“Nearly 15,000 people voted for the biscuit’s return after Upper Hutt mother Amber Johnson started a Facebook page titled Get Griffin’s To Bring Back Choco-ade”
NZH, and the average Kiwi – Example of why progress is so difficult in this country!
The interview (not on line yet) involved McVicar hinting darkly at the right to silence and how this is an impediment to the course of Justice. Â There is one slight problem with this comment, Ewen McDonald spent hours talking to the police about the case. Â This was all recorded and shown to the jury. Â So not only did he not exercise his right to silence but he even admitted some offending to boot.
He also hinted darkly at evidence being excluded and has promised the people of New Zealand a full review.
The obvious tenor of McVicar’s comments was that justice demanded and required a result. Â No matter how weak the Crown case was.
Sounds like more McVicar and the Sensible Sentencing Trust talking up false hopefor those who want a legal outcome (especially for victims), completely contrary to sound legal practice.
Nor does he seem to have hung around outside the courthouse to court the Korean man who was run over by a white banker. And let us not forget his defense of the man who stabbed a little tagger to death in South Auckland. This guy is actually an opponent of sound legal practice, favouring an “us versus them” approach, and is very rarely called to account for it. Last night I saw an episode of 60 Minutes in which Greg king was interviewed (I cannot link it because it does not appear to be up yet). He was asked to account for himself every step of the way, which he did very ably. In comparison, McVicar is generally left free to rant against every principle upon which the legal system is based.
McVicar and his awful “Trust” are perpetually courted by the media for “expert opinion”, and thus unfortunately encouraged. I am sorry for any family that calls upon him for support (or did he foist himself upon them?) Believe it or not, true experts are available, if only people and media will seek them out.
Believe it or not, true experts are available, if only people and media will seek them out.
The difference is that the true experts can’t afford to put themselves in the media as they’re actually doing important stuff with the limited funds they have. The SST’s funding is, on the other hand, almost entirely for massaging the media so that they get heard. Which means that when people do need expert help in criminal matters they go to the one they’ve heard of – the SST – which probably doesn’t have a single expert in it.
I just got told that I was guilty of some evil behaviour and had to do a recaptcha! Why? Please, this is the umpteenth time in weeks, it’s needs fixing!
meh – I think it’s linking that does it.Â
Quite a good idea – it stops the robots adding spam links, although it doesn’t stop failed united future candidates…
Â
In fact right now, they’re on 3 News right now, claiming that McDonald was silent! I didn’t follow the trial as I was fed up with it right from the start, but I read above that he wasn’t silent so ???
Peter Dunne had a chance to explain his (and United Future’s) position on asset sales on Q+A yesterday.
SHANE TAURIMA
Good morning, Peter Dunne. Thank you for joining us. Youâve been under a bit of fire lately for supporting the state asset sales. Was it a hard decision to mae?
PETER DUNNE â United Future Leader
No, it wasnât. In fact, United Future and its policy as long ago as 2005, had said while we opposed wholesale asset sales, we were not against floating shares in selected state assets. We had the same policy in 2008, had the same policy in 2011. I enunciated it on the leaders debate in this very studio in 2011. So it was not a difficult decision to make. Whatâs been surprising, though, is that no one seemed to notice that we were honouring a policy commitment we put in place three years ago.
SHANE You werenât swayed by the polls, public opposition or indeed your electorate?
PETER No. In fact, in every electorate meeting during the campaign, this issue was raised. I set out the position exactly as I intended to follow, what our policy was. I was re-elected with an increased majority. We concluded in our confidence and supply agreement statutory limitations. The National Party previously wasnât in favour of putting into law the 51-49 10 split. That was put in the confidence and supply agreement. Utterly transparent and public. Iâm one of these old fashioned people that believes that if you say something, you stand by your word. If you make an agreement, you keep it, and thatâs exactly what Iâve done.
Pete George, the energizer bunny of the blogosphere who keeps going and going and going and going …
This is a straw man argument Pete. Â The basic problem is that under economic, financial, environmental and security of energy supply considerations this is a really stupid policy. Â You can’t argue against that although you will probably try.
Did the coiffured one promise hand on heart that no matter how stupid or ludicrous the privatisation proposal was he would back it no matter what? Â If this is what you are saying then it is the dumbest policy ever support by a political party.Â
but micky, p.dunny knew asset sales was a shit policy and he is a hero for adding a tiny clause to the legislation. never mind the fact that his election campaign stated uf was against privatisation. the good folk of ohariu would all have read the uf small print, and thus they endorse the asset stripping of nz.
cue PG with
‘ but but but but but but but but it is a Mixed Ownership Model! That’s not privatisation! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh why doesn’t anybody listen to me, oh and i want you all to know i am working hard on your behalf to change nothing in particular or achieve anything of any great importance but by gum i will let you know how difficult the challenges facing us are and if we all would just pull together and do exactly as i say then nothing will change but we will have lots of new ways to distract each other from the endless mountain of crap my efforts have created’
The coiffured one is effectively a NAT stooge just like Banks is and will do whatever he is told to do or lose the baubles of ministerial trappings, he has presided over the meanest and most dishonest government in memory who are selling us out with his support….say no more.
PG sort of reminds me of Oscar Wilde on fox hunting (the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable)…perhaps the implausible in defense of the ingenuous. Any advances?
I think the people have had far too much of politicians who say one thing before an election and then weasel word after it. In fact, I must be the only politician being criticised for keeping his word.”
The lying prick knows full well, as you do, that his electioneering material was very carefully crafted to loudly and boldly proclaim ‘WE WILL NEVER SELL WATER, KIWIBANK, OR RADIO NZ’, while whispering softly ‘but everything else is on the block, and ps when I say water I’m not counting the water in the hydro system ie most of our water’.
He’s not being criticised for keeping his word Pete, he’s being criticised precisely for weasel- wording. He’s a deceitful, manipulative weasel and a nasty piece of work.
If a slightly leftish coalition needs dunne it is fucked. Much better to work with a true left movement like Mana that will put some backbone into them and hopefully move any coalition lefter.
If it came to that I’d prefer Mana. I don’t like everything that comes out Harawira’s mouth but at least you know what you’re getting.
And as marty says, any govt led by Labour will need its support parties pulling it leftward economically, not rightward, if it’s to achieve much.
I have concerns about some of Harawira’s conservative views on social issues but there are plenty of liberal voices in Labour, the Greens, and even in his own party to counter that.
Just get ready to hold your nose either way when the time comes.
Personally (because this morning I can forecast the future) I think we are heading for one of those 1996-type elections where the remaining minorities get to determine the fate of the larger parties’ reach for power.
FWIW I prefer to be offended by someone with principle rather than a pointless shill. The elevation in class just makes the entire experience more enjoyably visceral.
God if only the majority in the Labour caucus thought like you. They don’t. Remember when Helen Clark spoke of the Maori party as “Not even last cab off the rank”?
would you prefer Peter Dunne to sustain a Labour-Green coalition, or that guy from Mana?
Good question Ad, I would prefer Hone any day of the week. At least he works from well understood principles and has the interests of ordinary people at heart …
Which means ‘I’ll waffle about some other crap tangentially related to Ad’s question and see if I can slip in a few nasty snipes at Labour and the Greens’.
Remember when Helen Clark spoke of the Maori party as âNot even last cab off the rankâ?
Correct me if I’ve got it wrong Ad, but are you suggesting the Maori Party and the Mana Party are on an equal ideological footing? Although Helen Clark was savaged by all and sundry for her comment “the last cab off the rank”, time has proved she was 100% correct. The Maori Party have shown themselves to be nothing more than brown Tories who were/are happy to betray their own people for a few personal baubles and beads.
IMO Hone Harawira’s stature has increased significantly since the formation of the Mana Party (the real Maori Party) and I note David Shearer has acknowledged as much in one or two recent comments. I think it is highly likely Labour would be happy to include the Mana Party in a Labour-led coalition government.
Heâs not being criticised for keeping his word Pete, heâs being criticised precisely for weasel- wording. Heâs a deceitful, manipulative weasel and a nasty piece of work.
felix – but look at who’s criticising him. A few anonymous people on a blog. No evidence presented, just ‘opinions’ used in in attack that seemingly deliberately keep ignoring clear facts.
The Q+A researchers would have been aware of what he would claim and prepared no challenge. Shane Taurima didn’t challenge it. Stuff haven’t challenged it:
SUPPORT FOR SALES ‘GOES BACK THREE YEARS’
Facing a highly organised campaign against him in his electorate, United Future leader Peter Dunne is understandably finding the focus on his support for the Government’s asset sales legislation a tad tiresome.
When asked by TVNZ’s Q+A if voting for the Government’s mixed-ownership model was a difficult decision, he responded: “No, it wasn’t … what’s been surprising, though, is that no-one seemed to notice that we were honouring a policy commitment we put in place three years ago.”
He said United Future had never opposed floating shares in some state assets.
I asked a different Felix (Marwick) a while ago why the MSM weren’t interested in smear campaigns on blogs.
Iâm sorry to say thereâd be limited news interest, if any, in the debates about the accuracy of comments made on political blogs. In this case Dunneâs position has been accurately represented in the media and thatâs where itâll have been most noticed.
Iâm sure more people are aware of Dunneâs position on asset sales via whatâs been printed and broadcast in mainstream avenues than theyâve been influenced by whatever comments have been made by authors at The Standard.
Continued claims of things like “deceitful, manipulative weasel and a nasty piece of works” are in a small echo chamber here and reflect more on those who keep making unsubstantiated accusations.
Mate, the only small echo chamber here is you. And if TS is so lacking in influence, how come you carpet bomb the threads here every day? And one more question. If UF was in favour of asset sales, why didn’t they campaign on it? As you know, the UF literature and TV ads were silent on it and Dunne only made a couple of vague references to the issue in the entire campaign. He dishonestly allowed the belief that his one man party was opposed to the sales, when he knew that his salary depended on them going through. The man’s a weasel and a humbug.
Quite an echo-chamber for the highest-rating progressive site in the country, number three or four on the table of any blogsite, and from what I hear of Labour’s caucus, feared by all those in caucus who ought.
A less patsy question would be “surely your support for the National Party’s asset sales, as they announced prior to the election, is contrary to your repeated position of keeping national in check. Or did that just apply to things National weren’t going to do anyway?”
UF (with some help from The Standard) kept National in check exactly as we said we would. UF negotiated a C&S agreement on minimum ownership (51%), National actually changed it through a cabinet decision to voting rights only, and UF enforced the agreement and had it changed back to ownership
Pete, we’ve been over this plenty of times. Yes, if you look hard enough at the literal interpretation of the language you could conclude that Dunne supported privatising everything except water, kb, and rnz.
The focus however was always on saving three particular assets, not on selling the rest of them. The way this was presented is the very definition of weasel wording.
And I know you know this yourself, because it took you the best part of a day to find any references to his pro-privatisation policies when challenged.
The focus however was always on saving three particular assets, not on selling the rest of them.
Ah, yeah, that’s because the United Future emphasis was on United Future policy. I think you’ll find other parties tend to promote their own policies most too.
The reason why it took a while to find references was:
– it wasn’t a full time job, I fitted it in when I could
– there weren’t many references BECAUSE it was never an issue that was raised because it didn’t concern anyone then.
PETER DUNNE: In fact, in every electorate meeting during the campaign, this issue was raised. I set out the position exactly as I intended to follow, what our policy was.
I have never seen any credible dispute of this. Even Ohariu People’s Power accepted this as indisputable.
If there was any evidence supporting your case don’t you think it would have been found and trumpeted loud and wide now?
You continue repeating your argument against known evidence and with no evidence to support your case.
You’re the one trying to weasel something out of nothing on this.
Pete, the evidence I’ve presented is the United Future campaign videos and print material. It is entirely consistent with everything I’ve said and you have entirely failed to even address my argument. Every time.
And enough of the bullshit about you “fitting it in” when you could. We all watched you run around madly trying to find references. You were doing it here, in public. I’ll save you the embarrassment of posting a link for now but I don’t recommend repeating such an obvious lie so soon after the event.
We all watched you run around madly trying to find references.
You’re making things up again felix. But it’s worth noting that I did find references. Something you have failed to do.
Did you go to any of Dunne’s campaign meetings? Any campaign meetings where there was a UF candidate? I expect if you had and you had evidence to back up what you keep repeating about you would have said it by now. But all you have uis your ‘opinion’.
I’m sure if Dunne was guilty of your accusations Charles Chauvel and Gareth Hughes would have been all over it, as would at least one Standard author.
But there’s nothing. Nothing from the parties. Nothing from the mainstream media. Nothing except a few anonymous repeating commenters.
ps I’m very pleased to learn that Pete George now considers posting on The Standard to be a waste of time and look forward to him backing up that opinion by fucking off forthwith and posthaste.
You’re making things up again felix. You’re again claiming something falsely or incorrectly.
You seem to have some intelligence and are sometimes are very pedantic with specific meanings of phrases, so my opinion tends towards deliberate misrepresentation, it’s hard to see it any other way.
he’ll probably do his version of bohemian rhapsody soon
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and see,
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I’m easy come, easy go,
Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter to
me, to me
marty mars Any way the wind blows doesnât really matter to
me, to me
It does if its a fart.
But I like your choice of verse. It’s a different way to being terse.
Commenting in rhyme
Â
Might be sublime,Â
 Â
But it’s not as cathartic
 Â
As just abandoning concepts such as rhythm and style and just swearing at some fucking obtuse moronic trool.
Wow. Sometimes I think you’re just taking the piss, but I’m beginning to wonder if you really aren’t aware of all these inherently contradictory statements you keep making.
How does it feel to willing spend so much time writing in a pointless meaningless echo chamber for no purpose?
“You’re making things up again felix.” Besides wishing for PGs absence, which would not make the heart grow fonder, can you think of some viable relief?
Peters Groupie You can’t even get your idol’s facts right obviuosly you didn’t watch Q&A.
Wait until I tell Dunny.
Dunny said that he had been pushing that policy in ohairyu for the past 3 elections.
Not 3 years .
Been off the air for a while….in which time I contemplated a number of mindsets that keep the rank and file in line with received wisdom no matter how unreal it is.
I saw a bit of Max Keiser on a MSM hosted talk show being accused of being a “ conspiracy theorist” for pointing out the very obvious fraudulent behavior of the Wall St bankers. Labeling somebody a conspiracy theorist is the ultimate smokescreen for the avoidance of reality by the mainstream media. And Joe Average is so bloody dumb he takes the easy route of not questioning but agreeing. Its a form of abrogation of personal responsibility to question: political power certainly does not want Joe questioning.
Then there is the pukesome Godwin crap. I see a f**scist yet I cant call them on it. Give me a break.
Yes, it seems that the only defense for the establishment is to use the CT call as some sort of way to throw the sheep off the scent, it seems to be working still, and the message was obviously given to Key, as he used the term multiple times of late.
The Keiser comments are interesting in that it shows explicitly who is really pulling the strings in the background. The cross over of finance and media working together to label as a, conspiracy theorist, Max Keiser, for commentating on the crumbling financial systems, the destruction ofwhich is the result of the greatest conspiracy every being pulled off. The irony of the MSM comments are immense, not to mention the hypocracy!
Keiser did not “invent” the stories, they are in fact happening in real time. People who use the term conspiracy theory, lack the intelligence, and or the mental strength/self esteem, to question what is in front of their face.
“The âsmall echo chamberâ comment refers to a vocal but small subset of The Standard commentariat.”
Given that something like less than 1% of readers actually comment, it doesn’t matter if it’s only a “small vocal subset” of people that post any particular content here, because there’s a large readership.
Surely that’s why you keep peddling your crap here. Although I would hope that a lot of readers do what I do and skim, or skip, your comments entirely.
Petey, Petey, Petey, Petey …
Â
Your original comment this morning has generated considerable response that essentially can be categorised into two different types:
Â
1. The coiffured one may have well indicated support for MOM type privatisation but this does not mean he had to sign up to every single MOM privatisation proposal, especially the really silly ones.
Â
2. There may have been this policy in the fine print but whenever the coiffured one spoke he made it sound like he was against privatisation of strategically important assets. He then turns lap dog and lets them go through.
Â
You as a self confessed opponent of “politics as usual” and talk about “smear tactics” but then denigrate various commentators, presumably including myself, as being part of a “small echo chamber” suggesting that their thoughts are not their own without addressing their concerns.
Â
See the problem?
The problem is micky – you’ve got it wrong. You’re a part of the small echo chamber here that keeps peddling misinformation that isn’t taken seriously elsewhere.
The more you do it the more you confirm your own futility. Important people in Labour don’t even push your lines.
Can’t you try something that will actually help Labour rebuild and prepare for government? Surely that’s a party priority?
Surely you should direct your petey powers of polling perspicacity towards helping United Future achieve 1% at election time? Oh, you did. How did that go for you?
UF maintained the same number of seats and gained influence from the last election. How did that go for Labour?
I’d like to see UF support increase next time, I think that would add to the balance of parties in parliament.
I’d also like to see Labour get their act together and build a viable capability towards running the next government from 2014 or 2017 – that’s far more important for the country as a whole. So I have an interest in that too. Do you think I shouldn’t?
Labour did about 20 or 30 times better than UF, even with a reduction in support.
      Â
If anything, I think that your “interest” should be monitored as sort of a reverse pit-canary: as soon as you start extensively approving of anything controversial Labour does, they should immediately apologise and reverse course. As long as you keep providing helpful advise on how Labour should change to improve its popularity, they can’t be too far wrong.
If anything, I think that your âinterestâ should be monitored as sort of a reverse pit-canary
Same as if the NBR, John Armstrong or Fran O’Sullivan start praising Labour and its policies as being “pragmatic”, “realistic”, “sensible” and “moderate”.
I do recall an Alliance comrade saying that he really knew Lab4 was off the rails when the ODT started running positive editorials about their economic policies.
Ah, but of Labour politicians I think I’m closest to David Shearer. I’d rate Kevin Hague and Julie Anne Genter, amongst those in the Greens I’ve had anything to do with. And I like Pita Sharples. I’d be happy to work with any of them.
So bearing that in mind, if you sat in a room with say Farrah, Shearer, Hauge, Genter & lets throw Key in there too, which would be as close as just about anyone to your views and aims?
I think it’s unlikely I’ll be in Parliament with any party.
When I decided to get more into politics I first approached Labour. After initial contact I volunteered some outside real world experience and they didn’t get back to me.
I doubt I’ll join Labour unless they change their approach substantially, and I doubt I’m the sort of person they’d chose as a candidate, I’ve got too much practical life and business experence.
I certainly wouldn’t fit into the current Labour culture of being a negative talking point repeater.
Hate to break it to you but your inability to argue and your rather strange world views would not get you within a million miles of a Labour party nomination. You are right that you are not the sort of person who would be chosen as a candidate.
As for “being a negative talking point repeater” you should read this and hundreds of other threads you have strangled the life out of and then reconsider your statement.
When I decided to get more into politics I first approached Labour. After initial contact I volunteered some outside real world experience and they didnât get back to me.Â
Â
I suspect he was correctly identified as waaaaaaay outside the real world, hence their lack of follow-up. “oh noes, I accidentally lost his phone number”[rips paper into very small pieces]
Peters Groupie you are obviously trying to grease up the labour party so the follicle freaks can have another MP outside cabinet with the remuneration that goes with it.
PGroupie.
You could change the name of your party to .
P ontificating
U nbridled
F uckwits &
F ools&
E ndangered
R idiculed
Y awns
“UF maintained the same number of seats and gained influence from the last election.”
Bullshit. He maintained the same number of seats from the election and maintained precisely the same amount of influence from the post-election negotiations, not from the election.
ps for all this supposed influence you’ve still never listed all the awesome things he’s achieved (things that National weren’t going to do anyway) and you’ve still never listed all the Govt bills that he’s voted against, despite being asked several times.
Probably close to zero in both cases, but set the record straight anytime you like.
There were two bills in the last week that parliament sat that I’m aware of that Dunne supported and National didn’t:
– Phil Twyford’s depleted uranium bill
– David Clark’s holiday Mondayisation bill
But I don’t follow every vote. Do you? Or are you making things up again based on no facts?
From the Q+A interview:
…my crystal ball doesnât tell me where other parties are going to be on these issues. So I donât factor into the decision, and I canât, actually, whether my vote will be the determining one or not. What I have to do is decide what is the right course for me as the United Future member of Parliament to follow.
And this is what happens in my experience, when I ask him whether he will support a bill or not he openly considers it in association with UF policy. Not with the policy of any other party.
I am still trying to work out Petey if you are a terribly sophisticated CT plant receiving advice from CIA and Kremlin experts in propaganda and misinformation or if you actually believe what you type …
You are an expert at running away from a debate and then making out as if it is everyone’s elses fault. Such expertise is either evidence of very sophisticated training or evidence that you exist in a different dimension to the rest of us.
You still did not answer my original proposition, nor Felix’s. Yet you accuse us of peddling misinformation. How does that work?
And I am curious, which of my lines is Labour not pushing? I would prefer that you answer my first question first though. Just to show that you are actually interested in engaging in a proper debate and not doing politics as usual …
I didn’t think your first question justified an answer, it was a very dumb question.
Did the coiffured one promise hand on heart that no matter how stupid or ludicrous the privatisation proposal was he would back it no matter what? If this is what you are saying then it is the dumbest policy ever support by a political party.
Maybe PG has been inspired by CERN findings and imagines himself a âquantum commenterâ, squiggling about, able to be in two or more places at once.
Pete’s Groupie Dunne’s groupie.Pontificating Guile .
Your leaving no room for any one else’s opinion.
You haven’t learned that less is more when it comes to politics.
Does the youth of New Zealand understand what Austerity is?
When food is controlled by a Ration Book. Petrol is rationed. Clothing is either rationed or just not available. Many people are dependant on Rain Water, collected from the house roof.
Our standard of living has improved tremendously over the last 100 years but where does one “draw the line”? We cannot all lead the life of an English Gentleman. Someone has to play the part of a servant.
I agree john72, but it’s not just the ‘youth of New Zealand’ who have no idea what austerity or real hardship is. I think I have a better idea about it but my generation (baby boomers) is the first of the lucky generations so it’s just based on what I’ve learned from previous generations.
Life is still tough for many people, even some in New Zealand, but relative to the past we’ve never had things so good – and possibly never appreciated what we do have so little.
Actually, no.
“Austerity” is when there is more than enough food, but most people can’t afford it.
“Rationing” is when the government ensures that nobody gets more than their fair share, so as few people as possible miss out.
     Â
Issues like child welfare and inequality aren’t races, where you’ve done well if you get a podium finish. They’re issues of constant self-improvement, like maintaining an ideal weight or exercising or minimising the sodium in your diet if that’s an issue. Why do we care? 1: they are bad. 2: like obesity or smoking, if they go on too long they fester in society and cause heart failure and collapse.
   Â
Maybe it was worse in your day. Not the issue. The issue is that it’s worse in our day: we can do much better, but we just don’t care. Like a diabetic gorging on chocolate eclairs.Â
When food is controlled by a Ration Book. Petrol is rationed. Clothing is either rationed or just not available. Many people are dependant on Rain Water, collected from the house roof.
Sounds like life as a labourer in rural NZ. Long hours working outside, but work somewhat blends into life in general (because natural systems don’t listen to or attract people with flow charts and arbitrary deadlines); wages aren’t so great, so food is rationed by budget, so is petrol and because of wage levels and relative isolation, so are clothes. Water supply is from tanks filled by rain off the roof. Cost of trucking extra in over a dry summer often isn’t an option. Workplace employment laws and law in general doesn’t extend to them. It’s a melange of applied cultural beliefs and the wishes of the local “gentry”. Forget the expectation of medical assistance, unless you’re already half dead.
Lots of people live like this and they’re young. It’s all they’ve ever known. So I don’t know what the envy comment is about. Maybe it’s you who is envious of the resources of Yoof who could make you richer at their expense, but choose not to? The greedy are never happy.
Uturn It’s good to hear things spelt out like this and probably many farming people don’t know how bad it is for many of the workers, or choose not to know. Certainly townies don’t.
Have you read about the Tolpuddle Martyrs in South England. They were tried for setting up a farm workers union on a dodgy bit of law that wouldn’t have succeeded but for the fact that the law, the landed gentry and the church were united against them. There was fire in the bellies of poor people then trying to improve their lot and they massed with huge crowds and collected funds to bring them back, all alive, from their convict sentence in Australia.
I have had a lurking feeling for some time that it is a whole different ‘lifestyle’ for the low income in the rural areas. And I noticed that the roads there seem to be used mainly by young men a lot of whom seem to be loose cannons. Certainly there are a lot of road accidents usually after drugs, alcohol etc. Life there seems a bit brutish.
I have read about marjuana being grown with vicious defence traps, but not lately. I have read about a farmer who had been robbed and for a second time some years later, took a pot shot and found that the second burglary was by the original perp who had gone to Australia, returned and gone back to stock up. He was wearing some of the farmer’s stolen clothes apparently. That was a while ago. I don’t think things have changed much, probably got worse but we aren’t hearing about it.
I have read about a man who had a project that he was spending time on, but every time he left his property parts of it were stolen. Theft like this means that you can’t create anything, make anything. It’s killing to improving your conditions and any initiative.
I have read about growing rustling. In the recent Guy case, Macdonald had been rustling deer, and what else? There is a nice comfy feeling about how helpful farmers are to each other and how they will come forward for neighbours in difficulties. But what do you do about neighbours or nearbys that are stealing from you? There are the good things but possibly just the obvious tip of an iceberg with depths of dishonesty or danger.
There isn’t much of a police presence for farmers, and I don’t think they have a good service at all, because there is such a weight of work on one or two officers it could be that rural people just don’t make formal complaints to them.
Is there a rural underclass that is growing quietly like mushrooms and is only noticed briefly when there is some bad outbreak? Such as the recent theft from tourists, who were fortunate they weren’t female (would they have been raped and perhaps then killed as has happened to other decent, trusting females expecting to be travelling in a civilised country). And perhaps women in particular should be warned about past happenings.
The outback of Australia has some feral males floating around who have committed awful crimes, and I thought we had higher standards but I’m not sure now.
Thanks UTurn for stating it how it is: I noted reading Trotters Bowalley Rd on the Guy trial that there is definitely an excessive rural income divide between farm owners and labourers (or so Trotter claims). He makes the point that the whole us/ them divide makes for ugly societal impacts.
Myself, I regularly employ people, every time I do its a million c.v’s, from sub 25 years olds, most of whom are in “training” (studying to be something they will never do and being saddled with a debt for the benefit of doing so) OR are working a part time minimum wage go nowhere job.
Meanwhile the “greedies” from Labour seem to think it would be a good idea to not pay superannuation for a couple of years till people are 67 because (with no evidence to support it) “we cannot afford it. Who are the “we” Mr Shearer?
Bored
And about that 65 to 67 years gap before the old age pension. If these older people can’t get a job that supports them fully, or can only do part-time work, or no work at all then the government should be paying them out of another benefit category, the unemployment or minimum income fund. That means that the government must afford it or have people begging even dying on the street.
And things got that way after Nats Ruth Richardson introduced her new slimmed down benefits and hospitals were turned into CHEs paring service centres. I seem to remember that someone was in hospital, their bed was needed so they were sent home by taxi about midnight and left by the side of the road. I think a woman had her baby by the road, or in a bus, which could always happen but is not the service we want for our vulnerable people. And poor people die before their time under the bean-counting approach to humanity.
If on unemployment these older people will have to abase themselves to these brutalised people in WINZ offices and possibly be ordered to attend courses to learn skills that if they didn’t know already, it would be too late to teach them. And then there are the draconian controls of the enemployed benefit (a Freudian slip – combining enemy and unemployed which is how attitudes are developing towards the strugglers). They need to be available to look for a job all the time, looking for a job becomes their job, yet they can’t go on holiday without asking permission which may not be granted. Particularly if your children have gone to Australia. You may have scrimped enough to get there but you have removed yourself from the job market. If your children sent you the fare and you went anyway, that money could be counted as increased income and your benefit docked to that amount. And you are registered as leaving the country when you go through the check-in so the Department finds out, and could stop your benefit. This system, allegedly caring for the low income, is equivalent to home detention though less rigid than for criminals and certainly not the treatment of the retired that is envisaged by the better off.
This is how I understand the system from anecdote and some personal experience. If someone knows differently or has an experience that sheds light on the benefit for older people, it would be interesting to read.
All sounds so familiar Prism. You get shitted on as you begin your working career, indebted up to the eyeballs with a useless “degree”. You work at Makkers to pay off that sum on minimum wages, then when your body gives out on you there is an expectation that an extra couple of years can be dragged out of you….St Peter dont you call me cos I cant go, I owe my soul to the company store” syndrome.
The real issue at hand is the failure of the economic system to provide sufficient jobs, and sufficient wage levels. In this country we generate sufficient wealth to do both, the problem we have is that we just seem far too good at distributing this wealth to the wrong people. My business’ market is shrinking because the amount of consumption drops with the number of people unemployed and the lower rates of pay: the corporate sector (including government) are buying business or overcharging my sector. Consequently I don’t employ as many people as I could.
Which is why I gave Shearer and Labour a serve: to blindly retort failed shibboleths of some Right wing think tank rather than addressing the real issues indicates Labour are still arse about face.
If on unemployment these older people will have to abase themselves to these brutalised people in WINZ offices and possibly be ordered to attend courses to learn skills that if they didnât know already, it would be too late to teach them
That’s sort of where I am now, although I have not yet turned 60… inasmuch as I’ve been informed that I have only a 20% chance of getting an office job because of my age (the leader of a course WINZ referred me to, told me that.)Â
I have the skills, I don’t have the yoof or the looks that are apparently required by any woman seeking an office job!
(Neither do I have leukaemia, which is another, weirder story.)
There is an interesting juxtaposition of offerings on Radionz this a.m . At 10.45 there is a serial play on the beneficiary getting into work by starting your own business thing. Very funny.
And Alex Mackay, who has just published a cookbook is a chef who talks at express train speed. Cookbook for Everybody, Everyday, published by Bloomsbury about $45.
His career was the result of hard work, and looking for opportunities and taking them. Being able to express yourself well would count too. He had to leave school voluntarily or the other way. So he got started as a dishwasher in restaurants here and ended up going to France on a one way ticket. At one place he worked he was in charge of pastry, left after everyone else and no transport home, a hotel four miles away was the only bed he could get, so had to walk there. Hotel was locked up so he had to climb over the garden wall and up to his second storey bedroom. Good story, whether it’s true. He certainly has Drrive.
Also at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
11:45 Off The Beaten Track with Kennedy Warne
The latest offering in the NZ Cycle Trails network â the Motu Trails, in the Bay of Plenty, which opened a couple of months ago. There are three interconnecting trails that take a rider between Opotiki on the coast and Matawai in the Raukumara Range.
Also have a look on the site at this beautiful bridge – Newly opened Pakowhai suspension bridge over the Otara River, Opotiki.
I am always intrigued by pics of the red planet, specially the one a while back of what looked like a human type figure running among rocks on the Planet Mars, (perhaps one of the underground inhabitants caught out-side),
Whats amusing is that we seem to know what makes up the Mars ‘atmosphere’ and soil types around the ‘voyager’,
It would seem a reasonably bright suggestion to attempt to recreate the same enviroment in a dome like structure here on Earth so as to be able to test what trees, plants, crops, might grow on Mars,
If something indicates under such an experiment that it might grow up there then perhaps they should be bombing the place with seeds, such in 1000 years may just go a little toward making the place habitable…
There are ethical issues, as well as practical.
  Â
Mars atmospheric pressure is much less that the pressure at which human blood boils – i.e. Â the pressure at twice the altitude of everest. And it’s pretty cold much of the time, too. So it won’t be Earth’s grain basket.
  Â
On the ethical flipside, there might still be enough water etc for bacteria to grow (not to mention the minute possibility of large subterranean life forms), and of course any seed bombardment could result in either of two “worst case scenarios”: the eradication of unique life forms; or outbreaks of untreatable alien diseases or even triffids. Either one is a bad outcome.
  Â
Not to mention the “climate change / peak oil will make it all futile!” perspective. Not entirely sure where I go to on that one yet.
 Â
Basically we’re probably looking at at least 100 years of exploration and  technology development (e.g. ion boosters or similar funky engines for inner-system navigability) to determine A) what’s there; B) what was once there; and C) if B is nothing lifelike or unpreservable, is there any point to putting anything there, anyway?
Anyone seen Mission to Mars? Fucking hilarious. One of the main characters spends a year living on Mars in a tent, flapping in the breeze, which he survives because he had plants.
Did they do the cunning hollywood get-around-the-laws-of-physics-with-one-line-of-dialogue ruse? A quick “lucky the pressure gauges on every single probe we sent here were wrongly calibrated, eh”?
Mars Climate Orbiter.Â
    Â
An Ariane 5 blew up because of a legacy (and unneeded) subsystem in some bodged-in Ariane 4 code.
   Â
I live in fear of such errors đÂ
I only went because it had Brian De Palma’s name attached as director.
The worst thing about the whole movie was when a couple of friends and I decided “fuck it, lets go” so we stood up and the credits started rolling. Man, I felt gypped.Â
MINORITY NATIONAL GOVERNMENT WANTS TO RAILROAD THROUGH CHANGES TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT TO FURTHER SUIT CORPORATE INTERESTS!!
Here’s your chance to have your say!
PUBLIC MEETING: Botany MP Jami-Lee Rossâ public meeting is at 7pm on July 10 at Pakuranga Country Club, 199 Botany Road.
THINK THE AUCKLAND SUPERCITY IS A SUPER RIPOFF?
AGREE THAT THE ‘BOOKS SHOULD BE OPEN’ AND CITIZENS SHOULD GET THE ‘DEVILISH DETAIL’ ABOUT HOW MUCH PUBLIC MONIES ARE BEING SPENT ON ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’ (on consultants and private contractors – whose contracts have not been subject to any ‘cost-benefit’ analysis??
Submissions on The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill close on July 26. Botany MP Jami-Lee Rossâ public meeting is at 7pm on July 10 at Pakuranga Country Club, 199 Botany Road.
In local paper explanation given by MSD insider via txt that half desks at winz office empty on a given workday due to morale and stress-related issues.hmmm.
Hello U-turn, prism, dtb olwyn drt bored et al. I sorta missed your thoughts but at the time weighed up the benefits of having a wee caesure from the aggression on the blog between some posters. Dogs, fleas and all that.
Never a dull moment watching the impending societal train-wreck though.
Saw this Hong Kong Chinese gentleman on BBC with thousands of accumulated or repatriated Chinese art at his property. Leaning here and there were pieces “valued” at 500m stirling etc.
And that was just one of the new chinese wealthy. Im glad I ceased to measure anything about myself by the rulers I have bought or traded for in the “market”.
The chinese and other east asian ubercapitalists are gonna eat up and spit out our local grass-reared capitalists all over their paddy fields and coal mine tailings.
Ol western whitey and his colonised adherents are wising up to the neccessity of “political” “relationships” to do “business” with the mass of mainland china.
The ol proddy scot wont wanna be puttin his hand too deep into the other mans pocket..
Sam Hall Sounds possible even probable. But Dr Feelgood says don’t think of more than one negative future scenario a day to ensure your mojo keeps alive!
penny bright.
did you listen to MIke Williams and Stephen Franks this morning on 9-noon.
Franks admitted that wodney had drawn up the akl super city plan on the back of an envelope and what has happened now is that elected councillors are left out of the loop.
the departments now consider they dont have to give info to councillors and the only one with any say is the mayor.
Our whole democracy is descending into the post modern equivcalent of the inferno and alice and wonderland combined.
those fuckers have gone crazy with power and they have diverted all avenues of disclosure so that they are sealed off from the gaze of their employers.Thats you and me and all other ratepayers.
Whats needed now is transparency.
But hey it used to be but now it has been taken away.
what the fuck is going on in Godzone.
The economic recovery is upon us, well nah if you want to consider Trademe as an economic indicator things have gone from really bad to really f**king bad,
Paula Benifit is wont to chastise us all with Trademe job figures, (that’s probably coz Paula has trouble with the more complicated household labour survey),
Does appear tho that employment ads on Trademe are UP like mega-big-time, but only IF you either live or are planning on shifting to Christchurch,
Job ads on the same web-site show Auckland is down 4% and Wellington down a massive 7%, who would have thunk that the Slippery led National Government could have wrought such an economic miracle in such a short time,
The score so far, 2 F’s, the government gets a failed and the economy is even more f**ked…
How long has Trademe been doing job ads? I know it’s been a while, but I’m wondering if it’s still in the growth phase as a job exchange, as opposed to say W&I or newspaper classifieds (although similarly the latter in particular might be going down with the ship)
I couldn’t say how long Trademe has been running job ads for, what i do know is that a large % of the advertised jobs on there are filled within a week but advertised for a month,
So using Trademe as economic data as Paula Benifit is wont to do is just another form of National Government mis-information, (there’s 8000 jobs advertised on Trademe you know), further demonizing the unemployed in the eyes of those without the intelligence to understand how such a site works,
When liars like Paula use such figures of 8000 jobs listed on Trademe , at any given time only 3000 of those jobs are vacant with the lower skilled vacancies the first to be filled and the brain surgeon types jobs staying vacant the longest,
As a raw data source of jobs advertised over a period tho, Trademe is possibly an easy mode of charting economic progress, or in the case of the latest figures, economic regression…
I had a go at Patrick Gower when he pulled that crap. It was deeply disappointing (especially since he had the sheer gall to *add together* the number of “vacancies” on TM and Seek like they were mutually exclusive listings), but also kinda screamed “guess which journo hasn’t had to seriously look for work in a while?”
The market says: Everything and everybody has a price, and is for sale. Faith says: The most valuable things in our lives — good health, safe food, strong families, a clean environment, a just economy, meaningful work, access to opportunity — are beyond price, and should by right be available to us all. Our faith communities (especially, but not always exclusively, the progressive ones) have always held this light up within our culture, and it’s never been needed more than it’s needed right now.
[In America,] where over 90% of everybody has some kind of God-belief — and the overwhelming majority of them ground their political decisions in that belief — abandoning the entire landscape of faith to the right wing amounts to political malpractice. For most Americans, our religious worldviews are the epistemological soil in which every other decision we make is rooted — the basic model of reality that we use to navigate the world. When we stopped engaging people’s basic model of moral order, we effectively ceded the entire moral landscape of the nation to our enemies. It was, in retrospect, perhaps the most self-destructive error we’ve made over the past 40 years (and that’s saying something).
To our credit, a lot of our best organizers and activists are starting to realize the magnitude of this mistake. We’re paying a lot more attention these days to learning to clearly articulate progressive values, to express ourselves in explicitly moral language, and to put forward more strongly progressive frames, narratives, and future visions to counter the bankrupt conservative worldview that’s brought us to this sorry place in history.
The market says: Everything and everybody has a price, and is for sale. Faith says: The most valuable things in our lives â good health, safe food, strong families, a clean environment, a just economy, meaningful work, access to opportunity â are beyond price, and should by right be available to us all
So, weather/climate people… what’s with the jet stream moving south being the blame for the UK’s exceedingly wet summer? I get that this is true, but is it climate or weather and is it a ‘normal’ shift? What makes a jet stream shift? If it’s moved south I guess this is also to blame for an exceedingly warm early summer in central Europe?
Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive Itâs been a momentous few days for Childrenâs Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes –Â According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports:  Details of Tony Blakelyâs involvement in the New Zealand Governmentâs response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports –Â It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
To be precise, the term âanti- Zionismâ refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term âanti-Semitismâ means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the Beehive Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 âcrucialâ projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
David Farrar writes –Â Radio NZÂ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and âtaking away the right of thousands of people to voteâ was not the answer. âThousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
Don Brash writes –Â There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read âOne in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for lossâ. The first line of text noted that âNew data shows one in ...
Mike Grimshaw writes –Â At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange â or even fool-hardy â to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes –Â A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
Michael Bassett writes – Iâm not sure that itâs much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
Oliver Hartwich writes –Â Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
âIt has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.â GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labourâs and Nationalâs failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos  Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?  Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacsâ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, Iâve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon governmentâs efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, Iâve been asked these questions many times and always answered âyesâ, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 â the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes –Â Â âFollow the moneyâ is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes –Â After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labourâs spokesperson for education 2011 â 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes 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). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
âFollow the moneyâ is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left  Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes –Â I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes –Â Parliamentâs speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes â The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline âSenior Kingâs Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.:Â âMany of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] eachâ, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands arenât ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Todayâs justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Governmentâs misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
âWith Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,â Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.  ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Memberâs Bill that will protect womenâs spaces. The âFair Access to Bathrooms Billâ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Wattsâ continuation of Hon. James Shawâs cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
This morningâs pre-Budget speech from the Minister of Finance offered no âmeaningfulâ news on the Governmentâs trickle-down economics based plans. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Councilâs District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion âThis House Believes British Museums are not Very Britishâ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP HĆ«hana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of MÄori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of MÄori land. ...
A senior, highly respected Kingâs Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga MÄori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealandâs growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesnât know or care about the frontline cuts sheâs making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. Â ...
Todayâs Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and itâs only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. âThis is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. âThe government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicineâ, said Ayesha Verrall âThis is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoonâs interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour childrenâs spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te PÄti MÄori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Callâs work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.  This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leadersâ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People â Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Todayâs announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Governmentâs pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. âThe National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Koreaâs aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. âNew Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,â Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Billâs introduction reaffirms the Coalition Governmentâs commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. âWhile section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. âI am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
âThe results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,â Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. âWe heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tÄna koutou, apinun tru  Itâs a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. Â âPapua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,â Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âThe Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealandâs ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.  âWe are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his governmentâs first ten days in office,â Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestineâs participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. Itâs a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. âOur servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealandâs ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Governmentâs focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âAn enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âA key part of the coalition Governmentâs plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. âDespite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Governmentâs approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me.  Iâd like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Â Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Â Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Â Ladies and gentlemen -Â Â In diplomacy, we often speak of âcloseâ and âlong-standingâ relations. Â ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. âThe medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. âWellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. âWith 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. âWe are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayersâ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in TairÄwhiti and Hawkeâs Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealandâs engagement with the region.  The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.  âNew Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealandersâ security and wellbeing. âCongratulations to this yearâs recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealandâs defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealandâs digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. Â âThe immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Governmentâs school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealandâs next Ambassador to the United States of America.  âOur relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,â Mr Peters says.  âNew Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. âNew Zealand was built on gold, itâs in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is âan Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhereâ and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. âThis is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASAâs Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. âOur Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECDâs latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its membersâ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli.  ...
What happens when cash is king â and then your bank leaves. A businessman in a town that hasn’t had a bank for three years says the Reserve Bank’s plans to put more cash in the hands of its people and introduce digital cash could save hours of time. John ...
The people have spoken, in their hundreds. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton has been overwhelmingly voted the favourite New Zealand book of 2023 as nominated by ReadingRoom readers. The vote can informally be regarded as the Peopleâs Choice award â ahead of tonightâs Ockham book awards, where Catton’s novel is competing ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer The government has handed down its budget for 2024â25. Itâs delivered a $9.3 billion surplus for the financial year just about to finish but is forecasting a $28.3 billion deficit for next year. Hereâs the key points: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Jim Chalmers has produced a benign third budget aimed at soothing hard-pressed voters agitated about their high cost of living and punishing interest rates. At the same time he has walked a tightrope, trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND A $300 energy rebate for all households from July 1 and a 10% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance are key measures in a budget targeting cost-of-living relief that put ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an âinflation-fighting and future-making budgetâ and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an âinflation-fighting and future-making budgetâ and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been bitten by the giveaway bug. This budget contains not only the well-foreshadowed tax cuts for all taxpayers, but a range of new spending measures in health, education, infrastructure, aged ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, Macquarie University Governments and their agencies wield awesome power. At times, it is quite literally the power over life and death. That is why in any functioning democracy, we have robust checks and balances designed ...
As the world commemorates the 71st Everest Day, it's not just a celebration of human achievement but also a reflection of the enduring bond between New Zealand and Nepal. This day marks the historic feat of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa ...
Individuals in Wellington, led by City Councillor NÄ«kau Wi Neera, are working to use the âhecklers vetoâ to shut down Inflection Point , a gender-critical event to be held at a Te Papa venue this weekend featuring speakers such as Bob McCoskrie ...
The transgender community, whÄnau & allies will rally outside TÄkina/Wellington Convention Centre against anti-trans confederation âInflection Point NZ,â who are hosting a conference to encourage parliamentarians to restrict trans peopleâs ...
A strategic asset for Auckland that has been fought over for years as either sacrosanct or a sacred cow looks certain to be sold and the proceeds of around $1.3 billion put in a new investment fund. A year after bitter political struggle ended in a compromise in which Auckland ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – the Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The number of voices raising concerns about the Governmentâs Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliamentâs select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Chalmers, Senior Lecturer in Human Movement, University of South Australia The tragic death of Manly rugby league player Keith Titmuss in 2020 due to exertional heat stroke is a reminder of the life-threatening nature of the condition. Titmuss died after ...
Internet Governance Project founder Milton Mueller asked âis the Christchurch Call accomplishing anything?â Increasingly it seems the only thing it hopes to achieve is killing off free expression. ...
Audition by Pip Adam and Lioness by Emily Perkins are both shortlisted for the fiction award at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Here the authors discuss awards, writing, Selling Sunset, review culture, Zoolander and more.Pip Adam: Whenever I think about writers and our ambitions, I canât help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Broomhall, Director, Gender and Women’s History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University Andrea Mantegna, Minerva (Athena) expelling Vices from the Garden of Virtue, from the Studiolo of Isabella d’Este, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua (c. 1499â1502).Louvre Museum/Wikimedia Commons Wartime has often presented opportunities ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images The stories Aotearoa New Zealand tells itself about the history of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi have evolved considerably over time. For many decades, starting with the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Carter, Associate Professor, RMIT University Aurora visible from Cope Cope, Victoria on May 11 2024.cafuego/Flickr, CC BY-SA On Saturday evening before Motherâs Day, Australians witnessed a rare celestial spectacle: a breathtaking display of aurora australis, also known as the southern ...
Tara Ward watches as TVNZâs long-running current affairs show bows out with humility and grace.We have just 12 days left to view the final episode of Sunday on TVNZ+. In just over a week, there will be no more evidence of the award-winning current affairs show on the digital ...
To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, Sophie Ricketts wears a different band T-shirt every day. Here she picks her top 20. I love music. I love listening to it, I love seeing it live, and I love buying a T-shirt from the band or artist Iâve enjoyed. Every year, during ...
Research from AA Insurance reveals more and more people are taking pride in their garage. Meet three New Zealanders using their space in creative ways.If you think of a garage, you might picture a dark room with a parked car. There might be some tools on the wall, or ...
Government spending cuts have forced Scion, the dedicated Crown research institute charged with growing forestry exports, to propose shedding a significant number of scientists. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasir Arafat, Senior Research Associate, Edith Cowan University asharkyu, Shutterstock As electric vehicle (EV) demand accelerates, so does the need for lithium batteries. But these batteries contain valuable critical minerals, as well as toxic materials, so they should not be treated ...
NZDF personnel will support the New Zealand National Commemorative Service at the Cassino War Cemetery and a New Zealand Service of Remembrance at the Cassino Railway Station, next week. ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a masseuse tells us how much she earns and where she spends it. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 33 Ethnicity: NZ EuropeanRole: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Byrne, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne For many reasons, the 2024 US presidential election will be like no other. Republican nominee Donald Trumpâs campaign is unprecedented. Never before has a former president who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meru Sheel, Associate Professor and Epidemiologist, Infectious Diseases, Immunisation and Emergencies Group, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney We know vaccines have been a miracle for public health. Now, new research led by the World Health Organization has found vaccines ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chrissy Severinsen, Associate Professor in Public Health, Massey University Getty Images Becoming a mother is a significant identity shift, and many new mums struggle. Up to 18% of New Zealand mothers experience depression and anxiety after giving birth. The first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Teo, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of Southern Queensland ABC Much has been written and produced about white menâs fetishisation of Asian women (crudely nicknamed âyellow feverâ). The ABCâs comedy series White Fever breaks new ground by exploring an ...
The childrenâs minister could have been legally brought before the tribunal after all, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The end of ...
Seen comments on social media about eating bugs? Byron Clark explains the short history of our latest conspiracy. âNo, Bill Gates nor Klaus Schwab has not funded the research done here,â reads an August 2023 Facebook post from Otago Locusts, the first farm in Aotearoa rearing insects for human consumption. ...
Rural post is essential but expensive, and residents are worried about its future. Itâs 9.30am on a Monday morning in rural ManawatĆ«, and farmer Mairi Whittle is on an all-terrain vehicle with her two young sons. After moving sheep from one slope to another, she swings by the letterbox. Opening ...
Remediating Mt Ruapehu if things go pear-shaped could cost more than $80m â and the new operators aren’t on the hook for any of it The post DoC responsible for $87.5m Ruapehu remediation appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Unfortunately, the term âwokeâ is back in the news and for the most stupid of reasons: Act leader David Seymour is now designating certain types of food as âwokeâ or not. As the Government makes cuts to school lunches, let us consider what âwokeâ might mean here. ...
Analysis: The Government’s decision to return to a mega-style prison seems to be missing a clear business case The post Mega-prisonâs missing business case appeared first on Newsroom. ...
New Zealand authors hate houseplants. They are frightened of them, have nightmares about them, regard them as bad omens; they are afraid, too, of the responsibility of caring for them, and think of them as an alien species that will take over the selfish planet of their interior lives. There ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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, Tuesday 14 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
“I can’t quite believe it,” Mrs Johnson said. “I am so thrilled that the biscuits are back.
“Nearly 15,000 people voted for the biscuit’s return after Upper Hutt mother Amber Johnson started a Facebook page titled Get Griffin’s To Bring Back Choco-ade”
NZH, and the average Kiwi – Example of why progress is so difficult in this country!
this will cheer you up muzza, or send you postal,
( i find those emotions overlap so often these days )
http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/3228913/Facebook/
Hilarious, Freedom! I shared it on Facebook… đ
The odious Garth McVicar and the Sensible Sentencing Trust are going to review the Scott Guy Murder case.
The interview (not on line yet) involved McVicar hinting darkly at the right to silence and how this is an impediment to the course of Justice. Â There is one slight problem with this comment, Ewen McDonald spent hours talking to the police about the case. Â This was all recorded and shown to the jury. Â So not only did he not exercise his right to silence but he even admitted some offending to boot.
He also hinted darkly at evidence being excluded and has promised the people of New Zealand a full review.
The obvious tenor of McVicar’s comments was that justice demanded and required a result. Â No matter how weak the Crown case was.
Sounds like more McVicar and the Sensible Sentencing Trust talking up false hopefor those who want a legal outcome (especially for victims), completely contrary to sound legal practice.
I hated the tone of unrestrained glee McVicar had on National Radio this morning.
Like he had to wipe saliva off his mouth every second breath.
Surely the right place for anything further would be a civil action?
I can only expect after this he will be courted to stand by New Zealand First. Or National.
Amazing how quiet he was on the matter of his mate Graham Caphill’s trial, eh.
Nor does he seem to have hung around outside the courthouse to court the Korean man who was run over by a white banker. And let us not forget his defense of the man who stabbed a little tagger to death in South Auckland. This guy is actually an opponent of sound legal practice, favouring an “us versus them” approach, and is very rarely called to account for it. Last night I saw an episode of 60 Minutes in which Greg king was interviewed (I cannot link it because it does not appear to be up yet). He was asked to account for himself every step of the way, which he did very ably. In comparison, McVicar is generally left free to rant against every principle upon which the legal system is based.
McVicar and his awful “Trust” are perpetually courted by the media for “expert opinion”, and thus unfortunately encouraged. I am sorry for any family that calls upon him for support (or did he foist himself upon them?) Believe it or not, true experts are available, if only people and media will seek them out.
The difference is that the true experts can’t afford to put themselves in the media as they’re actually doing important stuff with the limited funds they have. The SST’s funding is, on the other hand, almost entirely for massaging the media so that they get heard. Which means that when people do need expert help in criminal matters they go to the one they’ve heard of – the SST – which probably doesn’t have a single expert in it.
pop or was that david garretts
I heard about that on the radio this morning. What on earth? What does he think gives him the right?
I just got told that I was guilty of some evil behaviour and had to do a recaptcha! Why? Please, this is the umpteenth time in weeks, it’s needs fixing!
meh – I think it’s linking that does it.Â
Quite a good idea – it stops the robots adding spam links, although it doesn’t stop failed united future candidates…
Â
In fact right now, they’re on 3 News right now, claiming that McDonald was silent! I didn’t follow the trial as I was fed up with it right from the start, but I read above that he wasn’t silent so ???
Peter Dunne had a chance to explain his (and United Future’s) position on asset sales on Q+A yesterday.
News report, video and transcript: http://yournz.org/2012/07/09/peter-dunne-on-qa/
Pete George, the energizer bunny of the blogosphere who keeps going and going and going and going …
This is a straw man argument Pete. Â The basic problem is that under economic, financial, environmental and security of energy supply considerations this is a really stupid policy. Â You can’t argue against that although you will probably try.
Did the coiffured one promise hand on heart that no matter how stupid or ludicrous the privatisation proposal was he would back it no matter what? Â If this is what you are saying then it is the dumbest policy ever support by a political party.Â
but micky, p.dunny knew asset sales was a shit policy and he is a hero for adding a tiny clause to the legislation. never mind the fact that his election campaign stated uf was against privatisation. the good folk of ohariu would all have read the uf small print, and thus they endorse the asset stripping of nz.
cue PG with
‘ but but but but but but but but it is a Mixed Ownership Model! That’s not privatisation! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh why doesn’t anybody listen to me, oh and i want you all to know i am working hard on your behalf to change nothing in particular or achieve anything of any great importance but by gum i will let you know how difficult the challenges facing us are and if we all would just pull together and do exactly as i say then nothing will change but we will have lots of new ways to distract each other from the endless mountain of crap my efforts have created’
The coiffured one is effectively a NAT stooge just like Banks is and will do whatever he is told to do or lose the baubles of ministerial trappings, he has presided over the meanest and most dishonest government in memory who are selling us out with his support….say no more.
PG sort of reminds me of Oscar Wilde on fox hunting (the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable)…perhaps the implausible in defense of the ingenuous. Any advances?
What a load of shit, Pete.
I think the people have had far too much of politicians who say one thing before an election and then weasel word after it. In fact, I must be the only politician being criticised for keeping his word.”
The lying prick knows full well, as you do, that his electioneering material was very carefully crafted to loudly and boldly proclaim ‘WE WILL NEVER SELL WATER, KIWIBANK, OR RADIO NZ’, while whispering softly ‘but everything else is on the block, and ps when I say water I’m not counting the water in the hydro system ie most of our water’.
He’s not being criticised for keeping his word Pete, he’s being criticised precisely for weasel- wording. He’s a deceitful, manipulative weasel and a nasty piece of work.
I agree with everything you say.
But a minor question for 2014: would you prefer Peter Dunne to sustain a Labour-Green coalition, or that guy from Mana?
It may come to these odd choices.
I agree with felix too.
If a slightly leftish coalition needs dunne it is fucked. Much better to work with a true left movement like Mana that will put some backbone into them and hopefully move any coalition lefter.
If it came to that I’d prefer Mana. I don’t like everything that comes out Harawira’s mouth but at least you know what you’re getting.
And as marty says, any govt led by Labour will need its support parties pulling it leftward economically, not rightward, if it’s to achieve much.
I have concerns about some of Harawira’s conservative views on social issues but there are plenty of liberal voices in Labour, the Greens, and even in his own party to counter that.
Just get ready to hold your nose either way when the time comes.
Personally (because this morning I can forecast the future) I think we are heading for one of those 1996-type elections where the remaining minorities get to determine the fate of the larger parties’ reach for power.
which Mana policy gets up your nose ad or do you just dislike Hone?
For me personally beyond the Greens and Labour they’re all a bit too odd.
FWIW I prefer to be offended by someone with principle rather than a pointless shill. The elevation in class just makes the entire experience more enjoyably visceral.
God if only the majority in the Labour caucus thought like you. They don’t. Remember when Helen Clark spoke of the Maori party as “Not even last cab off the rank”?
would you prefer Peter Dunne to sustain a Labour-Green coalition, or that guy from Mana?
Good question Ad, I would prefer Hone any day of the week. At least he works from well understood principles and has the interests of ordinary people at heart …
I’ll address ad’s question in detail later..
Which means ‘I’ll waffle about some other crap tangentially related to Ad’s question and see if I can slip in a few nasty snipes at Labour and the Greens’.
+1 mickeysavage
Remember when Helen Clark spoke of the Maori party as âNot even last cab off the rankâ?
Correct me if I’ve got it wrong Ad, but are you suggesting the Maori Party and the Mana Party are on an equal ideological footing? Although Helen Clark was savaged by all and sundry for her comment “the last cab off the rank”, time has proved she was 100% correct. The Maori Party have shown themselves to be nothing more than brown Tories who were/are happy to betray their own people for a few personal baubles and beads.
IMO Hone Harawira’s stature has increased significantly since the formation of the Mana Party (the real Maori Party) and I note David Shearer has acknowledged as much in one or two recent comments. I think it is highly likely Labour would be happy to include the Mana Party in a Labour-led coalition government.
felix – but look at who’s criticising him. A few anonymous people on a blog. No evidence presented, just ‘opinions’ used in in attack that seemingly deliberately keep ignoring clear facts.
The Q+A researchers would have been aware of what he would claim and prepared no challenge. Shane Taurima didn’t challenge it. Stuff haven’t challenged it:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7243462/Today-in-politics-Monday-July-9
I asked a different Felix (Marwick) a while ago why the MSM weren’t interested in smear campaigns on blogs.
Continued claims of things like “deceitful, manipulative weasel and a nasty piece of works” are in a small echo chamber here and reflect more on those who keep making unsubstantiated accusations.
Mate, the only small echo chamber here is you. And if TS is so lacking in influence, how come you carpet bomb the threads here every day? And one more question. If UF was in favour of asset sales, why didn’t they campaign on it? As you know, the UF literature and TV ads were silent on it and Dunne only made a couple of vague references to the issue in the entire campaign. He dishonestly allowed the belief that his one man party was opposed to the sales, when he knew that his salary depended on them going through. The man’s a weasel and a humbug.
Quite an echo-chamber for the highest-rating progressive site in the country, number three or four on the table of any blogsite, and from what I hear of Labour’s caucus, feared by all those in caucus who ought.
On cue my point is supported. Thanks.
A less patsy question would be “surely your support for the National Party’s asset sales, as they announced prior to the election, is contrary to your repeated position of keeping national in check. Or did that just apply to things National weren’t going to do anyway?”
UF (with some help from The Standard) kept National in check exactly as we said we would. UF negotiated a C&S agreement on minimum ownership (51%), National actually changed it through a cabinet decision to voting rights only, and UF enforced the agreement and had it changed back to ownership
http://yournz.org/2012/06/21/politicians-journalists-and-bloggers-fix-mom-bill/
Nice of Dunne to correct their grammar and punctuation for them.Â
Shame the essay is repulsive.Â
Remember also that Dunne wanted any single overseas owner to be able to own 15% of the shares.
The Nats, being apparently slightly less bloodthirsty than Dunne on this aspect of privatisation, managed to talk him down to 10%.
Pete, we’ve been over this plenty of times. Yes, if you look hard enough at the literal interpretation of the language you could conclude that Dunne supported privatising everything except water, kb, and rnz.
The focus however was always on saving three particular assets, not on selling the rest of them. The way this was presented is the very definition of weasel wording.
And I know you know this yourself, because it took you the best part of a day to find any references to his pro-privatisation policies when challenged.
Ah, yeah, that’s because the United Future emphasis was on United Future policy. I think you’ll find other parties tend to promote their own policies most too.
The reason why it took a while to find references was:
– it wasn’t a full time job, I fitted it in when I could
– there weren’t many references BECAUSE it was never an issue that was raised because it didn’t concern anyone then.
I have never seen any credible dispute of this. Even Ohariu People’s Power accepted this as indisputable.
If there was any evidence supporting your case don’t you think it would have been found and trumpeted loud and wide now?
You continue repeating your argument against known evidence and with no evidence to support your case.
You’re the one trying to weasel something out of nothing on this.
Pete, the evidence I’ve presented is the United Future campaign videos and print material. It is entirely consistent with everything I’ve said and you have entirely failed to even address my argument. Every time.
And enough of the bullshit about you “fitting it in” when you could. We all watched you run around madly trying to find references. You were doing it here, in public. I’ll save you the embarrassment of posting a link for now but I don’t recommend repeating such an obvious lie so soon after the event.
We all watched you run around madly trying to find references.
You’re making things up again felix. But it’s worth noting that I did find references. Something you have failed to do.
Did you go to any of Dunne’s campaign meetings? Any campaign meetings where there was a UF candidate? I expect if you had and you had evidence to back up what you keep repeating about you would have said it by now. But all you have uis your ‘opinion’.
I’m sure if Dunne was guilty of your accusations Charles Chauvel and Gareth Hughes would have been all over it, as would at least one Standard author.
But there’s nothing. Nothing from the parties. Nothing from the mainstream media. Nothing except a few anonymous repeating commenters.
I presented my evidence and my analysis and conclusions. If you disagree with my analysis then dispute the contentious aspects of it, dick.
ps I’m very pleased to learn that Pete George now considers posting on The Standard to be a waste of time and look forward to him backing up that opinion by fucking off forthwith and posthaste.
You’re making things up again felix. You’re again claiming something falsely or incorrectly.
You seem to have some intelligence and are sometimes are very pedantic with specific meanings of phrases, so my opinion tends towards deliberate misrepresentation, it’s hard to see it any other way.
It’s not a waste of time pointing this out.
pete continues yodelling in an echo-chamber…
he’ll probably do his version of bohemian rhapsody soon
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and see,
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I’m easy come, easy go,
Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter to
me, to me
marty mars
Any way the wind blows doesnât really matter to
me, to me
It does if its a fart.
But I like your choice of verse. It’s a different way to being terse.
Commenting in rhyme
Â
Might be sublime,Â
 Â
But it’s not as cathartic
 Â
As just abandoning concepts such as rhythm and style and just swearing at some fucking obtuse moronic trool.
Now THAT’S poetry.
Sure Pete.
But if this place is just an echo chamber and nothing of any consequence happens as a result of anything written here, why bother correcting me?
Becasue you keep giving me the opportunity. Thanks.
Wow. Sometimes I think you’re just taking the piss, but I’m beginning to wonder if you really aren’t aware of all these inherently contradictory statements you keep making.
How does it feel to willing spend so much time writing in a pointless meaningless echo chamber for no purpose?
“You’re making things up again felix.” Besides wishing for PGs absence, which would not make the heart grow fonder, can you think of some viable relief?
Peters Groupie You can’t even get your idol’s facts right obviuosly you didn’t watch Q&A.
Wait until I tell Dunny.
Dunny said that he had been pushing that policy in ohairyu for the past 3 elections.
Not 3 years .
Been off the air for a while….in which time I contemplated a number of mindsets that keep the rank and file in line with received wisdom no matter how unreal it is.
I saw a bit of Max Keiser on a MSM hosted talk show being accused of being a “ conspiracy theorist” for pointing out the very obvious fraudulent behavior of the Wall St bankers. Labeling somebody a conspiracy theorist is the ultimate smokescreen for the avoidance of reality by the mainstream media. And Joe Average is so bloody dumb he takes the easy route of not questioning but agreeing. Its a form of abrogation of personal responsibility to question: political power certainly does not want Joe questioning.
Then there is the pukesome Godwin crap. I see a f**scist yet I cant call them on it. Give me a break.
Yes, it seems that the only defense for the establishment is to use the CT call as some sort of way to throw the sheep off the scent, it seems to be working still, and the message was obviously given to Key, as he used the term multiple times of late.
The Keiser comments are interesting in that it shows explicitly who is really pulling the strings in the background. The cross over of finance and media working together to label as a, conspiracy theorist, Max Keiser, for commentating on the crumbling financial systems, the destruction ofwhich is the result of the greatest conspiracy every being pulled off. The irony of the MSM comments are immense, not to mention the hypocracy!
Keiser did not “invent” the stories, they are in fact happening in real time. People who use the term conspiracy theory, lack the intelligence, and or the mental strength/self esteem, to question what is in front of their face.
Jeez, various site statistics at the Standard blog hardly portray a âsmall echo chamberâ Pete, quite the reverse.
The obsequious Dunne will not be judged well in history by many New Zealanders for his sell out self serving actions.
To clarify – The Standard is a significant and significantly sized forum, the largest catering for mainly leftish views.
The âsmall echo chamberâ comment refers to a vocal but small subset of The Standard commentariat.
So it’s a small echo chamber in a large forum?
  Â
Wouldn’t that make it a cone of silence?
đ
“The âsmall echo chamberâ comment refers to a vocal but small subset of The Standard commentariat.”
Given that something like less than 1% of readers actually comment, it doesn’t matter if it’s only a “small vocal subset” of people that post any particular content here, because there’s a large readership.
Surely that’s why you keep peddling your crap here. Although I would hope that a lot of readers do what I do and skim, or skip, your comments entirely.
Petey, Petey, Petey, Petey …
Â
Your original comment this morning has generated considerable response that essentially can be categorised into two different types:
Â
1. The coiffured one may have well indicated support for MOM type privatisation but this does not mean he had to sign up to every single MOM privatisation proposal, especially the really silly ones.
Â
2. There may have been this policy in the fine print but whenever the coiffured one spoke he made it sound like he was against privatisation of strategically important assets. He then turns lap dog and lets them go through.
Â
You as a self confessed opponent of “politics as usual” and talk about “smear tactics” but then denigrate various commentators, presumably including myself, as being part of a “small echo chamber” suggesting that their thoughts are not their own without addressing their concerns.
Â
See the problem?
The problem is micky – you’ve got it wrong. You’re a part of the small echo chamber here that keeps peddling misinformation that isn’t taken seriously elsewhere.
The more you do it the more you confirm your own futility. Important people in Labour don’t even push your lines.
Can’t you try something that will actually help Labour rebuild and prepare for government? Surely that’s a party priority?
Surely you should direct your petey powers of polling perspicacity towards helping United Future achieve 1% at election time? Oh, you did. How did that go for you?
UF maintained the same number of seats and gained influence from the last election. How did that go for Labour?
I’d like to see UF support increase next time, I think that would add to the balance of parties in parliament.
I’d also like to see Labour get their act together and build a viable capability towards running the next government from 2014 or 2017 – that’s far more important for the country as a whole. So I have an interest in that too. Do you think I shouldn’t?
Labour did about 20 or 30 times better than UF, even with a reduction in support.
      Â
If anything, I think that your “interest” should be monitored as sort of a reverse pit-canary: as soon as you start extensively approving of anything controversial Labour does, they should immediately apologise and reverse course. As long as you keep providing helpful advise on how Labour should change to improve its popularity, they can’t be too far wrong.
Same as if the NBR, John Armstrong or Fran O’Sullivan start praising Labour and its policies as being “pragmatic”, “realistic”, “sensible” and “moderate”.
I do recall an Alliance comrade saying that he really knew Lab4 was off the rails when the ODT started running positive editorials about their economic policies.
Meanwhile… over at kiwiblog… Pete finally admits that he’s proper right wing….
“Of all the commenters here DPF would be as close as just about anyone to my views and aims”
Ah, but of Labour politicians I think I’m closest to David Shearer. I’d rate Kevin Hague and Julie Anne Genter, amongst those in the Greens I’ve had anything to do with. And I like Pita Sharples. I’d be happy to work with any of them.
Make what you want of that.
I make that you’re delusional.
What about current MPs excluding Dunne?
So bearing that in mind, if you sat in a room with say Farrah, Shearer, Hauge, Genter & lets throw Key in there too, which would be as close as just about anyone to your views and aims?
“I have an interest in that too”
Do you see yourself in Parliment as a labour member pete?
I think it’s unlikely I’ll be in Parliament with any party.
When I decided to get more into politics I first approached Labour. After initial contact I volunteered some outside real world experience and they didn’t get back to me.
I doubt I’ll join Labour unless they change their approach substantially, and I doubt I’m the sort of person they’d chose as a candidate, I’ve got too much practical life and business experence.
I certainly wouldn’t fit into the current Labour culture of being a negative talking point repeater.
Â
A typically hypocritical statement.
You are such a crack up Pete.
Hate to break it to you but your inability to argue and your rather strange world views would not get you within a million miles of a Labour party nomination. You are right that you are not the sort of person who would be chosen as a candidate.
As for “being a negative talking point repeater” you should read this and hundreds of other threads you have strangled the life out of and then reconsider your statement.
Pete George; “I’ve got too much practical life and business experience.”
What a hoot ! You do have too much pomposity, too much passive aggression, and too much of a view of the wonder of you. That’s about it though Petey.
lol – I just saw his line:
 Â
I suspect he was correctly identified as waaaaaaay outside the real world, hence their lack of follow-up. “oh noes, I accidentally lost his phone number”[rips paper into very small pieces]
Peters Groupie you are obviously trying to grease up the labour party so the follicle freaks can have another MP outside cabinet with the remuneration that goes with it.
PGroupie.
You could change the name of your party to .
P ontificating
U nbridled
F uckwits &
F ools&
E ndangered
R idiculed
Y awns
“UF maintained the same number of seats and gained influence from the last election.”
Bullshit. He maintained the same number of seats from the election and maintained precisely the same amount of influence from the post-election negotiations, not from the election.
ps for all this supposed influence you’ve still never listed all the awesome things he’s achieved (things that National weren’t going to do anyway) and you’ve still never listed all the Govt bills that he’s voted against, despite being asked several times.
Probably close to zero in both cases, but set the record straight anytime you like.
nononononono felix, Dunne stamped his foot over the typo in the asset sales after other people had pointed it out.
There were two bills in the last week that parliament sat that I’m aware of that Dunne supported and National didn’t:
– Phil Twyford’s depleted uranium bill
– David Clark’s holiday Mondayisation bill
But I don’t follow every vote. Do you? Or are you making things up again based on no facts?
From the Q+A interview:
And this is what happens in my experience, when I ask him whether he will support a bill or not he openly considers it in association with UF policy. Not with the policy of any other party.
I am still trying to work out Petey if you are a terribly sophisticated CT plant receiving advice from CIA and Kremlin experts in propaganda and misinformation or if you actually believe what you type …
You are an expert at running away from a debate and then making out as if it is everyone’s elses fault. Such expertise is either evidence of very sophisticated training or evidence that you exist in a different dimension to the rest of us.
You still did not answer my original proposition, nor Felix’s. Yet you accuse us of peddling misinformation. How does that work?
And I am curious, which of my lines is Labour not pushing? I would prefer that you answer my first question first though. Just to show that you are actually interested in engaging in a proper debate and not doing politics as usual …
I didn’t think your first question justified an answer, it was a very dumb question.
Not to my knowledge – it’s a stupid suggestion.
And I haven’t said anything like that.
“Not to my knowledge â itâs a stupid suggestion. “
And yet…
Oh for another PFDâPete Free Day.
Maybe PG has been inspired by CERN findings and imagines himself a âquantum commenterâ, squiggling about, able to be in two or more places at once.
Pete’s Groupie Dunne’s groupie.Pontificating Guile .
Your leaving no room for any one else’s opinion.
You haven’t learned that less is more when it comes to politics.
Does the youth of New Zealand understand what Austerity is?
When food is controlled by a Ration Book. Petrol is rationed. Clothing is either rationed or just not available. Many people are dependant on Rain Water, collected from the house roof.
Our standard of living has improved tremendously over the last 100 years but where does one “draw the line”? We cannot all lead the life of an English Gentleman. Someone has to play the part of a servant.
The envious will never be happy.
I agree john72, but it’s not just the ‘youth of New Zealand’ who have no idea what austerity or real hardship is. I think I have a better idea about it but my generation (baby boomers) is the first of the lucky generations so it’s just based on what I’ve learned from previous generations.
Life is still tough for many people, even some in New Zealand, but relative to the past we’ve never had things so good – and possibly never appreciated what we do have so little.
History will show your generation as the “luckiest generation”.
I take it guvnor, that you are not volunteering for the role?
Exactly.
Actually, no.
“Austerity” is when there is more than enough food, but most people can’t afford it.
“Rationing” is when the government ensures that nobody gets more than their fair share, so as few people as possible miss out.
     Â
Issues like child welfare and inequality aren’t races, where you’ve done well if you get a podium finish. They’re issues of constant self-improvement, like maintaining an ideal weight or exercising or minimising the sodium in your diet if that’s an issue. Why do we care? 1: they are bad. 2: like obesity or smoking, if they go on too long they fester in society and cause heart failure and collapse.
   Â
Maybe it was worse in your day. Not the issue. The issue is that it’s worse in our day: we can do much better, but we just don’t care. Like a diabetic gorging on chocolate eclairs.Â
Sounds like life as a labourer in rural NZ. Long hours working outside, but work somewhat blends into life in general (because natural systems don’t listen to or attract people with flow charts and arbitrary deadlines); wages aren’t so great, so food is rationed by budget, so is petrol and because of wage levels and relative isolation, so are clothes. Water supply is from tanks filled by rain off the roof. Cost of trucking extra in over a dry summer often isn’t an option. Workplace employment laws and law in general doesn’t extend to them. It’s a melange of applied cultural beliefs and the wishes of the local “gentry”. Forget the expectation of medical assistance, unless you’re already half dead.
Lots of people live like this and they’re young. It’s all they’ve ever known. So I don’t know what the envy comment is about. Maybe it’s you who is envious of the resources of Yoof who could make you richer at their expense, but choose not to? The greedy are never happy.
Uturn It’s good to hear things spelt out like this and probably many farming people don’t know how bad it is for many of the workers, or choose not to know. Certainly townies don’t.
Have you read about the Tolpuddle Martyrs in South England. They were tried for setting up a farm workers union on a dodgy bit of law that wouldn’t have succeeded but for the fact that the law, the landed gentry and the church were united against them. There was fire in the bellies of poor people then trying to improve their lot and they massed with huge crowds and collected funds to bring them back, all alive, from their convict sentence in Australia.
I have had a lurking feeling for some time that it is a whole different ‘lifestyle’ for the low income in the rural areas. And I noticed that the roads there seem to be used mainly by young men a lot of whom seem to be loose cannons. Certainly there are a lot of road accidents usually after drugs, alcohol etc. Life there seems a bit brutish.
I have read about marjuana being grown with vicious defence traps, but not lately. I have read about a farmer who had been robbed and for a second time some years later, took a pot shot and found that the second burglary was by the original perp who had gone to Australia, returned and gone back to stock up. He was wearing some of the farmer’s stolen clothes apparently. That was a while ago. I don’t think things have changed much, probably got worse but we aren’t hearing about it.
I have read about a man who had a project that he was spending time on, but every time he left his property parts of it were stolen. Theft like this means that you can’t create anything, make anything. It’s killing to improving your conditions and any initiative.
I have read about growing rustling. In the recent Guy case, Macdonald had been rustling deer, and what else? There is a nice comfy feeling about how helpful farmers are to each other and how they will come forward for neighbours in difficulties. But what do you do about neighbours or nearbys that are stealing from you? There are the good things but possibly just the obvious tip of an iceberg with depths of dishonesty or danger.
There isn’t much of a police presence for farmers, and I don’t think they have a good service at all, because there is such a weight of work on one or two officers it could be that rural people just don’t make formal complaints to them.
Is there a rural underclass that is growing quietly like mushrooms and is only noticed briefly when there is some bad outbreak? Such as the recent theft from tourists, who were fortunate they weren’t female (would they have been raped and perhaps then killed as has happened to other decent, trusting females expecting to be travelling in a civilised country). And perhaps women in particular should be warned about past happenings.
The outback of Australia has some feral males floating around who have committed awful crimes, and I thought we had higher standards but I’m not sure now.
Uturn
Sounds like Britain during the second World War.
I know – I lived with it in London – and we were healthier as a result.
Thanks UTurn for stating it how it is: I noted reading Trotters Bowalley Rd on the Guy trial that there is definitely an excessive rural income divide between farm owners and labourers (or so Trotter claims). He makes the point that the whole us/ them divide makes for ugly societal impacts.
Myself, I regularly employ people, every time I do its a million c.v’s, from sub 25 years olds, most of whom are in “training” (studying to be something they will never do and being saddled with a debt for the benefit of doing so) OR are working a part time minimum wage go nowhere job.
Meanwhile the “greedies” from Labour seem to think it would be a good idea to not pay superannuation for a couple of years till people are 67 because (with no evidence to support it) “we cannot afford it. Who are the “we” Mr Shearer?
Bored
And about that 65 to 67 years gap before the old age pension. If these older people can’t get a job that supports them fully, or can only do part-time work, or no work at all then the government should be paying them out of another benefit category, the unemployment or minimum income fund. That means that the government must afford it or have people begging even dying on the street.
And things got that way after Nats Ruth Richardson introduced her new slimmed down benefits and hospitals were turned into CHEs paring service centres. I seem to remember that someone was in hospital, their bed was needed so they were sent home by taxi about midnight and left by the side of the road. I think a woman had her baby by the road, or in a bus, which could always happen but is not the service we want for our vulnerable people. And poor people die before their time under the bean-counting approach to humanity.
If on unemployment these older people will have to abase themselves to these brutalised people in WINZ offices and possibly be ordered to attend courses to learn skills that if they didn’t know already, it would be too late to teach them. And then there are the draconian controls of the enemployed benefit (a Freudian slip – combining enemy and unemployed which is how attitudes are developing towards the strugglers). They need to be available to look for a job all the time, looking for a job becomes their job, yet they can’t go on holiday without asking permission which may not be granted. Particularly if your children have gone to Australia. You may have scrimped enough to get there but you have removed yourself from the job market. If your children sent you the fare and you went anyway, that money could be counted as increased income and your benefit docked to that amount. And you are registered as leaving the country when you go through the check-in so the Department finds out, and could stop your benefit. This system, allegedly caring for the low income, is equivalent to home detention though less rigid than for criminals and certainly not the treatment of the retired that is envisaged by the better off.
This is how I understand the system from anecdote and some personal experience. If someone knows differently or has an experience that sheds light on the benefit for older people, it would be interesting to read.
All sounds so familiar Prism. You get shitted on as you begin your working career, indebted up to the eyeballs with a useless “degree”. You work at Makkers to pay off that sum on minimum wages, then when your body gives out on you there is an expectation that an extra couple of years can be dragged out of you….St Peter dont you call me cos I cant go, I owe my soul to the company store” syndrome.
The real issue at hand is the failure of the economic system to provide sufficient jobs, and sufficient wage levels. In this country we generate sufficient wealth to do both, the problem we have is that we just seem far too good at distributing this wealth to the wrong people. My business’ market is shrinking because the amount of consumption drops with the number of people unemployed and the lower rates of pay: the corporate sector (including government) are buying business or overcharging my sector. Consequently I don’t employ as many people as I could.
Which is why I gave Shearer and Labour a serve: to blindly retort failed shibboleths of some Right wing think tank rather than addressing the real issues indicates Labour are still arse about face.
That’s sort of where I am now, although I have not yet turned 60… inasmuch as I’ve been informed that I have only a 20% chance of getting an office job because of my age (the leader of a course WINZ referred me to, told me that.)Â
I have the skills, I don’t have the yoof or the looks that are apparently required by any woman seeking an office job!
(Neither do I have leukaemia, which is another, weirder story.)
Um, so?
No we can’t and no we don’t. Only have to have servants in a dictatorial hierarchy.
As we keep pointing out: It’s not envy but pure, unadulterated, disgust with the greedy smucks whom you seem to worship.
There is an interesting juxtaposition of offerings on Radionz this a.m . At 10.45 there is a serial play on the beneficiary getting into work by starting your own business thing. Very funny.
And Alex Mackay, who has just published a cookbook is a chef who talks at express train speed. Cookbook for Everybody, Everyday, published by Bloomsbury about $45.
His career was the result of hard work, and looking for opportunities and taking them. Being able to express yourself well would count too. He had to leave school voluntarily or the other way. So he got started as a dishwasher in restaurants here and ended up going to France on a one way ticket. At one place he worked he was in charge of pastry, left after everyone else and no transport home, a hotel four miles away was the only bed he could get, so had to walk there. Hotel was locked up so he had to climb over the garden wall and up to his second storey bedroom. Good story, whether it’s true. He certainly has Drrive.
Also at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
11:45 Off The Beaten Track with Kennedy Warne
The latest offering in the NZ Cycle Trails network â the Motu Trails, in the Bay of Plenty, which opened a couple of months ago. There are three interconnecting trails that take a rider between Opotiki on the coast and Matawai in the Raukumara Range.
Also have a look on the site at this beautiful bridge – Newly opened Pakowhai suspension bridge over the Otara River, Opotiki.
A great pic of the Martian landscape.
Either that or national’s wet dream about conservation land đ
 Â
Good snap thoughÂ
I am always intrigued by pics of the red planet, specially the one a while back of what looked like a human type figure running among rocks on the Planet Mars, (perhaps one of the underground inhabitants caught out-side),
Whats amusing is that we seem to know what makes up the Mars ‘atmosphere’ and soil types around the ‘voyager’,
It would seem a reasonably bright suggestion to attempt to recreate the same enviroment in a dome like structure here on Earth so as to be able to test what trees, plants, crops, might grow on Mars,
If something indicates under such an experiment that it might grow up there then perhaps they should be bombing the place with seeds, such in 1000 years may just go a little toward making the place habitable…
‘human type figure’
Na, was just a rock formation
There are ethical issues, as well as practical.
  Â
Mars atmospheric pressure is much less that the pressure at which human blood boils – i.e. Â the pressure at twice the altitude of everest. And it’s pretty cold much of the time, too. So it won’t be Earth’s grain basket.
  Â
On the ethical flipside, there might still be enough water etc for bacteria to grow (not to mention the minute possibility of large subterranean life forms), and of course any seed bombardment could result in either of two “worst case scenarios”: the eradication of unique life forms; or outbreaks of untreatable alien diseases or even triffids. Either one is a bad outcome.
  Â
Not to mention the “climate change / peak oil will make it all futile!” perspective. Not entirely sure where I go to on that one yet.
 Â
Basically we’re probably looking at at least 100 years of exploration and  technology development (e.g. ion boosters or similar funky engines for inner-system navigability) to determine A) what’s there; B) what was once there; and C) if B is nothing lifelike or unpreservable, is there any point to putting anything there, anyway?
Anyone seen Mission to Mars? Fucking hilarious. One of the main characters spends a year living on Mars in a tent, flapping in the breeze, which he survives because he had plants.
Did they do the cunning hollywood get-around-the-laws-of-physics-with-one-line-of-dialogue ruse? A quick “lucky the pressure gauges on every single probe we sent here were wrongly calibrated, eh”?
Yes, he goes “it works”.Â
Nothing further in explanation was required.Â
lol
But i do recall a real mission to mars several years ago that failed because the had enteres the value for g in the wrong unit system.
Mars Climate Orbiter.Â
    Â
An Ariane 5 blew up because of a legacy (and unneeded) subsystem in some bodged-in Ariane 4 code.
   Â
I live in fear of such errors đÂ
One of the main characters spends a year living on Mars in a tent
More or less in real time from what I can remember of that soporific bit of cinema.
I only went because it had Brian De Palma’s name attached as director.
The worst thing about the whole movie was when a couple of friends and I decided “fuck it, lets go” so we stood up and the credits started rolling. Man, I felt gypped.Â
lols
Gorgeous! Wow, thanks…
BEWARE!
MINORITY NATIONAL GOVERNMENT WANTS TO RAILROAD THROUGH CHANGES TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT TO FURTHER SUIT CORPORATE INTERESTS!!
Here’s your chance to have your say!
PUBLIC MEETING: Botany MP Jami-Lee Rossâ public meeting is at 7pm on July 10 at Pakuranga Country Club, 199 Botany Road.
THINK THE AUCKLAND SUPERCITY IS A SUPER RIPOFF?
AGREE THAT THE ‘BOOKS SHOULD BE OPEN’ AND CITIZENS SHOULD GET THE ‘DEVILISH DETAIL’ ABOUT HOW MUCH PUBLIC MONIES ARE BEING SPENT ON ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’ (on consultants and private contractors – whose contracts have not been subject to any ‘cost-benefit’ analysis??
“RATEPAYERS deserve assurances that councils are spending their money wisely on services that matter to them, says Botany MP Jami-Lee Ross.”
http://www.times.co.nz/news/mp-explains-law-change.html
Submissions on The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill close on July 26. Botany MP Jami-Lee Rossâ public meeting is at 7pm on July 10 at Pakuranga Country Club, 199 Botany Road.
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE LOCAL GOVT ACT?
Here you go….
http://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/URL/RISBetterLocalGovernment-signed.pdf/$file/RISBetterLocalGovernment-signed.pdf
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
In local paper explanation given by MSD insider via txt that half desks at winz office empty on a given workday due to morale and stress-related issues.hmmm.
Hello U-turn, prism, dtb olwyn drt bored et al. I sorta missed your thoughts but at the time weighed up the benefits of having a wee caesure from the aggression on the blog between some posters. Dogs, fleas and all that.
Never a dull moment watching the impending societal train-wreck though.
Saw this Hong Kong Chinese gentleman on BBC with thousands of accumulated or repatriated Chinese art at his property. Leaning here and there were pieces “valued” at 500m stirling etc.
And that was just one of the new chinese wealthy. Im glad I ceased to measure anything about myself by the rulers I have bought or traded for in the “market”.
The chinese and other east asian ubercapitalists are gonna eat up and spit out our local grass-reared capitalists all over their paddy fields and coal mine tailings.
Ol western whitey and his colonised adherents are wising up to the neccessity of “political” “relationships” to do “business” with the mass of mainland china.
The ol proddy scot wont wanna be puttin his hand too deep into the other mans pocket..
Sam Hall Sounds possible even probable. But Dr Feelgood says don’t think of more than one negative future scenario a day to ensure your mojo keeps alive!
penny bright.
did you listen to MIke Williams and Stephen Franks this morning on 9-noon.
Franks admitted that wodney had drawn up the akl super city plan on the back of an envelope and what has happened now is that elected councillors are left out of the loop.
the departments now consider they dont have to give info to councillors and the only one with any say is the mayor.
Our whole democracy is descending into the post modern equivcalent of the inferno and alice and wonderland combined.
those fuckers have gone crazy with power and they have diverted all avenues of disclosure so that they are sealed off from the gaze of their employers.Thats you and me and all other ratepayers.
Whats needed now is transparency.
But hey it used to be but now it has been taken away.
what the fuck is going on in Godzone.
The economic recovery is upon us, well nah if you want to consider Trademe as an economic indicator things have gone from really bad to really f**king bad,
Paula Benifit is wont to chastise us all with Trademe job figures, (that’s probably coz Paula has trouble with the more complicated household labour survey),
Does appear tho that employment ads on Trademe are UP like mega-big-time, but only IF you either live or are planning on shifting to Christchurch,
Job ads on the same web-site show Auckland is down 4% and Wellington down a massive 7%, who would have thunk that the Slippery led National Government could have wrought such an economic miracle in such a short time,
The score so far, 2 F’s, the government gets a failed and the economy is even more f**ked…
How long has Trademe been doing job ads? I know it’s been a while, but I’m wondering if it’s still in the growth phase as a job exchange, as opposed to say W&I or newspaper classifieds (although similarly the latter in particular might be going down with the ship)
I couldn’t say how long Trademe has been running job ads for, what i do know is that a large % of the advertised jobs on there are filled within a week but advertised for a month,
So using Trademe as economic data as Paula Benifit is wont to do is just another form of National Government mis-information, (there’s 8000 jobs advertised on Trademe you know), further demonizing the unemployed in the eyes of those without the intelligence to understand how such a site works,
When liars like Paula use such figures of 8000 jobs listed on Trademe , at any given time only 3000 of those jobs are vacant with the lower skilled vacancies the first to be filled and the brain surgeon types jobs staying vacant the longest,
As a raw data source of jobs advertised over a period tho, Trademe is possibly an easy mode of charting economic progress, or in the case of the latest figures, economic regression…
I had a go at Patrick Gower when he pulled that crap. It was deeply disappointing (especially since he had the sheer gall to *add together* the number of “vacancies” on TM and Seek like they were mutually exclusive listings), but also kinda screamed “guess which journo hasn’t had to seriously look for work in a while?”
The market says: Everything and everybody has a price, and is for sale. Faith says: The most valuable things in our lives — good health, safe food, strong families, a clean environment, a just economy, meaningful work, access to opportunity — are beyond price, and should by right be available to us all. Our faith communities (especially, but not always exclusively, the progressive ones) have always held this light up within our culture, and it’s never been needed more than it’s needed right now.
[In America,] where over 90% of everybody has some kind of God-belief — and the overwhelming majority of them ground their political decisions in that belief — abandoning the entire landscape of faith to the right wing amounts to political malpractice. For most Americans, our religious worldviews are the epistemological soil in which every other decision we make is rooted — the basic model of reality that we use to navigate the world. When we stopped engaging people’s basic model of moral order, we effectively ceded the entire moral landscape of the nation to our enemies. It was, in retrospect, perhaps the most self-destructive error we’ve made over the past 40 years (and that’s saying something).
To our credit, a lot of our best organizers and activists are starting to realize the magnitude of this mistake. We’re paying a lot more attention these days to learning to clearly articulate progressive values, to express ourselves in explicitly moral language, and to put forward more strongly progressive frames, narratives, and future visions to counter the bankrupt conservative worldview that’s brought us to this sorry place in history.
Alternet: Six Reasons We Can’t Change The Future Without Progressive Religion
Awesome Ropata! Thanks so much..
The Government spends all its energy trying to “fix” education when it isn’t broken and ignores a real crisis! http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/housing-crisis-demands-immediate-action.html
So, weather/climate people… what’s with the jet stream moving south being the blame for the UK’s exceedingly wet summer? I get that this is true, but is it climate or weather and is it a ‘normal’ shift? What makes a jet stream shift? If it’s moved south I guess this is also to blame for an exceedingly warm early summer in central Europe?