Note, this isn't a sudden change – it's been building for at least a decade. Le Pen's party scored 8% of the vote (in one electorate) in 2004, up to 31% (reportedly) in the most recent EU election.
Le Pen made a serious and credible challenge to the presidency in 2022 – and has continued to build support. Macron looks, much like Sunak in Britain, as though he's desperately gambling that the result will be better now (even if he loses), than if he waits.
Far-right parties are not the preferred option – or even second choice – for younger voters everywhere in Europe, analysts caution. The trend appears strongest in countries such as Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.
I was only talking about this topic with a Danish friend just last night, who, despite having lived there for decades, is still a Canadian citizen and unable to vote, but hold very firm beliefs politically. She is adamant the swing to the far right boils down to one thing- immigration, particularly immigrants who lessen the homogeny of the country. Just one anecdotal story of course, but it seems consistent with the articles written.
It doesn't help that the person arrested for attacking the Danish PM is from Poland, despite it probably not being political.
In the recent EU elections in Germany the far right party (despite being plagued with scandals) – increased their vote from the younger age group (Alternative for Germany AfD)
The AfD gained ground among younger voters, up 12 percentage points to 17% among 16-24 year olds, tying with the conservatives for most popular party in that age group, and in the former Communist East.
In France – there is also growing support for Le Pen’s RN from the younger voters.
“Polls show that French young people aged 18 – 29 are likely to massively abstain in the European ballot but, when they do vote, it is primarily for Le Pen.”
Of course, they're not all voting far right – but increased numbers of them are — and they come from the Thunberg generation – who are alleged to be more concerned with climate change than the Boomers.
I doubt that immigration is the only factor. Although the lack of integration of immigrants into their new home country has been a cause of concern for decades. The general Euro-skeptic umbrella covers a much wider set of issues.
From the above Guardian article:
“The sociologist Félicien Faury recently published Ordinary Voters, an in-depth study of the reasons behind a rapidly normalising far-right vote. “There are always two main motivations,” he said. “First is the question of the cost of living, and more broadly, economic security. Then there is the question of a rejection of immigrants and immigration. And broader than that is a rejection of, and hostility towards, racial minorities.””
Perhaps Brexit was a harbinger, rather than an outlier.
In NZ we are still in the happy position whereby two political parties still have a very strong connection with social justice. Many critics of the NZ Greens continually whine about their equal concerns with social justice as well as environmental justice and indigenous rights. It is these three prongs together which give a superstructure resistant to far right takeover. We even have a co leader vocal in support of indigenous rights in Palestine.
Germany is an example of what occurs when the choice of social justice is removed. The Greens there have totally abandoned social justice. When there is no support for social justice anywhere in the political system, fascism will rise as the only potential alternative.
Green German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has completely abandoned any pretence of social justice and we can see this in her complete subordination to Israeli propaganda.
Baerbock was speaking at a so-called Democracy Festival in Berlin, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the federal republic’s constitution, when she was confronted by citizens protesting the government’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Trying to justify Germany’s complicity, Baerbock hit back with a dose of atrocity propaganda, claiming she had seen the nonexistent rape tape during one of her at least seven visits to Israel since 7 October 2023.
“I was shown the film, which was not recorded by me or the Israeli government but by Hamas fighters with their, what are they called, GoPro cameras on their helmets,” Baerbock asserted.
“And do you know what I saw there? It was the worst thing you can imagine,” the foreign minister claimed. “I watched it because I wanted to know, because I wanted to know what happened there. And to see a woman being raped on camera.”
Thats seven trips to Israel since the start of the Israeli genocide on Palestinians. She claims to have seen actual video footage. Strangely though, this footage does not exist.
Since Israel began propagating the 7 October mass rape hoax, at no point has any official Israeli source claimed that a video exists of any rape in progress.
“From inquiries put to three bodies in the defense establishment by Haaretz, it emerges that the intelligence material collected by the police and the intelligence bodies, including footage from terrorists’ body cameras, does not contain visual documentation of any acts of rape themselves,” the Tel Aviv newspaper stated.
Thank goodness for the absolute dedication of the NZ Greens for social justice and indigenous rights and the acknowledgement that all three must be present for any coherent plan on the environment and climate. It is only this kind of politics that will hold out against fascism. As long as the Green party exists in NZ, the far right will not be able to say to the electorate, "You've tried everything else to no avail, now it's time to try us"
Germany is an example of what occurs when the choice of social justice is removed. The Greens there have totally abandoned social justice. When there is no support for social justice anywhere in the political system, fascism will rise as the only potential alternative.
Really? You are claiming that without a social justice alternative, people are motivated to vote for fascism. It seems a highly dubious argument.
Lets look at France as a counter example to Germany. There the Green party (Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) certainly has a very strong social justice agenda.
EELV leaders believe the Socialist Party is in its death throes, and they are ready to replace it with a pro-Europe, pro-social justice movement.
France is also home to the radical right in the Le Pen Rassemblement National Party.
The one which has just surged to a historically high win in the EU elections, at the same time the EELV has crashed to a historic low 5% – halving their representation).
Social justice doesn't seem to matter much to the electorate – if you look at these results.
In reality – I think that what we are seeing here is exactly the same thing we are seeing in the UK – and we saw here in 2023. Incumbent parties being 'punished' for Covid and the consequent economic strife. Unfair perhaps. But it's not something new, historically.
The UK is another example of what happens with real choice. People are flocking to independent candidates since there is little to no difference between Labour and Conservative. Both are cheerleaders for genocide and war
Do you have some evidence for this at a national level?
The poll results so far seem to show little change for any parties except Labour & Conservatives (swapping popularity). There's been a slight up-tick for the Reform Party (Farage) – but you could hardly regard him as a cheerleader for international peace.
There is a strong UK movement of tactical voting to remove tories from power in a FPTP system.
"Tactical Vote (#TacticalVote) … is a progressive grassroots campaign that encourages the British electorate to vote tactically in the general election in order to kick the Tories out of government. We’re encouraging the millions of voters who voted for progressive parties in 2019 to use your vote tactically this time around by uniting with, and voting for, the progressive candidate in your constituency who has the best chance to defeat the local Tory candidate.
We’re asking you to put party loyalties to one side and focus on the bigger picture and the consequences of five more years of a Tory government in Britain."
They had success in several regions in the local body elections. Some parts of the tactical voting movement are only endorsing candidates who commit to proportional representation.
Re the rise of the right. Tweedledee and tweedledum parties have lost the trust of the people, handing it to the extreme right. For decades policies have been neoliberal, common people are neglected, this is what we get.
Assuming that your argument that neoliberalism has resulted in a loss of trust from the people, is correct. It doesn't explain why the people would vote hard right, rather than hard left.
Or are you arguing that the neoliberalism has smeared all left-wing parties, but not all right-wing ones?
The fringe RW parties are fare better funded, far noisier, and pander to prejudice and bigotry. This panders to the worst side of human nature. The hard right wins every time at this game.
You don't think much of the intelligence of the electorate, do you.
That pesky democracy, it results in people voting for parties you don't approve of….
If you don't think that the hard left have been extremely politically noisy in Europe, I don't know what would persuade you.
Really don't think that there is any additional cost to the taxpayer from this. Whether he rents from himself, or rents from another landlord – the cost is the same.
MP’s do work long hours. When parliament is in session, they can be sitting until late in the evening, and then they start early in the morning. All MP’s, even Wellington based, should have accommodation close by, paid for by the state.
A trucky turned up at my place at 4 am this morning, he live 50 minutes away, if he's got a full day which he would during peak season he'd still be out there , alot of them sleep in there trucks , so cry me a river.
Yes, wealthy people (in which category all MPs fall, simply by virtue of their salary) have more options than poor ones.
I'm not too keen on Arena Williams flying her kids down to see her in Wellington a couple of times a month. Parliament only sits 3 days a week – and she flies home after the sitting closes. She's a backbencher – and doesn't even seem to be on any select committees – so is hardly overwhelmed with work which would keep her in Wellington.
She also is one of the MPs who claim back the expenses on owned property in Wellington (or, at least, she did so last year – and it seems unlikely that things have changed)
Yes and their far far too high salaries could be decreased by the amount that taxpayers pay for the accommodation maybe??
$160,000 plus all of the allowances and benefits they get for a back bench list MP puts them in the top 2% of salary and wage earners. It is ridiculously high for such a small country and when compared with other jobs in NZ. Also for a job with such low responsibility and low qualifications, skills and experience requirements.
Poor and low paid workers are frequently forced (or told to) move that distance or more away from where the jobs are, if they can't afford the rent locally.
When rents get really unaffordable, people are made homeless. Rising rents also force households to go without other essential items, such as healthy food and heating. Unaffordable rent can make families move often in search of a more affordable home, unsettling community connections and children’s education. High rents can push people to move further away from their jobs and places of education, increasing commuting time and making it inconvenient for people to walk, cycle, or use public transport. They can disrupt established neighbourhoods and communities, leading to gentrification.
They're all at it, from either end of the political spectrum. Go to that Stuff link, click on the "read more" button, read that to the end, and you'll see.
Mr C is our local MP and despite his being of the wrong party I'd thought he was shaping pretty well. His column in the local weekly is refreshingly free of party-politicking (unlike his Nat predecessor, whose writings were largely unreadable because of it). This revelation is a distinct disappointment.
Roper took a very unsentimental approach to the business of property management, where he saw irrational human behavior driving inefficiencies. According to Roper, landlords had “too much empathy,” which prevented them from raising rent as high as they could. As Roper once put it, “If you have idiots undervaluing, it costs the whole system.”
He went about rectifying that by deposing the human agents who controlled pricing, and instead introducing algorithms that could make less emotional decisions.
In its own words, RealPage promises to “maximize profits” with the ability to “achieve … revenue lift between 3 percent to 7 percent,” even in economic downturns. There should be no doubt that RealPage does so by consistently pushing rent increases, according to testimony from clients in several recent lawsuits. RealPage, according to one lawsuit, told clients that the data they shared would never be used “to undercut RealPage’s higher prices—doing so for too long would mean losing access to RealPage.”
Anyone else see Swarbrick vs Jones on TV1's Breakfast this morning? No contest. Chloe's hard facts against Shane's emotive logorrhea and refusal to answer any of the valid points being made.
If those charged in these cases choose to remain silent every adult in the house should be charged with manslaughter.
Not Good Enough. Charge every adult in Te Kūiti – it takes a village to raise a child.
"The Government cannot do this on its own. But the sooner we can get in and work with these families the better chance we have of preventing a child getting hurt. It truly does take a village to raise a child – the community, neighbours, non-government organisations and iwi all have an important role to play."
– Anne Tolley https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/61-little-names-on-new-zealands-roll-of-dishonour/3GY3HSKEESCRAGD7VU4YEIL5I4/
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Understanding and Expanding the Concept of the “Village” [11 March 2022]
Globally, many families face multiple adversities. These advertises may include mental illness, substance use and addiction problems, physical illness, domestic and community violence, poverty, insecure housing and war. Moreover, many of these problems are accumulative, with one problem, for example, parental mental illness, cascading into other problems, such as relationship breakdowns, unemployment and poverty. Preventing and mitigating the impact of these problems on parents and children is critical for improving population health for families now and in the future. However, no one sector or organization is in a position to address all the issues that these families may face. Hence, it is proposed that a “village approach” is needed when bringing up children.
And a local farmer who once dabbled in politics made these perceptive comments.
In 2021 he stated that the modern National Party should reimagine capitalism because social inequality was causing division, saying free market capitalism is "on the verge of destroying the planet and destabilising society". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bolger#Life_after_politics
Latest official child poverty measures: 2022/23
(February 2024; updated 28 April)
When I originally concluded this year’s update to the child poverty statistics on March 19th, I hoped that data collection and, therefore, research on social issues would remain protected. Quality data is the cornerstone of informed policy-making. However, only a little over a month later, we witnessed the scrapping and fund withdrawal from critical longitudinal studies, Living In Aotearoa (Walters, 2024) and Growing Up in New Zealand (Gerritsen, 2024) , that would provide critical insights into child poverty. The (financial) dismantling of these vital studies debilitates the capacity to generate evidence-based and actionable policy recommendations and assist the Government in achieving its short- and long-term goals, such as school attendance, education outcomes, child poverty reduction, and improvement to people’s overall well-being (Rashbrooke, 2024; RNZ, 2023; also see GUiNZ’s research outputs to see the amount of insights that are generated from this longitudinal study). https://www.cpag.org.nz/statistics/0auujx6l0f6e7fm103bmkksm2n11p5
Not Good Enough. Charge every adult in Te Kūiti – it takes a village to raise a child.
But, apparently, it doesn't take a Village to murder one. That is entirely in the hands of the people who carried out the relentless assaults, and those who were criminally complicit in their silence, but who knew, all too well, what was going on.
But, apparently, it doesn't take a Village to murder one.
Absolutely B – there but for the grace of god go you or I eh – makes one think.
The house that built Jack [8 May 2012]
"Thank you, Jack, for also showing us exactly why we, and all of New Zealand, should make what he represented that night on our doorstep our problem and reach out. Love you always.
"PS: That old saying is right: It takes a village to raise a child. We all need to be there for these children in our community.
"We can't sit in our cosy homes and tut tut and complain about this child abuse and neglect if we're not going to show them that we have had enough.
"By taking an interest. By speaking out. And by opening our homes and our hearts to these children."
So what makes them different from their peers? A good place to look for answers is within ram-raid offending, because it is one area that has been more deeply analysed after becoming a political issue.
A police study in 2022 identified 79 of the worst young ram-raiders from an examination of thousands of charges laid.
It found they all came from unstable, impoverished households with poor parenting and inconsistent role models, where they had been victims or witnesses of family violence.
They all had “poor or non-existent” engagement with school, lived in social circles where offending was normalised, and began offending between the ages of 12 and 14.
They all had fathers who were engaged with the criminal justice system, either as frequent offenders or spending time in prison.
Police said this was in line with previous studies which showed that young offenders have typically suffered abuse and neglect, came from impoverished families and had left or been stood down from school.
Lambie said evidence suggested further improvements in youth justice required a “developmental crime prevention” focus, which meant focusing on early intervention.
People with therapeutic expertise should work alongside cultural groups, NGOs and schools to help children at risk and their families.
“What we need is people in the homes teaching these people, these parents, not to bash their kids, not to yell at their kids, how to love their kids,” he said.
Maybe, there but for the grace of God, go you.
I cannot envisage any level of circumstance which would result in me abusing a child at all – let alone murdering my own children.
And, there are countless families where an adult has suffered abuse – and has been resolutely determined that their kids will never experience the same thing.
Note: I'm not equating kids off the rails as ram raiders – with the kind of utterly self-centred parenting fail that results in murdered babies.
Imho, Jimmy @8 ("terrible"; "senselessly murdered"; "justice for baby Ru!") was wallowing in it, and M Scott @8.1 led with the all-important "These murders can't be blamed on colonisation or poverty." Cannot, or must not?
I cannot envisage any level of circumstance which would result in me abusing a child at all – let alone murdering my own children.
Whereas I can envisage upbringing/circumstance combos that might sow an "utterly self-centred parenting fail" in infants (not the 'me' I am now, obviously) – this despite my limited familiarity with the (origins of) risk factors for child abuse, and only a sketchy understanding of why they are risk factors.
Every 8th homicide victim in New Zealand from 2004 to 31 March 2019 was a child
More than two thirds of the victims were aged 2 or under
Of the cases where the killer's relationship to the victim was known, 27% were mothers, 24% were fathers, and 17% were de facto partners.
Richie Poulton: The Final Interview | 1News' John Campbell [3 Oct 2023; 17 minute YouTube video]
"You can’t really undo what happens in childhood. So the experience of intense, or regular poverty situation, of circumstances, is long lasting." – Poulton
In line with the "nature loads the gun, nurture pulls the trigger" hypothesis, Poulton mentioned briefly that the biggest thing the study had taught him was that the childhood experience of poverty is extremely problematic, potentially pulling many triggers. It is hard not to believe that many of our social problems would in large part wash away in a couple of generations if we effectively ended poverty. Instead I have to listen to Mark Mitchell wanting to get tough on crime. Depressing. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-10-2023/#comment-1970546
Maybe former Social Development Minister Anne Tolley was on to something when she said "It truly does take a village to raise a child." But imagine the 'inconvenience'.
And, there are countless families where an adult has suffered abuse – and has been resolutely determined that their kids will never experience the same thing.
Abuse was/is prevalent, so being "resolutely determined" sounds wonderful. Are victims of abuse less or more likely to abuse children?
Studies such as the Growing Up in New Zealand project yield evidence-based answers. "This longitudinal study is tracking 7000 children from birth to young adulthood, to provide information about what shapes early development and how interventions might be targeted to give every child the best start in life."
The National government reduced its funding by $2m so it could work with only 2000 children, but the incoming Labour-New Zealand First government reversed that decision in 2018.
The current uncertainty over funding for the study comes amid wider fears about science funding.
Renee Liang, a consultant paediatrician based in Auckland, with a special research interest in child health and development, is/was an investigator on the project, and wrote this perceptive essay.
Why poverty in New Zealand is everyone’s concern
Liang describes poverty as a “heritable condition” that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: “It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels.”
A Kete Half Empty Poverty is your problem, it is everyone’s problem, not just those who are in poverty. – Rebecca, a child from Te Puru
…
New Zealanders still cling to the idea that we’re an egalitarian, classless society. The reality is we’re increasingly stratified. The gap between rich and poor is wider than we like to admit and it’s possible – depending on where you live and work – to avoid seeing poor families. This may be why some deny the existence, let alone the impact, of child poverty in our country.
It's also possible to avoid seeing child abuse – except in the MSM.
In 2021 he stated that the modern National Party should reimagine capitalism because social inequality was causing division, saying free market capitalism is "on the verge of destroying the planet and destabilising society". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bolger#Life_after_politics
Poverty doesn't make people kill their babies.
Thousands of poor families have loving parents who put their kids first every time.
The vast majority of people/parents, loving or otherwise, don't kill (their) babies, but consensus expert opinion has it that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse, i.e. the experience/circumstance of poverty, from infancy to parenthood, can be a contributing factor, thousands of poor, loving parents notwithstanding.
Tbh, it's a mystery to me why it is so important for you to believe that poverty isn't a risk factor for child abuse – it makes no sense (to me). Child abuse doesn't occur in a vacuum.
Contributing factors to child abuse and neglect Possible societal contributing factors
There are many deeply rooted, complicated, and interrelated societal factors that can contribute to child abuse and neglect. While we cannot list them all here, the following two factors are often identified as increasing the likelihood that child abuse and neglect will occur.
– Stresses of poverty
– Community violence
"You can’t really undo what happens in childhood. So the experience of intense, or regular poverty situation, of circumstances, is long lasting." – Poulton
Liang describes poverty as a “heritable condition” that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: “It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels.”
Environmental Factors:
– Overcrowding in the house
– Poverty or lack of opportunity to improve the family’s resources
– Family violence is present
– A non-biological adult living in the house
– Family is experiencing multiple stresses
Tbh, it's a mystery to me why it is so important for you to believe that poverty isn't a risk factor for child abuse – it makes no sense (to me). Child abuse doesn't occur in a vacuum.
TBH, it's a mystery to me why it's so important for you to believe that poverty is the greatest risk factor for people killing babies.
I can flat out guarantee that the majority of poor people don't kill their kids (you've admitted it yourself), so there has to be at least one other factor which is causing this.
And the fact, that at least half of the kids killed in NZ had a record with OT – indicates that the agency knows exactly which families have babies at greatest risk. But aren't prepared to do anything about it.
TBH, it's a mystery to me why it's so important for you to believe that poverty is the greatest risk factor for people killing babies.
Really B, there’s no need to resort to bad faith arguments – I think you know I haven’t asserted "that poverty is the greatest risk factor for people killing babies" – that's something you wrote half an hour ago. I do, however, believe and agree with the consensus expert opinion that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse.
I can flat out guarantee that the majority of poor people don't kill their kids (you've admitted it yourself), so there has to be at least one other factor which is causing this.
Not following your logic, but "at least one other factor" suggests that you might be coming around to the consensus expert opinion that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse, and that's progress.
Winning Lotto stops you being poor, it doesn't make you a good parent.
Sorry, you've lost me there – perhaps due to a misperception about the longitudinal effects of various contributing factors.
"You can’t really undo what happens in childhood. So the experience of intense, or regular poverty situation, of circumstances, is long lasting." – Poulton
Liang describes poverty as a “heritable condition” that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: “It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels.”
Love and limits
Parents have many hopes and dreams for their children’s futures. These might include getting on well with others and having friends; doing well at school; getting a good job; being able to cope with life’s challenges; contributing to the community; being a good parent; and, being mentally and physically healthy. The options are endless.
It takes at least one and preferably two loving parents (or caregivers).
Such ideal circumstances are probably the norm, although love can also be stretched thin by circumstance – if it's stretched to breaking point, that's when extended family and friends (a personal parenting support network), or even wider support (the 'village'), may be of value – at least in my experience.
Some people are inadequate parents, either temporarily/episodically or permanently. Doesn't necessarily mean they don't love their children, but something within them or their formative experiences compromises their parenting.
I'd prefer not to "Rubbish" the (inconvenient?) idea that 'it takes a village to raise a child', but we can agree to disagree – others have.
It takes a village to raise a child with a tracheostomy: Translating principles into practice [2 Oct 2022; USA]
The study's findings of high anxiety, depression and low self-esteem do not reflect individual frailty but rather fraying of the social fabric and a call to action to improve social support, gender equity and economic security. This reframing of findings motivates efforts towards improving care practices and public policies that ensure families need not ‘go it alone’.
Health Professional’s Perspective on the Health and Wellbeing of Children with a Parent or Caregiver in Prison. A Descriptive Qualitative Study [2023; NZ]
This study is based on a qualitative descriptive analysis of six semi-structured interviews with health professionals who work with children that have had a parent or caregiver in prison. The study identifies two overarching themes of “The child as a whole” and “It takes a village” that participants demonstrated were significant to the overall wellbeing of a child that has a parent or caregiver in prison, concluding with recommendations for clinical application.
The hard right rises big, so in December 2022 Ardern could have – as Macron has done today – pushed all chips into the middle and called a snap election.
Currently the left can claim Mexico, and Brazil, and somewhat Australia. Who knows maybe the UK will get there this time.
But otherwise the hard right is rising fast right across the world and progressive governments are even rarer than they used to be.
Macron and Sunak appear to have the same goal: seeing a free-fall of support on the horizon, they want to limit the damage as much as possible. To 'save the furniture'.
I doubt that Sunak will have much luck – we'll have to see if Macron was quick enough off the mark.
And in this interview, Lisa Owen's outlined the number of times Reti has declined to be interviewed since the end of March, I think. He has refused to be interviewed about 6 times – not accepting once. Coward.
Could it be that Reti is disturbed at the COC direction/actions but can't publicly speak out as that would cost him his job. So he is evading the questions.
Who would have thought that if Govt unleash the worst of the worst on public society, trying to criminalize speech, sexualise kids, create a two tier policing and justice system, essentially decriminaling sexual assault/rape, assault, and 'low level crime', invite rampant illegal migration, not building enough houses, not creating enough jobs, creating rampant inflation, considering war (ukraine) a progressive cause (Macron), witnessing public stabbings almost daily (including police men and border guards) to name just a few things, people would vote for a strongman to get rid of the rubbish.
It actually is impressive.
The Greens in Germany are fucked. Entirely fucked, as is the SPD. Dead bodies walking, like zombies.
from tweet linked below:
France: National Rally wins a historic 31.5% of the EU vote, forcing Macron to dissolve the national parliament.
Germany: AfD surges to become the 2nd largest party, liberal parties tank.
Belgium: Prime Minister resigns after his crushing defeat against the right.
Italy: Meloni's Brother of Italy wins in a historic landslide
Austria: FPÖ doubles their seats and becomes the largest party in the nation.
National's cynical pre-election promise to fund 13 cancer drugs, then to not fund them in the budget, is discussed in the linked article by Otago University professor and oncologist Christopher Jackson. He explains why it was wrong for National to specify a list of drugs that they would fund. Nicola Willis falsely claimed that the Government couldn't fund the drugs because Labour left behind a "fiscal cliff". The media should challenge her on her dishonesty, her party's manipulation of people's emotions and for giving them false hope during possibly the most devastating time in their lives.
Jackson's article includes: "….National had pledged to fund 13 new drugs and said they’d do so in their first Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said they couldn’t deliver because it would mean they’d have to change Pharmac’s operating model, and that Labour left behind a fiscal cliff…..
I want people affected by cancer in New Zealand to have better access to cancer drugs. But you can’t give big Pharmac a blank cheque, and you must have a fair process to decide how the drugs are chosen……
Willis said they had no money after Labour left a “fiscal cliff”. She argued that Labour only funded Pharmac in four-year blocks and they had to restore baseline funding. I find that argument unconvincing, as funding Pharmac in blocks is politics as usual – Jonathan Coleman did the same in the 2016 Budget and Helen Clark’s government did the same before that. It’s no secret that it’s funded this way, and it’s a typical political trick of announcing “new” funding for Pharmac when it’s really just continuing existing commitments….".
An example of the impact of National's false promise on cancer sufferers, who believed National would follow through with their pledge, is evident in this Checkpoint interview today. It is well worth listening to.
Jon Stewart makes some salient points about media being the people to hold politicians, etc to account by investigating and examining the truth. Without the media doing this that only leaves the courts to be the arbiter of cross-examination.
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This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
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Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350304814/loan-sharks-extinct-impacts-labours-crackdown-revealed
Take a bow Labour
For sure ! Quite a few have a real hate-on for Labour, even on the Standard.
Darien Fenton, had a long list Labours achievements on here , as did Mickey Savage and Louis…..
Brilliant policy, well done Labour.
We who already knew, or know now, how ACT engender fear in the General Public…. but seemingly its embedded within as well.
And the "change makers" ? 15 % ? Paul.. Henry ?! wtf….
Never had any time for Paul ..Henry. IMO the fuckwits.. fuckwit.
Well suited to ACT !
Only puzzle there is why it took the puerile little tick so long.
Fark..is this a worry ? fascist rise ?
And more far right ?
Our World does not need more far right fascists !
Seems to be a fairly wide trend in EU politics. The Scandinavian countries are also seeing the rise in far right parties.
https://nordics.info/show/artikel/populism-and-the-growth-of-the-radical-right-in-the-nordic-countries
Note, this isn't a sudden change – it's been building for at least a decade. Le Pen's party scored 8% of the vote (in one electorate) in 2004, up to 31% (reportedly) in the most recent EU election.
Le Pen made a serious and credible challenge to the presidency in 2022 – and has continued to build support. Macron looks, much like Sunak in Britain, as though he's desperately gambling that the result will be better now (even if he loses), than if he waits.
Far-right parties are not the preferred option – or even second choice – for younger voters everywhere in Europe, analysts caution. The trend appears strongest in countries such as Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/01/younger-voters-far-right-europe
I was only talking about this topic with a Danish friend just last night, who, despite having lived there for decades, is still a Canadian citizen and unable to vote, but hold very firm beliefs politically. She is adamant the swing to the far right boils down to one thing- immigration, particularly immigrants who lessen the homogeny of the country. Just one anecdotal story of course, but it seems consistent with the articles written.
It doesn't help that the person arrested for attacking the Danish PM is from Poland, despite it probably not being political.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11kyj11vjo
In the recent EU elections in Germany the far right party (despite being plagued with scandals) – increased their vote from the younger age group (Alternative for Germany AfD)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germanys-far-right-makes-strong-gains-eu-vote-despite-scandals-2024-06-09/
In France – there is also growing support for Le Pen’s RN from the younger voters.
“Polls show that French young people aged 18 – 29 are likely to massively abstain in the European ballot but, when they do vote, it is primarily for Le Pen.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/07/french-election-you-can-feel-a-shift-far-right-propaganda-is-gaining-ground-will-the-french-be-lured-by-le-pen
Of course, they're not all voting far right – but increased numbers of them are — and they come from the Thunberg generation – who are alleged to be more concerned with climate change than the Boomers.
I doubt that immigration is the only factor. Although the lack of integration of immigrants into their new home country has been a cause of concern for decades. The general Euro-skeptic umbrella covers a much wider set of issues.
From the above Guardian article:
“The sociologist Félicien Faury recently published Ordinary Voters, an in-depth study of the reasons behind a rapidly normalising far-right vote. “There are always two main motivations,” he said. “First is the question of the cost of living, and more broadly, economic security. Then there is the question of a rejection of immigrants and immigration. And broader than that is a rejection of, and hostility towards, racial minorities.””
Perhaps Brexit was a harbinger, rather than an outlier.
In NZ we are still in the happy position whereby two political parties still have a very strong connection with social justice. Many critics of the NZ Greens continually whine about their equal concerns with social justice as well as environmental justice and indigenous rights. It is these three prongs together which give a superstructure resistant to far right takeover. We even have a co leader vocal in support of indigenous rights in Palestine.
Germany is an example of what occurs when the choice of social justice is removed. The Greens there have totally abandoned social justice. When there is no support for social justice anywhere in the political system, fascism will rise as the only potential alternative.
Green German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has completely abandoned any pretence of social justice and we can see this in her complete subordination to Israeli propaganda.
Thats seven trips to Israel since the start of the Israeli genocide on Palestinians. She claims to have seen actual video footage. Strangely though, this footage does not exist.
Thank goodness for the absolute dedication of the NZ Greens for social justice and indigenous rights and the acknowledgement that all three must be present for any coherent plan on the environment and climate. It is only this kind of politics that will hold out against fascism. As long as the Green party exists in NZ, the far right will not be able to say to the electorate, "You've tried everything else to no avail, now it's time to try us"
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/german-foreign-minister-says-she-saw-nonexistent-7-oct-rape-video
This seems entirely counter-intuitive
Really? You are claiming that without a social justice alternative, people are motivated to vote for fascism. It seems a highly dubious argument.
Lets look at France as a counter example to Germany. There the Green party (Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) certainly has a very strong social justice agenda.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/the-radicality-paradox-of-the-french-greens/
France is also home to the radical right in the Le Pen Rassemblement National Party.
The one which has just surged to a historically high win in the EU elections, at the same time the EELV has crashed to a historic low 5% – halving their representation).
Social justice doesn't seem to matter much to the electorate – if you look at these results.
In reality – I think that what we are seeing here is exactly the same thing we are seeing in the UK – and we saw here in 2023. Incumbent parties being 'punished' for Covid and the consequent economic strife. Unfair perhaps. But it's not something new, historically.
The UK is another example of what happens with real choice. People are flocking to independent candidates since there is little to no difference between Labour and Conservative. Both are cheerleaders for genocide and war
Do you have some evidence for this at a national level?
The poll results so far seem to show little change for any parties except Labour & Conservatives (swapping popularity). There's been a slight up-tick for the Reform Party (Farage) – but you could hardly regard him as a cheerleader for international peace.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68079726
There is a strong UK movement of tactical voting to remove tories from power in a FPTP system.
"Tactical Vote (#TacticalVote) … is a progressive grassroots campaign that encourages the British electorate to vote tactically in the general election in order to kick the Tories out of government. We’re encouraging the millions of voters who voted for progressive parties in 2019 to use your vote tactically this time around by uniting with, and voting for, the progressive candidate in your constituency who has the best chance to defeat the local Tory candidate.
We’re asking you to put party loyalties to one side and focus on the bigger picture and the consequences of five more years of a Tory government in Britain."
They had success in several regions in the local body elections. Some parts of the tactical voting movement are only endorsing candidates who commit to proportional representation.
It hardly seems necessary. The Conservatives are tanking big time in the polls – overwhelmingly to the benefit of Labour.
Still waiting for any evidence that people in the UK are voting for Independents, at a national level, in any significant numbers.
The OP quote:
But a Conservative candidate can slip and win if the opposing vote splits between Labour and LibDems.
Labour is consistently 20 points ahead in the polls. Pretty much impossible for them not to win by a large margin
Re the rise of the right. Tweedledee and tweedledum parties have lost the trust of the people, handing it to the extreme right. For decades policies have been neoliberal, common people are neglected, this is what we get.
Assuming that your argument that neoliberalism has resulted in a loss of trust from the people, is correct. It doesn't explain why the people would vote hard right, rather than hard left.
Or are you arguing that the neoliberalism has smeared all left-wing parties, but not all right-wing ones?
The fringe RW parties are fare better funded, far noisier, and pander to prejudice and bigotry. This panders to the worst side of human nature. The hard right wins every time at this game.
You don't think much of the intelligence of the electorate, do you.
That pesky democracy, it results in people voting for parties you don't approve of….
If you don't think that the hard left have been extremely politically noisy in Europe, I don't know what would persuade you.
"The UK is another example of what happens with real choice."
?? The UK is FPP so no real choice at all. The government will be either Labour or Conservative and pretty much guaranteed will be Labour this year.
Well said Subliminal +100
Nat mp!!!! Surprize
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350304545/nz-politics-live-national-mp-tim-costley-rents-back-his-wellington-flat
Seems like a widespread practice across many parties.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300266741/parliament-lets-mps-rent-property-from-themselves-at-the-taxpayers-expense
Really don't think that there is any additional cost to the taxpayer from this. Whether he rents from himself, or rents from another landlord – the cost is the same.
Yeah but 58 kms from his house ffs? That has the best new significant road going to travel on
MP’s do work long hours. When parliament is in session, they can be sitting until late in the evening, and then they start early in the morning. All MP’s, even Wellington based, should have accommodation close by, paid for by the state.
A trucky turned up at my place at 4 am this morning, he live 50 minutes away, if he's got a full day which he would during peak season he'd still be out there , alot of them sleep in there trucks , so cry me a river.
Yes, wealthy people (in which category all MPs fall, simply by virtue of their salary) have more options than poor ones.
I'm not too keen on Arena Williams flying her kids down to see her in Wellington a couple of times a month. Parliament only sits 3 days a week – and she flies home after the sitting closes. She's a backbencher – and doesn't even seem to be on any select committees – so is hardly overwhelmed with work which would keep her in Wellington.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/518118/lobby-group-questions-mps-expenses-amid-cost-of-living-pressures
She also is one of the MPs who claim back the expenses on owned property in Wellington (or, at least, she did so last year – and it seems unlikely that things have changed)
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/350088591/more-20-mps-rent-back-their-own-homes-taxpayers-expense
But, it's all allowed under the 'rules' ….
I'd certainly be in favour of MP's expenses being tightened up in a whole lot of ways.
But any moves in that direction seem almost certain to be sunk by the vested interests in National and Labour.
Yes and their far far too high salaries could be decreased by the amount that taxpayers pay for the accommodation maybe??
$160,000 plus all of the allowances and benefits they get for a back bench list MP puts them in the top 2% of salary and wage earners. It is ridiculously high for such a small country and when compared with other jobs in NZ. Also for a job with such low responsibility and low qualifications, skills and experience requirements.
Poor and low paid workers are frequently forced (or told to) move that distance or more away from where the jobs are, if they can't afford the rent locally.
When rents get really unaffordable, people are made homeless. Rising rents also force households to go without other essential items, such as healthy food and heating. Unaffordable rent can make families move often in search of a more affordable home, unsettling community connections and children’s education. High rents can push people to move further away from their jobs and places of education, increasing commuting time and making it inconvenient for people to walk, cycle, or use public transport. They can disrupt established neighbourhoods and communities, leading to gentrification.
https://www.greens.org.nz/the_problem_unaffordable_rents
So I don't really care how 'entitled' poor Tim Costly is, when he's happy to vote for the poor getting poorer.
They're all at it, from either end of the political spectrum. Go to that Stuff link, click on the "read more" button, read that to the end, and you'll see.
Mr C is our local MP and despite his being of the wrong party I'd thought he was shaping pretty well. His column in the local weekly is refreshingly free of party-politicking (unlike his Nat predecessor, whose writings were largely unreadable because of it). This revelation is a distinct disappointment.
If he is allowed to claim it and is within the rules, what's the big deal?
Kierran McNulty also does it and I'm sure many other do too. I have no issue as long as they go by the rules.
NZ politics live: Labour’s Kieran McAnulty claims housing perk to live in his wife's apartment | Stuff
"Too much empathy" Probably be naïve to think it's not happening here.
Three Algorithms in a Room
"A growing number of industries are using software to fix prices. Law enforcers are beginning to fight back"
https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-05-three-algorithms-in-a-room/
Anyone else see Swarbrick vs Jones on TV1's Breakfast this morning? No contest. Chloe's hard facts against Shane's emotive logorrhea and refusal to answer any of the valid points being made.
Jones spoke mostly in slogans – does NZ have a political niche for this Trump wanna-be?
This is terrible. Another child senselessly murdered. And yet we are still waiting for justice for baby Ru!
Oranga Tamariki, police continue investigation into ‘violent’ death of Te Kūiti baby – NZ Herald
These murders can't be blamed on colonisation or poverty. They are a choice that is made.
One child dies every 5 weeks on average at the hands of their caregiver.
If those charged in these cases choose to remain silent every adult in the house should be charged with manslaughter.
Not Good Enough. Charge every adult in Te Kūiti – it takes a village to raise a child.
And a local farmer who once dabbled in politics made these perceptive comments.
Latest official child poverty measures: 2022/23
(February 2024; updated 28 April)
When I originally concluded this year’s update to the child poverty statistics on March 19th, I hoped that data collection and, therefore, research on social issues would remain protected. Quality data is the cornerstone of informed policy-making. However, only a little over a month later, we witnessed the scrapping and fund withdrawal from critical longitudinal studies, Living In Aotearoa (Walters, 2024) and Growing Up in New Zealand (Gerritsen, 2024) , that would provide critical insights into child poverty. The (financial) dismantling of these vital studies debilitates the capacity to generate evidence-based and actionable policy recommendations and assist the Government in achieving its short- and long-term goals, such as school attendance, education outcomes, child poverty reduction, and improvement to people’s overall well-being (Rashbrooke, 2024; RNZ, 2023; also see GUiNZ’s research outputs to see the amount of insights that are generated from this longitudinal study).
https://www.cpag.org.nz/statistics/0auujx6l0f6e7fm103bmkksm2n11p5
Apologies for all that bold text at the end – only this headline should be in bold:
Latest official child poverty measures: 2022/23
But, apparently, it doesn't take a Village to murder one. That is entirely in the hands of the people who carried out the relentless assaults, and those who were criminally complicit in their silence, but who knew, all too well, what was going on.
Absolutely B – there but for the grace of god go you or I eh – makes one think.
https://practice.orangatamariki.govt.nz/our-work/assessment-and-planning/assessments/specialist-topics/working-effectively-with-families-impacted-by-violence/
Maybe, there but for the grace of God, go you.
I cannot envisage any level of circumstance which would result in me abusing a child at all – let alone murdering my own children.
And, there are countless families where an adult has suffered abuse – and has been resolutely determined that their kids will never experience the same thing.
Note: I'm not equating kids off the rails as ram raiders – with the kind of utterly self-centred parenting fail that results in murdered babies.
Imho, Jimmy @8 ("terrible"; "senselessly murdered"; "justice for baby Ru!") was wallowing in it, and M Scott @8.1 led with the all-important "These murders can't be blamed on colonisation or poverty." Cannot, or must not?
Whereas I can envisage upbringing/circumstance combos that might sow an "utterly self-centred parenting fail" in infants (not the 'me' I am now, obviously) – this despite my limited familiarity with the (origins of) risk factors for child abuse, and only a sketchy understanding of why they are risk factors.
https://www.childmatters.org.nz/insights/risk-factors/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/child-abuse/page-5
Maybe former Social Development Minister Anne Tolley was on to something when she said "It truly does take a village to raise a child." But imagine the 'inconvenience'.
Studies such as the Growing Up in New Zealand project yield evidence-based answers. "This longitudinal study is tracking 7000 children from birth to young adulthood, to provide information about what shapes early development and how interventions might be targeted to give every child the best start in life."
Renee Liang, a consultant paediatrician based in Auckland, with a special research interest in child health and development, is/was an investigator on the project, and wrote this perceptive essay.
It's also possible to avoid seeing child abuse – except in the MSM.
Poverty doesn't make people kill their babies.
Thousands of poor families have loving parents who put their kids first every time.
These are not the families who are appearing the child abuse statistics. These are not the families who are beating their kids to death.
The vast majority of people/parents, loving or otherwise, don't kill (their) babies, but consensus expert opinion has it that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse, i.e. the experience/circumstance of poverty, from infancy to parenthood, can be a contributing factor, thousands of poor, loving parents notwithstanding.
Tbh, it's a mystery to me why it is so important for you to believe that poverty isn't a risk factor for child abuse – it makes no sense (to me). Child abuse doesn't occur in a vacuum.
TBH, it's a mystery to me why it's so important for you to believe that poverty is the greatest risk factor for people killing babies.
I can flat out guarantee that the majority of poor people don't kill their kids (you've admitted it yourself), so there has to be at least one other factor which is causing this.
And the fact, that at least half of the kids killed in NZ had a record with OT – indicates that the agency knows exactly which families have babies at greatest risk. But aren't prepared to do anything about it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300998907/57-kids-in-seven-years-our-shocking-child-death-toll
Winning Lotto stops you being poor, it doesn't make you a good parent.
Really B, there’s no need to resort to bad faith arguments – I think you know I haven’t asserted "that poverty is the greatest risk factor for people killing babies" – that's something you wrote half an hour ago. I do, however, believe and agree with the consensus expert opinion that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse.
Not following your logic, but "at least one other factor" suggests that you might be coming around to the consensus expert opinion that poverty is a risk factor for child abuse, and that's progress.
Sorry, you've lost me there – perhaps due to a misperception about the longitudinal effects of various contributing factors.
fixed
Thank you.
"it takes a village to raise a child…"
Rubbish. It takes at least one and preferably two loving parents (or caregivers).
Some people are inadequate parents, either temporarily/episodically or permanently. Doesn't necessarily mean they don't love their children, but something within them or their formative experiences compromises their parenting.
I'd prefer not to "Rubbish" the (inconvenient?) idea that 'it takes a village to raise a child', but we can agree to disagree – others have.
https://fatherandchild.org.nz/magazine/issue-16/booze-bikes-and-babes/
The Leftist Cooks give a quick history of capitalist exploitation and political corruption in Ireland. From 24 min onwards starts into the history.
How unlimited overseas investment, centralisation and post 2008 privatisation pushed small businesses to fail.
This could have been New Zealand's political recent alternative history:
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-european-election-results-2024-emmanuel-macron-snap-election-marine-le-pen-national-rally-jordan-bardella-national-assembly/
The hard right rises big, so in December 2022 Ardern could have – as Macron has done today – pushed all chips into the middle and called a snap election.
Currently the left can claim Mexico, and Brazil, and somewhat Australia. Who knows maybe the UK will get there this time.
But otherwise the hard right is rising fast right across the world and progressive governments are even rarer than they used to be.
Macron and Sunak appear to have the same goal: seeing a free-fall of support on the horizon, they want to limit the damage as much as possible. To 'save the furniture'.
I doubt that Sunak will have much luck – we'll have to see if Macron was quick enough off the mark.
We need to keep up the momentum for protests.
On Checkpoint just now – a cancer patient: At least when I'm on a hearse on the way to the cemetery, I won't bounce over any potholes!
This gaffe will destroy the CoC!
And in this interview, Lisa Owen's outlined the number of times Reti has declined to be interviewed since the end of March, I think. He has refused to be interviewed about 6 times – not accepting once. Coward.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018942040/cancer-patient-self-funding-life-extending-treatment
Could it be that Reti is disturbed at the COC direction/actions but can't publicly speak out as that would cost him his job. So he is evading the questions.
I always thought Reti was an honourable man but…
Who would have thought that if Govt unleash the worst of the worst on public society, trying to criminalize speech, sexualise kids, create a two tier policing and justice system, essentially decriminaling sexual assault/rape, assault, and 'low level crime', invite rampant illegal migration, not building enough houses, not creating enough jobs, creating rampant inflation, considering war (ukraine) a progressive cause (Macron), witnessing public stabbings almost daily (including police men and border guards) to name just a few things, people would vote for a strongman to get rid of the rubbish.
It actually is impressive.
The Greens in Germany are fucked. Entirely fucked, as is the SPD. Dead bodies walking, like zombies.
France: National Rally wins a historic 31.5% of the EU vote, forcing Macron to dissolve the national parliament.
Germany: AfD surges to become the 2nd largest party, liberal parties tank.
Belgium: Prime Minister resigns after his crushing defeat against the right.
Italy: Meloni's Brother of Italy wins in a historic landslide
Austria: FPÖ doubles their seats and becomes the largest party in the nation.
Spain: Right beating the left by 10%.
Luxemburg: First ever seat for ADR.
https://x.com/afshineemrani/status/1799941950793236879
Official numbers here
https://results.elections.europa.eu/en/
A comment from the same threat.
https://x.com/ada_lluch/status/1799970613576298753
“Tonight we took Europe back.
We got tired of Islam.
We got tired of feminism.
We got tired of climate change.
We got tired of being raped.
We got tired of squatters.
We got tired of criminals.
WE GOT TIRED OF THE LEFT!
I’ve been telling you, people are waking up!”
Is really no one reading the room?
some of us are. But a chunk of the left still seems to think a belief in righteousness is enough, despite evidence to the contrary.
The west is fucked.
It slit it's own throat.
A few left in the Antarctic scratching a living – that's it.
https://x.com/ada_lluch/status/1678571643822587904
National's cynical pre-election promise to fund 13 cancer drugs, then to not fund them in the budget, is discussed in the linked article by Otago University professor and oncologist Christopher Jackson. He explains why it was wrong for National to specify a list of drugs that they would fund. Nicola Willis falsely claimed that the Government couldn't fund the drugs because Labour left behind a "fiscal cliff". The media should challenge her on her dishonesty, her party's manipulation of people's emotions and for giving them false hope during possibly the most devastating time in their lives.
https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/cancer-patients-will-die-waiting-failed-election-promise
Jackson's article includes: "….National had pledged to fund 13 new drugs and said they’d do so in their first Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said they couldn’t deliver because it would mean they’d have to change Pharmac’s operating model, and that Labour left behind a fiscal cliff…..
I want people affected by cancer in New Zealand to have better access to cancer drugs. But you can’t give big Pharmac a blank cheque, and you must have a fair process to decide how the drugs are chosen……
Willis said they had no money after Labour left a “fiscal cliff”. She argued that Labour only funded Pharmac in four-year blocks and they had to restore baseline funding. I find that argument unconvincing, as funding Pharmac in blocks is politics as usual – Jonathan Coleman did the same in the 2016 Budget and Helen Clark’s government did the same before that. It’s no secret that it’s funded this way, and it’s a typical political trick of announcing “new” funding for Pharmac when it’s really just continuing existing commitments….".
An example of the impact of National's false promise on cancer sufferers, who believed National would follow through with their pledge, is evident in this Checkpoint interview today. It is well worth listening to.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018942040/cancer-patient-self-funding-life-extending-treatment
Jon Stewart makes some salient points about media being the people to hold politicians, etc to account by investigating and examining the truth. Without the media doing this that only leaves the courts to be the arbiter of cross-examination.