You might think Merkel is just another right wing toughie with Thatcher pretensions, and then she shocks us all. Proof that common sense can prevail despite political alignments, that reality can be recognised and planned for.
Merkel has set a goal for the end of coal, and nuclear power for Germany. She wants Germans to be clean green and self sufficient / sustainable. Brave women, she gets my vote for political statement of the year.
She is an opportunist like many other politicians. She changed her stand on this within a couple of hours – from pro-Nuclear to anti-Nuclear – trying to avoid the loss of a state election in Baden-Württenberg, which was governed by her party the CDU since the second world war. To no avail: The Greens are forming a coalition with the Reds (SPD or Labour) and not the other way around (Reds coalition with Green).
According to polls, this is now even a possible scenario country-wide, which means she and her party would loose power, if the election would be now.
She certainly clashed with the Atom-lobby and some prominent figures within her own party. It could mean a significant amount of penalties the government might have to pay to the Atom generating companies on top of the investment of green sustainable energy.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
Satty, you are right I dont follow German politics much, so its nice to get a closer opinion. What I found interesting was not the cynical political opportunism you point out but that a major political figure had made a statement that showed recognition of a real issue. Could you keep us up to speed with things German as it goes on?
Germany customers are looking for greener products, all Merkel is doing is exactly what Thatcher did except Merkel is moving greenward. Thatcher did not dig open the largest oil find in the world, but the stark reality of what that meant was realized by the Tories. Low cost oil would need low cost credit or the UK would be left behind.
And now the Germans ‘get it’, that the customers of the future want energy savings, and German can alter its energy economy to build those alternatives at home, and so deliver to the market products Germany will build in the future.
How is that hard to understand? Maybe its just the kiwi business mentality that customers are the enemy. Our legislative mix in NZ makes capital farming profitable, that means short changing customers and growing CEO bonuses, that switch and bait is now so routine in the NZ economy.
Distortion is how a kiwi business gets ahead in the NZ economy, it harms the economy but who cares it not like we care child poverty is up, or prisons are full, or anyone with a good idea will jump on the next flight, its how kiwis choose to do business.
And quite funny that when a leader of Germany is compared to our own reckless social leadership, foreign leaders have to take question time, they have hundreds of politicians vying for their job, not like NZ where we limit our political class to 120 + a few mayors. We are poorly led because we don’t spend enough on having more politicians, and more politics.
German is buying heavily into alternative energy because that’s where the money is.
That’s how absurd our leadership is, we sell 100% pure until it becomes fashionable and
then we got big carbon with more roads like the oil age had just started.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
The article says that Germany has had a long term commitment to green electricity generation for some time and they already source significant quantities of power from renewable sources.
BTW the Fukushima disaster is going to be ongoing. It’s not leaving any time soon.
Superannuation:
So once again, the fat cats in parliament, sitting on gilt-edged schemes of their own, are about to screw the rest of the country. “Government for the people by the people…” what a laugh.
Fascist Kyle Chapman is an idiot. He has just been on National Radio defending his particular form of idiocy with the claim that he is exercising freedom of speech.
There is freedom of speech but it is a defence rather than a weapon. It prevents the state doing anything about its exercise unless the circumstances are extreme.
But it does not prevent idiots and morons being described as such and being castigated for the crap that they may spew. The proper response is to call them idiots rather than to seek that their speech be banned.
We should never ban idiots like Chapman from expressing themselves, they need to be seen and heard for what they are so they can be treated with the contempt they deserve.
National is gambling its record support in the polls will cushion it from fallout over election campaign pledges to cut KiwiSaver and sell stakes in state assets.
As new figures show government borrowing has hit a new high of $380 million a week, Prime Minister John Key has confirmed cuts will be made to the Government’s near $1 billion annual bill for KiwiSaver.
….
He insists the cuts to make KiwiSaver “sustainable and affordable” will not breach his 2008 election pledge. That suggests National will announce the changes in the May 19 Budget but make the cuts next year after seeking a fresh mandate from voters at the November 26 election.
National’s policy in 2008 promised to keep the $1000 kickstart, keep the tax credit worth up to $1040 a year and other benefits, leaving little room for significant savings.
Taking the cuts to voters as part of the election campaign is the same approach it is using with plans to sell up to 49 per cent of state assets.
Finance Minister Bill English confirmed yesterday that the deficit this year would be the worst in New Zealand’s history at more than $16 billion.
Meanwhile, I see the righties who were crowing about a stuff poll last week, where the majority didn’t seem to be that bothered about some of Key’s spending on travel etc, aren’t saying anything about the latest stuff poll, which shows just over 50% think National is breaking it’s election promise on Kiwisaver…. oh, I see, the poll didn’t ask whether the changes should/shouldn’t be made, and now Stuff is reassuring us that Key is reassuring us that he won’t be breaking his promise… by seeking a mandate for them in a second term.
And Stuff polls always lean to the right.
PS: On the MSM and bloggers saying Labour spend to much time of criticising the government for trivialiities, and/or the government policies and not enough talking about their own policies…. on RNZ Morning Report, Cunliffe wanted to add to his criticism of the government’s policies by stating Labour’s policies, and was stopped by the interviewer.
I take anything stuff and the Herald says to do with politics with a large grain of salt.
but with all the little online polls running at about 50/50 ish maybe 40/60 in Favour of the NACTS it has to be asked with the state of Labour at the moment what’s to stop a lot of people who would normaly vote labour just say they are dead and don’t even bother to take any more notice of the media, and even worse than that they DON’T VOTE for anyone.
It’s just whale losing another court case, and wasting the courts time and money maybe instead of the $130.00 costs, they should charge him the real rate, that would be thousands, bet he would shut up then.
What puzzles me is why there isn’t more indignation. The Tea Party is the most indignant domestic political movement since Norman Thomas’s Socialist Party, but its wrath is turned in the wrong direction. It favors policies that are favorable to corporations and unfavorable to individuals. Its opposition to Obamacare is a textbook example. Insurance companies and the health care industry finance a “populist” movement that is manipulated to oppose its own interests. The billionaire Koch brothers payroll right wing front organizations that oppose labor unions and financial reform. The patriots wave their flags and don’t realize they’re being duped.
A recent OECD report has confirmed what a lot of renters already know; their residential rents are overpriced, on average by 43%. The OECD’s price-to-rent ratio shows the high over-valuation utilising figures gained in the past 20 years. Effectively renters are paying top dollar for crappy housing; that is adversely affecting their health and ability to escape the poverty trap.
So, what has caused this collapse in revenue? The recession carries some blame, certainly, leading to lower revenue from GST and company taxes. But the prime culprit here is the government’s 2010 “tax switch”, which radically cut the top tax rate. While the rise in GST – something else Key promised not to do – was supposed to compensate for this, the recession meant that it didn’t. The result has been a billion dollar a year hole in the government books, all of which has been effectively redistributed to the richest New Zealanders.
National, stealing from NZ and giving to themselves and their rich mates.
1. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Finance: How will the Budget next week help lift national savings?
2. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “all savings the Government makes helps in the current financial position we are in”?
3. HILARY CALVERT to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so, why?
4. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: What does he consider to be the main strategic changes required to the economy that Budget 2011 will address?
5. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comments in the House yesterday that, “intensification of dairy operations will have had some impact on our river quality…But in reality, the impact is not great…”; if so, why?
6. Hon JIM ANDERTON to the Associate Minister of Health: Is he satisfied that New Zealanders have adequate access to affordable dental healthcare?
7. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps has the Government recently taken to support the development of water storage and irrigation?
8. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement in relation to DPS that “I can’t say I do or don’t want it”?
9. KATRINA SHANKS to the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources: What recent milestones have been celebrated under the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart scheme?
10. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: Has he been advised that the regulatory arrangement around the ultrafast broadband network will be worth up to $600 million and who will pay for it?
11. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister of Customs: What interceptions of Contac NT has the Customs Service achieved in the last month at our border?
12. CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services: Has he now been fully briefed on all of the details regarding the replacement of VIP transport’s BMW fleet; if not, why not?
Chris Hipkins is a lightweight MP, asking lightweight questions.
[lprent: Have you read the policy yet. Read my note here. Tell me when you have done so and that you won’t waste my time in the future and I’ll drop the auto-moderation.
You should also look at the quality of your comments as well. With ones like this and the last one, I’m likely to kick you off the site as being a idiot troll. ]
Yep A light weight Chris Hipkins may be, however where the fuck does Shonkey get off on his behaviour in the house he is a rude, arrogant, evasive, dishonest, snake oil, smoke and mirrors, all carefully hidden behind the smile and wave persona, which however seems to be crumbling, his evasiveness on answers, followed by personal attacks, would beg a man who is trying to hold it all together, calmly. Whilst behind him are the slavering dogs called Brash, Act, and Crosby/Textor are baying for well not blood as much as money and votes. But blood will do.
There were som eother obvious patsies there to. That’s as bad as this approach:
Labour was truly firing in Parliament yesterday…..
Labour’s current parliamentary tactic is to turn ministers’ question-time into New Zealand’s equivalent of Prime Minister’s question-time in the British House of Commons.
The party devoted its allocation of five questions solely to going after Key.
…. – with the accuracy of an antique blunderbuss.
Kids trying to score wee points when there’s a big country to be run – most of the efforts of all MPs should be representing their constituents, for the good of the country, instead they squabble over toys.
Hmmm National received a donation from Team McMillan BMW at about the same time that the Government renewed the BMW contract. A certain smell emanates from this transaction. I wonder if the two events are related?
The story from Mallard is that John Key went to a fundraiser at BMW, the Government then signed the rollover contract and two days later a donation of $50,000 was made to the National Party by Team McMillan BMW.
Whoa! Yes. Mallard really tore into Key on that one. He said we don’t use the word “corruption” in this House, but if that happened in many other countries (UK, Thailand etc) they would call it “corruption.” And he said Key was using the behaviour of a Merril Lynch Trader and didn’t know how a PM should behave.
The National Party received a donation from a BMW franchise just days after a deal was made for the government to buy a new fleet of cars.
…
Key said he had “no responsibility for that” and that Eagleson did not remember the meeting.
“That’s the very reason why contracts, as subject to the Cabinet manual, are actually made by ministerial services to avoid accusations of inappropriate conduct,” Key said.
Key had previously claimed he was unaware of the upgrade, despite four National MPs sitting on the committee that discussed the upgrade.
Well, it’s certain that the donation was given to the National Party and at the time Labour claims. key’s latest reply is that the BMW dealership that gave the donation was not the same outfit that the Ministers’ BMW’s came from. yet the dates make it seem a very strange coioncidence.
Stuff follows Key’s line in saying it’s just Labour’s smear tactics.
Prime Minister John Key said the company named by Labour was not the one that supplied the ministerial BMW’s.
Mr Mallard went further in Parliament accusing Mr Key personally of transferring “the morals and ethics of Merrill Lynch – a company that was at the end of a lot of deals and went down when the financial crisis came” to New Zealand.
…
He later accused Labour of stooping to the gutter with false allegations and innuendo.
“In the House today Labour has falsely assorted corrupt dealings in relation to the contract between the Department of Internal Affairs and BMW NZ Ltd to roll over the VIP Transport contract.
“BMW is not the same entity as the one named by a Labour MP as having made a donation to the National Party.”
“This is not only a baseless smear on my integrity it is also a smear on the integrity of officials in the Department of Internal Affairs who are responsible for the contract.”
Key now says that the donation was made by a different company! I am convinced and apologise. Of course a company is totally unable to make a donation to a political party when a related company receives a sweetheart deal.
Perhaps someone can come up with a ‘bullshit-meter’ into which donkey fiction, fluff and manufactured facts can be periodically entered and displayed for the months leading up to the polls?
He had better be cautious, however, given the tendency of many commenters on the right (certainly on here) arguing the toss over whether or not someone on $70,000 pa is ‘wealthy’ or not (as opposed to being struggling ordinary families) whenever tax rates are discussed.
Of course, he did use the comparative ‘wealthier’ so he may not be making a claim about what amounts to being ‘wealthy’. He could have equally said ‘less poor’, I suppose? (But that might not have quite done the discursive work he wanted the phrasing to achieve.)
Funny thing is that a single income family on $70k gets less to live on than a doule income family and they both are entitled to the same WFF benefit. Until there is a recognition on disposable income there will be inconsistancies, at least Nat are comming to the realisation of looking further afield in the definition of income, something others have failed to see.
The way cost of living is going perhaps only those top CEO’s on an income above $150k will be above a livable after tax wage !!!!
Working for Families would also be better targeted at lower income families.
Yep when we find out that the last cut was a bust these are the next in line!
“We will do this gradually, in a way that minimises the impact on families.”
yes we will cut it by a few % every year that will minimise the impact on families.
Pete if you have you not yet figured it out yet, your big idol Shonkey is the naked man, who thinks he can wear a suit of the finest cut and material, But is naked and empty in reality.
But I will say this if they (NATS) and Bracula ket back into power after November I reckon you and many like you (sort of well off, got a good job, house or 2, car or 3 couple of kids, nice and secure). Give the Nacts 3 years and your power will be horrendously expensive (owned 100% off shore (Mum and dad got screwed)) some foods will be completely out of reach, you need Power remember? Petrol ??? forget it. Oil shortage, ( just came on suddenly like a hurricane (“We didn’t see it coming” ( yeah right))) Banks fail, lots of work as a prison guard for minimum wage 6.90 an Hour. Or you can get a job as a miner in anyone of the hundreds of mines where our National parks used to be. And blue sky and nice sunny beaches forget it Smelters and iron sand recoverers pour toxins into our atmosphere. Yep welcome to NZ after it has been raped and pillaged by the rich and shameless and Pete if you ain’t got 20 million plus you gonna be in the same boat, just slightly richer shit.
Welcome to NZ 2015 0.05% pure
Now does that sound like the New Zealand you would want to live in ?
They will bleed you just enough to make you feel faint but don’t die right away.
At least not till they get another term.
“Just a little prick,” say the rich pricks.
The last time I had reason to take a gecko at a KB general debate thread, there was a pretty vocal bunch spitting and fuming about the kenyan usurper, (which is par for the course), and they were pretty confidant that the great white hope taking the form of the Trumple would pull through and rid the US of that troublesome negro come the first tuesday after the first monday in November of next year.
This was laughable to me, even before Obama strangled its campaign in the crib, but was interesting in that it reminded me of the last time around when the mercans had their leckshuns and a similar bunch of KB yahoos were all excited about Giuliani, and that other fellow whose name escapes me but was most famous for pretending to be a tough nosed prosecutor on a popular and mediocre teevee show. The campaigns for those two prenders lasted a few months.
Trumps, not so much. Looks like they are going to have to find themselves a new hope. The field though, is pretty thin one has to admit.
Also, and too, the GOP is going to get The Man Called Petraeus up in front of congressional confirmation hearings and demand to know all about his views with regard to torture and such like.
This is funny, on two counts. or possibly one count with two parts, who can tell.
Them with memories may recall the TMC Petraeus is, in fact, Wyatt Earp. When he was given a triumph for his fortune in Iraq certain liberals were a bit rude in a mild kind of way and questioned the nature and scope of his success, and the truthfulness of some his assertions. They, for their trouble, were lynched. Motions were passed condemning the inappropriateness of statements questioning the honour of The Man Called Petraeus. It was quite the to-do.
As time moved on, and as aside, it became a matter of interest to some about whether or not T.M.C.P. might in fact be a little bit interested in running, himself, as a Great White Hope in 2012. This came to naught however because the Kenyan asked him to lead the mission up the Khyber, which was neat trick, some might say.
All of this sets up the situation with GOP preparing to confront T.M.C.P. about the use of torture. His views are quite well known to those that care to know, which only leaves the questions of whether the GOP is in that group thats cares to know, and if so what the fuck are playing at?
But did you see what that troublesome negro went and done at that correspondents dinner???? Roast Turkey, a Donald Turkey, oh it was a sight to see. And that should end that little hiccup in Obama land lol.
John Key tells Steven Sakar on hard talk “NZ finds itself in quite a strong position as its Gross debt to GDP is under 20% currently” , thanks to Cullen’s rainy day prudence, which is quite different to what Key tells the public back home that NZ could end up like Greece..
Yeah, it was noted some time ago that National, when it was speaking about the debt to NZ, was including private debt as well which allowed them throw around the 85% of GDP scare numbers. The only reason for them to do this would be to scare the people into accepting asset sales. If they were being honest, which seems to be inherently impossible for NACToids, they would have just counted public debt as it’s the only debt that the government can influence directly and what the asset sales would have paid off which, as you note, is only ~20% of GDP and isn’t at a level that is of any concern.
Now, the private debt is a concern but the only way that can be influenced by government is indirectly through monetary policy changes and National, so far, haven’t done anything about that. Ergo, we can assume that just don’t care about it.
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Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
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. ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. It’s hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Auckland’s Prince’s Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
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You might think Merkel is just another right wing toughie with Thatcher pretensions, and then she shocks us all. Proof that common sense can prevail despite political alignments, that reality can be recognised and planned for.
Merkel has set a goal for the end of coal, and nuclear power for Germany. She wants Germans to be clean green and self sufficient / sustainable. Brave women, she gets my vote for political statement of the year.
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-05-09/germany%E2%80%99s-unlikely-champion-radical-green-energy-path
You obviously don’t follow German politics much.
She is an opportunist like many other politicians. She changed her stand on this within a couple of hours – from pro-Nuclear to anti-Nuclear – trying to avoid the loss of a state election in Baden-Württenberg, which was governed by her party the CDU since the second world war. To no avail: The Greens are forming a coalition with the Reds (SPD or Labour) and not the other way around (Reds coalition with Green).
According to polls, this is now even a possible scenario country-wide, which means she and her party would loose power, if the election would be now.
She certainly clashed with the Atom-lobby and some prominent figures within her own party. It could mean a significant amount of penalties the government might have to pay to the Atom generating companies on top of the investment of green sustainable energy.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
Satty, you are right I dont follow German politics much, so its nice to get a closer opinion. What I found interesting was not the cynical political opportunism you point out but that a major political figure had made a statement that showed recognition of a real issue. Could you keep us up to speed with things German as it goes on?
Germany customers are looking for greener products, all Merkel is doing is exactly what Thatcher did except Merkel is moving greenward. Thatcher did not dig open the largest oil find in the world, but the stark reality of what that meant was realized by the Tories. Low cost oil would need low cost credit or the UK would be left behind.
And now the Germans ‘get it’, that the customers of the future want energy savings, and German can alter its energy economy to build those alternatives at home, and so deliver to the market products Germany will build in the future.
How is that hard to understand? Maybe its just the kiwi business mentality that customers are the enemy. Our legislative mix in NZ makes capital farming profitable, that means short changing customers and growing CEO bonuses, that switch and bait is now so routine in the NZ economy.
Distortion is how a kiwi business gets ahead in the NZ economy, it harms the economy but who cares it not like we care child poverty is up, or prisons are full, or anyone with a good idea will jump on the next flight, its how kiwis choose to do business.
And quite funny that when a leader of Germany is compared to our own reckless social leadership, foreign leaders have to take question time, they have hundreds of politicians vying for their job, not like NZ where we limit our political class to 120 + a few mayors. We are poorly led because we don’t spend enough on having more politicians, and more politics.
German is buying heavily into alternative energy because that’s where the money is.
That’s how absurd our leadership is, we sell 100% pure until it becomes fashionable and
then we got big carbon with more roads like the oil age had just started.
The article says that Germany has had a long term commitment to green electricity generation for some time and they already source significant quantities of power from renewable sources.
BTW the Fukushima disaster is going to be ongoing. It’s not leaving any time soon.
Superannuation:
So once again, the fat cats in parliament, sitting on gilt-edged schemes of their own, are about to screw the rest of the country. “Government for the people by the people…” what a laugh.
“gilt edged”…….. don’t you mean platinum ?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/34339
Fascist Kyle Chapman is an idiot. He has just been on National Radio defending his particular form of idiocy with the claim that he is exercising freedom of speech.
There is freedom of speech but it is a defence rather than a weapon. It prevents the state doing anything about its exercise unless the circumstances are extreme.
But it does not prevent idiots and morons being described as such and being castigated for the crap that they may spew. The proper response is to call them idiots rather than to seek that their speech be banned.
We should never ban idiots like Chapman from expressing themselves, they need to be seen and heard for what they are so they can be treated with the contempt they deserve.
Unbelievable arrogance, not to mention rewarding their big support by punishing their supporters:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/budget-2011/4986635/Nats-bet-on-support-for-KiwiSaver-cuts
Meanwhile, I see the righties who were crowing about a stuff poll last week, where the majority didn’t seem to be that bothered about some of Key’s spending on travel etc, aren’t saying anything about the latest stuff poll, which shows just over 50% think National is breaking it’s election promise on Kiwisaver…. oh, I see, the poll didn’t ask whether the changes should/shouldn’t be made, and now Stuff is reassuring us that Key is reassuring us that he won’t be breaking his promise… by seeking a mandate for them in a second term.
And Stuff polls always lean to the right.
PS: On the MSM and bloggers saying Labour spend to much time of criticising the government for trivialiities, and/or the government policies and not enough talking about their own policies…. on RNZ Morning Report, Cunliffe wanted to add to his criticism of the government’s policies by stating Labour’s policies, and was stopped by the interviewer.
I take anything stuff and the Herald says to do with politics with a large grain of salt.
but with all the little online polls running at about 50/50 ish maybe 40/60 in Favour of the NACTS it has to be asked with the state of Labour at the moment what’s to stop a lot of people who would normaly vote labour just say they are dead and don’t even bother to take any more notice of the media, and even worse than that they DON’T VOTE for anyone.
Another pathetic crim wastes valuable court time on a pointless appeal:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4988702/Blogger-loses-suppression-conviction-appeal
It’s just whale losing another court case, and wasting the courts time and money maybe instead of the $130.00 costs, they should charge him the real rate, that would be thousands, bet he would shut up then.
Mind you we should all have access to the courts. Part of democracy/justice.
I often watch question time in parliament, but hadn’t ever taken notice of questions for written answer. There’s some interesting questions in there:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/
Preaching to choir but Roger Ebert says it all with: The One-Percenters.
What puzzles me is why there isn’t more indignation. The Tea Party is the most indignant domestic political movement since Norman Thomas’s Socialist Party, but its wrath is turned in the wrong direction. It favors policies that are favorable to corporations and unfavorable to individuals. Its opposition to Obamacare is a textbook example. Insurance companies and the health care industry finance a “populist” movement that is manipulated to oppose its own interests. The billionaire Koch brothers payroll right wing front organizations that oppose labor unions and financial reform. The patriots wave their flags and don’t realize they’re being duped.
Rental Properties Over-priced by 43%
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/rental-properties-over-valued-by-43.html
A recent OECD report has confirmed what a lot of renters already know; their residential rents are overpriced, on average by 43%. The OECD’s price-to-rent ratio shows the high over-valuation utilising figures gained in the past 20 years. Effectively renters are paying top dollar for crappy housing; that is adversely affecting their health and ability to escape the poverty trap.
Collapsing Revenue
National, stealing from NZ and giving to themselves and their rich mates.
And someone should really tell Charles Chauvel that having his web address (www.charles2011.co.nz) redirecting to his Facebook page isn’t helping.
Questions for orasl answer were quite late going online today. I wonder what the hold up was. Anyway, looks to be a fiery session:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QOA/2/f/3/00HOH_OralQuestions-List-of-questions-for-oral-answer.htm
Chris Hipkins is a lightweight MP, asking lightweight questions.
[lprent: Have you read the policy yet. Read my note here. Tell me when you have done so and that you won’t waste my time in the future and I’ll drop the auto-moderation.
You should also look at the quality of your comments as well. With ones like this and the last one, I’m likely to kick you off the site as being a idiot troll. ]
You’re a light weight poster spreading other people’s opinons as you are told to. How sad, how spineless, never mind.
Actually, the supplementary involves a question about the subsequent $50,000 donation to the National Party, after the spending on the BMW upgrade.
Yep A light weight Chris Hipkins may be, however where the fuck does Shonkey get off on his behaviour in the house he is a rude, arrogant, evasive, dishonest, snake oil, smoke and mirrors, all carefully hidden behind the smile and wave persona, which however seems to be crumbling, his evasiveness on answers, followed by personal attacks, would beg a man who is trying to hold it all together, calmly. Whilst behind him are the slavering dogs called Brash, Act, and Crosby/Textor are baying for well not blood as much as money and votes. But blood will do.
That’s a depressingly trivial set of questions. What the heck is this sort of thing aiming at?
3. HILARY CALVERT to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so, why?
Is she trying to put the PM on the spot (has he got time to detail his reasons on all of them)?
Or is she trying to expose Hide?
It would be good if parliament could at least pretend to be mature.
It is the Act poodle party doing patsy questions for Key.
It allows him to waffle on about his minister and how good they all are (bears no resemblance to the lacklustre screwups that they actually are).
Actually, her supplementaries involved being critical of Nats for not supporting a re-introduction of the youth wage.
There were som eother obvious patsies there to. That’s as bad as this approach:
Kids trying to score wee points when there’s a big country to be run – most of the efforts of all MPs should be representing their constituents, for the good of the country, instead they squabble over toys.
Antique blunderbuss’ are perfect for sorting out right wing pirates at close range.
Hmmm National received a donation from Team McMillan BMW at about the same time that the Government renewed the BMW contract. A certain smell emanates from this transaction. I wonder if the two events are related?
The story from Mallard is that John Key went to a fundraiser at BMW, the Government then signed the rollover contract and two days later a donation of $50,000 was made to the National Party by Team McMillan BMW.
What is that word starting with “C” again?
Whoa! Yes. Mallard really tore into Key on that one. He said we don’t use the word “corruption” in this House, but if that happened in many other countries (UK, Thailand etc) they would call it “corruption.” And he said Key was using the behaviour of a Merril Lynch Trader and didn’t know how a PM should behave.
Good on Mallard! 🙂
Did they make any donations to any parties when the contract was put in place three years ago? Can you check back that far?
Well, according to Mallard it’s just not in the Labour playbook…. so he’s saying, “no”.
PeteG
You really are a piece. A sign of possible corruption and you trot out CT counter attack line no 1, “say they did it too”.
Go on, agree that it is a bad look and should be investigated.
And after that come up with a shred of evidence to back up your smear.
And this was Key’s response to the allegation:
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/national-took-bmw-donation-after-deal-4166130
Wow, just wow.
PM BMW is in the news again. Norty norty
Well, it’s certain that the donation was given to the National Party and at the time Labour claims. key’s latest reply is that the BMW dealership that gave the donation was not the same outfit that the Ministers’ BMW’s came from. yet the dates make it seem a very strange coioncidence.
Stuff follows Key’s line in saying it’s just Labour’s smear tactics.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4990710/Labour-Key-come-to-verbal-blows
Key now says that the donation was made by a different company! I am convinced and apologise. Of course a company is totally unable to make a donation to a political party when a related company receives a sweetheart deal.
How could I be so wrong?
Perhaps someone can come up with a ‘bullshit-meter’ into which donkey fiction, fluff and manufactured facts can be periodically entered and displayed for the months leading up to the polls?
Working for Families targeted:
That sounds like a sensible change.
He had better be cautious, however, given the tendency of many commenters on the right (certainly on here) arguing the toss over whether or not someone on $70,000 pa is ‘wealthy’ or not (as opposed to being struggling ordinary families) whenever tax rates are discussed.
Of course, he did use the comparative ‘wealthier’ so he may not be making a claim about what amounts to being ‘wealthy’. He could have equally said ‘less poor’, I suppose? (But that might not have quite done the discursive work he wanted the phrasing to achieve.)
Funny thing is that a single income family on $70k gets less to live on than a doule income family and they both are entitled to the same WFF benefit. Until there is a recognition on disposable income there will be inconsistancies, at least Nat are comming to the realisation of looking further afield in the definition of income, something others have failed to see.
The way cost of living is going perhaps only those top CEO’s on an income above $150k will be above a livable after tax wage !!!!
Working for Families would also be better targeted at lower income families.
Yep when we find out that the last cut was a bust these are the next in line!
“We will do this gradually, in a way that minimises the impact on families.”
yes we will cut it by a few % every year that will minimise the impact on families.
Pete if you have you not yet figured it out yet, your big idol Shonkey is the naked man, who thinks he can wear a suit of the finest cut and material, But is naked and empty in reality.
But I will say this if they (NATS) and Bracula ket back into power after November I reckon you and many like you (sort of well off, got a good job, house or 2, car or 3 couple of kids, nice and secure). Give the Nacts 3 years and your power will be horrendously expensive (owned 100% off shore (Mum and dad got screwed)) some foods will be completely out of reach, you need Power remember? Petrol ??? forget it. Oil shortage, ( just came on suddenly like a hurricane (“We didn’t see it coming” ( yeah right))) Banks fail, lots of work as a prison guard for minimum wage 6.90 an Hour. Or you can get a job as a miner in anyone of the hundreds of mines where our National parks used to be. And blue sky and nice sunny beaches forget it Smelters and iron sand recoverers pour toxins into our atmosphere. Yep welcome to NZ after it has been raped and pillaged by the rich and shameless and Pete if you ain’t got 20 million plus you gonna be in the same boat, just slightly richer shit.
Welcome to NZ 2015 0.05% pure
Now does that sound like the New Zealand you would want to live in ?
Damn My imagination scares me, but is it true?
They will bleed you just enough to make you feel faint but don’t die right away.
At least not till they get another term.
“Just a little prick,” say the rich pricks.
Boscawen’s “face glows as his body hiccups”
Who the frak writes this drivel???
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10723934
Boy theres a lot of angry people on these forums. There is a life outside of politics you know :}
The last time I had reason to take a gecko at a KB general debate thread, there was a pretty vocal bunch spitting and fuming about the kenyan usurper, (which is par for the course), and they were pretty confidant that the great white hope taking the form of the Trumple would pull through and rid the US of that troublesome negro come the first tuesday after the first monday in November of next year.
This was laughable to me, even before Obama strangled its campaign in the crib, but was interesting in that it reminded me of the last time around when the mercans had their leckshuns and a similar bunch of KB yahoos were all excited about Giuliani, and that other fellow whose name escapes me but was most famous for pretending to be a tough nosed prosecutor on a popular and mediocre teevee show. The campaigns for those two prenders lasted a few months.
Trumps, not so much. Looks like they are going to have to find themselves a new hope. The field though, is pretty thin one has to admit.
Also, and too, the GOP is going to get The Man Called Petraeus up in front of congressional confirmation hearings and demand to know all about his views with regard to torture and such like.
This is funny, on two counts. or possibly one count with two parts, who can tell.
Them with memories may recall the TMC Petraeus is, in fact, Wyatt Earp. When he was given a triumph for his fortune in Iraq certain liberals were a bit rude in a mild kind of way and questioned the nature and scope of his success, and the truthfulness of some his assertions. They, for their trouble, were lynched. Motions were passed condemning the inappropriateness of statements questioning the honour of The Man Called Petraeus. It was quite the to-do.
As time moved on, and as aside, it became a matter of interest to some about whether or not T.M.C.P. might in fact be a little bit interested in running, himself, as a Great White Hope in 2012. This came to naught however because the Kenyan asked him to lead the mission up the Khyber, which was neat trick, some might say.
All of this sets up the situation with GOP preparing to confront T.M.C.P. about the use of torture. His views are quite well known to those that care to know, which only leaves the questions of whether the GOP is in that group thats cares to know, and if so what the fuck are playing at?
If you want to have some fun tomorrow morning PB hop on and make a comment like:
“If I make a donation to the National Party will the Government buy lots of goods off my company?” and watch the response …
Nats’ norty rort: I scratch your backside, you warm mine.
But did you see what that troublesome negro went and done at that correspondents dinner???? Roast Turkey, a Donald Turkey, oh it was a sight to see. And that should end that little hiccup in Obama land lol.
My son told me about that, and is still laughing about it. (He, (my son) also has a Kenyan father, and calls Obama his ‘cuzzie’)
John Key tells Steven Sakar on hard talk “NZ finds itself in quite a strong position as its Gross debt to GDP is under 20% currently” , thanks to Cullen’s rainy day prudence, which is quite different to what Key tells the public back home that NZ could end up like Greece..
Hardtalk clip here http://t.co/syRgyqy
Can someone explain is “Gross debt to GDP” = public government debt??
Yeah, it was noted some time ago that National, when it was speaking about the debt to NZ, was including private debt as well which allowed them throw around the 85% of GDP scare numbers. The only reason for them to do this would be to scare the people into accepting asset sales. If they were being honest, which seems to be inherently impossible for NACToids, they would have just counted public debt as it’s the only debt that the government can influence directly and what the asset sales would have paid off which, as you note, is only ~20% of GDP and isn’t at a level that is of any concern.
Now, the private debt is a concern but the only way that can be influenced by government is indirectly through monetary policy changes and National, so far, haven’t done anything about that. Ergo, we can assume that just don’t care about it.