“The arc of history may be long but it bends towards justice”
Martin Luther King
The dismissal of the evidence of atrocities committed by the Russian Federation invading forces as false flag operations committed by the Ukrainians themselves to discredit Russia. Or were faked by crisis actors. Is par for course for the blood thirsty partisan supporters of Putin's war against Ukraine.
But what I find most amazing about the pro-Putin trolls, is their continual assertion against all evidence that Russia is winning this war.
But the long arc of history may be shortening and the Russian military collapse may be quicker than even the most optimistic military predictions.
Ukraine retakes Russian-controlled cities and supply hubs in a swift eastern push
By Nicholas Slayton | PUBLISHED SEP 10, 2022 2:00 PM
Russia is pulling its forces back from several towns in Ukraine's east as Ukraine's counteroffensive made major gains in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian troops retook multiple towns and captured the cities of Izvum and Balakliva, according to local reports and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. In a rare admission of things going poorly for its forces, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed soldiers had left those areas and announced it will regroup its forces today….
"Collaboration "with the Russians extends to helping distribute humanitarian aid it seems
State police say a “reckoning” is coming for pro-Russian residents of “de-occupied” town
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) announced on Friday that it had begun conducting a “filtration” of civilians in Balakleya, the town in Kharkov Region reportedly taken by forces of the Kiev government. SBI agents will be checking for those who “may pose a threat to national security,” the agency said.
In line with the assassinations of officials within pro Russian areas who are suspected of being pro Russian .
Applaud this as much as you like, I think it points to a deeply divided country which won't be cured by war.You can kill all the Russians within Ukraine I suppose, but even that genocide won't solve the problems of Ukraine.
But what I find most amazing about the pro-Putin trolls, is their continual assertion against all evidence that Russia is winning this war.
Not coming from a military background, I consider myself unqualified to comment on how the war is going, preferring instead to focus on what I believe to be the causes of the conflict. The question of who will win I leave to future historians.
Sorry. This comment was not intended as a reply to someone’s earlier comment, but should have been an independent comment at the end of the post. I don't why this has happened.
Well….putin being a psychopath….similarities to his besty trump…so obvious (but with more vicious violence) there could very well be an extremely violent reaction from him.
So you think phone intercepts will all be critical masterpieces?
Things are going fairly poorly for Russian troops, with many surrounded and obliged to surrender, and others fleeing under artillery fire. The intercepts show something of their human side.
a tiny bit suspect?
Well if you're uncritical enough to prefer RT, these are probably too good for you.
I should think so – it is the organ of an enemy state, one that practices every political vice known to humankind from genocide to rape as a weapon of war, and it poses a real danger of duping the hard-of-thinking.
Things seem to have been going downhill in Russia since Gorbachev dismantled the Warsaw Pact and tried to introduce perestroika and glasnost. Then Yeltsin took over, dismantled the Soviet system, and tried to americanise the economy, at which point things became a real mess and Yeltsin took to drink. At that point it was thought that Russia was 'finished' as a world power. However the economy and living conditions seem to have improved in Russia with the rise of Putin, first as PM and later as President. Certainly, he has done things that seem pretty brutal, but he is a pragmatist, and one who tackles problems head on.
Things seem to have been going downhill in Russia since Gorbachev dismantled the Warsaw Pact and tried to introduce perestroika and glasnost.
Things had been going downhill in Russia for a long time long before Gorbachev.
By some measures, the Soviet economy was the world’s second largest in 1990, but shortages of consumer goods were routine and hoarding was commonplace.
You might want to consider the role played by Chernomyrdin – the scoundrel that did to Russia what that treacherous pos Roger Douglas did here.
Putin's pragmatism extended to mass murder and to genocide. Most civilized people find such excesses barbaric.
PS: Boris Yeltsin has expressed a belief that he made a mistake in appointing Putin PM. He knew that because Bill Clinton, when he met Yeltsin later during an official visit to Moscow, told him so.
It is disappointing that after all this time many on the left feel uncomfortable with criticising Russia. It suggests to me that some of us lefties either have weak foundation to our values or that some of us with a Marxist Leninist bent are now warm towards fascism.
I think it goes back to schooling. NZ does not teach history. Educated Americans all know about the European Spring, and the values it was about. The Putin dupes do not understand the importance of such values, and so are easy prey for manipulative entities like RT and the various Trumpist channels.
Ukrainians don't need to make anything up in respect of Russian morale – their recent territorial gains speak for themselves.
Of course, you are ignoring the reason I posted it, which was that Russian deputies called for Putin's resignation. This is normal enough for opposition parties (and braying media hacks for that matter) in New Zealand, but in Russia it's asking to be kicked to death in a dark alley – unless the opinion is almost universally held.
Yes of course Putin has many detractors- ….Vladimir Putin'sapprovalratinginRussia monthly 1999-2022. Published by Statista Research Department , Sep 2, 2022. In August 2022, over 80 percent of Russians approved of activities of the …
Even a worthless clown like you must have some idea of what happens when a state has total control of polling sources.
Lukashenko supposedly got 80% support in his last election, but independent polls put his support at 3%. The nationwide street protests following his 'election' were only suppressed with the help of Russian troops.
Do you find it rewarding singing the praises of murderers and tyrants? If so what in the name of absent gods are you doing on a left wing site?
I suspect you are right Ad. Although I’d hope there will be a poll out this week to assist the majority of Auckland who don’t want Collins know who we are best to get behind.
In an incredible few days the Ukrainian forces have liberated most of the Kharkiv Oblast, and captured and cut off critical road and rail supply routes in K'upyansk for the Russian forces in the east.
I am calling the Russians to have strategically lost the war now, with the result just a matter of time.
In what must be one of the most brilliant war strategies of modern times, the Ukrainians simultaneously lured Russian forces to reinforce the Kherson Oblast then isolated them by cutting supply routes and bridges to the area. The Ukrainians are performing a slow squeeze in this region at the moment, with the Russians slowly running out of fuel and ammunition.
But the brilliant part of the strategy was that it was entirely predictable where the Russians would draw forces from to reinforce the Kherson region.
The Ukrainians had been publicly announcing for weeks their intention of a counter-offensive towards Kherson. The Russians either had to accept losing the region or reinforce it. Predictably they chose the latter option. The Russians were never going to draw their forces away from the Luhansk/Donetsk region due to the strategic importance of those regions to them, and that they still were trying to take over that whole area.Thus, the only real option for the Russians was to redeploy troops from the Kharkiv region.
During the Kherson offensive, the Ukrainians had been quietly building up their forces in the Kharkiv region. Due to that area being so sparsely defended due to the Russian redeployment, the Ukrainians have swept through and taken Kupyansk, and also the Russian stronghold of Izium.
This has resulted in a complete routing of the Russians in the area, and a huge transfer of military assets and ammunition to the Ukrainians.
I am calling the Russians defeated now because it is going to be very difficult for them to keep their troops in the east supplied. And those in Kherson are cut off, and defeat is inevitable now. Plus there is a huge snowball effect in favour of the Ukrainians now. The loss of Russian equipment is largely resulting in a transfer of this weaponary to the Ukrainians. So, the Ukrainians continue to get stronger and stronger as the Russians get weaker.
Don't know. Autumn and winter are coming where things tend to slow down.
The only way I see Putin winning now would be to nuke Ukraine. But I think the west would have made it very clear what the response of the west would be under such a scenario.
I think that has been very obvious for a while, but with the slight caveat that income supplement was necessary to achieve that economic outcome. NZs scheme was #1 for discretionary stimulus in the world and our economic outcome followed from that combination.
Thanks Joe90 – a big rat for 'Covid Plan B' to swallow. Hope it hits them where it hurts.
One lesson that Klimek takes from lockdown studies is that there was an early window of opportunity when the virus could have been eliminated — as it was, in effect, in countries such as China, Australia and New Zealand. Had harsher measures been adopted sooner, and more widely, the pandemic might have played out very differently. “I think this is the big learning that we need to take away,” he says.
…
Lockdowns hold another clear lesson: they exacerbate inequalities that already exist in society. Those already living in poverty and insecurity are hit hardest. Guarding against these unequal impacts requires improved health access and financial safeguards when times are good.
And transparency is key, too: the public needs to know more about how pandemic-control policies are decided, says Tsai. “That makes public-health policymaking seem less capricious,” he says, “because it’s reactive to both the science and values.”
Had harsher measures been adopted sooner, and more widely, the pandemic might have played out very differently.
What harsher measures do you think the researcher envisages?
NZ and Australia were (and are) island nations – where it is possible to restrict border crossings – and, indeed, close the border completely – just by refusing permission for planes to land. They are also relatively wealthy countries, with a developed social support system – which supports people being able to survive without work. None of that is true for countries like India, Peru and Kenya – or even the US. Lockdowns are just not practicable or even possible in those socio-geographic environments.
What harsher measures do you think the researcher envisages?
Maybe greater restrictions on freedom of movement, as per China?
The author mentions repeatedly that (remote) island nations have an advantage.
It’s about trade-offs – a pandemic balancing act. Imho, NZ got the balance roughly right – others less so. Analyses will be on-going, much like the pandemic.
Watch this news disappear without trace (or never appear) in legacy media as the history of the pandemic is re-written to make it sound like the NZ response was a disaster and that National were right all along.
A very interesting article indeed. But I don't take the same message that you did.
To me they seem to be saying that this is not a clear-cut cost/benefit analysis – and that there is lots of competing data (including that fact, that absent a time machine, we can't ever exactly evaluate the path-not-taken).
There are costs, other than economic, associated with lockdowns. Which are, in any case, only as effective as the population are willing to tolerate (as we saw in the 2021 Auckland one, and the article discusses in Peru).
Also, subsequent hard lockdowns became increasingly ineffective (how much that is related to lockdown tolerance, and how much to a virus evolving to become more contagious, isn't clear).
The final 2 paras, I agree with unequivocally
Lockdowns hold another clear lesson: they exacerbate inequalities that already exist in society. Those already living in poverty and insecurity are hit hardest. Guarding against these unequal impacts requires improved health access and financial safeguards when times are good.
And transparency is key, too: the public needs to know more about how pandemic-control policies are decided, says Tsai. “That makes public-health policymaking seem less capricious,” he says, “because it’s reactive to both the science and values.”
From the evidence so far of Russian armaments deficiencies it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of the nuke delivery systems failed catastrophically, or just exploded in the bunkers. I hope we don’t find out. Already though, the decades of fear and anxiety over the abilities of the Russian Bear has proven to be wasted emotion.
A tad frustrating when Stuff's reporter is clearly more exercised by the name of a criminal gang in the middle of town, than the fact that a criminal gang is openly operating in the middle of town.
Gives a lot more support to the political desire to ban gang patches (and symbolism) altogether.
Expect National to make hay by coming out strongly condemning this decision by the Classifications Office.
And, it seems a strange decision. To draw a parallel: You can read a book about the history of the US Civil War which may feature pictures of the Confederate Flag – but choosing to fly one (regardless of your motivation – honouring a family member, for example) is a completely different action.
The decision seems pretty spot on (and rather obvious) to me. How can you argue that a term is inherently offensive, when it's being used affirmatively by those whom it is presumed to demean? The police would have to mount a much better case than, 'Look… everyone in their right mind knows it is offensive, so it just is, OK?', and the attempt to get the flag labelled as an offensive publication looks very much like a desperate sleight of hand to make their job easier.
Unfortunately removing nitrates from drinking water isn't easy, or cheap. There's also large amounts of rather toxic byproducts from the process that have to be disposed of, which again isn't easy or cheap. So the numbers get very large very quickly.
Selwyn District Council commissioned a report from global infrastructure consultants Beca which was presented to the council in late 2021, and paints a bleak – and costly – picture of the council’s options.
The report says if all Selwyn’s plants were treated “retrofit costs could be in the order of $322million” – almost five times the district’s annual rate take – with ongoing annual operating costs of $25.6m.
Price tags for three different sized water treatment plants are presented in the report. Construction costs range from $19.5m for a large plant, $10.4m for a medium plant, and $6.31m for a small scheme.
Annual operating costs run from more than $2.5m a year for a large plant to $360,000 a year to treat a smaller scheme.
The water schemes concerned are smaller, rural, or rural servicing communities so the costs will fall very close to the farms that are source of the nitrates. Going to be very interesting how the discussion develops around who pays some very expensive infrastructure serving some quite small communities, and the ongoing viability of those communities.
Queen's funeral is Monday 19th. A public holiday in the UK and Australia.
I expect it will be one in NZ too, though I'd love to hear Jacinda trolling the Nats by saying "after hearing recent representations from the opposition and business lobbyists, I have accepted their argument that another public holiday at this time would be an unacceptable cost."
Then watch National have civil war between ardent monarchists and capitalists.
Won't happen because the NZ public would ignore all of the dig-at-National subtext, and just blame Ardern for being mean-spirited.
Labour is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as the party of the republicans. Not a very popular position to occupy today – though in a couple of years things may well be different.
Are they? I think you are inventing stuff there. That's ok, but are you old enough to remember the flag referendum debacle, brought to you by the NZ grifter, one Jong Kee?
I am indeed. Though I don't recall Key ever declaring that the flag referendum was the first move into Republicanism.
Are you old enough to remember Helen Clark ditching the knighthoods – which was a massively unpopular move even within her own party (how many Labour MPs up to and including Mallard, have made it very clear that they want to be called 'Sir' or 'Dame')
And various Labour leaders since, declaring that they are Republicans
Labour leader Andrew Little, a republican, was hopeful of change earlier than Mr Key had forecast and said he would like to be the Prime Minister that led the debate.
Jacinda Ardern believes New Zealand will become a republic within her lifetime.
The Prime Minister says she thinks Kiwis will ditch the monarchy and become a republic in the next few years, but added that she "never sensed urgency" from people in New Zealand to make it happen.
“I’ve been very clear that despite being a republican, I’m not of the view that in the here-and-now in my term of office, that this is something New Zealanders feel particularly strongly about,” Ardern said.
I don't think that there is much doubt that the Labour Party (or at least the leaders) are Republican. However, being also practical politicians, they don't see this as a ditch worth dying in. And the flag referendum showed that poking a stick at this bear isn't worth the trouble.
None have made stronger moves toward republicanism than the National Party with Keys' failed flag referendum, cosmetic only according to some! Key himself is a strong americanophile with delusions of presidency, no matter his murmurings in public.
While Key left young Kiwis' travel and visa access to the UK dying embers in the grate, Jacinda Ardern's government has worked hard to rekindle those important connections. She has made no mention of her government starting a debate on the topic.
Yet it is the Labour Party pushing for Repupirikana o Aotearoa, apparently!
Individual leaders of the Labour party for the last 20 years have made no secret of the fact that they are personally republican – though they recognize that the rest of NZ isn't ready yet to make a change.
I linked to various quoted statements.
Of course, Labour is perceived as a Republican party.
Now, if you can come back with a rebuttal showing that Key, English, Luxon, etc are also Republicans, based on their quotes (rather than some form of mind-reading)…..
And, in any case, based on the rest of your comments, I should have thought that you'd be delighted that Labour are seen as Republicans!
I'll say it again, the only concrete move away from the commonwealth and monarchy was the $26m flag referendum run but the National Party. It is they and ACT who are perceived as republican parties.
Grant Robertson today is considering a day off for mourning, while David Seymour is adamantly opposed.
Useful link re-enforcing there is no republicanism movement in the Labour Party any more than in the National Party.
Keys thinks it inevitable, Bolger wanted it done by 2001, then in that year a National Party taskforce recommended a referendum be held when the Queen dies. I expect that referendum will happen when if National ever forms a government again.
Former National Party MP Winston Peters wants two referenda on this.
Simple truth is, you have sprayed a reckon here as you are inclined to do. Problem is, it not true and the case made since is flimsy at best.
I'm sure, given your assertion that the National Party is a hotbed of Republicanism, you'll easily be able to find them…../sarc/
And, really, describing Winston Peters as a 'former National Party MP' – is total desperation. He's far more recently been the Deputy Prime Minister in a Labour/NZF coalition government!
It is more that the idea of being a republic would be great if only it was really like a monarchy. Without actual professional politicians and the screaming lunatics like Trump involved. I have no particular liking for a monarchy. However I do find having a head of state with mainly moral persuasion and entrusted with the control of reserve legal powers that we want to keep away from politicians like military, police, courts, and the core bureaucracy a very useful fiction.
This has nothing to do with the personalities of whoever holds the Crown. It has a whole lot to do with making the use of crown powers by idiots and egotists in cabinet tenuous. A judge appointed by the crown can and will often put their duty to the crown and the body of law above that to the current minister or even parliament. The military will argue against stupid operations because their obligation is to protecting the crown and its subjects – not the cabinet ministers trying to use the organisation inappropriately.
Of course we do get some blowbacks the other way for instance only the isolation of the police from common sense and the political process could have caused the police in their foolhardy Urewera raids in 2007 – and their facesaving and silly prosecutions subsequently.
On the whole I find the fictions of monarchy preferable to what I have seen of the actual process of republics – most of which were modelled on antique political pretensions that should have died with Rome.
Still no links.
I've stated an opinion. "Labour is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as the party of the republicans." And backed it up with evidence.
You've stated a counter opinion – and refused to provide any links or other evidence. Either that Labour leaders are monarchist, or that National leaders are republican.
I know who's spraying around the reckons, here.
And, in any case, I still don't see why you have your knickers in a twist over this. From your other comments, surely you think it's a good thing that Labour is Republican!
",,, despite representation by the Opposition that another public holiday is unacceptable, we have decided that it is appropriate to mark the death of a much loved Queen Elizabeth II and the inauguration of King Charles III with a public holiday…"
Lets face it if the boot was on the other foot, that is exactly the kind of misrepresentation we could expect from the Nats. 😉
Bees also are a co evolutionary activator,flowering plants have evolved to match the Bee colour vision,what a bland display would there be for Hatch's ,Match's, and Dispatches if they had not.
Michael Laws has been called out by Guy Hatchard to debate on 'excess all-cause deaths' in NZ. Laws has basically called Hatchard a nutter. I doubt Laws will debate. He knows he'd lose his cool quickly as evidenced when he debated Joe Karam. Laws had Karam bundled up against the studio wall at one stage while pointing his finger and talking into Karam's face.
Yep, can't find the image I wanted, but this is close. I think Karam is crying. As to Law's ex, she was a body builder. She would have bitch whipped you with one hand behind her back.
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April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
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There has apparently been an official call for Putin to resign.
The more Russia makes use of its constitutional apparatus, the better, I suspect.
‘
“The arc of history may be long but it bends towards justice”
Martin Luther King
The dismissal of the evidence of atrocities committed by the Russian Federation invading forces as false flag operations committed by the Ukrainians themselves to discredit Russia. Or were faked by crisis actors. Is par for course for the blood thirsty partisan supporters of Putin's war against Ukraine.
But what I find most amazing about the pro-Putin trolls, is their continual assertion against all evidence that Russia is winning this war.
But the long arc of history may be shortening and the Russian military collapse may be quicker than even the most optimistic military predictions.
"Filtration " about to start
"Collaboration "with the Russians extends to helping distribute humanitarian aid it seems
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) announced on Friday that it had begun conducting a “filtration” of civilians in Balakleya, the town in Kharkov Region reportedly taken by forces of the Kiev government. SBI agents will be checking for those who “may pose a threat to national security,” the agency said.
In line with the assassinations of officials within pro Russian areas who are suspected of being pro Russian .
Applaud this as much as you like, I think it points to a deeply divided country which won't be cured by war.You can kill all the Russians within Ukraine I suppose, but even that genocide won't solve the problems of Ukraine.
https://thepressunited.com/updates/ukraine-announces-filtration-for-civilians/
link for above post
But what I find most amazing about the pro-Putin trolls, is their continual assertion against all evidence that Russia is winning this war.
Not coming from a military background, I consider myself unqualified to comment on how the war is going, preferring instead to focus on what I believe to be the causes of the conflict. The question of who will win I leave to future historians.
“The arc of history may be long but it bends towards justice”
Words. And though words may stir up the emotions, that's all they do. Words are cheap, but not necessarily true.
What do we lack that becoming a republic might change?
Sorry. This comment was not intended as a reply to someone’s earlier comment, but should have been an independent comment at the end of the post. I don't why this has happened.
Well….putin being a psychopath….similarities to his besty trump…so obvious (but with more vicious violence) there could very well be an extremely violent reaction from him.
I really hope no more innocent people are killed.
An ongoing tragedy….
That video with the thumbs up poster seems a tiny bit suspect…don't you think?
The 'dialogue with the wife an easy ..construct.
So you think phone intercepts will all be critical masterpieces?
Things are going fairly poorly for Russian troops, with many surrounded and obliged to surrender, and others fleeing under artillery fire. The intercepts show something of their human side.
a tiny bit suspect?
Well if you're uncritical enough to prefer RT, these are probably too good for you.
RT is banned in the 'land of the free'.
I should think so – it is the organ of an enemy state, one that practices every political vice known to humankind from genocide to rape as a weapon of war, and it poses a real danger of duping the hard-of-thinking.
By crikey, you've really got it it bad, this Russophobia.
Ok fuck off.
Russia is a mess. It's been a mess for quite some time, and it has got worse recently under Putin. Nevertheless it professes to be a democracy.
Let it actually follow its own constitutional provisions and it will free itself from nostalgic fools like Putin.
And RT is a serious threat – people like yourself have been suborned by it. Hostile propaganda is not privileged speech.
Things seem to have been going downhill in Russia since Gorbachev dismantled the Warsaw Pact and tried to introduce perestroika and glasnost. Then Yeltsin took over, dismantled the Soviet system, and tried to americanise the economy, at which point things became a real mess and Yeltsin took to drink. At that point it was thought that Russia was 'finished' as a world power. However the economy and living conditions seem to have improved in Russia with the rise of Putin, first as PM and later as President. Certainly, he has done things that seem pretty brutal, but he is a pragmatist, and one who tackles problems head on.
By the the way, i never watch RT.
yeah…..
putin a pragmatist? I'd say psychopathic . Very similar to…a lot of US and other World leaders….
Things seem to have been going downhill in Russia since Gorbachev dismantled the Warsaw Pact and tried to introduce perestroika and glasnost.
Things had been going downhill in Russia for a long time long before Gorbachev.
By some measures, the Soviet economy was the world’s second largest in 1990, but shortages of consumer goods were routine and hoarding was commonplace.
You might want to consider the role played by Chernomyrdin – the scoundrel that did to Russia what that treacherous pos Roger Douglas did here.
Putin's pragmatism extended to mass murder and to genocide. Most civilized people find such excesses barbaric.
PS: Boris Yeltsin has expressed a belief that he made a mistake in appointing Putin PM. He knew that because Bill Clinton, when he met Yeltsin later during an official visit to Moscow, told him so.
It is disappointing that after all this time many on the left feel uncomfortable with criticising Russia. It suggests to me that some of us lefties either have weak foundation to our values or that some of us with a Marxist Leninist bent are now warm towards fascism.
I think it goes back to schooling. NZ does not teach history. Educated Americans all know about the European Spring, and the values it was about. The Putin dupes do not understand the importance of such values, and so are easy prey for manipulative entities like RT and the various Trumpist channels.
Did you think it unusual re this 'intercept' that the Russian soldier and his wife were having a conversation in….. English?
I certainly find it unusual that you cannot hear the Russian that the poster is providing live text translation of.
You need to do a little better, if retaining even a shred of credibility is important to you.
True except…can you rely on either the credibility of the' intercept'..or the translation,from a clearly anti russian advocate?
I have a little Russian.
Ukrainians don't need to make anything up in respect of Russian morale – their recent territorial gains speak for themselves.
Of course, you are ignoring the reason I posted it, which was that Russian deputies called for Putin's resignation. This is normal enough for opposition parties (and braying media hacks for that matter) in New Zealand, but in Russia it's asking to be kicked to death in a dark alley – unless the opinion is almost universally held.
Yes of course Putin has many detractors- ….Vladimir Putin's approval rating in Russia monthly 1999-2022. Published by Statista Research Department , Sep 2, 2022. In August 2022, over 80 percent of Russians approved of activities of the …
• Putin approval rating Russia 2022 | Statista
Even a worthless clown like you must have some idea of what happens when a state has total control of polling sources.
Lukashenko supposedly got 80% support in his last election, but independent polls put his support at 3%. The nationwide street protests following his 'election' were only suppressed with the help of Russian troops.
Do you find it rewarding singing the praises of murderers and tyrants? If so what in the name of absent gods are you doing on a left wing site?
What's the latest on the Auckland mayoral race?
Is the rumour correct that Beck is fading but Brown is closing tight against Collins?
I suspect you are right Ad. Although I’d hope there will be a poll out this week to assist the majority of Auckland who don’t want Collins know who we are best to get behind.
Brown being close is a sad state of affairs given his track record of self service and division.
Lots need doing in a city that looks constantly under repair not destroyed.
Dunno, but Marcus Lush has stepped into provide some local colour for the Invercargill mayoral election.
I am calling Russia to be strategically defeated in Ukraine now.
Here is a good summary of the stunning Ukrainian counter-offensive.. Though, later reports I have seen suggest that Ukraine has progressed considerably further since this video.
In an incredible few days the Ukrainian forces have liberated most of the Kharkiv Oblast, and captured and cut off critical road and rail supply routes in K'upyansk for the Russian forces in the east.
I am calling the Russians to have strategically lost the war now, with the result just a matter of time.
In what must be one of the most brilliant war strategies of modern times, the Ukrainians simultaneously lured Russian forces to reinforce the Kherson Oblast then isolated them by cutting supply routes and bridges to the area. The Ukrainians are performing a slow squeeze in this region at the moment, with the Russians slowly running out of fuel and ammunition.
But the brilliant part of the strategy was that it was entirely predictable where the Russians would draw forces from to reinforce the Kherson region.
The Ukrainians had been publicly announcing for weeks their intention of a counter-offensive towards Kherson. The Russians either had to accept losing the region or reinforce it. Predictably they chose the latter option. The Russians were never going to draw their forces away from the Luhansk/Donetsk region due to the strategic importance of those regions to them, and that they still were trying to take over that whole area.Thus, the only real option for the Russians was to redeploy troops from the Kharkiv region.
During the Kherson offensive, the Ukrainians had been quietly building up their forces in the Kharkiv region. Due to that area being so sparsely defended due to the Russian redeployment, the Ukrainians have swept through and taken Kupyansk, and also the Russian stronghold of Izium.
This has resulted in a complete routing of the Russians in the area, and a huge transfer of military assets and ammunition to the Ukrainians.
I am calling the Russians defeated now because it is going to be very difficult for them to keep their troops in the east supplied. And those in Kherson are cut off, and defeat is inevitable now. Plus there is a huge snowball effect in favour of the Ukrainians now. The loss of Russian equipment is largely resulting in a transfer of this weaponary to the Ukrainians. So, the Ukrainians continue to get stronger and stronger as the Russians get weaker.
A good news report here.
And this video shows the rapid advance of the Ukrainians in the area.
An article here suggesting that the whole Kherson campaign was disinformation to trick the Russians.
'I am calling the Russians to have strategically lost the war now, with the result just a matter of time.'
How much time you talking here?
I can't see how Russia can afford to lose now…Putin certainly can't afford to.
Don't know. Autumn and winter are coming where things tend to slow down.
The only way I see Putin winning now would be to nuke Ukraine. But I think the west would have made it very clear what the response of the west would be under such a scenario.
An interesting piece on lock-downs.
Tl,dr; the only certainty is that countries that locked down hard and fast did much better in terms of health and the economy.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02823-4
I think that has been very obvious for a while, but with the slight caveat that income supplement was necessary to achieve that economic outcome. NZs scheme was #1 for discretionary stimulus in the world and our economic outcome followed from that combination.
Thanks Joe90 – a big rat for 'Covid Plan B' to swallow. Hope it hits them where it hurts.
What harsher measures do you think the researcher envisages?
NZ and Australia were (and are) island nations – where it is possible to restrict border crossings – and, indeed, close the border completely – just by refusing permission for planes to land. They are also relatively wealthy countries, with a developed social support system – which supports people being able to survive without work. None of that is true for countries like India, Peru and Kenya – or even the US. Lockdowns are just not practicable or even possible in those socio-geographic environments.
Maybe greater restrictions on freedom of movement, as per China?
The author mentions repeatedly that (remote) island nations have an advantage.
It’s about trade-offs – a pandemic balancing act. Imho, NZ got the balance roughly right – others less so. Analyses will be on-going, much like the pandemic.
Watch this news disappear without trace (or never appear) in legacy media as the history of the pandemic is re-written to make it sound like the NZ response was a disaster and that National were right all along.
A very interesting article indeed. But I don't take the same message that you did.
To me they seem to be saying that this is not a clear-cut cost/benefit analysis – and that there is lots of competing data (including that fact, that absent a time machine, we can't ever exactly evaluate the path-not-taken).
There are costs, other than economic, associated with lockdowns. Which are, in any case, only as effective as the population are willing to tolerate (as we saw in the 2021 Auckland one, and the article discusses in Peru).
Also, subsequent hard lockdowns became increasingly ineffective (how much that is related to lockdown tolerance, and how much to a virus evolving to become more contagious, isn't clear).
The final 2 paras, I agree with unequivocally
From the evidence so far of Russian armaments deficiencies it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of the nuke delivery systems failed catastrophically, or just exploded in the bunkers. I hope we don’t find out. Already though, the decades of fear and anxiety over the abilities of the Russian Bear has proven to be wasted emotion.
A tad frustrating when Stuff's reporter is clearly more exercised by the name of a criminal gang in the middle of town, than the fact that a criminal gang is openly operating in the middle of town.
The police, an offensive flag, and a new gang chapter's racially charged name | Stuff.co.nz
Is "black" not also "racially charged"?
White Supremist critics baulk at the colour reference.
Gives a lot more support to the political desire to ban gang patches (and symbolism) altogether.
Expect National to make hay by coming out strongly condemning this decision by the Classifications Office.
And, it seems a strange decision. To draw a parallel: You can read a book about the history of the US Civil War which may feature pictures of the Confederate Flag – but choosing to fly one (regardless of your motivation – honouring a family member, for example) is a completely different action.
The decision seems pretty spot on (and rather obvious) to me. How can you argue that a term is inherently offensive, when it's being used affirmatively by those whom it is presumed to demean? The police would have to mount a much better case than, 'Look… everyone in their right mind knows it is offensive, so it just is, OK?', and the attempt to get the flag labelled as an offensive publication looks very much like a desperate sleight of hand to make their job easier.
So everyone in the local town can call them Black Power N****s – and it won't be considered offensive?
Nitrate levels in Canterbury water have reached / exceeded MAV and Councils are having to grapple with what to do about it.
Unfortunately removing nitrates from drinking water isn't easy, or cheap. There's also large amounts of rather toxic byproducts from the process that have to be disposed of, which again isn't easy or cheap. So the numbers get very large very quickly.
The water schemes concerned are smaller, rural, or rural servicing communities so the costs will fall very close to the farms that are source of the nitrates. Going to be very interesting how the discussion develops around who pays some very expensive infrastructure serving some quite small communities, and the ongoing viability of those communities.
Dude's a prick.
https://twitter.com/BBCLauraKT/status/1568571047892459523
https://twitter.com/theactualemma/status/1568587704744689664
Queen's funeral is Monday 19th. A public holiday in the UK and Australia.
I expect it will be one in NZ too, though I'd love to hear Jacinda trolling the Nats by saying "after hearing recent representations from the opposition and business lobbyists, I have accepted their argument that another public holiday at this time would be an unacceptable cost."
Then watch National have civil war between ardent monarchists and capitalists.
Won't happen, but would be fun.
Won't happen because the NZ public would ignore all of the dig-at-National subtext, and just blame Ardern for being mean-spirited.
Labour is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as the party of the republicans. Not a very popular position to occupy today – though in a couple of years things may well be different.
Are they? I think you are inventing stuff there. That's ok, but are you old enough to remember the flag referendum debacle, brought to you by the NZ grifter, one Jong Kee?
I am indeed. Though I don't recall Key ever declaring that the flag referendum was the first move into Republicanism.
Are you old enough to remember Helen Clark ditching the knighthoods – which was a massively unpopular move even within her own party (how many Labour MPs up to and including Mallard, have made it very clear that they want to be called 'Sir' or 'Dame')
And various Labour leaders since, declaring that they are Republicans
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-a-republic-not-in-my-lifetime-key-predicts/NUGD4XFKSNNTG6V2JG53RKHQ4U/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/jacinda-ardern-believes-new-zealand-will-become-a-republic-in-her-lifetime/362XBOZCWKWZMIVGFDMLNF2RZM/
I don't think that there is much doubt that the Labour Party (or at least the leaders) are Republican. However, being also practical politicians, they don't see this as a ditch worth dying in. And the flag referendum showed that poking a stick at this bear isn't worth the trouble.
None have made stronger moves toward republicanism than the National Party with Keys' failed flag referendum, cosmetic only according to some! Key himself is a strong americanophile with delusions of presidency, no matter his murmurings in public.
While Key left young Kiwis' travel and visa access to the UK dying embers in the grate, Jacinda Ardern's government has worked hard to rekindle those important connections. She has made no mention of her government starting a debate on the topic.
Yet it is the Labour Party pushing for Repupirikana o Aotearoa, apparently!
Individual leaders of the Labour party for the last 20 years have made no secret of the fact that they are personally republican – though they recognize that the rest of NZ isn't ready yet to make a change.
I linked to various quoted statements.
Of course, Labour is perceived as a Republican party.
Now, if you can come back with a rebuttal showing that Key, English, Luxon, etc are also Republicans, based on their quotes (rather than some form of mind-reading)…..
And, in any case, based on the rest of your comments, I should have thought that you'd be delighted that Labour are seen as Republicans!
Perceived by who, you? That's projection.
I'll say it again, the only concrete move away from the commonwealth and monarchy was the $26m flag referendum run but the National Party. It is they and ACT who are perceived as republican parties.
Grant Robertson today is considering a day off for mourning, while David Seymour is adamantly opposed.
Still waiting for the links to Republican opinions from the right-wing leaders……
And a link giving a summary of the republican views of NZ political party leaders…. pretty much supporting what I said.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism_in_New_Zealand#Labour
I think any projection, here, is coming from you.
Useful link re-enforcing there is no republicanism movement in the Labour Party any more than in the National Party.
Keys thinks it inevitable, Bolger wanted it done by 2001, then in that year a National Party taskforce recommended a referendum be held when the Queen dies. I expect that referendum will happen when if National ever forms a government again.
Former National Party MP Winston Peters wants two referenda on this.
Simple truth is, you have sprayed a reckon here as you are inclined to do. Problem is, it not true and the case made since is flimsy at best.
Still waiting for the links.
I'm sure, given your assertion that the National Party is a hotbed of Republicanism, you'll easily be able to find them…../sarc/
And, really, describing Winston Peters as a 'former National Party MP' – is total desperation. He's far more recently been the Deputy Prime Minister in a Labour/NZF coalition government!
I'm not saying that. I'm pushing back on your claim the Labour Party is a hotbed of Republicanism. You invented this.
Fact is, there is no real push by any party for change…
…except for John Keys flag debacle which was the only active move in that direction.
It’s ok to be wrong.
It is more that the idea of being a republic would be great if only it was really like a monarchy. Without actual professional politicians and the screaming lunatics like Trump involved. I have no particular liking for a monarchy. However I do find having a head of state with mainly moral persuasion and entrusted with the control of reserve legal powers that we want to keep away from politicians like military, police, courts, and the core bureaucracy a very useful fiction.
This has nothing to do with the personalities of whoever holds the Crown. It has a whole lot to do with making the use of crown powers by idiots and egotists in cabinet tenuous. A judge appointed by the crown can and will often put their duty to the crown and the body of law above that to the current minister or even parliament. The military will argue against stupid operations because their obligation is to protecting the crown and its subjects – not the cabinet ministers trying to use the organisation inappropriately.
Of course we do get some blowbacks the other way for instance only the isolation of the police from common sense and the political process could have caused the police in their foolhardy Urewera raids in 2007 – and their facesaving and silly prosecutions subsequently.
On the whole I find the fictions of monarchy preferable to what I have seen of the actual process of republics – most of which were modelled on antique political pretensions that should have died with Rome.
Still no links.
I've stated an opinion. "Labour is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as the party of the republicans." And backed it up with evidence.
You've stated a counter opinion – and refused to provide any links or other evidence. Either that Labour leaders are monarchist, or that National leaders are republican.
I know who's spraying around the reckons, here.
And, in any case, I still don't see why you have your knickers in a twist over this. From your other comments, surely you think it's a good thing that Labour is Republican!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129867823/republicanism-not-on-jacinda-arderns-agenda–even-if-its-inevitable
What Ardern could do is say:
",,, despite representation by the Opposition that another public holiday is unacceptable, we have decided that it is appropriate to mark the death of a much loved Queen Elizabeth II and the inauguration of King Charles III with a public holiday…"
Lets face it if the boot was on the other foot, that is exactly the kind of misrepresentation we could expect from the Nats. 😉
Bees are psychopomps (ψυχοπομπός, the guide of souls) so they're in the loop.
https://twitter.com/MailOnline/status/1568507298238136321
Bees also are a co evolutionary activator,flowering plants have evolved to match the Bee colour vision,what a bland display would there be for Hatch's ,Match's, and Dispatches if they had not.
https://twitter.com/LChittka/status/1565407315402039296?cxt=HHwWgICxtZrquLkrAAAA
Michael Laws has been called out by Guy Hatchard to debate on 'excess all-cause deaths' in NZ. Laws has basically called Hatchard a nutter. I doubt Laws will debate. He knows he'd lose his cool quickly as evidenced when he debated Joe Karam. Laws had Karam bundled up against the studio wall at one stage while pointing his finger and talking into Karam's face.
https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/guy-hatchard-what-should-matter-in-journalism/
'Laws had Karam bundled up against the studio wall at one stage while pointing his finger and talking into Karam's face.'
Amazing, aggressive ex AB….'stood over' by wimp who used to get beaten up by…his missus!
Yep, can't find the image I wanted, but this is close. I think Karam is crying. As to Law's ex, she was a body builder. She would have bitch whipped you with one hand behind her back.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4000666/Laws-and-Karam-lock-horns-over-Bain-killings
Don't know why this came up today, but this series of tweets about people protesting Trump is superb 😂
https://twitter.com/math_sonnets/status/1568575681453346818
https://twitter.com/MDayne/status/1568715825334616064
https://twitter.com/Trump_Detester/status/1567963407034236928
"The country's water services could be privately managed under the Three Waters shake-up despite the Government's commitment against privatisation.
The reforms would allow services to be contracted out – a practice critics describe as "de facto privatisation".
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018858368/three-waters-shake-up-could-still-see-water-privately-managed