Open mike 09/08/2010

21 comments on “Open mike 09/08/2010 ”

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1. Bored 1

   9 August 2010 at 7:45 am

   Recently its made sense to butt out of the debate, observe and to see what the thinking is. The usual rwnjs and techno salvationists will always be with us BUT it would appear that there are more from both sides of the fence who are weighing up the evidence and changing their thinking.

   In particular this applies to the growth paradigm, and the resultant effects upon resources, the environment and climate. It has been encouraging to see the number of Standardistas who have done their homework and stated their case for the planet recently. As we get critical mass it would be nice if those lovely conservatives over at the Labour Party were to pull their head out of the present paradigmatic soup, take notice and represent some honesty on these issues to the electorate.
   • Lanthanide 1.1

     9 August 2010 at 11:23 am

     Honesty to the electorate will only happen when it is blatantly obvious that BAU cannot continue. I think that’s at least 5 years away yet. At the moment it is only “very obvious”, and only to those who think about such things, and not your average blue-collar working scraping together money to live from week to week.
2. Jenny 2

   9 August 2010 at 8:02 am

   .
   Kia Ora Gaza is raising funds to send a 6 member Kiwi team to join new Gaza aid convoy.

   The six person team is to be headed by South Auckland community worker and Queen’s Service medal winner Roger Fowler whose 25 year old son Hone is also on the team.

   If they are successful in their fund raising, the team is scheduled to leave New Zealand in mid-September to join up with the international aid mission to break the illegal blockade of Gaza.

   Follow the link for the full story:

   Kia-ora-Gaza.net

   .
   • William Joyce 2.1

     9 August 2010 at 1:37 pm

     Some questions….
     Which “illegal blockade of Gaza”? The illegal Israeli blockade?
     Or the far less mentioned but equalliy illegal Egyptian blockade?
     And how can a maritime shipment “break” the blockade?
     Don’t you mean “run” the blockade? As in contest, protest, draw attention to?
     • Jenny 2.1.1

       9 August 2010 at 7:50 pm

       .
       My understanding is that the planned convoy in September, that Kia Ora Gaza is joining, is made up of 60 ships and 500 trucks.

       From what I have heard, because of the huge amount of international interest, all the places on the 60 ship sea convoy have already been filled.

       This means that the whole Kia Ora Gaza team will be joining the land convoy.

       Accordingly, abiding by the rules of the international umbrella organisation arranging the convoys, Viva Palestina. The Kia Ora Gaza team will have to buy their own trucks and pay for the aid that is carried in them.

       This is why Kia Ora Gaza has embarked on an ambitious fund raising campaign.

       For the full story, follow the link:

       kia_gaza_dot.net

       .
3. vto 3

   9 August 2010 at 8:37 am

   On a more important note, it would seem likely, given the increasing numbers of unemployed and the increasing financial fear of the immediate future by so many, that the numbers on the various whitebaiting rivers this season will be up. More people after less whitebait equals testing riverside conduct and this is not positive.
   • gingercrush 3.1

     9 August 2010 at 10:06 am

     Whitebait war stories are always something to be favoured during the whitebaiting season. Last season was dire.
4. The Chairman 4

   9 August 2010 at 12:28 pm

   Employers may be asked to pay for welfare benefits

   More here: http://tinyurl.com/22u3ddr
5. pollywog 5

   9 August 2010 at 12:42 pm

   When even Paul Holmes can see the writing on the wall, then you know the writings on the wall…

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10664400

   …can’t wait til the October tax cuts/tax hikes kick in. I should be no better off by at least north of 50 dollars and suddenly Aussie’s gonna look that much closer

   cheers Bill and John, i’m honoured and privileged to be led in gov’t by you…no really !!!

   hmmm…I wonder if private security is a growth industry ?… cos a lot of fatcats are gonna need protecting when things get real bad, real soon

   captcha :warnings
   • jcuknz 5.1

     9 August 2010 at 7:54 pm

     You know what somebody said about emigrants to Aussie … “Raises the IQ level of both countries”
     If you think it is right then GO .. you will be doing NZ a favour.
     I went once for a visit, was offered a job which I declined, because I’d learnt that the grass is not greener over the hill/water..
   • BLiP 5.2

     9 August 2010 at 8:29 pm

     Who’s the EMA Fat Boy? David Low, I suppose.
6. The Voice of Reason 6

   9 August 2010 at 12:50 pm

   ADVANCES IN ETHNIC PROFILING.
   No.1 in a very short series.

   From a Paula Bennett press release to an Indian community organisation:

   “I know how tough the recession has been for many families in our Indian communities. Many of you run your own businesses and work hard to provide for your families.”

   http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/index.php/electionlink/4752.html
   • The Chairman 6.1

     9 August 2010 at 4:34 pm

     If business owners think crime is bad now, just wait till after this welfare reform.

     Moreover, when their customers and tenants start having their benefits cut, business return will reflect the shortfall.

     Additionally, more taxpayer funding will be directed at the increase cost of crime, while consumers will also be forced to pay more at the till to cover the added cost of crime on business.
     • ZB 6.1.1

       9 August 2010 at 10:03 pm

       Its called the unemployment benefit, so National targets benefits? Even they given up on creating employment.

       When the economy was booming, the employers were crying for skilled staff, there was a real need
       and money to put people into work.

       Now the economy and the money have dried up, the National party pulls out the same old tired slogans.

       Are National the only people that think the world hasn’t changed?

       Can they even tell from their ivory tower?

       I mean they just gave themselves a massive tax cut, miles north of $50, and so why wouldn’t they
       think the economy was great!

       National tackling the reform in welfare reform, not welfare. And what gives with that, I mean
       inter-generational welfare dependancy, child poverty crisis in NZ, so what does National do, they
       know they don’t have a clue how to actual deal with these crisises, so why not just hijack the shame
       to our nation and use the chance to bash benefitaries.

       All I can say is they better have sometime more than lowering the welfare budget!

       Absolute power corrupts absolutely, National use of urgency, now creates fictional
       welfare justifications so as to ignore real social inequity and declares it hasa political
       mandate for change – any change. Empty vaccuous change, at all costs because there will
       be huge hole in the budget in 50 years time, and they can’t even predict the economy out
       two years! National don’t do government, they don’t research, they don’t serve the people,
       they don’t even create policy good for NZ, they just do whatever their hard right neo-liberal
       faith tells them to!

       What do you call people like that?
7. just saying 7

   9 August 2010 at 2:15 pm

   No Right Turn has an excellent blog about the Welfare Working Party report. Is linking to another blog kosha admins?

   Anyway, he says a lot of things that I’d like to say but much more eloquently. I’ve already had a ‘heated discussion’ about recipients of the DPB this morning.

   Demonising the poor is a disturbingly successful strategy, and I’m waiting to see Labour’s principled response to it. I fear they too, will talk of welfare reform, and respond to the hate campaign by way of just a slightly softer boot.

   Prove me wrong…please.
   • prism 7.1

     9 August 2010 at 3:07 pm

     Will Labour be swayed or suede?
8. vto 8

   9 August 2010 at 3:02 pm

   whats the point of this post Mr Reason? Dog whistling because a white nat says something about a non-white group? Must be racist ay. Cos all white nats are racist.

   edit… this in reply to tvor at 12.50. lappy playing up
   • The Voice of Reason 8.1

     9 August 2010 at 3:33 pm

     Actually, I thought it was sort of a dog whistle from Bennett. Along the lines of ‘You all own dairies, so don’t worry about the beneficiaries. Vote National. And if you don’t own a dairy, you probably don’t work hard and provide for your family. We’re coming for you next.’

     Really, VTO, it didn’t make me think ‘racist’ except in a David Brent kind of way. It just struck me as a patronisingly pig ignorant assumption from Bennett. Not the first, of course.
9. Draco T Bastard 9

   9 August 2010 at 3:21 pm

   I don’t often go over to Lenin’s Tomb but his review his review of Toy Story 3 is well worth a read. Definitely not your typical movie review 😀
10. Armchair Critic 10

    9 August 2010 at 8:49 pm

    1. National MPs might get conscience vote on bill says Granny. That’s assuming, of course, that there are some National MPs who actually have a conscience. Sorry – couldn’t resist.
    2. How is this post called Open Mike 20100? Have we skipped ahead 18090 years and National are still in government?
    3. Granny has given me another free trial. At the end of this week she will ask me to subscribe, again. Sorry Granny, but I’m not subscribing because the quality of the journalism is not good enough. Improve, and I will subscribe. Promise. Until then, thanks for the paper Granny, it’s great for starting the woodburner every morning.

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1. The Standard: posted on 8 August 2010 at 6:00 pm

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