Open mike 09/05/2016

51 comments on “Open mike 09/05/2016 ”

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1. Paul 1

   9 May 2016 at 6:17 am

   ‘NZ at heart of Panama money-go-round

   New Zealand is at the heart of a tangled web of secretive shelf companies and obscure trusts being used by well-heeled South Americans to organise their private wealth, business affairs, and channel their funds around the world.
   The extent of this country’s involvement in the global money-go-round and intricate asset management and protection industry is showcased by more than 61,000 documents in the leak of papers from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca – known as the Panama Papers.
   The Consortium of Investigative Journalists and German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung gave RNZ, TVNZ, and investigative journalist Nicky Hager joint access to the papers. This is the first in a series of reports on what has been uncovered so far, after only a week with the data.
   It is already clear that Mossack Fonseca ramped up its interest in using New Zealand as one of its new jurisdictions in 2013, along with Belize in Central America, offering extremely private, zero-tax foreign trusts.
   The firm trumpeted New Zealand’s top flight legal and financial reputation as “allowing for the speedy formation of appropriate mechanisms for wealth protection, inheritance and tax planning”.

   http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/panama-papers/303356/nz-at-heart-of-panama-money-go-round
   • Puckish Rogue 1.1

     9 May 2016 at 8:17 am

     So 9 May has come and gone and its a big nothing so far, is there more to come or is this it?

     Big Nothing
     • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1

       9 May 2016 at 8:26 am

       Wow, already lying in the face of the facts.
       • Puckish Rogue 1.1.1.1

         9 May 2016 at 8:33 am

         So wheres the link to John Key, the link to National MPs, donors? Anyone?

         All that’s come out is NZs a small fish in big ocean of trusts and is anyone surprised?

         For the people that’re interested in this, and its less then we all think, they were expecting something…more

         So far the Panama Papers are a Big Nothing…except that its showing the Greens have more economic nous then Andrew Little
         • Sabine 1.1.1.1.1

           9 May 2016 at 9:47 am

           Hang on, PR

           our current government is not a National Party led Government?
           our current PM is not the Leader of the National Party John Key?

           oh, you mean yes, our current Government is a National Party led Government, and the PM is the leader of the National Party called John Key, but he is of course not responsible for what his Party (he is the Leader of the National Party, is he not?) is doing while they are forming the Government?

           Oh he did not do it? you says? Its something to do with the Greens and Andrew Little?

           Could you elaborate on that a bit more, cause i would be very happy to read about it. It sounds like a good story about how the Greens with their relatively new Co Leader J. Shaw and the Labour Party with their relatively new Leader Andre Little gamed the system so that anyone with a bit too much cash at hand could just come and park said cash here in dear ole NZ so that no taxes would be charged on it, and no one would now about it.

           Please pretty pretty please, elaborate on that story, it would make for riveting reading.
           • Puckish Rogue 1.1.1.1.1.1

             9 May 2016 at 10:00 am

             more riveting then what’s currently being played out. So ok where’s the link that John Key or National have benefited financially from this? Where’s the link John Key and National are doing this for their mates.

             Again its a Big Nothing.

             You’ve got nothing and all this is trying to do change peoples perceptions.
         • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1.2

           9 May 2016 at 12:58 pm

           I never expected there to be a link to John Key, or a link to National MP’s, or donors.

           Why did you think that?

           http://thestandard.org.nz/a-week-is-a-long-time-in-politics/#comment-1168595

           Looks like I was right about the name of a lawyer coming out.
     • Sacha 1.1.2

       9 May 2016 at 11:40 am

       9 May in northern hemisphere = early tomorrow morn in NZ. That’s when the full web of names is released by ICIJ. What you’re seeing today is something different.
       • Puckish Rogue 1.1.2.1

         9 May 2016 at 12:59 pm

         What we’re seeing is all they’ve got
         • Sacha 1.1.2.1.1

           9 May 2016 at 1:20 pm

           We are seeing the first tranche of NZ-located analysis, that’s all. While I agree it was never going to be a huge deal, the Cook Island and Niue dumps could be interesting.
           • weka 1.1.2.1.1.1

             9 May 2016 at 1:25 pm

             It is a big deal though. PR thinks we should only be concerned if it’s a Watergate sized scandal, but most of the problems are systemic and ideological rather than legal. The irony there is that it took a long time for Watergate to come out, so the whole “there is no smoking gun sitting right in front of us” meme is just more RWNJ spin.
             • Puckish Rogue …

               9 May 2016 at 2:06 pm

               So basically just an extension of what the left have been doing since 2008 then

               and its worked so well for them 🙂
               • weka …

                 9 May 2016 at 2:16 pm

                 So basically you’re still just a stupid troll who can’t understand a political argument.
                 • Macro …

                   9 May 2016 at 3:50 pm

                   Summed up very succinctly weka he is a “just a stupid troll who can’t understand a political argument.”

                   and an empty vessel making a lot of noise.

                   He hasn’t got any defense for what is an abhorrent situation in which our country is being used by criminals to launder their ill gotten gains, and other selfish greedy individuals to hide their wealth from their own countries in order to avoid contributing to the society in which they live and prosper.

                   The immorality of all this is completely missed by the likes of PR, BM, JKF, et al because they lost their moral compass years ago, and wouldn’t know what an ethical principle was if they fell over one – which of course they do on a daily basis.
                 • Puckish Rogue …

                   9 May 2016 at 4:07 pm

                   So basically you don’t understand how anyone can possibly have a different view to you even though we’ve had a National government from 2008 and likely to go through to 2020

                   But I’m the one who doesn’t understand
                   • Macro …

                     9 May 2016 at 4:18 pm

                     Oh we understand you alright!
                   • weka …

                     9 May 2016 at 5:35 pm

                     So basically you don’t understand how anyone can possibly have a different view to you even though we’ve had a National government from 2008 and likely to go through to 2020

                     See, I can’t tell if you are just really thick or trolling (or both). Anyone who reads my comments here knows that I can quite easily understand how someone can have a different view to me.

                     Let me just keep naming it. You don’t like what the left is doing. You like winding them up. You keep reframing issues to suit your narrative of Key is wonderful, all the real people love him, they will win. When I or anyone presents a different view ie that there are issues far more importan here than party politics, that we’re talking about very core values of NZ as a country, all you can do is parrot “Key is wonderful we all love him” as if your insistence of that has any meaning outside your own agenda.

                     Plus the whole pretending you know what lefties want and think, and then talking about them as if they are a hive mind. I’ve repeatedly called you out on the lies you tell, and this is just another one. You can pretend all you like that you are just expressing a different pov, but in reality you are spinning to undermine the left. Instead of addressing the actual issues (eg is this level of semi-legal/unethical business ok in NZ) you instead try and make out that this whole thing is just the left being dicks. It’s blatantly bullshit and spin.

                     As Macro said, we understand you and just how vacuous you really are.
         • mary_a 1.1.2.1.2

           9 May 2016 at 3:13 pm

           @ Puckish Rogue (1.1.2.1) … Denial much!

           Stay tuned, more, much more to come out tomorrow ….
           • Puckish Rogue 1.1.2.1.2.1

             9 May 2016 at 3:41 pm

             Yeah yeah theres always tomorrow, for the last 8 years its always been tomorrow

             Just once wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of tomorrow, it was today for a change
             • adam …

               9 May 2016 at 4:11 pm

               Sad repeating of a tired meme.

               Sheesh bro get a new record, your one is broken.

               Oh and to add too mary_a comment, there will months and months of tomorrows on this.

               So have fun, I know I am.
     • Magisterium 1.1.3

       9 May 2016 at 12:02 pm

       [removed]
       [lprent: You were banned here. Added another week. ]
     • Gabby 1.1.4

       9 May 2016 at 12:05 pm

       Drip, drip, purple knob.
     • Paul 1.1.5

       9 May 2016 at 5:40 pm

       You,wold defend anything, including amoral tax havens.
       I pity you.
       Please………….no more slogans.
2. One Anonymous Bloke 2

   9 May 2016 at 6:18 am

   Too funny. Tracey Watkins reckons picking over whatever carcass the ICIJ left behind is being in the race 😆

   There’s a reason no NZ media were invited to the main course, Tracey.
   • Paul 2.1

     9 May 2016 at 6:21 am

     So good these courtesans and puppets are left out.
3. swordfish 3

   9 May 2016 at 6:30 am

   The Guardian’s Gary Younge on the way British Establishment Bottom-Feeders (from leading MSM journos to highly compromised academics) just keep on shifting the goal posts for Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

   “When it comes to assessing Labour’s electoral fortunes, Corbyn is treated with all the due process of a 17th century woman accused of witchcraft and dunked in a river. If she drowns, she’s innocent; if she floats she’s guilty and condemned as a witch. Either way, the verdict is never in her favour.”

   http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/06/doom-merchants-corbyn-viable-leader-labour
4. save nz 4

   9 May 2016 at 7:41 am

   This I think is good advice for Labour, from Sadiq Khan – maybe labour is trying to do this but they need to focus on moving the poor to middle class and following the missing taxes that make up the .1% rich listers and corporations rather than the focus from last election of taking from the middle class to give to the poor and leaving the .1% and corporations to pay virtually nothing.

   From the guardian from Sadiq Khan….

   “I learnt a great deal throughout the course of the campaign – about myself, about London and about the importance of reaching out to all sections of society. But there are two lessons in particular,” Khan writes. “First, Labour only wins when we face outwards and focus on the issues that the people actually care about. And secondly, we will never be trusted to govern unless we reach out and engage with all voters – regardless of their background, where they live or where they work.

   “Squabbles over internal party structures might be important for some in the party, but it is clear they mean little or nothing to the huge majority of voters. As tempting as it might be, we must always resist focusing in on ourselves and ignoring what people really want.”

   Khan suggests Corbyn is failing to appeal to a wide enough electorate, including middle-class and disaffected Tory voters.

   “Labour has to be a big tent that appeals to everyone – not just its own activists. Campaigns that deliberately turn their back on particular groups are doomed to fail.

   “Just like in London, so-called natural Labour voters alone will never be enough to win a general election. We must be able to persuade people who previously voted Conservative that Labour can be trusted with the economy and security as well as improving public services and creating a fairer society.”
   • save nz 4.1

     9 May 2016 at 7:57 am

     P.s I support Corbyn over the Blairites, but feel their is a sweet spot inbetween their views which is where massive support could be. People don’t care so much about race or religion anymore they just want a fair society – not being forced into fighting fake wars like Iraq or not being able to buy a house or rent any more because the .1% are buying up their city as a way to get their wealth out of their own country while their politicians pretend ‘it is the free market’.
5. lprent 5

   9 May 2016 at 7:50 am

   I had a SSD (solid state drive) drop out of The Standard’s array this morning. I now know what happens when it does. The process of mirroring takes about 30 minutes during which the site slows to a crawl.

   Unfortunate it happened just as Simon was trying to put up his post on the latest Panama papers release.
6. save nz 6

   9 May 2016 at 8:18 am

   Outed on Facebook…
   Gerry Brownlee meets the butcher of Qana – National Party hugs war criminals

   http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/05/09/gerry-brownlee-meets-the-butcher-of-qana/#comment-336101
   • Macro 6.1

     9 May 2016 at 3:54 pm

     But but but – Labour did it too…..
     remember the shaking hands photo?
     So where is our erstwhile MSM on this occasion?
7. The Chairman 7

   9 May 2016 at 10:11 am

   Science muzzled

   The nations scientists are saying they’re gagged from speaking out on the big issues.

   http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/science-muzzled-video-6468513

   Thoughts?
8. Pasupial 8

   9 May 2016 at 10:28 am

   An update on the tax-avoiding slop-slingers; Compass, since the raindrenched protest in Dunedin at the end of April:

   The group spearheading protests against the quality of food being served in southern hospitals and to meals on wheels recipients is challenging food supplier Compass Group to a ‘‘cook-off”… The Real Food Coalition planned to re-create some of the meals on the Compass menu using locally procured ingredients and local staff, spokeswoman Anna Huffstutler said during a food protest meeting in Invercargill yesterday.

   ‘‘They can cook theirs and we will cook ours and see whose is better. If they don’t want to be part of it, we will re-create the meals anyway.”

   http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/invercargill/381822/compass-challenged-cook

   The Compass Group has turned down a challenge from hospital food campaigners to take part in a cooking contest… Compass national development and innovation manager Lauren Scott said the challenge was “considerably different” from preparing meals for hospital patients…

   Real Meals Coalition spokeswoman Anna Huffstutler said she still planned to go ahead with the cooking challenge in some form.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/382425/company-has-no-taste-cook

   In case you are wondering; who Huffstutler is, and why she thinks that she knows cooks who might have experience with preparing hospital food, here is an older article (from May 2015):

   The Service and Food Workers’ Union has notified its intention to take legal action against the Southern District Health Board over the unpopular decision to award a 15-year food service contract to the Compass Group. SFWU organiser Anna Huffstutler yesterday confirmed the move, which is likely to be based on law protecting vulnerable workers.

   It can also be reported that Compass Group and Health Benefits Ltd representatives were admitted to the public-excluded session on Thursday where board members were considering their decision. The union was excluded – even though its counterproposal was also before board…

   Ms Huffstutler said kitchen workers felt deflated and worried after the decision.

   ”When the announcement was made to our members, they were gutted, because it’s more uncertainty for them. It’s an insult to them, that the DHB have effectively sacked them.”

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/341647/union-take-legal-action

   However, Compass have also had their defenders in the past week:

   National’s Mrs Dean said the hospital food saga was a “beat-up”, and opponents were “whipping people up into a frenzy”.

   “Because the reality is that people do not go to hospital to eat the food. People go to hospital to get treatment.”

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/382273/dean-says-hospital-food-issue-beat

   Because, of course, nutrition has no impact on health expectations on planet Key (perhaps that’s why they don’t need toilets?).

   New Zealand multinational Fonterra will be using exactly the same financial structures as the Compass Group, and they are completely legitimate, Dunedin chartered accountant Chris Worth says… Mr Worth called Dunedin South MP Clare Curran “gullible” for saying its tax arrangements were “amoral”, and accused media of misrepresenting the situation.

   Ms Curran stood by her comments when contacted yesterday.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/382426/compass-finances-legal-accountant

   I’m not the biggest fan of Curran, but at least she does seem to comprehend that; legal, and; moral, are different things. A distinction that seems to be lost on chartered accountants.

   Finally, the article from today’s ODT that started me typing this (before I got diverted into other topics). Apologies for excessive length, but I haven’t commented on the Compass debacle for a while (so there’s been a bit of a backlog of seething to clear):

   New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association national secretary Deborah Powell said a survey by Dunedin Hospital resident doctors quantified concerns about in-house catering by Compass for hospital staff and called for an “urgent improvement” in food quality.

   “The survey results mirror [other] recent issues highlighted by recipients of meals on wheels and [Dunedin Hospital] patients,” she said in a statement.

   Findings from the survey found 90% of the doctors reported a decrease in food quality and 84% a lack of variety in cafeteria meals and 78% said there was insufficient food; the cafe simply “runs out of food”.

   Dr Powell went on to say 72% of the doctors also reported an insufficient range of healthy food and drink options.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/382529/doctors-slam-compass-food
9. Nessalt 9

   9 May 2016 at 11:21 am

   Can’t wait for the hyperbole to be burst. it’s gone from having NZ mentioned in some papers that were hacked from a company to the left basically claiming that John Key is personally flying bags of drug lord cash on air force one back from Colombia to be deposited in a mysterious private bank known only to the super rich but in plain sight on queen st.

   Or Anthony Robins hysterical – “exporting poverty”

   I know the urge is strong, but you need to wait till the full story is out before painting the darkest picture possible of JK and the government. because if anything less than that comes out, the picture painters just look like they went full retard. you never go full retard.
   • Puckish Rogue 9.1

     9 May 2016 at 1:03 pm

     Bit late for that
   • adam 9.2

     9 May 2016 at 1:43 pm

     Good to see Nessalt can’t even follow his own advise. With mythical flights of fantasy, and a utter failure to even embrace a modicum of reality. He put all his shortcomings on display in the most fulsome manor
10. Ffloyd 10

    9 May 2016 at 12:16 pm

    And LO!!! Here comes Paula scattering goodies to the previously ignored and derided homeless people, and emergency housing for people living in garages, cars etc. Because National Party is so concerned, as of yesterday? about their health and well being. I wondered when she would be rolled out. Oh well, a band-aid is better than nothing.
    • save nz 10.1

      9 May 2016 at 1:19 pm

      Hope she has loads of money for the 21,742 aged migrants coming into NZ in the last 5 years alone, many who apparently after being sponsored in to look after the grandkids then get left to fend for themselves while their migrant sponsors have left NZ to work offshore.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11635692
11. weka 11

    9 May 2016 at 1:41 pm

    Diana Witchtel asks Gloria Steinem to explain Trump,

    Trump. We’re just mouths open down here. “We can’t believe it, either,” she sighs. Can she please explain? I say, half-joking. She can. She tracks Trump’s rise back to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “The old racist white Democrats began to leave the Democratic Party and take over the Republican Party. That process has continued, so the machinery of the party is in the control of very, very right-wing people.”

    The Republican Party no longer puts up centrist and electable candidates. “So they became vulnerable to somebody like Trump, who can make a populist appeal. He’s a brand. People know him because of tele­vision and there’s enough discontent with huge income inequality and the fact that in very short order we’re no longer going to be a majority white country. So we’re having – from some folks, not the majority, by any means – a kind of racist response to that. He appeals to that.” Scary. “It’s dangerous that we have one of our two huge parties in the control of extremist groups. Really dangerous.” You can’t help but think of the 30s. “Absolutely. I try not to remember that Hitler was elected.”

    The whole interview is worth reading (Steinem has written a book about her life on the road),

    http://www.listener.co.nz/current-affairs/profile/gloria-steinem-interview/
12. Once was Tim 12

    9 May 2016 at 2:27 pm

    ….. and in broken news, shares in APN have been suspended.

    Please please Mr Joyce – help us out! If ya don’t, you could be seen as being in favour of anti-competitive behaviour and conflict of interest (going forward).

    Set up a Trust and whip it out of the contigency fund maybe …. no one will give a fuck
    • Once was Tim 12.1

      9 May 2016 at 6:46 pm

      ah well …. says it all really. No interest, no response – as we march towards a potential corporate media monopoly.
      Now there’s talk of a Fearfex merger. That’ll be a good test of the Commerce Kmishun surely!

      But somehow, I think not – not even from contributors here. Because of course we all subscribe to our own wee media bubbles and the MSM and the masses no longer matter.

      Yea nah …. nex
13. Ad 13

    9 May 2016 at 4:06 pm

    Australian election tighter than a very tight thing.
    First day of campaign, but definitely all to play for there.

    Newspoll, published in the Australian, has Labor slightly ahead of the Coalition on a 51%-49% two-party-preferred basis.
14. Expat 14

    9 May 2016 at 4:53 pm

    Yeah, Turnbull has been a hugely disapointing for every one, from the “claytons” budget, to the all the hype about Tax reform, on the other side though, Shorten delivered a reply speech that got people listening, it was well received.

    History says Turbull will win the election, no Fed Govt has lost a second term in over 85 years, but they said that about the state Govt’s too, and look what happened in Queensland and Victoria.
    • Pasupial 14.1

      9 May 2016 at 6:01 pm

      It was a pre-election budget from the pre-election period.
      • Expat 14.1.1

        9 May 2016 at 6:44 pm

        Good ol Fred Dagg has always been good for a laugh, I think he received a lot more material from Abbott though, who just couldn’t stop putting his foot in his mouth.

        Scott Morrison just forgot to mention the $50B loss for giving the Corps a Tax cut to 25%, and when he tries to justify it by saying their competitors (other countries) tax rates are lower, I found it amusing that NZ, Ireland and the Philippines were used as examples, but wait a minute, the US (60%) and the UK (33%) are the largest economies, I wonder why they aren’t lowering their Corporate Tax levels…….
        • Craig H 14.1.1.1

          9 May 2016 at 10:38 pm

          Like NZ, Australia impute dividends to resident taxpayers – how does cutting corporate tax rates cost so much?
          • Expat 14.1.1.1.1

            10 May 2016 at 10:22 am

            Which means the profits from those cuts end up going to overseas investors, the loss to the Govt and country in tax revenue $50B
            • Colonial Viper 14.1.1.1.1.1

              10 May 2016 at 10:25 am

              US tax rates are much higher yes, but they have way more exemptions and rebates which can be applied (Exxon Mobil famously pays next to no tax for instance), also it is a reason why US corps like Apple and Google hide themselves away in places like Ireland, and keep hundreds of billions in profits squirrelled away in tax havens.
              • Expat …

                10 May 2016 at 10:38 am

                The race to the lowest corp tax rates by countries like NZ and Aus are screwing western economies, in Aus, out of 1500 of the largest companies, 1/3 pay no tax, 1/3 pay only half and the last remaining 1/3 pays the full amount.

                Thee biggest joke is when the the pollies tell you that they have to lower corp taxes to entice big business to their shores, BS, those businesses are falling over one another to get into wealthy countries like NZ and Aus with relatively small populations, unlike, say Indonesia, with 250m.

                Globaly, Aus is the 7th lowest taxing country in the western world, and instead of taxing high polluting industries, they now pay them Billions to entice them to lower their emissions, direct action, the biggest con ever.
                • Colonial Viper …

                  10 May 2016 at 10:46 am

                  You point to the fact that the borders between the big corporates and the powerful in government institutions are being blurred more than ever.

                  And there are many revolving doors between the two sides.

                  This has been common practice in the USA for many years. And the practice has spread throughout the western world.
15. Paul 15

    9 May 2016 at 5:41 pm

    This is heading the Herald online news at the moment.

    ‘Hero cat: Suspected Grey Lynn peeping tom caught’

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11636203

    Unbelievable.

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