Now how would you know that?
My snide remarks to James are simply based on the fact that IMHO his main intention in coming here is to bait and try and show how clever he is – all egotistically driven. Probably not too dissimilar from your own reasons. THey’re certainly not intended to try and engage in debate.
Now, tell me something about this ‘Grinder’ thing. Maaaate! does it do anything for testosterone levels?
As Maria Muldaur once said – it ain’t the meat its the motion. I guess you fail on both counts in her mind.
I tried to reply to @ Nakiman – whoar – you know that man from the Naki.
I couldn’t understand since IMHO your intention in coming to TS is primarily to bait and show how bloody c;lever you think you are – similar reasons to the MAN from the Naki. Sure as shit it isn’t to engage in a debate.
But there ya go.
Chelsea Manning FFS – surely he could have tackled something more relevant if his intentions were genuine – I dunno – maybe the Kim Hill/Annette King interview this morning. Whoar Man!!!! there is grist in there he could have used to show us all how big his penis actually is.
Thank Christ I kept to Highway 4 last nite and evaded your neck of the woods.
Otherwise I could have been classed as a Highway 3 deviate.
But please @ Naki, tell me more about this “Ginder’ thing. Does it resolve the male mid-life crisis symptoms?: Increase the size of your dick or testosterone levels?; Make you a better husband to the woify?; or better still, Does it mean James and yourself become more ‘self-aware’ and all those nancy-boy type of things that might allow yourself to get over yourself?
PLEASE!!!! Tell me about Grinder. Someone just told me it was a dating site for bloody homos and married blokes on the ‘down-low’.
May I say @ solkta how utterly gorgeous I think you are.
It is possible I am a dickhead as well but that’s for me to know and you to ponder
(END OF STORY!!!!! Yea! I win you lose!)
But could you tell me about this ‘Grinder’ thing maybe?
Hi Solkta, None of my business but the “he” I think OnceWasTim was referring to was James, as in, “he” could have chosen a different topic to engage us in and I may be wrong also with the later comment to James but I read it as sarcasm and as a nancy-boy homo myself, I think he was just teasing Naki man and James about Grindr and certainly achieved a pearl clutching from James. If I’m wrong I’ll be the first to line up and give OnceWasTim a good spanking.
It is certainly a terrible piece of england so you might be right. Very strange to be replying to somebody and referring to them as “he” instead of “you”. Even more confusing as he had been speaking of the knackered one.
@RBO. I believe Tim was talking to James about Naki Man who was the HE in question. Therefore acceptable usage both for the political and syntactical police. You are right about Tim baiting James. Anyone who has watched and appreciated his style for a while will realise that he uses his own position on the spectrum (I believe he might have batted for your team on occasion) to take the mick out of himself and his target simultaneously. At times this can be confusing but when it works it does so beautifully.
I see from the paper today that there is a project called Down the Wire to make life better for helicopter pilots. We don;’t want any of them striking wires when they are flying, but particularly now with the prospect of more droughts and fires that need their attendance and skill. It’s hard enough coping with it all without having to cope with electricity lines along their flight lines. So good for getting alternatives going.
And another case of a victim of violent crime having to avoid meeting the perpetrator. He/she might be out of prison but the victim is not free to live and move where she wants. There is a notification system but why should there be the need? Keep violent people away from society. Give them a limited life in okay conditions, and limit their own violence on each other. Why should we all become potential victims. Their rate of recidivism is probably high, even if later in life.
That’s not anger cinny- labour’s ideological CGT was the wish National were waiting for. It’s the single biggest thing that could cost them the election.
He’s very happy that labour are handling this so badly
So while the government who haven’t decided anything yet (but are paying Cullen to sing CGT praises) dither and do nothing – they are losing the debate with the public.
I would never rely on the random conversations I have with people as an indication of what the majority of kiwis think. Would you? Suspect a significant number of people already have an entrenched view,particularly the ones with a vested interest in not having a CGT, eg Amy, Simon, mr poor me I own 80 rentals a la the herald article.
Have there been any polls to show that since the report came out there has been an increase in opposition to the cgt. That would show labour is losing the argument. Otherwise there isn’t any real evidence that labour is losing the argument.
Sounds like Simon was doing a fabulous job on the Nation according to cinny……ha ha ha ha
Simon is giving Labour a great opportunity to listen and understand how best to respond to Simon’s hysterical chicken little prophesising on CGT.
When Labour finally come out with a set of policies on CGT, all of which will address Simon’s hysterical rants, people may very well end up saying “good golly, this isn’t so bad after all”
Simon may very well take the credit in forcing the govt to provide a halfway point, but people don’t listen to him anyway so won’t have much effect for him.
Simons got nothing concrete to criticise. As long as he keeps yammering on about what the dastardly evils of CGT might bring, Labour can continue to artfully respond to such falsities in their eventual policy document.
Simon should shut up and criticise something worth criticising. Like Labours lack of genuine commitment to addressing the cost of living in NZ.
A variety of people is who to talk to about it, not just those in ones social circle, workplace, suburb, income bracket etc etc.
Put in a submission, encourage other people to do so as well, I’m going to.
Tax Working Group welcomes submissions on future of tax
“Submissions open today for those wanting to share their thoughts straight away and on March 14 an updated website will be launched along with a background paper that will provide more assistance. ”
OK James, I had you pegged as someone of intelligence, but you keep denying me that view by your constant undying loyalty and borderline sycophancy in terms of the National Party.
1. The government has done nothing yet but has clearly signalled a time frame in which they will, so your criticism on that front is valueless.
2. Michael Cullen is on a retainer so that he, as the chairman of the task force and therefore intimately knowledgeable about the report, is able to answer queries and provide detail.
3. You intimate that Cullen is there merely to sing praises for the CGT, which is only a small segment of the total report, and is being discussed and largely vilified in a hugely disproportionate way in comparison to other aspects of the report. That is not his job, and that is not what he is doing.
4. You say that the government is losing the debate, which is a hugely subjective statement with no evidence apparent.
The only thing you say here is that Simon is doing his job. He is, but not in the way you think.
“2. Michael Cullen is on a retainer so that he, as the chairman of the task force and therefore intimately knowledgeable about the report, is able to answer queries and provide detail.”
Not a memo – a subjective comment by a journalist on Newshub . . . Newshub FFS. The wonderfully rational and objective employer of Richardson and Garner.
Oh . . . BTW, did you read the link? I read yours.
One of the possible reasons you think soimon’s doing such a great job. Other possible reasons being: avoiding public transport, avoiding cheaper supermarkets, avoiding rougher bars, and avoiding poor people.
Bridges (and you, his unpaid PR flack) wants to misrepresent the commission’s work, hoping to ride into power on a tide of outrage. It’s certainly the only emotion that would move people to vote for him.
But outrage is not appropriate to a a representative and consultative process, the commission invites public input and discussion, which will culminate in legislation in the usual way.
Scaremonger all you want, you only expose your fundamentally undemocratic preferences.
Far-ka-nora!!!
That interview was pure entertainment Cinny. Or it would be if he wasn’t so serious about what he says. And he calls Cullen sly!
I don’t know . . . the worry is about the sheeple who will swallow that as gospel. He may well get enough boss thinkers to carry his party. That’s a scenario I can’t bear thinking about.
Simon does not like Michael Cullen, and Cinny I think many people hold a wee warm spot for Cullen because they have watched their Kiwisaver grow.
They know it was the Gnats who cut the starter in half, lowered the savings amount and were “tricky” and without that interference savers would have bigger balances.
Simon ‘no bridges’ has not got much to recommend his word, compared to Michael.
OPINION: Hi, Simon Bridges here. Hitting new taxes for six! I am literally Martin Guptill!
Hey, but I just wanted to talk about those kids who are going to go truant from school next week because they say not enough’s being done about climate change.
That piece was beautifully written. Hehehehee. Cheers for the link.
If simon thinks the kid’s aren’t serious about climate change then he is sorely mistaken.
His attitude and that of his party re the protest is going to fuel even more kids to act and adults to come out in support of those kids.
Most kids and teens know and care more about climate change than any other global or political issue. It’s a constant topic in schools.
And here I was thinking there are teachers in simons family, maybe they haven’t filled him in about the focus schools put on climate change and the awareness created as a result.
Did someone mention “thick”….that old National poodle Audrey over at the mornings fish wrap had this to say:
“It is time for Ardern to look across the aisle for support on pay transparency measures from Paula Bennett, Amy Adams and Judith Collins to work on some more advances in the interests of improving women’s lives…..”
If there were ever three women across the aisle who are more inclined to ruin women’s lives dear old Audrey could not have picked them better.
Kat noticed she said that labour didn’t give national any credit for the Bartlett pay equity bill. My understanding is that National fought it every step of the way and that Audrey knows this
Ankerrawshark you are correct, typically National only went so far with the Pay Equity Bill then inserted a “Paula Bennett pull up the ladder” clause. Audrey doesn’t like mentioning betrayal and National in the same sentence.
“He has lived an otherwise blameless life,” said Judge T. S. Ellis as he sentenced Paul Manafort to just 47 months in prison on Thursday.
In an otherwise blameless life, Paul Manafort lobbied on behalf of the tobacco industry and wangled millions in tax breaks for corporations.
In an otherwise blameless life, he helped Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos bolster his image in Washington after he assassinated his primary political opponent.
[…]
In an otherwise blameless life, he acted with impunity, as if the laws never applied to him. When presented with a chance to show remorse to the court, he couldn’t find that sentiment within his being. And with Ellis’s featherweight punishment, which deviated sharply downward from the sentencing guidelines, Manafort managed to bring his life’s project to a strange completion. He had devoted his career to normalizing corruption in Washington. By the time he was caught, his extraordinary avarice had become so commonplace that not even a federal judge could blame him for it.
In his latest post entitled “Why we need to tax landlords”, idiot-savant attempts to make the case for imposing a capital gains tax on landlords by quoting from a Herald article by Keith Ng. However the original article has some flaws.
Ng points out, probably correctly, that interest of $456,000 has been deducted entirely from the rental income when it probably should be deductible against the capital cost of the property. I have long believed that interest should be either non deductible, which would mean that landlord would be paying a respectable amount of tax on the rental income while having to meet the interest costs from his own pocket, or, alternatively, subject to an interest “claw back” up to the amount of any capital gain when the property is sold.
Also, if neither of those above options seems acceptable, Ng should recognise that tax on the interest is being paid by the bank, so the landlord is in effect paying that tax indirectly in any case, given that he receives no material benefit from interest payments.
They hated it because it gave every decent earning man and women an excellent chance.
If The Trolls demand Simon Bridges attack CGT and Stop the Kiwi saver, National will die a miserable death. The public have seen exactly What Mr Key and Mr English have done to our highly valued Kiwi Saver. All for the Trolls.
The Trolls will be skinned alive. By their own wealthy mongrels.
The Nats couldn’t possibly come up with such ingrained and accepted norms as WFF and Kiwisaver – they are ideologically opposed to policies with social benefit, and you’ve sometimes got to wonder whether they are ideologically opposed to any form of social thinking.
They put up with WFF and Kiwisaver because as you rightly point out they would spend decades out of government were they to abolish them.
They made a good effort to damage Kiwisaver out of spite for people wanting to save. Numbers dropped and people stopped enrolling their kids, but it is so popular that the Nats failed at that too. They can’t even get spite right!
Given your comments about National reducing the benefits of KiwiSaver by reducing the government top up from $1 per $1 invested up to $1,040 per year, down to 50 cents & then taxing the employer contribution, you would then agree that KiwiSaver should be exempt from capital gains tax ? As this too is further damaging KiwiSaver balances ?
Kiwi Saver should be exempt because it is a savings program, not a speculative sale of an asset.
CGT is to be applied to the profit made when selling an asset, Kiwi Saver only makes money because you are saving and your boss is helping you to do so as is the government. You can’t sell the Kiwi saver during its live time, you have to wait till you are 65 until you can access is. or maybe via hardship if you are actively dying, or buying your first house, and even then you are not receiving the full amount.
So essentially two different ways to make money, speculative selling for profit, or putting your pennies in a savings accounts – btw these pennies already got hit with income tax when you made them. And as you stated you already pay income tax on the interest you receive.
I feel I have to repost this because the episode appears to have sneaked under the radar. I had a think about it this morning and Prebble clearly had in mind a separation of the nation in his example. This is called apartheid. Prebble seems to believe that if you take brown people out of the education system then our place in the world will be something to be proud of.
Think that over for a sec…
Appalling comments from Prebble. Quite staggering that this thinking still exists in this country.
Secondary school teacher Melanie Webber, who was at the meeting, said Prebble seemed to infer people “should be more concerned about maintaining the success of the 80 per cent than concerned about the 20 per cent who are failing”.
She said she felt the comments were “racist”.
Webber raised the issue with Prebble at the end of the night and he took “extreme umbrage”, she said.
“He thrust his chest up against mine, started jabbing my face […] just absolutely lost [the] plot.”
She said she was asked to leave by ACT Party leader David Seymour, who organised the event.
Now, I’m constantly told by RWNJs that the left are guilty of wanting to shut down anyone who doesn’t agree with them but it seems they don’t practice what they preach.
Shame on David Seymour for promoting such naked racism. The swift demise of ACT and all its supporters can’t come quick enough.
You don’t think asking for brown students achievements to be excluded is racist?
Just a minute. I imagine you’re taking the Wayne defence, which is to say that the he only meant it figuratively.
South Auckland voters will have heard this loud and clear and if Simon Bridges doesn’t come out and condemn those words, National are in for a real kick in the balls next year.
RP has ‘memberships’ … gained through performing certain actions and tasks…politics such as you refer to…well documented…damaging…long term…
Prebble did not osmosis the ideology…it was a job opportunity… a contract which he accepted…planned turncoat against party and country…
One must harbor certain ‘beliefs’ to be offered the chance to gain ‘membership’…
That he is paraded while having clear mental health issues and in a late stage of life…serves to highlight the sinister nature of the ‘dominant ideology’…he is still under contract…
This is a sign of fightback. We WILL get OUR water back from the exploiters external AND internal.
“A crowd of at least 2000 protesters took to the streets of Christchurch to oppose a water bottling company shipping billions of litres of water overseas.”
I notice that you delight in repeating, ad nauseam , all the words you claim to find offensive, James. You’ve done it so often that I believe you are doing it on purpose in order to offend and that you derive pleasure from your offensive behaviour. I reckon you’re … odd.
A blog site agitator… bottom feeding on negativity…creating negativity…revelling in negativity…
Pretending to care about language used by others…simultaneously taking a pious stance…while lauding his piousness over those who do not share a passion for propagating the words…of bottom feeders…
James. You often claim that by not railing against something, a person is supporting it.
Yesterday, Muttonbird called you out, in regard Michael Jackson;
“By not taking a stand against Michael Jackson, both he and you are enabling child molesters.
Your definition.”
I thought Muttonbird elegantly skewered your silly behaviour, but it seems you missed the moment, so I’ve posted it here for your benefit. I don’t claim you intend to enable child molesters, but you’ve not been thinking very deeply, it’s clear.
Fair question. I pointed out that he has been found not guilty of being a child molester and that calling him such based off a tv show and not a court of law was wrong.
Do you think we should take stands against others who have been found not guilty?
I’d just be more inclined to believe your sincerity if you didn’t also take every opportunity to recycle and remind people of vicious slanders against someone simply because of their relationship with a left wing politician.
Appreciate you agreeing. But you will be hard to find two examples of what you say I do at every opportunity. And the one you can find I was using it as an example of how rumours can be very wrong.
You’re correct, it is not o.k. I’d moderate it, and I probably can, but I’m waiting for feedback from LPrent.
Let me ask you this, James: do you feel that you play any role at all when standards slip here on TS and you happen to be in the thick of it? Or do you see yourself as an innocent bystander who happens to be in the wrong ‘place’ at the wrong time? This is a genuine question.
Pretty easy. In this case it was said by once was Tim in reply to naki man.
While I was in the convo – I was hardly being rude or insulting- it’s there for you to read. I’d say I was targeted as opposed to being in the think of it.
And yes – genuine answer, I think we all have a role to call out obviously homophobic or racist comments.
What amazes me is how people are happy to overlook it if it’s said to someone they don’t like or disagree with.
In short if I used the term “gook or Nancy boy” most commenters would be over me like a rash and shouting from the roof tops. But most (not all) are happy to let it slide if their “mate” says it.
I think prevention is better than cure. In other words, better to try and slow down things before they get out of hand and beyond the point of no return at which you’re usually the first at calling out the act and perpetrator. And I do feel you do it with a certain glee too. Fair?
Can I humbly suggest that people involved in this thread go back and read OWT’s ‘offending’ comment closely and take the time to unpack it. Those who do may also care to read my reply to Red Blooded One a little further down thread from that.
Anyone with moderately good reading comprehension skills will soon get the gist of where OWT was coming from and as usual he got a beautiful bit of pearl clutching from James who’s been turning that into a bit of an art form lately. Very funny really because it’s usually something lefties get accused of.
PS. It should also be noted that Naki Man was the first to go down that path by suggesting that OWT had lost his way and should be on Grindr instead.
There has been no cross pollination between left and right ideas while you’ve been rehearsing emotional and edgy replys but that’s the point isn’t muh ninja.
I can’t work out whether you’re ingenuous or just a tad simple James. Either way you’re really not worth too much of my ever so valuable time. Suffice to say that one man can tell another that he is (or has) a large dick without being in any way homophobic. I offer this information in the spirit of providing a public service announcement. For future reference to help you remember the general principle involved you may care to commit this old saying to memory. “Circumstances alter cases, just as noses alter faces”.
It would be good Grant if your reasoned comment about James was the last one made on this blog to him. He wastes so much time, and makes everyone look fools while he runs rings round the leftie commenters.
Whether he is paid to do this or not, he is an idle talentless person at providing information and reasoned points about how we are going to face climate change now or soon. We haven’t time to waste with him – what is everyone thinking to let him use up our precious time on RW ploys. He is heartless and makes us look hopeless.
I have seen it many times here on TS the patterns that develop over time. People respond in a predictable manner to other commenters rather than to the comments. Hard to break that habit once established and any chance of self-moderation is gone out of the window before dawn break.
One of the patterns is that of the ‘pyromaniac ‘who lights a fire, makes sure it gets enough fuel, and when it has grown into a full blaze that is unstoppable they ring 111 for more action.
(2019 Australian federal election – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Australian_federal_election
The election will be called following the dissolution or expiry of the 45th Parliament as elected at the 2016 double dissolution federal election. The next election must be held by 18 May 2019 for half of the Senate and on or before 2 November 2019 for the House of Representatives and Territory Senators.)
The Trolls are unable to accept the consequences of their statements and actions.
National are looking dreadfully bedraggled. Because the Trolls are accusing everyone – except National Followers – of ” being sick and unhinged.”
I suppose Simon Bridges and David Farrar have advised The Trolls to announce that every Person who is not A National follower is Quote: “Sick and Unhinged”.
Some of James‘ twenty-two comments on today’s OM are very funny, in the same way that the opposition National party’s recent anti-KiwiBuild BBQ ad was very funny.
James, 22 out of 93 comments just isn’t enough – you can do better, and we love the laughs.
This feeble attempt at reverse psychology may backfire, but it’s worth a try – nothing else has worked.
When we find any good practical thing our pollies are doing, even if small, we should remember it and post it here on the blog. Don’t let it escape – trap it, handle the fragile delicate thing, observe it and tell us about it.
Bridges is one wonderful puppet. I went looking for puppet examples – here are some things from Youtube to provide light relief for a moment,
A mix of UK pollies quoting what their daddies were doing in the last war
and they are not putting up with things over there any more!
Quite good to see the different styles and the different parties support
for their speaker/s.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjluqIEmRXc
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is climate change a net benefit for society? Human-caused climate change has been a net detriment to society as measured by loss of ...
When the National Party hastily announced its “Local Water Done Well” policy, they touted it as the great saviour of New Zealand’s crumbling water infrastructure. But as time goes by it's looking more and more like a planning and fiscal lame duck...and one that’s going to cost ratepayers far more ...
Donald Trump, the orange-hued oligarch, is back at it again, wielding tariffs like a mob boss swinging a lead pipe. His latest economic edict; slapping hefty tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada, has the stench of a protectionist shakedown, cooked up in the fevered minds of his sycophantic ...
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...
One pill makes you largerAnd one pill makes you smallAnd the ones that mother gives youDon't do anything at allGo ask AliceWhen she's ten feet tallSongwriter: Grace Wing Slick.Morena, all, and a happy Bicycle Day to you.Today is an unofficial celebration of the dawning of the psychedelic era, commemorating the ...
It’s only been a few months since the Hollywood fires tore through Los Angeles, leaving a trail of devastation, numerous deaths, over 10,000 homes reduced to rubble, and a once glorious film industry on its knees. The Palisades and Eaton fires, fueled by climate-driven dry winds, didn’t just burn houses; ...
Four eighty-year-old books which are still vitally relevant today. Between 1942 and 1945, four refugees from Vienna each published a ground-breaking – seminal – book.* They left their country after Austria was taken over by fascists in 1934 and by Nazi Germany in 1938. Previously they had lived in ‘Red ...
Good Friday, 18th April, 2025: I can at last unveil the Secret Non-Fiction Project. The first complete Latin-to-English translation of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s twelve-book Disputationes adversus astrologiam divinatricem (Disputations Against Divinatory Astrology). Amounting to some 174,000 words, total. Some context is probably in order. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) ...
National MP Hamish Campbell's pathetic attempt to downplay his deep ties to and involvement in the Two by Twos...a secretive religious sect under FBI and NZ Police investigation for child sexual abuse...isn’t just a misstep; it’s a calculated lie that insults the intelligence of every Kiwi voter.Campbell’s claim of being ...
New Zealand First’s Shane Jones has long styled himself as the “Prince of the Provinces,” a champion of regional development and economic growth. But beneath the bluster lies a troubling pattern of behaviour that reeks of cronyism and corruption, undermining the very democracy he claims to serve. Recent revelations and ...
Give me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundGive me one reason to stay hereAnd I'll turn right back aroundSaid I don't want to leave you lonelyYou got to make me change my mindSongwriters: Tracy Chapman.Morena, and Happy Easter, whether that means to you. Hot cross buns, ...
New Zealand’s housing crisis is a sad indictment on the failures of right wing neoliberalism, and the National Party, under Chris Luxon’s shaky leadership, is trying to simply ignore it. The numbers don’t lie: Census data from 2023 revealed 112,496 Kiwis were severely housing deprived...couch-surfing, car-sleeping, or roughing it on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on a global survey of over 3,000 economists and scientists showing a significant divide in views on green growth; and ...
Simeon Brown, the National Party’s poster child for hubris, consistently over-promises and under-delivers. His track record...marked by policy flip-flops and a dismissive attitude toward expert advice, reveals a politician driven by personal ambition rather than evidence. From transport to health, Brown’s focus seems fixed on protecting National's image, not addressing ...
Open access notables Recent intensified riverine CO2 emission across the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region, Mu et al., Nature Communications:Global warming causes permafrost thawing, transferring large amounts of soil carbon into rivers, which inevitably accelerates riverine CO2 release. However, temporally and spatially explicit variations of riverine CO2 emissions remain unclear, limiting the ...
Once a venomous thorn in New Zealand’s blogosphere, Cathy Odgers, aka Cactus Kate, has slunk into the shadows, her once-sharp quills dulled by the fallout of Dirty Politics.The dishonest attack-blogger, alongside her vile accomplices such as Cameron Slater, were key players in the National Party’s sordid smear campaigns, exposed by Nicky ...
Once upon a time, not so long ago, those who talked of Australian sovereign capability, especially in the technology sector, were generally considered an amusing group of eccentrics. After all, technology ecosystems are global and ...
The ACT Party leader’s latest pet project is bleeding taxpayers dry, with $10 million funneled into seven charter schools for just 215 students. That’s a jaw-dropping $46,500 per student, compared to roughly $9,000 per head in state schools.You’d think Seymour would’ve learned from the last charter school fiasco, but apparently, ...
India navigated relations with the United States quite skilfully during the first Trump administration, better than many other US allies did. Doing so a second time will be more difficult, but India’s strategic awareness and ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is concerned for low-income workers given new data released by Stats NZ that shows inflation was 2.5% for the year to March 2025, rising from 2.2% in December last year. “The prices of things that people can’t avoid are rising – meaning inflation is rising ...
Last week, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that forestry be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Its an unfortunate but necessary move, required to prevent the ETS's total collapse in a decade or so. So naturally, National has told him to fuck off, and that they won't be ...
China’s recent naval circumnavigation of Australia has highlighted a pressing need to defend Australia’s air and sea approaches more effectively. Potent as nuclear submarines are, the first Australian boats under AUKUS are at least seven ...
In yesterday’s post I tried to present the Reserve Bank Funding Agreement for 2025-30, as approved by the Minister of Finance and the Bank’s Board, in the context of the previous agreement, and the variation to that agreement signed up to by Grant Robertson a few weeks before the last ...
Australia’s bid to co-host the 31st international climate negotiations (COP31) with Pacific island countries in late 2026 is directly in our national interest. But success will require consultation with the Pacific. For that reason, no ...
Old and outdated buildings being demolished at Wellington Hospital in 2018. The new infrastructure being funded today will not be sufficient for future population size and some will not be built by 2035. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Thursday, April 17:Simeon Brown has unveiled ...
The introduction of AI in workplaces can create significant health and safety risks for workers (such as intensification of work, and extreme surveillance) which can significantly impact workers’ mental and physical wellbeing. It is critical that unions and workers are involved in any decision to introduce AI so that ...
Donald Trump’s return to the White House and aggressive posturing is undermining global diplomacy, and New Zealand must stand firm in rejecting his reckless, fascist-driven policies that are dragging the world toward chaos.As a nation with a proud history of peacekeeping and principled foreign policy, we should limit our role ...
Sunday marks three months since Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. What a ride: the style rude, language raucous, and the results rogue. Beyond manners, rudeness matters because tone signals intent as well as personality. ...
There are any number of reasons why anyone thinking of heading to the United States for a holiday should think twice. They would be giving their money to a totalitarian state where political dissenters are being rounded up and imprisoned here and here, where universities are having their funds for ...
Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan soaks up Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that ...
The Ukraine war has been called the bloodiest conflict since World War II. As of July 2024, 10,000 women were serving in frontline combat roles. Try telling them—from the safety of an Australian lounge room—they ...
Following Canadian authorities’ discovery of a Chinese information operation targeting their country’s election, Australians, too, should beware such risks. In fact, there are already signs that Beijing is interfering in campaigning for the Australian election ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). From "founder" of Tesla and the OG rocket man with SpaceX, and rebranding twitter as X, Musk has ...
Back in February 2024, a rat infestation attracted a fair few headlines in the South Dunedin Countdown supermarket. Today, the rats struck again. They took out the Otago-Southland region’s internet connection. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360656230/internet-outage-hits-otago-and-southland Strictly, it was just a coincidence – rats decided to gnaw through one fibre cable, while some hapless ...
I came in this morning after doing some chores and looked quickly at Twitter before unpacking the groceries. Someone was retweeting a Radio NZ story with the headline “Reserve Bank’s budget to be slashed by 25%”. Wow, I thought, the Minister of Finance has really delivered this time. And then ...
So, having teased it last week, Andrew Little has announced he will run for mayor of Wellington. On RNZ, he's saying its all about services - "fixing the pipes, making public transport cheaper, investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, and developing more housing". Meanwhile, to the readers of the ...
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming, 1921ALL OVER THE WORLD, devout Christians will be reaching for their bibles, reading and re-reading Revelation 13:16-17. For the benefit of all you non-Christians out there, these are the verses describing ...
Give me what I want, what I really, really want: And what India really wants from New Zealand isn’t butter or cheese, but a radical relaxation of the rules controlling Indian immigration.WHAT DOES INDIA WANT from New Zealand? Not our dairy products, that’s for sure, it’s got plenty of those. ...
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...
Yesterday, 5,500 senior doctors across Aotearoa New Zealand voted overwhelmingly to strike for a day.This is the first time in New Zealand ASMS members have taken strike action for 24 hours.They are asking the government tofund them and account for resource shortfalls.Vacancies are critical - 45-50% in some regions.The ...
For years and years and years, David Seymour and his posse of deluded neoliberals have been preaching their “tough on crime” gospel to voters. Harsher sentences! More police! Lock ‘em up! Throw away the key. But when it comes to their own, namely former Act Party president Tim Jago, a ...
Judith Collins is a seasoned master at political hypocrisy. As New Zealand’s Defence Minister, she's recently been banging the war drum, announcing a jaw-dropping $12 billion boost to the defence budget over the next four years, all while the coalition of chaos cries poor over housing, health, and education.Apparently, there’s ...
I’m on the London Overground watching what the phones people are holding are doing to their faces: The man-bun guy who could not be less impressed by what he's seeing but cannot stop reading; the woman who's impatient for a response; the one who’s frowning; the one who’s puzzled; the ...
You don't have no prescriptionYou don't have to take no pillsYou don't have no prescriptionAnd baby don't have to take no pillsIf you come to see meDoctor Brown will cure your ills.Songwriters: Waymon Glasco.Dr Luxon. Image: David and Grok.First, they came for the Bottom FeedersAnd I did not speak outBecause ...
The Health Minister says the striking doctors already “well remunerated,” and are “walking away from” and “hurting” their patients. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Wednesday, April 16:Simeon Brown has attacked1 doctors striking for more than a 1.5% pay rise as already “well remunerated,” even ...
The time is ripe for Australia and South Korea to strengthen cooperation in space, through embarking on joint projects and initiatives that offer practical outcomes for both countries. This is the finding of a new ...
Hi,When Trump raised tariffs against China to 145%, he destined many small businesses to annihilation. The Daily podcast captured the mass chaos by zooming in and talking to one person, Beth Benike, a small-business owner who will likely lose her home very soon.She pointed out that no, she wasn’t surprised ...
National’s handling of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is an utter shambles and a gutless betrayal of every Kiwi scraping by. The Coalition of Chaos Ministers strut around preaching about how effective their policies are, but really all they're doing is perpetuating a cruel and sick joke of undelivered promises, ...
Most people wouldn't have heard of a little worm like Rhys Williams, a so-called businessman and former NZ First member, who has recently been unmasked as the venomous troll behind a relentless online campaign targeting Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle.According to reports, Williams has been slinging mud at Doyle under ...
Illustration credit: Jonathan McHugh (New Statesman)The other day, a subscriber said they were unsubscribing because they needed “some good news”.I empathised. Don’t we all.I skimmed a NZME article about the impacts of tariffs this morning with analysis from Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr. Kerr, their Chief Economist, suggested another recession is the ...
Let’s assume, as prudence demands we assume, that the United States will not at any predictable time go back to being its old, reliable self. This means its allies must be prepared indefinitely to lean ...
Over the last three rather tumultuous US trade policy weeks, I’ve read these four books. I started with Irwin (whose book had sat on my pile for years, consulted from time to time but not read) in a week of lots of flights and hanging around airports/hotels, and then one ...
Indonesia could do without an increase in military spending that the Ministry of Defence is proposing. The country has more pressing issues, including public welfare and human rights. Moreover, the transparency and accountability to justify ...
Former Hutt City councillor Chris Milne has slithered back into the spotlight, not as a principled dissenter, but as a vindictive puppeteer of digital venom. The revelations from a recent court case paint a damning portrait of a man whose departure from Hutt City Council in 2022 was merely the ...
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...
The economy is not doing what it was supposed to when PM Christopher Luxon said in January it was ‘going for growth.’ Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short from our political economy on Tuesday, April 15:New Zealand’s economic recovery is stalling, according to business surveys, retail spending and ...
This is a guest post by Lewis Creed, managing editor of the University of Auckland student publication Craccum, which is currently running a campaign for a safer Symonds Street in the wake of a horrific recent crash.The post has two parts: 1) Craccum’s original call for safety (6 ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff has published an opinion piece which makes the case for a different approach to economic development, as proposed in the CTU’s Aotearoa Reimagined programme. The number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment. The coalition has directed Health New ...
The growth of China’s AI industry gives it great influence over emerging technologies. That creates security risks for countries using those technologies. So, Australia must foster its own domestic AI industry to protect its interests. ...
Unfortunately we have another National Party government in power at the moment, and as a consequence, another economic dumpster fire taking hold. Inflation’s hurting Kiwis, and instead of providing relief, National is fiddling while wallets burn.Prime Minister Chris Luxon's response is a tired remix of tax cuts for the rich ...
Girls who are boys who like boys to be girlsWho do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boysAlways should be someone you really loveSongwriters: Damon Albarn / Graham Leslie Coxon / Alexander Rowntree David / Alexander James Steven.Last month, I wrote about the Birds and Bees being ...
Australia needs to reevaluate its security priorities and establish a more dynamic regulatory framework for cybersecurity. To advance in this area, it can learn from Britain’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which presents a compelling ...
Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this time, his “old master” routine isn’t working. What global trade is experiencing is more than the usual swings and roundabouts of market sentiment. President Donald ...
President Trump’s hopes of ending the war in Ukraine seemed more driven by ego than realistic analysis. Professor Vladimir Brovkin’s latest video above highlights the internal conflicts within the USA, Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, which are currently hindering peace talks and clarity. Brovkin pointed out major contradictions within ...
In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack ...
The international challenge confronting Australia today is unparalleled, at least since the 1940s. It requires what the late Brendan Sargeant, a defence analyst, called strategic imagination. We need more than shrewd economic manoeuvring and a ...
This year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a fully hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from April 27 to May 2. This year, I'll join the event on site in Vienna for the full week and I've already picked several sessions I plan ...
Here’s a book that looks not in at China but out from China. David Daokui Li’s China’s World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict is a refreshing offering in that Li is very much ...
The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white middle-class, voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints ...
A global contest of ideas is underway, and democracy as an ideal is at stake. Democracies must respond by lifting support for public service media with an international footprint. With the recent decision by the ...
It is almost six weeks since the shock announcement early on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 March that the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, was resigning effective 31 March, and that in fact he had already left and an acting Governor was already in place. Orr had been ...
The PSA surveyed more than 900 of its members, with 55 percent of respondents saying AI is used at their place of work, despite most workers not being in trained in how to use the technology safely. Figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show inflation has risen ...
After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...
New Zealand commemoration lead John McLeod said a small team, including members of the NZDF and the NZ Embassy, assisted in the covering up of remains that were exposed. ...
This Bill is a great opportunity to improve our system of government across all levels. Let’s make sure we get it right and give the public a say on a simple and enduring solution. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior Research Associate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney Tech giant Google has just suffered another legal blow in the United States, losing a landmark antitrust case. This follows on from the company’s loss in a similar case last ...
Paddy GowerAmanda Luxon. I mean what can you say. Easter is a good time to publish my latest reckons at Stuff because without exaggeration or making too much of things, Amanda Luxon walks among us like Jesus but probably with better shoes.Jesus healed. How good is that? It’s really good, ...
How can an afternoon be long when it starts at one o’clock and finishes at half past three? Beauden thought about that as he stood at the back of the classroom and looked through the large window to the upper grounds where his colleague Monty Spiers was taking a phys ed ...
Alex Casey delves into the enduring success of The Artist’s Way, a self-help book beloved by everyone from retirees to famous rappers. On the video call, my mum is gesticulating so wildly while recounting all her recent creative endeavours that she knocks her cup of tea over a work-in-progress jigsaw ...
Feijoa scholar Kate Evans reviews the dish everybody raves about at Metro’s 2024 restaurant of the year, Forest. People have been telling me I need to try the deep-fried feijoa dessert at Forest for about three years now. I’m embarrassed it took me this long, but it takes a lot ...
Chef, author and reality television judge Colin Fassnidge takes us through his life in television. Colin Fassnidge is a huge television fan. He watches every blockbuster TV series the moment it drops and scores every single show on his Instagram account. It’s a habit that recently caught the attention of ...
Why are shops on Parnell Road allowed to open on Easter Sunday? It’s all thanks to an obsolete rule from the 1970s that’s been ‘frozen in time’.Originally published in 2023.Under our current trading laws, most stores are required to stay closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday (along ...
Yael Shochat, chef-owner of Auckland restaurant Ima Cuisine, shares the recipe for her hot cross buns – regularly voted among the best in the city.Originally published in 2019.HOT CROSS BUNSMakes 12You may use equal weights of pre-ground spices, but you’ll get a much better flavour if ...
Gràinne Moss knows she can’t tackle the final leg of one of the world’s toughest swimming challenges alone.In her quest to complete the Oceans Seven marathon challenge, 38 years after she began, she’s enlisted the help of two remarkable women – one barely out of her teens, and the other ...
By Susana Leiataua, RNZ National presenter There are calls for greater transparency about what the HMNZS Manawanui was doing before it sank in Samoa last October — including whether the New Zealand warship was performing specific security for King Charles and Queen Camilla. The Manawanui grounded on the reef off ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor increased its lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put the party ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers ...
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 18, 2025. Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but they’re barely ahead in FreshwaterSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $30) Haymitch’s Hunger Games. 2 Careless People: A ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor increased their lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put them ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers the ...
A new poem by Tusiata Avia. How to make a terrorist First make a whistling sound which is the sound of a bomb just before it lands on a house. Then make an exploding sound which is the sound of the bomb which kills a father, decapitates a mother, roasts ...
The top-rated Scrabble players in the country go head-to-head this Easter weekend. Watch games live from 9.30am on the stream below.How does it all work?The Masters is different to most Scrabble tournaments in that it’s invitational, open only to the top-rated players in the country. The ...
Books editor Claire Mabey appraises all the Austen-adapted films from 1990 onwards to separate the delightful from the duds.For the purists, read our ranking of Jane Austen’s novels here.It is a truth universally acknowledged that not everything is created equal. Since 1990 there have been 12 attempts to ...
To arrive through the heavy red door of Margot in Newtown is to be invited to the best dinner party in town, hosted by the best friends you haven’t yet made. Table Service is a column about food and hospitality in Wellington, written by Nick Iles.Hospitality is a term ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 18 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NONFICTION1 No Words for This by Ali Mau (HarperCollins, $39.99)A free copy of the author’s new memoir was up for grabs in last week’s giveaway contest. Readers were asked to share their feelings about Mau, a former broadcaster and one of the most powerful figures in the New Zealand #metoo ...
Analysis: The announcement last week that Colossal Biosciences in the USA had “de-extincted” the dire wolf, which was last seen 13,000 years ago, was reported worldwide.The three wolf pups generated equal parts fascination and widespread scientific criticism. But is this actually de-extinction, and what are the implications for the potential ...
We recommend the best – and longest – television series to watch this holiday weekend. As the Easter holiday weekend descends and the weather turns a little grim, many of us will turn to the trusty old television for comfort and entertainment. If you’re lucky, you’ll have some time over ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gode Bola, Lecturer in Hydrology, University of Kinshasa The April 2025 flooding disaster in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wasn’t just about intense rainfall. It was a symptom of recent land use change which has occurred rapidly in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton, now seriously on the back foot, has made an extraordinarily big “aspirational” commitment at the back end of this campaign. He says he wants to see a move to indexing personal income ...
Essay by Keith Rankin. Operation Gomorrah may have been the most cynical event of World War Two (WW2). Not only did the name fully convey the intent of the war crimes about to be committed, it, also represented the single biggest 24-hour murder toll for the European war that I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Tietz, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney A New South Wales Senate inquiry into public toilets is underway, looking into the provision, design and maintenance of public toilets across the state. Whenever I mention this inquiry, however, everyone nervously ...
Shrinking budgets and job insecurity means there are fewer opportunities for young journalists, and that’s bad news, especially in regional Australia, reports 360infoANALYSIS:By Jee Young Lee of the University of Canberra Australia risks losing a generation of young journalists, particularly in the regions where they face the closure ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tessa Charles, Accelerator Physicist, Monash University An artist’s impression of the tunnel of the proposed Future Circular Collider.CERN The Large Hadron Collider has been responsible for astounding advances in physics: the discovery of the elusive, long-sought Higgs boson as well as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer McKay, Professor in Business Law, University of South Australia Parkova/Shutterstock Could someone take you to court over an agreement you made – or at least appeared to make – by sending a “👍”? Emojis can have more legal weight ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trang Nguyen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide Stokkete, Shutterstock Australians waste around 7.68 million tonnes of food a year. This costs the economy an estimated A$36.6 billion and households up to $2,500 annually. ...
Pushing people off income support doesn’t make the job market fairer or more accessible. It just assumes success is possible while unemployment rises and support systems become harder to navigate. ...
A year since the inquest into the death of Gore three-year-old Lachlan Jones began and the Coroner has completed his provisional findings. Interested parties have been provided with a copy of Coroner Ho’s provisional findings and have until May 16 to respond.The Coroner has indicated the final decision will be delivered on June 3 in Invercargill, citing high ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ken Nosaka, Professor of Exercise and Sports Science, Edith Cowan University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Do you ever feel like you can’t stop moving after you’ve pushed yourself exercising? Maybe you find yourself walking around in circles when you come off the pitch, ...
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/03/chelsea-manning-jailed-again-due-to-contempt-of-court.html
Chelsea Manning back in jail. It will be good when her Wikileaks friend joins her.
My what a big penis you have @James
I think you are on the wrong site Tim, this isn’t grinder.
Now how would you know that?
My snide remarks to James are simply based on the fact that IMHO his main intention in coming here is to bait and try and show how clever he is – all egotistically driven. Probably not too dissimilar from your own reasons. THey’re certainly not intended to try and engage in debate.
Now, tell me something about this ‘Grinder’ thing. Maaaate! does it do anything for testosterone levels?
Not really, but I guess its all comparitive.
As Maria Muldaur once said – it ain’t the meat its the motion. I guess you fail on both counts in her mind.
I tried to reply to @ Nakiman – whoar – you know that man from the Naki.
I couldn’t understand since IMHO your intention in coming to TS is primarily to bait and show how bloody c;lever you think you are – similar reasons to the MAN from the Naki. Sure as shit it isn’t to engage in a debate.
But there ya go.
Chelsea Manning FFS – surely he could have tackled something more relevant if his intentions were genuine – I dunno – maybe the Kim Hill/Annette King interview this morning. Whoar Man!!!! there is grist in there he could have used to show us all how big his penis actually is.
Thank Christ I kept to Highway 4 last nite and evaded your neck of the woods.
Otherwise I could have been classed as a Highway 3 deviate.
But please @ Naki, tell me more about this “Ginder’ thing. Does it resolve the male mid-life crisis symptoms?: Increase the size of your dick or testosterone levels?; Make you a better husband to the woify?; or better still, Does it mean James and yourself become more ‘self-aware’ and all those nancy-boy type of things that might allow yourself to get over yourself?
PLEASE!!!! Tell me about Grinder. Someone just told me it was a dating site for bloody homos and married blokes on the ‘down-low’.
Chelsea Manning FFS – surely he
That comment puts you well and truly in the dickhead column yourself.
May I say @ solkta how utterly gorgeous I think you are.
It is possible I am a dickhead as well but that’s for me to know and you to ponder
(END OF STORY!!!!! Yea! I win you lose!)
But could you tell me about this ‘Grinder’ thing maybe?
Hi Solkta, None of my business but the “he” I think OnceWasTim was referring to was James, as in, “he” could have chosen a different topic to engage us in and I may be wrong also with the later comment to James but I read it as sarcasm and as a nancy-boy homo myself, I think he was just teasing Naki man and James about Grindr and certainly achieved a pearl clutching from James. If I’m wrong I’ll be the first to line up and give OnceWasTim a good spanking.
It is certainly a terrible piece of england so you might be right. Very strange to be replying to somebody and referring to them as “he” instead of “you”. Even more confusing as he had been speaking of the knackered one.
@RBO. I believe Tim was talking to James about Naki Man who was the HE in question. Therefore acceptable usage both for the political and syntactical police. You are right about Tim baiting James. Anyone who has watched and appreciated his style for a while will realise that he uses his own position on the spectrum (I believe he might have batted for your team on occasion) to take the mick out of himself and his target simultaneously. At times this can be confusing but when it works it does so beautifully.
“and all those nancy-boy type of things”
Your hateful homophobic comments are disgusting.
What is happening with the standard that this kind of thing is seen as acceptable to some.
+1 James, totally agree.
Still no sign of Sir Ray Avery’s lifesaving pods to save a million babies.
Some people have donated thousands.
Last year he said the deadline was February,just gone.
The factory in Chennai India was supposed to be all go.
What sort of ‘dark Knight’ do we have here?
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/sir-ray-avery-asking-publics-forgiveness-promises-lifepod-incubators-their-way?variant=tb_v_1
I see from the paper today that there is a project called Down the Wire to make life better for helicopter pilots. We don;’t want any of them striking wires when they are flying, but particularly now with the prospect of more droughts and fires that need their attendance and skill. It’s hard enough coping with it all without having to cope with electricity lines along their flight lines. So good for getting alternatives going.
Un-notified unrecorded electric fence feeds are the problem.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/97469147/chopper-pilot-died-because-unused-wires-were-not-removed–coroner
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/78523638/fatal-whanganui-helicopter-crash-charges-withdrawn
And another case of a victim of violent crime having to avoid meeting the perpetrator. He/she might be out of prison but the victim is not free to live and move where she wants. There is a notification system but why should there be the need? Keep violent people away from society. Give them a limited life in okay conditions, and limit their own violence on each other. Why should we all become potential victims. Their rate of recidivism is probably high, even if later in life.
simons on ‘The Nation’, trying to preach fear re the CGT. He’s an angry little man.
https://www.threenow.co.nz/live-tv-guide/three
That’s not anger cinny- labour’s ideological CGT was the wish National were waiting for. It’s the single biggest thing that could cost them the election.
He’s very happy that labour are handling this so badly
Yeah he’s real happy lol – you are the goofiest gnat cheerleaderless yet – keep up the good work.
Hiya James, simons done a wonderful job of making me giggle this morning.
Describing the CGT as hairy chested. Closed fist near on banging on the table. Blaming journalists for his failing ratings.
Crack up 🙂
Meanwhile, it’s a report of a working group, nothing has been proposed by the govt.
So while the government who haven’t decided anything yet (but are paying Cullen to sing CGT praises) dither and do nothing – they are losing the debate with the public.
Simon is exactly doing his job.
Not sure there is any evidence labour are losing the cgt debate James
Are you quoting Hoskins again hahahaha what a fool
You you can’t see where I’m getting that from – best you get outside and talk to people.
James where are you getting that from?
I would never rely on the random conversations I have with people as an indication of what the majority of kiwis think. Would you? Suspect a significant number of people already have an entrenched view,particularly the ones with a vested interest in not having a CGT, eg Amy, Simon, mr poor me I own 80 rentals a la the herald article.
Have there been any polls to show that since the report came out there has been an increase in opposition to the cgt. That would show labour is losing the argument. Otherwise there isn’t any real evidence that labour is losing the argument.
Sounds like Simon was doing a fabulous job on the Nation according to cinny……ha ha ha ha
Simon is giving Labour a great opportunity to listen and understand how best to respond to Simon’s hysterical chicken little prophesising on CGT.
When Labour finally come out with a set of policies on CGT, all of which will address Simon’s hysterical rants, people may very well end up saying “good golly, this isn’t so bad after all”
Simon may very well take the credit in forcing the govt to provide a halfway point, but people don’t listen to him anyway so won’t have much effect for him.
Simons got nothing concrete to criticise. As long as he keeps yammering on about what the dastardly evils of CGT might bring, Labour can continue to artfully respond to such falsities in their eventual policy document.
Simon should shut up and criticise something worth criticising. Like Labours lack of genuine commitment to addressing the cost of living in NZ.
A variety of people is who to talk to about it, not just those in ones social circle, workplace, suburb, income bracket etc etc.
Put in a submission, encourage other people to do so as well, I’m going to.
Tax Working Group welcomes submissions on future of tax
“Submissions open today for those wanting to share their thoughts straight away and on March 14 an updated website will be launched along with a background paper that will provide more assistance. ”
https://taxworkinggroup.govt.nz/resources/tax-working-group-welcomes-submissions-future-tax
Edit.. Am back to working fulltime and with no kids this weekend, it’s power tool time, doing some renovations 🙂 Enjoy your day out there everyone.
OK James, I had you pegged as someone of intelligence, but you keep denying me that view by your constant undying loyalty and borderline sycophancy in terms of the National Party.
1. The government has done nothing yet but has clearly signalled a time frame in which they will, so your criticism on that front is valueless.
2. Michael Cullen is on a retainer so that he, as the chairman of the task force and therefore intimately knowledgeable about the report, is able to answer queries and provide detail.
3. You intimate that Cullen is there merely to sing praises for the CGT, which is only a small segment of the total report, and is being discussed and largely vilified in a hugely disproportionate way in comparison to other aspects of the report. That is not his job, and that is not what he is doing.
4. You say that the government is losing the debate, which is a hugely subjective statement with no evidence apparent.
The only thing you say here is that Simon is doing his job. He is, but not in the way you think.
BTW check out this link –
https://socialistaotearoa.org.nz/taxing-the-richardson-not-enough/
“2. Michael Cullen is on a retainer so that he, as the chairman of the task force and therefore intimately knowledgeable about the report, is able to answer queries and provide detail.”
Cullen is a political appointment
You may missed the memo.
https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/03/sir-michael-cullen-s-job-to-correct-simon-bridges-inaccurate-hypotheticals-kris-faafoi.amp.html
Not a memo – a subjective comment by a journalist on Newshub . . . Newshub FFS. The wonderfully rational and objective employer of Richardson and Garner.
Oh . . . BTW, did you read the link? I read yours.
I choose never to read a link that starts with socialistanything
One of the possible reasons you think soimon’s doing such a great job. Other possible reasons being: avoiding public transport, avoiding cheaper supermarkets, avoiding rougher bars, and avoiding poor people.
Ok. I will admit I avoid public transport completely.
As for avoiding rougher bars – only an idiot would seek them out.
the beer’s cheap.
Some of them do an ok meal, too. You’d be surprised.
simons daily rate is more than Cullens, and Cullen only charges for a few days a month, where as for simon it’s every single day.
In which case, one begins to wonder just why Cullen has come up with so many many more ideas than simon.
Actually, what are simons ideas and plans re tax? Probably the same old narrative key used to spin.
Nothing new, yet simon get’s paid more than Cullen, how does that work?
I think you are getting confused.
The ideas are not his – the are the committees. And a lot (as a %age) of the committee disagree with them.
Also the committee has done its job – this is now a political appointment.
By no means – it’s public education.
Bridges (and you, his unpaid PR flack) wants to misrepresent the commission’s work, hoping to ride into power on a tide of outrage. It’s certainly the only emotion that would move people to vote for him.
But outrage is not appropriate to a a representative and consultative process, the commission invites public input and discussion, which will culminate in legislation in the usual way.
Scaremonger all you want, you only expose your fundamentally undemocratic preferences.
If it’s public education why won’t they hire the committee member who disagreed so both arguments can be made for balanced education?
Why don’t we get them all back then? 😆
That would cost a lot.
He’s jolly funny to watch. Very energetic. A bit like a Thunderbirds puppet operated by someone with Parkinson’s.
IKR 🙂 He’s very animated with both his words and actions. Super funny
The link is up now for the full interview
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2019/03/sir-michael-cullen-caught-out-simon-bridges-claims.html
Thanks for the link Cinny
Ha ha ha ha ha #lets keep Simon
He almost said a new word ‘biodesertification’. Truly a genius among hobbits.
The interviewer had a tell when she was trying to conceal a mental eye roll, she breathed in sharply.
Far-ka-nora!!!
That interview was pure entertainment Cinny. Or it would be if he wasn’t so serious about what he says. And he calls Cullen sly!
I don’t know . . . the worry is about the sheeple who will swallow that as gospel. He may well get enough boss thinkers to carry his party. That’s a scenario I can’t bear thinking about.
Yeah. Simon proposing a CGT, on the family home. Otherwise it is “unfair to farmers”. LOL. “The gift that keeps on giving”.
Simon does not like Michael Cullen, and Cinny I think many people hold a wee warm spot for Cullen because they have watched their Kiwisaver grow.
They know it was the Gnats who cut the starter in half, lowered the savings amount and were “tricky” and without that interference savers would have bigger balances.
Simon ‘no bridges’ has not got much to recommend his word, compared to Michael.
And yet several of the working group agree with Simon (and the tax experts at that).
Funny old world huh.
I am glad you are enjoying the fruits of capitalism Patricia with your kiwisaver growing
Oh god Cinny….I just watched that! Ewwwww….(I knew there was a good reason I don’t watch telly anymore)
Echoes of….
ROFL !!!!!!!!!
Stuff nails it.
OPINION: Hi, Simon Bridges here. Hitting new taxes for six! I am literally Martin Guptill!
Hey, but I just wanted to talk about those kids who are going to go truant from school next week because they say not enough’s being done about climate change.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/111135142/stay-at-school-kids-weve-got-it-covered
That piece was beautifully written. Hehehehee. Cheers for the link.
If simon thinks the kid’s aren’t serious about climate change then he is sorely mistaken.
His attitude and that of his party re the protest is going to fuel even more kids to act and adults to come out in support of those kids.
Most kids and teens know and care more about climate change than any other global or political issue. It’s a constant topic in schools.
And here I was thinking there are teachers in simons family, maybe they haven’t filled him in about the focus schools put on climate change and the awareness created as a result.
Pilot scheme for hearing rape cases in NZ. I think this sounds a promising path to better law here.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1903/S00043/gordon-campbell-on-the-handling-of-sexual-assault-complaints.htm
We knew Simon was a bit thick but boy what a crack up.
It sure was Patricia, watched it again on the plus one, lmao 🙂
Emma Jolliff was trying really hard not to laugh at Simon during the interview.
Did someone mention “thick”….that old National poodle Audrey over at the mornings fish wrap had this to say:
“It is time for Ardern to look across the aisle for support on pay transparency measures from Paula Bennett, Amy Adams and Judith Collins to work on some more advances in the interests of improving women’s lives…..”
If there were ever three women across the aisle who are more inclined to ruin women’s lives dear old Audrey could not have picked them better.
Kat noticed she said that labour didn’t give national any credit for the Bartlett pay equity bill. My understanding is that National fought it every step of the way and that Audrey knows this
Ankerrawshark you are correct, typically National only went so far with the Pay Equity Bill then inserted a “Paula Bennett pull up the ladder” clause. Audrey doesn’t like mentioning betrayal and National in the same sentence.
Look what happened last time a woman from a rural Canterbury farming background who had the Selywn electorate held the Finance role.
Manafort’s otherwise blameless life.
“He has lived an otherwise blameless life,” said Judge T. S. Ellis as he sentenced Paul Manafort to just 47 months in prison on Thursday.
In an otherwise blameless life, Paul Manafort lobbied on behalf of the tobacco industry and wangled millions in tax breaks for corporations.
In an otherwise blameless life, he helped Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos bolster his image in Washington after he assassinated his primary political opponent.
[…]
In an otherwise blameless life, he acted with impunity, as if the laws never applied to him. When presented with a chance to show remorse to the court, he couldn’t find that sentiment within his being. And with Ellis’s featherweight punishment, which deviated sharply downward from the sentencing guidelines, Manafort managed to bring his life’s project to a strange completion. He had devoted his career to normalizing corruption in Washington. By the time he was caught, his extraordinary avarice had become so commonplace that not even a federal judge could blame him for it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/03/paul-manaforts-otherwise-blamess-life-crime/584419/
In his latest post entitled “Why we need to tax landlords”, idiot-savant attempts to make the case for imposing a capital gains tax on landlords by quoting from a Herald article by Keith Ng. However the original article has some flaws.
Ng points out, probably correctly, that interest of $456,000 has been deducted entirely from the rental income when it probably should be deductible against the capital cost of the property. I have long believed that interest should be either non deductible, which would mean that landlord would be paying a respectable amount of tax on the rental income while having to meet the interest costs from his own pocket, or, alternatively, subject to an interest “claw back” up to the amount of any capital gain when the property is sold.
Also, if neither of those above options seems acceptable, Ng should recognise that tax on the interest is being paid by the bank, so the landlord is in effect paying that tax indirectly in any case, given that he receives no material benefit from interest payments.
The Trolls wanted the Kiwi Saver stopped.
They hated it because it gave every decent earning man and women an excellent chance.
If The Trolls demand Simon Bridges attack CGT and Stop the Kiwi saver, National will die a miserable death. The public have seen exactly What Mr Key and Mr English have done to our highly valued Kiwi Saver. All for the Trolls.
The Trolls will be skinned alive. By their own wealthy mongrels.
“The Trolls will be skinned alive. By their own wealthy mongrels.”
you are sounding more and more unhinged. Seek help.
The Nats couldn’t possibly come up with such ingrained and accepted norms as WFF and Kiwisaver – they are ideologically opposed to policies with social benefit, and you’ve sometimes got to wonder whether they are ideologically opposed to any form of social thinking.
They put up with WFF and Kiwisaver because as you rightly point out they would spend decades out of government were they to abolish them.
They made a good effort to damage Kiwisaver out of spite for people wanting to save. Numbers dropped and people stopped enrolling their kids, but it is so popular that the Nats failed at that too. They can’t even get spite right!
Muttonbird
Given your comments about National reducing the benefits of KiwiSaver by reducing the government top up from $1 per $1 invested up to $1,040 per year, down to 50 cents & then taxing the employer contribution, you would then agree that KiwiSaver should be exempt from capital gains tax ? As this too is further damaging KiwiSaver balances ?
Kiwi Saver should be exempt because it is a savings program, not a speculative sale of an asset.
CGT is to be applied to the profit made when selling an asset, Kiwi Saver only makes money because you are saving and your boss is helping you to do so as is the government. You can’t sell the Kiwi saver during its live time, you have to wait till you are 65 until you can access is. or maybe via hardship if you are actively dying, or buying your first house, and even then you are not receiving the full amount.
So essentially two different ways to make money, speculative selling for profit, or putting your pennies in a savings accounts – btw these pennies already got hit with income tax when you made them. And as you stated you already pay income tax on the interest you receive.
You know your KiwiSaver fund invest in assets specifically to sell them at a higher price later right ?
I feel I have to repost this because the episode appears to have sneaked under the radar. I had a think about it this morning and Prebble clearly had in mind a separation of the nation in his example. This is called apartheid. Prebble seems to believe that if you take brown people out of the education system then our place in the world will be something to be proud of.
Think that over for a sec…
– Muttonbird
Great to have these debates in public.
From reading the full piece neither Prebble nor Seymour were promoting or saying anything racist.
You don’t think asking for brown students achievements to be excluded is racist?
Just a minute. I imagine you’re taking the Wayne defence, which is to say that the he only meant it figuratively.
South Auckland voters will have heard this loud and clear and if Simon Bridges doesn’t come out and condemn those words, National are in for a real kick in the balls next year.
Great to have these debates in public.
From reading the full piece neither Prebble nor Seymour were promoting or saying anything racist.
Fair enough. This is why National is tanking.
Given you being happy to overlook the racist comments the other day because it suited you – I can only assume you are an expert on the matter.
Undoubtedly, the comment has racist overtones…but Prebbles comment is more sinister in nature…IMO…
‘Human junk’…to be discarded…left behind…undereducated…disabled…poor…untermensch…
Pebbles comment delves far beneath the level of pure racism…my interpretation…
Agree One Two. There is a baseline of blind prejudice there. I don’t think he was born with it. It is learned through his politics.
Agree, MB..
RP has ‘memberships’ … gained through performing certain actions and tasks…politics such as you refer to…well documented…damaging…long term…
Prebble did not osmosis the ideology…it was a job opportunity… a contract which he accepted…planned turncoat against party and country…
One must harbor certain ‘beliefs’ to be offered the chance to gain ‘membership’…
That he is paraded while having clear mental health issues and in a late stage of life…serves to highlight the sinister nature of the ‘dominant ideology’…he is still under contract…
His words, are sinister
Yes!!!
This is a sign of fightback. We WILL get OUR water back from the exploiters external AND internal.
“A crowd of at least 2000 protesters took to the streets of Christchurch to oppose a water bottling company shipping billions of litres of water overseas.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/111156847/water-protest-in-chch-attracts-thousands
I notice a lot more disgusting terminology coming into the standard of late.
From the gooks and faggot comments the other day (which resulted in a ban) to the “Nancy boy” comments by Once was Tim in this thread.
Whilst this is a place for robust debate – there is no need for this kind of hate speech.
Lets wind this back at?
I notice that you delight in repeating, ad nauseam , all the words you claim to find offensive, James. You’ve done it so often that I believe you are doing it on purpose in order to offend and that you derive pleasure from your offensive behaviour. I reckon you’re … odd.
And I reckon you seem fine with others using that kind of language. I don’t see you calling others out on it – ever.
A blog site agitator… bottom feeding on negativity…creating negativity…revelling in negativity…
Pretending to care about language used by others…simultaneously taking a pious stance…while lauding his piousness over those who do not share a passion for propagating the words…of bottom feeders…
Oh look – my favourite stalker is back.
So you ok with people being called “Nancy boys”?
Come on – it’s an easy yes/no question.
James. You often claim that by not railing against something, a person is supporting it.
Yesterday, Muttonbird called you out, in regard Michael Jackson;
“By not taking a stand against Michael Jackson, both he and you are enabling child molesters.
Your definition.”
I thought Muttonbird elegantly skewered your silly behaviour, but it seems you missed the moment, so I’ve posted it here for your benefit. I don’t claim you intend to enable child molesters, but you’ve not been thinking very deeply, it’s clear.
Fair question. I pointed out that he has been found not guilty of being a child molester and that calling him such based off a tv show and not a court of law was wrong.
Do you think we should take stands against others who have been found not guilty?
You’re not being a virtue signalling white knight snofwake again are you jimby?
Coincidentally, you’re always in the thick of it …
Once was Tim needs to own his homophobic comments. Just because they were pointing at “righties” doesn’t make it ok?
I agree.
I’d just be more inclined to believe your sincerity if you didn’t also take every opportunity to recycle and remind people of vicious slanders against someone simply because of their relationship with a left wing politician.
Appreciate you agreeing. But you will be hard to find two examples of what you say I do at every opportunity. And the one you can find I was using it as an example of how rumours can be very wrong.
I have just read once were Tim’s comments at the top of this thread and I agree with James, they are homophobic. Not ok. Please stop
You’re correct, it is not o.k. I’d moderate it, and I probably can, but I’m waiting for feedback from LPrent.
Let me ask you this, James: do you feel that you play any role at all when standards slip here on TS and you happen to be in the thick of it? Or do you see yourself as an innocent bystander who happens to be in the wrong ‘place’ at the wrong time? This is a genuine question.
Fair question.
Pretty easy. In this case it was said by once was Tim in reply to naki man.
While I was in the convo – I was hardly being rude or insulting- it’s there for you to read. I’d say I was targeted as opposed to being in the think of it.
And yes – genuine answer, I think we all have a role to call out obviously homophobic or racist comments.
What amazes me is how people are happy to overlook it if it’s said to someone they don’t like or disagree with.
In short if I used the term “gook or Nancy boy” most commenters would be over me like a rash and shouting from the roof tops. But most (not all) are happy to let it slide if their “mate” says it.
I think prevention is better than cure. In other words, better to try and slow down things before they get out of hand and beyond the point of no return at which you’re usually the first at calling out the act and perpetrator. And I do feel you do it with a certain glee too. Fair?
“If I use the term…”
You just did. You regularly do. You remain impervious to recognising the behaviour. Odd.
Can I humbly suggest that people involved in this thread go back and read OWT’s ‘offending’ comment closely and take the time to unpack it. Those who do may also care to read my reply to Red Blooded One a little further down thread from that.
Anyone with moderately good reading comprehension skills will soon get the gist of where OWT was coming from and as usual he got a beautiful bit of pearl clutching from James who’s been turning that into a bit of an art form lately. Very funny really because it’s usually something lefties get accused of.
PS. It should also be noted that Naki Man was the first to go down that path by suggesting that OWT had lost his way and should be on Grindr instead.
Ok. Shall we start with the opening statement?
“My what a big penis you have @James”
Perhaps this is the root of the homophobic comments ?
If he didn’t start with personal abuse like this – the discussion would have been a lot better.
There has been no cross pollination between left and right ideas while you’ve been rehearsing emotional and edgy replys but that’s the point isn’t muh ninja.
I can’t work out whether you’re ingenuous or just a tad simple James. Either way you’re really not worth too much of my ever so valuable time. Suffice to say that one man can tell another that he is (or has) a large dick without being in any way homophobic. I offer this information in the spirit of providing a public service announcement. For future reference to help you remember the general principle involved you may care to commit this old saying to memory. “Circumstances alter cases, just as noses alter faces”.
It would be good Grant if your reasoned comment about James was the last one made on this blog to him. He wastes so much time, and makes everyone look fools while he runs rings round the leftie commenters.
Whether he is paid to do this or not, he is an idle talentless person at providing information and reasoned points about how we are going to face climate change now or soon. We haven’t time to waste with him – what is everyone thinking to let him use up our precious time on RW ploys. He is heartless and makes us look hopeless.
I have seen it many times here on TS the patterns that develop over time. People respond in a predictable manner to other commenters rather than to the comments. Hard to break that habit once established and any chance of self-moderation is gone out of the window before dawn break.
One of the patterns is that of the ‘pyromaniac ‘who lights a fire, makes sure it gets enough fuel, and when it has grown into a full blaze that is unstoppable they ring 111 for more action.
French Government Data Indicates Cell Phones Expose Consumers To Radiation Levels Higher Than Manufacturers Claim
Volkswagon also lied about pollution of their vehicles…
SAR regulatory ‘limits’ are completely inadequate, and I’ll address that separately…
Unlikely to have been covered in NZ media…
I dislike the way that Radionz has set the Prime Minister’s face beside the jihad twerp as if they were partners. It is not appropriate and if Peter Wilson chose to set it up like that I think it shows a lack of taste and respect for our PM.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/384282/week-in-politics-cold-shoulder-for-the-kiwi-jihadi
Do you always display such respect for the pms office irrespective of person who holds that office or simply for PMs you approve of
Dame Annette King High Commissioner to Australia. A job which will get her a lot of thanks from NZs if she continues to push our barrow with those people in government and perhaps she will achieve what others have not.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/384333/progress-on-pathway-to-citizenship-for-nzers-in-aus-stalled-dame-annette
(2019 Australian federal election – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Australian_federal_election
The election will be called following the dissolution or expiry of the 45th Parliament as elected at the 2016 double dissolution federal election. The next election must be held by 18 May 2019 for half of the Senate and on or before 2 November 2019 for the House of Representatives and Territory Senators.)
I think she will be very good at the job. If anyone can make it happen – it’s her.
“The Trolls are finding it hard”
The Trolls are unable to accept the consequences of their statements and actions.
National are looking dreadfully bedraggled. Because the Trolls are accusing everyone – except National Followers – of ” being sick and unhinged.”
I suppose Simon Bridges and David Farrar have advised The Trolls to announce that every Person who is not A National follower is Quote: “Sick and Unhinged”.
Not a good look really.
I don’t think anyone is accusing “everyone except national followers” as sick and unhinged.
Although some observers are making comments that make them specifically seem as such.
Interesting if this is accurate
https://mobile.twitter.com/jameslast831/status/1103828256686452736
UMR has national ahead of labour.
Since umr do polling for labour – I’m sure this will make them wind back even more on their cgt nonsense.
Winning the internet for all time.
https://twitter.com/WAForeskins/status/1103511805597491200
Some of James‘ twenty-two comments on today’s OM are very funny, in the same way that the opposition National party’s recent anti-KiwiBuild BBQ ad was very funny.
James, 22 out of 93 comments just isn’t enough – you can do better, and we love the laughs.
This feeble attempt at reverse psychology may backfire, but it’s worth a try – nothing else has worked.
It’s call engaging in debate.
But – hey – good job on the counting.
“good job on the counting” – James, you are easily impressed!
James, your “engaging in debate” claim is a bold one.
In the spirit of genuine debate, can you explain how your ‘engaging in debate’ justification is consistent with:
“I choose never to read a link that starts with socialistanything” – James @1.51 pm
To be honest, your ‘engagement’ seems highly selective (prejudged, even), and your justification consequently weak.
Spot on DMK
When we find any good practical thing our pollies are doing, even if small, we should remember it and post it here on the blog. Don’t let it escape – trap it, handle the fragile delicate thing, observe it and tell us about it.
Bridges is one wonderful puppet. I went looking for puppet examples – here are some things from Youtube to provide light relief for a moment,
Example from recent past on the Brexit controversy
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKxsJDIm2Dk
John Cleese leaving Britain for a break from it all (puppet-free)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bteXcJAEKgY
A mix of UK pollies quoting what their daddies were doing in the last war
and they are not putting up with things over there any more!
Quite good to see the different styles and the different parties support
for their speaker/s.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjluqIEmRXc
Spitting Images – old but interesting
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErLcr1AkFfU