“Labour are finding themselves in the wrong place. They know this is an issue of national security…”
—Vacuous NZ prime minister John Key, defending Steven Joyce’s GCSB bill, TV3 Firstline, Tuesday 9 July 2013
Humbug Corner is dedicated to gathering, and highlighting, the most striking examples of faux solicitude, insincere apologies, and particularly stupid recycling of official canards. It is produced by the Insincerity Project®, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
More humbugs….
No. 14 Charles Saatchi: “I abhor violence of any kind against women…”
No. 13 Toyota NZ: “The more Kiwis that lean, the more motivated our ETNZ crew will be to win.”
No. 12 Pem Bird: “We’re there to do the business of advancing our people.”
No.11 Whenua Patuwai: “They’re my brothers and to see one of them goes [sic]—it’s tough.”
No. 10 [REMOVED]
No. 9 [REMOVED]
No. 8 Barack Obama: “…people standing up for what’s right…yearning for justice and dignity…” No. 7 Barack Obama: “Nelson Mandela is my personal hero…”
No. 6 John Key: “Yeah well the Greens’ answer to everything is rail, isn’t it.”
No.5 Dr. Rodney Syme: “If you want good, open, honest practice, you have to make it transparent.”
No. 4 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton’s… integrity beyond reproach…such great character…”
No. 3 Dean Lonergan: “Y’ know what? The only people who will mock them are people who are dwarfists.”
No. 2 Peter Dunne: “What a load of drivel and sanctimonious humbug…”
No. 1 Dominic Bowden: “It’s okay to be speechless.”
It appears that I was wrong to place Sir Owen Glenn on the Humbug Corner list. Having watched him last night on TV3’s Campbell Live explain the circumstances of that Honolulu incident, I am convinced he did not do the things that he has been accused of.
I apologize to Sir Owen and herewith remove his entry from Humbug Corner, which belongs to real, nasty, proven humbugs, such as John Key, Mike Bush and Barack Obama.
Yes, hence my comment yesterday. I think a lot of your humbug corner recipients are just on your judgement, for example Obama saying Madela is his personal hero – you’re effectively saying that Obama is lying. It’s entirely possible that he is his personal hero; just because he does things that maybe Mandela wouldn’t approve of, doesn’t mean that Obama is lying or being insincere.
Owen Glenn has provided plenty of other humbuggery to be worthy of inclusion, from his attempt to bribe the electorate into voting National to his obsession with having things named after him.
I admire your endurance in the face of widespread cynicism, but polls I have seen online have been favouring Rudd slightly. The date of polling has not yet been announced and momentum is running towards the ALP, which Crosby & Textor will be trying to disrupt. Everyone is globally connected these days, so anything can happen.
In NZ, Shearer’s leadership campaign looked like a soft coup – but anyone in that job would have faced an uphill battle against Key’s popularity. These days he seems a tarnished figure, but Shearer – a product of teaching, as a Labour researcher and then the UN, does not seem to have the smarts or the motivation to do exploit it.
Rudd faced a similar coup, and the question has to be asked if there is anyone with the motivation and ability to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future for this country.
Nothing’s going to happen. The vampire zombie old guard are thwarting the possibility of a better NZ as they hold the tiller steady while we go over the waterfall. We’re going about things the right way if we want to guarantee a National win next year folks.
To all you Shearer/Robertson supporters out there: Thanks for condemning us all to another shitty 3 years.
“Thanks for condemning us all to another shitty 3 years”
You have to remember that the largest %age of voters (according to polls) think that NZ is heading in the right direction.
And the bright side is when they get in again I think that they will bring in harder policies that will really have a huge impact (in a good way) on NZ.
And the bright side is when they get in again I think that they will bring in harder policies that will really have a huge impact (in a good way) on NZ.
Presume you mean National?
If so, fuck off you puerile little worm.
My comment was aimed wider than this site, out into the *real world*, if you like.
Voting, requires little to no intelligence, or understanding of the micro/macro impact of this temporal world, anyone eligible, and registered can vote.
Playing a positive role, in what people believe is democratic process, requires active involvement, it requires cognizant awareness, and removal of one’s own self from the decision tree, and instead, making choices for involvement, based on human traits, of kindness, generosity, caring, but being active, and if necessary, disobedient!
In order to remove, thy self from the decision, one must be suitably evolved, aware and able to examine/disseminate complex situations, using simple, innate capabilities.
What I didn’t mention (as it should be self evident), is that the *simple, innate capabilities*, have become buried, under what most types believe to be, intelligence/knowledge, and exhibits itself as arrogance/egotistical behaviors, many examples of which can be found on this site.
Ah, so should I take that to mean “oh, but Rudd was exceptionally high in the polls before he was deposed, and Gillard made no ground whatsoever in the immediately subsequent roymorgan polls”? Because that is what one might regard as “counter-argument based on evidence”.
It would be incorrect, but at least an attempt at not being a dickhead just because someone disagrees with your own personal polly-crush.
What the fuck are you on? You’re away in your own wee world aren’t ya? That’s why you can sit back happily twiddling your thumbs and cheering for the McFluckwits like Shearer and feel really good about yourself when the left loses next year.
Until you get it into your skull that Shearer et al are disliked by the voters, have no skills and are condemning the country to another 3 years of right wing control, then you are part of the problem, McFlock.
You must be personally connected to the old guard lot because otherwise I can’t see how any sane person would still be honestly supporting them and believing they will lead the Left to a win.
See McFlock, youre in great company, with the turds of the world like BM here. You wont get any clearer sign that you should abandon your sinking Shearer ship.
Apart from the fact that if the tories really did want shearer in charge of labour, they’d be speaking in favour of cunliffe, robertson and little because they know lefties would mistrust them.
BUT then knowing that, they’d argue in favour of shearer as reverse-reverse psychology.
BUT maybe they don’t partiucularly give a shit either way, and just like watching labour chicken-littles running around with a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
Fortunately, I’ve spent the last five years developing an immunity to iocaine powder…
If I understand your position correctly, it consists of four main points:
1: Shearer is going nowhere in the polls
2: Gillard went nowhere in the polls
3: Rudd has made enormous ground in the polls since rolling Gillard
4: therefore, if shearer is rolled the new leader will make enormous ground in the polls
1 is plain wrong.
2 uses too crude a measure – Gillard gained ground significantly immediately after gaining the leadership, and lost it again.
3 assumes that rudd will not lose the ground he gained from the leadership change just as gillard did, and just as he did before being rolled by gillard.
So 4 is wishful thinking, and certainly doesn’t warrant you being so worked up about it all.
One thing I’m pretty sure about is that the voters aren’t particularly enamoured with “if you’re not with us then you’re against us” zealots.
A close look at the graph you linked to on the Roy Morgan site seems to show that even Rudd’s ‘dip’ in 2010 still left him generally ahead of or, at worst, even with, the N-LP. Gillard’s immediate pre-election ‘bounce’ (though it could have been static given margin of errors) did not get back to where Rudd had been in April that year (a matter of a month or two before being rolled) prior to his ‘dip’.
By contrast, Gillard in this term had not only been consistently polling well south of the N-LP but also well south of Rudd’s pre-2010 election ‘dip’. Gillard spent most of her term well behind in the polls. Rudd had not spent any time well behind the N-LP in the polls prior to being rolled.
I don’t hold a flag for either Gillard or Rudd (I see them as disappointingly similar in their politics) but purely from the ‘who’s most likely to win an election’ viewpoint, the evidence you linked to suggests to me that Rudd is a far better bet in relation to the Australian electorate (for good or bad reasons).
Of course, none of that has anything to do with the New Zealand situation (different electoral system for one thing). I would, however, be very interested to see how the polls would react to a change of leader in the parliamentary wing of the New Zealand Labour Party. I can’t see that they would take a major dip (the 30-ish percent seems fairly ‘solid’ in polling terms irrespective of leader or events – and they are clearly immune to Key’s ‘charms’ which, if anything, are tarnishing) and it would get people looking at Labour again with, perhaps, some mild curiosity as to whether, this time, they will renew and reinvigorate themselves.
In some ways, changing leader would be a ‘no-risk’ option for Labour, I would have thought. Shearer has clearly not brought with him a chunk of extra support (e.g., over Goff’s pre-2011 election polling) as was presumably expected given the back story, ‘fresh face and no direct personal connection with the previous Labour government, etc..
The slight improving trend for Labour in the last 18 months of Roy Morgan polls looks, to me, more like regression to the mean (of the ‘natural’ level of Labour support post/late-Helen Clark) rather than a turning point in fortunes. That is, once the population went off Helen Clark, to a certain degree, they’ve stayed right there. The 2011 election was just a brief and temporary ‘dip’ in that overall static situation (‘show me the money’ and Winston’s resurgence over the teapot tapes pretty much explain it).
If Cuniliffe had got the job instead of Shearer ( I favoured DC ) does anyone honestly think that Cuniliffe would not have faced exactly the same Nat and it’s arselicker germs campaign smears and innuendo that Shearer has.
Sick of this bullshit, tell TV3 board and recievers that you will not watch TV3 while they continue to employ this incompetent liar Gower.
karol
I think you might be interested in this great woman being interviewed on Radionz now. She is a NZ historian in the UK and is giving a lecture at Otago on Thursday.
10-11am: Professor Joanna Bourke – historian and “socialist feminist”, who has written about gender history, working-class culture, war and masculinity, the cultural history of fear and the history of rape.
She has wide interests taking in working class culture and is now working on sexual violence history. Sounds really thoughtful. She says she takes an anthropological approach to history. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
I reckon Gerard Hope, the man who pursued Scott Watson for the murder of his daughter and her friend, has grave doubts over whether Watson actually did the dirty deed.
As for offering to meet Watson and get an explanation, who does Hope think he is? Watson has absolutely no obligation to Hope, especially in light of his dogged blind pursuit over so many years.
Imo this is another Arthur Allan Thomas case, complete with treachery by the leading investigating coppers such as Rob Pope, being selective and manipulative with evidence.
“And how does the obligation arise there? You need to be more specific.”
How could I possibly be more specific?
And as for your obtuse and ignorant ‘innocent until proven guilty’ comment below, you need to get over yourself. You’re not the judge and jury. Watson has been proven guilty already. And lost every appeal since.
Having said that, I, like Gerald Hope, believe that cases based on circumstancial evidence are always subject to doubt. If Watson didn’t do it, that’s a tragedy for him and a blow to the families. The use of the blinking photo is pretty typical last century cop behaviour designed to secure a conviction and that, and the ID witnesses changing their minds, suggests to me that the case needs looking at again. But that doesn’t mean Watson wasn’t convicted of two counts of murder, because he actually was.
There is no obligation on Watson to have anything to do with Hope. Other than some misplaced wobbling moral compass particular to your person, but that’s yours – don’t impose it on others.
I have no idea what you are saying in your third paragraph. What’s your point?
VTO, You are wrong, Gerald has always had misgivings about aspects of the investigation and trial. His only ” pursueing” was to wish that the Police caught whoever did it. An apology is in order.
I suspect it will end up being Watson who needs the apology.
Imo, Watson knows something crucial though is innocent of the crime. And our law states that we have no obligation to investigators or to others. We are innoent until proved guilty. These principles have been established over many centuries by some of the worlds’ great minds – if people have a problem with that then they need to take the principles up with them.
Police answer: There was no ketch. There never was a ketch.
So many experienced yachties and boaties reported on the non-existent ketch. But none interviewed in depth or called as witness.
Policeman Pope: There was no ketch. There never was a ketch.
And from close to one reported sighting of it, a mayday call reportedly was received from a woman on Jan 2 … but don’t know more detail than that.
Yachties have reported the ketch was seen on the east coast, and then scuppered. But we can never know until it is properly investigated.
Yes, it is another Arthur Allen Thomas case with equal treachery and deception. And Collins as Justice Minister ? A continuing travesty for Scott Watson.
Meeting with Gerald Hope might be his last remaining hope of justice. Hope has always said if he felt Watson was innocent, he would fight for his freedom. Too many lives and families destroyed in this case.
From Keith Hunter yesterday .. here’s a fight for Collins:
Governor General – :
9 July 2013
It’s out. Scott Watson’s application to the Governor-General for the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been declined by Minister Collins today. Wholly predictable in view of the Ministry of Justice’s administration of the application, it is the consequence of the most corrupt piece of paper I have ever seen. It suggests that Ms Collins only finds justice where the innocent are found guilty. Hence the Bain review is reviewed while the Watson review is confirmed.
Written by Kristy McDonald QC under instruction from the MoJ’s Chief Legal Officer, Jeff Orr, the report was only made available to Watson’s legal team after they pressured former Minister Simon Power for access to it. Even then, the Ministry did not copy the report to the lawyers until they signed and swore agreements that it would not be copied to anyone else and that Watson and his father could read it but not have copies of it. The report is 150 pages long. Watson would have needed ten or a dozen prison visits by his lawyer just to have time to read it. That’s justice in the eyes of the Ministry of Justice.”
That ketch and the non-investigation of it will continue to haunt Policeman Pope until his dying days. Fundamental mistake – letting emotion and personality cloud his actions.
There was a ketch, it had been moored at Punga Cove in the evening and then moved to Furneaux and dropped anchor behind a witness’s boat at about 12.15am. The police used only a composite photo of the various craft at Furneaux taken around 9pm. If the boat wasn’t in the photo they didn’t want to know. The young witness who held onto the ketch to steady the inflatable worked a few days for me and he showed me how high he had to stand and reach up to grab the gunwale, he also described the round brass porthole in the hull that he was next to. Scott Watsons boat didn’t have much more freeboard than the inflatable and no portholes.
An Auckland friend with over 40 years of yachting experience reported a ketch fitting the description and particulaly the stern design, quite rare and of NE US type design. He was very specific about time colour and place but did not even get a call back from the Police.
Coincidentally, a ketch fitting the description was prevented from sailing out of Gisborne ( I think) some months later, and the crew changed to a smaller Cat 1 eligible boat and were subsequently arrested outside Sydney harbour with tonnes of dope etc on board. It had met up with a Columbian registerd freighter north of NZ.
You sound very knowledgeable on it Adrian. Do you know what the police response to questions about the ketch have been? Why did they not investigate it further? Surely they have a complete and credible answer to this question and not just some flippant derisory non-answer.
I don’t think there are many people who have followed this case that don’t acknowledge the ketch as the yawning great missing link in this ……….
VTO — he says it here : “The police used only a composite photo of the various craft at Furneaux taken around 9pm. If the boat wasn’t in the photo they didn’t want to know.”
Yes it does and welcome to a fraction of the truth VTO .. read the link to Keith Hunter’s website I posted above .. if a retrial was held today, there is no evidence available to convict Scott Watson. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE. ( sorry for shouting, but it needs it.)
It’s Arthur Thomas’ problem in reverse … for him they had to plant a cartridge to make their case work. For Scott Watson, they had to make a whole 40ft ketch disappear by whatever means they could.
Scott Watson is innocent, and someone else out there is not. And Policeman Pope let him get away simply and easily by denying the ketch ever existed.
And Collins just colluded in ensuring this bid for mercy failed. Read Keith Hunter.
VTO and Yeshe. only as knowledgeable as anyone who read the local paper , that did a very good job of coverage by the way.
My friend saw the boat about 6days later on a Sunday evening sailing up the Waitemata harbour, which if ( big if ) it was the same ketch seen off theTaranaki coast, incidentaly by a cop out fishing roughly 2 days after the disappearance,and that would tie-in with sailing times. That cop said he thought the boat suspicious as he waved at it, the people on board looked at him and didn’t wave back, very unusual at sea.
It’s a small area so people know people who know people, a local retired cop told me that they always go for the last person that saw the missing alive, that was the inflatable driver, and when that dosen’t work the next person is the local ratbag and Bingo, Scott Watson filled the bill. He also said that the investigation was incompetent and a shambles as it was just after New Years and all the cops bought into the area were pissed off about being bought back from their holidays.
Gerald Hope was right to criticise as he had first hand experience of how slack the cops were in the first weeks, They thought that Olivia and Ben had just buggered off on a tiki-tour, but parents always know better.
A lesson for anyone who has anyone go missing, the cops aren’t interested until they have evidence of foul play. You’ve basically got to drop the dead bleeding body off on their bloody doorstep.
I actually think Gerald Hope feels a bit of guilty.
It was his rushing to the media and his public on going criticisms about why the police were taking so long to find the killers that probably led to the police stitching up the wrong man and the real killer/killers going free.
The best show in town (aside from us thespians of course) was the Key-Dotcom showdown over the GCSB. “Are your eyes and ears everywhere Master Cromwell?” asks the doomed Cardinal Wolsey in the play, moments before he is lead away. Well, yes, they are it seems. EVERYWHERE! The NSA is listening to everyone and the GCSB wants to hear more. “Did she think I don’t have spies watching the stables, as I have spies everywhere?” says Cromwell. Well, it seems there were spies all over Dotcom’s Coatesville stables. Himself an escapee from the Goldfinger auditions, Dotcom is a master of theatricality. Articulate, razor-sharp and dangerously rich, Cromwell would have recognized a kindred though Germanic spirit.
The drama was palpable. “Why are you turning red, Prime Minister?” “Why are you sweating?” (who writes this stuff?). “You know I know” says Dotcom to Key. “You know I know” says Anne to Cromwell. Line for line, art imitated life imitating art.
Anyone else have any opinions on the mean-spiritedness of WINZ regarding cutting pensions where a partner has been a contributor to an overseas (often private) super scheme?
It’s generated a heap of controversy (Nine to Noon).
I’m with the recipients (having an American bro-in-law who already has his NZ super adjusted downwards). Now my sister faces having hers effectively taxed (or tithed) to the State.
Having said all that, I do wonder how many of such recipients are amongst the bennie-bashing ilk.
I’m one of the people now getting a UK state pension. Like the US one, it’s based on the amount I paid into the scheme when I worked there. I also get a UK Teacher’s pension, which is based on what was taken out of my pay and put into the scheme when I worked in the UK.
So, actually, both UK pensions (state & occupation) have the same basis – but a different basis from the NZ scheme.
However, I am told that when I qualify for an NZ state pension, the UK state pension will be deducted from my NZ entitlement, while the occupation pension will not be taken into account. There does seem to be an inconsistency.
I can see why people are complaining, though, for myself, I reckon under the current rules I will still get enough to support my frugal lifestyle – unless cost of living escalates a huge amount, but then we will all be f**ked.
The way it impacts on married couples looks pretty problematic.
“I hope I never get into bennie bashing”
Fear not! I KNOW you won’t. Well – unless of course we’re talking about corporate bennie bashing – in which case, please LET RIP
On Radionz this a.m. was a scathing interview about the position of overseas superannuation recipients living in NZ. Their treatment by the NZ taxation authorities has been disappointing to say the least. All emailers also agree that there is a very twisted and unfair scheme. Who has been in charge of super recently? Ms Poorer Benefit?
And on noon news –
Elective patients waiting for quite a while have been cut from thousands last year to 12 today. And how has this drop been achieved? Perhaps by forcing them off the lists after a wait beyond the target time allowed. If so that represents another bad mark against the target system. In the USA you may be sent home after a set number of days whether well and fit or not. We are probably following similar because we don’t have the will to develop and follow our own systems.
See above Rose – the more I think about it, the worse it is on so many levels.
I just thought of another reason. Why would anyone with those skills the Nats are telling us we’re so short of, want to come to NZ knowing that their spouses (and they) are going to be severely affected.
In my bro-in-law’s case – he’s lived here more about half his life and is a NZ citizen. His wife, being an independent sort of person, is now going to be ‘truncated’ on her retirement.
Yes – it sounds like a Pulla Bent sort of oidear.
Tim
Yes unfortunately it underlines my belief that NZ government has no vision and no common sense (despite all Peter Dunne’s efforts!) and tries to do everything on the cheap that is needed, but they are prepared to treat their favourite projects lavishly. In the end we don’t get good, sound results and returns from anything we do. And there is sure to be something that goes against that trend, but it’s in the tiny minority group.
And I’ve heard on the radio, nz people who have come back with good skills and experience and the greeting was less than welcoming. I think many of the managers here are afraid that these “smart arses” from overseas are going to show them up.
Radionz 12.15 pm Interesting research that could turn Auckland’s sprawl to good energy use. So many roofs with unshaded sun aspects could make it viable to put solar panels up and run all electrical appliances with leftover for electric car battery topup.
Please be advised that I will be attending the Auckland Council Regulatory and Bylaws Committee meeting on Wednesday 10 July 2013, at 1.30pm, Auckland Town Hall, and I shall be raising my concerns about the on the ‘Public Safety and Nuisance’ Bylaw, and related matters in Public Forum, for 5 minutes.
I have followed ‘lawful due process’ in my application for ‘speaking rights’, which I believe you are (unlawfully) denying.
I am quite prepared to test this in Court, if you want to try and have me arrested for taking the ‘speaking rights’ which in my considered opinion, you are unlawfully denying me.
If you wish to contact Auckland Central Police to have me (unlawfully) removed – here is their phone number: (09) 302 6400
You could directly contact Auckland Area Commander, Inspector Andrew Coster, if you wish.
(I have already copied him into my previous email correspondence on this matter).
Respectfully, I do recommend that you discuss with other the Mayor and other Councillors, my proven track record in Court, on matters pertaining to Local Government and the democratic/ human rights of citizens, because to date, it arguably
shows that I have a better grasp of the LAW in these matters, than those upon whom Auckland Council appear to be relying for legal counsel?
Please note the latest (UNLAWFUL) violation of the rights of your fellow elected representatives, as reported in today’s NZ Herald, by Bernard Orsman, by unelected senior Auckland Council Officers, (namely, CEO Doug McKay, General Counsel Wendy Brandon, and Chief Planning Officer, Dr Roger Blakeley – who appear to be running Auckland Council as if it were their own private company?)
Request to see legal response on new rulebook denied.
Auckland Council’s senior management are refusing to give councillor Sandra Coney access to a legal review of the new planning rulebook for the city.
Ms Coney considers it essential to have access to the review to make good decisions on the rulebook – or Unitary Plan – that sets out more intensified housing to squeeze another one million residents into the city.
The council has undertaken a legal review of the plan, which chief planning officer Dr Roger Blakeley told Ms Coney was very specific and to help staff ensure it was legally correct for formal notification.
She disagreed. “You seem to think you can judge what is necessary for me to govern. This is fundamentally wrong. The legislation charged elected people with the responsibilities and accountability to govern well, not the management,” Ms Coney wrote in an email to Dr Blakeley.
Following a series of emails on the issue, chief executive Doug McKay said last Thursday he, Dr Blakeley and general counsel Wendy Brandon had disagreed with each of Ms Coney’s requests.
He said there was a difference between management and governance “and we have a duty to ensure advice we give is legally and technically accurate”. …..”
Yeah, asked about it. The only fireplace in samoa apparently and seldom if ever used. The weight of opinion Is that he was a Scot, and it would make his family feel more comfortable.:-)
Yep. The fees that these aresholes charge and pay themselves is a disgrace. They aren’t as unique as they like to think themselves. There are, quite literally ATM, thousands of people unemployed who could do the job just as well as they could and be willing to do it for far less.
The problem seems to be that the administrators over value themselves and so are both willing to overcharge for their services when being hired and willing to pay those overcharges when doing the hiring.
EDIT:
For that $2000 per day Chch could easily solve the problem by the simple expedient of hiring 5 people to actually do the work.
“Martin had taken a leading role in several public sector reviews previously, including evaluations of Environment Canterbury and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.”
Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.
We only need to inform 10% of the population about how banking actually works to get some change.
I suspect that there won;t be much difference as far as the monetary system goes. Once 10%+ know how the banks rip us off everyone will be demanding change.
I’m never sure how men manage to make stuff that’s not about them (affirmative action) all about them (“Man Ban”) but, gosh darn it, aren’t they good at it. I doubt the quota idea will fly, but it was worth a chat, if only so we can all remind ourselves what sexism is.
Sexism (like racism) is when the dominant group discriminates against the less powerful group, not when the less powerful group has a crack at catching up.
And today in the General Debate, Grant Robertson did a number on John Key’s “ManDates” – with John Banks; with Ian Fletcher…. etc.
And Metiria Turei on women’s affairs minister (Goodhew), who said women should be selected on Merit – then Turei asks if only there are only 25% Nat MPs who are competent to be MPs? etc… and onto Nat’s male dominated elite.
“I’m never sure how men manage to make stuff that’s not about them (affirmative action) all about them (“Man Ban”) but, gosh darn it, aren’t they good at it. I doubt the quota idea will fly, but it was worth a chat, if only so we can all remind ourselves what sexism is.”
That’s now my favourite summary of the whole thing.
Well its hard to fathom how Key did not know of such a large contributor to the National parties candidate in the first Auckland election, how DotCom realized he could help out immediately shows political knowledge that must have been sort and given. And knowing he lived in the PM’s electorate… …its staggering Key didn’t know.
So recessions, far from being periods of unremitting economic gloom, are actually a unique time of opportunity for governments to invest in public assets, in the process creating millions of desperately needed jobs and increasing prosperity and wellbeing for decades into the future.
A particular present need is to effect a rapid transition to an economy that no longer depends on fossil fuels. Not only is their supply unsustainable beyond the short term (oil) to medium term (gas and coal), but also pollution from fossil fuels threatens global climatic stability and is a major cause of ill health around the world. There can be few better investments in our future quality of life than in renewable energy generation, the wider energy infrastructure needed to support it, and in improving energy efficiency.
But those managing recession-hit Western economies are squandering that opportunity, and instead seizing another: the opportunity to attack ordinary people’s living standards and the provision of public goods like housing, health and education. One might reasonably ask why.
[My Bold]
One might, indeed, ask why the governments of the world are making things worse off for the many while making the rich richer.
Hooting with laughter at the plight of Edward Snowden The Panel, Radio NZ National, Wednesday 10 July 2013
Jim Mora, Elly Jones, Simon Pound
If Stalinist Russia had vacuous radio talkshows, this is what they would have sounded like. For “Edward Snowden”, insert the name “Nikolai Bukharin”….
JIM MORA: That’s a sharp-looking houndstooth jacket you’re wearing. SIMON POUND: Thank you! MORA: Simon Pound, always sartorially elegant! And now it’s time for Noelle McCarthy with what the woooooooorld’s talking about! And where is Edward Snowden? NOELLE McCARTHY: Y-y-y-y-yeeeeeessss, …. [snort] ….he he he! He’s still in hiding. He he he! JIM MORA: He’s still in the terminal isn’t he? NOELLE McCARTHY: He he he he he! Yes he is still in that terminal! …[snort]… SIMON POUND: Ha ha ha ha ha! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! ELLY JONES: Well, Tom Hanks hid in an airport for YEARS in that movie, so why can’t Edward Snowden? SIMON POUND: Maybe he’s wearing a moustache! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! ELLY JONES: Ha ha ha ha ha! SIMON POUND: And a cowboy hat! Just like Bin Laden did! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! NOELLE McCARTHY: He he he he he he! ….[snort]…. MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! So where is he going to, Edward Snowden? Ha ha ha ha ha! NOELLE McCARTHY: He’s got a choice! Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador! SIMON POUND:[with deepest sarcasm] Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador! All jurisdictions FAMED for their dedication to the protection of whistle-blowers! MORA:[whimsical] Hmmmmm…. I wonder which would be the best of those three places to be a fugitive in. NOELLE McCARTHY: Bolivia would be hard with the altitude. MORA: They’re all warm, sunny places. ELLY JONES: I actually feel sorry for the guy. MORA: Oh really? ELLY JONES It’s like the X-Factor. He keeps getting voted off! SIMON POUND: Haw haw haw haw! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s true, I suppose.
I found life to much more pleasant once I started ignoring Mora in the afternoons, its just the pre-spin cycle of the MSM, on the fact-tory line, to produce right wing propaganda.
Morrissey, I half hope you didn’t watch Campbell TV3 tonight. Why ? Well my health has been adversely affected by what I saw. As one with far sharper antennae than mine, I expect a major adverse impact on yours.
In pure selfishness however, I really want to hear your take. I’m prepared to hold(er) on until you pick yourself up off your 100% New Zealand Wool carpet and fly staunchly at your keyboard.
Who the fuck could believe ShonKey Python when repeatedly he told Parliament that he knew nothing about Sir Kiwi Kim Dotcom until 18 or 19 January 2012 ?????????????????????????????????
I’m starting to suspect that the Big O is a bit of a demon akshelly. And anticipate that ShonKey Python might just be the weak link. Imagine. Never being invited to the White House again. Blackballed from all the finest gentlemens’ clubs in Washington/London/Parnell/Omaha. Oh Fuck ! What pain !
Smartarse schoolboyish vanity, pride and lies cometh before a fall, what ?
I was (unlawfully) denied ‘speaking rights’ by Auckland Councillor Des Morrison, Chair of the Regulatory and By Laws Committee – so – I stood up on my hind legs (as it were) and TOOK ‘speaking rights’.
In my considered opinion, it was an extremely foolish move by Auckland Councillor Des Morrison, who claimed he was ‘a stickler for process’.
I’m a stickler for LAWFUL due process.
Auckland Council Standing Orders are based upon underpinning legislation. particularly – The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
(a) to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in order—
(i) to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local authorities; and
(ii) to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,—
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in New Zealand:
(b) to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c) to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
____________________________________________________________
Auckland Council Standing Orders cannot be ‘ultra vires’ this underpinning legislation.
(ultra vires – beyond the legal power or authority of a person or official or body etc; “an ultra vires contract”
Given the proven track record of arguably incompetent legal advice that Auckland Council has been receiving via their General Counsel, Wendy Brandon, on matters pertaining to Local Government and the human/democratic rights of citizens enshrined in the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Human Rights Amendment Act 1993 – in my considered opinion, it would have been sensible for the Regulatory and ByLaws Committee, to listen to what I had to say, for a mere 5 minutes.
As one of the two successful Appellants in the Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal, which raised a number of similar legal matters, I have some proven expertise in this area, and was prepared to give my ‘considered opinion’ free of charge. (Situation normal).
Given that Auckland Council has already wasted at least over $200,000 in unnecessary legal expenses pertaining to the (unlawful) eviction of peaceful Occupy Auckland protestors from Aotea Square, by means of an injunction (which was quashed by the ruling of High Court Judge Ellis), surely it would have been simple commonsense to help prevent further potential wastage of Auckland Council public monies, based upon possible incorrect and incompetent legal advice?
Former Auckland City Councillors have learned that my word is not to be taken lightly, when it comes to defending my lawful rights as a citizen to participatory democracy.
If I am (unlawfully) denied speaking rights, after having applied in a proper way, I will defend these democratic rights, by taking them.
As always, I take full personal responsibility for my actions, which I was and am prepared to take to the point of arrest.
So it seems that whassisface with the eyering, posting on facebook as “The Pakeha Party”, has revealed himself a bit more today.
He’s been posting some pretty horrible shit, and deleting some of it pretty quickly too. Stuff about how there are “too many dirty blacks” and how “maoris don’t have jobs”.
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
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April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
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Humbug Corner
No. 15: JOHN KEY
“Labour are finding themselves in the wrong place. They know this is an issue of national security…”
—Vacuous NZ prime minister John Key, defending Steven Joyce’s GCSB bill, TV3 Firstline, Tuesday 9 July 2013
Humbug Corner is dedicated to gathering, and highlighting, the most striking examples of faux solicitude, insincere apologies, and particularly stupid recycling of official canards. It is produced by the Insincerity Project®, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
More humbugs….
No. 14 Charles Saatchi: “I abhor violence of any kind against women…”
No. 13 Toyota NZ: “The more Kiwis that lean, the more motivated our ETNZ crew will be to win.”
No. 12 Pem Bird: “We’re there to do the business of advancing our people.”
No.11 Whenua Patuwai: “They’re my brothers and to see one of them goes [sic]—it’s tough.”
No. 10 [REMOVED]
No. 9 [REMOVED]
No. 8 Barack Obama: “…people standing up for what’s right…yearning for justice and dignity…” No. 7 Barack Obama: “Nelson Mandela is my personal hero…”
No. 6 John Key: “Yeah well the Greens’ answer to everything is rail, isn’t it.”
No.5 Dr. Rodney Syme: “If you want good, open, honest practice, you have to make it transparent.”
No. 4 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton’s… integrity beyond reproach…such great character…”
No. 3 Dean Lonergan: “Y’ know what? The only people who will mock them are people who are dwarfists.”
No. 2 Peter Dunne: “What a load of drivel and sanctimonious humbug…”
No. 1 Dominic Bowden: “It’s okay to be speechless.”
Key on firstline this morning Oh I’ver had shhhome lemshhips and a few shhippss of shhomething else.
He sounded pissed to the eyeballs!! at 7.45 AM for shame
Apology to Sir Owen Glenn
Wednesday 10 July 2013
It appears that I was wrong to place Sir Owen Glenn on the Humbug Corner list. Having watched him last night on TV3’s Campbell Live explain the circumstances of that Honolulu incident, I am convinced he did not do the things that he has been accused of.
I apologize to Sir Owen and herewith remove his entry from Humbug Corner, which belongs to real, nasty, proven humbugs, such as John Key, Mike Bush and Barack Obama.
Yes, hence my comment yesterday. I think a lot of your humbug corner recipients are just on your judgement, for example Obama saying Madela is his personal hero – you’re effectively saying that Obama is lying. It’s entirely possible that he is his personal hero; just because he does things that maybe Mandela wouldn’t approve of, doesn’t mean that Obama is lying or being insincere.
Plenty of other wealthy and powerful humbugs to replace Owen Glenn… Mark Hotchin, John Banks, Bob Jones, Peter Jackson
As a matter of fact, ropata, three of the four you mention are in line for an appearance in the series . Hotchin I have not really kept up with.
Owen Glenn has provided plenty of other humbuggery to be worthy of inclusion, from his attempt to bribe the electorate into voting National to his obsession with having things named after him.
Is there any fresh news on the Labour leadership situation ?
Here is the state of the Labour (and Labor) Party leadership around the world…
New Zealand: hopeless.
Australia: about as warm and cuddly as a Tibetan royal family reunion.
Great Britain: “Led” by a teenage boy, respected by no one.
Israel: ineffective as always.
Fiji: in turmoil.
I admire your endurance in the face of widespread cynicism, but polls I have seen online have been favouring Rudd slightly. The date of polling has not yet been announced and momentum is running towards the ALP, which Crosby & Textor will be trying to disrupt. Everyone is globally connected these days, so anything can happen.
In NZ, Shearer’s leadership campaign looked like a soft coup – but anyone in that job would have faced an uphill battle against Key’s popularity. These days he seems a tarnished figure, but Shearer – a product of teaching, as a Labour researcher and then the UN, does not seem to have the smarts or the motivation to do exploit it.
Rudd faced a similar coup, and the question has to be asked if there is anyone with the motivation and ability to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future for this country.
Sadly not Raa. Check it out here:
http://thestandard.org.nz/the-coup-that-wasnt/
Duncan Garner has tweeted:
Good source. Coup on in Labour. Letter of no confidence being circulated. It’s over for Shearer. Watch for his resignation.
So what is it ?
Who leaked this to Garner?
Is it real ?
If not what is the purpose of doing this ?
If it is real – who is the leader being suggested?
Thoughts on a postcard please ….
Any way – its just another train wreck side show for labour.
Behind the eight ball aren’t you James? Shearer has gone. Cunliffe is leader. You heard it here first.
Troll !
We continue to watch Labour Caucus play their silly and immature little political games. Meanwhile Nats gifted another 3 years in 2014.
This seems to be the ABC’ers realising that their man Shearer is not up to it, pre empting a backlash, that’s my guess.
Looks like Gower was Garner’s source. Garner was pimping a Gower on Nightline exclusive that didn’t happen.
So Gower’s source lied to him, apprently telling him he’d be given a copy of the letter. Zip.
Ball’s pretty much in Gower’s court now as to what he wants to do about that to hold on to his credibility.
David Shearer = The Julia Gillard of NZLP
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-race-neck-and-neck-as-kevin-rudd-streaks-away-from-tony-abbott/story-fn59niix-1226676231604
Nothing’s going to happen. The vampire zombie old guard are thwarting the possibility of a better NZ as they hold the tiller steady while we go over the waterfall. We’re going about things the right way if we want to guarantee a National win next year folks.
To all you Shearer/Robertson supporters out there: Thanks for condemning us all to another shitty 3 years.
“Thanks for condemning us all to another shitty 3 years”
You have to remember that the largest %age of voters (according to polls) think that NZ is heading in the right direction.
And the bright side is when they get in again I think that they will bring in harder policies that will really have a huge impact (in a good way) on NZ.
And the bright side is when they get in again I think that they will bring in harder policies that will really have a huge impact (in a good way) on NZ.
Presume you mean National?
If so, fuck off you puerile little worm.
witty comeback. cant argue a point huh? sad.
Voters know nothing, and the vast majority would be ineligible to vote, based on any degree of cogent understanding!
Hey, Muz, are your fascist leanings a consequence of your personal research project or the motivation for it?
They are just my observations, Voice, that’s all!
You’re right to use the *F-Bomb*, but it’s not me you should be setting the sites on!
Reasonably certain you’re aware of that however, but simply couldn’t resist the urge to take a shot 😉
No-one who disagrees with you should have the right to vote. That seems fair.
Interested to know which of the regulars here you consider to be vote-worthy, Muz. A very short list?
Vote worthy, most of them!
My comment was aimed wider than this site, out into the *real world*, if you like.
Voting, requires little to no intelligence, or understanding of the micro/macro impact of this temporal world, anyone eligible, and registered can vote.
Playing a positive role, in what people believe is democratic process, requires active involvement, it requires cognizant awareness, and removal of one’s own self from the decision tree, and instead, making choices for involvement, based on human traits, of kindness, generosity, caring, but being active, and if necessary, disobedient!
In order to remove, thy self from the decision, one must be suitably evolved, aware and able to examine/disseminate complex situations, using simple, innate capabilities.
🙄
What I didn’t mention (as it should be self evident), is that the *simple, innate capabilities*, have become buried, under what most types believe to be, intelligence/knowledge, and exhibits itself as arrogance/egotistical behaviors, many examples of which can be found on this site.
Your capabilities have not been buried by knowledge or intelligence, yet your arrogance and egotistical belief in your superiority knows no bounds.
Or were you trying to say that with knowledge comes humility? I tend to agree.
Standing “O”, for you, McFlock!
Slow hand clap, Standing O, but a Standing O, none the less!
that’s the shit
“in a good way” – oh please do explain what you think these might be and just how they will benefit all NZ
i suspect it will all boil down to “well im going to do all right out of it – i think”
you do know how quickly he managed to lose that support last time?
Gillard had a similar bounce when she took the reins. It was transitory.
You’re scab Labour
Ah, so should I take that to mean “oh, but Rudd was exceptionally high in the polls before he was deposed, and Gillard made no ground whatsoever in the immediately subsequent roymorgan polls”? Because that is what one might regard as “counter-argument based on evidence”.
It would be incorrect, but at least an attempt at not being a dickhead just because someone disagrees with your own personal polly-crush.
What the fuck are you on? You’re away in your own wee world aren’t ya? That’s why you can sit back happily twiddling your thumbs and cheering for the McFluckwits like Shearer and feel really good about yourself when the left loses next year.
Until you get it into your skull that Shearer et al are disliked by the voters, have no skills and are condemning the country to another 3 years of right wing control, then you are part of the problem, McFlock.
You must be personally connected to the old guard lot because otherwise I can’t see how any sane person would still be honestly supporting them and believing they will lead the Left to a win.
I think Shearer just needs a bit more time to find himself.
Rolling him would be a terrible mistake.
See McFlock, youre in great company, with the turds of the world like BM here. You wont get any clearer sign that you should abandon your sinking Shearer ship.
Apart from the fact that if the tories really did want shearer in charge of labour, they’d be speaking in favour of cunliffe, robertson and little because they know lefties would mistrust them.
BUT then knowing that, they’d argue in favour of shearer as reverse-reverse psychology.
BUT maybe they don’t partiucularly give a shit either way, and just like watching labour chicken-littles running around with a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
Fortunately, I’ve spent the last five years developing an immunity to iocaine powder…
If I understand your position correctly, it consists of four main points:
1: Shearer is going nowhere in the polls
2: Gillard went nowhere in the polls
3: Rudd has made enormous ground in the polls since rolling Gillard
4: therefore, if shearer is rolled the new leader will make enormous ground in the polls
1 is plain wrong.
2 uses too crude a measure – Gillard gained ground significantly immediately after gaining the leadership, and lost it again.
3 assumes that rudd will not lose the ground he gained from the leadership change just as gillard did, and just as he did before being rolled by gillard.
So 4 is wishful thinking, and certainly doesn’t warrant you being so worked up about it all.
One thing I’m pretty sure about is that the voters aren’t particularly enamoured with “if you’re not with us then you’re against us” zealots.
Twiddle those thumbs mcflyock
ahhh.
You think the world is the way you think it is, and you’ll be damned if you’ll let facts get in the way.
A close look at the graph you linked to on the Roy Morgan site seems to show that even Rudd’s ‘dip’ in 2010 still left him generally ahead of or, at worst, even with, the N-LP. Gillard’s immediate pre-election ‘bounce’ (though it could have been static given margin of errors) did not get back to where Rudd had been in April that year (a matter of a month or two before being rolled) prior to his ‘dip’.
By contrast, Gillard in this term had not only been consistently polling well south of the N-LP but also well south of Rudd’s pre-2010 election ‘dip’. Gillard spent most of her term well behind in the polls. Rudd had not spent any time well behind the N-LP in the polls prior to being rolled.
I don’t hold a flag for either Gillard or Rudd (I see them as disappointingly similar in their politics) but purely from the ‘who’s most likely to win an election’ viewpoint, the evidence you linked to suggests to me that Rudd is a far better bet in relation to the Australian electorate (for good or bad reasons).
Of course, none of that has anything to do with the New Zealand situation (different electoral system for one thing). I would, however, be very interested to see how the polls would react to a change of leader in the parliamentary wing of the New Zealand Labour Party. I can’t see that they would take a major dip (the 30-ish percent seems fairly ‘solid’ in polling terms irrespective of leader or events – and they are clearly immune to Key’s ‘charms’ which, if anything, are tarnishing) and it would get people looking at Labour again with, perhaps, some mild curiosity as to whether, this time, they will renew and reinvigorate themselves.
In some ways, changing leader would be a ‘no-risk’ option for Labour, I would have thought. Shearer has clearly not brought with him a chunk of extra support (e.g., over Goff’s pre-2011 election polling) as was presumably expected given the back story, ‘fresh face and no direct personal connection with the previous Labour government, etc..
The slight improving trend for Labour in the last 18 months of Roy Morgan polls looks, to me, more like regression to the mean (of the ‘natural’ level of Labour support post/late-Helen Clark) rather than a turning point in fortunes. That is, once the population went off Helen Clark, to a certain degree, they’ve stayed right there. The 2011 election was just a brief and temporary ‘dip’ in that overall static situation (‘show me the money’ and Winston’s resurgence over the teapot tapes pretty much explain it).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_LAC
Military and science, protecting you, naturally!
If Cuniliffe had got the job instead of Shearer ( I favoured DC ) does anyone honestly think that Cuniliffe would not have faced exactly the same Nat and it’s arselicker germs campaign smears and innuendo that Shearer has.
Sick of this bullshit, tell TV3 board and recievers that you will not watch TV3 while they continue to employ this incompetent liar Gower.
Exactly right. David Shearer has been unjustly crucified.
He deserves the leadership. No ifs or buts.
Just stop watching TV. Doing so generally means that you become better informed/educated and better entertained.
No need to stop watching television. Just make sure you don’t get your information solely from TV.
@Adrian
Maybe he would have. BUT it’s more of how he would have handled them. Way different methinks.
karol
I think you might be interested in this great woman being interviewed on Radionz now. She is a NZ historian in the UK and is giving a lecture at Otago on Thursday.
10-11am: Professor Joanna Bourke – historian and “socialist feminist”, who has written about gender history, working-class culture, war and masculinity, the cultural history of fear and the history of rape.
She has wide interests taking in working class culture and is now working on sexual violence history. Sounds really thoughtful. She says she takes an anthropological approach to history.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Thanks, Rosetined. Yes, you are right, it is something that interests me. I will check out the online audio when it goes up.
Cheers 🙂
I reckon Gerard Hope, the man who pursued Scott Watson for the murder of his daughter and her friend, has grave doubts over whether Watson actually did the dirty deed.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8900144/Hope-to-Watson-Did-you-do-it
As for offering to meet Watson and get an explanation, who does Hope think he is? Watson has absolutely no obligation to Hope, especially in light of his dogged blind pursuit over so many years.
Imo this is another Arthur Allan Thomas case, complete with treachery by the leading investigating coppers such as Rob Pope, being selective and manipulative with evidence.
Where did the ketch ever get to?
“As for offering to meet Watson and get an explanation, who does Hope think he is? ”
The father of one of the kids Watson has been convicted of killing. Had you forgetten that?
And how does the obligation arise there? You need to be more specific.
“And how does the obligation arise there? You need to be more specific.”
How could I possibly be more specific?
And as for your obtuse and ignorant ‘innocent until proven guilty’ comment below, you need to get over yourself. You’re not the judge and jury. Watson has been proven guilty already. And lost every appeal since.
Having said that, I, like Gerald Hope, believe that cases based on circumstancial evidence are always subject to doubt. If Watson didn’t do it, that’s a tragedy for him and a blow to the families. The use of the blinking photo is pretty typical last century cop behaviour designed to secure a conviction and that, and the ID witnesses changing their minds, suggests to me that the case needs looking at again. But that doesn’t mean Watson wasn’t convicted of two counts of murder, because he actually was.
There is no obligation on Watson to have anything to do with Hope. Other than some misplaced wobbling moral compass particular to your person, but that’s yours – don’t impose it on others.
I have no idea what you are saying in your third paragraph. What’s your point?
If you stopped at “I have no idea” then this would have been your most accurate comment ever.
Oh how clever. A diversion to avoid the points.
You haven’t made any points, which is my point.
Of course I have, you are just being all macho
VTO, You are wrong, Gerald has always had misgivings about aspects of the investigation and trial. His only ” pursueing” was to wish that the Police caught whoever did it. An apology is in order.
I suspect it will end up being Watson who needs the apology.
Imo, Watson knows something crucial though is innocent of the crime. And our law states that we have no obligation to investigators or to others. We are innoent until proved guilty. These principles have been established over many centuries by some of the worlds’ great minds – if people have a problem with that then they need to take the principles up with them.
Police answer: There was no ketch. There never was a ketch.
So many experienced yachties and boaties reported on the non-existent ketch. But none interviewed in depth or called as witness.
Policeman Pope: There was no ketch. There never was a ketch.
And from close to one reported sighting of it, a mayday call reportedly was received from a woman on Jan 2 … but don’t know more detail than that.
Yachties have reported the ketch was seen on the east coast, and then scuppered. But we can never know until it is properly investigated.
Yes, it is another Arthur Allen Thomas case with equal treachery and deception. And Collins as Justice Minister ? A continuing travesty for Scott Watson.
Meeting with Gerald Hope might be his last remaining hope of justice. Hope has always said if he felt Watson was innocent, he would fight for his freedom. Too many lives and families destroyed in this case.
From Keith Hunter yesterday .. here’s a fight for Collins:
Governor General – :
9 July 2013
It’s out. Scott Watson’s application to the Governor-General for the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been declined by Minister Collins today. Wholly predictable in view of the Ministry of Justice’s administration of the application, it is the consequence of the most corrupt piece of paper I have ever seen. It suggests that Ms Collins only finds justice where the innocent are found guilty. Hence the Bain review is reviewed while the Watson review is confirmed.
Written by Kristy McDonald QC under instruction from the MoJ’s Chief Legal Officer, Jeff Orr, the report was only made available to Watson’s legal team after they pressured former Minister Simon Power for access to it. Even then, the Ministry did not copy the report to the lawyers until they signed and swore agreements that it would not be copied to anyone else and that Watson and his father could read it but not have copies of it. The report is 150 pages long. Watson would have needed ten or a dozen prison visits by his lawyer just to have time to read it. That’s justice in the eyes of the Ministry of Justice.”
For much more:
http://www.hunterproductions.co.nz/?page=news&article=news-txt#Report01
but you need to scroll down to heading “Governor General” …. this is not going away any time soon !
Collins, or which ever name is listed as Minister of Justice, exists only to protect the state, the machine, that is the job!
That ketch and the non-investigation of it will continue to haunt Policeman Pope until his dying days. Fundamental mistake – letting emotion and personality cloud his actions.
There was a ketch, it had been moored at Punga Cove in the evening and then moved to Furneaux and dropped anchor behind a witness’s boat at about 12.15am. The police used only a composite photo of the various craft at Furneaux taken around 9pm. If the boat wasn’t in the photo they didn’t want to know. The young witness who held onto the ketch to steady the inflatable worked a few days for me and he showed me how high he had to stand and reach up to grab the gunwale, he also described the round brass porthole in the hull that he was next to. Scott Watsons boat didn’t have much more freeboard than the inflatable and no portholes.
An Auckland friend with over 40 years of yachting experience reported a ketch fitting the description and particulaly the stern design, quite rare and of NE US type design. He was very specific about time colour and place but did not even get a call back from the Police.
Coincidentally, a ketch fitting the description was prevented from sailing out of Gisborne ( I think) some months later, and the crew changed to a smaller Cat 1 eligible boat and were subsequently arrested outside Sydney harbour with tonnes of dope etc on board. It had met up with a Columbian registerd freighter north of NZ.
You sound very knowledgeable on it Adrian. Do you know what the police response to questions about the ketch have been? Why did they not investigate it further? Surely they have a complete and credible answer to this question and not just some flippant derisory non-answer.
I don’t think there are many people who have followed this case that don’t acknowledge the ketch as the yawning great missing link in this ……….
VTO — he says it here : “The police used only a composite photo of the various craft at Furneaux taken around 9pm. If the boat wasn’t in the photo they didn’t want to know.”
They looked no further, ever.
Well doesn’t the entire case fall apart as it tumbles into that glaring great cavernous hole?
Ffs, do the police have no comment on the ketch? At all? None nada zip?
Why didn’t the police want to know about any boats that turned up after 9pm?
Why are the police ignoring the 3-plus hours after 9pm?
What is the police motivation for dong this? personal Pope antagonism towards Watson?
Yes it does and welcome to a fraction of the truth VTO .. read the link to Keith Hunter’s website I posted above .. if a retrial was held today, there is no evidence available to convict Scott Watson. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE. ( sorry for shouting, but it needs it.)
It’s Arthur Thomas’ problem in reverse … for him they had to plant a cartridge to make their case work. For Scott Watson, they had to make a whole 40ft ketch disappear by whatever means they could.
Scott Watson is innocent, and someone else out there is not. And Policeman Pope let him get away simply and easily by denying the ketch ever existed.
And Collins just colluded in ensuring this bid for mercy failed. Read Keith Hunter.
Thanks Adrian. Hope Keith Hunter has all this info — there is so much information the police simply ignored.
Your Auckland friend who reported a ketch — do you know where his sighting was ? Thx.
VTO and Yeshe. only as knowledgeable as anyone who read the local paper , that did a very good job of coverage by the way.
My friend saw the boat about 6days later on a Sunday evening sailing up the Waitemata harbour, which if ( big if ) it was the same ketch seen off theTaranaki coast, incidentaly by a cop out fishing roughly 2 days after the disappearance,and that would tie-in with sailing times. That cop said he thought the boat suspicious as he waved at it, the people on board looked at him and didn’t wave back, very unusual at sea.
It’s a small area so people know people who know people, a local retired cop told me that they always go for the last person that saw the missing alive, that was the inflatable driver, and when that dosen’t work the next person is the local ratbag and Bingo, Scott Watson filled the bill. He also said that the investigation was incompetent and a shambles as it was just after New Years and all the cops bought into the area were pissed off about being bought back from their holidays.
Gerald Hope was right to criticise as he had first hand experience of how slack the cops were in the first weeks, They thought that Olivia and Ben had just buggered off on a tiki-tour, but parents always know better.
A lesson for anyone who has anyone go missing, the cops aren’t interested until they have evidence of foul play. You’ve basically got to drop the dead bleeding body off on their bloody doorstep.
thx adrian.
I actually think Gerald Hope feels a bit of guilty.
It was his rushing to the media and his public on going criticisms about why the police were taking so long to find the killers that probably led to the police stitching up the wrong man and the real killer/killers going free.
Yep I think he does too for those similar type reasons.
No, it just takes longer to manufacture evidence than find it.
Simon Prast on The Daily Blog on life imitating art (“Anne Boleyn” in fact.). Excellent stuff.
Indeed! Also one of the best descriptions of JK yet,
Anyone else have any opinions on the mean-spiritedness of WINZ regarding cutting pensions where a partner has been a contributor to an overseas (often private) super scheme?
It’s generated a heap of controversy (Nine to Noon).
I’m with the recipients (having an American bro-in-law who already has his NZ super adjusted downwards). Now my sister faces having hers effectively taxed (or tithed) to the State.
Having said all that, I do wonder how many of such recipients are amongst the bennie-bashing ilk.
I’m one of the people now getting a UK state pension. Like the US one, it’s based on the amount I paid into the scheme when I worked there. I also get a UK Teacher’s pension, which is based on what was taken out of my pay and put into the scheme when I worked in the UK.
So, actually, both UK pensions (state & occupation) have the same basis – but a different basis from the NZ scheme.
However, I am told that when I qualify for an NZ state pension, the UK state pension will be deducted from my NZ entitlement, while the occupation pension will not be taken into account. There does seem to be an inconsistency.
I can see why people are complaining, though, for myself, I reckon under the current rules I will still get enough to support my frugal lifestyle – unless cost of living escalates a huge amount, but then we will all be f**ked.
The way it impacts on married couples looks pretty problematic.
I hope I never get into bennie bashing.
“I hope I never get into bennie bashing”
Fear not! I KNOW you won’t. Well – unless of course we’re talking about corporate bennie bashing – in which case, please LET RIP
On Radionz this a.m. was a scathing interview about the position of overseas superannuation recipients living in NZ. Their treatment by the NZ taxation authorities has been disappointing to say the least. All emailers also agree that there is a very twisted and unfair scheme. Who has been in charge of super recently? Ms Poorer Benefit?
And on noon news –
Elective patients waiting for quite a while have been cut from thousands last year to 12 today. And how has this drop been achieved? Perhaps by forcing them off the lists after a wait beyond the target time allowed. If so that represents another bad mark against the target system. In the USA you may be sent home after a set number of days whether well and fit or not. We are probably following similar because we don’t have the will to develop and follow our own systems.
See above Rose – the more I think about it, the worse it is on so many levels.
I just thought of another reason. Why would anyone with those skills the Nats are telling us we’re so short of, want to come to NZ knowing that their spouses (and they) are going to be severely affected.
In my bro-in-law’s case – he’s lived here more about half his life and is a NZ citizen. His wife, being an independent sort of person, is now going to be ‘truncated’ on her retirement.
Yes – it sounds like a Pulla Bent sort of oidear.
Tim
Yes unfortunately it underlines my belief that NZ government has no vision and no common sense (despite all Peter Dunne’s efforts!) and tries to do everything on the cheap that is needed, but they are prepared to treat their favourite projects lavishly. In the end we don’t get good, sound results and returns from anything we do. And there is sure to be something that goes against that trend, but it’s in the tiny minority group.
And I’ve heard on the radio, nz people who have come back with good skills and experience and the greeting was less than welcoming. I think many of the managers here are afraid that these “smart arses” from overseas are going to show them up.
Radionz 12.15 pm Interesting research that could turn Auckland’s sprawl to good energy use. So many roofs with unshaded sun aspects could make it viable to put solar panels up and run all electrical appliances with leftover for electric car battery topup.
FYI
10 July 2013
Councillor Des Morrison,
Please be advised that I will be attending the Auckland Council Regulatory and Bylaws Committee meeting on Wednesday 10 July 2013, at 1.30pm, Auckland Town Hall, and I shall be raising my concerns about the on the ‘Public Safety and Nuisance’ Bylaw, and related matters in Public Forum, for 5 minutes.
I have followed ‘lawful due process’ in my application for ‘speaking rights’, which I believe you are (unlawfully) denying.
I am quite prepared to test this in Court, if you want to try and have me arrested for taking the ‘speaking rights’ which in my considered opinion, you are unlawfully denying me.
If you wish to contact Auckland Central Police to have me (unlawfully) removed – here is their phone number: (09) 302 6400
You could directly contact Auckland Area Commander, Inspector Andrew Coster, if you wish.
(I have already copied him into my previous email correspondence on this matter).
Respectfully, I do recommend that you discuss with other the Mayor and other Councillors, my proven track record in Court, on matters pertaining to Local Government and the democratic/ human rights of citizens, because to date, it arguably
shows that I have a better grasp of the LAW in these matters, than those upon whom Auckland Council appear to be relying for legal counsel?
Please note the latest (UNLAWFUL) violation of the rights of your fellow elected representatives, as reported in today’s NZ Herald, by Bernard Orsman, by unelected senior Auckland Council Officers, (namely, CEO Doug McKay, General Counsel Wendy Brandon, and Chief Planning Officer, Dr Roger Blakeley – who appear to be running Auckland Council as if it were their own private company?)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10896123
Request to see legal response on new rulebook denied.
Auckland Council’s senior management are refusing to give councillor Sandra Coney access to a legal review of the new planning rulebook for the city.
Ms Coney considers it essential to have access to the review to make good decisions on the rulebook – or Unitary Plan – that sets out more intensified housing to squeeze another one million residents into the city.
The council has undertaken a legal review of the plan, which chief planning officer Dr Roger Blakeley told Ms Coney was very specific and to help staff ensure it was legally correct for formal notification.
She disagreed. “You seem to think you can judge what is necessary for me to govern. This is fundamentally wrong. The legislation charged elected people with the responsibilities and accountability to govern well, not the management,” Ms Coney wrote in an email to Dr Blakeley.
Following a series of emails on the issue, chief executive Doug McKay said last Thursday he, Dr Blakeley and general counsel Wendy Brandon had disagreed with each of Ms Coney’s requests.
He said there was a difference between management and governance “and we have a duty to ensure advice we give is legally and technically accurate”. …..”
_________________________________________________________________________
What a DISGRACE!
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
Kind of freaky sitting at Robert Louis Stevenson’s house and waiting for the rain shower to stop – reading a blog via a cellphone on my tablet…
Kind of different..
Enjoy Samoa. It is a wonderful place although its internet feeds are trying …
OK since I got a digitel sim card
I’ve been there – I was confused by the fact he felt he needed a fire place.
Cooking?
Yeah, asked about it. The only fireplace in samoa apparently and seldom if ever used. The weight of opinion Is that he was a Scot, and it would make his family feel more comfortable.:-)
Fucks sake, Im sure they’d find suitable people to do the job for a quarter of a price:
$2000-a-day fee a ‘significant discount’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8898640/2000-a-day-fee-a-significant-discount
A lot of corruption and money grabbing going on right now in Christchurch, it seems. Why is no one discussing this?
Yep. The fees that these aresholes charge and pay themselves is a disgrace. They aren’t as unique as they like to think themselves. There are, quite literally ATM, thousands of people unemployed who could do the job just as well as they could and be willing to do it for far less.
The problem seems to be that the administrators over value themselves and so are both willing to overcharge for their services when being hired and willing to pay those overcharges when doing the hiring.
EDIT:
For that $2000 per day Chch could easily solve the problem by the simple expedient of hiring 5 people to actually do the work.
“Martin had taken a leading role in several public sector reviews previously, including evaluations of Environment Canterbury and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.”
Q: What numerical value would you speculate on as a ceiling, for hourly/daily rates in Auckland?
A:$_____
Probably up around the 5/600ph mark, at a guess, long term contracts, 12-24 months + would not uncommon!
The bill from the ATA has been closed, and there are hundreds of millions in hidden costs, which the public are unlikely to hear about!
Move along!
Minority Rules: Scientists Discover Tipping Point for the Spread of Ideas
We only need to inform 10% of the population about how banking actually works to get some change.
No, you need 10% to hold those views as unshakable belief (apparently).
crosby textor depends upon it …
I suspect that there won;t be much difference as far as the monetary system goes. Once 10%+ know how the banks rip us off everyone will be demanding change.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/chris-trotter/8893796/Why-fewer-women-become-politicians
Like him or not hes makes for interesting reading
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/8901003/Sexist-putdowns-far-too-common
Ha!
And today in the General Debate, Grant Robertson did a number on John Key’s “ManDates” – with John Banks; with Ian Fletcher…. etc.
And Metiria Turei on women’s affairs minister (Goodhew), who said women should be selected on Merit – then Turei asks if only there are only 25% Nat MPs who are competent to be MPs? etc… and onto Nat’s male dominated elite.
“I’m never sure how men manage to make stuff that’s not about them (affirmative action) all about them (“Man Ban”) but, gosh darn it, aren’t they good at it. I doubt the quota idea will fly, but it was worth a chat, if only so we can all remind ourselves what sexism is.”
That’s now my favourite summary of the whole thing.
Well, Robertson was certainly on fire in his General Debate speech today – launching into a major attack on John key over Kim Dotcom. Seemed inspired.
Well its hard to fathom how Key did not know of such a large contributor to the National parties candidate in the first Auckland election, how DotCom realized he could help out immediately shows political knowledge that must have been sort and given. And knowing he lived in the PM’s electorate… …its staggering Key didn’t know.
The video of Robertson: http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/19871
Well worth a look! More please, Labour.
The Money Revolution
[My Bold]
One might, indeed, ask why the governments of the world are making things worse off for the many while making the rich richer.
Hooting with laughter at the plight of Edward Snowden
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Wednesday 10 July 2013
Jim Mora, Elly Jones, Simon Pound
If Stalinist Russia had vacuous radio talkshows, this is what they would have sounded like. For “Edward Snowden”, insert the name “Nikolai Bukharin”….
JIM MORA: That’s a sharp-looking houndstooth jacket you’re wearing.
SIMON POUND: Thank you!
MORA: Simon Pound, always sartorially elegant! And now it’s time for Noelle McCarthy with what the woooooooorld’s talking about! And where is Edward Snowden?
NOELLE McCARTHY: Y-y-y-y-yeeeeeessss, …. [snort] ….he he he! He’s still in hiding. He he he!
JIM MORA: He’s still in the terminal isn’t he?
NOELLE McCARTHY: He he he he he! Yes he is still in that terminal! …[snort]…
SIMON POUND: Ha ha ha ha ha!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ELLY JONES: Well, Tom Hanks hid in an airport for YEARS in that movie, so why can’t Edward Snowden?
SIMON POUND: Maybe he’s wearing a moustache!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ELLY JONES: Ha ha ha ha ha!
SIMON POUND: And a cowboy hat! Just like Bin Laden did!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha!
NOELLE McCARTHY: He he he he he he! ….[snort]….
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! So where is he going to, Edward Snowden? Ha ha ha ha ha!
NOELLE McCARTHY: He’s got a choice! Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador!
SIMON POUND: [with deepest sarcasm] Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador! All jurisdictions FAMED for their dedication to the protection of whistle-blowers!
MORA: [whimsical] Hmmmmm…. I wonder which would be the best of those three places to be a fugitive in.
NOELLE McCARTHY: Bolivia would be hard with the altitude.
MORA: They’re all warm, sunny places.
ELLY JONES: I actually feel sorry for the guy.
MORA: Oh really?
ELLY JONES It’s like the X-Factor. He keeps getting voted off!
SIMON POUND: Haw haw haw haw!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s true, I suppose.
…..ad infinitum, ad nauseam….
Stop listening to National Radio. Once morning report is over the rest of the day is a complete waste of spectrum space.
No, Mary Wilson is brilliant at 5pm
I found life to much more pleasant once I started ignoring Mora in the afternoons, its just the pre-spin cycle of the MSM, on the fact-tory line, to produce right wing propaganda.
Morrissey, I half hope you didn’t watch Campbell TV3 tonight. Why ? Well my health has been adversely affected by what I saw. As one with far sharper antennae than mine, I expect a major adverse impact on yours.
In pure selfishness however, I really want to hear your take. I’m prepared to hold(er) on until you pick yourself up off your 100% New Zealand Wool carpet and fly staunchly at your keyboard.
Who the fuck could believe ShonKey Python when repeatedly he told Parliament that he knew nothing about Sir Kiwi Kim Dotcom until 18 or 19 January 2012 ?????????????????????????????????
I’m starting to suspect that the Big O is a bit of a demon akshelly. And anticipate that ShonKey Python might just be the weak link. Imagine. Never being invited to the White House again. Blackballed from all the finest gentlemens’ clubs in Washington/London/Parnell/Omaha. Oh Fuck ! What pain !
Smartarse schoolboyish vanity, pride and lies cometh before a fall, what ?
FYI
I was (unlawfully) denied ‘speaking rights’ by Auckland Councillor Des Morrison, Chair of the Regulatory and By Laws Committee – so – I stood up on my hind legs (as it were) and TOOK ‘speaking rights’.
In my considered opinion, it was an extremely foolish move by Auckland Councillor Des Morrison, who claimed he was ‘a stickler for process’.
I’m a stickler for LAWFUL due process.
Auckland Council Standing Orders are based upon underpinning legislation. particularly – The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0174/latest/DLM122283.html
4 Purposes
The purposes of this Act are—
(a) to provide for the availability to the public of official information held by local authorities, and to promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings of local authorities, in order—
(i) to enable more effective participation by the public in the actions and decisions of local authorities; and
(ii) to promote the accountability of local authority members and officials,—
and thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote good local government in New Zealand:
(b) to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:
(c) to protect official information and the deliberations of local authorities to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.
____________________________________________________________
Auckland Council Standing Orders cannot be ‘ultra vires’ this underpinning legislation.
(ultra vires – beyond the legal power or authority of a person or official or body etc; “an ultra vires contract”
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ultra+vires )
Given the proven track record of arguably incompetent legal advice that Auckland Council has been receiving via their General Counsel, Wendy Brandon, on matters pertaining to Local Government and the human/democratic rights of citizens enshrined in the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Human Rights Amendment Act 1993 – in my considered opinion, it would have been sensible for the Regulatory and ByLaws Committee, to listen to what I had to say, for a mere 5 minutes.
As one of the two successful Appellants in the Occupy Auckland vs Auckland Council Appeal, which raised a number of similar legal matters, I have some proven expertise in this area, and was prepared to give my ‘considered opinion’ free of charge. (Situation normal).
Given that Auckland Council has already wasted at least over $200,000 in unnecessary legal expenses pertaining to the (unlawful) eviction of peaceful Occupy Auckland protestors from Aotea Square, by means of an injunction (which was quashed by the ruling of High Court Judge Ellis), surely it would have been simple commonsense to help prevent further potential wastage of Auckland Council public monies, based upon possible incorrect and incompetent legal advice?
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/?p=130
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/?p=113
Former Auckland City Councillors have learned that my word is not to be taken lightly, when it comes to defending my lawful rights as a citizen to participatory democracy.
If I am (unlawfully) denied speaking rights, after having applied in a proper way, I will defend these democratic rights, by taking them.
As always, I take full personal responsibility for my actions, which I was and am prepared to take to the point of arrest.
‘Faint heart never won fair go’!
Bugger the ‘Beggar By Law’! (As it were 🙂
‘Her Warship’
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption /anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
Well done Penny, keep at it!
Micky, nice write up of your move to ts and how you see the place, where it fits in the scheme of things 🙂
http://waitakerenews.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/im-off-to-standard.html
Why thank you Weka!
So it seems that whassisface with the eyering, posting on facebook as “The Pakeha Party”, has revealed himself a bit more today.
He’s been posting some pretty horrible shit, and deleting some of it pretty quickly too. Stuff about how there are “too many dirty blacks” and how “maoris don’t have jobs”.
wtf, infused?
Where did you get that from felix?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151543212492399&set=a.493641667398.272328.661762398&type=1
also: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151492422097041&set=a.99722727040.96279.607857040&type=1&theater
Ta.
First page is down now 🙁
The trolling opportunities are _endless_
Stuff about how there are “too many dirty blacks” and how “maoris don’t have jobs”.
Sir Paul Holmes?