Open mike 10/02/2024
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6:00 am, February 10th, 2024 - 80 comments
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- Dance Magic
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...9 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...9 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...21 hours ago - As Our Power Lessens: Published
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...1 day ago - By Any Other Name.
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...1 day ago - Bernard’s last Saturday Soliloquy for 2024
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...2 days ago - 2024 OIA stats
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...2 days ago - Climate Change: A perverse incentive
The government published its first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement yesterday, and the media has correctly noted that it is missing any plan to actually meet our target. While it hypes domestic emissions reductions so far - which have been good, but will likely get worse thanks to ...2 days ago
- Economic Bulletin December 2024
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...2 days ago - NZCTU make submission in opposition to Treaty Principles Bill
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...2 days ago
- ZB’s Power Couple
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...2 days ago - Austerity thumps GDP most since 1991
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...2 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 20-December-2024
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...2 days ago - The Hoon around the year to December 20, 2024
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...3 days ago
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The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #51 2024
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...3 days ago
- Join us at 5pm for 2024’s last Hoon
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...3 days ago - Christmas Gifts: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...3 days ago
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Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...3 days ago
- Cheeseburgers and Stunt Monkeys
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...3 days ago - MSD rejecting 220 pleas for food grants each day
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...3 days ago
- The Wing Parties’ Economic Policies.
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...3 days ago - Back on Track
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...3 days ago - Book Review: How Big Things Get Done
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This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...4 days ago - NZCTU: Minister needs to listen to the evidence on engineered stone ban
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The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...4 days ago
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Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...4 days ago - Member’s morning
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...4 days ago
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We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...4 days ago - Blaming Treasury & Labour, Willis looks for even more Austerity
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- December-24 AT Board Meeting
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...4 days ago
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Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...5 days ago - It could have been worse
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...5 days ago
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Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...5 days ago
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5 days ago - ‘Ideas Worth Saving’: A Call for Papers
Some years ago, I found myself pondering the power of literature to endure. Or at least the power of some of it to endure, while the rest vanishes in mere decades: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/look-on-my-works-ye-mighty-and-despair-the-literary-future/. I have similarly had fun with the subject in some of my short stories, such as Another Alexandria ...5 days ago - Corrections is torturing prisoners again
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...5 days ago
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New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...5 days ago
- “Better economic management”
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...5 days ago
- Shameless, clueless
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...5 days ago
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Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...5 days ago - How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...5 days ago
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In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...5 days ago - When austerity worsens public debt & cuts GDP
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...5 days ago
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The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...6 days ago
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And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...6 days ago - A Lipstick Government
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...6 days ago
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A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...6 days ago
- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...7 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...7 days ago
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I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...1 week ago - Nothing here but the shadows
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...1 week ago - The United Right: the FSU’s Continued Efforts to Undermine Academia
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Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...1 week ago
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...1 week ago - Tell me a story
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago - As Our Power Lessens: Accepted
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...2 days ago
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The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...2 days ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...5 days ago
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The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...5 days ago
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The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...1 week ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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Must be newspaper ratings time again. I have just received an offer from the NZ Herald for 4 weeks free home delivery 7 days, plus full access to premium for the same period.
They used to send me letters – offering up to 6 weeks free delivery.
I had a lot of fun 'returning to sender" with things written on the envelope like "I have all the cat box liners I need' or "If I want National Party pressers I can get them from the website" and "I would not buy your Tory buttkissing rag if it was the last paper on the planet".
It took about 2 years for them to stop sending them to me.
I have had them through the post as well, but this one was Emailed. Someone is sharing data.
Winston Peters tries to kill the "Dr Ciga-Reti" meme, by renaming him, "Jones".
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350174489/thank-you-dr-shane-jones-winston-peters-laughs-he-cannot-get-past-misnaming
Oh oh, Winnie going the same was a Joe Biden? Cognitive decline?
The thought is hanging in the air, like cigar smoke 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJafGRNvJwgd
Winston is as sharpe as a tack and very funny with it in this clip.
But important to ask about cognitive abilities in people over 75. There is a marked difference though between normal age related cognitive decline and dementia. Biden has the latter and I think Peters, the former
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/508846/special-counsel-report-on-biden-memory-is-wrong-white-house-says
Could be 'lethologica', that well-known affliction of the more senior. Not necessarily "you know, what's its name", "starts with a 'd'" -yeah, dementia, that's it.
https://healthnewshub.org/is-forgetting-words-and-names-a-sign-of-dementia/
The prefix ‘Lethe’- a river in Hades whose waters cause drinkers to forget their past.
Cheers!
Can't access your link Mac 1.
There is a very simple test for dementia called the mini mental state.
What year is this?
What place is this ?
Who is the PM?
Subject by 7 back from 100.
Peters could be in the beginning of dementia, but not being able to recall names would not be enough to conclude he is. Watch the speech. The occassional slip he makes is more a sign of age related decline. He is perfectly orientated to place and time. He manages to ad lib with great wit at times.
Are you a gerontologist?
Or a geriatrician?
No, but I have done papers in psychiatry that covered the mini mental state exam
In other words I have qualifications where dementia and cognition. and normal age related cognitive decline were covered
I thought your explanation was useful. What did this mean though?
"Subject by 7 back from 100."
Sorry another typo .. You ask the person to subtrack 7 from 100 then 7 from 93, then 7 from 86 and so on!
On the days I struggle to remember why I went into the kitchen or I forget a word or a name, I do a quick mini mental state on myself to reassure myself I am not dementing (I am not) and that it is just normal age related decline.
that’s so interesting. Do people with dementia lose the capacity to subtract backwards like that? How come?
That I cannot tell you.
I only know of the test. Its very useful and one GPs can perform without too much trouble. Of course if someone isn't able to complete the test, then further testing would be done, but it is a great rule out test.
I have no qualifications. But after eighteen years volunteering for my local Alzheimers New Zealand society I do know how problematic the likes of yourself and your half-arsed reckons are for sufferers and their families.
Why am I problematic to sufferers of Alzheimers and their families Joe90? Because I know about the mini mental state? Not a half arsed reckon, but a helpful tool to ascertain if someone has dementia. How can bthat be problematic?
This is quite irrational of you.
You are accusing joe90 of being irrational, Anker.
Or a NZFirst voter?
Didn't vote NZ First Robert.
You seem to be a supporter of the coalition Government.
Not asking for confirmation, just saying.
I voted Green for Party, Labour for local candidate.
So you did vote ACT. Even though you were aware of the misery they would heap on us.
tell me why I shouldn’t put you straight back into the ban list for making shit up about another commenter?
I’m dumping all your other comments into Trash.
Weka, Anker made no secret that she voted ACT.
then please link to where she has said that, so we can all be part of that knowledge
https://thestandard.org.nz/letting-women-speak-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/#comment-1941066
https://thestandard.org.nz/be-afraid-be-very-afraid-the-next-government-could-be-really-strange/#comment-1966148
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-04-2023/#comment-1945202
https://thestandard.org.nz/debating-with-nazis/#comment-1941043
Millsy should've ended with a question mark 🙂
https://thestandard.org.nz/letting-women-speak-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/#comment-1941066
https://thestandard.org.nz/letting-women-speak-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/#comment-1941066
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-04-2023/#comment-1944796
And remember, a vote for ACT is a vote for their manifesto, which includes the roll back of employment protections, imposition of user pays on health, privatisation and religous-isation of education, and erostion of welfare protections.
Brilliant, I had a whole lot of links up here and their vanished.
I would love Anker to front up to her barista or the supermarket worker, or the call centre workers she deals with and explain to them why they somehow deserved a three year pay freeze, the loss of the Jan 2nd public holiday and less sick leave.
your links didn’t disappear, you are in premod, you comments are all being released manually. I told you you were in premod this morning.
The problem we have now is that you have shown evidence that 6 months before the election anker said she would vote ACT. That’s not evidence that she did in fact vote ACT 6 months later.
When you put words in people’s mouths like this and use it to have a go at them, it creates an inflammatory atmosphere.
You might not care about that, the mods do. All you had to do was talk about the problems with voting ACT, rather than attacking anker.
You’re still in premod. I don’t understand why you won’t change your commenting. You seem to want to be here, you can bring political debate not just attacks, so what gives?
@ weka, a vote for ACT is a vote against the living standards of the working people of this country, a vote against public provisition of public services, a vote against civil rights, and a vote against environment regulations. Those who suppport ACT, especially those who have turned from the left. need to be made accountable.
I don’t disagree with that millsy. It’s how you do that that is the issue.
"So let’s pause for a moment to see who’s paying the papers to parade this stuff.
No surprise there.
The founder and director is Muriel Newman who was an ACT MP for nine years.
She finished in parliament in 2005.
But, by that time, it was clear that, like many other politicians, she didn’t have much grasp of the Treaty — or, apparently, much interest in understanding it.
It’s the same mentality that gave rise to Don Brash’s Orewa speech in 2004 when he argued that Māori are over-privileged."
Written by MOANA MANIAPOTO
https://www.facebook.com/photo/
in order to link to something on FB you have to click on the date/time stamp of the post and then copy and paste the URL.
As you can see, trying to copy a link from the photo doesn't work.
As long as Winston can tie his tie in a double Windsor, tie his shoelaces, and pull up his zipper (or does he use buttons?) he’ll be fine and this is just him throwing a dead cat on the table and let the media & pundits do the bouncing.
Just watched the Tucker Carlson interview with Vladimir Putin. So hidden away by NZ msm.
It provides a good explanation of why the USA (+European West) are on the wrong side of history.
Isnt it odd how many on the left hate Tucker Carlson, yet he is staunchly anti war!
very much worth a watch, particularly the historical context
enjoy peeps
https://x.com/tuckercarlson/status/1755734526678925682?s=46&t=Mb3vWtlQ9iVITzFN3xvWAQ
For those who wish to support Ukraine resist the Russian invasion
https://u24.gov.ua/
Thankyou
It wasn't hidden away on my NZ msm. It wasn't the lead story on my radio and tv but why would it be? Anyone following the news would know about it. And could follow up if interested.
Deep and meaningful discussion and analysis from it with that US media entertainment man? Maybe there'll be more attention on such an event of it not seeming to be a self-aggrandising stunt.
Well you wouldn't know would you, having not watched it. Carlson was a minor actor as Putin directed.
Liar.
It should be easy enough to demonstrate your rather bold accusation, shouldn’t it?
Happy?
Russia says former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has interviewed Vladimir Putin
[…]
8 Feb, 2024 10:43 AM
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/russia-says-former-fox-news-host-tucker-carlson-has-interviewed-vladimir-putin/ZAG5CPOPVZF7JAJM5C7IMEYARA/
Ta
Ball is in KS’s court now and I hope he’s as happy.
Peter,
you said
“It wasn't hidden away on my NZ msm. It wasn't the lead story on my radio and tv but why would it be? Anyone following the news would know about it. And could follow up if interested.”
Thanks, I feel you have explained my point perfectly “hidden”
Why wouldn’t it be the lead story…I mean it’s only about the destruction of Ukraine via a proxy war engineered by the USA, the slow reduction in power of the green back, the death of 500k Ukrainians (via NEOCONs), the loss of trade due to formation of BRICs, the selling off of public Ukrainian assets (allegedly Blackrock, Vanguard are very interested etc), the blowing of Nordstrom’s pipeline with suddenly sales of LNG from USA to Europe at about 4x the price, the absolute hate of NECONs for Russians….etc etc
We could probably save NZ government a s$&t ton of money and sack all of NZs diplomatic core replacing with an AI muppet that repeats the words “whatever Biden says”
You're the one claiming Biden made Putin do it.
One person claims he has dementia, another he is powerful jedi master.
It's been all over the MSM.
As well as reporting it, RNZ has debunked the worst of Putin's garbage here.
Putin is an uninformed fool, only listened to by the gullible. But he isn't short of malice,
Yoo
UncookedSelachimorpha (Impressive name by the way 😁)
If I know RNZ, it’s there usual lazy arsed reporting whereby they default to outside organisations such as AP or BBC (bullshit buys compliance) and pick the narrative of the NEOCONs.
you said
“RNZ has debunked the worst of Putin's garbage”
The issue is that RNZ reporting is myopic and focuses in this particular world issue only on one side (can’t even use it’s own reporters). It is not allowed to provide nuance.
It would be great to see RNZ and MSM do more of the reporting that provides both sides of the argument. Thank god for alternative media such as the following, whereby you can actually see different perspectives. These two sources for example do have different opinions . Give them a go. The “joy” is to see that things are a little more complex than our friends in MSM and RNZ would like you to believe… they hate nuance
The Duran https://rumble.com/v4cfde8-tucker-carlson-interviews-vladimir-putin.html
Triggonometry: https://www.youtube.com/live/_wyvERQjvkE?si=6QI4-pAY_Yk8R2Ie
You complain about the quality of the media, express a desire for 'both sides of the argument'….and provide a link to youtube.
Anything critical of the russian government on youtube is banned in russia, as are VPNs.
Twitter, Facebook – blocked.
Putin's regime murders and imprisons journalists, imprisons people for any protest (including 7 years jail for anti-war messages on shop pricetags) and there is no free media permitted in the country whatsoever.
Apologies for using wikipedia links – these are also all banned and cannot be seen by russians. The only political information not banned in russia is state-approved propaganda – some of which has leaked into your information sources.
UncookedSelachimorpha, thanks for taking the time to reply, I get your point of view. However you mentioned Wikipedia.
If you have not seen this interview with Glenn Greenwald and the founder of Wikipedia about its fall from grace into a CIA / FBI controlled spin machine, then I suggest you do.
We the West are meant to be the good guys, beyond such manipulative tactics.
The girls and boys down on the farm (CIA) really know how to work the Stockholm syndrome. The public end up defending their nefarious bs (perpetuated via CNN, Fox etc)
As Lyndsey Graham insinuated… We will defend Ukraine until the last Ukrainian, we will fight them over there, as we won’t have to fight them here, this is good value for money.
500,000 dead Ukrainians for what exactly? So companies like Blackrock can invest?
https://rumble.com/v33wemb-wikipedia-co-founder-condemns-it-most-biased-encyclopedia-in-history-system.html
Crazy world
"500,000 dead Ukrainians for what exactly?"
Dead because russia invaded its neighbour without cause. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be even more dead Ukrainians.
(the 500k is a russia propaganda lie, btw. Ukrainian military losses, while much lower than that, are still awful).
…and a small indication that Putin is full of shit, is his assertion in that insane interview that Poland forced Hitler to invade Poland. If you believe that, I've a Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to sell you.
Brown indulging in vindictive culture war claptrap.
From April 1, EV and plug-in hybrid drivers will have to pay road user charges (RUCs), joining other drivers in having to cover the costs of using the road.
But, in what looks like a bad April Fool’s joke, the Green Party has discovered drivers of EVs and plug-in hybrids will be paying more to use the road than people driving fossil fuel cars.
Someone driving a battery EV on a return trip between Wellington and Auckland (presumably with lots of charging stops) will pay $98.80 in RUC and a driver of a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius would pay $94.78, comprised of $72.80 in RUC and $21.98 in petrol taxes.
These figures are more than double what a driver of a Toyota Prius, non-plug-in conventional hybrid would pay for that journey, which would be just $42.92 in petrol taxes
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/greens-say-ev-drivers-being-ripped-off-as-data-reveals-they-will-pay-double-some-petrol-vehicles/MNRVCRBYYBA6JIRQCPCBE4SQHQ/
There will be no spending on any infrastructure to allow cycling across the Auckland harbour under the coalition Government, and no light rail line, either.
Transport and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown outlined the plans for a second harbour crossing today in a speech to the Committee for Auckland, an organisation of business and civic leaders.
Instead, the focus, he said, is now on “providing extra lanes for traffic” and “enhancing the existing busway”.
Previous statements by Brown have pointed in this direction, but this is the first time he has made the position clear. The minister did not say if he preferred tunnel or bridge options.
[…]
He told her he had campaigned against a pedestrian crossing with a raised speed table on Pakuranga Rd in his electorate. “I did that because it constantly slowed things down and made the network less efficient.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-plans-for-auckland-harbour-crossings-transport-minister-simeon-brown-on-more-car-lanes-nothing-for-bikes/3EDI2BOEBRHEXD4JGKKBL5QB3E/
Lefties: Yemeni Houthi, make us proud! Turn another ship around!.
Meanwhile, Houthi court: death to homos!
/
https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1367225/13-sentenced-to-death-for-homosexuality-in-yemen-source.html
Oh well then that changes everything
Bomb Yemen!bomb the women! bomb the children!somehow avoid bombing the gays!
Better thrown off the ballot than out the window, I guess.
/
Russia's election commission has rejected anti-war challenger Boris Nadezhdin as a candidate in next month's presidential vote.
Mr Nadezhdin has been relatively critical of Vladimir Putin's full-scale war in Ukraine when few dissenting voices have been tolerated in Russia.
Election authorities claimed more than 15% of the signatures he submitted with his candidate application were flawed.
He had tried to challenge this, but the commission rejected his bid.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68237791
Oh, so it was an insurrection.
Acyn
@Acyn
Trump: I think it was an insurrection caused by Nancy Pelosi.
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1755647384128790591
Can you believe it……….I am VERY skeptical….. who were they polling…..
A new political poll conducted by Curia Market Research shows a big boost for ACT as they return to double digits support.
Compared with the last Curia poll, also commissioned by New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union, in November 2023, ACT has jumped up 5.6 points to 13.7%.
National was up 2.6 points to 39.6% while Labour had dropped 0.4 points to 27.9%, according to the poll.
NZ First has dropped 1 point to 5%, and the Green Party has dropped 4.8 points to 9%.
Te Pāti Māori has dropped 1.1 points to 2.3% (-1.1% points).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350174914/national-and-act-latest-political-poll
Yes, Kat.
How many Māori, I wonder, were polled? 🙂
Yeah, Farrar's polling I'd trust the least. It's because alongside being a pollster he's a heavily partisan political activist associated with the National Party, with ACT party, and with the Taxdodger's Union which, we hear, is itself sponsored by the shadowy Atlas Network.
If you think there's no political marketing element to the way Farrar presents his polling to the media and therefore to the public on behalf of his stakeholders then you're either one of those stakeholders and lying, or you are incredibly naive.
Just saying it would be very, very useful to the anti-Maori people if some numbers came out right now showing positive support for ACT, whether those numbers are true or not.
The problem with the polling industry in NZ is that there is no way of knowing the level of corruption within certain companies. No-one even asks the question…
The lack of detail as to sample size and period …
Here it mentions the first week of February.
The significant detail is 39 to 35% approval of the government so far (25% neutral/no opine).
The rise towards ACT (13%) and decline of Green (9%) seems to be related to focus on the issue of Waitangi, rather than inequality.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/poll-shows-act-leader-david-seymour-and-party-gaining-support-after-waitangi-events/3FQWSZB3TBFCJDDRF26VTWVFIU/
Details can be found here, it seems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election
https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9443-nz-national-voting-intention-january-2024
Wild discrepancies in the same period. I wonder what an actual, impartial statistician would make of it?
RM: ACT 7.5%, Greens 15.5%
Farrar: ACT 13.7%, Greens 9%
Even without considering Farrar's corrupt and influenced position as a pollster, the major differences in results point to a polling industry which is not working well for the benefit of ordinary Kiwis.
Really the only interpretation you can take is by looking at the change between the different pollsters over time. It's the trend that matters, not a one-off result here or there.
Not that suprising, he's been in or on the news almost daily for the last few weeks… essentially his soap box now has a megaphone attached and like it or not there are a plenty of NZrs who like what hes got to say about the treaty etc.
I reckon hes decided on a stratergy of noise and disagrement wuth the Nats etc in a bid to keep Act in the news and avoid getting swallowed up / decimated next election. Seymour is alot of things but hes not stupid.
Interested to hear your descriptions of those "a lot of things" 🙂
Well, speaking from personal experience hes a very effective electorate mp… I think because he has wanted to secure his Epsom seat and make it immposible for the Nats to sink him. I reckon hes acheived that.
I'd also call him very determined to acheive his political goals and cunning enough to manipulate issues to his advantage. On one hand he worked with all parties and politicians in parliment to get the End of Life choice bill across the line on the other he is happy to manipulate very devisive issues and court various single issue groups to help build a power base. Think Groundswell and Guns.
Make no mistake hes not to be under estimated and hes been groomed for power for a long time and now hes got some he means to do something with it.
I agree with you.
Pablo again – this is rapier-sharp genius-thinking, imo:
"It is that unity that David Seymour’s racist attacks on the Treaty are aimed at. Foreign influenced and funded by well-monied rightwing outlets with international reach, Seymour’s is a type of white supremacist revanchism designed to roll back social gains made by traditionally subordinate groups under the guise of promoting “individualism” and freedom of choice. But what it really is, is an attempt to reassert white capitalist cultural, economic, political and social supremacy on everyone else, and to do that it must destroy NZ’s foundational myth by attacking and dismantling the Treaty using the argument that rather than a cooptation device designed to secure intergenerational social peace, it has created a race-based hierarchy in which Maori are granted privileges unavailable to everyone else. It is an odious project at its core, odious because it is hateful in intent and therefore hate-worthy as an approach to social issues."
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2024/02/a-nz-identity-crisis/
I think the first part of the next paragraph is needed to round off the intention of Pablo's analysis. I rate him one of the best – if not the best – political analyst in the country:
And I love this bit later in the post:
National and ACT are playing the look here game (populist settler nativism) while they deliver for the landlord class (and placing water costs on ratepayers until they are squeezed into privatisation moves).
Their real play is limiting the scope of the Waitangi Tribunal to assist them in changing OIO rules, allowing fast track consents and mining on conservation land.
Yes. All part of the global Atlas game.
Really high risk for the identity of this country if it gets to referendum because huge amounts of money will be poured into the Maori-phobic campaign.
Seymour's white supremacist ideology must be addressed before then.
It appears that the impact on inflation of the Red Sea piracy is minimal when compared to the pandemic disruption to container shipping.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2024/02/analysis-how-the-red-sea-crisis-is-turning-global-trade-upside-down-with-extra-costs-weeks-of-delays.html
Biden should do the evaluation, if Trump does the same.
And he should challenge Trump to a 100 metre race, a car race around a race track, a bike race, a swimming race, an IQ test and a knowledge of government "competence to be on Capitol Hill" test.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2024/02/doctors-call-on-joe-biden-to-take-cognitive-tests-after-string-of-recent-blunders.html
And lend credence to the witterings of a partisan hack?
Nah.
@MuellerSheWrote
BREAKING: Robert Hur was instrumental in the rush to fire Andy McCabe minutes before he retired to prevent him from getting his pension. Andy and I discuss on this Sunday's episode of Jack. Subscribe for free:
https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1756086679138619484
Why would anyone confident in their capacity to perform have a problem with an evaluation? The GOP is counting on him not doing it and this is the only way to end that narrative.
And extending that into a dig at Trump’s representation of the worst of America, fat/unfit and stupid and loud about it creates a new direction to the story.
Id be quite happy for the pair of them to be disqualified. Neither are fit for the role.
If China did this it be on the news 24/7. Cultural genocide on Gaza's educational and cultural institutions.