‘One of America’s most wanted fugitives has been able to stay ahead of justice and tax officials by hiding some of his assets in New Zealand, US media say.’
The photo of Ayre and his friends is rather reminiscent of Kim Dotcom’s wild years. After all the fuss about KDC, isn’t it great that we’re still allowing fugitives from American justice to stash their loot here? Our PM’s a big believer in the redemptive power of large amounts of money.
‘Greenpeace and Amnesty International are calling for Prime Minister John Key to set the record straight over comments he made on their links to foreign trusts.
Mr Bayldon said it was a known fact that trusts listed charities as beneficiaries, so the real owners could avoid scrutiny by tax authorities, and charities were not aware when their names were used in this way.
He said Amnesty had no knowledge of any real links with foreign trusts and he was disappointed Mr Key would insinuate otherwise.
Mr Norman, the head of Greenpace, said he was shocked that Mr Key would implicate his organisation, and the comments were misleading.’
It transpires the Greenpeace link didn’t come from the Panama Papers, but another set of documents released 2 years ago – something of which Key would have been well aware. Referring to the Panama Papers Whitney link, Key told Little at QT:
Incrimination by insinuation could be a very dangerous game
He then went on to incriminate Greenpeace, Amnesty and the Red Cross.
Yes Mr Key, you falsely incriminated 3 internationally respected organisations. You
are a clever dick aren’t you Mr Key.
“The bullsh*tter is neither on the side of the true nor on the side of the false. His eye is not on the facts at all, as the eyes of the honest man and of the liar are, except insofar as they may be pertinent to his interest in getting away with what he says. He does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.”
A great little paper, ‘On Bullshit’. Worth a read.
“There’s a sad fact about violence in this country: how safe you are is determined the second you are conceived. Your gender is the single biggest predictor of your lifelong risk”
Don’t men suffer more violence? A quick google indicates thus ..
Its basic maths . if you’re 3 times more likely to be beaten because of your gender then ” your gender is the single biggest predicator of your lifelong risk ”
Now crucially, I’ve never pointed to the fact of women being as abusive (albeit nowhere near as physically damaging) as men as any sort of “ Labour did it too” argument. My sole, and I would have hoped obvious point, is that abuse and a failure to understand it’s underlying causes is a human problem.
And that to my mind is a far more constructive framework.
Just a heads up- you’re in the wrong end of the political “scene” if you expect anyone here to tolerate the suggestion that women aren’t inherently predisposed to being “good”- and that men aren’t inherently predisposed to being “bad”.
Really makes me sick to see you and CV drawn across the coals in that other thread- but that’s what you get.
You’re making utterly idiotic comments. No-one that I’m aware of has ever written anything even close to the type of lines you’re spewing about. And by the way, your vile attack comment on the other thread has been deleted. Come around here with that kind of shite again and I’ll ban for you for a very long time.
“I’ll ban you from The Standard!” he said, in his most menacing voice. Bill growled as he fondled his mouse, “we don’t like your type around here.”
Read the comment thread in “Broken”- it’s dripping with misandry. I’d love if you’d be willing to have a rational discourse about the comments of mine you deem to be “utterly idiotic”.
P.S. I’m not entirely sure you can “ban” someone from an unauthenticated site- but it was a wewwy wewwy good try.
[I couldn’t give a flying monkeys about ‘types’, but your cry for martyrdom has been heard and answered – Six months. Goodbye.] – Bill
@RedLogix…I appreciate your arguments trying to open up the issue…and I dont think you are sexist…imo violence and abuse begets violence and abuse…just as victimhood can breed victimhood
…to me it is quite clear that women can also be abusive…and men and boys can be abused and victims also
…animals and the environment can also be abused
….agree “abuse and a failure to understand it’s underlying causes is a human problem”….probably one of the most important issues of our time
(the answer is probably one for social psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, social workers…etc…and those who examine the morals and ethics of societies and religions)
I have been unable to follow much on TS over the last little while but your arguments make sense to me; it is indeed a human problem in the first instance.
When referring to Domestic Violence it is often about (but not limited to!) violence in a relationship between partners. There are many ‘triggers’ for this but I’d like to point out that it is now, sadly, becoming increasingly common to see this happening in same-sex relationships also.
To understand violence and to try deal with it we need to know the underlying causes but also the potential trigger points. The way I see it, and I will probably be blasted for saying it, is that violence has many similarities with depression and suicide, for example.
A last point I’d like to make that is that violence comes in many levels (gradations) of severity – it is a continuum; it can escalate but also de-escalate depending on many factors. Will humans ever be completely free of violence? If not, where do we set the line and why?
I will probably be blasted for saying it, is that violence has many similarities with depression and suicide, for example.
Exactly. The more I read over the years the more intriguing insights and hints like this come to the surface.
For instance there seem to be two emotional responses to the ‘loss of control’ threat in an intimate relationship; one is outwardly directed and projects onto the other person as jealousy; the other is more inwardly directly in the form of humiliation.
These are not responses we have much conscious control over; for example personally I just cannot do jealousy, but humiliation is easy. Understanding how I am wired in this sense was a critical tool in learning to direct how I responded.
Then comes the action response and again this can be directed outwardly as overt violence and abuse onto another person, or inwardly as anxiety, depression or suicide. The latter just being covert forms of violence directed onto yourself.
Of course as always in a blog comment I’m simplifying and leaving out a whole lot more that should be said, but there a plenty of ideas around that strongly support what you are saying.
All these issues that you touched on, including violence, tell us much about ourselves (and others at the same time) and what it is to be human. It is essential for full understanding of the human condition to look at all aspects: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A blog might not be the optimal or ideal forum to discuss complex stuff like this, which will induce strong responses, but what medium is? There are not many places where you ‘meet’ such a diverse range of people: the good, the bad, and the ugly – metaphorically speaking, of course.
As with depression, suicide, but also precarious living & working conditions, for example, it is essential to have these debates to evolve as individuals and thus as a society.
TPP, TTIP- bypassing the World Trade Organisation where every country has an equal vote. US Using TPP and TTIP to Challenge ‘Sovereignty of Nations’ – Ex-Diplomat
While the World Trade Organization has failed to amalgamate the economics and trade of its various member nations, Washington is using the TPP and the TTIP to impose its intellectual property rights as well as its own labor standards.
…
He says that the TPP’s curbs on State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and indeed the state itself as an independent and autonomous dispute settlement body, curtail the sovereignty of nations.
In fact, there is now pressure to introduce these issues to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Program, which includes the ASEAN nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. Considering that among the ASEAN nations, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are also members of the TPP, they want put that kink in the RCEP.
Saran, a veteran negotiator, thinks that the US and a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ are seeking an approach that is the very anti-thesis of multilateralism. They would eventually like to migrate the mega-trade deals into the WTO.
Mr David Farrar’s take on Slater’s plot to hack The Standard: Yes, hacking is wrong and Cameron was wrong, but … far more concerning … “he (Slater) was taken advantage of by a guy who lied constantly to Cameron and fed him months and months of lies. Poor old Cameron, it seems, was taken “advantage of”.
As expected all the DP players rush to cammys defence with slippery hooten getting a long overdue permanent ban for his part in this whole sordid episode.
Yep, but I have to say the defence seems just a little too desperate and laboured from Young Master Farrar. Notice the repetition in just one brief passage: “But while Cameron was wrong, he was taken advantage of by a guy who lied constantly to Cameron and fed him months and months of lies. He took advantage of Camerons …”
I mean that’s just a hack job (excuse the pun). Normally, you’d expect rather less clumsy rhetorical strategies from a would-be Spin-Meister who has the PM’s ear.
These stats for the ownership of Auckland housing in the news this morning are seriously skewed in some way or another. Just for the street where I reside there are only 5 Kiwi residents left in a street of some 35 or so houses. All in a matter of 3/4 years. Our suburb also reflects the same numbers of Chinese owning the housing stock. Even if these persons are NZ residents – all this explains about the situation in our suburb is there are too many residencies being granted for the amount of existing housing for this area.
If Nick Smith is saying that its just zenophobia, then why don’t they attack the situation another way and slow down the inmigration and allowing of residency to allow further housing to be supplied. Why cannot this Government also just apply such a simple law – to only allow new residents to buy or build new houses – this would increase the supply of housing and ease up on existing housing. Too many auctions in this area deny kiwis ownership, we see it all the time – they may be residents who buy but they are outstripping the supply for our own citizens.
Also are these stats New Zealand wide or just for Auckland – it would be seriously out of kilter if it was for NZ wide.
Change of topic – our PM needs to apologise to these charities he has insulted. What a knee jerk low blow nasty response in the House yesterday. Typical of him and not surprising for one minute.
Further to comments yesterday since some may have misinterpreted it, Cameron Slater broke the law, when you break the law you face the consequences (or should, no matter who you are)
I can understand why he did it as I’m sure anyone that’s been hacked can understand his feeling on that matter could but it doesn’t change that what he did was against the law and morally wrong (the two don’t always go together) and now he has to take his punishment
Some may feel he has got off lightly and they may be right, some may feel his reputation (such as it is) has been irreparably damaged and they may also be right and the vast majority will feel he brought it all on himself
Hopefully he’ll learn from this and will come back a better person (I won’t hold my breath though)
…and I won’t hold my breath waiting for you to provide a single recent example of a right winger taking personal responsibility for anything. It’s all lip service.
“when you break the law you face the consequences (or should, no matter who you are)”
I’m not sure what your point actually is, I’m saying what I think should happen in situations like this.
However if you really want an example I’ll give you one: I have a DDI, I plead guilty to the charge and I didn’t ask for diversion
So there you go, some on the right do take personal responsibility for their actions
I’ll also point out that had Cameron Slater got the information and published it he could have claimed it was in the publics interest to know and that he wouldn’t give up his source
But he didn’t, he was stupid and sloppy and got caught
“he could have claimed it was in the publics interest to know”
He could have claimed it was the names of those involved in the casting of Avatar Two – but that would not necessarily make it so”
You may need to take some time to read a bit more about “public interest” before posting again. “Public interest” as a legal definition means what is of public importance not what the public is interested in.
Here is a small article to get you on your way. I’m sure you will ignore the information as you so gleefully practise your willful ignorance.
BTW, I don’t know if you noticed, – but your moral compass is missing its needle.
“My moral compass is just fine”
I understand you think so – but – could you check? The way your morality is leaping around and changing direction it could take someone’s eye out.
(Might account for some of the one-eyed commenters when you come to think of it…)
“”Jk took responsibility for defeating labour in 3 elections 😀”
Jk should take responsibility for defeating labour in three elections by using the most underhanded filthy dishonest methods seen in nz history.
Has there been any evidence that taxes have not been paid in their homeland or is this just an assumption by Labour and the Greens and anyone else who hates John Keys rich prick mates
[BLiP: Typical Tory Twit jumping in first on comment thread with distraction from main point of post. Banned for one week.]
FFS! These allegations at Greenpeace, Red Cross, and Amnesty etc by Key are old hat and have been shown to be false. Repeating untruths do not make them true.
Stop repeating lies uttered under Parliamentary “Privilege” by Key.
New Zealand is being used as a tax haven, that is not in doubt: as your Prime Minister says, “Labour did it too!”
The proliferation of offshore trusts since 2011 may be a simple coincidence, or it may be the result of legislative changes. People who know more than I about tax law are going hammer & tongs over it, and the list of clauses affected by just one law change of many is a paragraph.
I’ve been reading commercial legal websites to try and make sense of it to no avail.
Several species of illegality, including specific cases, have been identified thus far. Key has not been accused of any of them, nor do I expect him to be, and still the whole sloppy ethical lobbying misrepresentation thing makes him look foolish at the very least.
How would we know if they are hiding their assets? IRD can only assess them on their declared, visible and known earnings? Even if you will not admit it here, be honest with yourself. If this was Helen Clark in Key’s position, the calls for resignations and and end to corruption would be deafening by you and others like you.
I actually thought when I heard this it was a good idea for Green Peace to hide assets offshore. All it takes is a protest gone wrong, an over zealous prosecutor and a move to freeze assets and the organization could be crippled, at least momentarily. Who knows how the political situation can change. Same would go for any other major activist group.
this is pretty much exactly what has happened to GP in india
they weren’t even able to pay there staff after they stopped the development of huge coal project ad were labelled “environmental terrorists” by the indian govt
The evidence is the large number of New Zealand offshore trusts that are structured in such a way that tax evasion is easily enabled.
It’s a bit like the old days of making P from pseudo: is there any evidence that a large number of gaunt, ill-dressed individuals buying twenty boxes of cough medicine each (many of them asking for the medicine after referring to handwritten notes) and paying by cash are committing a crime? Nope, there was nothing particularly linking the individual purchases with the empty boxes found at busted P labs. But we changed the law on pseudo-based medicines anyway.
“An Ipsos poll of some 6,000 Europeans found that half think the UK will leave the EU and half think Brexit could lead to a ‘domino effect’ in their own country.
The online survey of people aged between 16 and 64 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Poland and Hungary focused on the upcoming British referendum on whether to leave the European Union…
…and a reason why many have reservations about the EU is Nato warmongering:
Betting in the UK strongly favours a Remain win.
Current Betfair odds: Remain 68% / Leave 32%.
There’s a clear and enduring divide between on-line and phone-based Polls on the EU Referendum. The former almost always call it neck-and-neck (usually with Leave a point or two in front), the latter always place Remain in front with a fairly clear lead of 5-10 points.
Phone-based Polls do tend to have a slightly better record in the UK over recent years.
Turnout will be interesting: On the one hand, Generational variations in turnout should favour Leave (Older Britons are much more likely to favour Brexit and are also – as in NZ – more likely to get out and vote on the Day). But, more importantly, socio-economic variations in turnout favour Remain. ABC1s strongly favour staying in Europe and are even more likely to vote than the over 50s.
I assure you that I had nothing to do with the delightful Emma Watson being named in the Panama leak
But I think it does show that the attempted demonizing of those using foreign trusts is disingenuous, I’m sure there are bad reasons for using foreign trusts and I’m also sure there are legitimate reasons for using them
“A specialized industry has developed in attempting to circumvent these provisions. The promoters of offshore schemes often advance technical arguments which purport to show that their scheme is legal. These arguments are used to provide some comfort to their clients, who are then induced to enter into a scheme which usually involves concealing the true ownership and control of assets and income.”
The American IRS on foreign trusts. The provisions referred to are of course those enabling American citizens to pay tax on their world-wide income.
Under a topic titled “Abusive Offshore Tax Avoidance Schemes”, the following is to be found from the IRS.
“In recent years, a significant increase in offshore activity has been noted among U.S. taxpayers. Numerous schemes have been devised in which the true ownership of income streams and assets is hidden or disguised so as to improperly shield substantial amounts of financial activity from the U.S. tax system.
Such offshore transactions generally involve foreign jurisdictions that offer financial secrecy laws in an effort to attract investment from outside their borders. These jurisdictions are commonly referred to as “tax havens” because, in addition to the financial secrecy they provide, they require little or no taxation of income from sources outside their jurisdiction.”
A commentator on Campbell on Nat Radio postulated that 1% of trusts have a legitimate purpose.
From memory I recall some posts a fair while back about the death penalty and how and why it was wrong, one of the arguments someone brought up (as I say from memory so take it with a grain of salt if you like) was that it was better that 10 guilty men go free rather than one innocent man be imprisoned
No laws have been broken yet all those people brought up are being suggested that they’ve done something illegal
The point is rather that; unethical business practices should be illegal, but that our Government has shown no interest in ensuring this to be so. All the way from “Dear Leader” Key, to erstwhile revenue minister Peter “legitimate tax avoidance” Dunne.
“I haven’t been convicted of a crime therefore nothing I’ve done is wrong (nor can it be questioned)”, is the kind of thinking I would expect from an insect that gnaws on decaying wood. Even you are better than that.
Ok so some of the laws are badly worded and need fixing but we shouldn’t go around convicting people in the court of public opinion because they might be doing something some of us don’t like
“The court of public opinion” is simply people’s opinion of someone.
So what you’re pleading in the court of public opinion is that the fact that someone might be doing something reprehensible shouldn’t affect our opinion of that person.
Well say you sell your business and you pay the tax on that (as you should) I don’t think its unreasonable to keep the money in an off shore trust instead of a bank account where it can be hit with more tax
And as Emma Watson was saying (although as a British celebrity I take it with a grain of salt) it was more about the privacy aspects
I’m sure there are other good reasons for a foreign trust, something myself and James Shaw have in common
I don’t think its unreasonable to keep the money in an off shore trust instead of a bank account where it can be hit with more tax
Why would it be hit with more tax? As you said, you’ve already paid the tax.
EW has specific personal safety issues that do not involve money laundering and tax evasion. That’s one reason. You’re sure there are others, and yet it took you long enough to come up with that one, whereas the illegal or immoral reasons are innumerable.
You’re hit with a tax on the interest accumulated so from the hypothetical person point of view they probably don’t want to be double hit with taxes
Maybe you’re in a country where inheritance taxes are punitive and you feel you want to leave something to your kids without the government taking a far too large chunk out of it
Maybe you want to leave something in trust so it doesn’t become entangled up with a will especially with wives, ex-wives, kids, step-kids etc etc
I dare say there are more but as I’m not an accountant or lawyer specialising in trusts I can’t give you anymore unless I go trawling through goggle and there’s really no need especially as even James Shaw says there are good reasons for a foreign trust
So two reasons you have are relating to “avoiding” tax that your country thinks you should pay, and another relates to cutting relatives and former partners out of property that the courts might think you should give them.
If one doesn’t like the price of living in a country with taxes that pay for benefits like a judicial system, maybe one should leave that country rather than pretending that one’s money has. Otherwise it’s demanding the benefits of living in that country without paying for them.
I’ve no idea what James Shaw’s reasons are, so have no opinion on whether he is right or wrong.
I’m having fun watching you try to come up with an ethical reason to do it though. It’s the moral equivalent of watching Mr Magoo drive a car, but now I’m not seven I know that disabilities and stereotypes aren’t joking matters. A broken moral compass, however, is not a disability: it’s the product of a life poorly led. In that case I reckon it’s okay to get the popcorn.
I thought I’d bring the “Broken Standard” issue back to the fore again here. Why put this on a post that is already in the past for most.
So here goes:
In February my blog Aotearoa A Wider Perspective made it to number 15 on the Open Parachute list of over 300 New Zealand bloggers. My blog currently rates around the 24-25th place.
I warned people in 2008 about John Key and his financial connections and his plans to privatize and sell NZ to the highest bidder. I did so based on solid research into his history. And have continued ever since to educate and inform people of the current economic disaster and John Key’s connections to the international financial world. You would think that would be an area of interest to the people reading the Standard.
I have reached, to date, more than a 146.800 individual IP addresses in New Zealand alone. On Twitter and Facebook I have the ear of several high profile NZ journalists and politicians.
I speak regularly on at least three different online radio shows globally about banking, financial terrorism and the illegal wars of aggression waged in the aftermath of 9/11.
In fact I have even been contacted by a NZ Herald on Sunday journalist once, who when I asked her why she was reading my blog answered with: “We’d like to know what is really going on.” I kid you not.
I speak regularly in New Zealand for audiences such as NZfirst and ratepayers groups, (and even spoke at Waitangi day 2015 about the TPPA) on the subjects of finance and John Key. I speak regularly at TPPA demonstrations to which I am invited to do so by the organisers.
All this is quite and achievement for a single person, let alone a WOMAN. A Woman who has only lived here in NZ for the last 10 years!
I put it too you that If I had been a man, even with my convictions, also based on solid research of not just me but millions of people including more than 2500 + Architects and Engineers, that we need a new and independent investigation into the events of 9/11, I would have been invited for at least a guest post on say the subject of John Key.
Even if just for the fun of it! (After all Red Logic, Colonial Viper, and several other Standard authors have also clearly spoken about their doubts about the official 9/11 story)
The Standard has been known to invite other female bloggers with their own blog to post on the Standard. So why not me? Is it because I write about global politics and not my gender and the issues that brings with? (Which is what seems to be what women writers here are confined to) Is it because what I do write about makes people uncomfortable because it challenges the existing paradigm?
In TRP’s “Broken” post I challenged Iprent to invite me to write a quest post. I have yet to get a response.
“Is it because I write about global politics and not my gender and the issues that brings with? (Which is what seems to be what women writers here are confined to)”
I really don’t think it’s that. I’ve had two guest posts published (I wasn’t invited, I submitted them to one of the authors). Neither were from an overtly feminist perspective (one was about the Green Party, the other about AGW). Many of the posts written by women over the years haven’t been about gender.
Please write a post (or several). Saw your interview with Bill Black. The general public needs to be more engaged with the matters people like him raise. At present the level of public engagement there is low, too low, and the debate is held behind closed doors and with special interests (as shown by the trust legislation debacle).
Yesterday morning various commenters on Open Mike were promising that there would be a momentous news story later in the day.
What was it? I never saw anything of any particular significance coming up.
Major world news was one of the more hyperbolic offerings if I remember correctly. I can’t reread the post as every time I try and look at OM for yesterday the screen just remains blank.
Please, somebody tell me what the great news item was?
Silly Alwyn pay closer attention please, Elvis was found alive and well in NZ living a handsome lifestyle thanks to his offshore trust – oh and some other stuff
Well the one about Elvis is certainly the most significant.
I was a great fan of the King in much younger days.
However I expected something of importance from the way the little boys seemed to be giggling to each other on Open Mike.
I thought it might be something truly earthshaking like Jacinda Ardern’s cat had just had a litter of kittens and was going to be a solo mother.
Instead Slater and some unknown Green Party supporter having a trust?
I see yesterday’s people really were far in the past and puerile.
Bob is a RWNJ here to defend FJK. What he’s doing there is trying to prove that The Standard did it too. A typical action of the RWNJs when they or their leaders get caught being corrupt.
“A typical action of the RWNJs when they or their leaders get caught being corrupt”
Key’s Lawyer/Legal Adviser used to be a director in a company, that had a client, that owned two businesses, that had subsidiaries in the British Virgin Islands that used Mossack Fonseca’s services (no mention of what services). So this makes John Key corrupt and me the nut job? You must be mighty tall to draw a bow that long!
They weren’t lies. Greenpeace etc were mentioned in the Panama Papers. Mojo Mathers has an offshore Trust, she just doesn’t understand the meaning of the term. Key’s point was obvious to all but the loony left who are in such a lather…if you are prepared to smear by association, be prepared to wear some of the s*(T that falls around you.
[BLiP: Obvious lie is obvious – Greenpeace was NOT mentioned in the Panama Papers. Plus unwarranted abuse of Mojo Mathers. Banned for one week. Comment moved to Open Mike
An educational message for the chronically simple-minded:
The issue is not whether some particular individual is a settlor or beneficiary of a foreign trust. The issue is that NZ isn’t requiring disclosure to NZ officials of the settlors and beneficiaries of foreign trusts, which invites tax evasion and money-laundering. If your blather isn’t relevant to that issue, don’t crap all over people’s posts with it.
This is a fascinating RNZ live Q@A by Deborah Russell on Tax Havens and the Panama Papers. MW stands for; “Megan Whelan, RNZ’s community engagement editor” who appears to be moderating. My favourite thus far:
[Q] “I lived in Europe and was legitimately paid tax free. Why should I not keep these earnings off shore in a safe place? What ethical argument demands I pay tax here on this earning?”
[A] …New Zealand tax law says that income earned by New Zealand tax residents is subject to taxation in New Zealand, no matter where it is earned. So if you are living in New Zealand, you are almost certainly a New Zealand tax resident, and that means the income is subject to tax here. NB: that doesn’t mean income earned while you were a tax resident overseas. It’s only income earned during the time that you are a New Zealand tax resident.
The other argument is that taxation is the price of civilisation… if you don’t want to pay taxes in New Zealand, you probably need to think about whether you want to live here at all.
I’m not sure what JK should be apologising for . Everything he said was true -the charities were mentioned in the papers and Mojo does have a foreign trust
[BLiP: More repetition of the lie that Greenpeace appeared in the Panama Papers and more smearing of Mojo. Moved to Open Mike. First and last warning.]
Interesting. This is being touted as broad support for TPP.
The latest MYOB Business Monitor research of more than 1,000 SMEs across New Zealand, conducted for MYOB by Colmar Brunton, showed that more than one third of local businesses (36 per cent) said they favoured staying in the TPP. Just a quarter of business owners said New Zealand should pull out of the deal, while 39 per cent said it would not affect their vote.
I see that the Labour Party have also spotted this.
“Govt hasn’t made the TPP case for small business”
Almost two-thirds of small businesses do not fully support staying in the TPP – showing the Government has struggled to sell New Zealand businesses on the deal, says Labour’s Trade and Export Growth spokesperson David Clark.
“Todd McClay has desperately spun the latest MYOB figures to try to sell a good news story for the Government. The figures are clear though. The MYOB press release says, ‘36 per cent said they favoured staying in the TPP’. That means two-thirds are either against the deal or haven’t yet formed a strong enough view to affect their vote.
“Just 39 per cent of exporting small businesses support the TPP. This shows there are growing concerns that the TPP is more than just a trade deal.
If you google [BLiP: Deleted Mojo Mather’s UK family trust details.] there’s hits going back several years, including one from 2013 on Whaleoil (no I didn’t read that one). ISTR it was disclosed in the assets register, but I can’t be bothered chasing down a link.
[BLiP: Enough with the dragging of an unrelated, innocent party into the issue concerning the Panama Papers. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
Sorry BLiP. I was trying to point out that that information has been public domain for at least several years. And that Mathers herself had made that information public, as someone with integrity would do. It’s not some kind of revelation that Mathers has been acting in some kind of hypocritical underhanded manner, which is what Key seems to be trying to make it out to be.
Well, the PM has got a reprieve from questions in the House by conveniently getting himself ordered out of the House for his constant yelling etc. Some clever person suggested I think yesterday here on The Standard that he was devious enough that he might deliberately do this – well he guessed correctly – what a tosser that he can’t stand the heat in the kitchen and has got himself out of coventry. Typical.
“Johnny Bondtrader”, también en los “Panama Papers”
Por: Gerardo Venegas
La firma legal Mossack Fonseca incorporó a empresas de nombre Goldfinger, Crusher, SkyFall, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil y Octopussy, relacionados a las películas del agente secreto
Panamá.- El despacho legal panameño Mossack Fonseca en el centro de un escándalo de filtración de documentos sobre cuentas en el exterior conocido como “Panama Papers”, habría incorporado una serie de empresas con los nombres de las películas de James Bond.
El Proyecto de Reporteo sobre Crimen Organizado y Corrupción (OCCR, por sus siglas en inglés) que tuvo acceso a los documentos filtrados, dice que la firma legal Mossack Fonseca incorporó a empresas de nombre Goldfinger, Crusher, SkyFall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil y Octopussy.
También hay nombres de empresas como Blofeld, Hager y Spectre, como los villanos de las películas del agente secreto. Al parecer hay un cliente de nombre Austin Powers, que aparentemente es su nombre real.
En Nueva Zelanda, el Servicio de Administración Tributaria investiga a 33 personas vinculadas a los llamados “Papeles de Panamá”, para determinar si incurrieron en una evasión fiscal o delitos financieros.
Gobiernos de todo el mundo están indagando filtraciones de más de 11.5 millones de documentos del bufete de abogados panameño Mossack Fonseca, especializado en crear empresas en paraísos fiscales, que mostraron cómo políticos y personajes públicos han evitado el pago de impuestos.
Con información de: AP
TRANSLATION
WORLD SECURITY Published on 05/08/2016
“Johnny Bondtrader” also in the “Panama Papers”
By: Gerardo Venegas
The law firm Mossack Fonseca created shell companies named Goldfinger, Crusher, Skyfall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil and Octopussy, relating to the films of the Secret Agent.
The Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca in the center of a scandal of leaked documents on accounts abroad known as “Panama Papers” incorporated a number of companies with the names of James Bond movies.
Project Reporting on Organized Crime and Corruption (OCCR, for its acronym in English) which had access to the leaked documents, said the law firm Mossack Fonseca created companies named Goldfinger, Crusher, Skyfall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil and Octopussy.
There are also names of companies like Blofeld, Hager and Spectre – the villains of the movie secret agent. Apparently there is a client named John Banks, which is apparently his real name.
In Mexico, the Tax Administration is investigating 33 people linked to the so-called “Panama Papers” to determine whether they are involved in tax evasion and financial crime.
Governments around the world are investigating leaks of more than 11.5 million documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in creating offshore companies. These show how politicians and public figures have avoided paying taxes.
With information from AP
[BLiP: Off topic in a thread about Cameron Slater finagling diversion. Moved to Open Mike]
Interesting if true. Ive seen my share of bond films but I cant remember any named oravida, whale oil, crusher, nor teapot tape. But as a new zealander they do have an odd sense of familiarity about them.
And a bond villian named hager? Nope. But…
And john banks, isnt he a notoriously dodgy former nz politician who wasnt responsible for a piece of paper he signed because he didnt read it?
Apparently, the IRD relies on investigative journalists to notify them about possible money-laundereing.
Andrew Little: If New Zealand is not a tax haven, as he has been claiming, why is an online gambling magnate, Calvin Edward Ayre, who is on the run from US authorities for money-laundering and tax evasion, able to use a New Zealand foreign trust to stash his assets?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly, I do not have those details, and the Inland Revenue Department will not be able to until it gets all of the data, which has not been released yet by the investigative journalist. But if it does, it will be able to look through that, and if that trust is true and the person has been established—and established by someone who is covered under the anti – money-laundering rules in New Zealand—then it will be quite clear, because that person who had established it will have failed in their obligations.
When do you plan to apologise for the lies you tell about me?
You’ve been offered the chance to do so on a number of occasions.
Why don’t you put up or shut up?
[BLiP: Attempted derail/flamewar distraction. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike]
A few articles and opinion pieces on Clinton’s Aggressively Hawkish Foreign Policy:
“Hillary Clinton Promises a More Muscular Foreign Policy as President … From Iran to Syria to Ukraine, Clinton wants the US to be more aggressive … While the speech focussed on Iran, Clinton also addressed foreign policy elsewhere, highlighting areas in which she thought Obama was too hesitant to use military might to exert American influence abroad …”
How many men, women and children are going to die over the next few years so that this uber-Hawk can demonstrate her toughness to US Elites, the US Electorate and future American historians ?
Are GOP Neo-Cons getting ready to ally with Clinton ? “Neocon elites are probably the likeliest faction to defect to Clinton, and what they want is blood-curdling aggressiveness”
The American people have a long history of being very conflicted over this. I strongly suspect that left to their own devices, and their politics not so utterly captured by elite interests … then for the most part their military machine would rarely leave home.
My point, dear, isn’t quite what you’re alluding to-
You’re aware that some studies show that men interrupt women more than other men- some of those studies also show that women interrupt other women at a greater rate than men interrupt women. “the male method dominates and drives away dissenters”- mull over that the next time you see any sort of feminist rally.
Differences in communication styles have nothing to do with a lack of FAIRNESS. You have every right to type shit into this textbox- as do I. Yet you feel disadvantaged, maligned, and “unsafe”?
Do you feel this because we aren’t muzzled, chained, or broken in like good little boys? That we’re not all waiting in turn to have a say, having a great big group hug and singing “kumbaya” before departing?
A lot of the men commenting on this thread are merely trying to FIX and/or HELP- because that’s what men do. You can’t see past the massive chip on your shoulder to realize this fact- and instead seem to be slighted by the fact that men are intruding this conversation (girl power!).
No- you’re quite right- we need safe spaces for women- because they are patently disadvantaged and are unable to speak for themselves. We need to silence those dastardly men (and women!) who dare to interrupt or get in the way of a good ol’ fashioned civil discussion. Heaven forbid anyone have a contrary or controversial opinion (trigger warning!).
/thread
[BLiP: Trolling detected. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
Of course they are innocent victims. However it is Little and Shaw who were pushing the line that all overseas trusts are evil and anyone involved with them is a criminal. Unfortunately the people who set up that database did it without any attempt to vet it.
Mathers only got involved because she is a beneficiary of an overseas trust. In spite of her seeming to think that it wasn’t one it really is. If the trust is in Britain and you are in New Zealand that is an example of an overseas trust and according to Shaw et al is therefore something used only for tax evasion for tax evasion.
I fail to see any connection between this and rape or domestic violence. No doubt it makes sense to your fevered little brain.
[BLiP: Increasingly shrill wall papering of thread with Tory spin lines and smearing of Mojo Mathers. Banned for one week. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
You’re a well known Key idolator Confused Troll so fuck off to where what you mutter means something. I don’t know who should be more embarrassed. You or that effete thing thinks he’s an All Black.
[BLiP: Frustration understood but if you are going to abuse someone, at least make a point which contributes to the discussion. Moved to Open Mike.]
To the people who are calling for the dropping of pseudonyms and anonymity from commentators and authors on the Standard:
I mean seriously.
This issue about anonymity and pseudonyms has come up exactly as Cameron Slater has blatantly reminded all of us again how desperate and underhanded the right is to reveal who the commentators on The Standard actually are.
So that information can be used against us personally and against the Left in general.
I really have to shake my head at how this discussion on making Standard commentators and authors out themselves is being entertained for even one millisecond.
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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 ...
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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, ...
Opinion: Making sure developers, local and central government, and landowners are all on the same page makes sense The post A new kind of city deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 23 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following korero between Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, author of the newly published memoir Hine Toa, one of the year’s most important books, and Dale Husband from e-tangata, was first published in October. It traverses her involvement with the activist group Ngā Tamatoa at Auckland University in the early 1970s, her ...
In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions ...
Black Ferns trailblazer Kendra Cocksedge was on the verge of tears when her young protégé, Hannah King, unassumingly broke the news. Three-time Rugby World Cup winner Cocksedge and Lincoln agriculture student King meet every few weeks over a hot chocolate, in an enduring mentorship that’s spanned years. “Before we even ...
Opinion: We’ve kicked the tyres on the perception NZ’s economy is in a parlous state compared to Australia. We take a quick tour of relative trends in GDP, housing markets, labour markets, trade, the fiscal situation, and the outlooks for inflation and interest rates. We find the cyclical positions of ...
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News digital political journalist New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters is putting off recognition of Palestine as a state, despite opposition Labour’s formal request that he make the move. Peters said diplomatic recognition of Palestine was a matter of “when not if”, but doing so now ...
The opposition has laid into the government's plan to reintroduce a "three strikes" regime, saying it's inequitable and there's very little evidence it works. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior research associate, University of Sydney Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has ordered social media platform “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to remove graphic videos of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney last week from the site. The incident ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney John Turnbull, CC BY-NC-ND In past bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, the southern region has sometimes been spared worst of the bleaching. Not this time. This year’s intense underwater heat has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Austin, Lecturer in Theatre, The University of Melbourne Darren Gill/Mackey, Darling & Collaborators The relationship between witchcraft and teenage girls has been the subject of many books, films and television shows. Over time, the traditional image of witch as crone ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Becky Freeman, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney Andres Siimon/Unsplash There are no silver bullets, magic tricks or secret hacks to solving complex public health problems. Taking on the global tobacco industry and reducing the devastating consequences of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam B. Watts, Research Associate in galaxy evolution, The University of Western Australia ESO/A. Watts et al., CC BY We breathe oxygen and nitrogen gas in our atmosphere every day, but did you know that these gases also float through space, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Nielsen, Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University Maxime Bhm/Unsplash A new group of drugs called nitazenes has been detected in Australia. They have been sold as heroin as well as other drugs like ketamine. Concerns ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor emerita, University of Sydney Image from Bradlow + Bock campaign Can the job of being a federal member of parliament be shared by two or more persons? Two prospective candidates for the inner-Melbourne federal seat of Higgins, Lucy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Rathus, Senior Lecturer in Law, Griffith University Shutterstock In October 2023, the federal parliament passed major changes to how children’s cases are decided under the Family Law Act, which kick in next month. Among other things, they repeal a ...
‘One of America’s most wanted fugitives has been able to stay ahead of justice and tax officials by hiding some of his assets in New Zealand, US media say.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/panama-papers/303541/us-fugitive-hid-assets-in-nz-reports
The photo of Ayre and his friends is rather reminiscent of Kim Dotcom’s wild years. After all the fuss about KDC, isn’t it great that we’re still allowing fugitives from American justice to stash their loot here? Our PM’s a big believer in the redemptive power of large amounts of money.
Key really has no shame.
‘Greenpeace and Amnesty International are calling for Prime Minister John Key to set the record straight over comments he made on their links to foreign trusts.
Mr Bayldon said it was a known fact that trusts listed charities as beneficiaries, so the real owners could avoid scrutiny by tax authorities, and charities were not aware when their names were used in this way.
He said Amnesty had no knowledge of any real links with foreign trusts and he was disappointed Mr Key would insinuate otherwise.
Mr Norman, the head of Greenpace, said he was shocked that Mr Key would implicate his organisation, and the comments were misleading.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/303550/charities-reject-foreign-trust-link
Is there even one utterance from John Key on this issue that is not total bullshit?
Can anyone point to one?
its a red herring anyway – was JK able to make such a claim without the aid of the leaked docs?
no
therefore the case against the way foreign trusts are set up in NZ still stands
It transpires the Greenpeace link didn’t come from the Panama Papers, but another set of documents released 2 years ago – something of which Key would have been well aware. Referring to the Panama Papers Whitney link, Key told Little at QT:
Incrimination by insinuation could be a very dangerous game
He then went on to incriminate Greenpeace, Amnesty and the Red Cross.
Yes Mr Key, you falsely incriminated 3 internationally respected organisations. You
are a clever dick aren’t you Mr Key.
Harry Frankfurt has the measure of Mr Key..
“The bullsh*tter is neither on the side of the true nor on the side of the false. His eye is not on the facts at all, as the eyes of the honest man and of the liar are, except insofar as they may be pertinent to his interest in getting away with what he says. He does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly. He just picks them out, or makes them up, to suit his purpose.”
A great little paper, ‘On Bullshit’. Worth a read.
http://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf
A terrific opinion piece on why domestic violence is a male problem. Defenders of Tony Veitch might want to look away:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11636340
that was a good article TRP, but the second line of your comment was not needed 🙂
Yes, point taken 😉
So much for TRP changing his ways!
Oh you mean like this, the opening line?
“There’s a sad fact about violence in this country: how safe you are is determined the second you are conceived. Your gender is the single biggest predictor of your lifelong risk”
Don’t men suffer more violence? A quick google indicates thus ..
his opening line might be a dud
Did you read the whole article??
Yes. Point not addressed.
Its basic maths . if you’re 3 times more likely to be beaten because of your gender then ” your gender is the single biggest predicator of your lifelong risk ”
It s not saying that men don’t get assaulted
It is not a male problem, it is a society problem.
In the same Herald section above is an account from a man which almost precisely mirrors my own.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/family-violence/news/article.cfm?c_id=178&objectid=11636220
Now crucially, I’ve never pointed to the fact of women being as abusive (albeit nowhere near as physically damaging) as men as any sort of “ Labour did it too” argument. My sole, and I would have hoped obvious point, is that abuse and a failure to understand it’s underlying causes is a human problem.
And that to my mind is a far more constructive framework.
Good luck with that… you should know by now there are many women here who have been victims, that seems to go over your head every frickn time.
Hey RedLogix,
Just a heads up- you’re in the wrong end of the political “scene” if you expect anyone here to tolerate the suggestion that women aren’t inherently predisposed to being “good”- and that men aren’t inherently predisposed to being “bad”.
Really makes me sick to see you and CV drawn across the coals in that other thread- but that’s what you get.
You’re making utterly idiotic comments. No-one that I’m aware of has ever written anything even close to the type of lines you’re spewing about. And by the way, your vile attack comment on the other thread has been deleted. Come around here with that kind of shite again and I’ll ban for you for a very long time.
“I’ll ban you from The Standard!” he said, in his most menacing voice. Bill growled as he fondled his mouse, “we don’t like your type around here.”
Read the comment thread in “Broken”- it’s dripping with misandry. I’d love if you’d be willing to have a rational discourse about the comments of mine you deem to be “utterly idiotic”.
P.S. I’m not entirely sure you can “ban” someone from an unauthenticated site- but it was a wewwy wewwy good try.
[I couldn’t give a flying monkeys about ‘types’, but your cry for martyrdom has been heard and answered – Six months. Goodbye.] – Bill
@RedLogix…I appreciate your arguments trying to open up the issue…and I dont think you are sexist…imo violence and abuse begets violence and abuse…just as victimhood can breed victimhood
…to me it is quite clear that women can also be abusive…and men and boys can be abused and victims also
…animals and the environment can also be abused
….agree “abuse and a failure to understand it’s underlying causes is a human problem”….probably one of the most important issues of our time
(the answer is probably one for social psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, social workers…etc…and those who examine the morals and ethics of societies and religions)
Hi RedLogix,
I have been unable to follow much on TS over the last little while but your arguments make sense to me; it is indeed a human problem in the first instance.
When referring to Domestic Violence it is often about (but not limited to!) violence in a relationship between partners. There are many ‘triggers’ for this but I’d like to point out that it is now, sadly, becoming increasingly common to see this happening in same-sex relationships also.
To understand violence and to try deal with it we need to know the underlying causes but also the potential trigger points. The way I see it, and I will probably be blasted for saying it, is that violence has many similarities with depression and suicide, for example.
A last point I’d like to make that is that violence comes in many levels (gradations) of severity – it is a continuum; it can escalate but also de-escalate depending on many factors. Will humans ever be completely free of violence? If not, where do we set the line and why?
I will probably be blasted for saying it, is that violence has many similarities with depression and suicide, for example.
Exactly. The more I read over the years the more intriguing insights and hints like this come to the surface.
For instance there seem to be two emotional responses to the ‘loss of control’ threat in an intimate relationship; one is outwardly directed and projects onto the other person as jealousy; the other is more inwardly directly in the form of humiliation.
These are not responses we have much conscious control over; for example personally I just cannot do jealousy, but humiliation is easy. Understanding how I am wired in this sense was a critical tool in learning to direct how I responded.
Then comes the action response and again this can be directed outwardly as overt violence and abuse onto another person, or inwardly as anxiety, depression or suicide. The latter just being covert forms of violence directed onto yourself.
Of course as always in a blog comment I’m simplifying and leaving out a whole lot more that should be said, but there a plenty of ideas around that strongly support what you are saying.
All these issues that you touched on, including violence, tell us much about ourselves (and others at the same time) and what it is to be human. It is essential for full understanding of the human condition to look at all aspects: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A blog might not be the optimal or ideal forum to discuss complex stuff like this, which will induce strong responses, but what medium is? There are not many places where you ‘meet’ such a diverse range of people: the good, the bad, and the ugly – metaphorically speaking, of course.
As with depression, suicide, but also precarious living & working conditions, for example, it is essential to have these debates to evolve as individuals and thus as a society.
Much more could and should be said …
+100 …..wow yes…thanks!….very good discussion !!!….reminds me of John Lennon’s song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lLs2dC9NaE
“Fixing the Standard also starts with me”
“Fixing the Standard starts with me”, FIFY
It was a quote!
Has it not occured to you that this “week of domestic violence” might be related to the timing of the release of the panama papers?
TPP, TTIP- bypassing the World Trade Organisation where every country has an equal vote.
US Using TPP and TTIP to Challenge ‘Sovereignty of Nations’ – Ex-Diplomat
http://newseurope.eu/2016/05/10/us-using-tpp-ttip-challenge-sovereignty-nations-ex-diplomat/
Note” ‘Coalition of the Willing’ We have to tell this government that NZ does NOT belong to this group and that the TPP must NOT be ratified.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11636936
This government is just taking the piss now, sending collins to represent us at a corruption meeting.
And Bennett as Climate Change Minister.
And John Key is still a White Ribbon Ambassador.
She’ll fit in well with the other attendees David Cameron was overheard skiting to the Queen about.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/10/david-cameron-afghanistan-nigeria-possibly-most-corrupt-countries
Turkish police now shooting Syrian refugees at the border.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/10/turkey-border-guards-kill-and-injure-asylum-seekers
HRW video below.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/EGkSxVEjgMY?feature=oembed
And being paid by the EU to do so.
Mr David Farrar’s take on Slater’s plot to hack The Standard: Yes, hacking is wrong and Cameron was wrong, but … far more concerning … “he (Slater) was taken advantage of by a guy who lied constantly to Cameron and fed him months and months of lies. Poor old Cameron, it seems, was taken “advantage of”.
As expected all the DP players rush to cammys defence with slippery hooten getting a long overdue permanent ban for his part in this whole sordid episode.
Yep, but I have to say the defence seems just a little too desperate and laboured from Young Master Farrar. Notice the repetition in just one brief passage: “But while Cameron was wrong, he was taken advantage of by a guy who lied constantly to Cameron and fed him months and months of lies. He took advantage of Camerons …”
I mean that’s just a hack job (excuse the pun). Normally, you’d expect rather less clumsy rhetorical strategies from a would-be Spin-Meister who has the PM’s ear.
These stats for the ownership of Auckland housing in the news this morning are seriously skewed in some way or another. Just for the street where I reside there are only 5 Kiwi residents left in a street of some 35 or so houses. All in a matter of 3/4 years. Our suburb also reflects the same numbers of Chinese owning the housing stock. Even if these persons are NZ residents – all this explains about the situation in our suburb is there are too many residencies being granted for the amount of existing housing for this area.
If Nick Smith is saying that its just zenophobia, then why don’t they attack the situation another way and slow down the inmigration and allowing of residency to allow further housing to be supplied. Why cannot this Government also just apply such a simple law – to only allow new residents to buy or build new houses – this would increase the supply of housing and ease up on existing housing. Too many auctions in this area deny kiwis ownership, we see it all the time – they may be residents who buy but they are outstripping the supply for our own citizens.
Also are these stats New Zealand wide or just for Auckland – it would be seriously out of kilter if it was for NZ wide.
Change of topic – our PM needs to apologise to these charities he has insulted. What a knee jerk low blow nasty response in the House yesterday. Typical of him and not surprising for one minute.
@ WK well said but the Nats are deaf sadly.
Further to comments yesterday since some may have misinterpreted it, Cameron Slater broke the law, when you break the law you face the consequences (or should, no matter who you are)
I can understand why he did it as I’m sure anyone that’s been hacked can understand his feeling on that matter could but it doesn’t change that what he did was against the law and morally wrong (the two don’t always go together) and now he has to take his punishment
Some may feel he has got off lightly and they may be right, some may feel his reputation (such as it is) has been irreparably damaged and they may also be right and the vast majority will feel he brought it all on himself
Hopefully he’ll learn from this and will come back a better person (I won’t hold my breath though)
…and I won’t hold my breath waiting for you to provide a single recent example of a right winger taking personal responsibility for anything. It’s all lip service.
“when you break the law you face the consequences (or should, no matter who you are)”
I’m not sure what your point actually is, I’m saying what I think should happen in situations like this.
However if you really want an example I’ll give you one: I have a DDI, I plead guilty to the charge and I didn’t ask for diversion
So there you go, some on the right do take personal responsibility for their actions
I’ll also point out that had Cameron Slater got the information and published it he could have claimed it was in the publics interest to know and that he wouldn’t give up his source
But he didn’t, he was stupid and sloppy and got caught
“he could have claimed it was in the publics interest to know”
He could have claimed it was the names of those involved in the casting of Avatar Two – but that would not necessarily make it so”
You may need to take some time to read a bit more about “public interest” before posting again. “Public interest” as a legal definition means what is of public importance not what the public is interested in.
Here is a small article to get you on your way. I’m sure you will ignore the information as you so gleefully practise your willful ignorance.
BTW, I don’t know if you noticed, – but your moral compass is missing its needle.
Thank you for that, its most informative.
The public interest includes:
“Preventing the public from being mislead by some statement or action of an individual or organisation.”
That statement there gives quite a lot of wriggle to room to journalists and their lawyers
However please note I’m not saying he could claim the public interest and win and he’d be justified
I’m merely saying he could claim it in court and try to win
My moral compass is just fine
“I’m merely saying he could claim it in court and try to win”.
Definitions that may be of interest to you:
Pertinent
Relevant
Salient
“My moral compass is just fine”
I understand you think so – but – could you check? The way your morality is leaping around and changing direction it could take someone’s eye out.
(Might account for some of the one-eyed commenters when you come to think of it…)
Thank you for your consideration, I appreciate it.
Jk took responsibility for defeating labour in 3 elections 😀
“”Jk took responsibility for defeating labour in 3 elections 😀”
Jk should take responsibility for defeating labour in three elections by using the most underhanded filthy dishonest methods seen in nz history.
Fify
Please elaborate, I thought KDC, dirty politics, in coordination with vote positive was a labour hit
Has there been any evidence that taxes have not been paid in their homeland or is this just an assumption by Labour and the Greens and anyone else who hates John Keys rich prick mates
[BLiP: Typical Tory Twit jumping in first on comment thread with distraction from main point of post. Banned for one week.]
FFS! These allegations at Greenpeace, Red Cross, and Amnesty etc by Key are old hat and have been shown to be false. Repeating untruths do not make them true.
Stop repeating lies uttered under Parliamentary “Privilege” by Key.
but the accusations made against key must be true? This is a new level of stupid from the left
Which ‘accusations’? Does he have a sloppy morally grey highly ethical good mate who misrepresents him or not?
which contradiction would you like me to answer?
I was more referring the “Tax haven” “illegality” “john key is personally responsible”
I notice it’s been awfully quiet on this issue and on the niue issue. aren’t you sick of being wrong yet?
I don;t know about any others but I am still waiting for the Hagamans to sue Andrew Little then I am sure it will be all on again.
New Zealand is being used as a tax haven, that is not in doubt: as your Prime Minister says, “Labour did it too!”
The proliferation of offshore trusts since 2011 may be a simple coincidence, or it may be the result of legislative changes. People who know more than I about tax law are going hammer & tongs over it, and the list of clauses affected by just one law change of many is a paragraph.
I’ve been reading commercial legal websites to try and make sense of it to no avail.
Several species of illegality, including specific cases, have been identified thus far. Key has not been accused of any of them, nor do I expect him to be, and still the whole sloppy ethical lobbying misrepresentation thing makes him look foolish at the very least.
How would we know if they are hiding their assets? IRD can only assess them on their declared, visible and known earnings? Even if you will not admit it here, be honest with yourself. If this was Helen Clark in Key’s position, the calls for resignations and and end to corruption would be deafening by you and others like you.
Hey Tracey welcome back
+100
Nice to see you too Anne. Hope you are well?
Nice to see you PR. I am not, however back.
I actually thought when I heard this it was a good idea for Green Peace to hide assets offshore. All it takes is a protest gone wrong, an over zealous prosecutor and a move to freeze assets and the organization could be crippled, at least momentarily. Who knows how the political situation can change. Same would go for any other major activist group.
this is pretty much exactly what has happened to GP in india
they weren’t even able to pay there staff after they stopped the development of huge coal project ad were labelled “environmental terrorists” by the indian govt
So foreign trusts are useful then?
Of course they are useful.
The evidence is the large number of New Zealand offshore trusts that are structured in such a way that tax evasion is easily enabled.
It’s a bit like the old days of making P from pseudo: is there any evidence that a large number of gaunt, ill-dressed individuals buying twenty boxes of cough medicine each (many of them asking for the medicine after referring to handwritten notes) and paying by cash are committing a crime? Nope, there was nothing particularly linking the individual purchases with the empty boxes found at busted P labs. But we changed the law on pseudo-based medicines anyway.
‘Brexit poll: Almost half of Europeans want own vote on leaving EU’
https://www.rt.com/news/342500-brexit-poll-european-union/
“An Ipsos poll of some 6,000 Europeans found that half think the UK will leave the EU and half think Brexit could lead to a ‘domino effect’ in their own country.
The online survey of people aged between 16 and 64 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Poland and Hungary focused on the upcoming British referendum on whether to leave the European Union…
…and a reason why many have reservations about the EU is Nato warmongering:
‘Chomsky: NATO is a U.S.-run intervention force’
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/202967-cold-nuclear-war-nato/
Betting in the UK strongly favours a Remain win.
Current Betfair odds: Remain 68% / Leave 32%.
There’s a clear and enduring divide between on-line and phone-based Polls on the EU Referendum. The former almost always call it neck-and-neck (usually with Leave a point or two in front), the latter always place Remain in front with a fairly clear lead of 5-10 points.
Phone-based Polls do tend to have a slightly better record in the UK over recent years.
Turnout will be interesting: On the one hand, Generational variations in turnout should favour Leave (Older Britons are much more likely to favour Brexit and are also – as in NZ – more likely to get out and vote on the Day). But, more importantly, socio-economic variations in turnout favour Remain. ABC1s strongly favour staying in Europe and are even more likely to vote than the over 50s.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79848626/panama-papers-emma-watson-latest-celebrity-named-in-data-leak
Ok the funs over, now its getting serious.
PR diversion?…cooking sherry anyone?
I assure you that I had nothing to do with the delightful Emma Watson being named in the Panama leak
But I think it does show that the attempted demonizing of those using foreign trusts is disingenuous, I’m sure there are bad reasons for using foreign trusts and I’m also sure there are legitimate reasons for using them
“A specialized industry has developed in attempting to circumvent these provisions. The promoters of offshore schemes often advance technical arguments which purport to show that their scheme is legal. These arguments are used to provide some comfort to their clients, who are then induced to enter into a scheme which usually involves concealing the true ownership and control of assets and income.”
The American IRS on foreign trusts. The provisions referred to are of course those enabling American citizens to pay tax on their world-wide income.
https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/International-Businesses/Foreign-Trust-Reporting-Requirements
Under a topic titled “Abusive Offshore Tax Avoidance Schemes”, the following is to be found from the IRS.
“In recent years, a significant increase in offshore activity has been noted among U.S. taxpayers. Numerous schemes have been devised in which the true ownership of income streams and assets is hidden or disguised so as to improperly shield substantial amounts of financial activity from the U.S. tax system.
Such offshore transactions generally involve foreign jurisdictions that offer financial secrecy laws in an effort to attract investment from outside their borders. These jurisdictions are commonly referred to as “tax havens” because, in addition to the financial secrecy they provide, they require little or no taxation of income from sources outside their jurisdiction.”
A commentator on Campbell on Nat Radio postulated that 1% of trusts have a legitimate purpose.
From memory I recall some posts a fair while back about the death penalty and how and why it was wrong, one of the arguments someone brought up (as I say from memory so take it with a grain of salt if you like) was that it was better that 10 guilty men go free rather than one innocent man be imprisoned
No laws have been broken yet all those people brought up are being suggested that they’ve done something illegal
That isn’t right
PR
The point is rather that; unethical business practices should be illegal, but that our Government has shown no interest in ensuring this to be so. All the way from “Dear Leader” Key, to erstwhile revenue minister Peter “legitimate tax avoidance” Dunne.
“I haven’t been convicted of a crime therefore nothing I’ve done is wrong (nor can it be questioned)”, is the kind of thinking I would expect from an insect that gnaws on decaying wood. Even you are better than that.
Ok so some of the laws are badly worded and need fixing but we shouldn’t go around convicting people in the court of public opinion because they might be doing something some of us don’t like
“The court of public opinion” is simply people’s opinion of someone.
So what you’re pleading in the court of public opinion is that the fact that someone might be doing something reprehensible shouldn’t affect our opinion of that person.
I’m saying its not good to smear everyone with the same brush, I’d have thought that’s a basically decent thing to do
Who’s smearing everyone with the same brush?
I’m just impressed you guys have finally come up with a defensible reason to use a secret offshore trust.
Well say you sell your business and you pay the tax on that (as you should) I don’t think its unreasonable to keep the money in an off shore trust instead of a bank account where it can be hit with more tax
And as Emma Watson was saying (although as a British celebrity I take it with a grain of salt) it was more about the privacy aspects
I’m sure there are other good reasons for a foreign trust, something myself and James Shaw have in common
Why would it be hit with more tax? As you said, you’ve already paid the tax.
EW has specific personal safety issues that do not involve money laundering and tax evasion. That’s one reason. You’re sure there are others, and yet it took you long enough to come up with that one, whereas the illegal or immoral reasons are innumerable.
You’re hit with a tax on the interest accumulated so from the hypothetical person point of view they probably don’t want to be double hit with taxes
Maybe you’re in a country where inheritance taxes are punitive and you feel you want to leave something to your kids without the government taking a far too large chunk out of it
Maybe you want to leave something in trust so it doesn’t become entangled up with a will especially with wives, ex-wives, kids, step-kids etc etc
I dare say there are more but as I’m not an accountant or lawyer specialising in trusts I can’t give you anymore unless I go trawling through goggle and there’s really no need especially as even James Shaw says there are good reasons for a foreign trust
If James Shaw is wrong on this let me know why
So two reasons you have are relating to “avoiding” tax that your country thinks you should pay, and another relates to cutting relatives and former partners out of property that the courts might think you should give them.
If one doesn’t like the price of living in a country with taxes that pay for benefits like a judicial system, maybe one should leave that country rather than pretending that one’s money has. Otherwise it’s demanding the benefits of living in that country without paying for them.
So you think James Shaw is wrong on this?
nope.
I’ve no idea what James Shaw’s reasons are, so have no opinion on whether he is right or wrong.
I’m having fun watching you try to come up with an ethical reason to do it though. It’s the moral equivalent of watching Mr Magoo drive a car, but now I’m not seven I know that disabilities and stereotypes aren’t joking matters. A broken moral compass, however, is not a disability: it’s the product of a life poorly led. In that case I reckon it’s okay to get the popcorn.
I thought I’d bring the “Broken Standard” issue back to the fore again here. Why put this on a post that is already in the past for most.
So here goes:
In February my blog Aotearoa A Wider Perspective made it to number 15 on the Open Parachute list of over 300 New Zealand bloggers. My blog currently rates around the 24-25th place.
I warned people in 2008 about John Key and his financial connections and his plans to privatize and sell NZ to the highest bidder. I did so based on solid research into his history. And have continued ever since to educate and inform people of the current economic disaster and John Key’s connections to the international financial world. You would think that would be an area of interest to the people reading the Standard.
I have reached, to date, more than a 146.800 individual IP addresses in New Zealand alone. On Twitter and Facebook I have the ear of several high profile NZ journalists and politicians.
I speak regularly on at least three different online radio shows globally about banking, financial terrorism and the illegal wars of aggression waged in the aftermath of 9/11.
In fact I have even been contacted by a NZ Herald on Sunday journalist once, who when I asked her why she was reading my blog answered with: “We’d like to know what is really going on.” I kid you not.
I speak regularly in New Zealand for audiences such as NZfirst and ratepayers groups, (and even spoke at Waitangi day 2015 about the TPPA) on the subjects of finance and John Key. I speak regularly at TPPA demonstrations to which I am invited to do so by the organisers.
All this is quite and achievement for a single person, let alone a WOMAN. A Woman who has only lived here in NZ for the last 10 years!
I put it too you that If I had been a man, even with my convictions, also based on solid research of not just me but millions of people including more than 2500 + Architects and Engineers, that we need a new and independent investigation into the events of 9/11, I would have been invited for at least a guest post on say the subject of John Key.
Even if just for the fun of it! (After all Red Logic, Colonial Viper, and several other Standard authors have also clearly spoken about their doubts about the official 9/11 story)
The Standard has been known to invite other female bloggers with their own blog to post on the Standard. So why not me? Is it because I write about global politics and not my gender and the issues that brings with? (Which is what seems to be what women writers here are confined to) Is it because what I do write about makes people uncomfortable because it challenges the existing paradigm?
In TRP’s “Broken” post I challenged Iprent to invite me to write a quest post. I have yet to get a response.
+100 Travellerev….I certainly support your open inquiring , well researched Posts….I would like to have you as a woman official Poster here!
Cheers Chooky!
“Is it because I write about global politics and not my gender and the issues that brings with? (Which is what seems to be what women writers here are confined to)”
I really don’t think it’s that. I’ve had two guest posts published (I wasn’t invited, I submitted them to one of the authors). Neither were from an overtly feminist perspective (one was about the Green Party, the other about AGW). Many of the posts written by women over the years haven’t been about gender.
Please write a post (or several). Saw your interview with Bill Black. The general public needs to be more engaged with the matters people like him raise. At present the level of public engagement there is low, too low, and the debate is held behind closed doors and with special interests (as shown by the trust legislation debacle).
+100
Its excatly the same as what labour/greens are trying on. Font moan when the shoe is on the other foot
[BLiP: Typical Infused gibberish – moved to Open Mike]
Infused
Your butchering of language is quite enough to make the; “font moan”.
[BLiP: Comment deleted. Banned on week]
You are always; “talking a crap”, so far as I see it.
+1 lmao
Reddelusion and Infused are suffering from a dose of viral conjunctivitis me thinks ?
[BLiP: Orphan comment left behind after mopping up. Moved to Open Mike]
Yesterday morning various commenters on Open Mike were promising that there would be a momentous news story later in the day.
What was it? I never saw anything of any particular significance coming up.
Major world news was one of the more hyperbolic offerings if I remember correctly. I can’t reread the post as every time I try and look at OM for yesterday the screen just remains blank.
Please, somebody tell me what the great news item was?
Silly Alwyn pay closer attention please, Elvis was found alive and well in NZ living a handsome lifestyle thanks to his offshore trust – oh and some other stuff
Evil Slater and his stupidity
Well the one about Elvis is certainly the most significant.
I was a great fan of the King in much younger days.
However I expected something of importance from the way the little boys seemed to be giggling to each other on Open Mike.
I thought it might be something truly earthshaking like Jacinda Ardern’s cat had just had a litter of kittens and was going to be a solo mother.
Instead Slater and some unknown Green Party supporter having a trust?
I see yesterday’s people really were far in the past and puerile.
Isn’t that odd!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWOXH3AP_hQ&mc_cid=f8765b5574&mc_eid=524e48683c
“reverting to USA Trump Style smear politics”
Like this: http://thestandard.org.nz/sprung-again-keys-lawyer-has-close-links-to-mossack-fonseca/
[BLiP: Attempted derail – moved to Open Mike]
Yep bang on the button.
Bob is a RWNJ here to defend FJK. What he’s doing there is trying to prove that The Standard did it too. A typical action of the RWNJs when they or their leaders get caught being corrupt.
“A typical action of the RWNJs when they or their leaders get caught being corrupt”
Key’s Lawyer/Legal Adviser used to be a director in a company, that had a client, that owned two businesses, that had subsidiaries in the British Virgin Islands that used Mossack Fonseca’s services (no mention of what services). So this makes John Key corrupt and me the nut job? You must be mighty tall to draw a bow that long!
The ‘lawyer’ admitted to not being concerned with practising ethically grey actions. Also, tax havens are ethically black with no grey in them at all.
But, of course, you knew that but are here defending it anyway.
They weren’t lies. Greenpeace etc were mentioned in the Panama Papers. Mojo Mathers has an offshore Trust, she just doesn’t understand the meaning of the term. Key’s point was obvious to all but the loony left who are in such a lather…if you are prepared to smear by association, be prepared to wear some of the s*(T that falls around you.
[BLiP: Obvious lie is obvious – Greenpeace was NOT mentioned in the Panama Papers. Plus unwarranted abuse of Mojo Mathers. Banned for one week. Comment moved to Open Mike
Not this Morning IR.
Don’t be a prick you know full well the details don’t pretend ignorance of the news.
Not in the mood for eggs playing games.
An educational message for the chronically simple-minded:
The issue is not whether some particular individual is a settlor or beneficiary of a foreign trust. The issue is that NZ isn’t requiring disclosure to NZ officials of the settlors and beneficiaries of foreign trusts, which invites tax evasion and money-laundering. If your blather isn’t relevant to that issue, don’t crap all over people’s posts with it.
BLiP
You are lying. Greenpeace IS mentioned … https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/121744.
I also have to ask what planet you are on if you think my comment on Mathers was abuse. [BLiP: DELETED ABUSE]
[BLiP: I will let this comment through in order to educate you. Greenpeace was mentioned in the “Offshore Leaks” database which is different from the “Panama Papers” – see here: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/greenpeace-demands-apology-pm-over-besmirching-its-name-panama-papers-link – you are banned for another week for calling me a liar and are banned a further week for wasting my time. Do not comment here until after 02/06/16]
[BLiP: Comment deleted – banned for another week for ignoring earlier ban, that’s four weeks in total. Do not comment here again until after 08/06/16]
This is a fascinating RNZ live Q@A by Deborah Russell on Tax Havens and the Panama Papers. MW stands for; “Megan Whelan, RNZ’s community engagement editor” who appears to be moderating. My favourite thus far:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/panama-papers/303553/live-chat-the-panama-papers
In history, “civilisation” was maintained and built through the work of serfs and slaves serving a tiny ruling class.
Today, taxation is for the wage serfs and wage slaves. Not the aristocracy.
Is Scoop the first to use “Panamania” as a heading?
I’m not sure what JK should be apologising for . Everything he said was true -the charities were mentioned in the papers and Mojo does have a foreign trust
[BLiP: More repetition of the lie that Greenpeace appeared in the Panama Papers and more smearing of Mojo. Moved to Open Mike. First and last warning.]
Nationals/Farrars plan all along, seeing this repeated endlessly on social media (& it is), the more outrageous the lie etc…
Interesting. This is being touted as broad support for TPP.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1605/S00307/broad-support-for-tpp-from-smes.htm
My interpretation is less than half of the SMEs are positively in favour of staying in the TPP. Why should the “indifferent 39%” be added to the positives and called “support”?
This is what I term “propaganda.”
I see that the Labour Party have also spotted this.
“Govt hasn’t made the TPP case for small business”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1605/S00199/govt-hasnt-made-the-tpp-case-for-small-business.htm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/79836755/unhappy-neighbours-spark-housing-nz-complaints-for-former-streetie-tepi-amohia
– Well I sympathise with the neighbours but hopefully he gets the support he obviously needs to sort the issues out
If you google [BLiP: Deleted Mojo Mather’s UK family trust details.] there’s hits going back several years, including one from 2013 on Whaleoil (no I didn’t read that one). ISTR it was disclosed in the assets register, but I can’t be bothered chasing down a link.
[BLiP: Enough with the dragging of an unrelated, innocent party into the issue concerning the Panama Papers. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
Sorry BLiP. I was trying to point out that that information has been public domain for at least several years. And that Mathers herself had made that information public, as someone with integrity would do. It’s not some kind of revelation that Mathers has been acting in some kind of hypocritical underhanded manner, which is what Key seems to be trying to make it out to be.
[BLiP: Understood, all good. Warning retracted.]
Ace moderation BLiP.
I was thinking that as well weka.
So add my appreation too please BLiP
Well, the PM has got a reprieve from questions in the House by conveniently getting himself ordered out of the House for his constant yelling etc. Some clever person suggested I think yesterday here on The Standard that he was devious enough that he might deliberately do this – well he guessed correctly – what a tosser that he can’t stand the heat in the kitchen and has got himself out of coventry. Typical.
The fact he would tarnish his own reputation to avoid questions speaks volumes to the lack of moral fortitude this despicable man has.
I know lots of people have posted about the use of cannabis oil – this article may be of interest.
http://survivingmesothelioma.com/mesothelioma-survivor-on-cannabis-oil-following-in-footsteps-of-ancient-herbalists/
http://kjohnsonnz.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/latest-from-panama-city.html
MUNDO SEGURIDAD Publicada el 08/05/2016
“Johnny Bondtrader”, también en los “Panama Papers”
Por: Gerardo Venegas
La firma legal Mossack Fonseca incorporó a empresas de nombre Goldfinger, Crusher, SkyFall, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil y Octopussy, relacionados a las películas del agente secreto
Panamá.- El despacho legal panameño Mossack Fonseca en el centro de un escándalo de filtración de documentos sobre cuentas en el exterior conocido como “Panama Papers”, habría incorporado una serie de empresas con los nombres de las películas de James Bond.
El Proyecto de Reporteo sobre Crimen Organizado y Corrupción (OCCR, por sus siglas en inglés) que tuvo acceso a los documentos filtrados, dice que la firma legal Mossack Fonseca incorporó a empresas de nombre Goldfinger, Crusher, SkyFall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil y Octopussy.
También hay nombres de empresas como Blofeld, Hager y Spectre, como los villanos de las películas del agente secreto. Al parecer hay un cliente de nombre Austin Powers, que aparentemente es su nombre real.
En Nueva Zelanda, el Servicio de Administración Tributaria investiga a 33 personas vinculadas a los llamados “Papeles de Panamá”, para determinar si incurrieron en una evasión fiscal o delitos financieros.
Gobiernos de todo el mundo están indagando filtraciones de más de 11.5 millones de documentos del bufete de abogados panameño Mossack Fonseca, especializado en crear empresas en paraísos fiscales, que mostraron cómo políticos y personajes públicos han evitado el pago de impuestos.
Con información de: AP
TRANSLATION
WORLD SECURITY Published on 05/08/2016
“Johnny Bondtrader” also in the “Panama Papers”
By: Gerardo Venegas
The law firm Mossack Fonseca created shell companies named Goldfinger, Crusher, Skyfall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil and Octopussy, relating to the films of the Secret Agent.
The Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca in the center of a scandal of leaked documents on accounts abroad known as “Panama Papers” incorporated a number of companies with the names of James Bond movies.
Project Reporting on Organized Crime and Corruption (OCCR, for its acronym in English) which had access to the leaked documents, said the law firm Mossack Fonseca created companies named Goldfinger, Crusher, Skyfall, Teapot Tape, GoldenEye, Oravida, Moonraker, Whale Oil and Octopussy.
There are also names of companies like Blofeld, Hager and Spectre – the villains of the movie secret agent. Apparently there is a client named John Banks, which is apparently his real name.
In Mexico, the Tax Administration is investigating 33 people linked to the so-called “Panama Papers” to determine whether they are involved in tax evasion and financial crime.
Governments around the world are investigating leaks of more than 11.5 million documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which specializes in creating offshore companies. These show how politicians and public figures have avoided paying taxes.
With information from AP
[BLiP: Off topic in a thread about Cameron Slater finagling diversion. Moved to Open Mike]
Interesting if true. Ive seen my share of bond films but I cant remember any named oravida, whale oil, crusher, nor teapot tape. But as a new zealander they do have an odd sense of familiarity about them.
And a bond villian named hager? Nope. But…
And john banks, isnt he a notoriously dodgy former nz politician who wasnt responsible for a piece of paper he signed because he didnt read it?
Apparently, the IRD relies on investigative journalists to notify them about possible money-laundereing.
Andrew Little: If New Zealand is not a tax haven, as he has been claiming, why is an online gambling magnate, Calvin Edward Ayre, who is on the run from US authorities for money-laundering and tax evasion, able to use a New Zealand foreign trust to stash his assets?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly, I do not have those details, and the Inland Revenue Department will not be able to until it gets all of the data, which has not been released yet by the investigative journalist. But if it does, it will be able to look through that, and if that trust is true and the person has been established—and established by someone who is covered under the anti – money-laundering rules in New Zealand—then it will be quite clear, because that person who had established it will have failed in their obligations.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/51HansQ_20160511_00000002/2-prime-minister%E2%80%94statements
438 000 watched the final episode of the Bachelor.
Maybe New Zealand deserves Key as PM.
When do you plan to apologise for the lies you tell about me?
You’ve been offered the chance to do so on a number of occasions.
Why don’t you put up or shut up?
[BLiP: Attempted derail/flamewar distraction. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike]
A few articles and opinion pieces on Clinton’s Aggressively Hawkish Foreign Policy:
“Hillary Clinton Promises a More Muscular Foreign Policy as President … From Iran to Syria to Ukraine, Clinton wants the US to be more aggressive … While the speech focussed on Iran, Clinton also addressed foreign policy elsewhere, highlighting areas in which she thought Obama was too hesitant to use military might to exert American influence abroad …”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-iran-foreign-policy_us_55f05c2ae4b002d5c07786b2
How many men, women and children are going to die over the next few years so that this uber-Hawk can demonstrate her toughness to US Elites, the US Electorate and future American historians ?
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/hillary_clintons_foreign_policy_resume_what_the_record_shows_20160505
Are GOP Neo-Cons getting ready to ally with Clinton ?
“Neocon elites are probably the likeliest faction to defect to Clinton, and what they want is blood-curdling aggressiveness”
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/05/trump-unifier-are-hillary-clinton-and-neoconservatives-ready-join-forces
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n03/jackson-lears/we-came-we-saw-he-died
http://www.thenation.com/article/left-ought-worry-about-hillary-clinton-hawk-and-militarist-2016/
http://www.thenation.com/article/henry-kissinger-hillary-clintons-tutor-in-war-and-peace/
At some point when I have a free afternoon we’re going to have to have an argument about whether intervening is overall right or wrong.
The American people have a long history of being very conflicted over this. I strongly suspect that left to their own devices, and their politics not so utterly captured by elite interests … then for the most part their military machine would rarely leave home.
My point, dear, isn’t quite what you’re alluding to-
You’re aware that some studies show that men interrupt women more than other men- some of those studies also show that women interrupt other women at a greater rate than men interrupt women. “the male method dominates and drives away dissenters”- mull over that the next time you see any sort of feminist rally.
Differences in communication styles have nothing to do with a lack of FAIRNESS. You have every right to type shit into this textbox- as do I. Yet you feel disadvantaged, maligned, and “unsafe”?
Do you feel this because we aren’t muzzled, chained, or broken in like good little boys? That we’re not all waiting in turn to have a say, having a great big group hug and singing “kumbaya” before departing?
A lot of the men commenting on this thread are merely trying to FIX and/or HELP- because that’s what men do. You can’t see past the massive chip on your shoulder to realize this fact- and instead seem to be slighted by the fact that men are intruding this conversation (girl power!).
No- you’re quite right- we need safe spaces for women- because they are patently disadvantaged and are unable to speak for themselves. We need to silence those dastardly men (and women!) who dare to interrupt or get in the way of a good ol’ fashioned civil discussion. Heaven forbid anyone have a contrary or controversial opinion (trigger warning!).
/thread
[BLiP: Trolling detected. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
Of course they are innocent victims. However it is Little and Shaw who were pushing the line that all overseas trusts are evil and anyone involved with them is a criminal. Unfortunately the people who set up that database did it without any attempt to vet it.
Mathers only got involved because she is a beneficiary of an overseas trust. In spite of her seeming to think that it wasn’t one it really is. If the trust is in Britain and you are in New Zealand that is an example of an overseas trust and according to Shaw et al is therefore something used only for tax evasion for tax evasion.
I fail to see any connection between this and rape or domestic violence. No doubt it makes sense to your fevered little brain.
[BLiP: Increasingly shrill wall papering of thread with Tory spin lines and smearing of Mojo Mathers. Banned for one week. Comment moved to Open Mike.]
And you’re trolling for love object that effete thing Key so fuck off !
[BLiP: Settle down. First and last warning. Comment moved to Open Mike]
You’re a well known Key idolator Confused Troll so fuck off to where what you mutter means something. I don’t know who should be more embarrassed. You or that effete thing thinks he’s an All Black.
[BLiP: Frustration understood but if you are going to abuse someone, at least make a point which contributes to the discussion. Moved to Open Mike.]
To the people who are calling for the dropping of pseudonyms and anonymity from commentators and authors on the Standard:
I mean seriously.
This issue about anonymity and pseudonyms has come up exactly as Cameron Slater has blatantly reminded all of us again how desperate and underhanded the right is to reveal who the commentators on The Standard actually are.
So that information can be used against us personally and against the Left in general.
I really have to shake my head at how this discussion on making Standard commentators and authors out themselves is being entertained for even one millisecond.
Idiocy to the power of naivete.