Open Mike 10/03/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 10th, 2017 - 108 comments
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108 comments on “Open Mike 10/03/2017 ”

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  1. Muttonbird 1
    10 March 2017 at 6:20 am

    Finally the REAA has been dragged kicking and screaming to the table to address corruption in its industry.

    Agents who fail to disclose to a vendor any links with future buyers can face misconduct charges and lose their licence.

    Incredible that an industry watchdog didn’t have the will to clean up corruption like this, in a market under such inflationary stress, until the media highlighted it for the umpteenth time.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11815330

    Slow clap for the REAA, everyone.

  2. Antoine 2
    10 March 2017 at 6:25 am

    > Faced with a series of controversial on-sales cases highlighted by the Herald, REAA chief executive Kevin Lampen-Smith said yesterday his organisation was becoming more proactive in its monitoring of wrong-doing.

    Hehe go KL-S! (I know him from some time ago)

    A.

  3. Muttonbird 3
    10 March 2017 at 6:38 am

    Massive reason for the Auckland haves to vote out the do-nothing National government. They can’t get teachers for their rich kids.

    Education Minister Hekia Parata has ruled out subsidised housing – and says one problem is a reluctance from Auckland schools to hire younger teachers on permanent contracts.

    “Only the older teachers live close to schools, but the young teachers have to live miles away (two-hour commutes!) and this has a significant impact on their ability to be engaged with the school.”

    So Parata blames schools (of course, it’s in the National Party manual) for not hiring young teachers but it turns out young teachers can’t afford to live near the places they work. Parata might have missed it’s because of her own government’s inaction on housing and infrastructure, and its addiction to immigration, that we have arrived at this point.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11815312

    No wonder they sacked her.

    • Antoine 3.1
      10 March 2017 at 6:51 am

      So schools in Auckland don’t get more money for staffing, in order to compensate for the higher cost of living? (Genuine question)

      A.

      • dv 3.1.1
        10 March 2017 at 8:13 am

        Correct, no salary addition.
        Many years ago -in the country there were houses provided at low rent for teachers to teach in country schools.
        There was also a salary step you could not progress beyond until country service was completed.

        • Antoine 3.1.1.1
          10 March 2017 at 8:54 am

          Is the same true of other public sector professions?

          In the private sector I suppose most would want more money to work in Auckland.

          A.

  4. Andre 4
    10 March 2017 at 6:51 am

    An entertaining rant from a frustrated liberal fed up with those voting against their interests by voting Repug and Trump.

    https://newrepublic.com/article/140948/bluexit-blue-states-exit-trump-red-america

    • Antoine 5.1
      10 March 2017 at 7:15 am

      Probably not, but fraud and gross incompetence, yes? I in no way defend it.

      A.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1
        10 March 2017 at 8:20 am

        You just feebly attempt to minimise it instead. Does your flavour of bullshit impress people at Cabinet Club, because it doesn’t work here.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2
        10 March 2017 at 10:05 am

        Fraud is corruption you moron.

        • greywarshark 5.1.2.1
          10 March 2017 at 11:23 am

          Hey we seem to be getting into unnecessary semantics on TS more and more. Wrangling over points, stranded on a rock or a high point like some cattle, while the river or the landslide goes on around them.

          Save your energies so you’ve got some left for the next wave of malfeasance I say. There is too much worrying and wrangling, both in the Brit and USA meaning. A bit of semantics from me?

          • Once was Tim now no longer 5.1.2.1.1
            10 March 2017 at 4:19 pm

            “Hey we seem to be getting into unnecessary semantics on TS more and more.”

            Ain’t that the frikken truth! And the more it continues – destination IRRELEVANCE, and simply a place in the boudoir to look at oneself and shadows in the mirror, all moderated and peachy keen by the backlight that makes the contributor in favour look their best, whilst fading to black those that don’t present themselves at their ideological best.

    • Penny Bright 5.2
      11 March 2017 at 12:23 am

      How is the new Auditor-General Martin Mathews ‘fit for duty’?

      https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/boss-hired-ministry-transport-726-000-fraudster-not-embarrassed

      “…Harrison, also known as Joanne Sidebottom and Joanne Sharp, stole by using fake invoices to bill fake companies when she worked at the Ministry of Transport.

      In Manukau District Court today, Judge Sanjay Patel sentenced her to 43 months imprisonment on three charges to which she pleaded guilty.

      And it’s not the first time Harrison had committed fraud.

      “Ms Harrison has previous convictions for similar offending. In July 2007 she was sentenced to undertake 300 hours of community work,” Judge Patel said.

      Martin Matthews, now the Auditor-General, was the Ministry of Transport’s chief executive who hired Harrison.
      …”
      __________________________

  6. MindPilot 6
    10 March 2017 at 7:20 am

    I heard an item on rnz that the protest against rape culture to be held outside Wellington college is to moved because of threats of violence by the students. That’s appalling! And just proves the point of the protest!

    • Antoine 6.1
      10 March 2017 at 8:12 am

      Apparently the threats were from Wellington College boys using social media. School (and perhaps police) should come down on them like a ton of bricks

      A.

    • Carolyn_nth 6.2
      10 March 2017 at 8:18 am

      Article about it on RNZ website:

      The young woman leading the protest thinks the guys are probably joking. But jokes can lead to the threats being taken seriously. Makes the young protesters feel unsafe.

      And this shows that the male students making such threats, joking or not, must have some pretty poor roles models among men older than them.

      • james 6.2.1
        10 March 2017 at 10:15 am

        I have read the comments – I think they are more trolling as opposed to real threats – however the comments are, simply put, disgusting and need to be addressed by the school and the parents.

        I’d be really pissed if that was my son making comments like that.

        • mauī 6.2.1.1
          10 March 2017 at 11:15 am

          It would be nice if the school/parents publicly came out and said that any threats toward the protest would be met with punishment and that they are supportive of the protest action.

          • James 6.2.1.1.1
            10 March 2017 at 12:20 pm

            Indeed. If they disagree with the protest – they could protest the protest. But as for threats – 100% the need to know they will be held to account and should be publicly warned.

            • weka 6.2.1.1.1.1
              10 March 2017 at 2:35 pm

              I think they should be suspended. There should be zero tolerance of threats of grievous bodily harm irrespective of who is joking or not.

              This shit has gamergate written all over it. Go look up what happens eventually to women who speak out.

              There is a whole cultural sanctioning of misogyny, including sexual assault, and then harassment of women who speak out about it, and it’s bizarre beyond belief that there is even any debate about how to deal with this. But hey, Roastbusters.

  7. MindPilot 7
    10 March 2017 at 8:47 am

    Big ups to the youth organising it. Kia kaha. The protest has been moved to 4:30 at parliament grounds. Us grown ups should be there to support them. Show how the community supports them.

  8. The Chairman 8
    10 March 2017 at 9:03 am

    Winston Peters has challenged Minister for Women, Paula Bennett, to ensure the Public Service leads the way in equal pay for women.

    Mr Peters says the Crown Law office has a 39 percent gender pay gap, the Social Services Commission 27 percent and the Ministry of Education 26 percent.

    Across the Public Service the gap is 14 percent, he says.

    The official gender pay gap is 12 percent.

    The Green Party has put up a bill it believes would close the gap but Ms Bennett says legislation isn’t the way forward at this stage.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/03/paula-bennett-s-job-to-fix-gender-pay-gap-winston-peters.html

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      10 March 2017 at 10:09 am

      National will always say that legislation isn’t the way forward. They like it that their immoral actions are still legal.

      • The Chairman 8.1.1
        10 March 2017 at 10:27 am

        It will be interesting to see if public and media pressure forces Bennett to take up the challenge.

        If Bennett can’t sort out the public sector what hope is there of her ever sorting out the private sector?

        Can National afford to lose the female vote?

    • Antoine 8.2
      10 March 2017 at 3:19 pm

      Are you aware that the proposed Bill is only to provide transparency about men’s vs women’s pay, not actually to mandate that they get the same.

      A.

      • The Chairman 8.2.1
        10 March 2017 at 3:52 pm

        Regardless, it doesn’t look like National plan to do anything.

        Labour should put forward and campaign on a policy mandating an end to gender inequality within the public sector.

  9. Andre 9
    10 March 2017 at 9:04 am

    Looks like they won’t need a wall. Just having a rabid orangutan in the White House is enough to scare people off trying to get to the US.

    http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/9/14869194/trump-border-secure-illegal-immigration

    • greywarshark 9.1
      10 March 2017 at 11:34 am

      Hey don’t call orangutans rabid, they are actually very peaceful and healthy living, and shouldn’t be bad mouthed. They are pretty close to us and if we had a more stable nature without so much deviousness in our ways we would have had a happier world instead of our destructive one. They are among the apes that people have studied and are beginning to ask for personhood for.

      Trump on the other hand – is he actually a person, or a cartoon impersonation?

      • Andre 9.1.1
        10 March 2017 at 11:46 am

        I agree comparing Trump to healthy orangutans is defamation of orangutans. Admittedly I’m extrapolating what an orangutan in the final throes of a rabies infection might be like, but I have seen other other rabid animals (and left the area quickly) and it seems likely to be a fair comparison.

  10. Robert Guyton 10
    10 March 2017 at 9:11 am

    Uncolonizing our imagination (bold mine)

    “Whatever we are facing now we need to have a root system embedded in weather patterns, the presences of animals, our dreams, and the ones who came before us. Myth is insistent that when there is a crisis, genius lives on the margins not the centre. If we are constantly using the language of politics to combat the language of politics at some point the soul grows weary and turns its head away because we are not allowing it into the conversation, and by denying soul we are ignoring what the Mexicans call the river beneath the river. We’re not listening to the thoughts of the world. We’re only listening to our own neurosis and our own anxiety.”

    http://dark-mountain.net/blog/the-mythos-we-live-by-uncolonising-our-imagination/

  11. saveNZ 11
    10 March 2017 at 9:53 am

    “Some $16.3 billion in profits and investment income left this country in the year to March 2016, and Dr Rosenberg said over the past decade this had averaged more than the combined dairy and forest product exports.

    More than $2 out of every $5 – $6.8bn – went to the mainly Australian owners of New Zealand’s banks.”

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/326190/foreign-ownership-nears-50-percent

    Time to talk about a financial transaction tax!!

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1
      10 March 2017 at 10:16 am

      No, time to talk about a ban on offshore ownership.

    • mauī 11.2
      10 March 2017 at 11:03 am

      Woah that’s interesting. Imagine if we had solely a state bank (kiwibank) controlling our money supply instead of aussie owned private banks. The Government has $6.8 billion extra to play with each and every year and all of a sudden New Zealand looks like it did back in the 1950s – healthy state housing, healthy numbers of jobs, Universal Basic Incomes for everyone, healthy people and education systems.

  12. Wayne 12
    10 March 2017 at 10:02 am

    saveNZ,

    If NZ unilaterally puts an extra tax on financial transaction, it would simply feed into higher interest costs. The banks would simply see this as an additional cost of doing business in NZ compared to say Australia. In short borrowers would pay the tax.

    • saveNZ 12.1
      10 March 2017 at 10:10 am

      Hey, Wayne housing problem solved as our houses stop going up! Especially if we stop foreign investment and foreign ownership at the same time, and stop lazy immigration so that we are not outcompeted by cheap interest rates and NZ tax havens our government has so thoughfully put in place to help the rest of the world get on the property ladder in NZ. sarc.

      • KJT 12.1.1
        10 March 2017 at 11:49 am

        The banks already put an extra tax onto financial transactions.

        0.5% to 3.5% of every card transaction.

        Maybe we need an FTT, and competition! between banks to let the market work?

        Better still. Use Kiwibank properly to keep them honest. And banking profits in New Zealand. See North Dakota.

        At the moment all our tourist and dairy farming TURNOVER are exceeded by offshore profit taking.

        Capitalism at work. If Australian banks found NZ too costly to do business in, there is an opportunity for some local entrepreneurs.

      • Infused 12.1.2
        10 March 2017 at 2:12 pm

        No, they would keep going up, with the tax on as well. A tax isn’t going to stop anything. I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is the case. It might slow it down slightly, that’s about it.

        • Draco T Bastard 12.1.2.1
          10 March 2017 at 2:36 pm

          And a RWNJ comes in to tell us that Nothing Can Be Done and that it should all Just Remain The Same.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.2
      10 March 2017 at 10:18 am

      Or we could make zero interest loans available from Kiwibank.

    • greywarshark 12.3
      10 March 2017 at 11:28 am

      FTT is a minor small tax which brings in a lot because of volume. Stop bringing up old textbook answers to questions Wayne. Time that you got some new ideas instead of offering rote learning that was probably wrong when you learned it.

  13. halfcrown 13
    10 March 2017 at 10:50 am

    The claim is private enterprise can do everything better. Can it?
    I have a small urgent parcel coming from New York. It has taken 2 days to get from New York to Auckland. It arrived yesterday.

    When I phoned and asked when would I expect delivery I was told not before Tuesday if I am lucky

    A good bit of private enterprise that, 2 days from New York and 6 DAYS from Auckland to where I live not far from Auckland.

    Now back in the BAD days when the government run the socialistic parcel service called Road Services not known for their efficiency if I phoned for goods from an Auckland company before 3.00 pm I would be able to collect them at 8.0 am the following morning from their local depot. If it missed the morning run it would definitely be there in the afternoon. In those days if that happened everyone would winge how inefficient they all were and private enterprise would be so much better.
    Also no doubt the truck bringing the parcels from Auckland would have been driven by a New Zealander on a reasonable wage so he didn’t have to live in a cardboard box instead of the migrant labour we seem to have these days no doubt on the minimum wage.

    So the shit about private enterprise can do everything better is nothing but crap, because they don’t.

  14. Tautoko Mangō Mata 14
    10 March 2017 at 10:52 am

    Matt Nippert is doing an excellent job researching the involvement of Peter Thiel in NZ and surveillance in NZ. This Herald article was posted last night. I have the feeling there could be more to come.

    New Zealand spy agencies and our elite Special Air Service soldiers have long-standing commercial links with a controversial big-data company founded by surprise Kiwi Peter Thiel, the Herald can reveal.

    An investigation into Thiel’s links to New Zealand has found his firm Palantir Technologies has counted the New Zealand Defence Force, the Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications and Security Bureau as clients with contracts dating back to at least 2012.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11814904

    • greywarshark 14.1
      10 March 2017 at 11:16 am

      Good heads up Tautoko MM.

    • Anne 14.2
      10 March 2017 at 11:25 am

      Thiel’s NZ citizenship should be revoked on the grounds he obtained it by highly questionable means.

      If this story grows legs – and I think it will – then if enough NZers rise up and say essentially “get rid of him” then an incoming government will have the mandate to do exactly that?

      What I would like to know is whether the agencies mentioned were “instructed” by the Key-led government to purchase the Palantir software in the first place?

      And was the shenanagens around the granting of that citizenship and the purchase of the Palantir equipment a reason why Ian Fletcher suddenly upped and resigned before his tenure expired?

      • veutoviper 14.2.1
        10 March 2017 at 12:59 pm

        I agree that his citizenship should be revoked but it is actually quite difficult to do apparently.

        As you will recall, l I have been thumping the table here from time to time over the years about Palantir so it good that it is finally coming to light – not just in NZ but also in the US.

        Earlier this morning I actually replied to a comment on last night’s Daily Review re Matt Nippert’s last article on Thiel and Palantir.
        https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-09032017/#comment-1308274

        If you are interested in recent media articles in the US on Thiel, Palantir, Trump and US regulatory/intelligency agency connections, that reply contains links to some of these plus other replies with further links to US articles. Convoluted !

        I look forward to further revelations from Matt Nippert (with help from David Fisher apparently).

        Great investigative journalists both of them – even if the work for the Herald!

        • Anne 14.2.1.1
          10 March 2017 at 3:02 pm

          I will look at those links veutoviper but my primary interest is what was going on in NZ vis a vis Palantir and Thiel.

          For instance, I wonder how the time-lines pan out re-Ian Fletcher being head-hunted to take over the GCSB at what now looks to have been a critical period. I refer to the installation of Palantir products into the GCSB and elsewhere. (Bear in mind Fletcher had technical experience in both the public and private sectors) Then he suddenly decides to piss off before his time is up. And how does it all fit in with the “brief” visits by Thiel apparently (we’re told) to set himself up for citizenship which he obtained without going through any of the hoops everyone else has to, and in record time. And what about John Key? He definitely fits in otherwise why did he lie about Ian Fletcher’s appointment process in the first place.

          JK probably was telling the truth when he said he was stepping down as PM because he had “run out of steam” but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t another reason as well…. such as the knowledge some shit was going to hit the fan within months?

          I wish “karol” was still around because she was brilliant at the research stuff and joining all the dots but I’ll have a go when I get the time and inclination.

          • veutoviper 14.2.1.1.1
            10 March 2017 at 3:18 pm

            Karol already didresearch and an excellent post. I also did a lot of research, replies etc back then.

            About to go out, but will search it all out because I should be able to find it through my replies etc.

          • Carolyn_nth 14.2.1.1.2
            10 March 2017 at 3:27 pm

            Here’s some links to get you started.

            Karol puts Thiel’s involvement as beginning in 2009

            https://thestandard.org.nz/networks-of-influence-key-peter-thiel-the-gcsb/

            Russel Norman raised questions about it in 2013:

            http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10890189

            https://www.nbr.co.nz/palantir-prism-ck

            Hamish Fletcher wrote in 2011 about Thiel in NZ

            http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10702787

            Then further questions raised about Thiel in NZ at the beginning of February 2017

            http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/88843382/peter-thiel-citizenship-details-revealed

          • veutoviper 14.2.1.1.3
            10 March 2017 at 3:32 pm

            Further to my earlier reply advising that Karol did a detailed post and I also did a number of detailed comments back then on the NZ aspects you talk about, discussion on Palantir in NZ and Key are in my comment on 29 January 2017 here:

            https://thestandard.org.nz/peter-thiels-citizenship-and-consequent-questions-of-corruption/#comment-1293097

            Links to Karol’s post and the Q time questioning of Key re Thiel and Palantir
            are in my comment.

            My focus has been mainly on the NZ aspects; the US articles etc tend tp confirm the concerns etc re Thiel’s real motives and Palantir’s interests here.

            Also see TMM’s comment on last night’s Daily Review thread on the subject.
            https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-09032017/#comment-1308379

            Must go out. Probably more back further. Will try to find time to dig out but it will not be today.

            Cheers

            • Carolyn_nth 14.2.1.1.3.1
              10 March 2017 at 3:40 pm

              Thanks.

              Myself, I’m also waiting to see what Nippert will say in part two – he expects to be writing more articles when the rest of the OIAs he submitted throw up some more info. He’s the maestro at sifting through spreadsheets and other documentation, and drawing out the most significant bits, and then matching up info from different places.

              • Anne …
                10 March 2017 at 5:21 pm

                I haven’t started the time-lining (might not get a chance until after the week-end), but from the little bit I’ve read and recalled… I’ll stick my neck out and state the following:

                NZ was being used as an unwitting repository for international political machinations which was never about – or in the interest of – New Zealand. (Yes, our country too). It was all about the preservation of a very wealthy and powerful elite (the 1%) across the planet and they are solely responsible for the dire economic and environmental circumstances the entire world is currently experiencing.

                It is sickening that John Key and his cronies ( in particular this Peter Thiel character) were the witting facilitators of NZ’s involvement. I will go further and say: this is almost certainly the reason John Key was handed a safe National seat on a plate… and created leader and PM at the earliest opportunity. One wonders what he has been promised by way of gratitude once the “mission” was completed. We’ll find out soon enough methinks.

                Now watch the rwnjs come running to this site screaming conspiracy, conspiracy, conspiracy.

    • joe90 14.3
      10 March 2017 at 3:34 pm

      To be honest this Emory bloke is a little….. out there, but his site does cover Thiel.

      http://spitfirelist.com/tag/peter-thiel/

    • Agora 14.4
      10 March 2017 at 5:39 pm

      Thiel’s book, “Zero to One” ..

      gsl.mit.edu/media/programs/south-africa-summer-2015/…/0to1.pdf

  15. mauī 15
    10 March 2017 at 11:26 am

    Raf Manji of the Christchurch City Council on a Universal Basic Income:

  17. james 17
    10 March 2017 at 1:16 pm

    Jacinda Who?

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/03/lloyd-burr-jacinda-who-labour-s-new-duo-debuts-at-victoria-university.html

    “Labour’s new leadership team had their first ever public debut on Thursday – and it revealed Jacinda Ardern maybe isn’t as popular as everyone thinks.

    Even in the left-wing safe zone of Victoria University’s Kelburn campus, hardly any students knew who she was.”

    And this is right in her “target market”.

    • The Chairman 17.1
      10 March 2017 at 1:25 pm

      In comparison, Victoria University students turned up in their hundreds on Tuesday night to listen to Winston Peters.

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/90166384/winston-peters-draws-big-crowd-of-university-students-to-hammer-home-nz-first-policy

    • Robert Guyton 17.2
      10 March 2017 at 1:44 pm

      James? The same James that’s been crowing that Jacinda’s popularity will eclipse that of Andrew Little and collapse the Labour Party?
      James?

      • McFlock 17.2.1
        10 March 2017 at 1:46 pm

        the cognitive dissonance is strong in James…

        • adam 17.2.1.1
          10 March 2017 at 2:42 pm

          Well james supports the hitting children, so what do you expect…

          • james 17.2.1.1.1
            10 March 2017 at 3:20 pm

            smacking children, yes – hitting no.

            I hope this clears up the little meme that you are trying over the last couple of days. Starting flame wars is stupid – and that is the only thing I can see you trying to do since your comment had nothing to do with anything being discussed.

            • Robert Guyton 17.2.1.1.1.1
              10 March 2017 at 3:47 pm

              Oh, Lord! A child-smacker!

              • james …
                10 March 2017 at 4:44 pm

                No – i said I supported smacking – not that I did it. For starters my kids are all way to old.

                • Robert Guyton …
                  10 March 2017 at 6:18 pm

                  You didn’t do it? But now, you support smacking children?
                  Is that since you embraced the Act Party ideology? What made you this way, James? Will you smack your grandchildren?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 17.2.1.1.1.2
              10 March 2017 at 3:49 pm

              Trust me, if I give you a smack you will call the cops. Now explain why I didn’t assault you.

              • James …
                10 March 2017 at 4:14 pm

                I’m more a smack back guy. But whatever.

                Your ability to predict my actions seems about as qualified as a lot of our other comments (it’s not).

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  10 March 2017 at 6:27 pm

                  So you agree that (in this theoretical smacking context) I assaulted you.

                  Thanks for making my point.

            • JanM 17.2.1.1.1.3
              10 March 2017 at 3:50 pm

              Would you like to have a go at defining the difference between smacking and hitting?
              Just so as you know, the Cambridge English dictionary defines smacking thus: “smack meaning, definition, what is smack: to hit someone or something forcefully with the flat inside part of your hand”
              It would appear they would see ‘hit as a synonym – interesting, that!

              • James …
                10 March 2017 at 4:15 pm

                If you cannot work the difference out then I guess you won’t understand an argument about it.

                • Robert Guyton …
                  10 March 2017 at 6:21 pm

                  JanM is saying (I think) that smacking and hitting are synonymous by definition. Your view on the difference between smacking and hitting would be interesting, James; like to give it a go?

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  10 March 2017 at 6:29 pm

                  The “difference” is in the eye of the smackee.

                  Not the smacker. Take a moment to think about that.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  10 March 2017 at 6:49 pm

                  The difference is that some adults hit children, and they are weak and pathetic next to other adults.

                  • In Vino …
                    10 March 2017 at 8:19 pm

                    A smack is a hit with the open palm of the hand. Hit is a more general term. A smack will never be as forceful as a punch (a hit with a closed fist) but all these hits can be powerful enough to damage a small child, and I agree with the anti-smacking law.
                    Stop pretending that a smack can do no harm. Brutally delivered, it can. And when it is brutally delivered, prosecution is justified.

      • james 17.2.2
        10 March 2017 at 1:50 pm

        Yep – I still think that *might* happen – but I may well have been wrong in my initial view. Time will tell on that.

  18. Robert Guyton 18
    10 March 2017 at 1:49 pm

    James, oh James. I followed your link and read the piece:
    “Leader Andrew Little on the other hand, was recognised by almost everyone.”, says the journalist, “But don’t get me wrong – from what I saw today, I believe the pair will be a force to be reckoned with when the campaign ramps up.”

    James, James, James. Please get your Act together.

  19. Robert Guyton 19
    10 March 2017 at 1:55 pm

    David Seymour *might* win “Dick of the Year” this year (and it’s only March!)

  20. Ad 20
    10 March 2017 at 2:22 pm

    Great to see National’s flagship Land and Water Forum fall apart.

    In the last few days the following have left:
    – Forest and Bird Society
    – Federated Mountain Clubs
    – Fish and Game

    Forest and Bird society are pretty well known to be fully oppositional to this government, and are gearing up to further humiliate them in the Supreme Court about Ruataniwha Dam proposal. Fair to say they have tens of thousands of members, and so far as I know them, almost all of them vote.

    Federated Mountain Clubs is a very large conglomeration of all sorts of tramping clubs. All the way from alpine ski clubs to the Catholic Tramping Clubs.

    Fish and Game have a statutory role in licensing hunting and fishing, but have become increasingly outspoken against this government.

    This Land and Water Forum has been the flagship for Jackie Blue, led within shrinking walls by Rob Salmon, and 100% pushed by Nick Smith. In short, the primary blue-green machine for this government.

    As the real impact of these national fresh water quality standards hits home to the broader public, and the new RMA bill heads to Parliament, this Forum will be seen clearly for what it is now: a front for Federated Farmers and NZ Big Ag Inc to screw our land once more.

    • weka 20.1
      10 March 2017 at 3:42 pm

      Thanks for that. That comment would be a good post.

      • Ad 20.2.1
        10 March 2017 at 4:32 pm

        Of course; Guy. And my abjects to both.

        • Robert Guyton 20.2.1.1
          10 March 2017 at 6:26 pm

          I talked with Guy long ago about the collaborative model he’d experienced in Norway (I think it was). It was a good one, but National have not followed that model, as I believe Guy suspected all those years ago (20? 25? Can’t remember exactly). This abandonment by the significant environmental lobby is indicative, appalling, and sad. And utterly predictable and predicted. My council has heard my views about this ad nauseum and are getting them again today, as the result of this latest development. Local government is being “encouraged” to adopt the Government’s practice and many councils, such as mine, have fallen, imo, for the spin.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 20.2.1.1.1
            10 March 2017 at 7:46 pm

            “Fallen for the spin”

            Who authors the spin that they “fall” for?

            Why, they do. Malice is a thing, eh.

  21. joe90 21
    10 March 2017 at 2:43 pm

    The Tump peace dividend exceeds all expectations.
    /

    After a week of punishing airstrikes loosed on al Qaeda in Yemen that saw 40 targets go up in flames and smoke, American pilots took a breather the past two nights, watching the dust settle.

    The weeklong blitz in Yemen eclipsed the annual bombing total for any year during Obama’s presidency. Under the previous administration, approval for strikes came only after slow-moving policy discussions, with senior officials required to sign off on any action. The Trump administration has proven much quicker at green-lighting attacks.

    http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/09/trumps-ramped-up-bombing-in-yemen-signals-more-aggressive-use-of-military/?

    • weka 21.1
      10 March 2017 at 3:48 pm

      Not a real war so it doesn’t count.

    • McFlock 21.2
      10 March 2017 at 10:23 pm

      Now, having seen the trump regime for a couple of months, do we think that this bombing intensity reflects a more responsive command and control system that enables the US to fight its enemies more effectively?

      Or do we think that it simply reflects poor impulse control?

      I think the odds are in the latter.

  22. adam 22
    10 March 2017 at 2:47 pm

    Interesting piece talking about the economy. But right in the middle of this an interesting piece on what the labour party in G.B will do if elected. Goes some way to explain the people who have been attacking Corbyn. Democracy has broken out inside the labour party, and it must be quashed at any cost.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozt5uGbTBm0