Despite the Green party very slender response to the Tiwai Aluminium Smelter controversy, and the likely hood of it being propped up by further government or Power Company subsidies. And despite the benefits accruing to the environment, and in particular the climate, if the Tiwai Smelter is allowed to close. The Green Party generally kept out of the debate.
The Green Party obviously did not want to be seen to be arguing for the closure of the smelter no matter how much the science demanded it.
But despite thier weak performance over Tiwai, the Green Party have decided to call a conference on climate change. This is tremendous news.
Despite their backpeddling overclimate change, for which their weak showing over Tiwai is just the latest manifestation. There is much that the Green Party does, that I find commendable. The Green Party are the main movers in the very powerful campaign against State asset sales. To which they have won the majority of parliament to. (Which made their silence over Tiwai so out of place. As the closure of Tiwai, as well as being a great boon to the climate, would pretty much torpedo the privatisation of Meridian Energy.)
So it is with great hope that I look forward to this parliamentary conference on climate change.
The Green Party have also announced a new initiative around public transport.
This also, is great, and I look forward to this as well. Good for them.
These are great initiatives.
It is not easy to swim against the tide.
I see that the detail for the climate change conference has yet to be announced. But I do see that it is being held in parliament on June 7 in the Legislative Council Chamber of parliament.
This is great news. All the other parties in parliament should feel obliged to send representatives to give their Party’s views on this pressing existential matter vital to all our futures.
By bringing the issue of climate change into the open, the voting public will be able to find out where all the parties stand.
This can only be a good thing.
The Labour Party in particular should be given a prominent place to lay out their position on climate change.
Personally I would love to see David Cunliffe speak for Labour on this issue. (That is if he has not been gagged).
I would also like to see Sir Peter Gluckman speak. He has been a strong advisor to the government on the need to take action against climate change.
If the major parties, Labour, National refuse to send representatives, or refuse to give civil servant Professor Gluckman leave to speak, or refuse to take part in this parliamentary conference, this in itself would be a clearer indication as to where they stand on Climate Change than if they attended and presented their views.
I have some questions:
Will the conference be open to the public to attend in any capacity?
Can the public make submissions towards the climate change conference?
Will there be a media presence?
Will the precedings be broadcast, or filmed, or otherwise recorded?
Apart from the politicians will there be any invited expert speakers?
The Greens could make a significant impact on energy use by re-instating a 40 hour working week, including closing business down on Sunday as a minimum and from Saturday lunch time as well.
Would be interesting to see the growth in energy use from allowing shops and businesses to open on weekends when that change occurred.
Such a change would benefit families and increase activity in sports, etc and reduce stress on families who would get a genuine break.
Yes Rob, National’s sort of meetings where they sell stuff off, pat each other on the back, and then have a few celebratory whiskys while laughing at pictures of poor people are much, much better. Real men of action, that lot.
Personally I would love to see David Cunliffe speak for Labour on this issue. (That is if he has not been gagged).
I think he’s still gagged Jenny.
Had a prominent member of the ABC club visit my local Labour monthly electorate meeting recently. During a discussion on Labour’s economic policies (still being formulated), this member listed the names of those colleagues who are involved in their preparation. He left out David Cunliffe. It would appear irrational vengeance for fabricated misdeeds still rules the caucus roost.
You’re kidding, right? If he’s gagged, somebody forgot to tell him, because I’ve heard him on the radio, seen him on the telly, read him in the papers and and a quick google search confirms he was fully ungagged as little as 13 hours ago:
In a celebration of human triumph over adversity. Tuhoe build for the future.
Using some of the money from their settlement for past injustices visited on them by the crown, Tuhoe are constructing a new completely sustainable headquarters as a long term asset for the generations to come.
No corporate ponzi schemes or financial wheeling and dealing this will be a real asset for their people and indeed for the wider community and the country.
All New Zealanders of good will, have cause to celebrate Tuhoe’s settlement with the crown and wish them every success with this ambitious and inspiring project.
Through all the years of brutality, theft, murder, injustice racism and unfair imprisonment inflicted on Tuhoe, Tuhoe have endured.
Much more than just environmentally friendly, Te Wharehou o Tuhoe is being built with the future in mind, to be an asset for future generations. Concerns about climate change and seismic events are incorporated into it’s structure.
The building is to be completely self sufficient.
And is being built to an exceptional international standard of care for people and the environment not attempted by anyone else anywhere in this country before. (A least not since Occupation)
TĆ«hoe Chairman Tamati Kruger said the decision to build the iwiâs new headquarters to such tough environmental standards reflects the environmental values of the TĆ«hoe people. âThough the cost may be higher initially, over the years the building will more than pay for itself. We hope itâs something that all the people of the Whakatane district will be proud of and will use as their own.â
Together with Kiwi building company Arrow International and architects Jasmax, TĆ«hoe will be trialing innovative building methods and overcoming many hurdles to meet the Living Building Challenge (LBC) guidelines, many of which are made tougher by New Zealandâs remote location.
âThis building is a lighthouse in a world awash with climate change and social inequality, it shows the way to a different future, where we value people and a healthy environment which supports life and the economy, not one at the expense of the otherâ
Jerome Partington, Jasmax
After a troubled past, Kruger says heâs excited TĆ«hoe has embraced the Living Building concept and will be creating something all New Zealanders can be truly proud of
If you have time, listen to the Radio NZ interview with the architect. Inspirational.
Meanwhile, three politicians, one of them (only just) still functioning, spray the praise around like particularly stupid tomcats marking their territory. A territory called Sycophancia….
1.) Convicted criminal and writer of some of the worst novels of the 20th century, Jeffrey Archer: “She changed this country for the better.”
2.) “She stood for British values and she was quite beautiful.”—Winston Peters, speaking on Te Karere, TV1, 10.8.13 (This only lends weight to rumours that he has started drinking again.)
3.) That piece of idiocy was immediately topped by this contribution by former MP Koro Wetere, who asserted, with a straight face: “She sold British public assets to strengthen the economy for her people.”
I see a business opportunity here: print up a big bunch of cards with the lyrics to “Ding, dong, the witch is dead” on them. Good luck getting a minute’s silence then…
John, take it easy. Everything is working out. We received your seven emails sent last night. Really, there’s no need to panic. Ferguson is on our side. He doesn’t want to go to jail either. The “smoking dope”jibe was planted. It gives the narrative sufficient tension to soothe the media plants’ desire to seem “balanced” in their reporting. People are watching now, these sorts of ruses are required. Don’t take it personally. Everyone knows that you have never smoked marijuana, except for that one time we have on film.
Fletcher is doing a “marrrrvellous” job – heh, geddit? Remember how he pulled it off? Lie to parliament then RETROSPECTIVELY change the record. Same thing here. You have the script – stick to it: “yes, mistakes were made, the law is so confusing, the people involved only ever had the best interests of New Zealand at heart, no point in going over old ground now, we’re going forward with this, national security means details can’t be discussed, the independent overview has determined no one suffered unjustifiable intrusion, no convictions were based on evidence illegally obtained, public confidence must be maintained, the law will be changed retrospectively. Also, we’re going to have one agency to handle everything and align with the Australian reorganisation”. Game over.
The only difficulty we are having with Operation Privatise NZ Security is when you do not stick to the script. What was that about a “long history” of supporting allies – what??? Pull your head in, stop panicking, and stick to the script. By the time you get home, the idea will have been planted into the public consciousness that the matter has been dealt with and now its just a case of going through the process. We have plans for another major story to “break” just before your return home and the chooks will be off chasing that. No need to fill you in at this stage but, rest assured, the situation is under control.
Get some sleep, see some sights, take your meds, practise your lines, and don’t speak to the media without checking your cell phone first.
Had a great long chuckle te other day when I heard a North Island iwi bemoaning the unfairness of the first-in-first-served principle that operates under the Resource Management Act in allocation of New Zealand’s natural resources.
Perhaps they had simply forgotten that the same principle underlies their own various, upheld, claims to New Zealand’s resources.
All the more reason to get behind the Wellington Benefit Rights service which has just become a registered charity : ) Laws may change, but the advocates endure…
There was a lot of rhetoric about the changes and claims the Government didn’t care, Bennett said, “I recognise that these are people’s lives and that they are living them in reality”. Well TG for that.
In this morningâs Herald she says, â⊠I think living on the full DPB is hard. I donât know how you can live on 50%.â
Yet Paula Bennettâs welfare reforms are the very vehicle by which more and more people are being sanctioned.
Sanctions can mean having your benefit cut by 50%, losing it altogether â or never being granted assistance in the first place.
The governmentâs own figures show that over the last six months an average 4,654 beneficiaries a month have had at least half their benefit taken from them, or had it cut completely.
Last month, in March 2013, 5,600 people were officially sanctioned.
National loves her. Sheâs doing a much better job than Jenny Shipley ever did at fronting harsh welfare changes.
Much better to have a Maori woman, a former solo mum, taking the lead, than a former school teacher from the white South Island heartlands.
And Bennett knows what sheâs doing.
She knows it even more than someone like Shipley, which makes her leadership role in this even worse. Paula Bennettâs seeming naivety and smiling, bubbly front mask a long, deep commitment to Nationalâs ideology â a belief in helping the already-rich get richer while the poor are forced into ever deeper poverty, no matter the downstream social and economic costs.
Iâm no psychologist, but Iâm sure thereâs a name for the psychopathy she so evidently displays â a complete disconnect between âcaring for peopleâ and the ideological principles which drive her political career.
freedom: Chilling statement from Bradley more so since the State is determined to not only with-hold disclosure of his statement, but the State is determined to find him guilty of all charges including “aiding the enemy.”
A man showing great courage and integrity under fire from his own country.
There is a great no-holds-barred section against the cowardice of the MSM and the people who staff it. A section which every journalist should make themselves watch, then go sit quietly for a few minutes and ponder.
i won’t mark a timestamp because it is best you watch the panel discussion in its entirety đ
Queenstown is changing its Council services delivery structure back in house. Comment was that some employees connected with Council-owned businesses had been spending too much time and money doing things they wanted rather than what the ratepayers wanted?? Sounds like blaming the workers who were just following the style that the old management had created.. Former Nat who became Mayor Warren (Mini) Cooper thinks its a good idea and is positive about it.
This fits in with my earlier expressed observation that being Right means you never say you have been wrong. Or you look for someone to blame for ineffective outcomes. Reminds me of The Simpsons where Homer confided his methods of dealing with criticism – he just looked for the newest immigrant worker with poor English capacity and blamed it on him. That’s how incompetents manage to survive.
This fits in with my earlier expressed observation that being Right means you never say you have been wrong.
Exactly and because these idiots never get held to account they never learn from their mistakes and so they go through life making the same mistake again and again and again and we’re the ones that end up paying for them.
Let’s be clear though, it’s not limited to politicians but it does seem to be a prerequisite for anyone wanting to climb a ‘corporatists’ ladder.
Next thing ya know these buffons will be promoting themselves as ‘change agents’. I notice elsewhere the corporatists are about to trot out the ‘kaizen’ buzz again (in the name if fishincy n fektivniss n produktivtee). It’s a shame those that initiate the buzz don’t seem to see the need to abide by it themselves – though I have to admit, they are the new Royalty after all!
Bearing in mind as well we currently have lots of baby boomers running businesses who are no longer building a business but a looking to maximise (loot) the last vestiges of profit from them for their retirement.
Low wages, youth rates, etc plays into their hands quite nicely.
Let’s not think that they are there for the long term.
fec,
from Morning Report;
Yep! Maori people committing offences are disproportionately prosecuted compared to non-maori, (30-40% more ) except for a “creeping” of the same “suggestion of a systematic bias” effect for Pasifika. Very little improvement concerning this matter since report in the 80s; let us be Blunt, James, effectively the MOJ and and related blue-tooth agencies are racist. Funnily enough felix, it was the MOJ hacked next.
Yep! Child Poverty in NZ has hovered between 20-25% now for over 20 years.
“-a persistent significant Public Health issue.
-these are (revolving) cohorts now spread across decades (penetrating into the present adult populations, with concomitant health, educational etc issues).
-compounding economic cost will eventually be unaffordable
–requires a societal response, like tobacco, (yet that in itself may take decades).
-Julie Peters, College of Public Health.
National Radio at 12:00 says Mr Key admits that he mislead the public in that he knew in July 2012 of the illegal nature of GCSB and not September 2012 as he publicly said. Throws into question that the “illegality” might have been within the context of Dotcom? Surely the illegality would have been a topic within that framework?
I wonder if the question of Mr Key’s credibility will be aired in the House today? Might come up in Q7 with Russel Norman.
Ian Fletcher : we got it “profoundly wrong”.
“poor performance tolerated because sacking staff = risk”
Key acknowledged that public confidence in GCSB “knocked”. Stout.
“Ian Fletcher : we got it âprofoundly wrongâ.”
Oh Dear….. what to do now what?
I know – let’s see if we can keep this circus running a little longer aye?
I’m not sure which (witch) of the MSN’s latest I saw the Fletch on – but here’s a public advisory:
He lies when his top right hand lip tightens – I should probably charge thousands for that
Questions to Ministers
Dotcom CaseâActions of Government Communications Security Bureau
1. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-LeaderâGreen) to the Minister responsible for the GCSB: Does he consider that he should have been informed about the unlawful bugging of Kim Dotcom earlier than Monday, 17 September 2012; if not, why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Minister responsible for the GCSB) : No. I was informed by the director of the Government Communications Security Bureau on 17 September, which was the first day I was in Wellington following travel to Russia and Japan, and the first opportunity I had to meet with the director in a secure environment once he had confirmed that it was likely an unlawful activity had taken place.
a Linn Sondek ME Dallion Rodney explains all these bolts lying in the cycle-ways not quite covering Subterranean Homesick Blues 461Ocean Boulevard Let It Flow : Rust Never Sleeps : A multi-layered transcription In deed. Will the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by. Impressed. đ
actually – you should be directing that question to those that inhabit that edifice on Murphy Street, and quite a few on Molesworth St.
We could see the SIS and GCSB directing their efforts towards tracing the sinners – Colin Moyle style
Tim you raise a subject which is unfinished business for me and a QC would need to be appointed before I could proceed in exposing dirty cops who I have dealt with in my cycles of police complaints (mainly cop involved in the incident with Moyle, who is a career cop).
17 April 1978 Sir Alfred North’s report was released into the December 1976 inquiry where perjury occurred. The full police evidence is still in lock up.
There is no way that the SIS or GCSB would spy on dirty crooked cops.
To some extent I have followed how Thomas was treated by the NZ Police and the denial and reluctance of the police to admit how they altered the course of Arthur’s life and that he is owed a public and written apology.
Did anyone else hear the RNZ News at 11am today? I’m certain I heard Steven Joyce say that the drop in post-grad study was probably/most likely due to an increase in the availability of jobs.
If so, thanx for that Stevie. Here’s me thinking it was more likely due to the fact that
a) students were finding it increasingly more difficult to survive, and rather than suffer another 2 years of hand-to-mouth, beg, borrowing and stealing, they figured there were easier ways….. and
b) because those made redundant from career positions and a lifetime of work, were no longer able to obtain any form of assistance in order to ‘retrain’, let alone pursue things of interest…..
and probably ..c) and d) as well.
I defer to Stevie Joyce’s superior intellect however!
Next thing you know he’ll be telling us that poverty and starvation is the best cure for the obesity problem.
In any event, my advice to the undergrad possessing salesman-like qualities, an aptitude for spin, dishonesty, and a passing interest in ethical behaviour is to stand for parliament – preferably for one of those parties that are right of the new ‘centre’ (sorry – err those of a neo-centrist position).
That’d be OK by me Rob, just as soon as they realise that using large corporate HR companies with template style matching criteria doesn’t necessarily make candidates suitable for ploymint tuneties too. Many a career has been built on it – which is one reason why (as someone else on here has noted) the same old same old fuckups with the same old same old weasels keep happening.
I hear all hospital kitchens are to be fully privatised now.
Don’t know how anyone is supposed to get better on the crap they will be feeding patients, but I guess longer stays and poorer healing is a small cost to pay.
Darien Fenton directed the salient issues to Ryall in Q.T.
“Health Benefits” (Ltd). imagine job losses will primarily be amongst provincially-based moderate “precariat” income workers. Yep.
appendix : get some campylobacter, C. perfringens (letting food sit) or Salmonella onboard in-flight and…well, at least folk will already be in the right location to be sick.
How can they be wrong? They’re talking about privatising another publicly funded service and killing off even more jobs to transfer more taxpayer funds to a private overseas owned corporation. That is their programme. You support that.
When you eventually get around to posting patient health and safety, more unemployed and more lower paid contract workers, I’m only going to reply with knowing the human cost to our fellow Kiwis “youâll go and vote NACT anyway”. You’re shit. đ
Here we go again… The contractors provide a lower than realistic bid, then raise the cost to the hospitals later + increases occur in food borne illnesses due to lax food H&S as workers are paid peanuts and not given enough sick days. So have to come into work just to make ends meet.
All in all, it ends up costing more than doing it in house, as food borne illnesses in a hospital situation can end up very, very expensive due to isolation, clean up and extra medical support, life support or deaths. And if the company collapses it’s even more fun.
But hey, it’s not like externalities and long term cost accounting has ever been popular with National /sigh
I think they’ll be working on shorter stays. They’ll get some failed idiot from the UK to come and say that post operative hospital care is as bad as drug addiction and doctors need to discharge patients far earlier, for their own good. In fact, I bet something like this will happen within the next year.
This is one thing that really annoys me about the right – their complete predictability and lack of imagination. They really are stupid in many ways, which is possibly what makes their ideologies so appealing. Anyone can grasp it in 3 seconds flat – private good, public bad, hate the poor, white is good, but keep the sheets in the wardrobe a bit longer yet.
Do we have a left wing political opposition? I haven’t noticed anything much resembling an organised one. I expect Labour might want to ensure that the private company doesn’t pay youth rates, and Winston would say the hospitals are full of Asians. The Greens say some good stuff, and Hone is in there by himself.
How about a response from the opposition like this.
“Mr Ryall proposes outsourcing. We imagine he has chosen this option as he cannot figure out how to demand that a patient’s family bring in all their food bedding and attend to all their other nursing needs. So he has chosen this as a waystation and then by gradually decreasing the service he will achieve his desired end. This will be headlined as – The patient’s family are in partnership with the Health system to meet their non medical needs- . This has been successfully trialed overseas in [insert name of very poor third world country]
Are the Nact’s so policy deficent that they think this is a good way to cut costs.
“
I reckon that the government could trial the out sourced meals for a few months down at parliament and report back to Ryall.
Visitors would have to supplement patient hospitals meals as the vitamin and mineral content will be reduced with reheating. I also suspect that food poisoning/salmonella would increase. Food poisoning can cause post infective arthritis and hepatitis.
Kitchens are a core function of hospitals. After all, a patient needs food, and having an in house kitchen makes it easier for nutritional requirements to be catered to.
I can see a lot going wrong with this proposal.
The question is. Are the unions and the left going to fight this, or roll over like they did with every other change?
Can we expect to see SFWU members demonstrating outside hospitals, and taking the streets every weekend?
A few National voters still see our public health system as a taonga, and Key kept their vote be promising no major shake ups in health, can we mobilse them?
Are we just going to sit on the internet and whine, or are we going to make an effort?
…but wo takes being a spiteful small-minded hate-filled parasite to a whole new level.
And ironically it’s not caused by his depression, he’s just a complete scumbag lacking in the same basic understandings of human behaviour the rest of us have or have built that makes us not verbally shit on another person right off the bat.
Followed by uttering the litany of Yog-Sothoth three times while pouring blood (can be diluted, source doesn’t matter) onto the remains to prevent it from arising as a whale oil blog commentator/lesser-shoggoth.
It’s talking on twitter to people you know, and a pollie jumps in, and you talk to him. It’s called “Human stuff”. Generally considered a good thing, sometimes confuses, or bores, the children though.
Welcome to rape culture basics then, side-effects from delving deeper into rape culture 101 include raging at victim blaming in the news, not laughing at rape jokes, with occasional cluebattings of people making rape and other threats against females in your presence. Along with dismay and/or anger at politicians/governments not helping rape and domestic violence support services.
None probably, this is rape culture in the context of conservative rural areasâŠ
Yeah everyone knows to watch out for feral provincial types, rural men are animals and they hunt in godforsaken packs like hyenas. Shit, best to lock your daughters up at night if you ever wonder outside of bleeding liberal heart areas of urban Wellington or Auckland.
Probably it was that as far as the Mounties and the school etc were concerned it was Rehtaehâs fault for âdrinking too muchâ.
Of course, rural people are really stupid, judgemental and predictably unconscionable that way.
If you’d bother reading the gawker piece + had prior experience with other rape cases and the reactions to them you’d probably not be sounding like such a twit. As the usual rational used to brush of rape victims is blaming them, while the usual public attacks on them are of the slut/whore variety.
While per prior patterns of behaviour, generally rural areas in North America are less “nice” towards victims of sexual assault at both the police the social levels. Heck, the police in general often have patchy responses to rape and sexual assault victims, even in NZ that usual requires an inquiry or two to correct.
But hey, feel totes free to correct me with ye olde hard evidence :smugface:
(Note, Nick needzors sleep, thus the lack of linkage in this post, plus the computer be dying due to too many tabs open…)
You’re a smart guy and I do like you, but forget “rape culture”: you’re the perfect introduction to “bleeding heart intellectual elitist urban liberal culture”
This applies perfectly to the thread around 20.4.1.1.1 as well. So “smugface” that you really believe that you do know it all about patriarchal societies through the history of human civilisation, and that you are somehow superiorly and culturally fit in morals and values to judge them as being deficient (compared to what? How well we treat our own in modern day society?).
been reading about the types of things young people (and children) have been saying about their behaviour and peers on social media and the lack of awareness of content by parents / caregivers until teachers etc inform them. sigh.is not gonna end well.airplane food in an inpatient unit is not going to float your deflated boat any more than atypical anti-psychotics.
Yeah, it takes an awful amount of education (or personal experience) to get people to people to not abuse others for their sexuality, or in this case, being raped.
As for mental health care, Canada’s been in the shit in the past over it’s mental health inpatient care and suicide prevention if memory serves me right. And some of the mainstream suicide watch prevention methods are pretty fucking hopeless in terms of patients human rights, let alone reducing suicidal ideation.
By my count there are around 100-150 major pre-medieval human civilisations on different continents, the vast majority of which were likely to be patriarchial in nature.
Exactly how many of them are you familiar with that you could draw your conclusions?
Enough. The only times I’ve heard of women being treated well and not as objects to own has been in matriarchies and some nomadic tribes (which tended more to anarchy).
Even though April 9, 1948, is a day of infamy for Palestinians, few commemorative ceremonies will be held.
Sixty-Five years ago today organized Jewish terrorist groups, including the Irgun and Stern gangs, attacked the Village of Deir Yassin, a village whose population numbered some 600 people; 112 women children and old men were brutally butchered in a massacre that has been likened to the Babi Yar Nazi massacre of Jews in Kiev, Ukraine. To add insult to injury, some of the survivors were stripped, loaded on flat truck beds, paraded in a demeaning triumphal drive through Jerusalemâs Jewish neighborhoods, driven out of town, and shot to death. Under the cover of dark, 55 surviving children were loaded on trucks and dumped in a Jerusalem alleyway.
Close to 600 villages were bulldozed and permanently wiped off the map. Some ironies: the Israelis would change the name of the village to Kfar Shaul, move Holocaust survivors into homes that were not destroyed, build a mental institution on the site, and the site itself is within full view of the Holocaust Memorial, a site just recently visited by Barack Obama…
Morrissey Thanks. We need to remember such things.
Lest we forget as a devout promise takes on nightmare proportions when we allow the scope of attention to widen. It isn’t easy being a sentient human being with belief in our basic goodness.
better to be wide-mouthed frog with quick reflexes; young wide-mouth frog is left parent-less prior to the amphibian equivalent of weaning due to a temporary spike in the futures / derivatives / hedges / commodities market for what is between a wide-mouthed frog’s lips. young wmf commences bildungsroman / entwicklungsroman / erziehungsroman ,picaresque ,epic odyssey through local jungle food-hall questing of those just-so neighbours of varying species he / she meets in his / her ecological niche what it is they are to now sustain themselves with; request goes, to say, for example, a mole, “excuse me, but I’m a wide-mouth frog, can you please advise me what is appropriate on the menu for me to eat” (request, when telling joke is with fingers at side of own mouth stretching it, wide “hawo, i a vi mout fwog..”. Mole, for example replies, “well I don’t know what wide -mouth frogs eat but I’m a mole and I eat worms” (politicians)…and so on it goes until frog meets snake đ …”Well, I’m a snake and I eat wide-mouth frogs…”
Wide-mouth frog purses lips and exclaims “ooooh, iz zat wight”.
Andrew Williams on John Key in Parliament. Recounts Key’s history and states:
1. Key double crossed Blinglish in the leadership vote in 2003 despite pledging support for him.
2. Knew about his blind trust.
3. Forgot about his Westpac shares.
4. Forgot about his meeting with the Exclusive Bretheren.
5. Said he never met with Media works to discuss a $43 million loan despite the fact he had.
6. Said that S&P would downgrade NZ’s rating even though it said it would not.
7. Promised that Westpac’s banking would be opened up to competition but did not and then Simon Power went to work for them.
8. Says he cannot recall when he was told by the GCSB about Dotcom.
9. Could not recall shoulder tapping his mate Fletcher for the job of head of GCSB.
He ends up by saying we cannot trust Key and calls for an independent inquiry. Williams does well.
Ultimately that doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this discussion, even if it’s true, which I doubt very much given his usually high standard in the house.
The speech was good. The simple narrative needs to be repeated.
Except that he didn’t and has never claimed that he did. He obviously remembered quite well when pressed on the number he held and that proves that he had used the lesser number on purpose. Probably thinking that having less would magically decrease the amount of conflict of interest he was engaging in.
You may have noticed the ‘meat alternative’ Quorn that has recently appeared on our shelves.
Any of the science folk out there have any advice for us laymen. The manufacturer states it wants to be the first billion dollar meat alternative. Seems it is not a fungus or a mushroom, it is a mould grown in industrial vats. Now where’s that copy of Solyent Green?
Just asking and all, but if someone was to cut the fuel line on a person’s car, in order to intimidate them for a political purpose; that would be terrorism right? And the sort of thing that, in NZ, the SIS should be investigating right, paying attention to groups who routinely vilify the group to which the victim belonged?
I’d have thought most terrorism would be, but we’ve got terrorism laws now right, in this cold new post 9/11 era? So I assume parliament expects them to be used.
If what Iti was doing was possibly terrorism, then this was, surely.
“To think that somebody would attack a nurse for carrying out her duties is really quite deplorable,” said Hilary Graham-Smith of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.
The centre has been conducting abortions since the early 1970s. And some pro-choice campaigners fear it could signal the beginning of a new era of extremism.
“We’d be concerned that this might be sort of an upscale of activism in terms of a fringe anti-choice movement that are looking to target abortion clinics,” said Dr Morgan Healy of ALRANZ (Abortion Law Reform Association).
In the 1980s a Christchurch clinic was torched, while on the same day an Auckland clinic was threatened with firebombing.
However pro-life campaigners are adamant they would draw the line at the kind of sabotage police are investigating.
“We’re not here to attack people, we’re not here to take away people’s rights but at the same time they take people’s rights away and they attack people in the womb,” said protester Trevor ‘Ofamo’oni.
The president of pro-life group Right To Life said extreme tactics are a thing of the past.
“The whole movement would be totally opposed to such an action,” Ken Orr told ONE News.
Don’t know where the terrorism law has ended up. It turned out to be useless in the Urewera case because as drafted it could only be legally applied to international terrorists, didn’t it? I thought the police have a counter-terrorism role as well? Is this in relation to the abortion clinic nurse whose car was interfered with referred to on TVOne newsotainment tonight?
Dr Collins outlined several requirements that would have had to be filled to meet the act’s criteria:
* That the act in question was a terror act (inducing terror in a civilian population or forcing a government to do or not do an act).
* That the act advanced an ideological, religious or political cause.
* That it resulted in one of five outcomes including death or serious injury, a serious risk to the safety of a population, or serious damage to property of great value
* That the act had taken place, which includes whether there was a credible threat or sufficient planning if it had not been carried out.
the bold one is the only one that is arguably not met, though I only count 4 of the 5 potential outcomes?
Yes, agreed PB. It was this quote from the Solicitor-General that made me think the act had focussed on external threats. There was quite a bit of discussion at the time as to why it was so difficult to apply to domestic terrorism. I could be wrong, but I vaguely recall that it was more aimed at identifying and stopping overseas terrorists or people connected to international terrorist groups from getting here, post 9/11.
“That very quick summary might give an indication as to why I think it’s unnecessarily complicated and very, very difficult to apply. There will be circumstances where [the act] can be made to work, but certainly not in fundamentally domestic circumstances.”
Depends on the context, if it was say a business person or someone with extra-legal debts it would be a crime, but given it’s against someone working at a clinic providing abortion services, I’d class it as terrorism per anti-abortion acts in the USA. As does the FBI presently.
And political purposes generally fall into terrorism definitions historically, albeit with plenty of fuzziness depending on who’s in positions of power.
As for this:
…the SIS should be investigating right…
It depends on the threat level and reporting of prior threats, but I’d assume they’re keeping an eye on potential anti-abortion nuts at home and those we import from the USA. Much as they’ve likely bugged Kyle Chapman to hell and back (if he’s not an agent provocateur that is) to keep an eye on his various rwnj friends.
Yeah, thanks Morrissey at 21 above. We do need to know in the first place and remember, grieve really, in the second place. Gross inhumanity swept over.
Gotta say I’m a bit surprised you haven’t received the Zionist cacophany in answer.
“But they throw fucking stones at us !” – whimper bloody whimper – what ???
And for whomsoever – note I said Zionist, not Jewish.
F*** N(a)Ziland – people do NOT care, people are BRAINWASHED, people are ALL AFTER THEIR own, people have NO SOLIDARITY, people are TWO FACED, people are SELF SERVING, people are DIVISIVE, people believe CRAP, people do not bother to STAND UP, people have become the LAUGHING STOCK of any supposedly “developed” society, people let MAINSTREAM MEDIA distract and manipulate them, even ALLOW LIES AND DISTRACTION to take away their thoughts and attention, and where people SUCK UP to the BOSSES, the GOVERNMENT, the next best USELESS PARTY, the hopeless SHIT MEDIA and whatever goes wrong in this place. [Deleted]
Hey North, I do not know where you come from, but I TOTALLY MEAN it, as I have had to deal with WINZ jerks repeatedly, last time they did not believe my doctors records, so I was sent through hell. They never believe anyone, I just learned tonight, what they still do, and they are CULLING sick and disabled of benefits! This comes from someone working on the bloody frontline, and it is REAL!
They never believe you, they never give you time and credit, they hate you and consider us all that are seriously sick and diabled as FUCKING BLUDGERS!
Hey North, I do not know where you come from, but I TOTALLY MEAN it, as I have had to deal with WINZ jerks repeatedly, last time they did not believe my doctors records, so I was sent through hell. They never believe anyone, I just learned tonight, what they still do, and they are CULLING sick and disabled of benefits! This comes from someone working on the bloody frontline, and it is REAL!
They never believe you, they never give you time and credit, they hate you and consider us all that are seriously sick and diabled as FUCKING BLUDGERS!
So are you damned PROUD to be a New Zealander, when this goes on?
I met many Kiwis today, while busing and walking and else NOBODY TALKS, NOBODY RELATES, I met NO PERSON worth even socialising with.
Do you guys here not get it, part of the damned problem is this damend INTERNET communication, nobody knows how to interact face to face and normally anymore, that is also fucking up the whole left here. You guys thing you have clues and can fucking change things, look at the damned lack of results here, who bloody listens, who takes ACTION.
I said it, others said, it, without real street and other physical action, you life in damned cyber NO space, you are irrelevant, dreaming, dumb and ignorant. YOU are all losers and lost it long ago.
THERE IS NO ACTIVE LEFT IN NZ, THAT IS REALITY, IT IS DEAD!!!
I cannot believe the people of NZ tolerating such crap, even such a jerk being supported by the Ministry of Social Development and WiNZ, this is a NAZI country to me, we never have such SHIT in Europe, you guys better clean up your damned Bratt backyard, that is if you care!
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that âneither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister â even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so itâs time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
We’ll have a climate change ChristmasFrom now until foreverWarming our hearts and mindsAnd planet all togetherSpirits high and oceans higherChestnuts roast on wildfiresIf coal is on your wishlistMerry Climate Change ChristmasSong by Ian McConnellReindeer emissions are not something I’d thought about in terms of climate change. I guess some significant ...
KP continues to putt-putt along as a tiny niche blog that offers a NZ perspective on international affairs with a few observations about NZ domestic politics thrown in. In 2024 there was also some personal posts given that my son was in the last four months of a nine month ...
I can see very wellThere's a boat on the reef with a broken backAnd I can see it very wellThere's a joke and I know it very wellIt's one of those that I told you long agoTake my word I'm a madman, don't you knowSongwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton JohnIt ...
.Acknowledgement: Tim PrebbleThanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..With each passing day of bad headlines, squandering tax revenue to enrich the rich, deep cuts to our social services and a government struggling to keep the lipstick on its neo-liberal pig ...
This is from the 36th Parallel social media account (as brief food for thought). We know that Trump is ahistorical at best but he seems to think that he is Teddy Roosevelt and can use the threat of invoking the Monroe Doctrine and “Big Stick” gunboat diplomacy against Panama and ...
Don't you cry tonightI still love you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightDon't you cry tonightThere's a heaven above you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightSong: Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so”, said possibly the greatest philosopher ever to walk this earth, Douglas Adams.We have entered the ...
Because you're magicYou're magic people to meSong: Dave Para/Molly Para.Morena all, I hope you had a good day yesterday, however you spent it. Today, a few words about our celebration and a look at the various messages from our politicians.A Rockel XmasChristmas morning was spent with the five of us ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). 2024 has been a series of bad news for climate change. From scorching global temperatures leading to devastating ...
RĂu RĂu ChĂuRĂu RĂu ChĂu is a Spanish Christmas song from the 16th Century. The traditional carol would likely have passed unnoticed by the English-speaking world had the made-for-television American band The Monkees not performed the song as part of their special Christmas show back in 1967. The show's ...
Dunedin’s summer thus far has been warm and humid… and it looks like we’re in for a grey Christmas. But it is now officially Christmas Day in this time zone, so never mind. This year, I’ve stumbled across an Old English version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: It has a population of just under 3.5 million inhabitants, produces nearly 550,000 tons of beef per year, and boasts a glorious soccer reputation with two World ...
Morena all,In my paywalled newsletter yesterday, I signed off for Christmas and wished readers well, but I thought I’d send everyone a quick note this morning.This hasn’t been a good year for our small country. The divisions caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, the cuts to our public sector, increased ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30 am include:Kāinga Ora is quietly planning to sell over $1 billion worth of state-owned land under 300 state homes in Auckland’s wealthiest suburbs, including around Bastion Point, to give the Government more fiscal room to pay for tax cuts and reduce borrowing.A ...
Hi,It’s my birthday on Christmas Day, and I have a favour to ask.A birthday wish.I would love you to share one Webworm story you’ve liked this year.The simple fact is: apart from paying for a Webworm membership (thank you!), sharing and telling others about this place is the most important ...
The last few days have been a bit too much of a whirl for me to manage a fresh edition each day. It's been that kind of year. Hope you don't mind.I’ve been coming around to thinking that it doesn't really matter if you don't have something to say every ...
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, âsaving the planetâ is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. âThis Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to âget New Zealand back on track.â When you look at the basic promisesâto trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
âLike you said, Iâm an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.ââONE OF THOSE had better be for me!â Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.âOf course!â, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. âThe data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Governmentâs economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management â the state of the economy was last week â is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this countryâs current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealandâs politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Governmentâs planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulationâs report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whÄnau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under Nationalâs Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Governmentâs latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te PÄti MÄori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te PÄti MÄori government. This warning comes ahead of todayâs third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Governmentâs announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning itâs a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing.   ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to âsuper chargeâ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
Uia te pĆ, rangahaua te pĆ, whakamÄramatia mai he aha tĆ tango, he aha tĆ kÄwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rÄtÄ whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pĆ, ngĆ« te pĆ, ue hÄ! E te kahurangi mÄreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. âIt sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the governmentâs largest ever investment in Pharmac. âPharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,â says Mr Seymour. âWhen this government assumed ...
MÄ mua ka kite a muri, mÄ muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. MÄori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. âI know ...
From 1 January 2025, first-time tertiary learners will have access to a new Fees Free entitlement of up to $12,000 for their final year of provider-based study or final two years of work-based learning, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. âTargeting funding to the final year of study ...
âAs we head into one of the busiest times of the year for Police, and family violence and sexual violence response services, itâs a good time to remind everyone what to do if they experience violence or are worried about others,â Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. âNew Zealandâs beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.âThis time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. âThe Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). âAt my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,â Mr Luxon says. âNew Zealandâs ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealandâs intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. âThe government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,â Mr Penk says. âApplications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Governmentâs measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âImproving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. âOur focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. âThe redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. âRegulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. âSynthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the NgÄruawÄhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.âI would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. âI would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. âIt has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whataâs appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayersâ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. âTreasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. âFreedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last yearâs Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Networkâs new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.âThe Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âDelivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. âCabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. âAs a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. âMr Horsleyâs experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. âHe is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. âEarlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. âThe Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill â the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawkeâs Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.âThe Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. âPlanting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. âThese trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). âThe Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. âThis Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
âAccelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,â says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mĆ te tangata, mahia â if itâs good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sectorâs delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for MÄori and all New Zealanders, MÄori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor The fate of Palestinian Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, who was âarrestedâ by Israeli forces last month after defiantly staying with his patients when his hospital was being attacked, featured strongly at yesterdayâs medical professionals solidarity rally in Auckland. ...
Ripeka Lessels (TĆ«hoe, NgÄti Awa, Te Arawa, and NgÄti TĆ«wharetoa)Ripeka Lessels had been an educator for 20 years before she decided to become involved in NZEI Te Riu Roaâs MÄori governance body, Te Reo Areare. Itâs here she believed she could do the most good for tamariki MÄori.As someone who had ...
Opinion: Why is it that whenever we meet someone new, we default to asking about their job?We could ask almost any question about their interests, background, or values, but still we ask âSo, what do you do?âIt turns out, this common, seemingly innocuous phrasing carries much deeper undertones of perceived ...
Summer reissue: Flat and surrounded by hills and rising tides, itâs no surprise that South Dunedin is at risk of flooding. But nine years of preparation meant last weekâs deluge wasnât as bad as it could have been â and a future here still seems possible. The Spinoff needs to ...
Summer reissue: You donât have to live a haunting life of unparalleled grief and sorrow to be a great childrenâs author, but it helps. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign ...
Summer reissue: Alex Casey meets the Southland principal who wrote and directed a feature length fantasy epic starring the whole school.The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be ...
Summer reissue: Madeleine Holden writes about her agonising first year of motherhood. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.This essay contains descriptions of violence ...
Summer reissue: Increasing numbers of MÄori are affiliating with tribal groups of under 1,000 members. What does it mean for MÄoridom? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be ...
Fijivillage News A man has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of one of the Virgin Australia crew members in the early hours of New Yearâs Day, near a nightclub in Martintar, Nadi. Police confirm he has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count ...
Asia Pacific Report Israel is forcing two hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate under threat of attack as its ethnic cleansing campaign continues. Israeli forces have surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, where many staff and patients sought shelter after nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was destroyed in an Israeli raid last week, ...
Navigating the shared challenges of climate change, geostrategic tensions, political upheaval, disaster recovery and decolonisation plus a 50th birthday party, reports a BenarNews contributorâs analysis.COMMENTARY:By Tess Newton Cain Vanuatuâs devastating earthquake and dramatic political developments in Tonga and New Caledonia at the end of 2024 set the tone ...
Summer reissue: Former All Black and recent Celebrity Treasure Island castaway Christian Cullen looks back on his life in TV. First published October 12, 2024. Every season of Celebrity Treasure Island brings with it a surprise breakout star, and often itâs the person you know the least about or have ...
âPeople comment a lot on how emotional I am.âThe childrenâs minister says sheâs always been an emotional person. Itâs her way of coping with trauma.âBecause if you bottle that up it turns into something quite nasty, right? It turns into anger, it turns into frustration, and you start to look ...
Comment: There are times when fiction anticipates life, and dystopian nightmares become real.Who would have thought that in New Zealand, a relatively wealthy country that was once proudly egalitarian, a version of The Hunger Games would play out?That a government would cut thousands of jobs, deny desperate families emergency food ...
Christopher LuxonWell, what I’d say to you about my New Year’s resolutions is that this year is going to be better than the last, probably, I mean I should think there’s a good chance of that happening, an even chance, there’s a narrow window, the odds are against us but ...
Summer reissue: The meltdown in the relationship between the key players in the fourth Labour government can be charted in an extraordinary exchange of correspondence. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and ...
Summer reissue: I read yet another study about toddlers, screen time and language development, and it sent me off the deep end. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to ...
Summer reissue: This year Tori Peeters competed at the Paris Olympics in the javelin. Ten years ago, Madeleine Chapman thought she might be in the same position. She talks to Peeters about what it takes to go all the way â and mulls her own life decisions in the process. ...
Summer reissue: He earned 5c for his first cut in 1955, and $35 for his last in March. Duncan Greive recalls the life of his late barber, âYoungâ George Dyas, who never stopped snipping. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 4 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report The UNâs Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has called on âmedical professionals worldwideâ to suspend ties with Israel in an act of solidarity with the more than â1000 colleagues of yoursâ killed in Gaza over the past 14 months. Countless ...
The co-founder of Te PÄti MÄori and architect of WhÄnau Ora will be remembered as a skilled political tactician who dedicated her life to the wellbeing of MÄori, writes Miriama Aoake. Part of the hesitation of entering politics for any sane person is surely compromise. Compromise is essential in the ...
A stern but loving auntie, a woman of unshakeable principle, the very definition of a wÄhine toa - those are just a few of the tributes flooding in for Dame Tariana Turia. ...
By Maram Humaid in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Journalists gathered at Gazaâs Al-Aqsa Martyrsâ Hospital expressed outrage and confusion about the Palestinian Authorityâs (PA) decision to shut down Al Jazeeraâs office in the occupied West Bank. âShutting down a major outlet like Al Jazeera is a crime against journalism,â said freelance ...
By Talaia Mika of the Cook Islands News The Cook Islands will not pursue membership in the United Nations and the Commonwealth due to its inability to meet the criteria for UN membership and existing relationship with New Zealand, which fulfils Commonwealth membership requirements. Prime Minister Mark Brown has clarified ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ary Hoffmann, Professor, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne Drosophila melanogaster.Deep Scope/Shutterstock The common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), more correctly called the vinegar fly, is a frequent visitor to ripe fruit in households around the world, where ...
‘
Some very good news from the Green Party.
Despite the Green party very slender response to the Tiwai Aluminium Smelter controversy, and the likely hood of it being propped up by further government or Power Company subsidies. And despite the benefits accruing to the environment, and in particular the climate, if the Tiwai Smelter is allowed to close. The Green Party generally kept out of the debate.
The Green Party obviously did not want to be seen to be arguing for the closure of the smelter no matter how much the science demanded it.
But despite thier weak performance over Tiwai, the Green Party have decided to call a conference on climate change. This is tremendous news.
http://www.greens.org.nz/events/climate-change-conference
Despite their backpeddling overclimate change, for which their weak showing over Tiwai is just the latest manifestation. There is much that the Green Party does, that I find commendable. The Green Party are the main movers in the very powerful campaign against State asset sales. To which they have won the majority of parliament to. (Which made their silence over Tiwai so out of place. As the closure of Tiwai, as well as being a great boon to the climate, would pretty much torpedo the privatisation of Meridian Energy.)
So it is with great hope that I look forward to this parliamentary conference on climate change.
The Green Party have also announced a new initiative around public transport.
http://www.greens.org.nz/events/reconnect-auckland-transport-campaign-launch
This also, is great, and I look forward to this as well. Good for them.
These are great initiatives.
It is not easy to swim against the tide.
I see that the detail for the climate change conference has yet to be announced. But I do see that it is being held in parliament on June 7 in the Legislative Council Chamber of parliament.
This is great news. All the other parties in parliament should feel obliged to send representatives to give their Party’s views on this pressing existential matter vital to all our futures.
By bringing the issue of climate change into the open, the voting public will be able to find out where all the parties stand.
This can only be a good thing.
The Labour Party in particular should be given a prominent place to lay out their position on climate change.
Personally I would love to see David Cunliffe speak for Labour on this issue. (That is if he has not been gagged).
I would also like to see Sir Peter Gluckman speak. He has been a strong advisor to the government on the need to take action against climate change.
If the major parties, Labour, National refuse to send representatives, or refuse to give civil servant Professor Gluckman leave to speak, or refuse to take part in this parliamentary conference, this in itself would be a clearer indication as to where they stand on Climate Change than if they attended and presented their views.
I have some questions:
Will the conference be open to the public to attend in any capacity?
Can the public make submissions towards the climate change conference?
Will there be a media presence?
Will the precedings be broadcast, or filmed, or otherwise recorded?
Apart from the politicians will there be any invited expert speakers?
Who will they be?
The Greens could make a significant impact on energy use by re-instating a 40 hour working week, including closing business down on Sunday as a minimum and from Saturday lunch time as well.
Would be interesting to see the growth in energy use from allowing shops and businesses to open on weekends when that change occurred.
Such a change would benefit families and increase activity in sports, etc and reduce stress on families who would get a genuine break.
Desc of sssmith
+1
I’m actually thinking that a 32 hour work week with a three day weekend is the go.
+1
Tremendous news, they are going to hold a meeting.
Just what we need some more chin waging, shinny arse development and post meet chardonnay swilling.
Except it’s the Greens, so there’s usually actual discussion and a good chance to get them to act.
Thats a Tui ad.
đ
Yes, cos all the political parties are so totes the same /sargasm
Yes Rob, National’s sort of meetings where they sell stuff off, pat each other on the back, and then have a few celebratory whiskys while laughing at pictures of poor people are much, much better. Real men of action, that lot.
I think he’s still gagged Jenny.
Had a prominent member of the ABC club visit my local Labour monthly electorate meeting recently. During a discussion on Labour’s economic policies (still being formulated), this member listed the names of those colleagues who are involved in their preparation. He left out David Cunliffe. It would appear irrational vengeance for fabricated misdeeds still rules the caucus roost.
You’re kidding, right? If he’s gagged, somebody forgot to tell him, because I’ve heard him on the radio, seen him on the telly, read him in the papers and and a quick google search confirms he was fully ungagged as little as 13 hours ago:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Labour-concerned-about-IRD-info-sharing/tabid/1607/articleID/293652/Default.aspx
So are they going to return the buses to public ownership/control?
Nothing from the Greens about whether they will do this. And I have asked them repeatedly, only to be met with silence.
More good news;
In a celebration of human triumph over adversity. Tuhoe build for the future.
Using some of the money from their settlement for past injustices visited on them by the crown, Tuhoe are constructing a new completely sustainable headquarters as a long term asset for the generations to come.
No corporate ponzi schemes or financial wheeling and dealing this will be a real asset for their people and indeed for the wider community and the country.
All New Zealanders of good will, have cause to celebrate Tuhoe’s settlement with the crown and wish them every success with this ambitious and inspiring project.
Through all the years of brutality, theft, murder, injustice racism and unfair imprisonment inflicted on Tuhoe, Tuhoe have endured.
Much more than just environmentally friendly, Te Wharehou o Tuhoe is being built with the future in mind, to be an asset for future generations. Concerns about climate change and seismic events are incorporated into it’s structure.
The building is to be completely self sufficient.
And is being built to an exceptional international standard of care for people and the environment not attempted by anyone else anywhere in this country before. (A least not since Occupation)
http://arrowinternational.co.nz/news.php?id=49
If you have time, listen to the Radio NZ interview with the architect. Inspirational.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2551126/tuhoe-building
Street parties break out around Britain. MeanwhileâŠ
the Daily Telegraph closes Thatcher comments due to abuse
“We have closed comments on every #Thatcher story today,” said editor Tony Gallagher. “Even our address to email tributes is filled with abuse.”
In response, one Twitter user asked: “What does that tell you about public opinion on spending ÂŁ3mil on her funeral?”
Read moreâŠ.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/a471463/daily-telegraph-closes-margaret-thatcher-comments-due-to-abuse.html
Meanwhile, three politicians, one of them (only just) still functioning, spray the praise around like particularly stupid tomcats marking their territory. A territory called Sycophancia….
1.) Convicted criminal and writer of some of the worst novels of the 20th century, Jeffrey Archer: “She changed this country for the better.”
2.) “She stood for British values and she was quite beautiful.”—Winston Peters, speaking on Te Karere, TV1, 10.8.13 (This only lends weight to rumours that he has started drinking again.)
3.) That piece of idiocy was immediately topped by this contribution by former MP Koro Wetere, who asserted, with a straight face: “She sold British public assets to strengthen the economy for her people.”
I give Wetere the win but only just. Peters gets a commendation for his sexism though.
Wigan football club chairman wants one minute’s silence to be held before his side’s FA Cup semi-final game.
Good luck with that being observed, mate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22078110
Yes wouldn’t be a good look, the FA are ignoring Dave Whelan who risks the ire of Wigan supporters if he persists.
Heh, more likely they’ll chant “maggie maggie maggie, dead dead dead” if they’re asked to do that…
I see a business opportunity here: print up a big bunch of cards with the lyrics to “Ding, dong, the witch is dead” on them. Good luck getting a minute’s silence then…
Just read Ilargi Meijer on http://theautomaticearth.com/Finance/the-lady-who-made-greed-look-good.html
Truly succinct.
Winston has expressed his admiration for MT many times.
Another reason why the left should be wary of going to bed with him,.
‘
Headlines you won’t see to day:
Instead the law breakers will be given a break, and the law they flouted will be scrapped.
Corruption and law breaking to be legalised
P-R-I-V-A-T-E * * * A-N-D * * * C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
TO: John Key
FROM: HQ
RE: Keep calm and carry on
John, take it easy. Everything is working out. We received your seven emails sent last night. Really, there’s no need to panic. Ferguson is on our side. He doesn’t want to go to jail either. The “smoking dope”jibe was planted. It gives the narrative sufficient tension to soothe the media plants’ desire to seem “balanced” in their reporting. People are watching now, these sorts of ruses are required. Don’t take it personally. Everyone knows that you have never smoked marijuana, except for that one time we have on film.
Fletcher is doing a “marrrrvellous” job – heh, geddit? Remember how he pulled it off? Lie to parliament then RETROSPECTIVELY change the record. Same thing here. You have the script – stick to it: “yes, mistakes were made, the law is so confusing, the people involved only ever had the best interests of New Zealand at heart, no point in going over old ground now, we’re going forward with this, national security means details can’t be discussed, the independent overview has determined no one suffered unjustifiable intrusion, no convictions were based on evidence illegally obtained, public confidence must be maintained, the law will be changed retrospectively. Also, we’re going to have one agency to handle everything and align with the Australian reorganisation”. Game over.
The only difficulty we are having with Operation Privatise NZ Security is when you do not stick to the script. What was that about a “long history” of supporting allies – what??? Pull your head in, stop panicking, and stick to the script. By the time you get home, the idea will have been planted into the public consciousness that the matter has been dealt with and now its just a case of going through the process. We have plans for another major story to “break” just before your return home and the chooks will be off chasing that. No need to fill you in at this stage but, rest assured, the situation is under control.
Get some sleep, see some sights, take your meds, practise your lines, and don’t speak to the media without checking your cell phone first.
We’re nearly there. Don’t fuck it up now.
Lynton and Mark
And what advice is blue state digital offering to Shearer?
Great work Lynton.
http://leejasper.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/immigration-wailing-banshee-of-racism.html
Had a great long chuckle te other day when I heard a North Island iwi bemoaning the unfairness of the first-in-first-served principle that operates under the Resource Management Act in allocation of New Zealand’s natural resources.
Perhaps they had simply forgotten that the same principle underlies their own various, upheld, claims to New Zealand’s resources.
… some people
Welfare bill passed into law today…http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8531385/Welfare-shake-up-passed-into-law
All the more reason to get behind the Wellington Benefit Rights service which has just become a registered charity : ) Laws may change, but the advocates endure…
There was a lot of rhetoric about the changes and claims the Government didn’t care, Bennett said, “I recognise that these are people’s lives and that they are living them in reality”. Well TG for that.
Sue Bradford –
In this morningâs Herald she says, â⊠I think living on the full DPB is hard. I donât know how you can live on 50%.â
Yet Paula Bennettâs welfare reforms are the very vehicle by which more and more people are being sanctioned.
Sanctions can mean having your benefit cut by 50%, losing it altogether â or never being granted assistance in the first place.
The governmentâs own figures show that over the last six months an average 4,654 beneficiaries a month have had at least half their benefit taken from them, or had it cut completely.
Last month, in March 2013, 5,600 people were officially sanctioned.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/04/10/the-strange-case-of-paula-bennett/
And we thought Shippley was bad…
back to Ruthanasia days
/shudder
Mum only got through that due to her step-father letting her have the rent occasionally…
Ruthanasia was having an unrefrigerated pie for supper, Bennet is the next morning’s agony
“And we thought Shippley was bad⊔
Ae. More from Bradford –
National loves her. Sheâs doing a much better job than Jenny Shipley ever did at fronting harsh welfare changes.
Much better to have a Maori woman, a former solo mum, taking the lead, than a former school teacher from the white South Island heartlands.
And Bennett knows what sheâs doing.
She knows it even more than someone like Shipley, which makes her leadership role in this even worse. Paula Bennettâs seeming naivety and smiling, bubbly front mask a long, deep commitment to Nationalâs ideology â a belief in helping the already-rich get richer while the poor are forced into ever deeper poverty, no matter the downstream social and economic costs.
Iâm no psychologist, but Iâm sure thereâs a name for the psychopathy she so evidently displays â a complete disconnect between âcaring for peopleâ and the ideological principles which drive her political career.
The changing pace of warming.
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/probing_the_reasons_behind_the_changing_pace_of_warming/2637/
from the sharing is caring file:
A short film about the Bradley Manning story
http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=103309
and a panel discussion from boots on the ground
freedom: Chilling statement from Bradley more so since the State is determined to not only with-hold disclosure of his statement, but the State is determined to find him guilty of all charges including “aiding the enemy.”
A man showing great courage and integrity under fire from his own country.
There is a great no-holds-barred section against the cowardice of the MSM and the people who staff it. A section which every journalist should make themselves watch, then go sit quietly for a few minutes and ponder.
i won’t mark a timestamp because it is best you watch the panel discussion in its entirety đ
P.S., apologies, meant to include this link to Manning’s Statement
http://boingboing.net/2013/03/12/leaked-audio-of-bradley-mannin.html
Gee, who woulda thunk it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/disunited-in-mourning-police-fear-thatcher-funeral-may-turn-into-security-nightmare-8566452.html
Growing momentum to turn your back on next Wednesdays funeral cortege.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22079749
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Turn-Your-Back-on-Thatcher/163397390349663
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23turnyourback&src=typd
Queenstown is changing its Council services delivery structure back in house. Comment was that some employees connected with Council-owned businesses had been spending too much time and money doing things they wanted rather than what the ratepayers wanted?? Sounds like blaming the workers who were just following the style that the old management had created.. Former Nat who became Mayor Warren (Mini) Cooper thinks its a good idea and is positive about it.
This fits in with my earlier expressed observation that being Right means you never say you have been wrong. Or you look for someone to blame for ineffective outcomes. Reminds me of The Simpsons where Homer confided his methods of dealing with criticism – he just looked for the newest immigrant worker with poor English capacity and blamed it on him. That’s how incompetents manage to survive.
Exactly and because these idiots never get held to account they never learn from their mistakes and so they go through life making the same mistake again and again and again and we’re the ones that end up paying for them.
Let’s be clear though, it’s not limited to politicians but it does seem to be a prerequisite for anyone wanting to climb a ‘corporatists’ ladder.
Next thing ya know these buffons will be promoting themselves as ‘change agents’. I notice elsewhere the corporatists are about to trot out the ‘kaizen’ buzz again (in the name if fishincy n fektivniss n produktivtee). It’s a shame those that initiate the buzz don’t seem to see the need to abide by it themselves – though I have to admit, they are the new Royalty after all!
Nothing wrong with a bit of Kaizen mate. The problem being that even the Japanese are being destroyed right now, by the Koreans and the Chinese.
I agree there’s not …. just so long as its not the Kiwi corporate version (‘top’ down, and for everyone else but the ‘top’)
A lot of private sector management skill in this country – at every level – is laughably incompetent and self serving.
Bearing in mind as well we currently have lots of baby boomers running businesses who are no longer building a business but a looking to maximise (loot) the last vestiges of profit from them for their retirement.
Low wages, youth rates, etc plays into their hands quite nicely.
Let’s not think that they are there for the long term.
roll out the barrel…lets have a barrel of fun…
fec,
from Morning Report;
Yep! Maori people committing offences are disproportionately prosecuted compared to non-maori, (30-40% more ) except for a “creeping” of the same “suggestion of a systematic bias” effect for Pasifika. Very little improvement concerning this matter since report in the 80s; let us be Blunt, James, effectively the MOJ and and related blue-tooth agencies are racist. Funnily enough felix, it was the MOJ hacked next.
Yep! Child Poverty in NZ has hovered between 20-25% now for over 20 years.
“-a persistent significant Public Health issue.
-these are (revolving) cohorts now spread across decades (penetrating into the present adult populations, with concomitant health, educational etc issues).
-compounding economic cost will eventually be unaffordable
–requires a societal response, like tobacco, (yet that in itself may take decades).
-Julie Peters, College of Public Health.
National Radio at 12:00 says Mr Key admits that he mislead the public in that he knew in July 2012 of the illegal nature of GCSB and not September 2012 as he publicly said. Throws into question that the “illegality” might have been within the context of Dotcom? Surely the illegality would have been a topic within that framework?
I wonder if the question of Mr Key’s credibility will be aired in the House today? Might come up in Q7 with Russel Norman.
Ian Fletcher : we got it “profoundly wrong”.
“poor performance tolerated because sacking staff = risk”
Key acknowledged that public confidence in GCSB “knocked”. Stout.
“Ian Fletcher : we got it âprofoundly wrongâ.”
Oh Dear….. what to do now what?
I know – let’s see if we can keep this circus running a little longer aye?
I’m not sure which (witch) of the MSN’s latest I saw the Fletch on – but here’s a public advisory:
He lies when his top right hand lip tightens – I should probably charge thousands for that
Key admits that he mislead the public in that he knew in July 2012 of the illegal nature of GCSB and not September 2012
Neazor was not asked to the 17th September to review the problem.
Not just the public.
on a Lighter note, Buzzy Bee Baldrick,
a Linn Sondek ME Dallion Rodney explains all these bolts lying in the cycle-ways not quite covering Subterranean Homesick Blues 461Ocean Boulevard Let It Flow : Rust Never Sleeps : A multi-layered transcription In deed. Will the circle be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by. Impressed. đ
has anyone here tried ‘breezing’..?
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/former-vice-mayor-allegedly-drove-90-mph-with-genitals-out-window/
phillip ure..
kind of a poor man’s frotage huh?
actually – you should be directing that question to those that inhabit that edifice on Murphy Street, and quite a few on Molesworth St.
We could see the SIS and GCSB directing their efforts towards tracing the sinners – Colin Moyle style
Tim you raise a subject which is unfinished business for me and a QC would need to be appointed before I could proceed in exposing dirty cops who I have dealt with in my cycles of police complaints (mainly cop involved in the incident with Moyle, who is a career cop).
17 April 1978 Sir Alfred North’s report was released into the December 1976 inquiry where perjury occurred. The full police evidence is still in lock up.
There is no way that the SIS or GCSB would spy on dirty crooked cops.
To some extent I have followed how Thomas was treated by the NZ Police and the denial and reluctance of the police to admit how they altered the course of Arthur’s life and that he is owed a public and written apology.
Did anyone else hear the RNZ News at 11am today? I’m certain I heard Steven Joyce say that the drop in post-grad study was probably/most likely due to an increase in the availability of jobs.
If so, thanx for that Stevie. Here’s me thinking it was more likely due to the fact that
a) students were finding it increasingly more difficult to survive, and rather than suffer another 2 years of hand-to-mouth, beg, borrowing and stealing, they figured there were easier ways….. and
b) because those made redundant from career positions and a lifetime of work, were no longer able to obtain any form of assistance in order to ‘retrain’, let alone pursue things of interest…..
and probably ..c) and d) as well.
I defer to Stevie Joyce’s superior intellect however!
Next thing you know he’ll be telling us that poverty and starvation is the best cure for the obesity problem.
In any event, my advice to the undergrad possessing salesman-like qualities, an aptitude for spin, dishonesty, and a passing interest in ethical behaviour is to stand for parliament – preferably for one of those parties that are right of the new ‘centre’ (sorry – err those of a neo-centrist position).
or C
” people are starting to realise that the endless collection of useless PG qualifications does not make you more employable”.
That’d be OK by me Rob, just as soon as they realise that using large corporate HR companies with template style matching criteria doesn’t necessarily make candidates suitable for ploymint tuneties too. Many a career has been built on it – which is one reason why (as someone else on here has noted) the same old same old fuckups with the same old same old weasels keep happening.
I hear all hospital kitchens are to be fully privatised now.
Don’t know how anyone is supposed to get better on the crap they will be feeding patients, but I guess longer stays and poorer healing is a small cost to pay.
To be centralised apparently. Auckland and Christchurch. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10876642
Labour http://www.labour.org.nz/news/hospital-catering-contract-cold-comfort-for-patients-and-workers and Greens http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/outsourcing-hospital-food-will-cost-nz-long-run already pointing out the mass job losses and the likelihood that it will cost us in the long run.
Another day, another kick in the guts for New Zealand workers.
Darien Fenton directed the salient issues to Ryall in Q.T.
“Health Benefits” (Ltd). imagine job losses will primarily be amongst provincially-based moderate “precariat” income workers. Yep.
appendix : get some campylobacter, C. perfringens (letting food sit) or Salmonella onboard in-flight and…well, at least folk will already be in the right location to be sick.
How nice. Even fewer jobs in our small centres. How many in Ryall’s electorate I wonder?
I don’t agree with moves like this. I believe the short term saving will lead to long term losses.
And yet you’ll go and vote NACT anyway.
No party is 100% correct in their decisions (ie Shearer) this is one of the times they’re wrong.
How can they be wrong? They’re talking about privatising another publicly funded service and killing off even more jobs to transfer more taxpayer funds to a private overseas owned corporation. That is their programme. You support that.
What losses do you foresee?
Actually, don’t bother. It’s a rat trap, Billy.
When you eventually get around to posting patient health and safety, more unemployed and more lower paid contract workers, I’m only going to reply with knowing the human cost to our fellow Kiwis “youâll go and vote NACT anyway”. You’re shit. đ
T_T
Here we go again… The contractors provide a lower than realistic bid, then raise the cost to the hospitals later + increases occur in food borne illnesses due to lax food H&S as workers are paid peanuts and not given enough sick days. So have to come into work just to make ends meet.
All in all, it ends up costing more than doing it in house, as food borne illnesses in a hospital situation can end up very, very expensive due to isolation, clean up and extra medical support, life support or deaths. And if the company collapses it’s even more fun.
But hey, it’s not like externalities and long term cost accounting has ever been popular with National /sigh
+1
good thing that hospitals are not full of patients with variable and challenging dietary requirements đ
I think they’ll be working on shorter stays. They’ll get some failed idiot from the UK to come and say that post operative hospital care is as bad as drug addiction and doctors need to discharge patients far earlier, for their own good. In fact, I bet something like this will happen within the next year.
This is one thing that really annoys me about the right – their complete predictability and lack of imagination. They really are stupid in many ways, which is possibly what makes their ideologies so appealing. Anyone can grasp it in 3 seconds flat – private good, public bad, hate the poor, white is good, but keep the sheets in the wardrobe a bit longer yet.
So predictable and transparent yet our left wing political opposition is outflanked at every turn?
That’s what happens when you let PR hacks manage your messages…
Do we have a left wing political opposition? I haven’t noticed anything much resembling an organised one. I expect Labour might want to ensure that the private company doesn’t pay youth rates, and Winston would say the hospitals are full of Asians. The Greens say some good stuff, and Hone is in there by himself.
How about a response from the opposition like this.
“Mr Ryall proposes outsourcing. We imagine he has chosen this option as he cannot figure out how to demand that a patient’s family bring in all their food bedding and attend to all their other nursing needs. So he has chosen this as a waystation and then by gradually decreasing the service he will achieve his desired end. This will be headlined as – The patient’s family are in partnership with the Health system to meet their non medical needs- . This has been successfully trialed overseas in [insert name of very poor third world country]
Are the Nact’s so policy deficent that they think this is a good way to cut costs.
“
I reckon that the government could trial the out sourced meals for a few months down at parliament and report back to Ryall.
Visitors would have to supplement patient hospitals meals as the vitamin and mineral content will be reduced with reheating. I also suspect that food poisoning/salmonella would increase. Food poisoning can cause post infective arthritis and hepatitis.
Kitchens are a core function of hospitals. After all, a patient needs food, and having an in house kitchen makes it easier for nutritional requirements to be catered to.
I can see a lot going wrong with this proposal.
The question is. Are the unions and the left going to fight this, or roll over like they did with every other change?
Can we expect to see SFWU members demonstrating outside hospitals, and taking the streets every weekend?
A few National voters still see our public health system as a taonga, and Key kept their vote be promising no major shake ups in health, can we mobilse them?
Are we just going to sit on the internet and whine, or are we going to make an effort?
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/04/brislen-and-robertson-square-off-in-unedifying-spectacle-on-twitter/#more-90017
Now I’m no expert but I’m guessing telling the deputy leader of a political party “fuck you” is probably not the best way to get any future work…
That’s hilarious. I don’t know what’s the funniest part.
Is it Failoil lecturing Paul Brislen(!) about internet behaviour?
Is that the part where he sotto voice suggests his idiot minions might want to email Paul’s employer?
Is it the suggestion that Paul’s employer’s think Fail’s complaint might not be ridiculous?
Is it that he is persisting in pretending that the little Twitter maps are insightful in any way whatsoever?
What an absolute tool that man is.
shit.
Actually clicked on it.
Regret.
Revulsion.
Dirty.
I mean, I’m all for calling someone a fuckwit (obviously), but wo takes being a spiteful small-minded hate-filled parasite to a whole new level.
And ironically it’s not caused by his depression, he’s just a complete scumbag lacking in the same basic understandings of human behaviour the rest of us have or have built that makes us not verbally shit on another person right off the bat.
Empty your cache AT ONCE McFlock! Then piss on it quick!
Then burn the whole machine. And run it over. And piss on it again.
Followed by uttering the litany of Yog-Sothoth three times while pouring blood (can be diluted, source doesn’t matter) onto the remains to prevent it from arising as a whale oil blog commentator/lesser-shoggoth.
that is an Excellent and Very funny observation of knickers
Yeah, pretty much did that sans pissing on the cpu đ
Ha… thanks for the warning.
Probably just thought it was funny.
Can anyone with experience in business let me know if thats considered effective networking?
It’s talking on twitter to people you know, and a pollie jumps in, and you talk to him. It’s called “Human stuff”. Generally considered a good thing, sometimes confuses, or bores, the children though.
Twitter is an excellent idiot detection system.
Now Iâm no expert…
Hurrah! He’s finally written something honest!
I don’t mind admitting I don’t know everything.
Good man. A measured and intelligent reply to my attempt to provoke.
Well done, chris73.
Caught me off guard
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/04/09/why/
Fuck.
Clear case of rape and the police did nothing, the rapist shits even photographed themselves in the act.
Fuck.
I don’t know as well. Kind of wish I hadn’t read it.
Welcome to rape culture basics then, side-effects from delving deeper into rape culture 101 include raging at victim blaming in the news, not laughing at rape jokes, with occasional cluebattings of people making rape and other threats against females in your presence. Along with dismay and/or anger at politicians/governments not helping rape and domestic violence support services.
One question comes: Who were the rapists and what were their connections to the
richgovernment?None probably, this is rape culture in the context of conservative rural areas…
Probably it was that as far as the Mounties and the school etc were concerned it was Rehtaeh’s fault for “drinking too much”.
Yeah everyone knows to watch out for feral provincial types, rural men are animals and they hunt in godforsaken packs like hyenas. Shit, best to lock your daughters up at night if you ever wonder outside of bleeding liberal heart areas of urban Wellington or Auckland.
Of course, rural people are really stupid, judgemental and predictably unconscionable that way.
đ
If you’d bother reading the gawker piece + had prior experience with other rape cases and the reactions to them you’d probably not be sounding like such a twit. As the usual rational used to brush of rape victims is blaming them, while the usual public attacks on them are of the slut/whore variety.
While per prior patterns of behaviour, generally rural areas in North America are less “nice” towards victims of sexual assault at both the police the social levels. Heck, the police in general often have patchy responses to rape and sexual assault victims, even in NZ that usual requires an inquiry or two to correct.
But hey, feel totes free to correct me with ye olde hard evidence :smugface:
(Note, Nick needzors sleep, thus the lack of linkage in this post, plus the computer be dying due to too many tabs open…)
“smugface”?
lol what are you 12?
đ
You’re a smart guy and I do like you, but forget “rape culture”: you’re the perfect introduction to “bleeding heart intellectual elitist urban liberal culture”
This applies perfectly to the thread around 20.4.1.1.1 as well. So “smugface” that you really believe that you do know it all about patriarchal societies through the history of human civilisation, and that you are somehow superiorly and culturally fit in morals and values to judge them as being deficient (compared to what? How well we treat our own in modern day society?).
đ
“bleeding heart intellectual elitist urban liberal culture”
đ
been reading about the types of things young people (and children) have been saying about their behaviour and peers on social media and the lack of awareness of content by parents / caregivers until teachers etc inform them. sigh.is not gonna end well.airplane food in an inpatient unit is not going to float your deflated boat any more than atypical anti-psychotics.
Yeah, it takes an awful amount of education (or personal experience) to get people to people to not abuse others for their sexuality, or in this case, being raped.
As for mental health care, Canada’s been in the shit in the past over it’s mental health inpatient care and suicide prevention if memory serves me right. And some of the mainstream suicide watch prevention methods are pretty fucking hopeless in terms of patients human rights, let alone reducing suicidal ideation.
What is it with the Anglo Saxon culture and the way they treat women?
It’s not just the Anglo-Saxons. It’s all of the patriarchal societies throughout history.
This.
Yes, because both of you are so knowledgeable about the range of patriarchal civilisations throughout the last five thousand years of human history.
đ
By my count there are around 100-150 major pre-medieval human civilisations on different continents, the vast majority of which were likely to be patriarchial in nature.
Exactly how many of them are you familiar with that you could draw your conclusions?
Enough. The only times I’ve heard of women being treated well and not as objects to own has been in matriarchies and some nomadic tribes (which tended more to anarchy).
Remember Deir Yassin
by RAOUF J. HALABY
Even though April 9, 1948, is a day of infamy for Palestinians, few commemorative ceremonies will be held.
Sixty-Five years ago today organized Jewish terrorist groups, including the Irgun and Stern gangs, attacked the Village of Deir Yassin, a village whose population numbered some 600 people; 112 women children and old men were brutally butchered in a massacre that has been likened to the Babi Yar Nazi massacre of Jews in Kiev, Ukraine. To add insult to injury, some of the survivors were stripped, loaded on flat truck beds, paraded in a demeaning triumphal drive through Jerusalemâs Jewish neighborhoods, driven out of town, and shot to death. Under the cover of dark, 55 surviving children were loaded on trucks and dumped in a Jerusalem alleyway.
Close to 600 villages were bulldozed and permanently wiped off the map. Some ironies: the Israelis would change the name of the village to Kfar Shaul, move Holocaust survivors into homes that were not destroyed, build a mental institution on the site, and the site itself is within full view of the Holocaust Memorial, a site just recently visited by Barack Obama…
Read more….
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/04/09/deir-yassin-massacre-remembered/
Morrissey Thanks. We need to remember such things.
Lest we forget as a devout promise takes on nightmare proportions when we allow the scope of attention to widen. It isn’t easy being a sentient human being with belief in our basic goodness.
better to be wide-mouthed frog with quick reflexes; young wide-mouth frog is left parent-less prior to the amphibian equivalent of weaning due to a temporary spike in the futures / derivatives / hedges / commodities market for what is between a wide-mouthed frog’s lips. young wmf commences bildungsroman / entwicklungsroman / erziehungsroman ,picaresque ,epic odyssey through local jungle food-hall questing of those just-so neighbours of varying species he / she meets in his / her ecological niche what it is they are to now sustain themselves with; request goes, to say, for example, a mole, “excuse me, but I’m a wide-mouth frog, can you please advise me what is appropriate on the menu for me to eat” (request, when telling joke is with fingers at side of own mouth stretching it, wide “hawo, i a vi mout fwog..”. Mole, for example replies, “well I don’t know what wide -mouth frogs eat but I’m a mole and I eat worms” (politicians)…and so on it goes until frog meets snake đ …”Well, I’m a snake and I eat wide-mouth frogs…”
Wide-mouth frog purses lips and exclaims “ooooh, iz zat wight”.
Yep, definitely need to remember that Israel was birthed in the spilling of innocent blood.
Israel is a colonisation project. It is also consider by the Yanks to be a strategic ally in the Middle East.
So Israel can basically do what it likes without much protest from the West.
Andrew Williams on John Key in Parliament. Recounts Key’s history and states:
1. Key double crossed Blinglish in the leadership vote in 2003 despite pledging support for him.
2. Knew about his blind trust.
3. Forgot about his Westpac shares.
4. Forgot about his meeting with the Exclusive Bretheren.
5. Said he never met with Media works to discuss a $43 million loan despite the fact he had.
6. Said that S&P would downgrade NZ’s rating even though it said it would not.
7. Promised that Westpac’s banking would be opened up to competition but did not and then Simon Power went to work for them.
8. Says he cannot recall when he was told by the GCSB about Dotcom.
9. Could not recall shoulder tapping his mate Fletcher for the job of head of GCSB.
He ends up by saying we cannot trust Key and calls for an independent inquiry. Williams does well.
Williams is a self important drunk same as his boss, just because he disses a dickhead like Key doesn’t make him any less of a drunken buffoon
Ultimately that doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this discussion, even if it’s true, which I doubt very much given his usually high standard in the house.
The speech was good. The simple narrative needs to be repeated.
Yeah it was a bloody good speech.
Needs to be repeated at every opportunity for the next [x] months.
Except that he didn’t and has never claimed that he did. He obviously remembered quite well when pressed on the number he held and that proves that he had used the lesser number on purpose. Probably thinking that having less would magically decrease the amount of conflict of interest he was engaging in.
You may have noticed the ‘meat alternative’ Quorn that has recently appeared on our shelves.
Any of the science folk out there have any advice for us laymen. The manufacturer states it wants to be the first billion dollar meat alternative. Seems it is not a fungus or a mushroom, it is a mould grown in industrial vats. Now where’s that copy of Solyent Green?
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00253-002-0931-x#page-1
http://www.foodrevolution.org/askjohn/35.htm
http://jcp.bmj.com/content/55/11/876.2.full
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/gras_notices/grn000091.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn
http://www.quorn.us/about-quorn/
Just asking and all, but if someone was to cut the fuel line on a person’s car, in order to intimidate them for a political purpose; that would be terrorism right? And the sort of thing that, in NZ, the SIS should be investigating right, paying attention to groups who routinely vilify the group to which the victim belonged?
It’d be more of a criminal act and a police matter I would’ve thought.
I’d have thought most terrorism would be, but we’ve got terrorism laws now right, in this cold new post 9/11 era? So I assume parliament expects them to be used.
If what Iti was doing was possibly terrorism, then this was, surely.
When did this happen, Pb?
Auckland, last month: http://t.co/y3e2w4Cc4V
Fuck. Any of Slater and Farrar’s lot been laying low for a few weeks?
I could probably whip up a little list for the SIS to be starting with.
Fuck, if they start up in CHCH and I hear about it I’ll be pulling hours on escort volunteering.
And Ken Orr’s a lying sack of shit, I really doubt he’d do anything to stop an attack on property if he heard about it.
Don’t know where the terrorism law has ended up. It turned out to be useless in the Urewera case because as drafted it could only be legally applied to international terrorists, didn’t it? I thought the police have a counter-terrorism role as well? Is this in relation to the abortion clinic nurse whose car was interfered with referred to on TVOne newsotainment tonight?
I can’t remember why the Urewera one fell apart, think it was more about proving level of actual intent and planning than international stuff.
Yes, you’re right. Fairly succint explanation of the problems with the terrorism act in that case is here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474950
The last bit suggests the act was aimed more at external terrorist threats.
Cheers.
the bold one is the only one that is arguably not met, though I only count 4 of the 5 potential outcomes?
Yes, agreed PB. It was this quote from the Solicitor-General that made me think the act had focussed on external threats. There was quite a bit of discussion at the time as to why it was so difficult to apply to domestic terrorism. I could be wrong, but I vaguely recall that it was more aimed at identifying and stopping overseas terrorists or people connected to international terrorist groups from getting here, post 9/11.
“That very quick summary might give an indication as to why I think it’s unnecessarily complicated and very, very difficult to apply. There will be circumstances where [the act] can be made to work, but certainly not in fundamentally domestic circumstances.”
Depends on the context, if it was say a business person or someone with extra-legal debts it would be a crime, but given it’s against someone working at a clinic providing abortion services, I’d class it as terrorism per anti-abortion acts in the USA. As does the FBI presently.
And political purposes generally fall into terrorism definitions historically, albeit with plenty of fuzziness depending on who’s in positions of power.
As for this:
It depends on the threat level and reporting of prior threats, but I’d assume they’re keeping an eye on potential anti-abortion nuts at home and those we import from the USA. Much as they’ve likely bugged Kyle Chapman to hell and back (if he’s not an agent provocateur that is) to keep an eye on his various rwnj friends.
Yeah, thanks Morrissey at 21 above. We do need to know in the first place and remember, grieve really, in the second place. Gross inhumanity swept over.
Gotta say I’m a bit surprised you haven’t received the Zionist cacophany in answer.
“But they throw fucking stones at us !” – whimper bloody whimper – what ???
And for whomsoever – note I said Zionist, not Jewish.
[Deleted]
I like being minimalised for speaking the truth, but then again, that is how it works. Thanks.
Mate, slow down.
Hey North, I do not know where you come from, but I TOTALLY MEAN it, as I have had to deal with WINZ jerks repeatedly, last time they did not believe my doctors records, so I was sent through hell. They never believe anyone, I just learned tonight, what they still do, and they are CULLING sick and disabled of benefits! This comes from someone working on the bloody frontline, and it is REAL!
They never believe you, they never give you time and credit, they hate you and consider us all that are seriously sick and diabled as FUCKING BLUDGERS!
And society is NO BETTER, look this thread up:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10876345
So are you damned PROUD to be a New Zealander, when this goes on?
I met many Kiwis today, while busing and walking and else NOBODY TALKS, NOBODY RELATES, I met NO PERSON
Hey North, I do not know where you come from, but I TOTALLY MEAN it, as I have had to deal with WINZ jerks repeatedly, last time they did not believe my doctors records, so I was sent through hell. They never believe anyone, I just learned tonight, what they still do, and they are CULLING sick and disabled of benefits! This comes from someone working on the bloody frontline, and it is REAL!
They never believe you, they never give you time and credit, they hate you and consider us all that are seriously sick and diabled as FUCKING BLUDGERS!
And society is NO BETTER, look this thread up:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10876345
So are you damned PROUD to be a New Zealander, when this goes on?
I met many Kiwis today, while busing and walking and else NOBODY TALKS, NOBODY RELATES, I met NO PERSON worth even socialising with.
Do you guys here not get it, part of the damned problem is this damend INTERNET communication, nobody knows how to interact face to face and normally anymore, that is also fucking up the whole left here. You guys thing you have clues and can fucking change things, look at the damned lack of results here, who bloody listens, who takes ACTION.
I said it, others said, it, without real street and other physical action, you life in damned cyber NO space, you are irrelevant, dreaming, dumb and ignorant. YOU are all losers and lost it long ago.
THERE IS NO ACTIVE LEFT IN NZ, THAT IS REALITY, IT IS DEAD!!!
There is always the “last straw” and “solution” I think of every day and night, but “enjoy” yourselves, I will not spoil the fun.
Auckland City Mission really “cares”, I suppose, the Bratt and extreme way, ok:
http://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/uploads/file/Calder%20Centre/Sickness%20Benefit%20explanation.pdf
I cannot believe the people of NZ tolerating such crap, even such a jerk being supported by the Ministry of Social Development and WiNZ, this is a NAZI country to me, we never have such SHIT in Europe, you guys better clean up your damned Bratt backyard, that is if you care!