“In the Syria debate, President Obama’s toughest opponent is State Senator Barack Obama. In 2002, when he was an Illinois legislator, he made a speech against the Iraq War. Military action did not make sense, he said, because Saddam Hussein posed “no imminent and direct threat to the United States or to his neighbors,” and President Bush was acting “without a clear rationale and without strong international support.”
Not only does the speech supply opponents of a Syria attack with quotable lines, it also serves as a reminder that a vote for military action in Syria carries huge political risk while a vote against it can become a political asset.
This is why Mr. Obama cannot rely on political spin (and his campaign heavyweights) to make his case for strikes in Syria to Congress and the American people. Instead, he must make a strong strategic and moral argument that military action in Syria best serves America’s long-term interests and security.”
Listening to RadioNZ, Russia is proposing that Syria’s chemical weapons stocks be handed over into the control of the ‘International community’, presumably the UN,
Syria seems to be in agreement with the Russian proposal…
i have not seen anywhere that Syria denies it has chemical weapons, Syria’s foreign Minister was quoted on RadioNZ this morning as agreeing to the Russian plan to have all such weapons put under the control of the ‘International community’ to be destroyed,
You said it would be hard for Assad to start the process of moving their weapons under control of the international community, because they do not have any weapons.
But they do have weapons. Therefore it contradicts your statement saying they couldn’t do it because they don’t have any.
No they did not buy chemical weapons from Britain. I think people are getting confused in that what it purchased from UK was Sodium Flurosillicate (I think that is correct spelling) and yes it can be used to create Sarin Gas but that doesn’t prove they did, though I agree it is quite likely. I thought the Geneva Convention outlawed the use of Chemical weapons so why on earth would you make them?
I will try and find where I read that they denied the making of chemical weapons.
Actually you mean the Geneva Protocols (1925) of the Hague Convention (1899 & 1907). The protocol says nothing about the production, stockpiling, storage or transfer – Syria signed the Protocol in 1968 with a reservation with regard to diplomatic recognition of Israel.
The US also has a reservation to the protocol:
“The protocol shall cease to binding on the government of the United States with respect to the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials, or devices, in regard to any enemy State if such State or any of its allies fails to respect the prohibitions laid down in the Protocol”.
Jordon has a reservation that the Protocol is not binding with respect to Israel.
New Zealand used to have 2 Reservations which were withdrawn in 1989 (these were held in common with countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia & others – Ireland led the way withdrawing these reservations in 1971 & Australia in 1986) that the Protocol is Binding only with regards to states which have ratified or acceded to the protocol & ceases to be binding in regards to any state, and its allies, which does not observe the prohibitions of the protocol.
There is a generally held belief that the Protocol now also applies to internal (ie. Civil) Wars but that is challenged by some & probably would have to be challenged in the International Courts.
Syria has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993) – neither has North Korea, Egypt, South Sudan, & Angola. Israel & Myanmar (Burma) have signed but not ratified. US & Russia (among others) still have stockpiles which were meant to be destroyed by April 2012, a deadline not met – US is 90% destroyed (intends to complete by 2023), Russia is 57% (pledges 100% by 2015-2016). Libya has started destruction and has destroyed 54.46% of its stockpile, Iraq has yet to start destruction. Japan and China have started in October 2010 the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China.
13 countries declared Chemical Weapons production facilities when signing the Convention: Bosnia and Herzegovina; China; France; India; Iran; Iraq; Japan; Libya; Russia; Serbia; United Kingdom & United States. One other non-declared State has facilities (thought to be South Korea). All 70 facilities declared in the above are now deactivated (from mid 2012) & about 90% are now destroyed.
True, we all must pretty much agree that this all looks like part of the US/Israeli/Saudi plan to smash all those States in the mid-East that are not 100% in the pocket of the American administration be that Tweedle-dee or Tweedle-dum,
Obviously not, but no one cared at the time because he was fighting the Iranians. He gave up his chemical weapons after the 1st gulf war. But you knew that didn’t you arsehole?
Are you labouring under the impression I think saddam was a nice guy? Nope, he was a prick when he gassed the Kurds and the US hushed it up because he was being useful, and he was a prick when he crushed the uprisings the US encouraged.
None of which means he had CW when the US invaded in 03, which is all VTO was talking about.
Strictly speaking PB that’s not true – Iraq under Saddam may have given up most of their Chemical Weapons but in 2009 the Iraqi Government joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and declared 2 bunkers worth of (mainly degraded) Chemical Munitions and about 5 Chemical Weapons Production Facilities – see here. The Bush propaganda was technically true if grossly misleading.
Meh. I’d say that this was deliberate and strategic posturing on Obama’s part, and impression seemingly supported by John Kerry’s comments. Basically the sabre rattling has given impetus to Syria to hand over their chemical weapons while hinting to Russia a diplomatic solution that will allow Putin to save face. That is some seriously good statecraft.
When you hear Obama saying to the American people ‘we won’t put men on the ground’ This is being said to tell them that he is trying to ensure there will be minimal American deaths. Doing this, however, means that they will be bombing Syria from the air. This maximises deaths of ordinary citizens in Syria. i.e. not only will there be people dying from gas, America is going to extend the deaths and horror. Bombing also destroys infrastructure and the culture.
If America uses uranium depleted weapons, as they have done in Iraq then this will cause the deaths to continue for many decades and disability for more than that as it is doing in Fallujah. (Has America ‘gone after’ the people who conducted this atrocity; themselves?)
Do you KNOW who used the gas or are you only taking American Power Brokers’ words for it? Please recall the Weapons of Mass Destruction that Iraq didn’t have and how this was lied about prior to the Iraq war.
On that [false] basis America went into the Iraq war against UN conventions.
Do you KNOW who the rebels are and what this war is about?
Hint: read around I wouldn’t take the mainstream media’s word for it. (Recall what the mainstream media were saying about WMD prior to the Iraq war; were they showing both sides of the story or just passing on American power-brokers’ propaganda?)
Isn’t there something in the bible about lying and killing being a sin?
Would you support a cause that you knew the people conducting it had already been proven to lie about things in order to wreck another entire country, people and culture?
“..London Surgeons Help ‘Children of Agent Orange’
The Vietnam War ended nearly 40 years ago, but the casualties continue as birth defects plague the country.
There are claims that thousands of children continue to be born with horrific facial deformities due to the 20 million gallons of Agent Orange chemical sprayed by the United States.
The Vietnamese call the disfigured youngsters ‘the children of Agent Orange’.
Da Nang in central Vietnam is thought to have the highest level of congenital deformity in the world..”
Yeah phillip ure………in Ho Chi Minh City particularly one just couldn’t be unconscious of crippled people. Then I realised that legs and arms connected at all sorts of unnatural angles weren’t down to accident or disease. Truly I wept.
Already happening Philip – attack on Maaloula follows similar attacks & kidnappings of clerics in Churches in Aleppo. Also add increased attacks on the Coptic Church in Egypt to Iraq, Libya & Syria.
“Men are apparently expected to wear black tie for dinner, and women’s attire must not be too revealing, the paper says. Stephie Key, 20, will have to wear more than the strategically placed food she draped over herself for a recent series of self-portraits at Paris Design Week.
Valets are on hand to help get the small touches right. The only time casual attire is acceptable is at barbecues, which are reportedly held every Saturday over summer.”
.. thanks for the hint. Much needed in the Antipodes. Carrying a tinnie and wearing thongs would not do. Expect an outbreak of royalist enthusiasm during the coming elections. Will Dame Edna Everage be in attendance ?
No wonder Mr Slippery is darned confident of a good relationship wuth Tony Abbott … look at this nugget .. common denominator TEXTOR !!!!!!!! (How much power does he have and for whom does he really execute it ?)
“In the hours before arriving on stage, Abbott had closeted himself in a suite on the 34th floor of the hotel with the Liberal’s federal director Brian Loughnane, the pollster and strategist Mark Textor, Abbott’s chief of staff and the wife of Loughnane, Peta Credlin, and, for a period, the party’s former leader and prime minister of almost 12 years, John Howard as they counted in the vote.”
The Lib’s campaign like shonkeys in 08 was all slogans and staged events with little or no serious debate, a CT trademark.
Numbers were released 2 days before the vote with as many holes as one of Blinglish’s efforts and the MSM is by and large in behind anyway so only the Crikeys’ etc really dissected it with gusto.
It was all academic really, the Rudd/Gillard show had turned the swingers in the Lib’s favour and Rudd finished it off with a ego-centric campaign.
Key can’t wait to get over there and give TA some pointers he doesn’t need as the script is already finalised coutesy of the minerals council, Rupert, Telstra, Private school lobby groups, a few neo-lib think tanks etc.
The senate is very screwed up (more so than ever now) and is yet another reform area ignored by all so the Lib’s have their work cut out getting any laws passed.
I predict after the initial burst of born again energy fades TA goes back to type and starts bullying and shouting (just like the old uni days) and Turnbull and co start positioning themselves to take the crown.
Textor is a pussycat compared to Labor’s McTiernan (ex Tony Blair). He devised the whole combative campaign for Gillard, Male against Female, Workers against employers etc. look where that got them.
yeshe – Textor advises conservative parties (the nats and the libs) on both sides of the Tasman, as well as the UK. I you ask them nicely, they will probably admit it.
MSM says geo-engineering could cool the planet and a rich guy or corporation could try it with no regulation over the oceans. Seems to me somebody already is!
But conspiring? Our governments owned by corporations? No Sir, Never!
Chris Trotter in the Press this morning says basically exactly that about Tony Abbot’s lot and Rupert Murdoch, who owns two-thirds of Australia’s media. i.e. corruption and conspiracy.
Aust election public sick of public sector workers and phony welfare scroungers sucking life out of economy.Others nations to follow in time”
“On Friday, Abbott said of Murdoch, who became a US citizen in 1985: “I’ve got a lot of time for Rupert Murdoch because whether you like his papers or don’t like his papers he’s one of the most influential Australians of all time.”
“Aussies should support our hometown heroes, that’s what I think in his own way Rupert Murdoch is.””
You mean Abbott who has the same PR advisers as John Key? Here is what Mark Textor has to say about his protege the new Prime minister of Australia Abbott’s victory was a historic victory; but his triumph over voter cynicism was his great personal victory.
He loved Australia so much that Murdoch laid down his citizenship and left Oz in pieces to belong to the USA, his real home if not his natural one as well.
-“A preachment dear friends, you are about to receive on John Barleycorn, nicotine and the temptations of Eve”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g8OOoAY3X8
(no parking by the sewer sign).
Not if you are referring to my comment. I was referring to a comment from vto where they asked “Who owns the papers in NZ” It may have been a rhetorical question but if not I was just pointing out that Fairfax purchased all the Murdoch newspaper assets in NZ of course APN also own papers here but not Murdoch
Chris Field, director of Carnegie’s global ecology department, said there is no agreed-upon institution to oversee such an effort, and no rules to govern it. A wealthy individual or corporation could try something over the ocean with no regulation, he said.
😆 Don’t worry P, That aluminium, barium and strontium they are dumping in the atmosphere is perfectly normal.
For those of you curious to learn about the difference between vapor trails and the chemical trails here are some links to video’s you might want to watch:
1 in 2 Americans Have Doubts About Government Account of 9/11
“On the 12th anniversary of 9/11, a new national survey by the polling firm YouGov reveals that one in two Americans have doubts about the government’s account of 9/11, and after viewing video footage of World Trade Center Building 7’s collapse, 46% suspect that it was caused by a controlled demolition. Building 7, a 47-story skyscraper, collapsed into its own footprint late in the afternoon on 9/11.
The poll was sponsored by ReThink911, a global public awareness campaign launched on September 1. The campaign includes a 54-foot billboard in Times Square and a variety of transit and outdoor advertising in 11 other cities, all posing the question, “Did you know a third tower fell on 9/11?”
Sounds like crap to me. But for the record 46% of Americans believe in Creationism, 8 in ten Americans believe in angels, and nearly 100% of American pre-adolescents believed in Santa Claus. So big whoopity shit.
If 9/11 was an inside job, it would join a long list of false-flag operations that tipped the US into unnecessary war. Nobody seems to remember how and why Vietnam started either… That was over a load of junk too (so to speak).
And with people like the ones you describe Pops…….any fuck’n’ thing is possible.
They’ll buy any shit when that hand creeps up over the heart. Doesn’t even matter if they’re completely wrong as to conspiracy.
Point is the US is a cauldron of craziness with the “American Dream” pretty much rotted…….then packeted up and dumped on the immeasurably weaker, poorer parts of the world, in bully fashion.
Thing is you seem to love that cauldron as something v fine.
Yeah, I don’t understand where you get that nonsense from me not automatically and simplistically frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog whenever someone mentions the US.
Two journalists have arrived on Christmas Island after travelling by sea on an asylum seeker boat.
It is understood American reporter Luke Mogelson and Dutch photojournalist Joel van Houdt were at sea for three days, and are badly sunburnt.
The Immigration Department has confirmed they arrived with valid travel documents and visas.
The journalist and photographer have spoken with federal police and once they had been processed they were free to go.
Someone on the asylum seeker boat called for help on Sunday morning, asking for food and water.
HMAS Armidale found the boat roughly two-and-a-half hours later, gave those on board food and water and escorted them to Christmas Island.
Customs officials say there were 57 passengers and two crew on board.
Van Houdt’s girlfriend, Amie Ferris-Rotman, says the two journalists are based in Kabul, Afghanistan, and were on assignment for The New York Times magazine.
“Born in Marghuz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Fawad began playing cricket for Swabi District in local competitions.[1] Playing as a right-arm leg spinner, he made his first-class debut for Abbottabad in 2005, playing two matches before being dropped from the side.[2] Fawad resumed playing first-class cricket in 2009, playing for Pakistan Customs in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, and later that year also played three further matches for Abbottabad. His best bowling figures, 6/109, were taken for Pakistan Customs against the Karachi Whites, in January 2009.[3]
Fawad left Pakistan in 2010, emigrating to Australia on a short-stay visa sponsored by the Yoogali Cricket Association.[4] Soon after arrival, he applied for refugee status, claiming he was persecuted by religious extremists for playing and coaching cricket.[5] His hometown is in northwest Pakistan, a region that borders Afghanistan and is affected by the current War in North-West Pakistan.[6][7][8] Choosing to live in Melbourne, Victoria, Fawad took up playing with Hoppers Crossing in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, and soon progressed to playing for Melbourne University in Victorian Premier Cricket.[9] Fawad Ahmed also participated in Melbourne’s largest ‘open’ T20 event run by Infinity Cricket in 2011 & 2012 representing the Western Warriors who were winners. He was named the Best Bowler of the 2012 Infinity T20 Cricket Tournament.
Despite having his initial application declined, he was granted permanent residency in November 2012.[10] Later that month, Fawad signed with the Melbourne Renegades, having been granted a special exemption to play in the Big Bash League.
He made his debut in the Big Bash League in January 2013, taking 0/34 on debut, and was subsequently selected in the Prime Minister’s XI to play against the West Indies.[12][13]
In five one-day matches for Victoria in the Ryobi One Day Cup in 2012-13 he took 10 wickets at 18.00. He also played in Victoria’s last three matches in the Sheffield Shield, taking 16 wickets at 28.37, including 2 for 79 and 5 for 83 against Queensland.
On July 2, 2013 Ahmed was granted Australian citizenship, clearing him to play for the full Australian national cricket team.”
I bet the interment camps are full of kids using table legs to play cricket now…
The connection is clear; Fawad comes from Abbottabad, the home until recently of WG Grace impersonator Osama Bin Laden. Abbott is the new Aussie PM and the Aussie cricketers play real Bad. Need I say more?
Every innocent person charged with a crime had something to fear…
It’s a vacuous/meaningless phrase intended to shut down argument like people who respond in an argument with ” oh that’s just stupid PC nonsense”. It’s not actually an argument
“When databases work from 100% accurate information; when that information is used in accordance with the original consent purpose; when processes work correctly; when outcomes are as expected for every subject in the database; then, arguably, individuals have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, this is a Utopian state that is never achieved in a real world system. We see numerous examples of this problem:
Take the extreme example of Khalid El-Masri. This German national was kidnapped, flown to Afghanistan, tortured and then eventually released when it was realised that his was a case of mistaken identity, and he was not in fact an alleged terrorist with a similar name.
In 2007, junior doctors found their personal information – including sexual orientation – published on the Internet in a web security breach. How many of those individuals were ‘outed’ as a result of that breach? Those who had kept their orientation secret from their families or colleagues were perfectly at rights to do so, but found it released anyway.
In 2006 a student was wrongfully arrested for stealing mail when a batch of letters were recovered. His fingerprints – which had been taken a year previously when he was accused of criminal damage but released without charge after the real culprit confessed – matched those on some of the letters. After his arrest it was discovered that the letters bearing his fingerprints were posted by him. He was released, and then had to campaign to have his DNA data removed from the National DNA Database.
Time and again individuals have been fired from jobs, or failed to get jobs, because of errors in the Criminal Records Bureau database. They have been stigmatised as criminals, even to the extent of being falsely branded as sex offenders, because of database failings.”
The Ministry of Justice was unable to comment yesterday but in advice released when the act came into effect in June, it described suspicious transactions as “ones which are inconsistent with a customer’s known, legitimate business or personal activities”.
My bold.
So, if you decide to change your life you’re going to get treated as a terrorist. Actually, why are they looking that closely at your life anyway?
No, that was a hijacking of four planes (One of which went up in thin air upon impact with the ground) by 19 evil Arabs with box cutters belonging to the ruthless al Qaeda terrorist network able to avoid scrambled jets for 1.5 hours and the power to break the laws of physics and gravity.
And while they were predominantly pork eating, booze swilling, coke addled, whore fucking fundamental Muslims from Saudi Arabia we bombed Afghanistan back to the stone age because their mad kidney failure suffering leader (also a Saudi National) apparently hid in a cave there and we wanted to free the women of Afghanistan form having to wear the Hijab and we didn’t like the Taliban either.
We never found their leader until a year or two ago or so and we killed him and chucked him in the sea cause that is what Muslims do apparently and we wanted to be respectful of their faith.
We bombed Iraq because their leader had nothing to do with 9/11 but he gassed his own people with the help of the CIA and killed about a million of Iraqis cause we wanted to liberate them too and while we were at it we liberated Libya at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dead people but that was not a bombing exercise, that was a kinetic military exercise and I think that is where we started to use a limited airstrike which by the way wasn’t limited at all.
And now we want to bomb the Syrians because they are bombing each other while al Qaeda mercenaries kill entire villages and make video’s of killing rabbits with poison gas while threatening to do this with Syrians who do not support their rabbitly fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam and Obama is trying to sell the West that we have to fight on the side of these maniacs while all this mayhem started in order to kill them.
Do you realise that wild conspiracy theories are put about by world government to make idiots feel powerless and resigned, while at the same time destracting them from the fact the world is just chaotic, badly managed and generally quite boringly mundane?
Since when has being hit with ‘big lumps’ of anything caused an entire building to collapse completely and neatly in its own footprint? There is footage of the building and it is pretty clear that it is intact just prior to collapsing (i.e. not chunks missing from it due to these ‘big lumps’ of building falling on it).
Bits of the neighbouring building fell on it. There are photos showing enormous holes in the side facing the Twin towers, where debris struck. It took hours to fall and was a worry to the emergency services the whole time. Falling down is a pretty likely outcome of having any even bigger building fall on you. No mystery. No evidence to the contrary.
Along with the spontaneous-collapsing-building syndrome America appeared to develop that day, I have to say I have real trouble explaining away the size of that hole created in the Pentagon.
Haven’t heard any decent explanations as to how it could be so small relative to the size of the plane?
Um, coz it didn’t hit the ground, but actually hit the building at approximately ground level. While flying parallel with the ground (think skipping stone). If you have a look at the wreckage of the plane that did directly hit the ground in Pennsylvania or other similar crashes, there aren’t craters like bombs make because of the forward movement of the debris.
Science, eh? Pissing off the ignorant since Galileo’s time.
Nah, is a genuine question, have never understood how that hole could be the size it is.
I understood the plane hit the building and that is the problem; there is no damage to the building where the wings should have been, nor was wing wreckage evident in front of the building in the pictures we saw. What explains that?
I imagine that it didn’t hit the building in a uniform manner leaving a recogniseable hole, BeGone (ie not like the imprint the Roadrunner leaves on the canyon floor after his rollerskate rocket runs out of fuel.). It’s just as likely to have gone in skewed sideways as it is that it hit fully frontal. No way of knowing, really, but to be fair, it was being flown by a suicidal amateur who wasn’t particularly worried about botching the landing.
And really, TRP, it is simply stupid to be smug about ‘science being on your side’ in the way that you did there, it brings to mind people believing that ‘God is on their side’ when committing atrocities.
It seems particularly stupid in this case for me because the room for doubt was initially created by those with scientific training explaining in no uncertain terms that it is impossible for a building to collapse quickly in the way that all those buildings did on that day because this indicates that the lower floors are creating no resistance; this is impossible, that led me to have doubts regarding the events of Sept 11.
I have put these doubts on the back burner and have not drawn conclusions, however it really is quite painful to continually discover the more one reads historical events the more one finds America has behaved in highly dubious ways on many occasions, there also seem to be increasing numbers of people who were in respectable jobs at the time asking questions as to the veracity of the official story and claiming dubious procedures regarding the investigation afterwards.
Taking these factors, alone, into account one would have to be very obtuse to dismiss out of hand whether what we were told was the full story.
Taking these factors, alone, into account one would have to be very obtuse to dismiss out of hand whether what we were told was the full story.
Whoa, there! There are light-years between “not being told the full story” and “it was all a conspiracy by the government to fabricate an attack by using missiles, drones, nano-thermite and actors so they could blame Saudis in order to justify invading Iraq”.
Thanks for the link, unfortunately its not loading very well because I am on dial-up (too many pictures on the page by the looks of it)
I also don’t usually bother getting into these conversations because I realise what it does for one’s credibility, however, yes I am increasingly having doubts.
“Whoa, there! There are light-years between “not being told the full story” and “it was all a conspiracy by the government to fabricate an attack by using missiles, drones, nano-thermite and actors so they could blame Saudis in order to justify invading Iraq”.
I never said any of the second part you cite here, I have scrolled up and can’t find who did, however it does pay not to make assumptions re where someone is coming from.
I am somewhat averse to conspiracy theories, certainly don’t like it when people assume them to be true, (I like the way they encourage people to question though), however I am finding I am questioning more and more about what we are being told. It doesn’t seem very wise to assume this to be true either anymore. This is the trouble with crying ‘wolf’ too many times.
It would be good to be able to have a discussion of the events of 9/11 without the judgmental ‘tone’ that often comes about, however from observation this is what occurs when an issue gets polarized.
“And really, TRP, it is simply stupid to be smug about ‘science being on your side’ in the way that you did there, it brings to mind people believing that ‘God is on their side’ when committing atrocities.”
Well, beGone, given that you’re in the middle of committing an intellectual atrocity, I think its only fair to point out that belief in God, without evidence, has more in common with the equally evidence free belief in the other wacko 9/11 conspiracies.
I never said any of the second part you cite here, I have scrolled up and can’t find who did, however it does pay not to make assumptions re where someone is coming from.
You reckon the hole is too small for a plane and that building 7 collapsed “at freefall speeds” “in its own footprint”. Now you shy away from the requirements that if those two assessments are correct, then something smaller than a plane made the pentagon hole and that the lower floors must already have been destroyed for the upper floors to go at “freefall speed”. Then you have to figure out what was used to destroy those floors at the correct timing sequence, how it was installed by experts over months with nobody noticing, and so on.
By the way, part of the load time for the cracked article would be all the pictures of aircraft debris around the pentagon.
Oh dear, you really are a moron aren’t you; asking questions surrounding an event is not the same as ‘believing in a wacko conspiracy theory’ nor is it an intellectual atrocity. In fact not asking questions is an intellectual atrocity. You never learn anything if you don’t ask.
For that reason I conclude only very ‘intellectually challenged’ people would condemn someone for asking questions.
You are tending to make assumptions and expecting that I am doing the same. I am questioning the aspects of arguments that conspiracy theory programmes present that I can’t honestly say I can explain away to myself.
If someone could explain these aspects away it would remove some nagging doubt in my mind.
I don’t have to go into how they could collapse at ‘free-fall speeds’ in their own footprint if someone can explain how this could occur…naturally. The ‘free-fall’ comment was one which was explained to me by someone who has a very solid grasp on physics and maths and is why I mention it, because perhaps there is a counter theory that can discount the seeming impossibility of that occurring, which as it was explained to me sounded horribly plausible (that buildings simply can’t collapse that fast without being undermined from below).
I am very aware that any program can present facts that make the argument seem watertight even when the argument isn’t. I have occasionally looked at webpages for and against 9/11 being an inside job, however it is a subject that has got polarized therefore it appears the information of each site is exaggerated either for or against the view that it is an inside job and thus, I don’t find such sites very helpful.
I will have to try and wait and see if the page that you linked to will load I am very interested to see the wreckage. I have only seen photos where there are very few pieces of the plane left. Thanks!
Moron? You’re the one with the comprehension difficulties and I thought I was playing nice by answering your questions. Sad you had to resort to abuse, but you’re not the first 9/11 frother to go that way when the facts are pointed out. Enjoy the anniversary; 12 years, no evidence.
You are tending to make assumptions and expecting that I am doing the same. I am questioning the aspects of arguments that conspiracy theory programmes present that I can’t honestly say I can explain away to myself.
The assumption you make is that “the aspects of arguments that conspiracy theory programmes present” are presented in good faith and honesty by people who are sane and know what they are talking about. Not often seen on tv these days.
It is well and good for TRP to state ‘there is no evidence’ however it is not very impressive that a reasonable discussion can’t be conducted on the subject. A link such as the one I have provided would have been more beneficial to achieve that end.
Otherwise those debunking the debunkers simply end up following the same technique of trusting blindly in the information provided and basing their arguments on hollow understanding. One must look at both sides of the story and find reasonable explanation for doubts, sarky adhominem attacks don’t suffice for a reasonable discussion of the facts.
Funnily enough I hold very similar views to Populuxe’s comment above: “Do you realise that wild conspiracy theories are put about by world government to make idiots feel powerless and resigned, while at the same time destracting them from the fact the world is just chaotic, badly managed and generally quite boringly mundane?”
I think that the conspiracy dvd’s that cultivate the most fearful messages are created from highly dubious motives and seeing as they lead to a sense of powerlessness have concluded they serve the purposes of those already in power while presenting as though they are railing against them.
A reasonable discussion requires two competent participants acting in good faith.
People regurgitating lines like “free-fall speed”, “false flag” and so on are usually missing at least one of those criteria.
One must look at both sides of the story and find reasonable explanation for doubts, sarky adhominem attacks don’t suffice for a reasonable discussion of the facts.
A reasonable explanation for many of the “doubts” raised by so-called “truthers” is that they are kooks. Looking at “both sides of the story” implies that each side is equally valid from the outset.
Oh, some of them are looking for explanations for their personal loss, some of them are in it for the money because fear sells, and some of them are just idiots who think the conspiracy theories are true because they are consistent with their personal paranoia about “world government” etc. Some of them might not even be known kooks apart from this one issue. But it’s still all bullshit that quickly descends into massive suppositions and a theoretical house of cards, just to support a supposedly valid “point of view” that differs from the massive amounts of evidence that a handful of hijackers flew some planes into some buildings.
“Why wasn’t the hole as wide as a 757′s 124-ft.-10-in. wingspan? A crashing jet doesn’t punch a cartoon-like outline of itself into a reinforced concrete building, says ASCE team member Mete Sozen, a professor of structural engineering at Purdue University. In this case, one wing hit the ground; the other was sheared off by the force of the impact with the Pentagon’s load-bearing columns, explains Sozen, who specializes in the behavior of concrete buildings. What was left of the plane flowed into the structure in a state closer to a liquid than a solid mass. “If you expected the entire wing to cut into the building,” Sozen tells PM, “it didn’t happen.”
The tidy hole in Ring C was 12 ft. wide–not 16 ft. ASCE concludes it was made by the jet’s landing gear, not by the fuselage.
“
There is MOUNTAINS of evidence for most of what he just said. Were you referring to everything he said, or just Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Libya, or Syria, or 9/11?
Does raising the minimum wage cause unemployment to rise, another ‘brick in the wall’ which strongly suggests that it don’t,
”In Florida where voters approved an increase,(to the minimum wage),in 2004, a followup comprehensive study confirms a strong economy with INCREASED EMPLOYMENT above previous years in Florida and better than in the US as a whole”,
As this is also relevant to the above i will post this again to aid in building the whole picture which has obviously been, (deliberately?),distorted over time by economists with a right wing bias along with ‘publication bias’ which i will address below,
”In Nevada USA where the minimum is $7.25 an hour the jobless rate is 10.2%”,
”In Vermont USA where the minimum is $8.60 an hour the jobless rate is 5.1%
Publication bias, where the media, controlled by the right, simply does not publish data and studies which do not support the views of the right appears to be rife when it comes to economics,
”Several researchers have conducted statistical meta-analysis of the employment effects of the minimum wage”,
”In 1995 Card and Kruegar analyzed 14 earlier time series studies on minimum wages and concluded that there was clear evidence of publication bias,(in favor of studies that found a statistically negative employment effect)”,
”Though a serious methodological indictment, opponents of the minimum wage largely ignored this issue”,
”As Thomas.C. Leonard noted,”the silence is fairly deafening”,
I think you are in danger of your own publication bias. As Michael Saltsman points out about 85% of reputable epirical wiork in the last 20 years on the effect of minimum wage increases show a negatuve employment effect.
Card and Kruegar should be trated with suspicion. Their seminal 1992 study on the employment effects of MW increases was shown to be totally flawed. They got the data wrong – the correct data showed an unequivacal employment loss. I have attached the coverage of this by Saltsman.
Yes you are right. The strongly performing Vermont economy and low unemployment rate is CAUSED by its minimum wage rate being $1.35 higher than the MW rate for the state of Nevada. It couldn’t be anything else.
Your argument is that a higher minimum wage is incompatible with a strong economy and bad12
showed you a counter example which completely destroys your position.
My laughter,(at you SSlands), becomes louder by the comment, you claim to be ‘an economist’ opposing raising the minimum wage, when called upon to explain real world facts as opposed to your childish economics 101 you resort to the pathetic,
Where have i suggested any such cause and effect??? i simply point out the obvious, i cannot be responsible for what from here seems like a serious intellectual disability on your part, i simply ask you as the economist you claim to be for an explanation,
The fact that you cannot give that explanation simply points to the fact that you havn’t got a f**king clue,
While you consider your reply also consider this in conjunction with the real world FACTS about Nevada and Vermont,
”In Florida where voters approved an increase,(to the minimum wage),in 2004, a follow-up comprehensive study confirms a strong economy with increased employment above previous years in Florida and better than the US as a whole”,
According to you SSLands jobs by the thousands should have been destroyed by Florida raising the minimum wage,
Obviously jobs by the thousands were not destroyed and actual FACT says employment increased…
I’ve never understood the reasoning behind the claims that business owners will employ more people because wages are lower? Businesses employ the least amount of people they can to get the job done, no more and no less.
On the other hand, more people are employed when there is more demand for goods and services. Creating that demand is a case of people having enough finances to purchase the things they require. Invariably, increasing wages therefore increases employment by increasing demand for goods and services.
A business owner doesn’t one day look at his accounts and say, “I’ve got all this money, why don’t I just employ some more people” if there is no increased demand for what they are producing. Instead they keep that money as profit while trying to get their employees to work harder for peanuts.
The reasoning behind the claim that higher wages will cause job losses is highly flawed. There is simply not enough available information from every single private business in New Zealand to show whether they will be able to afford the same amount of employees with increased wages or not. The increased demand for their goods and services and subsequent increased profit is obviously not being factored into the governments calculations.
Besides, the companies that do provide information about their finances are continuing to post huge profits, much of which simply goes overseas. Considering the available information, there is no evidence that increased wages will cause any job losses at all. It is a myth predicated by those who have a vested interest in keeping wages low.
I had a similar conversation with a owner of a bar last week… he was stating that if he couldn’t pay the minimum wage, he wouldn’t be able to trade. I put it to him that when everyone is doing that you run the risk of customers not having enough disposable to purchase your goods and services.
The fact is, you’ve got to keep the money going round, otherwise it’s like a game of Monopoly. If you want the game to keep going, you forgive people their debts from time to time to keep the money flowing. If you don’t… you run them into the ground until game over!
You are very happy for people to be treated as a tradeable commodity, like plastic buckets produced by a factory somewhere it doesn’t matter. Capital is the most important thing in the whole entire world, labour is subservient and must take a position secondary to the needs and lusts of capital.
Tell me srylands, if you had to choose a world with no capital or a world with no labour, which would you choose?
While i consider Slippery the Prime Minister to be an ’empty suitcase of intellectual rigor’ you SSlands could only hope to rise to being ‘an empty garbage bag of simpering stupidity’
(a), you shouldn’t let your brain run ahead of your fingers, and (b), when as you obviously have your brain and digits do become hopelessly out control the Standard provides to you an edit function which even for one such as you lacking in the basics of intelligence should be a breeze to use…
Let’s play CT spot the difference: from the Oz Liberals election campaign….from crikey’s subscriber service.
‘Abbott says he wants to be an “infrastructure prime minister”. More accurately, he wants to be a roads prime minister. The majority of the Coalition’s infrastructure spending will be on regional roads, which has always been the Coalition’s idea of infrastructure. In Mitchell’s logic, apparently, NBN = bad infrastructure, roads = good infrastructure.’ from Crikey and mitchell is an Aus Fin Review journo.
And who wins from the Coalition, apart from National electorates? The tax rorters of the novated lease industry. High-income earners via Abbott’s paid parental leave (PPL) scheme. Those Liberal Party loyalists, self-funded retirees, who might be unhappy about the impact on dividends of the PPL scheme. The mining industry.
So, the Coalition has declined to take any politically difficult savings decisions, preferring to target sectors with little political clout, or people in other countries. And it has rewarded its perceived friends, those who are already doing very well, thank you.
No one expects oppositions to sign up to a slate of politically suicidal cuts, but the Coalition’s priorities suggest the “tough decisions” it makes will merely be tough on those who pose no political threat, and that the “age of entitlement” is opening up again, after Labor wore so much grief for trying to curb it marginally while in office.’
Slippery the Prime Minister is being quoted in the Herald online this morning as saying He has timed His next foreign sojourn so as to be in the House for the first Question time for Labour’s new leader,
i assume that is going to be David Cunliffe, and my view is that Cunliffe should burst the Slippery little shysters bubble by completely ignoring Him,
A better tactic for Cunliffe would be to deliberately target Judith Collins with all his questions for that day, leaving Slippery sitting in the Chamber twiddling His thumbs with the added insinuation that it’s probably better to ask the upcoming leader of National the questions than the out-going one…
I’d hammer him with questions about his trip. esp the UN speech, tie it to his comments from back when Helen declined to Bush the Lesser’s adventure in Iraq.
Lolz, Cunliffe could always slip in the line with one of His supplementry’s, ” i’ve got your number and will be dialing it next time i don’t want a question answered with other than froth”…
I’d suggest that the Cunliffe groupies might not want to build up their expectations quite so much, that Cunliffe may not be the messiah after all and to give him some time to settle in and deal with the real enemy (ie his own caucus) before trying to handle the most popular PM of the post-MMP era
Cullen, Clark, Goff, Campbell and Shearer were all defeated/seen off/careers ended/beaten whatever way you want to put it by John Key, hes formidable without a doubt
I’m saying don’t get your hopes up so high because Cunliffe may not live up to them…of course he might also exceed them
W Smith you are letting your blinkers get in the way of clear view of history. Those politicians were turfed out by factors far greater and more prevalent than merely John Key. They were turfed out because; one, they had been in for three terms; two, people were tired of the PC stuff; three, people were tired of being told how to live their life to such an extent; four, they were too bland themselves; five, on it goes.
To suggest that John Key alone was responsible for the demise of these people paints you as the groupie here.
1. Cullen presided over finance in Lab4 before, during and after Key’s go at the portfolio.
2. Clark would’ve been likely been voted out whether or not Key was in the picture – the public had tired of her after 3 terms, as they’re now tiring of Key after 2.
3. Campbell? WTF?
4. Shearer was ousted from within. You’ve been talking about that for two years.
5. Goff you get. Beat him by a whopping margin of 10,000 votes.
I guess that’s true for Canterbury and Christchurch seeing as there hasn’t been another PM since voting rights were removed there. Shows what an undemocratic piece of work Key is.
Most popular? Don’t think he’s ever reached Helen’s heights. Not likely to either at the rate he’s going.
Agree though about Cunliffe. Or Robertson, whomever it may be.
The task ahead actually has Sweet. Fuck. All. to do with besting John Key in parliament. If it were that simple, your namesake (or the ginge) would’ve been PM long ago.
That “most popular PM” line is getting a bit past its use-by date – maybe; “once most popular”, would be more accurate now. Bush the lesser (hat-tip PB) had once been popular in the polls too, but not at the end.
There’s just one poll that matters, and we’ll see what that says by the end of 2014.
Norway likely to change government from Left to Right. The left government has been in for 8 years and doing a reasonable job and the commentator couldn’t state why that should result in change. My idea is that two terms in leadership should be enough, and that would allow change to meet the wish to see a different approach from the incumbents without having to throw the Party out entirely.
Mainly because there has been an increased backlash in relatively monocultural, monoethnic Scandinavian and Nordic countries against economic migrants from the Near East and North Africa, and as we saw with our own previous Labour government, there is a tendency to swing back and forth. No conspiracy at all.
Who said anything about a conspiracy? Have you a parallel universe going on in your head with two different thought processes? Quantum Populuxe1 and 2. What did Pop2 think about a possible conspiracy in Norway? Is merely changing the government because of perceived weaknesses in policy to be regarded as conspiracy?
Lprent – using chrome on android and keep getting an error message saying ive exceeded the crawler rate for humans when going back to the main page from an item.
I could not believe her tweets etc re Robertson yesterday – but then again, I can…
When I read the link provided last night to her tweets, I also noticed another one that really stood out for me and left me gobsmacked.
This on 8 Sept (a quote only as I could not seem to copy it as I am not very good on Twitter things)
– “Will be reading TICS Bill closely. R there implications for NZ?”
Sorry, but “WILL be reading it closely” and “are there implications for NZ”. The TICS Bill is nearing the end of its select committee process with the report back from the Law and Order Committee on 20 Sept.
FGS Curran is the Labour spokesperson on telecommunications etc and while not on the Law and Order Committee, should have read the TICS Bill inside out by now and realise the implications!
And now it turns out that the comments she referred to weren’t from the current leadership contest at all, but she implied that it was connected with the Cunliffe campaign as a deliberate smear effort. Shame on her.
She deserves her in place in Labour Party history as the first MP who has sunk to that level of desperation in this first ever leadership race. More slander to come from the ABC crew?
Good one bad 12 a republican politician visited NZ recently
Claimed that all republican states were growing faster than democrat lead states .
A complete lie the reverse is the truth.
Be very wary Poncekey
Is going to Australia to be reprogramed by crosby texter,
The lizards of Oz!
Then He is going to china to get a new coat of teflon.
Then off to visit the queen to line up his knighthood!
He’ll probably leave his old shed skin as a going away present for the Queen – Snakeskin shoes anyone? – there’ll be enough for a matching handbag, surely??
Phil Goff earlier in the year sought leave to table a document which shows restrictions to future access to benefits and citizenship for New Zealanders living in Australia were outside the bilateral agreement. (Hansard 14th Feb 2013)
When is Key going to start telling the truth and how can we expect our kids to grow up as honest citizens when he lies though his teeth on the hour and the half hour.
URGENT! Press Release from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright:
” Auckland Council must NOT act precipitiously and ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord.
10 September 2013
Press Release from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright:
” Auckland Council must NOT ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord, when my request for the LAWFULNESS of it’s evidential base for projected population growth is to be considered at the next meeting of the Social Services Select Committee, on Friday 13 September 2013,” says Auckland Mayoral candidate, Penny Bright.
“The Clerk of the Social Services Select Committee has just advised me, this morning, that my request for their Report on the following Petition 2011/64
Requesting that Parliament declines to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics’ “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans. ”
to be reviewed, will be put before them at their next meeting, to be held this Friday 13 September 2013.”
“As an Auckland Mayoral candidate, I hereby call for Mayor Len Brown and Auckland Councillors, NOT to act precipitiously, and to NOT ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord.”
LETTER FROM AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT WHICH WILL BE PUT TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE AT THEIR NEXT MEETING TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2013:
28 August 2013:
Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright: Auckland Draft Unitary Plan: URGENT ‘Open Letter’ to the Social Services Select Committee c/- Chair Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Members of the Social Services Select Committee,
Social Services Chairperson Lotu-Iiga, Peseta Sam National Party, Maungakiekie
Social Services Deputy-Chairperson Lee, Melissa National Party, List
Social Services Member Ardern, Jacinda Labour Party, List
Social Services Member Heatley, Phil National Party, Whangarei
Social Services Member Logie, Jan Green Party, List
Social Services Member Lole-Taylor, Asenati NZ First, List
Social Services Member Ngaro, Alfred National Party, List
Social Services Member Prasad, Rajen Labour Party, List
Social Services Member Sabin, Mike National Party, Northland
Social Services Member Twyford, Phil Labour Party, Te Atatu
Social Services Member Woodhouse, Michael National Party, List
Please be advised that Auckland Council will be starting deliberations on the Draft Auckland Unitary Plan, today Wednesday 28 August 2013.
The ‘mantra’ that the estimated population of Auckland “is projected to increase by one million over the next 30 years”, is repeated in the following ‘Draft Unitary Plan’:
As you are well aware, the LAWFULNESS of the use of this ‘high’ population growth projection, I challenged, in the following petition:
Petition 2011/64
Requesting that Parliament declines to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics’ “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
I provided extensive, researched evidence, (as you requested),in support of this petition:
SUPPLEMENTARY EVIDENCE FOR THE SOCIAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE, IN SUPPORT OF PETITION 2011/64
However, the Report of the Social Services Select Committee, did not focus on the ‘LAWFULNESS’ of the reliance of the Auckland Council Mayor Len Brown, and Chief Planning Officer Dr Roger Blakeley’s use of the Department of Statistics ‘high’, rather than ‘medium’ population growth projection, you focused on the apparent ‘REASONABLENESS’ of so doing.
“We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House. ”
The Social Services Committee has considered Petition 2011/64 of Penelope Mary Bright, requesting that Parliament decline to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics “high” population growth projections, instead of
their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
We heard and received evidence from the petitioner, but note that the matters she raised have been addressed publicly by the Auckland Council in statements posted on its website and issued to media.
The Auckland Council’s Chief Planning Officer has said that while Auckland may not grow by one million people by 2041 (the high-growth projection), Auckland Council is preparing for it. The city has historically met the high-growth projection, and it is therefore prudent for the council to plan accordingly. He said that the city needs to be prepared for, and
infrastructure needs to be able to cope with, growth. He pointed out that the “Unitary Plan”, which is a part of the Auckland Spatial Plan, sets out only rules for development.
We understand that actual development would be undertaken only in response to demand.
Regarding the use of alternative projections for higher- and lower-growth scenarios, we note that the council’s Chief Planning Officer has also said that it is prudent for the Auckland Council to provide for the highest likely population growth, and at the same time to be cautious to avoid over-investment. He said that the council requires organisations it owns or controls to be cautious about capital spending ahead of time to avoid high borrowing, interest, and depreciation costs, and that any underspending on infrastructure could be addressed through regular budget reviews and incremental expansion of facilities such as wastewater treatment plants.
The Mayor of Auckland has also said that using the high-growth projection was the appropriate thing to do, and that the council should not be too conservative in their assumptions about population growth.
We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House.
Melissa Lee
Deputy Chairperson ”
______________________________________________________________________________
On 7 August 2013, I made an oral submission by a telephone conference call to the Social Services Select Committee on the related matter of the ‘Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill’, and made the following points:
“You MPs are a Select Cttee of the Highest Court of the land.
Please be reminded of the Oath of Allegiance which you swear or affirm before becoming a Member of the NZ House of Parliament:
The Oath, in its present form, is:
“I, [name], swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.”
NZ House of Parliament is where the LAW is made.
Should I as a citizen not be able to expect that those of you who MAKE the Law – will uphold the Law that you have made?
Otherwise – what is the point of you being there?
What is the purpose of the NZ Parliament if you are not going to uphold the laws you make?
Why I am raising this is because the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill is directly-related matter to the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill.
Both are based upon the million extra people coming to Auckland in the 30 years mantra, for which I provided EVIDENCE that this was not ‘evidentially-based).”
I asked you to please reconsider your (above-mentioned) decision.
As Members of Parliament of the ‘highest Court in the land’ – how meaningful is the ‘Rule of Law’, which you help make, if you arguably do not follow it yourselves?
Please be reminded that the ‘Rule of Law’ that applies to the Auckland (Spatial) Plan, which the Auckland Unitary Plan is supposed to implement, is covered by the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009:
(1)The Auckland Council must prepare and adopt a spatial plan for Auckland.
(4)The spatial plan must—
(c)provide an evidential base to support decision making for Auckland, including evidence of trends, opportunities, and constraints within Auckland; and
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please confirm that you will URGENTLY review and reconsider your above-mentioned decision,
“We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House. ”
and base it upon the ‘Rule of Law’ which directly applies in this case, the above-mentioned Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, s79 (4) (c).
In my considered opinion, there will be a significant number of Aucklanders, who will be very interested in your response to this matter.
Actually if I remember correctly members of the Executive Council can exceed the speed limit when they are on important business. So John could whoop up the highway at any speed he likes. After all its important to get the PM home quickly.
And as Australia sets about to trash their carbon tax – and NZ becomes a “fast follower” of our trading partners with respect to tackling GHG emissions and our ETS is the laughing stock of the western world…
meanwhile…. In British Columbia …. despite a year long attack by the tories on the 5 year old carbon tax a recent report on the economy and its effects shows that it’s a winner. http://www.desmog.ca/2013/07/26/bc-carbon-tax-big-winner-people-climate-and-economy-study-shows.
“Thanks to the carbon tax BC residents enjoy the lowest income tax in the country (not Albertans), use the least amount of fuel per person and have arguably the healthiest economy the study found. So much for the Tories baseless claims of doom and gloom.”
Thanks Ardern for your red necked, stick in the mud, troglodyte, neanderthal, stupid behaviour that led to the trashing of our Carbon tax…
Rubbish. He doesn’t have to go to the Queen for that. New Zealand honours are based on the recomendation of the Honours Secretariat of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Queen signs off. Most PMs get them as a matter of course unless they are staunchly against that sort of thing.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he scammed the NZ population to cough up to prop up Rio Tinto with $ 30 million of tax money and the promise to sell every f&*king publicly owned asset to her and her mates for next to nothing by bankrupting this country though an investment of $112 Billion in derivatives? I reckon he’s been a good boy!
But normally when they retire. And of course the Queen is at liberty to award an honour on the English list instead of NZ list.
Rubbish. He doesn’t have to go to the Queen for that. New Zealand honours are based on the recomendation of the Honours Secretariat of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Queen signs off. Most PMs get them as a matter of course unless they are staunchly against that sort of thing.
Robbie Burns would have had something to say on all that…
“Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that:
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that:
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.
A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that;
But an honest man’s abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities an’ a’ that;
The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,
Are higher rank than a’ that.
Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.”
Anyone any idea why Liz is requesting the company of John & Family at Balmoral.
According to media this is very very rare and apart from the British PM almost never happens.
The mind boggles as to what can be in store.
arise Sir Slippery
or maybe she is going to make him a baron, Robber Baron would be appropriate
or she wants some advice on investment??
Look at NZ alternatives – Croxley is a New Zealand Stationary Manufacturer – I don’t know if they make pens in NZ but it is worth exploring alternatives.
She would only be a “scapegoat” if the campaign had made that comment and she had been the one to wear the results
As it was, she made the comment personally and has justifiably been stood down as it was inappropriate for her to have made that comment in the larger context of being a part of DC’s campaign
But after actually having been made aware of the timeline of the incident in relation to the campaign and the role of Clare Curran in actively digging up irrelevant dirt to fling
*SIGH*
I applaud Cunliffe for making the tough (but correct, imo) decision to stand down Jenny to cut any ridiculous complaints off at the knees and I hope that she is soon returned to the front lines.
And I hope that if he becomes the leader of Labour that this example of his strictness with his own people is just a taste of how tough and controlled he could be if he is the one leading Labour in to 2014 and maintaining a laser like focus on the message and attacking John Key rather than this bullshit that Clare feels she needs to bring up to muddy the waters.
Unlike the alleged chemical weapon attacks in Syria, there is absolutely no doubt as to the perpetrators of these chemical weapon attacks in Vietnam. Any plans to bomb their country? Just to send them a clear message….
London surgeons carry out life-changing surgery on children of Vietnam victims
by KIRAN RANDHAWA, Evening Standard, 9 September 2013
Ten London doctors have carried out life-changing surgery on children born with horrific deformities caused by chemicals used in the Vietnam war. Surgeons travelled to the country’s port city of Da Nang, where they spent two weeks helping Vietnamese youngsters who are battling serious ailments caused by the herbicide Agent Orange. The chemical was sprayed by US soldiers during the war, which lasted from 1955 to 1975. According to the Vietnamese Red Cross, 150,000 cases of birth defects can be linked to its use.
One of the London doctors, Niall Kirkpatrick, said Vietnam would “struggle with this problem for a number of years”. The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital plastic surgeon said Da Nang, in central Vietnam, “has the highest incidence of congenital deformity in the world, thought to be due to Agent Orange in the Vietnam war. If we had the same amount of congenital deformity in the UK it would bankrupt the NHS. The dioxin is geno-toxic so that once it enters the population gene pool then it’s passed on through generations and it takes a long time before it stops.”
The team, from Chelsea and Westminster and Guy’s Hospital, travelled with the charity Facing the World. Their latest mission, which was in May, is documented in the BBC’s Inside Out show….
Of course not. And they have not paid one cent in reparations. President Carter was pressed on that matter once, and he loftily dismissed the notion, claiming that suffering occurred “on both sides”.
And that’s without mentioning the continuing use of Depleted Uranium as a tank-zapper/ mutation-inducer. But that’s in no way chemical or nuclear warfare apparently…
Tired of having to contain your radioactive toxic waste? Just salt it on the ground of your enemies and watch their children become disfigured for your expediency.
See my above about the Geneva Protocols to the Hague Convention.
The US gave themselves plenty of “cover” over the use of Agent Orange. The US signed in 1925 but didn’t ratify the Protocol until 1975 & it was disputed until 1968 as to whether “chemical herbicides” such as Agent Orange were even covered by the Protocol (US being the main opponent of including it – naturally).
If only the United States – particualrly Professor of Law Barack Obama – would alow itself to be held to account in the World Criminal Court, precisely within the Conventions it’s bleating on about relentlessly now.
Hopefully President Obama’s impending defeat by Congress will strengthen the hand of the UN in generating multilateral responses and shame those who continuously expect the World’s Great Policeman to restore universal moral order for the entire planet.
Yes, it would create some real credibility for what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behaviour if the US and Britain would subject their war criminals to the World Criminal Court (is that it’s correct name?!). That this is not occurring makes any international guidelines a complete farce.
If all nations banned conventional and nuclear warfare in the same way as chemical warfare is banned then we will begin to get somewhere…
… you will never get the big boys in the playground to lead that though just as well they don’t need to lead
Yes – DU & White Phosporus would not be regarded as Chemical Weapons unless they are used specifically for their chemical/toxic effect. DU is principally used for its kinetic properties & White Phosporus for its smoke and incendiary effects (incendiaries are covered by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons). Neither are classed as toxic. The Chemical Weapons Convention defines a “toxic chemical” as a chemical “which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals” (CWC, II). An annex to the CWC lists chemicals that fall under this definition and WP & DU are not listed in the Schedules of chemical weapons or precursors.
I was trying to remember the name of white phosphorous! That might be the substance that is causing those deformities in Fallujah. Horrible that neither UD nor WPh are considered toxic, it seems to me that in Fallujah the killing won’t stop for many decades to come due to their usage.
You have a lot of knowledge of those guidelines/laws, cheers for sharing GregJ, very interesting (and revolting, yet that is not your fault!)
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Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
The government should not set military style academies into youth justice law, the children's commissioner says, despite its first bootcamp getting a glowing report. ...
The infamous over-the-suit T-shirt worn by the PM at a Parliament barbecue has gone on sale to raise funds for children living in poverty, in a TradeMe auction. ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
I was born in the back of my grandfather’s ute, by an overgrown windbreak in a remote place called Wahi-Rakauyou can’t find on a map. I was born a girl but given the man’s name Harvey, as my dad always wanted a violent-minded boy to one day help him ...
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“In the Syria debate, President Obama’s toughest opponent is State Senator Barack Obama. In 2002, when he was an Illinois legislator, he made a speech against the Iraq War. Military action did not make sense, he said, because Saddam Hussein posed “no imminent and direct threat to the United States or to his neighbors,” and President Bush was acting “without a clear rationale and without strong international support.”
Not only does the speech supply opponents of a Syria attack with quotable lines, it also serves as a reminder that a vote for military action in Syria carries huge political risk while a vote against it can become a political asset.
This is why Mr. Obama cannot rely on political spin (and his campaign heavyweights) to make his case for strikes in Syria to Congress and the American people. Instead, he must make a strong strategic and moral argument that military action in Syria best serves America’s long-term interests and security.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0909/Why-Obama-s-old-bag-of-tricks-won-t-persuade-Congress-Americans-on-Syria
Listening to RadioNZ, Russia is proposing that Syria’s chemical weapons stocks be handed over into the control of the ‘International community’, presumably the UN,
Syria seems to be in agreement with the Russian proposal…
If Assad was smart he’d start this process ASAP.
+1 it’s the first bit of coordinated diplomacy in this whole rotten business.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/us-russian-proposal-syria-chemical-weapons
Your move now, Assad.
That would be a little hard as Syria claimed that they do not have chemical weapons.
When? As far as I’m aware Syria’s position is that it’s CW stocks are under firm control. Pretty hard to calim that and also claim you don’t have any.
i have not seen anywhere that Syria denies it has chemical weapons, Syria’s foreign Minister was quoted on RadioNZ this morning as agreeing to the Russian plan to have all such weapons put under the control of the ‘International community’ to be destroyed,
Got anything linking to this denial???…
That’s very mischievious and false of you, Ron.
Well that was quicker than I thought. I have no evidence of the veracity of the article but it looks like it is a direct quote
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-176750/Syria-denies-chemical-weapons.html
Yeah, not sure a ten year old article is all that relevant, Ron.
Neither am I but that hardly contradicts my original statement.
Yeah, it kinda does.
You said it would be hard for Assad to start the process of moving their weapons under control of the international community, because they do not have any weapons.
But they do have weapons. Therefore it contradicts your statement saying they couldn’t do it because they don’t have any.
You left out one important word. ‘Chemical’ Of course Syria has weapons
ron is outright lying..
..in fact..syria bought the chemical weapons..from britain..
..so there ya go..eh..?
..phillip ure..
No they did not buy chemical weapons from Britain. I think people are getting confused in that what it purchased from UK was Sodium Flurosillicate (I think that is correct spelling) and yes it can be used to create Sarin Gas but that doesn’t prove they did, though I agree it is quite likely. I thought the Geneva Convention outlawed the use of Chemical weapons so why on earth would you make them?
I will try and find where I read that they denied the making of chemical weapons.
Not sure I follow this but it is a fun site to wade through
http://www.naturalnews.com/041883_Syria_chemical_weapons_sodium_fluoride.html
Sodium fluorosilicate is used in water fluoridation,opal glass raw material, ore refining and a bunch of other uncontroversial things
Actually you mean the Geneva Protocols (1925) of the Hague Convention (1899 & 1907). The protocol says nothing about the production, stockpiling, storage or transfer – Syria signed the Protocol in 1968 with a reservation with regard to diplomatic recognition of Israel.
The US also has a reservation to the protocol:
“The protocol shall cease to binding on the government of the United States with respect to the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials, or devices, in regard to any enemy State if such State or any of its allies fails to respect the prohibitions laid down in the Protocol”.
Jordon has a reservation that the Protocol is not binding with respect to Israel.
New Zealand used to have 2 Reservations which were withdrawn in 1989 (these were held in common with countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia & others – Ireland led the way withdrawing these reservations in 1971 & Australia in 1986) that the Protocol is Binding only with regards to states which have ratified or acceded to the protocol & ceases to be binding in regards to any state, and its allies, which does not observe the prohibitions of the protocol.
There is a generally held belief that the Protocol now also applies to internal (ie. Civil) Wars but that is challenged by some & probably would have to be challenged in the International Courts.
Syria has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993) – neither has North Korea, Egypt, South Sudan, & Angola. Israel & Myanmar (Burma) have signed but not ratified. US & Russia (among others) still have stockpiles which were meant to be destroyed by April 2012, a deadline not met – US is 90% destroyed (intends to complete by 2023), Russia is 57% (pledges 100% by 2015-2016). Libya has started destruction and has destroyed 54.46% of its stockpile, Iraq has yet to start destruction. Japan and China have started in October 2010 the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China.
13 countries declared Chemical Weapons production facilities when signing the Convention: Bosnia and Herzegovina; China; France; India; Iran; Iraq; Japan; Libya; Russia; Serbia; United Kingdom & United States. One other non-declared State has facilities (thought to be South Korea). All 70 facilities declared in the above are now deactivated (from mid 2012) & about 90% are now destroyed.
Excellent information, GregJ
replied to the ..hangman’s noose..before last sundown.
[citation needed]
But it didn’t work with Iraq. Saddam Hussein said he had no weapons of mass destruction and even let UN inspectors in.
The US state-sanctioned murderers still went in and killed tens of thousands.
How about we let Bashar al Assad do his own talking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H_hhpGSZi84#t=14
True, we all must pretty much agree that this all looks like part of the US/Israeli/Saudi plan to smash all those States in the mid-East that are not 100% in the pocket of the American administration be that Tweedle-dee or Tweedle-dum,
All we can really do is to keep on saying NO…
bad12@ 1.1.2.2 – True.
US acts like it doesn’t care too much if things fester into declared war.
Relatively it’s Israel and Gaza. Of course there’s a plan. Which will be maintained subject to the vociferousness of US public opinion.
Already……”this does not depend on the UN.”
Backed up by Corporal ShonKey.
Has he got the balls or is the umbilical cord way too strong ?
So the Kurds at Halabja just all died out of spite?
contaminated WPC
Obviously not, but no one cared at the time because he was fighting the Iranians. He gave up his chemical weapons after the 1st gulf war. But you knew that didn’t you arsehole?
I suppose that’s why Saddam had to be more creative in eliminating the Marsh Arabs, you arsehole (prolapsed)
What’s that got to do with anything Pop?
Are you labouring under the impression I think saddam was a nice guy? Nope, he was a prick when he gassed the Kurds and the US hushed it up because he was being useful, and he was a prick when he crushed the uprisings the US encouraged.
None of which means he had CW when the US invaded in 03, which is all VTO was talking about.
Because when you disagree with anything Pop believes, you’re disagreeing with everything Pop believes. And you’re a homophobe.
No Felix, I don’t think you’re a homophobe, you’re just an arsehole.
And we shouldn’t forget the crazed Donald Rumsfeld as the envoy of the even more crazed Ronald Reagan going to Iraq.
Carrying a felicitous personal letter from The Chesterfield Man.
Craving Saddam’s warm welcome and good offices and Iraqi purchase of US helicopters and so on.
I really don’t care – I don’t tend to weep over the ends of sadistic tyrants, justified or not.
Strictly speaking PB that’s not true – Iraq under Saddam may have given up most of their Chemical Weapons but in 2009 the Iraqi Government joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and declared 2 bunkers worth of (mainly degraded) Chemical Munitions and about 5 Chemical Weapons Production Facilities – see here. The Bush propaganda was technically true if grossly misleading.
Meh. I’d say that this was deliberate and strategic posturing on Obama’s part, and impression seemingly supported by John Kerry’s comments. Basically the sabre rattling has given impetus to Syria to hand over their chemical weapons while hinting to Russia a diplomatic solution that will allow Putin to save face. That is some seriously good statecraft.
For the life of me I cannot fathom where I am supposed to be morally with respect to intervening in Syria.
FOR MILITARY INTERVENTION:
– Support the remaining moderates within Syria
– Support those whose families have been gassed
– Support the 1925 Geneva Protocol against the use of gas weapons
– May hasten the end of the civil war
AGAINST MILITARY INTERVENTION:
– Not supported by United Nations, or UN security Council
– Unlikely to affect regime change or install democracy in and of itself
– Teach the US the lesson is has never learned in 60 years that they are not the moral authority of the world
– May make the whole thing worse, as US intervention has in every Arab Spring country so far
Any suggestions?
Well, they are both avowedly secular republics ..
http://www.globalresearch.ca/wmd-double-standards-u-s-war-crimes-and-the-extensive-use-of-chemical-weapons-against-civilians/5348974?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wmd-do
I have not read this, but it seems very relevant to the question you pose.
https://store.globalresearch.ca/store/towards-a-world-war-iii-scenario-the-dangers-of-nuclear-war/
US Intelligence on Syria is being ‘politicised’ just as it was before Iraq.
http://consortiumnews.com/2013/09/03/should-we-fall-again-for-trust-me/
a helpful site, thanx
ad..you possibly left out as a negative outcome..as with libya/iraq..the christian minorities in syria facing persecution..and worse..
..should the american-supported fundamentalists succeed in americas’ aim..of yet another regime-change/country to loot..
..phillip ure..
And as a practising Catholic I took the Pope’s letter and call to fasting seriously. Just didn’t think it was appropriate for Sandardistas.
Ad,
Some thoughts for your moral dilemma:
When you hear Obama saying to the American people ‘we won’t put men on the ground’ This is being said to tell them that he is trying to ensure there will be minimal American deaths. Doing this, however, means that they will be bombing Syria from the air. This maximises deaths of ordinary citizens in Syria. i.e. not only will there be people dying from gas, America is going to extend the deaths and horror. Bombing also destroys infrastructure and the culture.
If America uses uranium depleted weapons, as they have done in Iraq then this will cause the deaths to continue for many decades and disability for more than that as it is doing in Fallujah. (Has America ‘gone after’ the people who conducted this atrocity; themselves?)
Do you KNOW who used the gas or are you only taking American Power Brokers’ words for it? Please recall the Weapons of Mass Destruction that Iraq didn’t have and how this was lied about prior to the Iraq war.
On that [false] basis America went into the Iraq war against UN conventions.
Do you KNOW who the rebels are and what this war is about?
Hint: read around I wouldn’t take the mainstream media’s word for it. (Recall what the mainstream media were saying about WMD prior to the Iraq war; were they showing both sides of the story or just passing on American power-brokers’ propaganda?)
Isn’t there something in the bible about lying and killing being a sin?
Would you support a cause that you knew the people conducting it had already been proven to lie about things in order to wreck another entire country, people and culture?
and of course..when assessing the veracity of americas’ high moral ground standing here..
..this video-report from bbc must be taken into account..eh..?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36183.htm
“..London Surgeons Help ‘Children of Agent Orange’
The Vietnam War ended nearly 40 years ago, but the casualties continue as birth defects plague the country.
There are claims that thousands of children continue to be born with horrific facial deformities due to the 20 million gallons of Agent Orange chemical sprayed by the United States.
The Vietnamese call the disfigured youngsters ‘the children of Agent Orange’.
Da Nang in central Vietnam is thought to have the highest level of congenital deformity in the world..”
the hypocrisy around this one is face-melting…
phillip ure..
++1 Phillip Ure
‘face-melting’ is a good word for it.
It is dreadful and hard to stand the double standards being displayed.
Even worse to bear is the thought of them going in and bombing yet another country 🙁
This is just truly horrific.
Yeah phillip ure………in Ho Chi Minh City particularly one just couldn’t be unconscious of crippled people. Then I realised that legs and arms connected at all sorts of unnatural angles weren’t down to accident or disease. Truly I wept.
Already happening Philip – attack on Maaloula follows similar attacks & kidnappings of clerics in Churches in Aleppo. Also add increased attacks on the Coptic Church in Egypt to Iraq, Libya & Syria.
“Men are apparently expected to wear black tie for dinner, and women’s attire must not be too revealing, the paper says. Stephie Key, 20, will have to wear more than the strategically placed food she draped over herself for a recent series of self-portraits at Paris Design Week.
Valets are on hand to help get the small touches right. The only time casual attire is acceptable is at barbecues, which are reportedly held every Saturday over summer.”
.. thanks for the hint. Much needed in the Antipodes. Carrying a tinnie and wearing thongs would not do. Expect an outbreak of royalist enthusiasm during the coming elections. Will Dame Edna Everage be in attendance ?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/9145281/Key-excited-by-invitation-for-a-family-visit-to-Queen
How does ‘Sir John Key’ sound ?
Slurring, arrogant, a bit squeaky.
Simpering, with a definite slide toward a ‘lithp’ when under pressure…
Something that you can sell to important people in the US when PM is no longer available.
Pretty sure Key intends to keep using the title “PM” in the U.S. after he leaves office, the way U.S. Presidents do.
His Lordship Prime Minister Sir John Key, the Turd.
Governor-General Sir John Key.
There, I’ve spoken the unspeakable.
I believe he may be trying to work a Spanish angle as well – Don Keyote of Hawaii 😈
It sounds awful… and should it ever come to pass, I will refuse to recognise the title.
“Carrying a tinnie and wearing thongs………” Hilarious !
Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the sham, inelegant, callow prick ends up confusing his many tikanga and spots the Majesty a kiss on the cheek ?
“Tena koe Whaea”.
No wonder Mr Slippery is darned confident of a good relationship wuth Tony Abbott … look at this nugget .. common denominator TEXTOR !!!!!!!! (How much power does he have and for whom does he really execute it ?)
“In the hours before arriving on stage, Abbott had closeted himself in a suite on the 34th floor of the hotel with the Liberal’s federal director Brian Loughnane, the pollster and strategist Mark Textor, Abbott’s chief of staff and the wife of Loughnane, Peta Credlin, and, for a period, the party’s former leader and prime minister of almost 12 years, John Howard as they counted in the vote.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/9144285/Kevin-Rudd-a-grandiose-narcissist
And when I got through that factoid, the reveal about their tactics is redolent of events here. Here be dragonz …
The Lib’s campaign like shonkeys in 08 was all slogans and staged events with little or no serious debate, a CT trademark.
Numbers were released 2 days before the vote with as many holes as one of Blinglish’s efforts and the MSM is by and large in behind anyway so only the Crikeys’ etc really dissected it with gusto.
It was all academic really, the Rudd/Gillard show had turned the swingers in the Lib’s favour and Rudd finished it off with a ego-centric campaign.
Key can’t wait to get over there and give TA some pointers he doesn’t need as the script is already finalised coutesy of the minerals council, Rupert, Telstra, Private school lobby groups, a few neo-lib think tanks etc.
The senate is very screwed up (more so than ever now) and is yet another reform area ignored by all so the Lib’s have their work cut out getting any laws passed.
I predict after the initial burst of born again energy fades TA goes back to type and starts bullying and shouting (just like the old uni days) and Turnbull and co start positioning themselves to take the crown.
Same dog different leg action.
+1
Textor is a pussycat compared to Labor’s McTiernan (ex Tony Blair). He devised the whole combative campaign for Gillard, Male against Female, Workers against employers etc. look where that got them.
Brownlee and co certainly know how to piss off pretty much every sector in Christchurch http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/9144599/Owners-riled-by-frame-plan
oh, except for those in his electorate….. funny that.
yeshe – Textor advises conservative parties (the nats and the libs) on both sides of the Tasman, as well as the UK. I you ask them nicely, they will probably admit it.
What’s McTiernan (ex Blair, ex Gillard etc.) doing now?
MSM says geo-engineering could cool the planet and a rich guy or corporation could try it with no regulation over the oceans. Seems to me somebody already is!
But conspiring? Our governments owned by corporations? No Sir, Never!
Chris Trotter in the Press this morning says basically exactly that about Tony Abbot’s lot and Rupert Murdoch, who owns two-thirds of Australia’s media. i.e. corruption and conspiracy.
Rupert Murdoch in bed with Tony Abbott.
Who owns the main media in NZ?
” Rupert Murdoch ✔ @rupertmurdoch
Aust election public sick of public sector workers and phony welfare scroungers sucking life out of economy.Others nations to follow in time”
“On Friday, Abbott said of Murdoch, who became a US citizen in 1985: “I’ve got a lot of time for Rupert Murdoch because whether you like his papers or don’t like his papers he’s one of the most influential Australians of all time.”
“Aussies should support our hometown heroes, that’s what I think in his own way Rupert Murdoch is.””
You mean Abbott who has the same PR advisers as John Key? Here is what Mark Textor has to say about his protege the new Prime minister of Australia Abbott’s victory was a historic victory; but his triumph over voter cynicism was his great personal victory.
And the same PR advisors as Cameron and Osborne.
He loved Australia so much that Murdoch laid down his citizenship and left Oz in pieces to belong to the USA, his real home if not his natural one as well.
Well not Murdoch that is for sure he sold his papers to Fairfax yonks ago
Is this ‘wrong about everything day’ or something? Did I miss a memo?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ownership_in_Australia
-“A preachment dear friends, you are about to receive on John Barleycorn, nicotine and the temptations of Eve”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g8OOoAY3X8
(no parking by the sewer sign).
Not if you are referring to my comment. I was referring to a comment from vto where they asked “Who owns the papers in NZ” It may have been a rhetorical question but if not I was just pointing out that Fairfax purchased all the Murdoch newspaper assets in NZ of course APN also own papers here but not Murdoch
Have you ever visited the planet Earth?
Firmly grounded mate. You should try it sometime!
Yes, but chemtrails aren’t real. They’re just perfectly normal contrails created by wing tip vortices and jet fumes. Please learn some science 🙂
😆 Don’t worry P, That aluminium, barium and strontium they are dumping in the atmosphere is perfectly normal.
For those of you curious to learn about the difference between vapor trails and the chemical trails here are some links to video’s you might want to watch:
What in the world are they spraying
And Why in the world are they spraying
on what world are they spraying?
1 in 2 Americans Have Doubts About Government Account of 9/11
“On the 12th anniversary of 9/11, a new national survey by the polling firm YouGov reveals that one in two Americans have doubts about the government’s account of 9/11, and after viewing video footage of World Trade Center Building 7’s collapse, 46% suspect that it was caused by a controlled demolition. Building 7, a 47-story skyscraper, collapsed into its own footprint late in the afternoon on 9/11.
The poll was sponsored by ReThink911, a global public awareness campaign launched on September 1. The campaign includes a 54-foot billboard in Times Square and a variety of transit and outdoor advertising in 11 other cities, all posing the question, “Did you know a third tower fell on 9/11?”
http://rethink911.org/news/new-poll-finds-most-americans-open-to-alternative-911-theories/
Sounds like crap to me. But for the record 46% of Americans believe in Creationism, 8 in ten Americans believe in angels, and nearly 100% of American pre-adolescents believed in Santa Claus. So big whoopity shit.
If 9/11 was an inside job, it would join a long list of false-flag operations that tipped the US into unnecessary war. Nobody seems to remember how and why Vietnam started either… That was over a load of junk too (so to speak).
Pearl Harbour: not a war, just a limited airstrike with no boots on the ground!
Obama explicitly ruled out an open-ended engagement. Pearl Harbour was definitely not that.
And with people like the ones you describe Pops…….any fuck’n’ thing is possible.
They’ll buy any shit when that hand creeps up over the heart. Doesn’t even matter if they’re completely wrong as to conspiracy.
Point is the US is a cauldron of craziness with the “American Dream” pretty much rotted…….then packeted up and dumped on the immeasurably weaker, poorer parts of the world, in bully fashion.
Thing is you seem to love that cauldron as something v fine.
Yeah, I don’t understand where you get that nonsense from me not automatically and simplistically frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog whenever someone mentions the US.
Two journalists have arrived on Christmas Island after travelling by sea on an asylum seeker boat.
It is understood American reporter Luke Mogelson and Dutch photojournalist Joel van Houdt were at sea for three days, and are badly sunburnt.
The Immigration Department has confirmed they arrived with valid travel documents and visas.
The journalist and photographer have spoken with federal police and once they had been processed they were free to go.
Someone on the asylum seeker boat called for help on Sunday morning, asking for food and water.
HMAS Armidale found the boat roughly two-and-a-half hours later, gave those on board food and water and escorted them to Christmas Island.
Customs officials say there were 57 passengers and two crew on board.
Van Houdt’s girlfriend, Amie Ferris-Rotman, says the two journalists are based in Kabul, Afghanistan, and were on assignment for The New York Times magazine.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-09/two-journalists-among-those-discovered-on-an-asylum-seeker-boat/4946110
Yes, but were they heading for Aotearoa/NZ ?
Did they intend to go via PNG, or Tasmania ?
We may have to set up a Coast Watch program ..
Six months in the Solomons with rations, binoculars and a radio? Count me in.
Amazing how attractive that job sounds when it doesn’t involve being almost completely alone while surrounded by enemy forces.
who are Imperial fanatics.
yeah, but that was everyone at the time, except the Solomon locals.
at that time?
fmr Axis powers aren’t quite so keen on it these days
The police are seeking to speak with John Banks.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9145958/Cabbage-truck-crash-closes-road
Heh Heh.
Very droll! Good to see you back, Jenny.
Apparently the driver was distracted by two men carrying a large sheet of glass, and crashed into a pile of caged chickens.
Australian stance on refugees explained…
“Born in Marghuz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Fawad began playing cricket for Swabi District in local competitions.[1] Playing as a right-arm leg spinner, he made his first-class debut for Abbottabad in 2005, playing two matches before being dropped from the side.[2] Fawad resumed playing first-class cricket in 2009, playing for Pakistan Customs in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, and later that year also played three further matches for Abbottabad. His best bowling figures, 6/109, were taken for Pakistan Customs against the Karachi Whites, in January 2009.[3]
Fawad left Pakistan in 2010, emigrating to Australia on a short-stay visa sponsored by the Yoogali Cricket Association.[4] Soon after arrival, he applied for refugee status, claiming he was persecuted by religious extremists for playing and coaching cricket.[5] His hometown is in northwest Pakistan, a region that borders Afghanistan and is affected by the current War in North-West Pakistan.[6][7][8] Choosing to live in Melbourne, Victoria, Fawad took up playing with Hoppers Crossing in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, and soon progressed to playing for Melbourne University in Victorian Premier Cricket.[9] Fawad Ahmed also participated in Melbourne’s largest ‘open’ T20 event run by Infinity Cricket in 2011 & 2012 representing the Western Warriors who were winners. He was named the Best Bowler of the 2012 Infinity T20 Cricket Tournament.
Despite having his initial application declined, he was granted permanent residency in November 2012.[10] Later that month, Fawad signed with the Melbourne Renegades, having been granted a special exemption to play in the Big Bash League.
He made his debut in the Big Bash League in January 2013, taking 0/34 on debut, and was subsequently selected in the Prime Minister’s XI to play against the West Indies.[12][13]
In five one-day matches for Victoria in the Ryobi One Day Cup in 2012-13 he took 10 wickets at 18.00. He also played in Victoria’s last three matches in the Sheffield Shield, taking 16 wickets at 28.37, including 2 for 79 and 5 for 83 against Queensland.
On July 2, 2013 Ahmed was granted Australian citizenship, clearing him to play for the full Australian national cricket team.”
I bet the interment camps are full of kids using table legs to play cricket now…
The connection is clear; Fawad comes from Abbottabad, the home until recently of WG Grace impersonator Osama Bin Laden. Abbott is the new Aussie PM and the Aussie cricketers play real Bad. Need I say more?
If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear
“Bank seizes teacher’s cash under terror act”
here’s another example of someone who had nothing to hide having something to fear.
http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/mistaken_identity_ticket_costs_brent_driver_600_1_926243
Every innocent person charged with a crime had something to fear…
It’s a vacuous/meaningless phrase intended to shut down argument like people who respond in an argument with ” oh that’s just stupid PC nonsense”. It’s not actually an argument
“When databases work from 100% accurate information; when that information is used in accordance with the original consent purpose; when processes work correctly; when outcomes are as expected for every subject in the database; then, arguably, individuals have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, this is a Utopian state that is never achieved in a real world system. We see numerous examples of this problem:
Take the extreme example of Khalid El-Masri. This German national was kidnapped, flown to Afghanistan, tortured and then eventually released when it was realised that his was a case of mistaken identity, and he was not in fact an alleged terrorist with a similar name.
In 2007, junior doctors found their personal information – including sexual orientation – published on the Internet in a web security breach. How many of those individuals were ‘outed’ as a result of that breach? Those who had kept their orientation secret from their families or colleagues were perfectly at rights to do so, but found it released anyway.
In 2006 a student was wrongfully arrested for stealing mail when a batch of letters were recovered. His fingerprints – which had been taken a year previously when he was accused of criminal damage but released without charge after the real culprit confessed – matched those on some of the letters. After his arrest it was discovered that the letters bearing his fingerprints were posted by him. He was released, and then had to campaign to have his DNA data removed from the National DNA Database.
Time and again individuals have been fired from jobs, or failed to get jobs, because of errors in the Criminal Records Bureau database. They have been stigmatised as criminals, even to the extent of being falsely branded as sex offenders, because of database failings.”
http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/the-data-trust-blog/2009/02/debunking-a-myth-if-you-have-n.html
My bold.
So, if you decide to change your life you’re going to get treated as a terrorist. Actually, why are they looking that closely at your life anyway?
Pearl Harbour was ‘just a limited air strike with no boots on the ground’.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/09/pearl-harbor-was-also-just-a-limited-air-strike-with-no-boots-on-the-ground.html
So was 9/11, for that matter.
No, that was a hijacking of four planes (One of which went up in thin air upon impact with the ground) by 19 evil Arabs with box cutters belonging to the ruthless al Qaeda terrorist network able to avoid scrambled jets for 1.5 hours and the power to break the laws of physics and gravity.
And while they were predominantly pork eating, booze swilling, coke addled, whore fucking fundamental Muslims from Saudi Arabia we bombed Afghanistan back to the stone age because their mad kidney failure suffering leader (also a Saudi National) apparently hid in a cave there and we wanted to free the women of Afghanistan form having to wear the Hijab and we didn’t like the Taliban either.
We never found their leader until a year or two ago or so and we killed him and chucked him in the sea cause that is what Muslims do apparently and we wanted to be respectful of their faith.
We bombed Iraq because their leader had nothing to do with 9/11 but he gassed his own people with the help of the CIA and killed about a million of Iraqis cause we wanted to liberate them too and while we were at it we liberated Libya at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dead people but that was not a bombing exercise, that was a kinetic military exercise and I think that is where we started to use a limited airstrike which by the way wasn’t limited at all.
And now we want to bomb the Syrians because they are bombing each other while al Qaeda mercenaries kill entire villages and make video’s of killing rabbits with poison gas while threatening to do this with Syrians who do not support their rabbitly fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam and Obama is trying to sell the West that we have to fight on the side of these maniacs while all this mayhem started in order to kill them.
Sounds mad? Well, you’re buying it. Not me!
9/11 in five minutes. Hilarious!
Do you realise that wild conspiracy theories are put about by world government to make idiots feel powerless and resigned, while at the same time destracting them from the fact the world is just chaotic, badly managed and generally quite boringly mundane?
So they can do that but not actually conspire? WTF? 😆
Obviously my sarcasm was a bit too subtle.
You’re wasting your time, Pop! 11 years, 363 days and still not a scrap of evidence, but that ain’t going to stop Ev. Gravy for the mind!
Building 7…that is all the evidence you need.
… that a building collapsed.
….by itself
…at free-fall speeds
It was hit by big lumps of the neighbouring falling tower, beGone. Not that confusing, is it?
@ TRP,
Since when has being hit with ‘big lumps’ of anything caused an entire building to collapse completely and neatly in its own footprint? There is footage of the building and it is pretty clear that it is intact just prior to collapsing (i.e. not chunks missing from it due to these ‘big lumps’ of building falling on it).
lol
yeah, waste of time.
“Free fall speed” my arse.
Bits of the neighbouring building fell on it. There are photos showing enormous holes in the side facing the Twin towers, where debris struck. It took hours to fall and was a worry to the emergency services the whole time. Falling down is a pretty likely outcome of having any even bigger building fall on you. No mystery. No evidence to the contrary.
@ TRP,
Interesting,
So the video of the building falling is sped up?
Is that what you are saying?
Along with the spontaneous-collapsing-building syndrome America appeared to develop that day, I have to say I have real trouble explaining away the size of that hole created in the Pentagon.
Haven’t heard any decent explanations as to how it could be so small relative to the size of the plane?
Planes have retractable wings now… perhaps?
Um, coz it didn’t hit the ground, but actually hit the building at approximately ground level. While flying parallel with the ground (think skipping stone). If you have a look at the wreckage of the plane that did directly hit the ground in Pennsylvania or other similar crashes, there aren’t craters like bombs make because of the forward movement of the debris.
Science, eh? Pissing off the ignorant since Galileo’s time.
Nah, is a genuine question, have never understood how that hole could be the size it is.
I understood the plane hit the building and that is the problem; there is no damage to the building where the wings should have been, nor was wing wreckage evident in front of the building in the pictures we saw. What explains that?
I imagine that it didn’t hit the building in a uniform manner leaving a recogniseable hole, BeGone (ie not like the imprint the Roadrunner leaves on the canyon floor after his rollerskate rocket runs out of fuel.). It’s just as likely to have gone in skewed sideways as it is that it hit fully frontal. No way of knowing, really, but to be fair, it was being flown by a suicidal amateur who wasn’t particularly worried about botching the landing.
Er, Coyote, of course. Beep Beep!
And really, TRP, it is simply stupid to be smug about ‘science being on your side’ in the way that you did there, it brings to mind people believing that ‘God is on their side’ when committing atrocities.
It seems particularly stupid in this case for me because the room for doubt was initially created by those with scientific training explaining in no uncertain terms that it is impossible for a building to collapse quickly in the way that all those buildings did on that day because this indicates that the lower floors are creating no resistance; this is impossible, that led me to have doubts regarding the events of Sept 11.
I have put these doubts on the back burner and have not drawn conclusions, however it really is quite painful to continually discover the more one reads historical events the more one finds America has behaved in highly dubious ways on many occasions, there also seem to be increasing numbers of people who were in respectable jobs at the time asking questions as to the veracity of the official story and claiming dubious procedures regarding the investigation afterwards.
Taking these factors, alone, into account one would have to be very obtuse to dismiss out of hand whether what we were told was the full story.
Normally, I wouldn’t use Cracked as a reference. But in this case it’s a thousand times more reliable that the “free fall” crowd.
@ TRP,
You really aren’t making as much sense as you probably think you are. Coyote? Beep Beep?
Strange
And this:
“It’s just as likely to have gone in skewed sideways as it is that it hit fully frontal. “
That should have made the hole larger and is not satisfying the question that I asked at all…far from it!
Thanks for attempting to explain it to me though.
Whoa, there! There are light-years between “not being told the full story” and “it was all a conspiracy by the government to fabricate an attack by using missiles, drones, nano-thermite and actors so they could blame Saudis in order to justify invading Iraq”.
@ McFlock,
Thanks for the link, unfortunately its not loading very well because I am on dial-up (too many pictures on the page by the looks of it)
I also don’t usually bother getting into these conversations because I realise what it does for one’s credibility, however, yes I am increasingly having doubts.
“Whoa, there! There are light-years between “not being told the full story” and “it was all a conspiracy by the government to fabricate an attack by using missiles, drones, nano-thermite and actors so they could blame Saudis in order to justify invading Iraq”.
I never said any of the second part you cite here, I have scrolled up and can’t find who did, however it does pay not to make assumptions re where someone is coming from.
I am somewhat averse to conspiracy theories, certainly don’t like it when people assume them to be true, (I like the way they encourage people to question though), however I am finding I am questioning more and more about what we are being told. It doesn’t seem very wise to assume this to be true either anymore. This is the trouble with crying ‘wolf’ too many times.
It would be good to be able to have a discussion of the events of 9/11 without the judgmental ‘tone’ that often comes about, however from observation this is what occurs when an issue gets polarized.
“And really, TRP, it is simply stupid to be smug about ‘science being on your side’ in the way that you did there, it brings to mind people believing that ‘God is on their side’ when committing atrocities.”
Well, beGone, given that you’re in the middle of committing an intellectual atrocity, I think its only fair to point out that belief in God, without evidence, has more in common with the equally evidence free belief in the other wacko 9/11 conspiracies.
You reckon the hole is too small for a plane and that building 7 collapsed “at freefall speeds” “in its own footprint”. Now you shy away from the requirements that if those two assessments are correct, then something smaller than a plane made the pentagon hole and that the lower floors must already have been destroyed for the upper floors to go at “freefall speed”. Then you have to figure out what was used to destroy those floors at the correct timing sequence, how it was installed by experts over months with nobody noticing, and so on.
By the way, part of the load time for the cracked article would be all the pictures of aircraft debris around the pentagon.
TRP,
Oh dear, you really are a moron aren’t you; asking questions surrounding an event is not the same as ‘believing in a wacko conspiracy theory’ nor is it an intellectual atrocity. In fact not asking questions is an intellectual atrocity. You never learn anything if you don’t ask.
For that reason I conclude only very ‘intellectually challenged’ people would condemn someone for asking questions.
McFlock,
You are tending to make assumptions and expecting that I am doing the same. I am questioning the aspects of arguments that conspiracy theory programmes present that I can’t honestly say I can explain away to myself.
If someone could explain these aspects away it would remove some nagging doubt in my mind.
I don’t have to go into how they could collapse at ‘free-fall speeds’ in their own footprint if someone can explain how this could occur…naturally. The ‘free-fall’ comment was one which was explained to me by someone who has a very solid grasp on physics and maths and is why I mention it, because perhaps there is a counter theory that can discount the seeming impossibility of that occurring, which as it was explained to me sounded horribly plausible (that buildings simply can’t collapse that fast without being undermined from below).
I am very aware that any program can present facts that make the argument seem watertight even when the argument isn’t. I have occasionally looked at webpages for and against 9/11 being an inside job, however it is a subject that has got polarized therefore it appears the information of each site is exaggerated either for or against the view that it is an inside job and thus, I don’t find such sites very helpful.
I will have to try and wait and see if the page that you linked to will load I am very interested to see the wreckage. I have only seen photos where there are very few pieces of the plane left. Thanks!
Moron? You’re the one with the comprehension difficulties and I thought I was playing nice by answering your questions. Sad you had to resort to abuse, but you’re not the first 9/11 frother to go that way when the facts are pointed out. Enjoy the anniversary; 12 years, no evidence.
@ TRP
Sadly, you haven’t answered anything as it turns out
“Science, eh? Pissing off the ignorant since Galileo’s time”
“ie not like the imprint the Roadrunner leaves on the canyon floor after his rollerskate rocket runs out of fuel.”
“Intellectual atrocity”.
Its more impressive to be able to take a bit of what you dish out, TRP
The assumption you make is that “the aspects of arguments that conspiracy theory programmes present” are presented in good faith and honesty by people who are sane and know what they are talking about. Not often seen on tv these days.
Heck, try wikipedia.
@ McFlock,
Nope, as I have already stated:
I am very aware that any program can present facts that make the argument seem watertight even when the argument isn’t.
What I was doing was seeking for some resolution to doubts I have had.
I found a more detailed answer here
It is well and good for TRP to state ‘there is no evidence’ however it is not very impressive that a reasonable discussion can’t be conducted on the subject. A link such as the one I have provided would have been more beneficial to achieve that end.
Otherwise those debunking the debunkers simply end up following the same technique of trusting blindly in the information provided and basing their arguments on hollow understanding. One must look at both sides of the story and find reasonable explanation for doubts, sarky adhominem attacks don’t suffice for a reasonable discussion of the facts.
Funnily enough I hold very similar views to Populuxe’s comment above:
“Do you realise that wild conspiracy theories are put about by world government to make idiots feel powerless and resigned, while at the same time destracting them from the fact the world is just chaotic, badly managed and generally quite boringly mundane?”
I think that the conspiracy dvd’s that cultivate the most fearful messages are created from highly dubious motives and seeing as they lead to a sense of powerlessness have concluded they serve the purposes of those already in power while presenting as though they are railing against them.
A reasonable discussion requires two competent participants acting in good faith.
People regurgitating lines like “free-fall speed”, “false flag” and so on are usually missing at least one of those criteria.
A reasonable explanation for many of the “doubts” raised by so-called “truthers” is that they are kooks. Looking at “both sides of the story” implies that each side is equally valid from the outset.
Oh, some of them are looking for explanations for their personal loss, some of them are in it for the money because fear sells, and some of them are just idiots who think the conspiracy theories are true because they are consistent with their personal paranoia about “world government” etc. Some of them might not even be known kooks apart from this one issue. But it’s still all bullshit that quickly descends into massive suppositions and a theoretical house of cards, just to support a supposedly valid “point of view” that differs from the massive amounts of evidence that a handful of hijackers flew some planes into some buildings.
…and in case you are interested, just found another site with an explanation on the size of the Pentagon impact
(You have to scroll down to Pentagon info)
“Why wasn’t the hole as wide as a 757′s 124-ft.-10-in. wingspan? A crashing jet doesn’t punch a cartoon-like outline of itself into a reinforced concrete building, says ASCE team member Mete Sozen, a professor of structural engineering at Purdue University. In this case, one wing hit the ground; the other was sheared off by the force of the impact with the Pentagon’s load-bearing columns, explains Sozen, who specializes in the behavior of concrete buildings. What was left of the plane flowed into the structure in a state closer to a liquid than a solid mass. “If you expected the entire wing to cut into the building,” Sozen tells PM, “it didn’t happen.”
The tidy hole in Ring C was 12 ft. wide–not 16 ft. ASCE concludes it was made by the jet’s landing gear, not by the fuselage.
“
Not a scrap of evidence for what?
There is MOUNTAINS of evidence for most of what he just said. Were you referring to everything he said, or just Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Libya, or Syria, or 9/11?
I was referring to the 9/11 truth deniers, Crunchtime. The various other saddo conspiracies are equally funny, of course.
However Obama also said it wouldn’t be an open-ended engagement, which the other two certainly were.
Which other two do you mean, Pop?
“Mission Accomplished”
I was assuming Pop wouldn’t be so stupid as to suggest that the invasion of Iraq was overtly intended to be open-ended…
Does raising the minimum wage cause unemployment to rise, another ‘brick in the wall’ which strongly suggests that it don’t,
”In Florida where voters approved an increase,(to the minimum wage),in 2004, a followup comprehensive study confirms a strong economy with INCREASED EMPLOYMENT above previous years in Florida and better than in the US as a whole”,
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/minimum_wage
As this is also relevant to the above i will post this again to aid in building the whole picture which has obviously been, (deliberately?),distorted over time by economists with a right wing bias along with ‘publication bias’ which i will address below,
”In Nevada USA where the minimum is $7.25 an hour the jobless rate is 10.2%”,
”In Vermont USA where the minimum is $8.60 an hour the jobless rate is 5.1%
http://www.newyorker.com/…/the-case-for-a-higher-minimum-wage.htm
Publication bias, where the media, controlled by the right, simply does not publish data and studies which do not support the views of the right appears to be rife when it comes to economics,
”Several researchers have conducted statistical meta-analysis of the employment effects of the minimum wage”,
”In 1995 Card and Kruegar analyzed 14 earlier time series studies on minimum wages and concluded that there was clear evidence of publication bias,(in favor of studies that found a statistically negative employment effect)”,
”Though a serious methodological indictment, opponents of the minimum wage largely ignored this issue”,
”As Thomas.C. Leonard noted,”the silence is fairly deafening”,
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/minimum_wage
I think you are in danger of your own publication bias. As Michael Saltsman points out about 85% of reputable epirical wiork in the last 20 years on the effect of minimum wage increases show a negatuve employment effect.
Card and Kruegar should be trated with suspicion. Their seminal 1992 study on the employment effects of MW increases was shown to be totally flawed. They got the data wrong – the correct data showed an unequivacal employment loss. I have attached the coverage of this by Saltsman.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130902_Full_story_on_minimum-wage_report.html
Yes i too often rely on ‘epirical wiork’ to make a point, are you drunk again SSlands,
i asked you this yesterday SSLands at which point you did a runner, explain this for me won’t you,
”In Nevada USA where the minimum is $7.25 an hour the jobless rate is 10.2%”,
”in Vermont USA where the minimum is $8.60 an hour the unemployment rate is 5.1%”
According to you this cannot be so, but it IS, not a result of some ‘epirical wiork’, but the real world fact,
Your explanation please oh economic genius…
Empirical work is the real world you dickhead
Yes you are right. The strongly performing Vermont economy and low unemployment rate is CAUSED by its minimum wage rate being $1.35 higher than the MW rate for the state of Nevada. It couldn’t be anything else.
Dealing with you is waste of time.
Haha, srylands, you’re a tard.
Your argument is that a higher minimum wage is incompatible with a strong economy and bad12
showed you a counter example which completely destroys your position.
Actually it can be if you don’t have public health care and the employer is obliged to provide health insurance
My laughter,(at you SSlands), becomes louder by the comment, you claim to be ‘an economist’ opposing raising the minimum wage, when called upon to explain real world facts as opposed to your childish economics 101 you resort to the pathetic,
Where have i suggested any such cause and effect??? i simply point out the obvious, i cannot be responsible for what from here seems like a serious intellectual disability on your part, i simply ask you as the economist you claim to be for an explanation,
The fact that you cannot give that explanation simply points to the fact that you havn’t got a f**king clue,
While you consider your reply also consider this in conjunction with the real world FACTS about Nevada and Vermont,
”In Florida where voters approved an increase,(to the minimum wage),in 2004, a follow-up comprehensive study confirms a strong economy with increased employment above previous years in Florida and better than the US as a whole”,
According to you SSLands jobs by the thousands should have been destroyed by Florida raising the minimum wage,
Obviously jobs by the thousands were not destroyed and actual FACT says employment increased…
I’ve never understood the reasoning behind the claims that business owners will employ more people because wages are lower? Businesses employ the least amount of people they can to get the job done, no more and no less.
On the other hand, more people are employed when there is more demand for goods and services. Creating that demand is a case of people having enough finances to purchase the things they require. Invariably, increasing wages therefore increases employment by increasing demand for goods and services.
A business owner doesn’t one day look at his accounts and say, “I’ve got all this money, why don’t I just employ some more people” if there is no increased demand for what they are producing. Instead they keep that money as profit while trying to get their employees to work harder for peanuts.
The reasoning behind the claim that higher wages will cause job losses is highly flawed. There is simply not enough available information from every single private business in New Zealand to show whether they will be able to afford the same amount of employees with increased wages or not. The increased demand for their goods and services and subsequent increased profit is obviously not being factored into the governments calculations.
Besides, the companies that do provide information about their finances are continuing to post huge profits, much of which simply goes overseas. Considering the available information, there is no evidence that increased wages will cause any job losses at all. It is a myth predicated by those who have a vested interest in keeping wages low.
nods head.scratches ear.
Thoughtful summary there, Jackal.
I had a similar conversation with a owner of a bar last week… he was stating that if he couldn’t pay the minimum wage, he wouldn’t be able to trade. I put it to him that when everyone is doing that you run the risk of customers not having enough disposable to purchase your goods and services.
The fact is, you’ve got to keep the money going round, otherwise it’s like a game of Monopoly. If you want the game to keep going, you forgive people their debts from time to time to keep the money flowing. If you don’t… you run them into the ground until game over!
open the Community Chest and by a Chance card bail out the Bank.
Perfect Jackal.
do you hire minimum wage employees..?..srylands..?
..or do you have shares in corporations that rely on those govt wage-subsidies for their workers..
..as a key part of their business-model..?
..in short..do you have any personal pecuniary-interest..
..in keeping the minimum-wage level at slave-rates..?
..because..if you have a brain..
..you will know that the fastest/best way to stimulate an economy..
..is to pay those who have least..more..
..for the simple-economic reasons that about 100% of that money will instantly churn back into the economy/retailers’ tills..
..you do know that/have grasped that simple econnomics-101-fact..eh..?
..so..?
..phillip ure
ha ha, you’re defeating yourself again.
You are very happy for people to be treated as a tradeable commodity, like plastic buckets produced by a factory somewhere it doesn’t matter. Capital is the most important thing in the whole entire world, labour is subservient and must take a position secondary to the needs and lusts of capital.
Tell me srylands, if you had to choose a world with no capital or a world with no labour, which would you choose?
While i consider Slippery the Prime Minister to be an ’empty suitcase of intellectual rigor’ you SSlands could only hope to rise to being ‘an empty garbage bag of simpering stupidity’
(a), you shouldn’t let your brain run ahead of your fingers, and (b), when as you obviously have your brain and digits do become hopelessly out control the Standard provides to you an edit function which even for one such as you lacking in the basics of intelligence should be a breeze to use…
Suppose it depends on whether you are dropping the bombs or being bombed.
Like as in “they” use snipers but “we” just have sharpshooters.
True… terrorists are bad guys… freedom fighters are good guys.
Let’s play CT spot the difference: from the Oz Liberals election campaign….from crikey’s subscriber service.
‘Abbott says he wants to be an “infrastructure prime minister”. More accurately, he wants to be a roads prime minister. The majority of the Coalition’s infrastructure spending will be on regional roads, which has always been the Coalition’s idea of infrastructure. In Mitchell’s logic, apparently, NBN = bad infrastructure, roads = good infrastructure.’ from Crikey and mitchell is an Aus Fin Review journo.
And who wins from the Coalition, apart from National electorates? The tax rorters of the novated lease industry. High-income earners via Abbott’s paid parental leave (PPL) scheme. Those Liberal Party loyalists, self-funded retirees, who might be unhappy about the impact on dividends of the PPL scheme. The mining industry.
So, the Coalition has declined to take any politically difficult savings decisions, preferring to target sectors with little political clout, or people in other countries. And it has rewarded its perceived friends, those who are already doing very well, thank you.
No one expects oppositions to sign up to a slate of politically suicidal cuts, but the Coalition’s priorities suggest the “tough decisions” it makes will merely be tough on those who pose no political threat, and that the “age of entitlement” is opening up again, after Labor wore so much grief for trying to curb it marginally while in office.’
Sound familiar people.
Slippery the Prime Minister is being quoted in the Herald online this morning as saying He has timed His next foreign sojourn so as to be in the House for the first Question time for Labour’s new leader,
i assume that is going to be David Cunliffe, and my view is that Cunliffe should burst the Slippery little shysters bubble by completely ignoring Him,
A better tactic for Cunliffe would be to deliberately target Judith Collins with all his questions for that day, leaving Slippery sitting in the Chamber twiddling His thumbs with the added insinuation that it’s probably better to ask the upcoming leader of National the questions than the out-going one…
Haha – good idea.
lol! But nah, it’d be portrayed as cowardice.
I’d hammer him with questions about his trip. esp the UN speech, tie it to his comments from back when Helen declined to Bush the Lesser’s adventure in Iraq.
Bush the Lesser lolz. The Shrub.
Lolz, Cunliffe could always slip in the line with one of His supplementry’s, ” i’ve got your number and will be dialing it next time i don’t want a question answered with other than froth”…
I’d suggest that the Cunliffe groupies might not want to build up their expectations quite so much, that Cunliffe may not be the messiah after all and to give him some time to settle in and deal with the real enemy (ie his own caucus) before trying to handle the most popular PM of the post-MMP era
But I’m guessing it’d fall on deaf ears
Here’s a small equation, David Cunliffe leader of the Labour Party= + 4% Labour Party vote @ 2014 election,
Result= empty suitcase of intellectual rigor AKA Slippery the Prime Minister= g, gg, GONE…
Heres something to consider:
Cullen, Clark, Goff, Campbell and Shearer were all defeated/seen off/careers ended/beaten whatever way you want to put it by John Key, hes formidable without a doubt
I’m saying don’t get your hopes up so high because Cunliffe may not live up to them…of course he might also exceed them
W Smith you are letting your blinkers get in the way of clear view of history. Those politicians were turfed out by factors far greater and more prevalent than merely John Key. They were turfed out because; one, they had been in for three terms; two, people were tired of the PC stuff; three, people were tired of being told how to live their life to such an extent; four, they were too bland themselves; five, on it goes.
To suggest that John Key alone was responsible for the demise of these people paints you as the groupie here.
Smith and Key
Up a tree
k i s s i n g
What utter nonsense Winston.
1. Cullen presided over finance in Lab4 before, during and after Key’s go at the portfolio.
2. Clark would’ve been likely been voted out whether or not Key was in the picture – the public had tired of her after 3 terms, as they’re now tiring of Key after 2.
3. Campbell? WTF?
4. Shearer was ousted from within. You’ve been talking about that for two years.
5. Goff you get. Beat him by a whopping margin of 10,000 votes.
Whoop de doo.
“the post-MMP era”
I guess that’s true for Canterbury and Christchurch seeing as there hasn’t been another PM since voting rights were removed there. Shows what an undemocratic piece of work Key is.
Most popular? Don’t think he’s ever reached Helen’s heights. Not likely to either at the rate he’s going.
Agree though about Cunliffe. Or Robertson, whomever it may be.
The task ahead actually has Sweet. Fuck. All. to do with besting John Key in parliament. If it were that simple, your namesake (or the ginge) would’ve been PM long ago.
WS
That “most popular PM” line is getting a bit past its use-by date – maybe; “once most popular”, would be more accurate now. Bush the lesser (hat-tip PB) had once been popular in the polls too, but not at the end.
There’s just one poll that matters, and we’ll see what that says by the end of 2014.
Love it.
Nice that he can fit an occasional visit to parliament into his busy schedule of international travel.
Then again he is the Tourist Minister, innit.
Bad12 you are deliciously much much badder than 12. Damn good idea you put up there. Will be an interesting day.
Norway likely to change government from Left to Right. The left government has been in for 8 years and doing a reasonable job and the commentator couldn’t state why that should result in change. My idea is that two terms in leadership should be enough, and that would allow change to meet the wish to see a different approach from the incumbents without having to throw the Party out entirely.
Mainly because there has been an increased backlash in relatively monocultural, monoethnic Scandinavian and Nordic countries against economic migrants from the Near East and North Africa, and as we saw with our own previous Labour government, there is a tendency to swing back and forth. No conspiracy at all.
Who said anything about a conspiracy? Have you a parallel universe going on in your head with two different thought processes? Quantum Populuxe1 and 2. What did Pop2 think about a possible conspiracy in Norway? Is merely changing the government because of perceived weaknesses in policy to be regarded as conspiracy?
Lprent – using chrome on android and keep getting an error message saying ive exceeded the crawler rate for humans when going back to the main page from an item.
Can I have the theme switch at the top not down the bottom please……mobile theme is pretty awful IMO.
“The “NZ’s not ready for a gay PM” is prob the biggest dog whistle I’ve ever heard. Extraordinary that it’s also coming from within the Party.”
– I’m not sure what Claire Currans background is but I’m guessing its nothing to do with career enhancement…
Last desperate dying gasp.
She hasn’t put out a tweet for 18 hours now. After about 20 tweets in the 24 hours before that.
I’m guessing someone had a little chat to her.
I could not believe her tweets etc re Robertson yesterday – but then again, I can…
When I read the link provided last night to her tweets, I also noticed another one that really stood out for me and left me gobsmacked.
This on 8 Sept (a quote only as I could not seem to copy it as I am not very good on Twitter things)
– “Will be reading TICS Bill closely. R there implications for NZ?”
Sorry, but “WILL be reading it closely” and “are there implications for NZ”. The TICS Bill is nearing the end of its select committee process with the report back from the Law and Order Committee on 20 Sept.
FGS Curran is the Labour spokesperson on telecommunications etc and while not on the Law and Order Committee, should have read the TICS Bill inside out by now and realise the implications!
+ 1..
..are you sure you are correct..?..
..if so..curran has forfeited any right to that spokesperson-role..
..and if considering that bill not important enough to bother about until now..?
..curran needs/desrves to be moved to the furtherest backbench..
..that is dereliction of basic duties of epic-proportions..
..and you hafta ask..w.t.f. does she do all day..?
…and should we ask her to write a job-description of her actual role/job..?
..’cos if not to be on top of/all over the likes of this…what is curran expected to do..?
..i’d fire her..
..and get someone who is competent/wants to do the job..
phillip ure..
@ phillip ure
“..are you sure you are correct..?..”
For the record, here is the link to Curran’s tweet of 8 Sept
https://twitter.com/clarecurranmp
The things you do at 4.20am when the wind is blowing and you cannot sleep!
EDIT – the link is to Curran’s Twitter account. The actual tweet re the TICS Bill is number 14 of her many 8 Sept tweets, scrolling downwards.
premature withdrawal symptoms
And now it turns out that the comments she referred to weren’t from the current leadership contest at all, but she implied that it was connected with the Cunliffe campaign as a deliberate smear effort. Shame on her.
She deserves her in place in Labour Party history as the first MP who has sunk to that level of desperation in this first ever leadership race. More slander to come from the ABC crew?
Unfortunately, the outcome of Curran’s tweeting campaign has resulted in Jenny Michie being stood down from David’s campaign.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9147668/Cunliffe-sacks-campaign-worker
She’s obviously “zipping it sweetie” at the moment – Kinda think she’s left that a bit late!!
Like our mate Takere the Shane Jones cheerleader. Not a whisper from Takere in the last week. Wonder who had a smoko-room chat with Takere ?
Good one bad 12 a republican politician visited NZ recently
Claimed that all republican states were growing faster than democrat lead states .
A complete lie the reverse is the truth.
REpublican states often have the “benefit” of shale oil fracking etc
Be very wary Poncekey
Is going to Australia to be reprogramed by crosby texter,
The lizards of Oz!
Then He is going to china to get a new coat of teflon.
Then off to visit the queen to line up his knighthood!
He’ll probably leave his old shed skin as a going away present for the Queen – Snakeskin shoes anyone? – there’ll be enough for a matching handbag, surely??
The wit on here tonight is great ! Happy to have the feast capped off by a magnificently shrew comment from that s(or)ry lands fulla.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/09/barack_obama_s_case_for_striking_syria_the_president_s_arguments_for_military.html
Another lie by Key
He has claimed that Helen Clark agreed with John Howard’s 2001 draconian conditions for New Zealanders entering Australia for work after 2001.
NO SHE DID NOT
See face book of ozkiwi. and
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/9140853/Key-expects-strong-ties-with-Abbott
Phil Goff earlier in the year sought leave to table a document which shows restrictions to future access to benefits and citizenship for New Zealanders living in Australia were outside the bilateral agreement. (Hansard 14th Feb 2013)
When is Key going to start telling the truth and how can we expect our kids to grow up as honest citizens when he lies though his teeth on the hour and the half hour.
um..!..half crown..
..i seem to remember st the time wondering at the seeming no protest then or later..from clark..
..at that tearing away of nz’ers’ rights in oz..
..do you have actual links proving yr case..?
..’cos an article on key/abbott and some hansard piece from 2013 about goff trying to post some papers on the record..
..doesn’t really cut it as a defence..
..and speaking of defence..are you really trying to defend the wholesale sellouts of that last l(neo-lib-consensus) abour govt..?
..i don’t have the time/inclination to list them all right now..
..but i am sure you have a rough idea of what i speak..eh..?
..this sellout of what should have been fought tooth and nail against..
..is just one of a long list/litany..eh..?
..phillip ure..
FYI
URGENT! Press Release from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright:
” Auckland Council must NOT act precipitiously and ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord.
10 September 2013
Press Release from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright:
” Auckland Council must NOT ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord, when my request for the LAWFULNESS of it’s evidential base for projected population growth is to be considered at the next meeting of the Social Services Select Committee, on Friday 13 September 2013,” says Auckland Mayoral candidate, Penny Bright.
“The Clerk of the Social Services Select Committee has just advised me, this morning, that my request for their Report on the following Petition 2011/64
Requesting that Parliament declines to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics’ “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans. ”
to be reviewed, will be put before them at their next meeting, to be held this Friday 13 September 2013.”
“As an Auckland Mayoral candidate, I hereby call for Mayor Len Brown and Auckland Councillors, NOT to act precipitiously, and to NOT ratify or be a signatory to the Auckland Housing Accord.”
_________________________________________________________
LETTER FROM AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT WHICH WILL BE PUT TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE AT THEIR NEXT MEETING TO BE HELD ON FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2013:
28 August 2013:
Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright: Auckland Draft Unitary Plan: URGENT ‘Open Letter’ to the Social Services Select Committee c/- Chair Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Members of the Social Services Select Committee,
Social Services Chairperson Lotu-Iiga, Peseta Sam National Party, Maungakiekie
Social Services Deputy-Chairperson Lee, Melissa National Party, List
Social Services Member Ardern, Jacinda Labour Party, List
Social Services Member Heatley, Phil National Party, Whangarei
Social Services Member Logie, Jan Green Party, List
Social Services Member Lole-Taylor, Asenati NZ First, List
Social Services Member Ngaro, Alfred National Party, List
Social Services Member Prasad, Rajen Labour Party, List
Social Services Member Sabin, Mike National Party, Northland
Social Services Member Twyford, Phil Labour Party, Te Atatu
Social Services Member Woodhouse, Michael National Party, List
Please be advised that Auckland Council will be starting deliberations on the Draft Auckland Unitary Plan, today Wednesday 28 August 2013.
The ‘mantra’ that the estimated population of Auckland “is projected to increase by one million over the next 30 years”, is repeated in the following ‘Draft Unitary Plan’:
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/UnitaryPlan/UP/Chapter%20A%20-%20Introduction/Introduction%20-%20version%203%20200813%20draft.pdf
DRAFT UNITARY PLAN
Introduction:
1.3 Our growing population
Auckland is growing rapidly.
Since 2001 Auckland’s growth has been higher than other regions in New Zealand.
The estimated population of Auckland in 2011 was 1,486,000 and is projected to increase by one million over the next 30 years.
______________________________________________________________________________
As you are well aware, the LAWFULNESS of the use of this ‘high’ population growth projection, I challenged, in the following petition:
Petition 2011/64
Requesting that Parliament declines to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics’ “high” population growth projections, instead of their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
I provided extensive, researched evidence, (as you requested),in support of this petition:
SUPPLEMENTARY EVIDENCE FOR THE SOCIAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE, IN SUPPORT OF PETITION 2011/64
Date: 14 June 2013 SUBMITTER: Penelope Bright
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Housing-Accord-and-Special-Housing-Areas-Bil-Supplementary-Evidence-13-Juna-2013.pdf
However, the Report of the Social Services Select Committee, did not focus on the ‘LAWFULNESS’ of the reliance of the Auckland Council Mayor Len Brown, and Chief Planning Officer Dr Roger Blakeley’s use of the Department of Statistics ‘high’, rather than ‘medium’ population growth projection, you focused on the apparent ‘REASONABLENESS’ of so doing.
“We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House. ”
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/0001725227
The Social Services Committee has considered Petition 2011/64 of Penelope Mary Bright, requesting that Parliament decline to proceed with the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill until the lawfulness of the reliance of Auckland Council on the New Zealand Department of Statistics “high” population growth projections, instead of
their “medium” population growth projections for the Auckland Spatial Plan, has been properly and independently investigated, taking into consideration that both Auckland Transport and Watercare Services Ltd, have relied upon “medium” population growth projections for their infrastructural asset management plans.
We heard and received evidence from the petitioner, but note that the matters she raised have been addressed publicly by the Auckland Council in statements posted on its website and issued to media.
The Auckland Council’s Chief Planning Officer has said that while Auckland may not grow by one million people by 2041 (the high-growth projection), Auckland Council is preparing for it. The city has historically met the high-growth projection, and it is therefore prudent for the council to plan accordingly. He said that the city needs to be prepared for, and
infrastructure needs to be able to cope with, growth. He pointed out that the “Unitary Plan”, which is a part of the Auckland Spatial Plan, sets out only rules for development.
We understand that actual development would be undertaken only in response to demand.
Regarding the use of alternative projections for higher- and lower-growth scenarios, we note that the council’s Chief Planning Officer has also said that it is prudent for the Auckland Council to provide for the highest likely population growth, and at the same time to be cautious to avoid over-investment. He said that the council requires organisations it owns or controls to be cautious about capital spending ahead of time to avoid high borrowing, interest, and depreciation costs, and that any underspending on infrastructure could be addressed through regular budget reviews and incremental expansion of facilities such as wastewater treatment plants.
The Mayor of Auckland has also said that using the high-growth projection was the appropriate thing to do, and that the council should not be too conservative in their assumptions about population growth.
We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House.
Melissa Lee
Deputy Chairperson ”
______________________________________________________________________________
On 7 August 2013, I made an oral submission by a telephone conference call to the Social Services Select Committee on the related matter of the ‘Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill’, and made the following points:
“You MPs are a Select Cttee of the Highest Court of the land.
Please be reminded of the Oath of Allegiance which you swear or affirm before becoming a Member of the NZ House of Parliament:
The Oath, in its present form, is:
“I, [name], swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.”
NZ House of Parliament is where the LAW is made.
Should I as a citizen not be able to expect that those of you who MAKE the Law – will uphold the Law that you have made?
Otherwise – what is the point of you being there?
What is the purpose of the NZ Parliament if you are not going to uphold the laws you make?
Why I am raising this is because the Social Housing Reform (Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Amendment) Bill is directly-related matter to the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill.
Both are based upon the million extra people coming to Auckland in the 30 years mantra, for which I provided EVIDENCE that this was not ‘evidentially-based).”
______________________________________________________________________________
I asked you to please reconsider your (above-mentioned) decision.
As Members of Parliament of the ‘highest Court in the land’ – how meaningful is the ‘Rule of Law’, which you help make, if you arguably do not follow it yourselves?
Please be reminded that the ‘Rule of Law’ that applies to the Auckland (Spatial) Plan, which the Auckland Unitary Plan is supposed to implement, is covered by the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0032/latest/DLM3338660.html
79Spatial plan for Auckland
(1)The Auckland Council must prepare and adopt a spatial plan for Auckland.
(4)The spatial plan must—
(c)provide an evidential base to support decision making for Auckland, including evidence of trends, opportunities, and constraints within Auckland; and
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please confirm that you will URGENTLY review and reconsider your above-mentioned decision,
“We consider that the response to this issue provided by the council appears reasonable, and therefore have no matters to bring to the attention of the House. ”
and base it upon the ‘Rule of Law’ which directly applies in this case, the above-mentioned Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, s79 (4) (c).
In my considered opinion, there will be a significant number of Aucklanders, who will be very interested in your response to this matter.
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption /anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11121991
“Aucklanders driving to beach homes east of Warkworth stand to cut almost 16 minutes off holiday weekend trips via a $760 million motorway extension.”
Definitely wins my award for most wankerish opening paragraph in the Herald so far this week.
+1
It is an argument without end as people will then head further north again, as they always do.
*head/desk*
*head/desk*
*head/desk*
The fact that Mr Key (and many other fat cats) owns a McMansion at Omaha doesn’t have anything to do with the project being greenlighted?
Sure.
Actually if I remember correctly members of the Executive Council can exceed the speed limit when they are on important business. So John could whoop up the highway at any speed he likes. After all its important to get the PM home quickly.
i had 5/10 cents worth on this little chimera..
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/ed-what-a-brilliant-deal-only-732-million-to-spend-to-cut-an-average-four-minutes-off-that-harrowing-journey-john-key-et-al-have-to-face-travelling-to-their-holiday-homes-warkworthomaha/
(excerpt:..)
“..(ed:..and ya gotta love the headline given in the corporate-media for this report:
..’not just a holiday-highway’..(ed:..brilliant..!..eh..?..)
..and a fact-check/correction here for mr/ms. sub-editor:..yes it is..mr/ms. sub-editor…
..it most certainly is..’just a holiday-highway’..”
..phillip ure..
And as Australia sets about to trash their carbon tax – and NZ becomes a “fast follower” of our trading partners with respect to tackling GHG emissions and our ETS is the laughing stock of the western world…
meanwhile…. In British Columbia …. despite a year long attack by the tories on the 5 year old carbon tax a recent report on the economy and its effects shows that it’s a winner.
http://www.desmog.ca/2013/07/26/bc-carbon-tax-big-winner-people-climate-and-economy-study-shows.
“Thanks to the carbon tax BC residents enjoy the lowest income tax in the country (not Albertans), use the least amount of fuel per person and have arguably the healthiest economy the study found. So much for the Tories baseless claims of doom and gloom.”
Thanks Ardern for your red necked, stick in the mud, troglodyte, neanderthal, stupid behaviour that led to the trashing of our Carbon tax…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3521866
I see that Key is off to stay with thea Queen for a few days.Now I do wonder if he will come back as Sir John . Do not be surprised if he does.
I see that Key is off to stay with thea Queen for a few days.Now I do wonder if he will come back as Sir John . Do not be surprised if he does.
wow great minds think alike down to the minute
Rubbish. He doesn’t have to go to the Queen for that. New Zealand honours are based on the recomendation of the Honours Secretariat of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Queen signs off. Most PMs get them as a matter of course unless they are staunchly against that sort of thing.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he scammed the NZ population to cough up to prop up Rio Tinto with $ 30 million of tax money and the promise to sell every f&*king publicly owned asset to her and her mates for next to nothing by bankrupting this country though an investment of $112 Billion in derivatives? I reckon he’s been a good boy!
But normally when they retire. And of course the Queen is at liberty to award an honour on the English list instead of NZ list.
You did say “…..Department of Prime Minister….” there Pops ?
Robbie Burns would have had something to say on all that…
“Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that;
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that:
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that:
The man o’ independent mind
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.
A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that;
But an honest man’s abon his might,
Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities an’ a’ that;
The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth,
Are higher rank than a’ that.
Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a’ that,)
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man, the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wOBcFt5tevY#t=81
218 years old and still as fresh and pertinent today as it has ever been.
Anyone any idea why Liz is requesting the company of John & Family at Balmoral.
According to media this is very very rare and apart from the British PM almost never happens.
The mind boggles as to what can be in store.
arise Sir Slippery
or maybe she is going to make him a baron, Robber Baron would be appropriate
or she wants some advice on investment??
All suggestions gratefully received
maybe key is making a deal to sell nz lock stock and barrel to the windsors..?
..’cos they know enough that they know they are going to need a bolthole..?..eh..?
..they could grab their armed forces..and decamp here..
..and of course any deal done by key/windsors could/would be enforced by those ‘armed-forces’..?
..or..of course..key could just be a fellow reptiliaan-shapeshifter..
..and they are just having a shapeshifting get-together..
..take yr pick..
..phillip ure..
More workers laid off…
They plan to import pens from South Africa
Time to start boycotting the companies that pull this crap……
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9147473/Bic-calls-time-on-NZ-pen-making
That would make a lot of things ridiculously expensive
so? You can afford to support NZ workers can’t you?
Look at NZ alternatives – Croxley is a New Zealand Stationary Manufacturer – I don’t know if they make pens in NZ but it is worth exploring alternatives.
Sorry to see Jenny made a scapegoat even though I understand DC being very careful.
Still only a few days to go
She would only be a “scapegoat” if the campaign had made that comment and she had been the one to wear the results
As it was, she made the comment personally and has justifiably been stood down as it was inappropriate for her to have made that comment in the larger context of being a part of DC’s campaign
+1
She’s a seasoned campaigning soldier who will be back for another political battle another day. It’s in her blood.
Indeed
But after actually having been made aware of the timeline of the incident in relation to the campaign and the role of Clare Curran in actively digging up irrelevant dirt to fling
*SIGH*
I applaud Cunliffe for making the tough (but correct, imo) decision to stand down Jenny to cut any ridiculous complaints off at the knees and I hope that she is soon returned to the front lines.
And I hope that if he becomes the leader of Labour that this example of his strictness with his own people is just a taste of how tough and controlled he could be if he is the one leading Labour in to 2014 and maintaining a laser like focus on the message and attacking John Key rather than this bullshit that Clare feels she needs to bring up to muddy the waters.
Seems this scam isn’t quite what it’s made out to be.
http://www.upworthy.com/half-of-us-are-victims-of-this-illegal-act-after-college-its-really-not-ok-2?c=ufb1
Kiwi Bank seizes teachers money using Terrorism Act
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9145872/Bank-seizes-teachers-cash-under-terror-act
Confidence inspiring – NOT.
Unlike the alleged chemical weapon attacks in Syria, there is absolutely no doubt as to the perpetrators of these chemical weapon attacks in Vietnam. Any plans to bomb their country? Just to send them a clear message….
London surgeons carry out life-changing surgery on children of Vietnam victims
by KIRAN RANDHAWA, Evening Standard, 9 September 2013
Ten London doctors have carried out life-changing surgery on children born with horrific deformities caused by chemicals used in the Vietnam war. Surgeons travelled to the country’s port city of Da Nang, where they spent two weeks helping Vietnamese youngsters who are battling serious ailments caused by the herbicide Agent Orange. The chemical was sprayed by US soldiers during the war, which lasted from 1955 to 1975. According to the Vietnamese Red Cross, 150,000 cases of birth defects can be linked to its use.
One of the London doctors, Niall Kirkpatrick, said Vietnam would “struggle with this problem for a number of years”. The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital plastic surgeon said Da Nang, in central Vietnam, “has the highest incidence of congenital deformity in the world, thought to be due to Agent Orange in the Vietnam war. If we had the same amount of congenital deformity in the UK it would bankrupt the NHS. The dioxin is geno-toxic so that once it enters the population gene pool then it’s passed on through generations and it takes a long time before it stops.”
The team, from Chelsea and Westminster and Guy’s Hospital, travelled with the charity Facing the World. Their latest mission, which was in May, is documented in the BBC’s Inside Out show….
Read more….
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/london-surgeons-carry-out-lifechanging-surgery-on-children-of-vietnam-victims-8804672.html
@ Morrissey,
Did the perpetrators of that atrocity ever have their country bombed the shit out of? Any geneva convention war tribunals? Anything?
Of course not. And they have not paid one cent in reparations. President Carter was pressed on that matter once, and he loftily dismissed the notion, claiming that suffering occurred “on both sides”.
…Yeah, I didn’t think so 🙁
(and reparations was going to be my next question! …)
Repugnant behaviour, America, Repugnant
And that’s without mentioning the continuing use of Depleted Uranium as a tank-zapper/ mutation-inducer. But that’s in no way chemical or nuclear warfare apparently…
Tired of having to contain your radioactive toxic waste? Just salt it on the ground of your enemies and watch their children become disfigured for your expediency.
See my above about the Geneva Protocols to the Hague Convention.
The US gave themselves plenty of “cover” over the use of Agent Orange. The US signed in 1925 but didn’t ratify the Protocol until 1975 & it was disputed until 1968 as to whether “chemical herbicides” such as Agent Orange were even covered by the Protocol (US being the main opponent of including it – naturally).
If only the United States – particualrly Professor of Law Barack Obama – would alow itself to be held to account in the World Criminal Court, precisely within the Conventions it’s bleating on about relentlessly now.
Hopefully President Obama’s impending defeat by Congress will strengthen the hand of the UN in generating multilateral responses and shame those who continuously expect the World’s Great Policeman to restore universal moral order for the entire planet.
Yep – but it ain’t gonna happen (and Obama was probably the most likely to do so – Lord help us in the future!)
@Ad,
Yes, it would create some real credibility for what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behaviour if the US and Britain would subject their war criminals to the World Criminal Court (is that it’s correct name?!). That this is not occurring makes any international guidelines a complete farce.
If all nations banned conventional and nuclear warfare in the same way as chemical warfare is banned then we will begin to get somewhere…
… you will never get the big boys in the playground to lead that though just as well they don’t need to lead
@Greg J
Isn’t the same thing going on with Uranium depleted weapons too; they don’t come under ‘chemical weapons’ yet?
Yes – DU & White Phosporus would not be regarded as Chemical Weapons unless they are used specifically for their chemical/toxic effect. DU is principally used for its kinetic properties & White Phosporus for its smoke and incendiary effects (incendiaries are covered by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons). Neither are classed as toxic. The Chemical Weapons Convention defines a “toxic chemical” as a chemical “which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals” (CWC, II). An annex to the CWC lists chemicals that fall under this definition and WP & DU are not listed in the Schedules of chemical weapons or precursors.
I was trying to remember the name of white phosphorous! That might be the substance that is causing those deformities in Fallujah. Horrible that neither UD nor WPh are considered toxic, it seems to me that in Fallujah the killing won’t stop for many decades to come due to their usage.
You have a lot of knowledge of those guidelines/laws, cheers for sharing GregJ, very interesting (and revolting, yet that is not your fault!)
“thought you had deserted us”
Like the living will of the legend of King Arthur, me 😉
Been sick, got better, and now ready for all manner of assorted f*cknuggetry and chimera.
Viva (R)evolution. 😀
Welcome Back 😀