Well worth reading is Ellen Brown’s Web of Debt about the privately owned Federal Reserve and how it creates money out of thin air demanding real world interest to pay for their scam.
John Key was selected to be part of the Foreign exchange committee to the Federal Reserve of New York. A position he was appointed too after his boss Stephen Bellotti left that committee. His boss shared this committee with Robert Rubin, the man responsible for the repeal of the Glass Steagall act and generally considered to be one of the most corrupt capitalists ever.
Here is what Ellen has to say about the QE2 and how all that money did not go to the economy to get it kick started but to off shore banks were it is hoarded to pay for big bonuses
Goff on Euthanasia (responding to Families First):
Mr Goff said that when his mother was terminally ill three years ago, stopped eating and wanted to die, the family refused to let her.
“She lived for three months, but those three months were entirely without quality and all of us now wonder whether we did the right thing,” he said.
“It’s a hard question. I think we should keep discussing it. I would want to have the choice.”
Many people who have had a close encounter with undignified, distressing death, like Goff, and me, think more discussion this is needed. Consider Choices about Euthanasia.
Cameron is all excited and has reported that Labour has been reported to the Police by the Electoral Commission. What heinous crime you may wonder that it has committed? Well it left a couple of words off the back of a brochure.
The section of the Electoral Act that provides the test on whether or not an advertisement is an election advertisement and needs a promoter statement is (take a deep breath):
“3A Meaning of election advertisement
(1) In this Act, election advertisement—
(a) means an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to do either or both of the following:
(i) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of candidate described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated):
(ii) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of party described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the party is stated); and
(b) includes—
(i) a candidate advertisement; and
(ii) a party advertisement.
(2) None of the following are election advertisements:
…
(b) contact information (as defined in subsection (3)) published in any medium by a member of Parliament that satisfies all of the following requirements:
(i) the information was published by a member of Parliament in the course of performing his or her role and functions as a member of Parliament; and
(ii) the information was prepared for publication and published by the member of Parliament using funding received under Vote Parliamentary Service; and
(iii) the information was routinely published in that medium before the commencement of the regulated period and continues to be published in that medium during the regulated period; and
(iv) the information is published during the regulated period no more often and to no greater extent than before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(v) the information is published during the regulated period in the same form and style as before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(vi) the information is not included, combined, or associated with an election advertisement (as defined in subsection (1)), or with any other information so as to constitute an election advertisement, that is published by—
(A) the member of Parliament; or
(B) the secretary of the party to which the member of Parliament belongs; or
(C) any other person with the authority of the member of Parliament:”
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement. The EC in a very technical interpretation has refused to accept this. Because section 204J says the Commission “must” report the matter to the police it has done so.
Labour has withdrawn the pamphlets and indicated that all future pamphlets will have the “authorised by …” statement.
Talk about Nanny State on steroids. Will DPF recommence his campaign against restrictions on freedom of speech? Will Cameron agree that this is nanny state gone wild?
Who pays for it if it’s an election advertisement vs not an election advertisement ? Doesn’t it come from a different pot of cash albeit all from the long suffering taxpayer.
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement.
What Labour might ‘think’ is not the point. Given the way it was unfairly accused of electoral malpractice in the past – and the recent inexcusable slackness of security of personal information – why didn’t the persons responsible for the pamphlet include the words “authorised by etc.” just to be on the safe side?
Some may say that it’s all very well with the benefit of hindsight to be critical, but I’m starting to have serious doubts about the ability of some of Labour’s internal HQ staff. These are all avoidable mishaps!
LAB approved the materials through Parliamentary Services. After examining the material it was independently considered (by Parliamentary Services) to not be party material or electioneering material.
And so the material, OK’d by Parliamentary Services, had the Parliamentary Services seal placed upon them.
Nice to know that Labour will place the blame anywhere but themselves
So why not just get it right the first time?
Is it because they’re:
Lazy
Arrogant
Incompetent
or all of the above
its not like this is the first time they’ve been in trouble over this kind of carry on and why does it seem as if its always Labour in the gun for this sort of thing? (apart from the VRWC influencing the MSM
No chris 73 you’re right. They’re not lazy and arrogant nor are they really stupid. I suspect the person(s) who made the mistake was(were) not part of the publicity team when the pledge card misadventure occurred and therefore didn’t learn from it. My understanding is that P.S. approved the pledge card too.
Q+A this morning devoted to all the young’ns and how they are going to be needed to keep us a first world country and so much of what I could gather, from amongst the jargon and cliches of those in the know, was that it was super high-tech that was going to get us there.
Just got the Internet Bill this morning (on-line) and suddenly thought, how in hell is a superannuatant ever going to be able to access or stay in touch with the world, unless this Super Duper Broadband world that Mr Joyce is promising us is actually next to free.
$90 a month just to access your money (banking), pay your bills (online) and phone the emergency services all on the basic pension of $251p.w.
Internet connection has become a societal necessity which is generally what happens to services that provide a public good. As such, it needs to be a government service paid for through taxes and not a private provided good that makes some non-productive shareholders a profit.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity. Why wasn’t it publicly provided? Another weird thing about refrigerators (and other goods and services that the govt mostly stays out of) is that they get cheaper, with more features, year on year. Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges! How unproductive.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity.
You open up your refrigerator to use by your neighbourhood? That’s very generous of you.
they get cheaper, with more features, year on year.
Now let’s ask how this is accomplished. Could it be a combination of producing ever higher volumes of crap (economies of scale), designs which do more with fewer parts and materials (tech and design innovation), employing fewer workers (increased labour productivity), and locating manufacturing in the lowest cost countries possible (reduced labour costs).
All of that is certainly productive. Especially for the capitalist shareholders.
Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges!
Capitalists don’t make fridges, workers do (e.g. engineers and production line staff)
In part 2 you did a pretty good job of describing the capitalist process. One that benefits both the producer and consumer. I’m struggling to see the problem.
Of course you are. It goes back to the lie you tried to slide in at the start – that capitalists make fridges.
They don’t, workers do, and the capitalists reward themselves from the economic surplus generated by the hard work of the engineers and the production staff by paying as few workers as possible as little as possible.
Marx described the relationship where one party (workers) produce the surplus economic value but where another party (the capitalist major shareholders) has all the power to choose what to do with the economic surplus as being exploitative.
By your logic every good is a public one.
No, it doesn’t. Not sure how you can believe that ‘benefiting Rusty’ = ‘the public good’ without some major brain contortions.
Capitalists take on the risk. Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
BS as the Spirit Level proves. Having a small bunch of dictators living it up at everyone else’s expense is bad for society. And then there’s the fact, as the latest crash proves, that those dictators aren’t actually taking any risk – societies around the world have bailed them out when the risk came due.
As for the refrigerator not being supplied by a government owned, worker run factory is because the capitalists don’t want it that way? They wouldn’t be able to tell everyone how important they are and that they should have the bulk of the wealth if they weren’t needed.
So Rusty – why turn this into a Capitalist discussion. Your refrigerator analogy is spurious.
You have not addressed the issue of retirees being able to remain connected to this all singing all dancing technology.
The way I see it technology is rapidly advancing and to a greater exclusion of many in society. I have not seen a great reduction in the costs between ISPs.
Soon (in a couple of years) most of commerce will require an on-line interface with customer and supplier.
At the moment the basic phone provider is $50 plus. For internet, it is another $30 – $40. Cannot see the pension increasing to such an extent – what do they promise? Rate of increase tied to CPI.
That’s the end of the News of the World, thank God. But let’s not kid ourselves about the rest of the British media, and in particular the “liberal” media…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ — The Guardian, Noam Chomsky and Venezuela
The headline of last Sunday’s Observer article on Venezuela set the tone for the slanted and opportunistic piece of political ‘reporting’ that followed: ‘Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for “assault” on democracy’.
And then the opening line launched into a barrage of spin: ‘Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar’s praise for Venezuela’s socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.’
The ironic sneer directed at the Venezuelan president apparently basking in Chomsky’s ‘praise’, and the sly hint of robotic ‘echoing’ of his buddy’s rants, were indicative of the bias, omissions and
deceptions to follow. Reporter Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent, had just interviewed Chomsky and set about twisting the conversation into a propaganda piece. (For non-UK readers who may not know: the Observer is the Sunday sister publication of the Guardian newspaper).
Carroll’s skewed view was clear and upfront in his article: ‘Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an “assault” on Venezuela’s democracy.’ As we will see shortly, this was a highly partial and misleading account of Chomsky’s full remarks, leading him to declare afterwards that the newspaper had displayed ‘extreme dishonesty’ and that
Carroll’s article was ‘quite deceptive’.
The news hook was the publication of an open letter by Chomsky pleading for the release of Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni who is suffering from cancer. Afiuni, explains Carroll, ‘earned Chávez’s ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio Cedeño, a prominent banker facing corruption charges.’ After just over a year in jail, awaiting trial on charges of corruption, the Venezuelan authorities ‘softened her confinement to house arrest’.
In the open letter, prepared together with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, Chomsky says: ‘Judge Afiuni had my sympathy and solidarity from the very beginning.
The way she was detained, the inadequate conditions of her imprisonment, the degrading treatment she suffered in the Instituto Nacional de Orientación Femenina, the dramatic erosion of her health
and the cruelty displayed against her, all duly documented, left me greatly worried about her physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as about her personal safety.’
He concludes with the plea: ‘I shall keep high hopes that President Chávez will consider a humanitarian act that will end the judge’s detention.’ Towards the end of Carroll’s article, the journalist injected some token balance: ‘The Chávez government deserved credit for sharply reducing poverty and for its policies of promoting self-governing communities and Latin
American unity, Chomsky said. “It’s hard to judge how successful they are, but if they are successful they would be seeds of a better world.” ‘
But the blatant spin of the headline and the article’s lead paragraphs had already done the required job – President Chávez is so extreme that even that radical lefty Noam Chomsky, one of his best friends in the West, has now denounced him.
Chomsky Responds… ‘Extreme Dishonesty’ And A ‘Quite Deceptive’ Report
Activists and bloggers were quick to email Noam Chomsky to ask for his response to Rory Carroll’s article in the Observer. In particular, Chomsky replied as follows to one aggressive challenger who made a series of personal attacks on him: ‘Let’s begin with the headline: complete deception. That continues throughout. You can tell by simply comparing the actual quotes with their comments. As I mentioned, and expected, the New York Times report of a similar interview is much more honest, again revealing the extreme dishonesty of the Guardian.
‘I’m sure you would understand if an Iranian dissident who charged Israel with crimes would also bring up the fact that charges from Iran and its supporters cannot be taken seriously in the light of Iran’s far worse abuses. If you don’t understand that, which I doubt, you really have some problems to think about. If you do understand it, as I assume, the same is true. That’s exactly why bringing up [the jailed US soldier Bradley] Manning (and much more) is highly relevant.’
Joe Emersberger, an activist based in Canada, also approached Chomsky for a reaction to the piece:
‘The Guardian/Observer version, as I anticipated, is quite deceptive. The report in the New York Times is considerably more honest. Both omit much of relevance that I stressed throughout, including the fact that criticisms from the US government or anyone who supports its actions can hardly be taken seriously, considering Washington’s far worse record without any of the real concerns that Venezuela faces, the Manning case for one [Manning is the alleged source for huge amounts of restricted material passed on to WikiLeaks], which is much worse than Judge Afiuni’s. And much else. There’s no transcript, unfortunately. I should know by now that I should insist on a transcript with the Guardian, unless it’s a writer I know and trust.’ (Joe Emersberger, ‘Chomsky Says UK Guardian Article “Quite Deceptive” About his Chavez Criticism’, Z Blogs, July 4, 2011).
In fact the very next day after Carroll’s article appeared, and no doubt stung by the rising tide of internet-based criticism, the Guardian took the unusual step of publishing what is presumably a full transcript of the interview. (Also unusually, the Guardian did not
allow reader comments to be posted under the transcript.) But the transcript only served to prove Chomsky’s point about the ‘deceptive’ nature of the printed article. His comparisons to the
justice system in the United States – in particular, the torture and abuse of Bradley Manning – were edited out. Carroll had asked him about the intervention of the Venezuelan executive in demanding a long jail sentence for Judge Afiuni.
Chomsky replied: ‘It’s obviously improper for the executive to intervene and impose a jail sentence without a trial. And I should say that the United States is in no position to complain about this. Bradley Manning has been imprisoned without charge, under torture, which is what solitary
confinement is. The president in fact intervened. Obama was asked about his conditions and said that he was assured by the Pentagon that they were fine. That’s executive intervention in a case of severe violation of civil liberties and it’s hardly the only one. That doesn’t change the judgment about Venezuela, it just says that what one hears in the United States one can dismiss.’
Chomsky added: ‘Venezuela has come under vicious, unremitting attack by the United States and the west generally – in the media and even in policy. After all the United States sponsored a military coup [in 2002] which failed and since then has been engaged in extensive subversion. And the onslaught […] against Venezuela in commentary is grotesque.’ Nothing of that appeared in the published Observer article. [* See Update below]
Also given scant notice were Chomsky’s observations about positive developments in Venezuela and Latin America generally in trying to overcome the horrendous impacts of over five centuries of European, and latterly also US, colonialism and exploitation: ‘I think what’s happened in Latin America in the past 10 years is probably the most exciting and positive development to take place in the world. For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence. Furthermore internally there was a model that was followed pretty closely by each of the countries: a very small Europeanised, often white elite that concentrated enormous wealth in the midst of incredible poverty. And this is a region, especially South America, which are very rich in resources which you would expect under proper conditions to develop far better than east Asia for example but it hasn’t happened.’
The above quotes by Chomsky are only extracts of the longest answers, by far, that he gave in his interview with Carroll. But they didn’t fit the journalist’s agenda of setting up Chomsky in ‘denouncing’ Chávez’s supposed ‘assault’ on democracy. Carroll once accurately declared that he is ‘not a champion of impartiality’. Indeed, Joe Emersberger has done much sterling work, exposing and challenging Carroll’s biased journalism from Latin America. Carroll and his editors clearly have supreme difficulty in answering Emersberger’s cogent emails, judging by their repeated
failure to respond.
Readers may recall that the Guardian has a dubious track record in recording and accurately reflecting the views of Noam Chomsky; that is, when it doesn’t conform to the usual pattern of completely ignoring him. The Guardian‘s smear of Chomsky in 2005 marked a real
low in the history of this ‘flagship’ newspaper of ‘liberal’ journalism. See ‘Smearing Chomsky – Guardian in the Gutter’, ‘Smearing Chomsky – The Guardian Backs Down’ and the external ombudsman’s report.
Perhaps what is most noteworthy about this whole episode is best summed up by Emersberger:
‘This is not the first time Rory Carroll has taken a highly selective interest in Chomsky’s views on Latin America. When Chomsky signed an open letter in 2008 critical of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Rory Carroll also jumped all over it. At about the same time, Chomsky signed an open letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe about far more grave matters but it was ignored by the Guardian. At the time, I asked Rory Carroll and his editors why they ignored it but they never replied to me. They also ignored an open letter to Uribe signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and various other groups. I asked Carroll and his editors why that open letter was ignored and – as usual – no one responded.’
Concluding Remarks
Noam Chomsky was once famously described by the New York Times as ‘arguably the most important intellectual alive’. And yet, as mentioned earlier, the Guardian is normally happy to ignore him and his views. But when Chomsky expresses criticism of an official enemy
of the West, he suddenly does exist and matter for the Guardian. That indicates what we already knew: that the liberal press is perfectly aware of the importance of Chomsky’s work. They just ignore it because it undermines the wrong interests.
Rory Carroll’s article is a wonderful glimpse of the kind of status Chomsky would enjoy if he promoted the myth of the basic benevolence of the West, and focused on the crimes of official enemies. He would be feted as one of the most insightful and brilliant political commentators the world had ever seen. He would be far and away the world’s number one political talking head. His face would be all over the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the BBC, the New York Times and so on.
There is a humbling lesson here also, of course, for those people who are all over the media. In important ways, the media is a demeritocracy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.
July 6, 2011
Hello
Well, the transcript is there so everyone can judge the article, and Prof Chomsky’s response, for themselves.
Just one point: you say the article omitted Prof Chomsky’s references to Manning and US policy on Venezuela. About half-way there is this: “Its author remains fiercely critical of the US, which he said had tortured Bradley Manning, alleged source of the diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks, and continued to wage a “vicious, unremitting” campaign against Venezuela.
Best
Rory
July 6, 2011
Hello Rory,
Thanks for writing and pointing out that mistake – apologies. It should have read that you had given those points scant attention in comparison to the chosen spin of the ‘dishonest’ headline and main thrust of the ‘deceptive’ article. I’ll post an update.
As you rightly say, and as we noted in the alert, people can see for themselves to what extent the published article reflects what Noam Chomsky said in the interview.
Moreover, Joe Emersberger’s comments about your selective attention to Chomsky’s views, and your failure to respond to past challenges, remain unaddressed. And so do our concluding remarks about the default stance of the Guardian and the media when it comes to reporting Chomsky’s insightful observations: simply ignore them.
Best wishes
David Cromwell
Yeah, I certainly remember reading of the 2005 smear.
I haven’t got time today, but in one of the Open Mikes in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
…in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
I’ll look forward to reading that, my friend. I hardly bother nowadays to even glance at what was once an essential magazine. Which intellectual giant did Pamela Stirling, that formidable polymath of an editor, assign to the task of smearing Chomsky? Deborah Hill Cone? Joanne Black? Bill Ralston? Raybon Kan? Paul Lewis? The more I think of a possible contender for this Herculean task, the funnier it seems.
Thanks, Morrissey. Looks like it’ll probably be later in the week. I’m just a bit too busy at the moment and (possibly like you and one or two others here) I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I want to provide an effective context, before I outline the details. All takes time 🙂
Today’s Nation was once again an attack on Labour. The so called discussion on Capital Gains developed into a critizem of the Labour Policy.
Garner once again ,as he does every week ,finds fault with Goffs leadership.
What ever has Phil done to this creep?
Their is no doubt that with the Capital Gains tax announcement Labour is going to dominate the debate. However Nat’s will pull every trick they know to rubbish this. I’m looking forward to Friday’s statement by Phil on this. There is no doubt this could be just what Labour needs to boost the polls.
Now I have heard ,from a good source , that this Tory government is considering deregistering theTeachers Union .Anyone heard anything?
It certainly would not surprise me .
If they did deregister the PPTA or the Primary NZEI or could only to pick a fight. The grounds for deregistering have to be pretty compelling and it is many years decades(?) since it was done to a union.
Can’t believe that since the other day when Anne Tolley was asked if any action was planned against theNZEI re NS, she said dismissively no but they will be helping schools to understand NS (!!!) and maybe next year they will look at other means. Good reason to make sure that Tolley is not there next year to do any more damage.
Yes Postman its the media that are to blame for Goffs ineptitude as a leader. He’s never to blame in the lefts eyes, which is of course a socialist mantra, “he’s not to blame its society’s fault” (and anyone with more money than you). If Goff wants traction he needs a personality transplant and policy that resonates with the voters. Goff repeating the same behaviour and tired speeches and expecting a different result, is the epitome of being deranged.
There was another large earthquake off the East coast of Honshu, Japan today. It measured magnitude 7. This coincides with a general increase in the number of all magnitude earthquakes over recent years…
“The latest 3 News Reid Research poll is out and has National opening up its already massive gap over Labour.
One of the real winners in this poll is the rise and rise of the Greens; who seem to now be feeding off Labour’s misery and taking their voters.
National was up 2.1 points on 55.1 percent support while Labour slipped 2.9 points to 29.9 percent. The Greens went up 2.6 points to 9.1 percent.”
Priceless.
[lprent: Also completely off topic and looks to me like it was meant to be diversionary. If I see you do again I will kick you out of commenting for while. Moving to OpenMike.
Oh buggerit – that was too much work. Banned for a week for wasting my time. ]
It’s just showing the volatility of the polls. This one won’t be affected much if at all by the CGT, and certainly won’t be affected by the weekend’s Act.
Wow, like that’s never happened before… I can hardly wait for some MP to say the rules were confusing… others did it too… It’s not fair to just prosecute Labour….
Labour had prior confirmation from Parliamentary Services that those materials were not considered party promotional materials or electioneering materials.
You really are a dipshit, just man up and say “we screwed up”
Maybe in future you might want to go for advice elsewhere…you know the saying “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and I probably work for Labour”
Labour originally sought and gained sign offs from Parliamentary Services on the flyers etc. i.e. an independent assessment, that the material was not party material and was not electioneering material.
Labour was therefore allowed to use the Parliamentary Services seal on the material, which would not have been permitted had the material been judged at the time to be Labour Party promotional material or electioneering material.
Do Parliamentary Services indemnify political parties from being accountable under the law ?
You seem to think so and Labour’s previous behaviour seems to imply that – but what are the rules? Remember the rules – in this case the laws passed by MPs for MPs. Can’t say they are confusing and claim to be competent at the same time.
Are Labour incompetent or are they self serving muppets who think they are above the law ?
Labour sought out early expert advice, and that independent advice came back that those materials were not party promotional or electioneering materials.
Now that call might have been wrong in the final analysis (we’ll wait and see), but Labour took a lot of care to get this right from the start.
So here we go.. The law was confusing… Others were doing it too…
Oh dear, Labour hasn’t got the numbers to retrospectively validate under urgency.
How handy would the conventional ‘not in the public interest to prosecute’ be?
What about that convention that parliament can’t use the excuse a law was confusing because they wrote it and they voted to get it enacted? OK we let that one go for a while when it was convenient with the EFA, but is it gone forever ?
Well, as I mentioned above, Labour had the material checked and vetted by Parliamentary Services, and at the time it was independently assessed as not being party promotional material nor electioneering material.
So here we go again… The ref made a bad call… the rules were changed…
Sorry CV – the people who make the laws and pass the laws need to understand the laws.
So I guess if they had it checked by Parliamentary Services then they will be confident they didn’t break the law and they will be happy to see it tested in court ?
Remember the Judiciary… I know previously Labour have shown a preference for retrospective validation rather than take their chances in court but they might not get that option this time. But hey PS said it was OK so should be an open and shut case where they are not found guilty – right ?
Actually, Key has just dominated the news over big free trade trip to india – staged romance at the Taj and filmed with Bollywood’s Brangelina all that aspirational stuff. Yet only pulled 2%, and is that not the margin of error?? Gloat all you like Chris , but you know as well as most of us – National’s popularity rides of on Key and lets face it, the public will wake up..
Why are the police being so vindictive in prosecuting Arie Smith-Voorkamp? They are even bullying TV1’s Sunday programme for running the story tonight about his arrest and alleged beating for taking two lightbulbs from an abandoned building. Even the building’s owners didn’t want him charged until the police apparently bullied them too. Something unpleasant going on in the police culture.
Absolutely true, Hilary! I watched Sunday for possibly the second time ever, and was very impressed by Arie and by the building’s owners. His reason (that it was a shame to leave electrical fittings in a building that might collapse) would seem perfectly reasonable to someone with Aspergers who wants to become an electrician! He wasn’t looting anything, just rescuing something…
While the economy is on pause under lockdown, the government is beginning to plan how to cope with the post-lockdown, post-tourism, post-export education world we will eventually find ourselves in. They're planning a lot of infrastructure spending as economic stimulus, and have asked for proposals which can start the moment ...
It's my distraction, setting up tiny scenes to photograph. I've got stuck on the Babushka dolls for now. Something about their bubble shape. Something about their never changing, smiling features, suggesting persistent equanimity. Can we get through everything that is being thrown at us and keep at least a tiny ...
. . March 31: Day six of living in lock-down… This time I managed to sleep a little longer and the alarm woke me at the pre-set time: 6.55am. Then remembered I was working a later shift and could’ve slept in. Oh well, there are things to do at home. ...
Image credit:Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ...
Yesterday's Horizon poll showing support for a "Yes" vote in this year's cannabis referendum sliding into the majority for the first time in a year looked like good news for reformers – and it probably is. But the result warrants some scrutiny.The poll is the fifth in a series commissioned ...
For almost a week now, every one of us who isn’t an essential worker has been confined to their bubble. We are allowed to go shopping for groceries, to visit the doctor, and to get a bit of exercise if we stay local. The reason we are doing this is ...
The Covid-19 saga will no doubt produce many twists and turns for us before it is finally brought to an end. But one thing it has shown us – and what comfort it should bring us – is that our country’s government is in good hands. I am not thinking ...
In the absence of a vaccine or a cure for a deadly disease, staying home in your bubble is what you do, the concept is not new. To the best of my knowledge last time we did this in NZ was for polio, in the years before a vaccine came ...
The following statement was released on March 28 by the National Network on Cuba, a coalition of 40 groups, based in the United States. In recent weeks, Cuba has deployed hundreds of medical providers to over a dozen countries in Europe, Asia, as well as to their neighbors in Latin ...
This has been a terrible summer for Hector’s dolphins. The first indication was very low numbers of dolphin sightings during late spring and early summer. The Otago University Marine Mammal Research Team has carried out routine dolphin surveys at Banks Peninsula for more than 30 years. In all that time, ...
On March 17, Finance Minister Grant Robertson was quick out of the blocks with an economic rescue package to help businesses through the inevitable recession resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Robertson had pulled together a scheme in short order that so far seems to have saved many jobs. In his ...
The purpose of the lockdown is to save lives, by reducing the spread of covid-19. We won't know if its really working for another week, but given the devastation that will result if it doesn't - 14,000 dead is the optimistic scenario - its definitely worth trying. But pausing the ...
. . March 30: Day five of living in lock-down… Woke up still in darkness. Alarm hadn’t gone off. Turn to radio clock; it’s a few minutes after 6am… I lie there in the dark, waiting to drift off to sleep… but it ain’t happening. Clock ticks over to 6.55 ...
The story of Les Gray, the public sector psychologist who told the truth about his use of cannabis and set off a storm, has a special place in the lore of cannabis reform in New Zealand.When Paul Shannon interviewed Gray for the 'Dope and Hope' issue of Planet magazine in ...
by Phil Duncan For Marxists, a key concern about social trends is their context – not just their causes, but why they happen when they do. Events and phenomena have causes, but they also are time or period-specific. While much of the left have capitulated recently to postmodernism, most notably ...
Since the lockdown began, we've all suddenly been reminded who the actually essential workers in our society are: not the people at the top who pay themselves the big bucks and rort the perks, but the people at the bottom they screw over and squeeze: cleaners, warehouse staff, truck drivers ...
Kia ora! As I've watched nearly all my remaining work vanish over the past couple of days, it has occured to me that one good way to keep me away from arguing with fools on Twitter all the time (in the knowledge that all we're really doing is processing our ...
Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to trying to extirpate the virus that causes COVID-19 from its shores. To do that, as a society we’ve moved to “Level 4”. That means adapting to unprecedented restrictions on our personal freedoms, particularly to our rights to move freely and associate with friends and ...
When the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency last week, she handed the police powers to enforce it. And almost immediately, we started hearing about heavy-handed, arbitrary "enforcement" by police who (at best) cared more about order than law, or (more likely) had no idea what the rules were ...
. . Lock Down: Day 4 – A photo essay with observations . March 29: Usual wake up routine as RNZ snaps on my radio-clock. Jim Mora’s voice slowly enters my conciousness; there’s talk of a second wave of covid19 taking hold in South Korea; the week in Parliament – ...
Yesterday, New Zealand recorded its first Covid-19 related death on the West Coast. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the only fatality, with the virus now being found in every region of the country.However despite the significant danger, people are still unfortunately breaching lockdown rules.There’s really only one main very ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... ‘Misinformation kills’: The link between coronavirus conspiracies and climate denialGrist / Rob Kim / Stringer / CSA Images Scientific ...
The kids did surprisingly well today – meltdown count was about 3, and mostly fairly short ones. (And a fourth while I was writing.) Game-wise I had a go at Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark. It’s a fairly standard RPG with turn-based combat and what they call a “mature storyline” (it ...
by Don Franks Hi David, Nice hearing from you, I’m glad to hear you’re getting by okay in these grim times. You asked how’s it going for us back here in New Zealand. You would have heard that the whole country is locked down and with breaks for exercise and ...
. . Lock Down: Day 3 – A photo essay with observations . March 28: First day of the first weekend in Lock Down. It feels like it’s been weeks since only Level 3 was declared last Tuesday, only four days ago. Woke up this morning to RNZ; coffee; toast, ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Mar 22, 2020 through Sat, Mar 28, 2020Articles Linked to on FacebookSun, Mar 22, 2020In Just 10 Years, Warming Has Increased the Odds of Disasters by Chelsea Harvey, ...
I’m here in lockdown with my flatmate and her two girls (6 and 2) and it. is. a time. They’re usually really active so to start with the only boardgame in the house is the copy of Guess Who that the 6 year old got for her birthday. Flatmate commented ...
The CV-19 (COVID) pandemic has seen the imposition of a government ordered national quarantine and the promulgation of a series of measures designed to spread the burden of pain and soften the economic blow on the most strategically important and most vulnerable sectors of society. The national narrative is framed ...
. . Lock Down: Day 2 – A photo essay with observations . March 27 – Day 2 of our Strange New World. The Park and Ride near my suburb, usually filled with hundreds of vehicles, had just… four; . . Another drive into Wellington City on a highway nearly ...
Fortune's Children: Under extraordinary pressure, the leader of the Government and the leader of the Opposition will each show us what they are made of. Have they been blessed with intelligence, grace, wit, poise, toughness, empathy and humour – and in what measure? More importantly, to what extent have they ...
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of having to rent a property on the open market in New Zealand, which is one of the most expensive in the entire world, you’ll likely be keenly aware of just how arrogant and entitled landlords and their real estate agents can be.Unfortunately for ...
Society-wise, aside from the specific morbidity shall we say of the medically-oriented aspects of this COVID-19 crisis, what is unfolding before the world is in more than one way an instructive study of humanity and reactions to a high intensity, high stress environment in real time. Friends, we are at ...
Right now low waged and insecure workers are feeling the economic brunt of the looming #Covid19 Recession. In response legal advocate Toby Cooper* and hospitality and worker’s rights advocate Chloe Ann-King, are putting together a series of legal blogs about your employment rights:In this legal blog we outline some ...
by Equipo Jurídico Pueblos and Gearóid Ó Loingsigh (25/03/2020) An escape plan in question On the night of March 21st and the early morning of the 22nd, the forces of the Colombian state stormed into the Modelo prison in Bogotá, murdering 23 prisoners and injuring 83, in response to the ...
When the government banned semi-automatic weapons in response to a terrorist atrocity, gun-nuts were outraged. Mired in toxic American gun culture, they thought owning weapons whose sole purpose was killing people was some sort of "constitutional right", a necessity for "defending themselves" against the government. Now, the Court of Appeal ...
Just before midnight on Wednesday March 25, Aotearoa New Zealand entered a countrywide alert level four lockdown. For at least the next four weeks, everyone who isn’t an essential worker is confined to their bubble. We are doing this to stop the explosive growth in people contracting and dying from ...
. . Lock Down: Day 1 – A photo essay with observations . Day one of the Level 4 nationwide lock-down (or, DefCon 4 as I sometimes cheekily call it) started at 11.59PM on 25 March. For a moment, most of the nation held it’s collective breath. In that brief ...
Broad, Sunlit Uplands: How those words fired my young imagination! Or, perhaps, it is more accurate to say: how those words fused, in my young mind, with the image printed on every packet of Fielder’s Cornflour. Always fascinated by history, especially modern history, I cannot hear Churchill’s wonderfully evocative words, even ...
. . 24 March 2020 9.46AM Number of covid19 cases in Aotearoa New Zealand: 102 . As of 11.59 on Thursday, most of New Zealand will go into “lock down”. People will be expected not to travel to work; not to socialise; and to stay home. I will not be ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections A respected research group, Project Drawdown, finds that deploying solutions consistent with meeting the Paris climate targets would cost tens of trillions of dollars globally. But crucially, those outlays would also yield long-term savings many times larger than the up-front costs. The new 2020 Drawdown ...
It will pass. What happens next? Not immediately, but longer term. There are many opinions, fewer certainties. Will it “change everything!” as many confidently, and contradictorily predict? In this post I look at how foresight can help bound some of the uncertainties so you can more objectively consider the future. ...
We’ve been meaning t write something on Cuba and the coronavirus but have just discovered a very good article on the subject in the US left publication Jacobin. The article looks at how Cuba, a poor country but one where capitalism has been done away with, is leading the way ...
In 2018, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey - two British citizens who had purportedly been stripped of their citizenship by the British government - were captured while fighting for Isis in Syria. The British government then conspired to hand them over to the US, and agreed to provide evidence ...
Transformers: The disaster of the Great Depression was transformed into a new and fairer society by the democratic socialism of the First Labour Government. The disaster of the Covid-19 Pandemic offers a similar transformative possibility to the Labour-NZ First-Green Government. Seize the time, Jacinda! You will never have a better ...
Tamper with The System? Well, we already are. But there's a difference between accidentally trickling sand into a precision gearbox versus formulating a plan to alter it on the fly with improvements in mind. One action is more or less innocently unscrupulous, the other amenable to earning an easy ...
Associate Prof George Thomson, Louise Delany, Prof Nick WilsonWhile it is possible that New Zealand can use intense public health controls to eradicate COVID-19 from the country – we must also plan for other scenarios where thousands of New Zealanders are sick – including many urgently hospitalised.1 Better resilience ...
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or being ...
We're about to do something unprecedented as a nation. We hope that by taking this extraordinary action before a single life in New Zealand has been lost to the deadly novel virus we will save tens of thousands of lives. Our lives. We'll do it together, in households, in isolation ...
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”So writes the author of Ecclesiastes, a book in the Old Testament that’s counted as a ‘wisdom’ book and written as if by an unnamed king of Jerusalem. But who would have thought there would be a time ...
I was surprised when the prime minister described the Economic Response to Covid-19 package as the ‘largest peacetime government spend in New Zealand's history’. Reflecting – checking through history – I realised that the term ‘spend’ was crucial and the package had no income tax cuts. Even so, it has ...
Years ago the Argentine sociologist Carlos Weisman wrote a book titled “Living within our Means.” It was a critique of Argentine society that focused on the paradoxical question of why, in a land of plenty, there was so much economic instability, inequality, corruption and political turmoil. His conclusion was basically ...
Parliament will be leading by example and adjourning tomorrow after a special sitting to consider an epidemic notice and state of emergency. Day-to-day oversight of the government will be delegated to a select committee. But that's not the only overight mechanism. The OIA will still be law, and (so far) ...
Michael Baker, University of OtagoOverjoyed. That’s not a word epidemiologists normally use, but that’s how I felt after hearing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement about New Zealand’s COVID-19 shutdown of everything except essential services for at least four weeks from midnight on Wednesday. More than anything, I just ...
How much homelessness is caused by house hoarding? We're about to find out. The pandemic has destroyed tourism, which means that house hoarders who put their hoarded properties up as short-term tourist rentals are now offering them on the ordinary rental market:Property investors are pulling properties from Airbnb to offer ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bruce Lieberman It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees – a lot of trees – all over the world, and watch the planet’s temperature fall. Who doesn’t love a tree or two, even far more – the right ...
According to Newshub, Simon Bridges is open to joining a “grand coalition” with Labour as we hunker down to go into a month long lockdown. The idea is sound. Before now, the role of the opposition was to scrutinise and oppose. In the context of what almost amounts to a ...
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or ...
We need to be lifting our game against COVID-19. You and I need to help those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while they’re trying to lift the testing and treatment efforts. We don’t want to be playing this game running backwards. Best to play it solidly forward, from ...
Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Michael Baker, and Prof Nick WilsonThe NZ Government must do more to clearly articulate its COVID-19 strategy: eradication or ‘flattening the curve’ mitigation. But to do so means understanding the maths and ethics of both these strategies. In this blog, we adapt our work for ...
A few days ago I was starting to write something about the pandemic, which now seems unconscionable. It took the form of a letter to an agony aunt:“Dear Deidre, I have an ugly confession. I am quite excited by Covid-19.”This is how the piece went:“I’m not a psychopath, honest. Although the ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... In Just 10 Years, Warming Has Increased the Odds of DisastersThe likelihood of extreme events ...
Last week, the government announced a $12 billion initial package to support people during the pandemic. Today, the Reserve Bank is buying government bonds - effectively printing money - to keep up the money supply during the crisis. Normally such moves would have the right apoplectic. Instead, the National Party ...
I am a pundit, somebody who opines and comments on the news. There are no real qualifications to punditry though having a rudimentary way with words and good general knowledge helps. That is one reason there is a constant oversupply of would-be pundits and why it is quite hard to ...
I recently encountered the following prescription from a Faculty of Education at a leading New Zealand University. At first I wondered if it was another product of the postmodern generator (http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/pomo/), designed to create gibberish in the postmodern form, but I’m told it is real: The “schooled” society: Towards the ...
The coronavirus pandemic has of course had a major impact on individual lives and on societies as a whole. But, long after the crisis has passed (assuming it does), we will begin to realise that its real and lasting significance lies in the lessons it has taught us, if only ...
COVID-19 has plunged Aotearoa New Zealand (indeed, the world) into territory that, while maybe not totally unprecedented, certainly hasn’t been seen during the lifetimes of most of us here today. Our borders are closed to non-citizens, we’re being told not to gather in groups of more than 500 outside/100 inside, ...
For the last few weeks, I’ve been urging you to prepare yourself, your family, business, and community for Covid-19. Now it’s time for real action. Yesterday the director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced another 13 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, bringing our total to date to 52. ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Mar 15, 2020 through Sat, Mar 21, 2020 Editor's Pick Now Isn’t the Time to Forget About Our Climate Change EffortsTasha Tilberg, Lindsey Wixson, and Liu Wen photographed ...
by Jan Rivers The article has been corrected to show that it was Ewen MacAskill, former Guardian journalist and not Luke Harding who travelled to meet Edward Snowden with journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras. Some of the Guardian’s well-known journalists who did not sign the protest letter are ...
by Cultural Worker Late March 2020 amidst the virus. With gigs crashing and burning all around it was without much hope that I called a long standing rest home booking: “ Hi, I’m supposed to be entertaining at your place this afternoon – is it still on?” “”If you don’t ...
Whenever people demand real change from their politicians, we're told that "politics is the art of the possible". The implication is that change isn't possible, so we'd better just get used to the sucky status quo. But now that there's a pandemic, a lot of things we were previously told ...
Together: In leading New Zealand through the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Prime Minister could do a lot worse than allow herself to be guided by the spirit of collective sacrifice and co-operation that animated the New Zealanders of 80 years ago. Most Kiwis alive today have had no opportunity to prove their ...
It is said that generals fight the last war. In the case of the early stages of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) they had learned from the Great Depression of the 1930s and they fought intelligently and successfully. Later their advice would be ignored in favour of the Austerians who ...
New Zealand can emulate the success of the US after the Great Depression by exploiting our own resources to turn the economy around quickly, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. Mr. Peters told Magic Talk that New Zealand has an opportunity to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic a "superior, ...
All 45 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel are either on their way back to New Zealand, or already in the country, according to Defence Minister Ron Mark."Twenty-eight personnel arrived back in New Zealand last week and are in isolation at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base in ...
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging New Zealanders overseas to stay where they are amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are.” "This includes following the instructions ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging the tens of thousands of New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider sheltering in place, in light of COVID-19. “Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying ...
Ground-breaking law has passed that will decriminalise abortion and ensure women and pregnant people seeking abortions have compassionate healthcare. ...
The Green Party says that the measures announced by the Government today will help families and businesses to prioritise our collective health and wellbeing in the response to COVID-19. ...
As New Zealanders brace for a global downturn due to Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says his Coalition Government’s rescue package "more significant" than any other he's seen around the world. The Coalition is to reveal a multi-billion-dollar stimulus plan on Tuesday afternoon designed to cushion the economic blow ...
We know some people are feeling anxious about COVID-19. While the situation is serious, New Zealand has a world-class health system and we’re well-prepared to keep New Zealanders safe. ...
Work is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...
Advance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects which will be vital to New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. He said keeping the workforce required to build ...
The Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The Infrastructure ...
Work to scale up the health system in preparation for COVID-19 was today outlined by Health Minister David Clark, as he reported back to the new Epidemic Response Committee. “We are well placed to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have taken early and decisive action at our borders, and ...
The Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...
Following the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...
The State of National Emergency to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for a further seven days, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare said. The initial declaration on March 25 lasted seven days and can be extended as many times as necessary. “Since we went into isolation ...
New Zealand’s ability to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19 has been underpinned by strong Government finances and the growing economy heading into this global pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown financial statements for the eight months to the end ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says 36 new intensive care beds at Christchurch Hospital’s new Hagley building are being fast tracked so they are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health is working with contractor CPB and Canterbury DHB to enable access to the hospital’s ICU, ...
The Government has fast-tracked up to $1 million to help Air New Zealand move urgent freight to and from New Zealand, with the first flight to Shanghai leaving tonight, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says it’s crucial that trade in vital goods such as medical supplies and ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
“The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
Minister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...
New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 – Restrict New Zealand to move up to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 – Eliminate, in 48 hours Two-staged approach to give people and businesses time to prepare Level 3, from tomorrow Non-essential businesses must close All events and gatherings must be ...
Good afternoon The Cabinet met this morning to discuss our next actions in the fight against COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, do we have a small window to get ...
The Government is announcing significant further support for the economy, workers and businesses as the country unites to prepare for Alert Level 4 in the fight against COVID-19. Cabinet today agreed to remove the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme, which will inject a further $4 billion into the ...
The Government is backing the Reserve Bank’s latest action to support the economy by reducing longer-term interest rates, meaning lower costs for businesses and mortgage holders, and a lower currency to help our exporters. The Minister of Finance has signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of indemnity with ...
The Government has asked the Commerce Commission to take account of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 when monitoring business behaviour in coming weeks. “The purpose of my request to the Commerce Commission is to make sure businesses can work together in ways that will allow them to provide ...
The New Zealand Government has temporarily closed its High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados and its Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Due to the increasing scarcity of air links in and out of Bridgetown and Yangon, and the pressure COVID-19 is placing ...
Associate Health and Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare has today announced the Government’s plan to support Māori communities and businesses in the face of COVID-19. “Our Government’s $12.1 billion economic package will help many Māori whānau, workers and businesses, whether it’s through wage subsidies, income support and worker redeployment, or ...
The Government and the hospitality industry have worked together to produce guidelines to assist with managing and reducing transmission of COVID-19, Health Minister David Clark announced today. The guidelines developed between the Government, Hospitality New Zealand and SkyCity Entertainment Group, set out how the new restrictions on physical distancing and ...
Four stage Alert System for COVID-19 announced New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 – Reduce Contact New Zealanders over 70 and those with certain medical conditions told to stay at home as much as they can to reduce risk of contact with the virus Workplaces to implement ...
Kia ora koutou katoa I’m speaking directly to all New Zealanders today to give you as much certainty and clarity as we can as we fight Covid-19. Over the past few weeks, the world has changed. And it has changed very quickly. In February it would have seemed unimaginable to ...
Sports journalist Jim Kayes was a weekend host for the canned Radio Sport channel - and reckons its demise and cuts to sports reporting nationally can in part be put down to snobbery and neglect. It was never my plan to cover sport but a busted knee saw it happen. ...
The number of Māori academic staff remains disproportionately low at New Zealand universities. Simon Day spoke to three newly appointed Māori professors at the University of Otago about why putting te ao Māori at the centre of their work is so important. Māori participation in tertiary education is steadily increasing. According ...
Wellington, 1 April - Rushing to deal with new vaping legislation during an unprecedented economic lockdown is not just folly, it is anti-democratic, according to a public submission by the New Zealand Initiative. While most businesses and public services ...
As the Covid-19 pandemic takes its toll on the New Zealand economy, Greenpeace is pushing back on industry lobbyists and politicians arguing for weakening and delaying environmental protections. The environment group says that now more than ever, we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Jeffrey, Director and CEO of the Australia India Institute; Professor of Development Geography, University of Melbourne Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion people. With just four hours’ notice, the government instructed everyone to ...
In the new series Final Mix, music journalist Yadana Saw chats with local musicians and listens to their latest tracks in the ultimate testing ground: the car. The first episode is with cross-Atlantic country maven Tami Neilson.“There’s before, and then there’s after.”It’s a prophetic lyric on Tami Neilson’s new album ...
With broader testing criteria coming into place, the Government is expecting to discover more Covid-19 cases within the community, Marc Daalder reports The Ministry of Health admitted on Wednesday afternoon that it was likely missing cases of Covid-19 spreading within the community because testing criteria were too narrow. "We still ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming today’s announcement of $25 million — $10 million for local iwi groups and $15 million for Whānau Ora providers — and says that funding based on skin colour at a time when the nation needs to come ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 61 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, up from the previous day's 58 new cases. Details of how many tests have been completed are now being ...
A non-profit group is signing up qualified health professionals - retired, out of the workforce or part-time - to join a kind-of Home Guard to fill areas of need in the health system during the pandemic. As we enter week two of the Level 4 Covid-19 alert, we need to preserve ...
Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy.Rāapa/WednesdayToday we’re practising our pronunciation of the letter ‘r’ and in order to do that, we’re going to practise Māori place names. These are probably the words we’ve been taught to pronounce incorrectly the most, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Kearnes, Professor, Environment & Society, School of Humanities and Languages, UNSW Public health messages about COVID-19 have been inconsistent and changed rapidly. Many have called for a unified source of expertise to guide responses to the crisis. However, with the federal, ...
Tim Pankhurst, chief executive of Seafood NZ and former leading newspaper editor, retires this week after 48 years in the workforce. He looks back on a final week like no other. A week ago before the world changed we were fishing at dawn on the shore of the Rangaunu Harbour ...
MPs and economists are calling for greater transparency on the use of welfare and business subsidies, as the Finance Minister outlines the economic challenge ahead for New Zealand.The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is set to be markedly worse for New Zealand than that from the global financial ...
OPINION:By Laurens Ikinia A sad story has taken place again in the PT Freeport Indonesia gold and copper mine area near Timika in West Papua on Monday with one New Zealander shot dead and seven other workers being severely wounded as reported by Asia Pacific Report yesterday. As ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the comments from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, and National Party MP Gerry Brownlee, calling on councils across New Zealand to look at their books and see what is possible to reduce the rates burden on New Zealanders. ...
What are you going to be watching in April? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Lightbox, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.Click here to read our listings from March.The BiggiesRun (Season 1 on Neon weekly from April 13)I’m calling it: ...
As millions of Kiwis stay home, power companies say Covid-19 hasn't factored into their annual power price changes, the majority of which kick in on April 1. ...
In these testing times, we’re all spending a fair amount of time on our phones and computers. Here are some simple ways to make that time safer for yourself.As if we weren’t all indoors on our phones enough already, Covid-19 is ensuring that our screen time is going to be ...
As the new season of Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It drops, Tara Ward investigates how the gurus can help us with our own interpersonal property dilemmas.We’re approaching the second week of national lockdown, and it’s about now that many of us will begin to have the “love ...
The outside is telling us, ‘I could do that again whenever I wanted. You think about that.’ Read more Lockdown letters here.‘When I’m being a badger I live in a hole and eat earthworms,” the nature writer Charles Foster wrote. “When I’m being an otter I try to catch fish ...
The government is doubling the amount it plans to borrow for the current financial year to pay for its various Covid-19 rescue and support packages. ...
Across the United States the concert halls and theatres are silent. Broadway has shut down. The mighty 3800-seat Metropolitan Opera House is in lock-down. Actors, opera stars and choruses, musicians are on furlough if they are lucky. But the best shows in town remain: the midday news conference by News ...
The Sensible Sentencing Trust (SST) are in absolute shock at the early release of multi-millionaire child sex offender Martin Lawes, after only a mere 18 months into his 4 year and 6 month jail term. SST National spokesperson Jess McVicar said the ...
Our Covid-19 gifs are now available in te reo Māori. Spread the word (while staying at home).The suite of excellent illustrations and gifs created by microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles and illustrator Toby Morris have had an undeniable impact during the Covid-19 crisis. They offer clear communication of sometimes complex concepts, and ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Wellington City and Wellington Regional Councils to freeze the funding of their economic and tourism promotion agency after its ill-judged “We Wellington” campaign - wasting tens of thousands in ratepayer ...
Lotta Dann reflects on staying sober in the midst of a global crisis, and shares some advice for those who are looking to cut back. If you’ve seen the endless news reports and social media posts about alcohol, you’d be forgiven for thinking all New Zealanders are drinking away their days ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentPublic health strategy Derek Cheng (Herald): Lockdown ‘not enough’, top professor tells Govt video conference Derek Cheng (Herald): Just when you ...
Spending through Paymark dropped more than 70 per cent on the first day of lockdown, and remained at record low levels through the week to Sunday, March 29. ...
Trump sees 100k US deaths as "very good job" as better than initial forecast of 2.2m; US deaths overtake 9/11; Eight percent of over 50s need hospitalisation. Peter Bale wraps the Covid-19 news overnight.The "deathalyser" keeps climbing: The evil mathematical simplicity of the exponential nature of the novel coronavirus plays out ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Gearing, Journalist, author, broadcaster, Queensland University of Technology I’m trying to work out what to do before I end up in a body bag but that seems unavoidable right now. This was one of the first replies this month ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marissa Parrott, Reproductive Biologist, Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, and Honorary Research Associate, BioSciences, University of Melbourne Tree kangaroos are so unusual that when Europeans first encountered them in Australia in 1872, they were sceptical. Who would believe a kangaroo could ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland With the COVID-19 pandemic causing a great deal of anxiety, we might come to think people are irrational, selfish or downright crazy. We see people showing up ...
Since late 2019, the world has been fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In response to the pandemic, governments around the world have been using data and technology in their efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Access Now puts forward ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Warwick Smith, Research economist, University of Melbourne Understandably, given we are in a crisis, the government has baulked at including superannuation contributions in the A$140 billion worth of $1,500 per fortnight wage top-ups it will be directing to six million Australians. As ...
Business confidence and retail sales collapse as lockdown begins; Infrastructure NZ sees 30 percent of jobs lost in 6 months; Kathmandu shares haltedSurvival mode:ANZ’s latest business confidence survey made for grim reading. The bank said there was very little that was positive in the survey as businesses switch ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government approach to testing faces serious scrutiny, second Queenstown nurse tests positive, and PM rejects curfew call.The government’s approach to fighting the Covid-19 outbreak has faced a robust bout of scrutiny, both from MPs and experts. It only took one sitting ...
Government could enter the construction market in a way not seen in several generations, Dileepa Fonseka reports Ministers are rushing to prevent the country's construction sector hollowing out under lockdown. However, they've also admitted the state's role in construction will massively expand in a way unheard of in several generations. That could include turning Crown Infrastructure ...
Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is willing to help thousands of people from overseas get back to their own countries, but doing it under lockdown may take a bit longer. ...
Auckland GP Himali McInnes makes a plea for anyone needing medical care to call their doctor.Last week, I wrote of the Covid-induced frenzy in our general practise waiting roomin Three Kings, Auckland. Anxiety flurried in and out, bringing on its coat-tails the marginally unwell. Patients avoided eye contact ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...
Only a small minority of tourists to Milford Sound and its stunning surrounds are from New Zealand, but that will have to change if the region is to recover when the lockdown ends, reports Jim Kayes.Nonu’s had plenty of walks.The retriever-collie cross is just back from ...
The University of Auckland's Nicholas Rowe draws some parallels between the restrictions in West Bank and Gaza Strip during the second intifada and the current lockdown in New Zealand Covid-19 and New Zealand’s national lockdown means online teaching has become the new ‘normal’ at the University of Auckland. The process ...
As the ripple effects of Covid-19 continue to put livelihoods on the line and a recession seems inevitable, the fate of organisations that largely survive on donations and volunteers is precarious. Current severe restrictions on movement mean the tasks normally done by volunteers face-to-face just won’t be possible, and while ...
The Cook Islands has quarantined itself from the world, and collapsed its vital tourism industry in the process. With no Covid-19 cases so far, it’s now a nervous wait to see if the lockdown will work, reports Emmanuel Samoglou. It’s quiet in Rarotonga. Much quieter than usual for this tiny ...
To prevent hospital overload from the Covid-19 crisis and beyond, alcohol sales hours should be cut and prices raised, argue Louise Delany and George Thomson of the University of Otago. This is a time to immediately reduce the stresses for the health system. We must plan for scenarios where thousands ...
We’re only just beginning to understand the vast political ramifications of the coronavirus, both here and around the world, writes Colin James.What comes after Covid-19? Not business as usual. The global virus is a disjunctive shock and such a shock sets up a chain reaction that changes the order of ...
Striking scenes from the first week of alert level four restrictions in our biggest city. As New Zealand adjusted to alert level four Covid-19 restrictions, the usually bustling streets of Tāmaki Makaurau were all but deserted. We captured this surreal, strangely beautiful footage during the first week of ...
The tool is targeted at people who want to expose those who are exploiting the options for reporting misbehaviour amid Covid-19 alert level four. It is said to be the ‘new normal’.A new online tool for reporting people who take advantage of mechanisms designed to keep the peace in lockdown ...
A quick reminder why we need to hold firm, and resist any temptation to bend the rules.For almost a week now, every one of us who isn’t an essential worker has been confined to their bubble. We are allowed to go shopping for groceries, to visit the doctor, and to ...
The Real Pod assembles one more time to dissect the final week of The Bachelorette NZ, with special thanks to Nando’s.We’ve reached the end of our love journey in more ways than one, as this season of The Bachelorette NZ coincides with end of The Real Pod in its current ...
We can be justifiably proud of our Government’s approach to the Covid 19 virus crisis. It has acted quickly recognising the WHO recommendations. The country “lock-down’ will do much to stop the spread of the virus and the Government support for people ...
Frontline health workers in aged care, home care, and community support are relieved by the Ministry of Health announcement that proper PPE will now be made available to them through DHBs. E tū member Pam King, a support worker in Invercargill, congratulated ...
The second in our new series of charts, graphics and data-visualisations by Chris McDowall, covering the Covid-19 epidemic within New Zealand. We’ll publish the latest set each day on The Spinoff.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersInformation about confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larisa Labzin, Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland With much of society now effectively in lockdown, how will we know when it’s safe to resume something like normality? It will largely depend on being able to say who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Richardson, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW People in Western Australia may soon see more than birds in the sky, as the state’s police force has announced plans to deploy drones to enforce social distancing. The drones will visit parks, beaches and cafe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Private hospitals will be on the frontline in the coronavirus battle, under an arrangement with the federal government that makes available the sector’s more than 30,000 beds and 105,000 workforce, including more than 57,000 nursing ...
By RNZ News Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has eased restrictions on the media industry in New Zealand during the four-week lockdown, saying it was not exempt from the financial hardship caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. She said community newspapers will now be able to be printed for hard ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Richardson, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW People in Western Australia may soon see more than birds in the sky, as the state’s police force has announced plans to deploy drones to enforce social distancing. The drones will visit parks, beaches and cafe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca English, Lecturer in Education, Queensland University of Technology “How to home school” has been trending on Google for the past few weeks as more and more children stay home from school because of COVID-19. So, what is homeschooling and is this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raquel Peel, Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland With the raft of social distancing measures in place to control the spread of coronavirus, you may be spending more time with your partner than ever before. If you’re both working from home, and with ...
The CEO of Foodstuffs tells Rod Oram he is certain food manufacturers and supermarkets can produce and distribute enough food for Kiwis, although the company is preparing for further challenges ahead Can New Zealand’s food manufacturers and supermarkets keep feeding the nation through the escalating Covid-19 crisis? “The answer is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Rose, Research fellow, Australian National University One aspect of the COVID-19 crisis that has so far escaped widespread public attention in Australia is its potential impact on our food security. We haven’t seen supermarket shortages of fruit and vegetables like toilet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Cassells, Associate Professor, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University The A$130 billion $1,500-per-fortnight JobKeeper payment will benefit six million Australians for six months, with payments expected from May 1. Eligible businesses include not-for-profits and businesses with turnovers of less than $1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Portolan, PhD student, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University When Tinder issued an in-app public service announcement regarding COVID-19 on March 3 we all had a little laugh as a panoply of memes and gags hit the internet. Two ...
It’s been a tough week in both 2020 and 1771, but things just got a whole lot worse for Jamie and Claire. Contains very big, very sad spoilers for season five, episode seven of Outlander.We are locked in a bubble of our own distress, we are self-isolating in a heavy ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that rural and ethnic media outlets will be re-classified as essential services, if they are able to show they serve either a hard to reach or non-English speaking audience and follow health and safety ...
Businesses should continue filing their tax returns, even if they cannot make the payments, so the IRD can keep track. Under laws quickly passed before the country entered alert level four, Inland Revenue has the power to write off interest accrued on tax payments due on or after February 14. ...
Spending through electronic payments dropped steeply on the first day of the Covid-19 lockdown compared with the same day a year ago. Figures just released by Paymark - which monitors electronic payments - show spending dropped by two-thirds - 72 percent - on the first day of level four restrictions ...
Open mike 10/07/2011 
While the economy is on pause under lockdown, the government is beginning to plan how to cope with the post-lockdown, post-tourism, post-export education world we will eventually find ourselves in. They're planning a lot of infrastructure spending as economic stimulus, and have asked for proposals which can start the moment ...2 hours ago
It's my distraction, setting up tiny scenes to photograph. I've got stuck on the Babushka dolls for now. Something about their bubble shape. Something about their never changing, smiling features, suggesting persistent equanimity. Can we get through everything that is being thrown at us and keep at least a tiny ...3 hours ago
. . March 31: Day six of living in lock-down… This time I managed to sleep a little longer and the alarm woke me at the pre-set time: 6.55am. Then remembered I was working a later shift and could’ve slept in. Oh well, there are things to do at home. ...3 hours ago
Image credit: Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ... 4 hours ago
For almost a week now, every one of us who isn’t an essential worker has been confined to their bubble. We are allowed to go shopping for groceries, to visit the doctor, and to get a bit of exercise if we stay local. The reason we are doing this is ...6 hours ago
The Covid-19 saga will no doubt produce many twists and turns for us before it is finally brought to an end. But one thing it has shown us – and what comfort it should bring us – is that our country’s government is in good hands. I am not thinking ...7 hours ago
The following statement was released on March 28 by the National Network on Cuba, a coalition of 40 groups, based in the United States. In recent weeks, Cuba has deployed hundreds of medical providers to over a dozen countries in Europe, Asia, as well as to their neighbors in Latin ...18 hours ago
On March 17, Finance Minister Grant Robertson was quick out of the blocks with an economic rescue package to help businesses through the inevitable recession resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Robertson had pulled together a scheme in short order that so far seems to have saved many jobs. In his ...23 hours ago
Yesterday, New Zealand recorded its first Covid-19 related death on the West Coast. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the only fatality, with the virus now being found in every region of the country.However despite the significant danger, people are still unfortunately breaching lockdown rules.There’s really only one main very ...2 days ago
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... ‘Misinformation kills’: The link between coronavirus conspiracies and climate denial Grist / Rob Kim / Stringer / CSA Images Scientific ...2 days ago
The kids did surprisingly well today – meltdown count was about 3, and mostly fairly short ones. (And a fourth while I was writing.) Game-wise I had a go at Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark. It’s a fairly standard RPG with turn-based combat and what they call a “mature storyline” (it ...3 days ago
by Don Franks Hi David, Nice hearing from you, I’m glad to hear you’re getting by okay in these grim times. You asked how’s it going for us back here in New Zealand. You would have heard that the whole country is locked down and with breaks for exercise and ...3 days ago
The CV-19 (COVID) pandemic has seen the imposition of a government ordered national quarantine and the promulgation of a series of measures designed to spread the burden of pain and soften the economic blow on the most strategically important and most vulnerable sectors of society. The national narrative is framed ...4 days ago
Fortune's Children: Under extraordinary pressure, the leader of the Government and the leader of the Opposition will each show us what they are made of. Have they been blessed with intelligence, grace, wit, poise, toughness, empathy and humour – and in what measure? More importantly, to what extent have they ...4 days ago
Society-wise, aside from the specific morbidity shall we say of the medically-oriented aspects of this COVID-19 crisis, what is unfolding before the world is in more than one way an instructive study of humanity and reactions to a high intensity, high stress environment in real time. Friends, we are at ...5 days ago
Right now low waged and insecure workers are feeling the economic brunt of the looming #Covid19 Recession. In response legal advocate Toby Cooper* and hospitality and worker’s rights advocate Chloe Ann-King, are putting together a series of legal blogs about your employment rights: In this legal blog we outline some ...5 days ago
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or being ...1 week ago
According to Newshub, Simon Bridges is open to joining a “grand coalition” with Labour as we hunker down to go into a month long lockdown. The idea is sound. Before now, the role of the opposition was to scrutinise and oppose. In the context of what almost amounts to a ...1 week ago
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or ...1 week ago
A few days ago I was starting to write something about the pandemic, which now seems unconscionable. It took the form of a letter to an agony aunt:“Dear Deidre, I have an ugly confession. I am quite excited by Covid-19.”This is how the piece went:“I’m not a psychopath, honest. Although the ...1 week ago
I am a pundit, somebody who opines and comments on the news. There are no real qualifications to punditry though having a rudimentary way with words and good general knowledge helps. That is one reason there is a constant oversupply of would-be pundits and why it is quite hard to ...1 week ago
COVID-19 has plunged Aotearoa New Zealand (indeed, the world) into territory that, while maybe not totally unprecedented, certainly hasn’t been seen during the lifetimes of most of us here today. Our borders are closed to non-citizens, we’re being told not to gather in groups of more than 500 outside/100 inside, ...1 week ago
New Zealand can emulate the success of the US after the Great Depression by exploiting our own resources to turn the economy around quickly, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. Mr. Peters told Magic Talk that New Zealand has an opportunity to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic a "superior, ...23 hours ago
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...4 days ago
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The scale of what we face right now is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Overcoming it is our common purpose. ...1 week ago
Work is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...25 mins ago
Sports journalist Jim Kayes was a weekend host for the canned Radio Sport channel - and reckons its demise and cuts to sports reporting nationally can in part be put down to snobbery and neglect. It was never my plan to cover sport but a busted knee saw it happen. ...30 mins ago
The number of Māori academic staff remains disproportionately low at New Zealand universities. Simon Day spoke to three newly appointed Māori professors at the University of Otago about why putting te ao Māori at the centre of their work is so important. Māori participation in tertiary education is steadily increasing. According ...43 mins ago
Wellington, 1 April - Rushing to deal with new vaping legislation during an unprecedented economic lockdown is not just folly, it is anti-democratic, according to a public submission by the New Zealand Initiative. While most businesses and public services ...52 mins ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Jeffrey, Director and CEO of the Australia India Institute; Professor of Development Geography, University of Melbourne Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion people. With just four hours’ notice, the government instructed everyone to ...1 hour ago
With broader testing criteria coming into place, the Government is expecting to discover more Covid-19 cases within the community, Marc Daalder reports The Ministry of Health admitted on Wednesday afternoon that it was likely missing cases of Covid-19 spreading within the community because testing criteria were too narrow. "We still ...1 hour ago
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 61 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, up from the previous day's 58 new cases. Details of how many tests have been completed are now being ...2 hours ago
The Minister for Infrastructure Shane Jones, says building new roads could help address the looming unemployment crisis. ...3 hours ago
More questions were fired at top government officials in the second Epidemic Response Committee meeting. ...3 hours ago
A non-profit group is signing up qualified health professionals - retired, out of the workforce or part-time - to join a kind-of Home Guard to fill areas of need in the health system during the pandemic. As we enter week two of the Level 4 Covid-19 alert, we need to preserve ...3 hours ago
Tim Pankhurst, chief executive of Seafood NZ and former leading newspaper editor, retires this week after 48 years in the workforce. He looks back on a final week like no other. A week ago before the world changed we were fishing at dawn on the shore of the Rangaunu Harbour ...3 hours ago
MPs and economists are calling for greater transparency on the use of welfare and business subsidies, as the Finance Minister outlines the economic challenge ahead for New Zealand. The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is set to be markedly worse for New Zealand than that from the global financial ...3 hours ago
As millions of Kiwis stay home, power companies say Covid-19 hasn't factored into their annual power price changes, the majority of which kick in on April 1. ...3 hours ago
Across the United States the concert halls and theatres are silent. Broadway has shut down. The mighty 3800-seat Metropolitan Opera House is in lock-down. Actors, opera stars and choruses, musicians are on furlough if they are lucky. But the best shows in town remain: the midday news conference by News ...5 hours ago
The National Party leader Simon Bridges, says quarantine and more testing are needed to eliminate Covid-19. ...7 hours ago
Spending through Paymark dropped more than 70 per cent on the first day of lockdown, and remained at record low levels through the week to Sunday, March 29. ...7 hours ago
Trump sees 100k US deaths as "very good job" as better than initial forecast of 2.2m; US deaths overtake 9/11; Eight percent of over 50s need hospitalisation. Peter Bale wraps the Covid-19 news overnight. The "deathalyser" keeps climbing: The evil mathematical simplicity of the exponential nature of the novel coronavirus plays out ...7 hours ago
Business confidence and retail sales collapse as lockdown begins; Infrastructure NZ sees 30 percent of jobs lost in 6 months; Kathmandu shares halted Survival mode: ANZ’s latest business confidence survey made for grim reading. The bank said there was very little that was positive in the survey as businesses switch ...8 hours ago
Government could enter the construction market in a way not seen in several generations, Dileepa Fonseka reports Ministers are rushing to prevent the country's construction sector hollowing out under lockdown. However, they've also admitted the state's role in construction will massively expand in a way unheard of in several generations. That could include turning Crown Infrastructure ...8 hours ago
Auckland GP Himali McInnes makes a plea for anyone needing medical care to call their doctor. Last week, I wrote of the Covid-induced frenzy in our general practise waiting room in Three Kings, Auckland. Anxiety flurried in and out, bringing on its coat-tails the marginally unwell. Patients avoided eye contact ...9 hours ago
Only a small minority of tourists to Milford Sound and its stunning surrounds are from New Zealand, but that will have to change if the region is to recover when the lockdown ends, reports Jim Kayes. Nonu’s had plenty of walks. The retriever-collie cross is just back from ...10 hours ago
The University of Auckland's Nicholas Rowe draws some parallels between the restrictions in West Bank and Gaza Strip during the second intifada and the current lockdown in New Zealand Covid-19 and New Zealand’s national lockdown means online teaching has become the new ‘normal’ at the University of Auckland. The process ...10 hours ago
As the ripple effects of Covid-19 continue to put livelihoods on the line and a recession seems inevitable, the fate of organisations that largely survive on donations and volunteers is precarious. Current severe restrictions on movement mean the tasks normally done by volunteers face-to-face just won’t be possible, and while ...10 hours ago
The Cook Islands has quarantined itself from the world, and collapsed its vital tourism industry in the process. With no Covid-19 cases so far, it’s now a nervous wait to see if the lockdown will work, reports Emmanuel Samoglou. It’s quiet in Rarotonga. Much quieter than usual for this tiny ...10 hours ago
To prevent hospital overload from the Covid-19 crisis and beyond, alcohol sales hours should be cut and prices raised, argue Louise Delany and George Thomson of the University of Otago. This is a time to immediately reduce the stresses for the health system. We must plan for scenarios where thousands ...10 hours ago
The CEO of Foodstuffs tells Rod Oram he is certain food manufacturers and supermarkets can produce and distribute enough food for Kiwis, although the company is preparing for further challenges ahead Can New Zealand’s food manufacturers and supermarkets keep feeding the nation through the escalating Covid-19 crisis? “The answer is ...21 hours ago
Businesses should continue filing their tax returns, even if they cannot make the payments, so the IRD can keep track. Under laws quickly passed before the country entered alert level four, Inland Revenue has the power to write off interest accrued on tax payments due on or after February 14. ...22 hours ago
Spending through electronic payments dropped steeply on the first day of the Covid-19 lockdown compared with the same day a year ago. Figures just released by Paymark - which monitors electronic payments - show spending dropped by two-thirds - 72 percent - on the first day of level four restrictions ...22 hours ago
Well worth reading is Ellen Brown’s Web of Debt about the privately owned Federal Reserve and how it creates money out of thin air demanding real world interest to pay for their scam.
John Key was selected to be part of the Foreign exchange committee to the Federal Reserve of New York. A position he was appointed too after his boss Stephen Bellotti left that committee. His boss shared this committee with Robert Rubin, the man responsible for the repeal of the Glass Steagall act and generally considered to be one of the most corrupt capitalists ever.
Here is what Ellen has to say about the QE2 and how all that money did not go to the economy to get it kick started but to off shore banks were it is hoarded to pay for big bonuses
Goff on Euthanasia (responding to Families First):
Many people who have had a close encounter with undignified, distressing death, like Goff, and me, think more discussion this is needed. Consider Choices about Euthanasia.
Cameron is all excited and has reported that Labour has been reported to the Police by the Electoral Commission. What heinous crime you may wonder that it has committed? Well it left a couple of words off the back of a brochure.
The section of the Electoral Act that provides the test on whether or not an advertisement is an election advertisement and needs a promoter statement is (take a deep breath):
“3A Meaning of election advertisement
(a) means an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to do either or both of the following:
(i) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of candidate described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated):
(ii) to vote, or not to vote, for a type of party described or indicated by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the party is stated); and
(b) includes—
(i) a candidate advertisement; and
(ii) a party advertisement.
(2) None of the following are election advertisements:
…
(b) contact information (as defined in subsection (3)) published in any medium by a member of Parliament that satisfies all of the following requirements:
(i) the information was published by a member of Parliament in the course of performing his or her role and functions as a member of Parliament; and
(ii) the information was prepared for publication and published by the member of Parliament using funding received under Vote Parliamentary Service; and
(iii) the information was routinely published in that medium before the commencement of the regulated period and continues to be published in that medium during the regulated period; and
(iv) the information is published during the regulated period no more often and to no greater extent than before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(v) the information is published during the regulated period in the same form and style as before the commencement of the regulated period; and
(vi) the information is not included, combined, or associated with an election advertisement (as defined in subsection (1)), or with any other information so as to constitute an election advertisement, that is published by—
(A) the member of Parliament; or
(B) the secretary of the party to which the member of Parliament belongs; or
(C) any other person with the authority of the member of Parliament:”
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement. The EC in a very technical interpretation has refused to accept this. Because section 204J says the Commission “must” report the matter to the police it has done so.
Labour has withdrawn the pamphlets and indicated that all future pamphlets will have the “authorised by …” statement.
Talk about Nanny State on steroids. Will DPF recommence his campaign against restrictions on freedom of speech? Will Cameron agree that this is nanny state gone wild?
Who pays for it if it’s an election advertisement vs not an election advertisement ? Doesn’t it come from a different pot of cash albeit all from the long suffering taxpayer.
Labour thought that because it was approved by Parliamentary Services and contained Phil’s contact details it was not an electoral advertisement.
What Labour might ‘think’ is not the point. Given the way it was unfairly accused of electoral malpractice in the past – and the recent inexcusable slackness of security of personal information – why didn’t the persons responsible for the pamphlet include the words “authorised by etc.” just to be on the safe side?
Some may say that it’s all very well with the benefit of hindsight to be critical, but I’m starting to have serious doubts about the ability of some of Labour’s internal HQ staff. These are all avoidable mishaps!
I know this is probably a foriegn concept but why don’t Labour dot the eyes and cross the tees
All something like this does is reinforce the notion that the Labour party are arrogant, lazy and think the rules don’t apply to them
Chris, LAB got Parliamentary Services confirmation that this stuff was not considered party/electioneering material and could wear the seal as such.
Pull the other one
So instead of trying to stop issues that they’ve have had in the past they just keep on repeating them
Ok so fair point, Labour arn’t lazy or arrogant they’re just really stupid
Thanks for clearing that up
LAB approved the materials through Parliamentary Services. After examining the material it was independently considered (by Parliamentary Services) to not be party material or electioneering material.
And so the material, OK’d by Parliamentary Services, had the Parliamentary Services seal placed upon them.
Nice to know that Labour will place the blame anywhere but themselves
So why not just get it right the first time?
Is it because they’re:
Lazy
Arrogant
Incompetent
or all of the above
its not like this is the first time they’ve been in trouble over this kind of carry on and why does it seem as if its always Labour in the gun for this sort of thing? (apart from the VRWC influencing the MSM
No chris 73 you’re right. They’re not lazy and arrogant nor are they really stupid. I suspect the person(s) who made the mistake was(were) not part of the publicity team when the pledge card misadventure occurred and therefore didn’t learn from it. My understanding is that P.S. approved the pledge card too.
So wouldn’t it make sense to have someone oversee these things so errors arn’t made?
Naah wheres the fun in that…
Agreed Chris 73. (minus second remark)
The moral of the story… don’t rely (only) on Parliamentary Services for electoral law advice.
Sometimes life really is that simple
Btw, my 5:33pm comment was based on your previous comment which you changed while I was typing mine up. 🙂
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5261850/Legal-aid-plea-is-sick-investor
so very sick of this empty wallet BS by big boys who lost their toys, after stealing everyone else’s
Q+A this morning devoted to all the young’ns and how they are going to be needed to keep us a first world country and so much of what I could gather, from amongst the jargon and cliches of those in the know, was that it was super high-tech that was going to get us there.
Just got the Internet Bill this morning (on-line) and suddenly thought, how in hell is a superannuatant ever going to be able to access or stay in touch with the world, unless this Super Duper Broadband world that Mr Joyce is promising us is actually next to free.
$90 a month just to access your money (banking), pay your bills (online) and phone the emergency services all on the basic pension of $251p.w.
Any suggestions?
Internet connection has become a societal necessity which is generally what happens to services that provide a public good. As such, it needs to be a government service paid for through taxes and not a private provided good that makes some non-productive shareholders a profit.
My refrigerator provides a public good and is considered a necessity. Why wasn’t it publicly provided? Another weird thing about refrigerators (and other goods and services that the govt mostly stays out of) is that they get cheaper, with more features, year on year. Some greedy capitalist keeps making better and cheaper fridges! How unproductive.
You open up your refrigerator to use by your neighbourhood? That’s very generous of you.
Now let’s ask how this is accomplished. Could it be a combination of producing ever higher volumes of crap (economies of scale), designs which do more with fewer parts and materials (tech and design innovation), employing fewer workers (increased labour productivity), and locating manufacturing in the lowest cost countries possible (reduced labour costs).
All of that is certainly productive. Especially for the capitalist shareholders.
Capitalists don’t make fridges, workers do (e.g. engineers and production line staff)
By your logic every good is a public one.
In part 2 you did a pretty good job of describing the capitalist process. One that benefits both the producer and consumer. I’m struggling to see the problem.
Of course you are. It goes back to the lie you tried to slide in at the start – that capitalists make fridges.
They don’t, workers do, and the capitalists reward themselves from the economic surplus generated by the hard work of the engineers and the production staff by paying as few workers as possible as little as possible.
Marx described the relationship where one party (workers) produce the surplus economic value but where another party (the capitalist major shareholders) has all the power to choose what to do with the economic surplus as being exploitative.
No, it doesn’t. Not sure how you can believe that ‘benefiting Rusty’ = ‘the public good’ without some major brain contortions.
I would like to see you try to build a fridge without capital.
I would like to see capital build a fridge without workers.
Moreover, capital can come from different sources.
It does not have to come from a small group of private major shareholders who do none of the actual work which goes into a fridge.
Fridges are probably built mostly by robots.
Capital accumulation can only come from savings.
Capitalists take on the risk. Not every investment will see a return so it’s better for society to let people who are good at taking risk carry the burden.
I’d like to know where you think these people actually exist lol
Untrue. The siphoning off of the economic surplus produced by workers allows capital accumulation by major shareholders at a rapid rate.
BS as the Spirit Level proves. Having a small bunch of dictators living it up at everyone else’s expense is bad for society. And then there’s the fact, as the latest crash proves, that those dictators aren’t actually taking any risk – societies around the world have bailed them out when the risk came due.
As for the refrigerator not being supplied by a government owned, worker run factory is because the capitalists don’t want it that way? They wouldn’t be able to tell everyone how important they are and that they should have the bulk of the wealth if they weren’t needed.
This is a classic reply
If I didn’t have a fridge would I not get sick from spoiled food and therefore use more public health resources?
No eat fresh food 😛
So Rusty – why turn this into a Capitalist discussion. Your refrigerator analogy is spurious.
You have not addressed the issue of retirees being able to remain connected to this all singing all dancing technology.
The way I see it technology is rapidly advancing and to a greater exclusion of many in society. I have not seen a great reduction in the costs between ISPs.
Soon (in a couple of years) most of commerce will require an on-line interface with customer and supplier.
At the moment the basic phone provider is $50 plus. For internet, it is another $30 – $40. Cannot see the pension increasing to such an extent – what do they promise? Rate of increase tied to CPI.
Exactly.
Difficult now we no longer own Telecom of course.
That’s the end of the News of the World, thank God. But let’s not kid ourselves about the rest of the British media, and in particular the “liberal” media…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ — The Guardian, Noam Chomsky and Venezuela
http://chomsky.info/onchomsky/20110706.htm
MediaLens July 6, 2011
The headline of last Sunday’s Observer article on Venezuela set the tone for the slanted and opportunistic piece of political ‘reporting’ that followed: ‘Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for “assault” on democracy’.
And then the opening line launched into a barrage of spin: ‘Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar’s praise for Venezuela’s socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.’
The ironic sneer directed at the Venezuelan president apparently basking in Chomsky’s ‘praise’, and the sly hint of robotic ‘echoing’ of his buddy’s rants, were indicative of the bias, omissions and
deceptions to follow. Reporter Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent, had just interviewed Chomsky and set about twisting the conversation into a propaganda piece. (For non-UK readers who may not know: the Observer is the Sunday sister publication of the Guardian newspaper).
Carroll’s skewed view was clear and upfront in his article: ‘Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an “assault” on Venezuela’s democracy.’ As we will see shortly, this was a highly partial and misleading account of Chomsky’s full remarks, leading him to declare afterwards that the newspaper had displayed ‘extreme dishonesty’ and that
Carroll’s article was ‘quite deceptive’.
The news hook was the publication of an open letter by Chomsky pleading for the release of Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni who is suffering from cancer. Afiuni, explains Carroll, ‘earned Chávez’s ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio Cedeño, a prominent banker facing corruption charges.’ After just over a year in jail, awaiting trial on charges of corruption, the Venezuelan authorities ‘softened her confinement to house arrest’.
In the open letter, prepared together with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, Chomsky says: ‘Judge Afiuni had my sympathy and solidarity from the very beginning.
The way she was detained, the inadequate conditions of her imprisonment, the degrading treatment she suffered in the Instituto Nacional de Orientación Femenina, the dramatic erosion of her health
and the cruelty displayed against her, all duly documented, left me greatly worried about her physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as about her personal safety.’
He concludes with the plea: ‘I shall keep high hopes that President Chávez will consider a humanitarian act that will end the judge’s detention.’ Towards the end of Carroll’s article, the journalist injected some token balance: ‘The Chávez government deserved credit for sharply reducing poverty and for its policies of promoting self-governing communities and Latin
American unity, Chomsky said. “It’s hard to judge how successful they are, but if they are successful they would be seeds of a better world.” ‘
But the blatant spin of the headline and the article’s lead paragraphs had already done the required job – President Chávez is so extreme that even that radical lefty Noam Chomsky, one of his best friends in the West, has now denounced him.
Chomsky Responds…
‘Extreme Dishonesty’ And A ‘Quite Deceptive’ Report
Activists and bloggers were quick to email Noam Chomsky to ask for his response to Rory Carroll’s article in the Observer. In particular, Chomsky replied as follows to one aggressive challenger who made a series of personal attacks on him: ‘Let’s begin with the headline: complete deception. That continues throughout. You can tell by simply comparing the actual quotes with their comments. As I mentioned, and expected, the New York Times report of a similar interview is much more honest, again revealing the extreme dishonesty of the Guardian.
‘I’m sure you would understand if an Iranian dissident who charged Israel with crimes would also bring up the fact that charges from Iran and its supporters cannot be taken seriously in the light of Iran’s far worse abuses. If you don’t understand that, which I doubt, you really have some problems to think about. If you do understand it, as I assume, the same is true. That’s exactly why bringing up [the jailed US soldier Bradley] Manning (and much more) is highly relevant.’
Joe Emersberger, an activist based in Canada, also approached Chomsky for a reaction to the piece:
‘The Guardian/Observer version, as I anticipated, is quite deceptive. The report in the New York Times is considerably more honest. Both omit much of relevance that I stressed throughout, including the fact that criticisms from the US government or anyone who supports its actions can hardly be taken seriously, considering Washington’s far worse record without any of the real concerns that Venezuela faces, the Manning case for one [Manning is the alleged source for huge amounts of restricted material passed on to WikiLeaks], which is much worse than Judge Afiuni’s. And much else. There’s no transcript, unfortunately. I should know by now that I should insist on a transcript with the Guardian, unless it’s a writer I know and trust.’ (Joe Emersberger, ‘Chomsky Says UK Guardian Article “Quite Deceptive” About his Chavez Criticism’, Z Blogs, July 4, 2011).
In fact the very next day after Carroll’s article appeared, and no doubt stung by the rising tide of internet-based criticism, the Guardian took the unusual step of publishing what is presumably a full transcript of the interview. (Also unusually, the Guardian did not
allow reader comments to be posted under the transcript.) But the transcript only served to prove Chomsky’s point about the ‘deceptive’ nature of the printed article. His comparisons to the
justice system in the United States – in particular, the torture and abuse of Bradley Manning – were edited out. Carroll had asked him about the intervention of the Venezuelan executive in demanding a long jail sentence for Judge Afiuni.
Chomsky replied: ‘It’s obviously improper for the executive to intervene and impose a jail sentence without a trial. And I should say that the United States is in no position to complain about this. Bradley Manning has been imprisoned without charge, under torture, which is what solitary
confinement is. The president in fact intervened. Obama was asked about his conditions and said that he was assured by the Pentagon that they were fine. That’s executive intervention in a case of severe violation of civil liberties and it’s hardly the only one. That doesn’t change the judgment about Venezuela, it just says that what one hears in the United States one can dismiss.’
Chomsky added: ‘Venezuela has come under vicious, unremitting attack by the United States and the west generally – in the media and even in policy. After all the United States sponsored a military coup [in 2002] which failed and since then has been engaged in extensive subversion. And the onslaught […] against Venezuela in commentary is grotesque.’ Nothing of that appeared in the published Observer article. [* See Update below]
Also given scant notice were Chomsky’s observations about positive developments in Venezuela and Latin America generally in trying to overcome the horrendous impacts of over five centuries of European, and latterly also US, colonialism and exploitation: ‘I think what’s happened in Latin America in the past 10 years is probably the most exciting and positive development to take place in the world. For 500 years, since European explorers came, Latin American countries had been separated from one another. They had very limited relations. Integration is a prerequisite for independence. Furthermore internally there was a model that was followed pretty closely by each of the countries: a very small Europeanised, often white elite that concentrated enormous wealth in the midst of incredible poverty. And this is a region, especially South America, which are very rich in resources which you would expect under proper conditions to develop far better than east Asia for example but it hasn’t happened.’
The above quotes by Chomsky are only extracts of the longest answers, by far, that he gave in his interview with Carroll. But they didn’t fit the journalist’s agenda of setting up Chomsky in ‘denouncing’ Chávez’s supposed ‘assault’ on democracy. Carroll once accurately declared that he is ‘not a champion of impartiality’. Indeed, Joe Emersberger has done much sterling work, exposing and challenging Carroll’s biased journalism from Latin America. Carroll and his editors clearly have supreme difficulty in answering Emersberger’s cogent emails, judging by their repeated
failure to respond.
Readers may recall that the Guardian has a dubious track record in recording and accurately reflecting the views of Noam Chomsky; that is, when it doesn’t conform to the usual pattern of completely ignoring him. The Guardian‘s smear of Chomsky in 2005 marked a real
low in the history of this ‘flagship’ newspaper of ‘liberal’ journalism. See ‘Smearing Chomsky – Guardian in the Gutter’, ‘Smearing Chomsky – The Guardian Backs Down’ and the external ombudsman’s report.
Perhaps what is most noteworthy about this whole episode is best summed up by Emersberger:
‘This is not the first time Rory Carroll has taken a highly selective interest in Chomsky’s views on Latin America. When Chomsky signed an open letter in 2008 critical of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Rory Carroll also jumped all over it. At about the same time, Chomsky signed an open letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe about far more grave matters but it was ignored by the Guardian. At the time, I asked Rory Carroll and his editors why they ignored it but they never replied to me. They also ignored an open letter to Uribe signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and various other groups. I asked Carroll and his editors why that open letter was ignored and – as usual – no one responded.’
Concluding Remarks
Noam Chomsky was once famously described by the New York Times as ‘arguably the most important intellectual alive’. And yet, as mentioned earlier, the Guardian is normally happy to ignore him and his views. But when Chomsky expresses criticism of an official enemy
of the West, he suddenly does exist and matter for the Guardian. That indicates what we already knew: that the liberal press is perfectly aware of the importance of Chomsky’s work. They just ignore it because it undermines the wrong interests.
Rory Carroll’s article is a wonderful glimpse of the kind of status Chomsky would enjoy if he promoted the myth of the basic benevolence of the West, and focused on the crimes of official enemies. He would be feted as one of the most insightful and brilliant political commentators the world had ever seen. He would be far and away the world’s number one political talking head. His face would be all over the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the BBC, the New York Times and so on.
There is a humbling lesson here also, of course, for those people who are all over the media. In important ways, the media is a demeritocracy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. If you do write to journalists, we strongly urge you to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.
Write to:
Rory Carroll, the Guardian‘s South America correspondent
Email: rory.carr…@guardian.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/rorycarroll72
Alan Rusbridger, Guardian editor
Email: alan.rusbrid…@guardian.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/arusbridger
Please blind-copy us in on any exchanges or forward them to us later at:
edi…@medialens.org
* Update
July 4, 2011
Dear Rory Carroll,
Hope you’re well there.
Noam Chomsky says your Observer piece yesterday was ‘quite deceptive’ and ‘omit[s] much of relevance that I stressed throughout’.
http://bit.ly/jiG736
What’s your response, please?
Best wishes
David Cromwell and David Edwards
Co-Editors, Media Lens
http://www.medialens.org
July 6, 2011
Hello
Well, the transcript is there so everyone can judge the article, and Prof Chomsky’s response, for themselves.
Just one point: you say the article omitted Prof Chomsky’s references to Manning and US policy on Venezuela. About half-way there is this: “Its author remains fiercely critical of the US, which he said had tortured Bradley Manning, alleged source of the diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks, and continued to wage a “vicious, unremitting” campaign against Venezuela.
Best
Rory
July 6, 2011
Hello Rory,
Thanks for writing and pointing out that mistake – apologies. It should have read that you had given those points scant attention in comparison to the chosen spin of the ‘dishonest’ headline and main thrust of the ‘deceptive’ article. I’ll post an update.
As you rightly say, and as we noted in the alert, people can see for themselves to what extent the published article reflects what Noam Chomsky said in the interview.
Moreover, Joe Emersberger’s comments about your selective attention to Chomsky’s views, and your failure to respond to past challenges, remain unaddressed. And so do our concluding remarks about the default stance of the Guardian and the media when it comes to reporting Chomsky’s insightful observations: simply ignore them.
Best wishes
David Cromwell
Yeah, I certainly remember reading of the 2005 smear.
I haven’t got time today, but in one of the Open Mikes in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
Excellent work above, Morrissey.
…in the next few days, I’ll briefly outline a NZ Listener smear of Chomsky from a few years ago.
I’ll look forward to reading that, my friend. I hardly bother nowadays to even glance at what was once an essential magazine. Which intellectual giant did Pamela Stirling, that formidable polymath of an editor, assign to the task of smearing Chomsky? Deborah Hill Cone? Joanne Black? Bill Ralston? Raybon Kan? Paul Lewis? The more I think of a possible contender for this Herculean task, the funnier it seems.
Hurry and post it up, please.
Thanks, Morrissey. Looks like it’ll probably be later in the week. I’m just a bit too busy at the moment and (possibly like you and one or two others here) I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I want to provide an effective context, before I outline the details. All takes time 🙂
Full transcript of the interview here
http://www.zcommunications.org/noam-chomsky-on-venezuela-the-transcript-by-noam-chomsky
Todays Nation was once again mainly an attack onthe
Today’s Nation was once again an attack on Labour. The so called discussion on Capital Gains developed into a critizem of the Labour Policy.
Garner once again ,as he does every week ,finds fault with Goffs leadership.
What ever has Phil done to this creep?
Their is no doubt that with the Capital Gains tax announcement Labour is going to dominate the debate. However Nat’s will pull every trick they know to rubbish this. I’m looking forward to Friday’s statement by Phil on this. There is no doubt this could be just what Labour needs to boost the polls.
Now I have heard ,from a good source , that this Tory government is considering deregistering theTeachers Union .Anyone heard anything?
It certainly would not surprise me .
If they did deregister the PPTA or the Primary NZEI or could only to pick a fight. The grounds for deregistering have to be pretty compelling and it is many years decades(?) since it was done to a union.
Can’t believe that since the other day when Anne Tolley was asked if any action was planned against theNZEI re NS, she said dismissively no but they will be helping schools to understand NS (!!!) and maybe next year they will look at other means. Good reason to make sure that Tolley is not there next year to do any more damage.
Yes Postman its the media that are to blame for Goffs ineptitude as a leader. He’s never to blame in the lefts eyes, which is of course a socialist mantra, “he’s not to blame its society’s fault” (and anyone with more money than you). If Goff wants traction he needs a personality transplant and policy that resonates with the voters. Goff repeating the same behaviour and tired speeches and expecting a different result, is the epitome of being deranged.
Wow you’re strange.
The NZ media is pretty soft on questioning Key and pretty hard on pulling down Goff. That’s obvious.
Hope we get the guy from BBC’s Hardtalk to run one of our election leaders debates 🙂
Why not Kim Hill no right winger would set foot in the studio
The week that was 3 – 10 July
Earthquakes on the Increase
There was another large earthquake off the East coast of Honshu, Japan today. It measured magnitude 7. This coincides with a general increase in the number of all magnitude earthquakes over recent years…
How do you know activity is increasing?
We haven’t been measuring it comprehensively for long, so it would be very difficult to know trends apart from very short term fluctuations.
Felt it in tokyo. A long steady rocking for about 30 sec.
TV3 tonight:
“The latest 3 News Reid Research poll is out and has National opening up its already massive gap over Labour.
One of the real winners in this poll is the rise and rise of the Greens; who seem to now be feeding off Labour’s misery and taking their voters.
National was up 2.1 points on 55.1 percent support while Labour slipped 2.9 points to 29.9 percent. The Greens went up 2.6 points to 9.1 percent.”
Priceless.
[lprent: Also completely off topic and looks to me like it was meant to be diversionary. If I see you do again I will kick you out of commenting for while. Moving to OpenMike.
Oh buggerit – that was too much work. Banned for a week for wasting my time. ]
It’s just showing the volatility of the polls. This one won’t be affected much if at all by the CGT, and certainly won’t be affected by the weekend’s Act.
Forgot to add – John Key up in poplularity to 50.5 and Goff slips [again] down to 6.9.
Double priceless.
Another day, another big poll lead for National,
Time to panic, Labour.
Theres a couple of people that will be shitting bricks tonight:
http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/index.php/2011/07/the-coup-is-on-labourishistory/
Stuff: Labour pamphlets breached rules
Wow, like that’s never happened before… I can hardly wait for some MP to say the rules were confusing… others did it too… It’s not fair to just prosecute Labour….
Labour had prior confirmation from Parliamentary Services that those materials were not considered party promotional materials or electioneering materials.
You really are a dipshit, just man up and say “we screwed up”
Maybe in future you might want to go for advice elsewhere…you know the saying “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and I probably work for Labour”
Labour originally sought and gained sign offs from Parliamentary Services on the flyers etc. i.e. an independent assessment, that the material was not party material and was not electioneering material.
Labour was therefore allowed to use the Parliamentary Services seal on the material, which would not have been permitted had the material been judged at the time to be Labour Party promotional material or electioneering material.
Yeah keep repeating the line, maybe you’ll convince yourself
CV
Do Parliamentary Services indemnify political parties from being accountable under the law ?
You seem to think so and Labour’s previous behaviour seems to imply that – but what are the rules? Remember the rules – in this case the laws passed by MPs for MPs. Can’t say they are confusing and claim to be competent at the same time.
Are Labour incompetent or are they self serving muppets who think they are above the law ?
Labour sought out early expert advice, and that independent advice came back that those materials were not party promotional or electioneering materials.
Now that call might have been wrong in the final analysis (we’ll wait and see), but Labour took a lot of care to get this right from the start.
So here we go.. The law was confusing… Others were doing it too…
Oh dear, Labour hasn’t got the numbers to retrospectively validate under urgency.
How handy would the conventional ‘not in the public interest to prosecute’ be?
What about that convention that parliament can’t use the excuse a law was confusing because they wrote it and they voted to get it enacted? OK we let that one go for a while when it was convenient with the EFA, but is it gone forever ?
Well, as I mentioned above, Labour had the material checked and vetted by Parliamentary Services, and at the time it was independently assessed as not being party promotional material nor electioneering material.
So here we go again… The ref made a bad call… the rules were changed…
Sorry CV – the people who make the laws and pass the laws need to understand the laws.
So I guess if they had it checked by Parliamentary Services then they will be confident they didn’t break the law and they will be happy to see it tested in court ?
Remember the Judiciary… I know previously Labour have shown a preference for retrospective validation rather than take their chances in court but they might not get that option this time. But hey PS said it was OK so should be an open and shut case where they are not found guilty – right ?
Well it’s a matter for the police now, however Labour did take plenty of care to get this right and sought independent advice in the process to do so.
Its things like this that remind people why Labour were voted out of parliament
Not following the rules
Blaming others for errors
Overwhelming arrogance
Say ten hail Marys and try to sin no more
Actually, Key has just dominated the news over big free trade trip to india – staged romance at the Taj and filmed with Bollywood’s Brangelina all that aspirational stuff. Yet only pulled 2%, and is that not the margin of error?? Gloat all you like Chris , but you know as well as most of us – National’s popularity rides of on Key and lets face it, the public will wake up..
I have no doubt that Labour will get back into power, just not this election
(As for gloating wait until after the election ;))
Why are the police being so vindictive in prosecuting Arie Smith-Voorkamp? They are even bullying TV1’s Sunday programme for running the story tonight about his arrest and alleged beating for taking two lightbulbs from an abandoned building. Even the building’s owners didn’t want him charged until the police apparently bullied them too. Something unpleasant going on in the police culture.
Absolutely true, Hilary! I watched Sunday for possibly the second time ever, and was very impressed by Arie and by the building’s owners. His reason (that it was a shame to leave electrical fittings in a building that might collapse) would seem perfectly reasonable to someone with Aspergers who wants to become an electrician! He wasn’t looting anything, just rescuing something…
[deleted]
[lprent: Read this again. ]
[deleted]
[lprent: Read this again. ]