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notices and features - Date published:
6:00 am, October 11th, 2023 - 49 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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It's been so exciting watching National & Labour do Trumpism at each other:
Yeah, but why would either party want informed voters?? Surely the system was designed for mass entertainment. As long as both teams provide it, democracy facilitates our corporate msm.
EU creates rules for AI:
The spectre of Big Sister looms. She will be recording your location and behaviour in the most public arenas of life in Aotearoa in x years, where x most likely lies in the range of 10-20 years. Are you concerned by this? X will be influenced by mass naughtiness – the more of that, the less x will become.
We're looking at the relation between potential and reality here. If necessary, adopt a Bohmian view: the universe produces reality from the realm of potential, so things happen naturally. Gaia provides our deep operational context, which physicists interpret on the basis of the potential/actual dyad, so we got solid ground for deep Green.
So our trending societal curve encompasses high tech, it's interface with politics, on the basis of natural philosophy. Recall that natural philosophy became science in the 19th century when the word scientist was invented (1838 I vaguely recall). The politics of AI gives Green politicians the opportunities to hit the inside lane – too bad they remain mired in pale/medium Green thinking…
New Guardian poll:
Labour's dead-cat bounce comes in at around 2/3%. Credit the PM for being gung ho.
They also reported this:
So you can see the will of the people: none of the above, thanks. We're quite happy milling around in the center of the paddock, doan wanna go nowhere…
"So you can see the will of the people: none of the above, thanks. We're quite happy milling around in the center of the paddock, doan wanna go nowhere…"
So you can see the will of the people (in aggregate); none of the above, thanks. We don't want to go where they are leading.
So. Who would you like to lead ? An honest question…as Ive seen mainly the other side of neutral..if not negative..on all of them ?
Edit : and by that I mean incl /also Labour and Nats etc etc : )
Thought that was self evident…there are two (major) parties, one of which will set the path the country will take for the follwing 3 years and neither of those is acceptable to the majority of the voting base.
The likes of the Greens and Act will slightly colour that direction but only slightly….and NZFirst is a middle finger to all of them.
They all have feet of clay.
Well….not quite so self evident as you presumed. And you still never said…
Ok. fair enough…I will take that as no one fits your criteria.
you appear to be getting it…but its not MY criteria, its a poll of the (potentially) voting public.
Yeah, a snap-shot of that in real-time. Proximity to voting day is the point they seem to be making. Yet even in this tight race, sheeple may stampede in reaction to any msm report of poll results.
The Soros reflexivity principle is at play in our democracy game. Just like Lange's market reef-fish spin on a dime.
Lol. I specifically asked you ! IMO Seems you would sooner snipe from a tower. At all the Political names.
Its a choice I suppose.
I will keep that in mind.
" I specifically asked you ! IMO Seems you would sooner snipe from a tower. At all the Political names."
I make no secret of that…and it would appear that the sentiment is quite widespread.
Non Partisan? Yeah Riight
Jim Grenon is another publicity-shy promoter.
And some others who are a bit shy about how much they are funding
The left block has 55 seats ACT National 54 NZ first with 11 seats.looks like no tax cuts.Guardian Poll.Big Drop for the right block if it plays out to be true.Winston will be wagging Nationals policy.
That's a fascinating bit from the Guardian poll. Without NZF, the left is ahead! This is by no means over, don't let yourselves be fooled that it is! ✊
I'm no great fan of Ryan Bridge but this morning on TV3 he did his job well.
The question was clear, the answers were not. Repeatedly asked to accept that 2 +2 is 4 not 5, Luxon did what he always does: bluster. Even Bridge got frustrated with the feeble non-answers.
Luxon is simply not up to the job. Win or lose, he'll be dumped by the Nats.
Election 2023: Christopher Luxon grilled by AM's Ryan Bridge on whether beneficiaries will be better off under National or Labour | Newshub
Absolutely. Chris Luxon seems increasingly more appalling as time goes on…
Win or lose, he has to go, be rolled by his own party. He with his shitty thinking on benefits and disability and also issues related to LGBTQIA+ and so on, has to go — absolutely.
He's just plain feckless.
Looks like Bridge so much wanted the satisfaction of knowing that beneficiaries would be worse off, that he forgot that Luxon couldn't say it out loud.
Strange take. Did you watch the interview? He wanted answers.
I did. My dislike of Bridge may have got the better of me though.
That dinosaur bit at the end was a bit weird… I heard Luxon say "Oh God", which is a bit blasphemous.
How the fuck can he pretend otherwise?
/boggle
Get
Our CountryUnearned LandLORD Income Back on TrackHow very National in deed – self-serving scammers absolutely in thrall to Mammon.
Luxon's "new favourite dinosaur"? "The TaxReliefosaurus" – except it's not new, is it Chris?
And put upward ‘pressure’ on landLORD income – Nat hands are ‘tied’ buy big donors.
Party Vote Green – https://www.greens.org.nz/ending_poverty_together
Could Labour's likely future leader get booted from parliament? Yes, according to Toby Manhire: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/11-10-2023/who-is-in-and-who-is-out-based-on-the-latest-polls-and-a-bit-of-guesswork
His comprehensive analysis looks like hard work done, so credit to him for not being lazy. Seems a sensible method too. If the voters remain consistent to that polling trend and McAnulty gets sent on a holiday Labour will seem bereft! I suspect though that their dead cat bounce will give him a lifeline.
[Mod note:
Yet again, your wheels are spinning on the slippery slope of your own concocted click bait. The relevant paragraph from your link is this:
In any case, Labour won’t seem as ‘bereft’ as NZF when they lost all their 9 MPs and got booted from Parliament altogether in 2020. Nice try though to stir up negative emotions in others.
In addition, you failed yet again to indicate that you had modified the text of your copypasta. This lazy and manipulative behaviour must stop.
No more warnings!]
Dennis… I don't enjoy reading your missives on this site because you frequently in your zeal to be critical of Labour etc, you forget to include the good sides of what it means to have a government like that in power.
It is pretty hardgoing under Labour, speaking as a disabled person on the benefit, yes, HOWEVER, it DOES NOT try to instil a culture of fear and hatred of beneficiaries compared to National and others.
Any serious type of left-wing thinking will have to take that into account.
I also do not like your missives (or similar missives by others) for another reason, it dampens anyone's enthusiasm for contributing to any momentum LAB/GRN/TPM might have.
An addition of GRN/TPM would make an immense amount of difference to people on benefits' lives, it's not even funny.
Have some heart and please stop stoking depression and fear in your posts.
Besides, I would take LAB/GRN/TPM everytime and anyday. It's truly needed for these times.
Well I sympathise but am sorry you feel that way when I simply write what my conscience requires me to write. I strongly believe realism is the best way to introduce common sense into political commentary. You could even describe my motivation as a sense of duty – to do public service via consciousness-raising.
What you need to do is accept responsibility for your feelings rather than blame someone else. Has it occurred to you that anyone can modify their feelings?
Stop being so condescending. RoG shared their lived experience as a part of a minority group (disabled person on a benefit) that has been absolutely demonised and trashed by the Right historically and through this election campaign. Who do you think you are, telling RoG to "accept responsibility for [their] feelings" – how about you accept responsibility for being patronising and quite frankly insulting? Also, stop positioning yourself as the world-weary voice of reason – it’s tiresome.
Get over yourself. Anyone who has suffered trauma has a natural right to acknowledge the same in others. Do try to get a grip, huh? You know, act like a human. You can do it if you try!
What a ridiculous comment. You clearly are angry and don't like being challenged. Does it threaten your fragile ego?
When people misread online discourse & imput characterisations onto others wrongly, those others will respond by pointing out those errors. The process is entirely natural. Identity politics.
It's just that you seem unwilling to factor in the effects on other readers when you personalise your commentary. It shifts the mood in the group mind towards discomfort, tediously. No valid cause for being offensive, negative consequences, so don't do it!
Dennis, it's obvious that
a) You were pontificating.
b) Rolling on Gravel (and others) expressed their disagreement with you and shared their experience of what life is like for a disabled person on a benefit under a Right versus Left Government.
c) You answered with a condescending reply to Rolling on Gravel.
d) I took you to task on it.
e) You responded with an angry reply to me.
f) I pointed out that you were angry and disliked being challenged.
g) You are now trying to other me by implying that my pointing out your defensiveness is negative and offensive.
Look, I understand that it's difficult when you've positioned yourself as the all-knowing voice of reason who is exercising their civic duty every time they comment. However, I have encountered this of style of debate before: someone who comes across as wise and avuncular until they are challenged, then they become spiteful and attempt to put the other person out on a limb. Your tactics here are transparent.
Have a great day, Dennis, and all the best in the lead-up to what looks to be a very interesting Election Day
I accept that you see things like that. No problem. However I must reiterate that it's a misread of reality. Again, no problem.
Such is typical leftism, and one encounters it onsite here often enough. As a radical centrist, I merely note the behaviour in passing, as if amateur sociology is worth doing. A controlled folly…
Thank you, RoG, for sharing your lived experience of what life is like under Labour as a disabled person on a benefit. As you point out, it's far from perfect, but unlike National, ACT, and NZ First, Labour do not scapegoat and stigmatise beneficiaries, disabled people, and other disadvantaged minority groups in society.
It's refreshing to hear your frank commentary compared with the pseudo-intellectual, contrarian, pontificating waffle you were responding to, and you're absolutely right—these posturing diatribes dampen down people's enthusiasm and motivation. It's really hard to understand why people describe themselves as coming from the Left when all they want to do is nitpick Labour (and, to a lesser extent, the Greens and TPM) this close to an election, when solidarity and momentum are so important!
I think a lot of these types of comments come from people who talk the talk but haven't walked the walk of hardship like you have. I have worked in the disability sector for nearly 20 years, and I commend you for sharing your experience and (hopefully) knocking some sense into these frustrating commenters
Sapphire,
Thank you so much for the fine work you're doing!
You sound pretty magnificent yourself.
Anyway, yeah, I speak because I have observed many times over the years how much the right-wing (and some bleaters) present a horrific picture of people who are beneficiaries that doesn't conform to a lot of known realities and are often malicious in nature.
Too often, like with Reagan and his infamous welfare queen stereotype in the 80s and from Paula Bennett and George Osbourne, this has meant that right-wing people stretch and imagine vile crap from one person (or even an imaginary person) to paint an ugly picture of all people who are on the benefit, even if sometimes they rhetorically say some people on benefits (disabled people etc) are deserving (which right-wing people rarely actually mean it in practice) and using the "mad and evil" version to sell to the easily stirred people which stokes hatred and apathy as our living standards are brutally (or slowly) cut down, often leading to more poverty and more desperation.
That's why I am so grateful for the election of Jacinda Ardern's Labour, even if I do have some issues with them, it's been a huge refreshing change compared to the National government and is an attempted continuity with the Clark Government (the best one in my lifetime 🙂 and yes I was on the benefit during it, even before the GFC)
This is exactly why I need Labour and Greens and Te Pati Māori to win, because that combo has the potential to be the materially best government in my lifetime, exceeding even the Clark Labour Government! 😀
RoG I sure ain't going to ask you to 'modify your feelings' and you have my total aroha and support for the tough life you lead. Your comments make a lot of sense.
"I would take LAB/GRN/TPM everytime and anyday. It's truly needed for these times."
+1,000 RoG
Out of the mouths of baby’s, when discussing the election one member of the family who the environment means everything said at the dinner table – “why should I again vote for the Green Party when TPM are more greatly connected to the environment and have a greater vested interest” hard to agrue with that sentiment 🤔
So you'll be voting tpm to then?
Absolutely agrue with that sentiment
Yep Green + Red = Brown
Powerful logic, that. Voters immediately think "shit!" Then, "well, there's good shit & bad shit, so it depends". Then they'll wonder on what.
Such mental exercises are healthy. Important to exercise the brain a little, when you're a mainstreamer. Ups the chances a brainwave could happen.
When I last saw Michael Franti (Spearhead) live here in Aotearoa, he enthusiastically referred to the crowd as his caramel cousins.
Caramel means the same as brown (or for some folk black) but is so much more attractive.
Another reason to prioritise resilience prioritising and planning: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/499887/climate-outlook-for-aotearoa-predicts-rivers-in-the-sky-heatwaves-in-the-sea
That's an extremely adverse scenario for many countries – bad enough for here!
New Zealand needs one of these.
https://www.shitrentals.org/
Rating rentals and landlords.
Thanks to First Dog on the Moon for bringing it to our attention.
Claire Trevett's commentary on why the polls should be giving National the night terrors: https://archive.ph/3XBGs
Should the RBNZ be independent, or should we bring it back under government control?
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/124725/interest-rates-monetary-policy-always-political-central-banks-opt-back
Depends upon what type of government.
Would we want our central bank controlled by a corrupt and unaccountable administration?