and professional. (This is in a high tech engineering office context.) I enjoyed her content and from this perspective found the day very worthwhile.
Attending were about 30 people, all except myself under the age of 40, and as is the usual ratio in most engineering offices I've seen, about 4 of them were young women. By lunchtime it was obvious that the presenter was only interacting with these 4 young women, the young men who were the majority in the room were totally ignored. At the lunch break the presenter quite pointedly only socialised with the women. As the day wore on the men became increasingly disengaged, while the women became more animated and were the only ones asking questions.
Now everything on the surface looked perfectly polite and professional, no shouty or people talking over each other, no overt aggression. But when I quietly asked one of the older guys the next day about the covert exclusion that had gone down, his answer was along the lines 'yeah but it's not worth saying anything about it'.
Since I've just admitted to being a prat at times (above), I've often thought – with the trend towards medicalisation – that the solution to the likes of Trump, Putin, Modi, Bolsenaro, Duterte and others would be massive doses of estrogen (daily probably). But then what do you do with a few that are equipped with the Venus factor. Sure as shot it wouldn't be massive doses of testosterone. Just thinking out loud
Actually it’d probably be the same prescription
A disease that only those with a hefty dose of estrogen survive?
MORE MEN INFECTED THAN WOMEN
The study suggested that men may be more susceptible to the virus than women with 68 per cent of the patients being male and just 32 per cent female, with the majority of men aged between 50 and 59.
“The reduced susceptibility of females to viral infections could be attributed to the protection from X chromosome and sex hormones, which play an important role in innate and adaptive immunity,” the report suggested.
OK. I might have to have a rethink. There's an island somewhere (surrounded by water) within another island (surrounded by water – while it all lasts).
Could be the ideal place to parachute them all in together, and leave them to it
Yeah – but Sanders is shouting for things that will do a lot for the material conditions of life of non-elite women. In fact, his policies will do far, far more for non-elite women than anything proposed by the elite woman (Klobuchar) who is not shouting in this image. So at best, your comment is mildly amusing, while still being complete shite.
His policies aren't worth shit if he can't broaden his appeal and poll way better than he did four years ago.
Sanders got just 8 percent support from Iowa caucus-goers 45 and older. And among seniors 65-plus, it was just 4 percent.
While he overperformed among “very liberal” Iowa Dems (43 percent), he underperformed among “somewhat liberals” (19 percent) and moderates (12 percent).
He got just 12 percent support from white women college graduates — arguably the heart of the Dem resistance against Trump.
And maybe most concerning of all for Sanders, he won more than half of the Iowa caucus-goers who said they supported him in 2016. But he barely registered (7 percent) among the 54 percent of all Iowa caucus-goers who said they backed Hillary Clinton four years ago.
So his base — right now — is about half of the Democrats who supported him in 2016.
The mainstream media in the USA have been lying for years – why you swallow their bullshit is beyond me joe90.
I would have thought the whole russian conspiracy theory you pushed via them for the last 3 years proving to be a pack of lies, might have made you realise.
But sadly no, you still burp up their propaganda and bullshit.
Periodically someone says something so completely at odds with my bet at what is the most likely reality that I do sit down and have a quiet think.
Sometimes I can see their point and it adjusts my mental calculus, sometimes it doesn't pan out.
I tend to find, however, that the folks most convinced and utterly certain that the rest of the world has been duped in some way – they're the ones least likely to have anything of value in their perspective. Not so much about abstract opinions, just assertions of objective fact.
This is going to happen to whoever the dem nominee is. If Sanders wins the nomination, dollars to donuts tRump's goons are going to demand and receive Jane Sanders’ FBI/financial records and weaponise them.
The Treasury Department turned over Hunter Biden’s confidential financial records to Republican senators despite refusing to release President Donald Trump’s tax returns as required by law.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., announced that they will investigate Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and “his associates during the Obama administration” just one hour after the Senate voted to acquit Trump in an impeachment trial with no new witnesses or documents sparked by the president’s push to investigate his political rivals. There is no evidence nor credible allegations that either Hunter or Joe Biden did anything illegal.
Offering $2 billion over two years to a newly established National Bushfire Recovery Agency, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “the surplus is of no focus to me” on January 6.
By comparison, the Queensland government alone spent $7.6 billion in subsidising the coal industry between 2008-14, according to TheAustraliaInstitute. And according to the International Monetary Fund Fiscal Affairs Department, Australian subsidies of fossil fuels reached $29 billionin 2017.
National and Labour neck and neck according to TV3's Reid Research Poll.
Since Reid Research is usually more generous to Labour than the Colmar Brunton, I am surprised Labour didn't do better considering the positive publicity Jacinda has been getting in recent weeks.
What it suggests to me is that National's negative attack strategy is already working in election year – and that is backed up with what I heard among my relatives over Xmas. Some people might not like hearing this, but the "relentless positivity" campaign strategy came in for criticism of Jacinda. That they saw it as unrealistic and a bit plastic would be my summation.
I am inclined to agree – at least in part. A counter attack against the lies and innuendo from National is inevitable if Labour wants to keep the treasury benches. Maintaining a lofty ‘we’re not going to play with you' sentiment will mean nothing to the average voter.
They actually like to see a little bit of mongrel from political parties, and are inclined to regard those who don't play as a bunch of wusses.
Just off to find some secure head gear in preparation for the probable disagreements among fellow standardistas.
I imagine it indicates there are a lot of 'undeciders' this election year. National dropped slightly and Labour rose slightly, yet neither appear to have gained from former Green and NZ First voters.
On that basis it makes for a very bumpy election year.
This outcome differs from a Stuff/YouGov poll released in November, which counted a similar majority for a Labour party at 41 per cent, provided it worked with either the Greens or NZ First, both at 8 per cent.
In both polls, National had no path to power. The party lacked three seats to bring it across the 61 seat threshold in Sunday's poll.
So yeah and that's the trend. National has no path to power.
I am surprised Labour didn't do better considering the positive publicity Jacinda has been getting in recent weeks.
Polls lag. Not that media companies who spend money on them want to tell that story – hence grasping for recent explanations for each single poll. Trends matter.
You must play your intuitive game, Anne. As soon as you depart from what you know you are in trouble.
JA knows positivity. That's what has brought Labour to 43% and that's what she should continue with. For her to wrestle with pigs would be a disaster I think.
If Labour need to get dirty the someone else will have to do it. Normally this would be Phil Twyford but he has had such dismal term and his credibility is so shot that for him to try be the enforcer would also be a disaster.
Lab/Green is 48%. Stick to the plan, it’s working.
If Labour need to get dirty the someone else will have to do it.
Of course. No-one is suggesting Jacinda do it. Her natural personna is special and must be kept that way.
And it isn't a case of Labour getting dirty but rather responding to the Nat Party dirty tricks and misinformation strategy we know is going to be full on this year. Its a sad fact that many people are fooled by such tactics – look at Trump's America – and they are almost as gullible here.
Grant Robertson can do it. Chris Hipkins, Megan Woods and Andrew Little are very smart and experienced and can dish it out when required. There will be others on the back benches who can do it as well.
The criticism of the Labour government's push towards well-being has been called flighty and novel and empty. It's been used to push the claim that Ardern is some sort of airhead.
I'm not on board with a lot of the political PR coming out of this government, but hoisting well-being as being something we should strive for is hardly a flighty and novel and empty concept.
"Well-being" is a pretty good translation of εὐδαιμονία, or eudaimonia.
Critics who claim the drive is flighty and novel and empty need to pick up their ancient Greek philosophy readers.
The idea that the good life – pursing long term strategies for maximizing pleasure and in the name of social harmony and virtue – is hardly new. It’s certainly not flighty, novel, or empty.
It’s a shame that the Ardern government’s critics, some of whom have apparently studied philosophy, were unable or unwilling to grasp this, and engage in a serious, historically and philosophically engaged, and meaningful, way.
The idea *of the good life – pursing long term strategies for maximizing pleasure and in the name of social harmony and virtue – is hardly *a new one.
I would love to see our representatives debating these concepts more substantially in the House. We’ve got millenia to draw on, come on, guys; not to mention the philosophical collieries inherent in Te Ao Māori Tikanga (in many respects I feel the ancients would feel more comfortable on a marae than they would in Parliament. Those worlds were not so far removed from each other).
It would have ben better if Ardern had spent more time learning how to make practise into perfection studying Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics than preaching Marxism to they already-converted at the Socialist Youth International.
Wellbeing is as slippery as a term and as a practise as Whanau Ora. It's a palimpsest.
Bridges was criticized for trying to hold Ardern to political account at precisely the place Ardern invited everyone to do so last year. If the public and the media are so immature that they can't allow her to be criticized with facts when she invited it, we're a long way before we get to definitional niceties as you propose.
Nobody is arguing with any intelligence or knowledge. Hit me up, brother. You’ve got two-and-a-half thousand years of philosophy and literature and history to argue from or with. Don’t see it in your comment.
Aristotle was of a different school from the philosophers I dropped. How is Aristotle relevant to your response? Have you read the Nichomachean Ethics?
I've spent the past three years studying ancient Greek and Latin. Please tell me how Aristotle's conception of virtue is relevant to my argument, and why you brought it up. Thanks.
Don’t let me put you off. Studying the classics has been one of the most fulfilling studies of my life, beside my gardening.
“Start and you are half done. Dare to be wise; begin!”
– Horace
Critics who claim the drive is flighty and novel and empty need to pick up their ancient Greek philosophy readers.
OK how about Isocrates (Areopagiticus)
Therefore, being of this mind, our forefathers did not seek to discover first how they should penalize men who were lawless, but how they should produce citizens who would refrain from any punishable act; for they thought that this was their duty, while it was proper for private enemies alone to be zealous in the avenging of crime.
Now our forefathers exercised care over all the citizens, but most of all over the young. They saw that at this age men are most unruly of temper and filled with a multitude of desires, and that their spirits are most in need of being curbed by devotion to noble pursuits and by congenial labor; for only such occupations can attract and hold men who have been educated liberally and trained in high-minded ways.
However, since it was not possible to direct all into the same occupations, because of differences in their circumstances, they assigned to each one a vocation which was in keeping with his means; for they turned the needier towards farming and trade, knowing that poverty comes about through idleness, and evil-doing through poverty.
Those concerned with eudaimonia had some contempt for the contemporary rhetoricians or sophists of that time, too.
I have noted that some of our contemporary sophists get red in the face in media or other public appearances also. And they, like Isocrates, can afford to drive late model European vehicles. Proves their virtue, I suppose. No time for idleness and evil doing like the gadfly-who-must-be-destroyed.
the gadfly being Socrates, of course. Your Isocrates (note the “I”, a different person) stood by and watched, much like many of you disgraceful liberals have stood back and damned Julian Assange.
Disgraceful then, disgraceful now.
But you don’t need my opinion and nor does history, which will damn you.
We did it! And a new golden age awaits, says ARRON BANKS
AT 11pm on Friday the UK left the European Union after 47 years of membership, an historic moment.
[…]
In the end, the British public always gets what it wants!
I’m in New Zealand for three months, and celebrated Brexit with a glass of Cloudy Bay and a barbecue by the beach.
New Zealand is a country of five million people with a legal system based on English Law, and has an immigration system that suits them. It’s a small country but a terrific one!
Worldwide there are successful independent countries based on our system of government including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Basically, the polls have not moved since the last one. I anticipate the politically flawless start to the year by Labour has bumped them up slightly, if anything.
I don't agree National can go any higher in the polls – they've had a bottomless pit of money and a sympathetic media for their time in opposition, so IMHO their support is as high as it will ever be. Basically, they've been in a permanent campaign since they got turfed out.
Labour has grown it's vote since the last election, but they need to shore things up – Swarbrick needs a clear run in Auckland Central and give Shane Jones Northland and they'lll be home no problems.
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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 ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?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 ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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 ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “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 ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
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Anyone got any favorites for the Dunedin South Labour nomination?
Now that the seat stretches into Balclutha, Waihola and Beaumont and beyond it's going to be no sure thing. Those are solid National areas. If Labour lost this seat it would be devastating for morale.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/south-otago/huge-implications-boundary-changes
The new candidate is going to have to do some real work.
"At least three people are expected to seek the Labour Party nomination for the Dunedin South electorate to be vacated by sitting member of Parliament Clare Curran at this year’s September general election.
The Star understands that Rachel Brooking, a lawyer specialising in local government and environmental law; Ingrid Leary, broadcaster, lawyer and cultural relations specialist; and Simon McCallum, a senior lecturer in software engineering, are all seeking nomination. It is not known if there are likely to be other nominees."
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/three-keen-dunedin-south-labour-nomination
I'd like to know what a cultural relations specialist is.
Tat Loo!
If BloJo can be UK PM and the Tangerine Tantrump can be IMPOTUS, Tat's time to shine has surely come!
🙂
You could be right, or correct, or both
Apologies @ Andre. Didn't have me specs. I saw Tat Loo in the first line and misread it as him commenting about himself. Far be it for me to accuse you of being 'right'
Here I've been called a RWNJ, a right concern troll, a Clinton stooge and a bunch of other stuff. Suggesting I "could be right" has all the sting of getting savaged by a particularly gentle friendly kitten.
He'd be better suited to NZFirst. A proper outlier grumpy.
Young Tat is now married and with a young family. Long term this will either cure the grump or make it worse
That's great to hear.
Back in the days of "Red Alert" (remember RA?) Tat was a much appreciated commenter. Glad to hear he's doing the family thing. We might get the old Tat back again.
Judging by his tweeting, I seriously doubt that. His grudge is still firmly in place.
I never figured out what his grudge actually was – apart from the ongoing row with Clare Curran which exploded into a battle against Labour as a whole.
'I'd like to know what a cultural relations specialist is'
Those people tasked to follow politicians around and check what they're saying. They tap them on the shoulder. 'Pssst, don't be racist'.
Could be anything @ WeTheBleeple. Anything from a public relations 'specialist' for gangs trying to improve the ummage going forward, or even a spin doctor for an RNZ management team desperately trying to push their barrow uphill.
Does Simon McCallum not have a law degree squirreled away? Strike the fellow from the list.
Will be interesting to see what comes of the boundary changes. The only group that's happy with them seem to be National Party hacks, presumably so they get multiple bites at the 'fundraising' cherry, and get a new rural electorate in Clutha Taieri (South Dunedin)
Otherwise there's considerable angst around community of interest all around the areas affected by the changes. It looks like the Representation Commission stepped back from a new electorate in Central / Lakes and fudged the boundaries to get constructive feedback, and will come back with something more representative. The changes with South Dunedin and in Central Otago / Upper Clutha can hardly be called representative.
A good overview from a Lakes pov is this piece. It can be read at a local government level as well and be as pertinent.
We have so many electorates with MPs who represent the interest of farming so well.
The point is well made that Queenstown-Lakes needs an MP who can represent the interests of tourism.
By the next boundary re-draw it will be more pressing, because Wanaka will be a population of about 10,000 and Queenstown itself will be heading for 16,000.
It's the fastest-growing area in New Zealand.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/queenstown-lakes-fastest-growing-nz
It would surely also be one of New Zealand's wealthiest and most National-leaning.
I think one of the reasons National isn't keen on a Southern Lakes electorate is that it mightn't be as clear-cut as most think. Hamish Walker has ended up looking more like a Labour opposition MP than a National one with health and immigration campaigns. Irony of the situation is he's campaigning again the effects of policies National enacted.
While the place is National voting at present, it is not conservative, but very liberal and green. It sort of inhabits the area around the back between ACT and Green Party. David Parker was a very respected local MP here in the days of the old Otago electorate. I think given a candidate who can understand and is part of the electorate a Southern Lakes electorate could be anyone's.
.
Would certainly make Dunners South more marginal … but easy to overstate implications… Balclutha & Milton, for instance, are Light Blue National-leaners rather than Deep Blue strongholds. (combined Govt Bloc support not too far shy of Nat+ACT).
Will, of course, lose Left-leaning Otago Peninsula to Dunedin North … but again wouldn't want to overstate the ramifications.
Needs an in-depth analysis … but I'm guessing it's still Labour on paper.
Losing port hills and Dunedin south will be a moral crusher. I think we may hold on to Dunedin south but Port hills needs a miracle it was already tight
All of which (above) reminds me – does anyone know what's happened to greywarshark?
My suspicions are maybe she got the biff for some ill-advised remark. No doubt she'll be monitoring though – but it seems she might have been correct about her observations re TDB. It's nice to know Martyn is actually a sensitive wee lad, but I wish there could be a bit of a truce between TS and TDB. (probably not happening though until it all really turns to shit – quite a few egos are at stake)
Waxxing lyrical over on TDB – challenging former TS commenter SaveNZ for the most comments on Open Mic. Also continuing to comment on Bowalley Road – in both cases as greywarbler. What were the observations re TDB?
Didn't get the biff per se, but was pulled up by me and others on Open Mike 21 Dec 2019 for a couple of ill-advised remarks. See the discussion preceding the link below. Has only made a couple of small comments here since.
But be careful using female pronouns or you may be the subject of consderable displeasure as I was for doing so – although may others had done so in the past including moderators, eg weka. Comment:Open mike 21/12/2019 LOL
PS – If you are lurking grey – Happy Birthday.
I seem to recall you posting in late Jan 2019 that you would not be commenting much on TS because it was your 7X birthday in February and you would be focussing on cleaning out possessions etc.
Yep, well – some things just rark me up so much it gets hard to hold my tongue.
Like the Concert FM proposals for example. As for the 7X birthday, I've just become a real person now upon recently receiving my gold card.
After a lifetime of being a Labour suppota (and acknowledging JA's massive contribution), I'm considering turning Green, or even Brown, and if it wasn't for Shane, Black could even be a possibility. And the reason is that there's only a certain amount of dead rats that can be swallowed.
– The way some immigrants have been treated and the bugger's muddle of an institution that handles it all. Reform of an administration that's allowed scams to become normalised and then blaming its victims
– The way people are being exploited and the time its taken for it to be recognised as a problem – ditto the victim blaming
– Worksafe's failure to prosecute on a number of things
– The Archices NZ and Natlib situation
– and now Concert FM and PSB (I might not be around in 2023)
Things might have to get worse before they eventually get better, but as my friends and family keep telling me – Rome wasn't built in a day
Voting Green seems like the best way to get a more progressive next govt.
Well that's interesting, OWT – you yourself have been reading -and replying to – Greywarbler at TDB.
Indeed, less than two days ago on TDB Open Mic 7 February, you replied to one of a couple of Greywarbler comments* re the Wuhan evacuations of NZers, and Greywarbler then replied to you, ie:
Did you really not connect that "Greywarbler" to" greywarshark"? Grey previously commented here at TS at Greywarbler but changed handle to greywarshark at the time of the Rawshark revelations. (Also used a couple of other handles here prior to that – Prism and a very shortlived Rosetinted.)
[* As an aside, of the seven comments on TDB's Open Mic that day, five were from Greywarbler.]
I'm absolutely useless remembering names!!!! (I can remember my phone number 45 years ago, but names confuse me.) It's poss I've confused a warbler with a shark.
What she was correct about though is that sometimes comments might disappear if they challenge an ego. It might eventually surface.
But again, just like PSB complementing rather than trying to compete, there's a place (or should I say 'space') for both TS and TDB.
Yep, I have confused the warbler and the shark.
Cup of tea and lay down time,
Fascinating. How many others here have that sort of multi-handle history?
There was Paul/Ed/Tammy/Milly plus a few other handles I don't remember.
Then there's the Agora/Paaparakauta situation that Incognito has been trying to put a lid on.
Morrissey and Professor Longhair certainly have an astonishingly similar collection of interests and way of expressing themselves, but haven't been explicitly called out as being one and the same. Perhaps use of different devices going through different ISPs is sufficient differentiation.
Paul is the reason I became a Tim, and the only reason I choose anonymity is in the interests of the family – everyone in NZ with my surname is realated and they're generally nice folks whereas I can be a prat at times. Thinking about it now, I've surprised myself I didn't pick up on how similar a shark and a warbler are. Especially since the other examples are a dead giveaway.
Some of us were vipers for a while. Such an interesting history that one.
Quite. I had forgotten about that.
Some of us still are – vipers that is!
I also remember quite a few raw sharks for awhile including a wekarawshark no less. LOL
Ha ha, yep. Sorry about the viper thing, it's so weird how people's handles just become their own thing.
Believe nothing until there’s an official denial….
https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status/1226177517461086208
God smites he with a God complex.
Went to Russia for treatment.
Er…Ok then.
Perhaps there should have been a 13th rule:
Don't dress up in Peaky Blinders suits and whip up paranoia amongst young men while addicted to meds.
https://nationalpost.com/news/jordan-petersons-year-of-absolute-hell-professor-forced-to-retreat-from-public-life-because-of-tranquilizer-addiction
Get well soon, Doktor Peterson.
If you want to gloat, direct it to his daughter. Leave us out of it please.
So a person suffering an addiction is fair game because you don’t like their opinions. Nice.
Dude ran around telling people to set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world, while his own fucking house was a shambling, benzo'd to the tits mess.
If we only listened to advice from people whose lives are perfect, we’d be listening to no-one. Gloating about someone’s addictions, no matter how much you dislike that person, is just a bit sick.
As joe said, Jordan Peterson built an empire around that phrase. We might have guessed he himself was not taking his own advice.
Nope, while that transphobic misogynist might deserve sympathy for his plight on a personal level it is important the full picture of the man is revealed.
What really irked me was that he profited from spreading paranoia, hatred and division among impressionable young men.
Now we know he was a fraud all along.
As someone who has been prone to anxiety attacks much of my life I consider myself fortunate not to have managed not to need drugs to control it. Anxiety disorders are exceedingly common, and are often not treated well.
Whether an individual is more or less sensitive to anxiety seems to be very much hard wired in as part of our genetic legacy, much like other aspects of our personality. Like skin colour, there isn't anything I can do to change this propensity, but I have learned to control it reasonably well most of the time.
And in some extreme scenarios (such as when my mother was dying) I still struggle. I should imagine that when Jordan's wife Tammy was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer, this would rate as highly anxiety provoking. Would you not agree?
To compound matters one of the more common drugs used to treat this condition, the so-called 'benzos', have a track record of causing physiological brain damage. This is a recognised problem.
As for the spreading paranoia, hatred and division among impressionable young men tag; try reading the comment thread under the above linked video. There is now over 23,000 of them, many many of them expressing a heartfelt gratitude to JP for turning around dysfunctional lives, people battling depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, addictions, PTSD and all manner of personal struggles.
I quickly scanned several hundred, and didn't see any expressing paranoia, hatred, misogyny or division. Quite the opposite really.
He has his fan base for sure and I'm not sure you're going to get the full picture from a condolence book as it were.
If only he stuck to his self-help books! That's where he might have been doing something worthwhile.
But he used that audience to further his attacks on transgender rights and equality of outcome with respect to women and minorities.
As a regressive he hated these concept and sought to drag a whole lot of young people backwards.
Where was he "transphobic and misogynist"?
The rest of your post isn't worth commenting on
There is plenty of reference to Peterson being transphobic and misogynistic.
Hence the controversy.
Then it shouldn't be too hard to post some.
Again? I'll spare everyone that for now. This was done several times over the last two years.
I'll take that as I don't know any.
Having addictions, or whatever other faults, does not make anyone a ‘fraud’. Bill Clinton was a sexual predator, who used his power to indulge his sexual addiction. It’s questionable that makes his successes as president fraudulent.
And these shouty old men want to run the shop.
/
https://twitter.com/maxthegirl/status/1226190549847166976
Lmfao ! biden and steyer kept talking so much shite and utter dribble, they reminded me a bit of dirtyjohn lololz!
Women do their aggression in a different way; often by exclusion.
About 18 months ago I had to attend an all day work training session. It was run by a woman who was perfectly competent and professional. (This is in a high tech engineering office context.) I enjoyed her content and from this perspective found the day very worthwhile.
Attending were about 30 people, all except myself under the age of 40, and as is the usual ratio in most engineering offices I've seen, about 4 of them were young women. By lunchtime it was obvious that the presenter was only interacting with these 4 young women, the young men who were the majority in the room were totally ignored. At the lunch break the presenter quite pointedly only socialised with the women. As the day wore on the men became increasingly disengaged, while the women became more animated and were the only ones asking questions.
Now everything on the surface looked perfectly polite and professional, no shouty or people talking over each other, no overt aggression. But when I quietly asked one of the older guys the next day about the covert exclusion that had gone down, his answer was along the lines 'yeah but it's not worth saying anything about it'.
Just balancing millennia of the reverse.
Since I've just admitted to being a prat at times (above), I've often thought – with the trend towards medicalisation – that the solution to the likes of Trump, Putin, Modi, Bolsenaro, Duterte and others would be massive doses of estrogen (daily probably). But then what do you do with a few that are equipped with the Venus factor. Sure as shot it wouldn't be massive doses of testosterone. Just thinking out loud
Actually it’d probably be the same prescription
A disease that only those with a hefty dose of estrogen survive?
MORE MEN INFECTED THAN WOMEN
The study suggested that men may be more susceptible to the virus than women with 68 per cent of the patients being male and just 32 per cent female, with the majority of men aged between 50 and 59.
“The reduced susceptibility of females to viral infections could be attributed to the protection from X chromosome and sex hormones, which play an important role in innate and adaptive immunity,” the report suggested.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/how-the-coronavirus-impacts-you-once-you-are-infected/news-story/5f817d2da97006ab390750a0ea14ad2b
OK. I might have to have a rethink. There's an island somewhere (surrounded by water) within another island (surrounded by water – while it all lasts).
Could be the ideal place to parachute them all in together, and leave them to it
Men are smokers in China (from memory about 48%). This causes changes to the lungs which make them more susceptible to nCoV.
Check out the video on this from MedCram on YT.
its gonna by either one of these shouty men or the shouty man currently elevated to top dog.
Yeah – but Sanders is shouting for things that will do a lot for the material conditions of life of non-elite women. In fact, his policies will do far, far more for non-elite women than anything proposed by the elite woman (Klobuchar) who is not shouting in this image. So at best, your comment is mildly amusing, while still being complete shite.
His policies aren't worth shit if he can't broaden his appeal and poll way better than he did four years ago.
Sanders got just 8 percent support from Iowa caucus-goers 45 and older. And among seniors 65-plus, it was just 4 percent.
While he overperformed among “very liberal” Iowa Dems (43 percent), he underperformed among “somewhat liberals” (19 percent) and moderates (12 percent).
He got just 12 percent support from white women college graduates — arguably the heart of the Dem resistance against Trump.
And maybe most concerning of all for Sanders, he won more than half of the Iowa caucus-goers who said they supported him in 2016. But he barely registered (7 percent) among the 54 percent of all Iowa caucus-goers who said they backed Hillary Clinton four years ago.
So his base — right now — is about half of the Democrats who supported him in 2016.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/what-stands-out-after-iowa-bernie-sanders-limited-crossover-appeal-n1132336
btw, near forty years on the public tit and Sanders' isn't an elite?
The mainstream media in the USA have been lying for years – why you swallow their bullshit is beyond me joe90.
I would have thought the whole russian conspiracy theory you pushed via them for the last 3 years proving to be a pack of lies, might have made you realise.
But sadly no, you still burp up their propaganda and bullshit.
Periodically someone says something so completely at odds with my bet at what is the most likely reality that I do sit down and have a quiet think.
Sometimes I can see their point and it adjusts my mental calculus, sometimes it doesn't pan out.
I tend to find, however, that the folks most convinced and utterly certain that the rest of the world has been duped in some way – they're the ones least likely to have anything of value in their perspective. Not so much about abstract opinions, just assertions of objective fact.
This is going to happen to whoever the dem nominee is. If Sanders wins the nomination, dollars to donuts tRump's goons are going to demand and receive Jane Sanders’ FBI/financial records and weaponise them.
The Treasury Department turned over Hunter Biden’s confidential financial records to Republican senators despite refusing to release President Donald Trump’s tax returns as required by law.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., announced that they will investigate Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and “his associates during the Obama administration” just one hour after the Senate voted to acquit Trump in an impeachment trial with no new witnesses or documents sparked by the president’s push to investigate his political rivals. There is no evidence nor credible allegations that either Hunter or Joe Biden did anything illegal.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/treasury-hands-biden-records-over-to-gop-after-refusing-to-release-trump-tax-returns/
this will happen to anyone who dares not bend the knee, submit fully and start sucking on that orange mushroom.
oh the generosity
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/communities-financially-devastated-bushfires?fbclid=IwAR1m5t0tT7vaaEFcMJz1gCOJP9c7Czt0gGQlQzCRtp6HeMwD9vIW4oE9twg
Echoes of hapless Brash as Winston urges his party officials to go to police over material being shared with media: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12307127
The amusing thing is that he’s going on about a huge breach of ‘party’ material – when most of the bits in the media are about the ‘foundation’
i guess it’s not surprising he’s confused.
Wonder how many people had access to both sets of information..?
National and Labour neck and neck according to TV3's Reid Research Poll.
Since Reid Research is usually more generous to Labour than the Colmar Brunton, I am surprised Labour didn't do better considering the positive publicity Jacinda has been getting in recent weeks.
What it suggests to me is that National's negative attack strategy is already working in election year – and that is backed up with what I heard among my relatives over Xmas. Some people might not like hearing this, but the "relentless positivity" campaign strategy came in for criticism of Jacinda. That they saw it as unrealistic and a bit plastic would be my summation.
I am inclined to agree – at least in part. A counter attack against the lies and innuendo from National is inevitable if Labour wants to keep the treasury benches. Maintaining a lofty ‘we’re not going to play with you' sentiment will mean nothing to the average voter.
They actually like to see a little bit of mongrel from political parties, and are inclined to regard those who don't play as a bunch of wusses.
Just off to find some secure head gear in preparation for the probable disagreements among fellow standardistas.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/02/national-and-labour-neck-and-neck-in-new-newshub-reid-research-poll.html
Interesting that this time in the electoral cycle greens were 13% and Nz first 8%
and this poll was taken before nats rules out Nz first.
I imagine it indicates there are a lot of 'undeciders' this election year. National dropped slightly and Labour rose slightly, yet neither appear to have gained from former Green and NZ First voters.
On that basis it makes for a very bumpy election year.
Yep. A 2% shift in the polls changes the government.
cant imagine the current mob are happy with this after just one term.
So yeah and that's the trend. National has no path to power.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/119382109/new-poll-shows-tight-margin-between-labour-and-national-and-nz-first-is-out
Unless there is a 2% shift which puts National in power
or if the greens drop below 5%
not a strong position for the current government after a single term.
This poll shows Labour and the Greens in a very strong position to govern alone.
Not sure there's been a time when the two poll near 50% but that is the case now.
That's also a trend – that the public are getting on board an environmentally, economically, and socially sound left wing government.
Labour + Greens 2014 Election – 36%
Labour + Greens 2017 Election – 43%
Labour + Greens Newshub RR – 48%
That must scare the shit out of National and its supporters.
Not at all.
greens have gone 2011 – 11.06 down to 2014- 10.7 down to 2017 – 6.3 and this year may well end up under 5%.
nz first could also be well gone. Going to be an interesting year for them.
Could be a one term government. Jacinda quits and goes to UN. Labour have no other quality people – stay in opposition for another 9 years. Yay.
That vote has transferred to Labour. And the total is increasing at an alarming (if you are in the National Party) rate.
I, along with an increasing number of New Zealanders, am looking forward to the first Labour/Green government.
Where does Simon go after inevitable defeat? The back-benches. Yay.
Ah, I see. James has been to Kiwiblog to get his opinion and reassurance again.
The 2% is fact not opinion.
I know you have trouble with facts.
You've swallowed Farrar's desperate spin and regurgitated it here. That's all you are capable of.
Like so many of your comments – you are wrong.
All Blacks 3 – 0 Lions.
Yes dear.
Polls lag. Not that media companies who spend money on them want to tell that story – hence grasping for recent explanations for each single poll. Trends matter.
lol
almost like the election was being held under some sort of prortional representation system. Expert analysis from tv3…
+ 1 Anne (Sorry to disappoint.)
You must play your intuitive game, Anne. As soon as you depart from what you know you are in trouble.
JA knows positivity. That's what has brought Labour to 43% and that's what she should continue with. For her to wrestle with pigs would be a disaster I think.
If Labour need to get dirty the someone else will have to do it. Normally this would be Phil Twyford but he has had such dismal term and his credibility is so shot that for him to try be the enforcer would also be a disaster.
Lab/Green is 48%. Stick to the plan, it’s working.
If Labour need to get dirty the someone else will have to do it.
Of course. No-one is suggesting Jacinda do it. Her natural personna is special and must be kept that way.
And it isn't a case of Labour getting dirty but rather responding to the Nat Party dirty tricks and misinformation strategy we know is going to be full on this year. Its a sad fact that many people are fooled by such tactics – look at Trump's America – and they are almost as gullible here.
Grant Robertson can do it. Chris Hipkins, Megan Woods and Andrew Little are very smart and experienced and can dish it out when required. There will be others on the back benches who can do it as well.
A random thought on this sunny afternoon.
The criticism of the Labour government's push towards well-being has been called flighty and novel and empty. It's been used to push the claim that Ardern is some sort of airhead.
I'm not on board with a lot of the political PR coming out of this government, but hoisting well-being as being something we should strive for is hardly a flighty and novel and empty concept.
"Well-being" is a pretty good translation of εὐδαιμονία, or eudaimonia.
Critics who claim the drive is flighty and novel and empty need to pick up their ancient Greek philosophy readers.
The idea that the good life – pursing long term strategies for maximizing pleasure and in the name of social harmony and virtue – is hardly new. It’s certainly not flighty, novel, or empty.
It’s a shame that the Ardern government’s critics, some of whom have apparently studied philosophy, were unable or unwilling to grasp this, and engage in a serious, historically and philosophically engaged, and meaningful, way.
But we’ve come to expect bad faith, haven’t we.
CORRECTION
The idea *of the good life – pursing long term strategies for maximizing pleasure and in the name of social harmony and virtue – is hardly *a new one.
I would love to see our representatives debating these concepts more substantially in the House. We’ve got millenia to draw on, come on, guys; not to mention the philosophical collieries inherent in Te Ao Māori Tikanga (in many respects I feel the ancients would feel more comfortable on a marae than they would in Parliament. Those worlds were not so far removed from each other).
It would have ben better if Ardern had spent more time learning how to make practise into perfection studying Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics than preaching Marxism to they already-converted at the Socialist Youth International.
Wellbeing is as slippery as a term and as a practise as Whanau Ora. It's a palimpsest.
Bridges was criticized for trying to hold Ardern to political account at precisely the place Ardern invited everyone to do so last year. If the public and the media are so immature that they can't allow her to be criticized with facts when she invited it, we're a long way before we get to definitional niceties as you propose.
Nobody is arguing with any intelligence or knowledge. Hit me up, brother. You’ve got two-and-a-half thousand years of philosophy and literature and history to argue from or with. Don’t see it in your comment.
Aristotle was of a different school from the philosophers I dropped. How is Aristotle relevant to your response? Have you read the Nichomachean Ethics?
I've spent the past three years studying ancient Greek and Latin. Please tell me how Aristotle's conception of virtue is relevant to my argument, and why you brought it up. Thanks.
Don’t let me put you off. Studying the classics has been one of the most fulfilling studies of my life, beside my gardening.
“Start and you are half done. Dare to be wise; begin!”
– Horace
Critics who claim the drive is flighty and novel and empty need to pick up their ancient Greek philosophy readers.
OK how about Isocrates (Areopagiticus)
Therefore, being of this mind, our forefathers did not seek to discover first how they should penalize men who were lawless, but how they should produce citizens who would refrain from any punishable act; for they thought that this was their duty, while it was proper for private enemies alone to be zealous in the avenging of crime.
Now our forefathers exercised care over all the citizens, but most of all over the young. They saw that at this age men are most unruly of temper and filled with a multitude of desires, and that their spirits are most in need of being curbed by devotion to noble pursuits and by congenial labor; for only such occupations can attract and hold men who have been educated liberally and trained in high-minded ways.
However, since it was not possible to direct all into the same occupations, because of differences in their circumstances, they assigned to each one a vocation which was in keeping with his means; for they turned the needier towards farming and trade, knowing that poverty comes about through idleness, and evil-doing through poverty.
Ha!
Those concerned with eudaimonia had some contempt for the contemporary rhetoricians or sophists of that time, too.
I have noted that some of our contemporary sophists get red in the face in media or other public appearances also. And they, like Isocrates, can afford to drive late model European vehicles. Proves their virtue, I suppose. No time for idleness and evil doing like the gadfly-who-must-be-destroyed.
And that's why I refuse to accept curbs on speech, my brother, especially by the horse (or whomever is whipping it).
the gadfly being Socrates, of course. Your Isocrates (note the “I”, a different person) stood by and watched, much like many of you disgraceful liberals have stood back and damned Julian Assange.
Disgraceful then, disgraceful now.
But you don’t need my opinion and nor does history, which will damn you.
I guess Cambridge Analytica has arrived.
We did it! And a new golden age awaits, says ARRON BANKS
AT 11pm on Friday the UK left the European Union after 47 years of membership, an historic moment.
[…]
In the end, the British public always gets what it wants!
I’m in New Zealand for three months, and celebrated Brexit with a glass of Cloudy Bay and a barbecue by the beach.
New Zealand is a country of five million people with a legal system based on English Law, and has an immigration system that suits them. It’s a small country but a terrific one!
Worldwide there are successful independent countries based on our system of government including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.
https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1236710/brexit-news-brexit-day-leave-european-union
A plague on all their houses?
https://www.sciencealert.com/africa-is-having-its-worst-locust-swarm-in-decades-and-the-destructive-potential-is-unprecedentedhttps:
Let's hope Bob Jones loses his case, although there just a judge which makes me worry for Renae Maihi.
Kia Kaha Renae!
Shouldn’t we hope for justice to be served – not hoping the person you don’t like loses – especially when you don’t have all the info available ?
Best justice money can buy.
I'm surprised Jones thinks the words of Renae Maihi carry so much weight.
She must have struck a nerve.
Basically, the polls have not moved since the last one. I anticipate the politically flawless start to the year by Labour has bumped them up slightly, if anything.
I don't agree National can go any higher in the polls – they've had a bottomless pit of money and a sympathetic media for their time in opposition, so IMHO their support is as high as it will ever be. Basically, they've been in a permanent campaign since they got turfed out.
Labour has grown it's vote since the last election, but they need to shore things up – Swarbrick needs a clear run in Auckland Central and give Shane Jones Northland and they'lll be home no problems.
Kia Ora Newshub
Electric cars are the way of the future Its the Ion age.
The Greens are a good party who will push environmentaly friendly policies that should be good for our futures.
No other species does things that jeopardise their Offsprings servival.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Tawhirimate is getting more Mana with Global Warming.
It will be good when half Wahine are in all leadership roles.
I would like a Ap to find moles O don't need 1 I'm pretty good at finding them.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Times are changing to fast for some.
That's is cool Te Tairawhiti studying the economics and health remedies of Kanuka Manuka. Those flowers were Manuka.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Droughts were predicted by our scientists.
The mess that national created while lining their M8 pockets with gold is still rolling in as predicted.
Those 2 deaths will be directly linked to PEE.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's is cool having 2 good Wahine mentoring new musicians.
That will be a great play telling the story of gay people not getting Justice.
Ka kite Ano