The Tide is Turning: The Official Story Is Now The Conspiracy Theory
Paul Craig Roberts
In America today “conspiracy kooks” outnumber those who believe the official lies.
In a few days it will be the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and this November 13 will be the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. These two state crimes against democracy destroyed American democracy, accountable government, and the Constitution’s protections of civil liberty.
Years after the damage done by these events the American people no longer believe the official stories. Neither does the government, but the government will never validate the distrust that Americans now share of the oligarchs’ government by acknowledging the truth.
The official explanation of the assassination of President Kennedy never made any sense. Videos of the assassination contradicted the official story, as did witnesses, and many credible people challenged the government’s story. The CIA was faced with the official explanation becoming unglued and launched its media program stigmatizing doubters as “conspiracy theorists.”
The CIA’s psych warfare against the public succeeded at the time and for a number of years during which witnesses had mysterious deaths and the trail grew cold. But by the late 1970s there was so much public skepticism of the official story that the US Congress took the risk of being labeled “conspiracy kooks.” The House Select Committee on Assassinations reopened the inquiry into JFK’s murder. The House Committee concluded that the Warren Commission’s investigation was seriously flawed, that there was more than one person firing at President Kennedy and that there was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK.
The corrupt US Department of Justice (sic) contradicted the House Select Committee’s report. However, the American people believed the Select Committee and not the corrupt Justice (sic) Department, which never tells the truth about anything.
By 2013 polls showed that most Americans are “conspiracy kooks” who do not believe the official government line on JFK’s assassination. So with regard to JFK’s assassination, the “conspiracy theorists” are in the majority. The minority are the Americans who cannot escape their brainwashing.
In a few days it will be the 15th anniversary of the alleged al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and we are witnessing the fading protection that the charge of “conspiracy theorist” provides for the official government story. Indeed, the official 9/11 story is collapsing before our eyes.
Europhysics, the respected publication of the European physics community has published an article by scientists who conclude that “the evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that all three [World Trade Center] buildings were destroyed by controlled demolition.” Few American scientists can admit this, because their careers depend on US government and military/security complex research contracts. Independent scientists in the US are a vanishing breed, an endangered species.
The scientists say that in view of their findings, “it is morally imperative” that 9/11 “be the subject of a truly scientific and impartial investigation by responsible authorities.”
So now we are faced with a peculiar situation. The scientifically ignorant two-bit punk American presstitutes claim to know more than the editors of the journal of the European physics community and the scientists who did the investigation. Don’t you think it farfetched that ignorant, corrupt, and cowardly American journalists who lie for money know more than physicists, chemists, 2,700 high-rise architects and structural engineers who have called on the US Congress to launch a real investigation of 9/11, firefighters and first responders who were on the WTC scene, military and civilian pilots and former high government officials, all of whom are on record challenging the unbelievable and physically impossible official story of 9/11? What kind of a dumbshit moron does a person have to be to believe that the United States government and its media whores know better than the laws of physics?
Since September 11, 2001, a growing number of people from around the world have publicly questioned the official story of the 9/11 terror attacks. For 15 years architects, engineers, actors, scientists, pilots, firefighters, activists, and family members of the victims have raised a wide range of questions related to the funding of the attacks, the physics of the building’s collapse, the possibility of controlled demolition or other exotic weapon use to bring the buildings down, and much, much more.
For the 15th anniversary, the collective “9/11 Truth” movement will descend on New York City to protest and rally in the streets. The activists will rally at Ground Zero and other important sites throughout the city. There will also be a conference hosted by Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and NYC activists. The conference will feature prominent figures who have questioned the government’s version of events over the last 15 years.
How does a beginner pilot terrorist whose flight instructor said could barely handle a single engine Cessna successfully manage a Boeing 757 for miles at an altitude of under 10m, finally executing a complex high speed turn just before striking the side of the Pentagon.
And how was such a plane even allowed within 20 miles of the Pentagon which is surrounded by a military enforced no fly zone and ground to air defensive missiles.
Personally, after fifteen years I’m a wee bit bored with delusional paranoiacs using internet echochambers (born of the exhaustion of people with lives who can’t be bothered re-teaching them basic physics for the millionth time) to impotently build massive conspiracies based on nothing more than supposition and their bizarre fantasies, thus perverting the deaths of several thousand people and the subsequent geopolitical ramifications (including the deaths of hundreds of thousands more) into their boring little Sunday afternoon hobby and wankfest.
Each to their own, I guess. Wipe the keyboard clean afterwards.
Geeezus mate how many people are you speaking for now?
Oval Office avoided receiving detailed briefings on Osama Bin Laden/Saudi terrorist threat in 2011 so that it could continue to truthfully claim that they had no specific terrorism information to consider and act on pre-9/11
@one two:
Are the meandering ways you use to call me “dumber than you” a way of pretending that you’re less arrogant than everyone else, or did you just take so much acid that your brain popped and you believe your own bullshit ?
Insight: Cleaning Franchises – Business Opportunity or Dirty Business?
‘Franchises are often promoted as a great way to get into business with lots of back-up from a bigger company, but some argue that, in the cleaning industry, both workers and some owner-operators are losing out.
Workers say they are being pushed out of their jobs by the aggressive tactics of commercial cleaning companies and the law that should be protecting them isn’t working.
At the same time, some smaller owner-operators further down the food chain complain the business model is putting such a squeeze on their earnings they are paying themselves less than the minimum wage.’
+100..yes heard this …this jonkey Nactional government is responsible for making laws enabling multinational cleaning companies through their franchise companies taking New Zealand workers to the cleaners and making them redundant
…in the interests of profit for the big boys
…and undermining the unions
…and undermining paying the minimum wage to New Zealand workers
( no doubt they will be replaced by foreign workers)
( I wonder if any Nact politicians have shares in the big cleaning companies?)
most of these workers are New Zealand women on the lowest possible wages…it is a disgrace…and a crime against New Zealand women and their families
I am aware of cleaners whose pay and conditions have significantly declined while a dodgy manager drives in flash cars.
Bad behaviour is rewarded by neoliberalism.
+1 to everyone about the cleaning routs. Why the hell do we need multinational cleaning companies in NZ?????
Where ever these multinational cleaning companies are linked there are price routs and employment scandals. Since they probably pay no local taxes – what is the point?
P.s A few years ago went to OZ and ate something a zoo that had the cafe run by Spotless. Do not recommend. Am not sure it could even be considered food and if food is run by 1 staff member who looks about 12 years old and consists of microwaving fried rice that is chemically enhanced to last more than 100 years of shelf life.
And apparently Spotless has the cleaning contract at Princess Wharf – many scandals about the BC and levy apartment fees, with freeloader Ports of Auckland in the mix of course.
Spotless is an Australian company. Under CER all Australian companies have virtually the same rights as NZ companies.
And I presume no-one is arguing that NZ pulls out of CER. Well, at least no serious political party would propose this, and I include the Greens in the category of serious. Actually even MANA presumably accepts the reality of CER.
“multi-national Jani-King” is what they are talking about here …and overseas companies should abide by New Zealand worker rights
…””I worked at Avalon Primary for 17 years, but then I was made redundant; it was a very very sad day because we were told we were no longer wanted, but just had to carry on with our work.”
Ms Lawer worked at the school site in the Lower Hutt suburb not far from her home until the end of 2015, when the New Zealand arm of the multi-national Jani-King took over the cleaning contract from another company.
It gave the contract to its franchisee, Phagura Limited. Ms Lawer was later sacked.
“She said [Phagura’s director] she no longer can keep us because she can’t afford it, and her and her husband had to take the job over.”…
The Employment Relations Act has a special section often called the “vulnerable workers’ clause”.
It was designed to protect workers in industries like cleaning and food catering where contracts for service frequently change hands. It gives those vulnerable workers the right to transfer to the new owner-operator of the business on the same terms and conditions when their employer loses a contract to another company.
Ms Lawer acknowledged that under the law the small family-owned business had a right to make her redundant.
But an agreement for a redundancy payment was in her original contract, and Ms Lawer said that should have been passed along as contracts changed hands. She has never received one.
She wants either Jani-King or Phagura Limited to pay her out $6804, or the equivalent of 30 weeks’ wages.
As is often the case, several companies are involved and following the trail of who is responsible for what becomes increasingly complicated, adding to the difficulties workers can face.
In this example, Jani-King was bought by JK Limited several months ago…
As contractors, drivers had few of the benefits of employees, yet they were still obliged to wear a corporate uniform, work certain hours, apply for annual leave, and work exclusively for one company – as well as providing their own vehicles.
As I post regularly on this topic, here is Media Watch’s take on clickbait and Journalism.
Stuff of substance in a clickbait climate
Is serious journalism being swamped by ‘clickbait’ in the online age? Is the anguished debate about the future of it helping? Mediawatch asks an award-winning investigative reporter who’s just addressed trans-Tasman media top brass about the way forward.
As if to prove my point, here are some of New Zealand Herald’s stories today.
Craig Busch: ‘You cannot abuse a lion’
Shortland Street star beats a bully
Pascoe’s pre-Rio heartbreak
Elle Macpherson returning to NZ
Kiwi blokes line up for date with Marcella
Medical mishap: Family demands car
The Stacey Kirk one about unsubstantiated untruths is especially good reading.
When someone told lies in our group we used to sing to the tune of a chorus of ‘My Bonnie lies over the ocean’ (Bring back my Bonnie to me..etc)
but with the words
‘”Bullshit..Bull shit.. It all sounds like bullshit to me..to me”
Perhaps we could sing this whenever politicians lie…or maybe everyone, media included could simply start humming the tune?
In a real democracy all candidates would be invited to participate in the debate.
She further questioned the role of the polls in selecting only the highest-polling candidates for public debates.
Her comment so far has attracted only two quite disparaging comments, which I won’t bother linking to.
I fully agree with Brigid and I think her comment touches on something quite important that deserves (more) attention.
Some of the essential principles underpinning democracy are: freedom, fairness, and equality. Thus, regardless of some metric (i.e. polls) – or merit – all standing candidates ought to have fair and equal access to debates and the electorate at large. In the US this was recognised and applied through the Equal Time Rule. (NB how this works in practice, e.g. in the current US Presidential Elections is beside the point here)
The point of (public) debates is to give the candidates exposure and a chance to interact with each other and the public. It is an opportunity to see them in action, on how they perform under pressure, for example. In short, it is an ever-so-brief chance to get to know them a little (better).
Such information cannot be obtained by using Google or visiting Wikipedia although these may be useful for policy documents and the likes. To even suggest that going online can replace public debate is so not COOL.
The other counter-argument made to Brigid’s comment was that one might end up having to listen to “nutjobs” or “nutters of all sorts with no hope at all of winning” [my bold] instead of “the three serious contenders” speaking for an hour each.
This displays a prejudice that is intrinsically and fundamentally anti-democratic. A candidate might be a “nutter” to one person but at the same time he/she might be a strong advocate of neglected and ignored people who almost without excpetion find themselves at the political and social margins – people who need a voice and representation more than the ‘median’ person who will have the attention of the “serious contenders” and who are generally very well- if not over-represented in local and national politics.
I’d like to recommend to people with such prejudice the excellent and illuminating post by STARGAZER on intersections.
In brief, it’s also possible that if you turn up to the debates, you’ll get even less support after your views are aired.
That’s particularly possible for the nutjobs.
I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to take the small amount of time that is allocated to these debates, and give equal-footing to people who simply have no chance of winning. It takes away time from the contenders who have a real chance of winning, to get their particular message out.
Yes, if more time were allowed for debates, then this argument is mostly neutered. On the flip-side however, if we were to have 100 hours of debates, no-one would watch all of them either.
A line *has* to be drawn somewhere. For example if there were over 100 people running for mayor, your “everyone is entitled to debate” would mean all of those people would need to be invited to every debate, which isn’t tenable.
So instead of dogmatically saying “everyone must be admitted to every debate”, I think you should be more realistic and discuss how and where the line should be drawn.
Democracy is not about winning FFS! It is about fair and equal representation. That said, the current neo-liberal version of democracy is more about winners & losers.
There’s no “100 hours of debates” but if there was then we would have the choice of watching or attending some (or all) of them.
Similarly, there are no 100 candidates! Indeed, all the standing & confirmed candidates should be invited. They won’t all show up anyway and Vic Crone is a case in point: Auckland mayoral candidate Vic Crone missing from debates.
In a truly-representative democracy no line gets drawn; that was my point.
The irony seems to be lost on you when you labelled me “dogmatic”; using lazy labels and bogus examples are the tell-tale sign of someone who’s avoiding honest debate or has already lost the argument …
“There’s not one single “nutjob” among the 18 or so candidates for the Auckland Mayoralty”
Maybe, maybe not. There is however a nutjob who runs for Christchurch mayor every time, and always comes last.
“You’re simply parroting the same meme.”
No, I’m making an argument with reasoned points. Parroting means repeating something unthinkingly.
“There’s no “100 hours of debates” but if there was then we would have the choice of watching or attending some (or all) of them.”
Except the candidates themselves don’t have time to spend doing 100 hours of debates. Similarly if you want to have all 18 candidates, in a 1 hour debate it means they would each get to speak for 3 1/3 minutes, assuming 0 ad breaks, 0 down-time between speakers and no moderation at all. That’s not a debate.
Unless you want to have a 2-3 hour debate for that many participants, and still they won’t have enough time to get their points across. And many people won’t bother to watch it precisely for that reason.
“Similarly, there are no 100 candidates!”
It’s called an example. You HAVE to draw a line somewhere. It’s the same thing as people who say “why don’t you just put the minimum wage up to $100/hour?”, of course $100/hour is a silly minimum wage to have, but the level has to be set SOMEWHERE. So, pick a point and argue why that is appropriate.
“In a truly-representative democracy no line gets drawn; that was my point.”
Correct, every candidate is able to campaign as much as they like. Some select portion of those candidates, who have widespread support, will be selected to appear in debates.
If you want to get into the debates, then you need to do a good job of getting widespread support first.
This, like many other things, is simply rationing and distributing of resources, which is exactly what politics is about – how best we should manage our resources for the good of all. In this case, the resources are 1. TV/radio time, and 2. public attention. There is not unlimited TV/radio time, there is not unlimited public attention. We need to spend those resources in the best way we can to support democracy – that means NOT inviting EVERY SINGLE candidate to the debates, because most of those people have NO CHANCE of winning, and by inviting them you take away the opportunity of the viable candidates to get their message out to the public (see also, limited resource #2).
“The irony seems to be lost on you when you labelled me “dogmatic”; using lazy labels and bogus examples are the tell-tale sign of someone who’s avoiding honest debate or has already lost the argument …”
It’s not a lazy label nor are my examples bogus, they’re there to illustrate my point in stark relief. I’m sorry you don’t understand that.
I was the only Auckland Mayoral candidate who attended the Rally for Democracy yesterday at Victoria Park Auckland.
That is because there is no other Auckland Mayoral candidate who is actively opposed to corrupt control, locally, nationally or internationally, by
the corporate 1%, and those who serve their interests.
Yesterday, that’s where I launched my Auckland Mayoral campaign, with my very simple message:
“ONE tick to help make history!”
MAYOR (tick) BRIGHT!
And STICK IT to the corrupt crony corporate 1%!
It’s not how you start the race – it’s how you finish …..
And, as a political animal, of the feral ‘honey badger’ variety, I know a week is a LONG time in politics 🙂
Colourful Auckland activist Penny Bright has formally launched her bid for the mayoralty, running on her long-established anti-corruption platform.
Penny Bright (left) and a supporter at her campaign launch.Penny Bright (left) and a supporter at her campaign launch. Photo: RNZ / Todd Niall
Ms Bright who has given herself the nickname of “Her Warship” is pledging to take public transport out of the hands of private operators and force vacant homes to be made available.
She launched her low-budget campaign as part of the Rally for Democracy in Auckland’s Victoria Park.
Penny Bright finished a distant fourth in the mayoral race in 2013, and is one of 19 candidates.
She is locked in a legal battle with the Auckland Council, having refused to pay rates for eight years, until the council publishes all details of contracts let to the private sector. ”
and how the ‘system’ seems to be in favour of keeping it that way.
“Someone invented a $50 EpiPen — when will it arrive? A conversation with the doctor who invented it
Douglas McMahon, an MD with a food allergy, made an EpiPen alternative that he wants to sell for $50. Why can’t he?”
Particularly interesting point about free-trade undermining productivity (where NZ has been weak since about the 1980’s), essentially if production is done domestically then there is a common interest between managers and workers in maintaining and increasing domestic productivity. If production is outsourced (the free-trade model) then there is no common interest and no reason for management to support domestic productivity.
This applies to any kind of free-trade policy, going far beyond the investor right deals like the TPPA which barely have any implications for liberalizing trade.
Today is the anniversary of when the U.sa and the military in Chile overthrew a democratically elected government …. “On September 11, 1973, the Chilean military, aided by the United States and its Central Intelligence Agency CIA, staged a coup against Allende.”
“The military junta that took over dissolved the Congress of Chile and began a persecution of alleged dissidents, in which thousands of Allende’s supporters were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered.”
” the military and police torturers were ready with their electrodes, thumbscrews and waterboarding equipment to defend “western Christian civilisation”. Many had been brought to a peak of perfection in their trade in the US itself or in its bases in the Panama canal zone by US instructors.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/08/pinochet-victim-widow-fights-for-justice
And Kissinger’s response was to mock the US state department analysts who criticised it, saying that they only went to State because they couldn’t get into the priesthood.
Sophie & Co speaks to Ron S. Katz, sports lawyer, Chair Emeritus of the Institute of Sports Law and Ethics at Stanford University about the collective banning of Russian para-Olympic athletes from Rio.
Some basic points:
– Collective punishment of athletes is incompatible with western legal norms as there is a high likelihood that you will be punishing innocent athletes.
– Making individual athletes responsible for proving their own innocence is likewise incompatible with western legal norms as the burden of proof must always fall with the authorities.
– It seems clear that western media and western political pressure influenced judgements made against the Russian team.
– The McLaren report shows prejudgement against Russian athletes, and the use of anonymous/undisclosed evidence inappropriate and not credible, failing the standard of any real court
– Richard McLaren himself admits that he only “skimmed” the evidence available before writing his report, and did not even try to speak to any individuals or officials on the Russian team.
– WADA is a broken, incompetent organisation and made a very poor choice in picking McLaren to write the report as he had taken long standing positions against Russia previously.
– International Court of Arbitration clearly did not read the McLaren report properly before coming to their own decisions against the Russian team, as the McLaren report clearly fails on its own terms.
– Believes that Russia has a very strong case for additional appeals/hearings.
Newsflash: RT upset sanctions taken against terminally flawed anti-doping farce.
If an athlete wishes to compete, they need to be demonstrably drug free. By allowing Russia’s anti-doping body to become a farce, Putin’s regime effectively denied many Russian athletes the ability to demonstrate that they met this qualification to compete.
Yes, that’s the parroted MSM narrative, but it is not the conclusion of Ron S Katz, sports lawyer and Chair Emeritus at Princeton in the interview.
Who views the western legal norms against collective punishment, use of anonymous/secret evidence and correct burden of proof as being important principles which were not upheld in the decisions against Russian athletes.
+100 CV…most people regard what happened to the Russian para-Olympic athletes as unfair and were disgusted by the bullying…they were not proved to be drug takers
…most people regard what happened to the Russian para-Olympic athletes as unfair…
Well, yes – the clusterfuck their government brought down on their heads was very unfair. But at the international level, them’s the breaks.
…they were not proved to be drug takers
That’s exactly the problem – there’s no basis for assessing whether they were being given performance-enhancing drugs or not, which is why the various international bodies are blocking them. Do try to keep up.
most people I know thought it was distasteful and disgustingly unfair
re…”there’s no basis for assessing whether they were being given performance-enhancing drugs or not”…condemned by your own words?…that is exactly why it wasn’t fair! ( are you an amoral moron?)
‘Horrendous & terribly unfair ban of Russian Paralympians based on politicized report’
“The International Paralympic Committee’s move to ban all Russian athletes from participating in the Rio Games is an unfair and unjust decision based on a completely biased and politically motivated McLaren report, independent writer Rick Sterling told RT….
‘In what world does this make sense?’: Russian Paralympic ban met with confusion online’
Sure. Their own government shafted them by running a thoroughly corrupt drug-testing programme, such that international sporting bodies now can’t trust the Russian athletes’ drug test results and therefore don’t want them competing. It’s unfair, but living in a Mafia state is unfair in many and varied ways.
The Olympics have been used by the western powers as a political weapon against Russia, whom they have decided is a geopolitical enemy.
In doing so, western authorities completely undermined the very principles they said they believed in – the rule of law, individual responsibility and due process.
You shouldn’t excuse them so easily for this collapse of their ethics.
The way I see it is that it was the Russia that ought to have been punished, via the complete ban, for the state organisation of the cheating. That it no doubt harsh on the sportspeople that were not involved, but they can take that up with the ones ended up handing out BMWs
Do you believe everything RT tells you? What have they ever reported that you outright disagree with? I find them as laughable on some issues as say CNN, but not as bad as Fox.
Pretty much. Propaganda melds bullshit with chunks of truth. So even RT says some true things, as long as they lend validity to their larger position. So the problem becomes one of identifying the larger position and adding scepticism to the reports that intersect with it.
A bit like what we do around the smoko room every day, if people start gossiping.
And Breitbart chief Stephen Bannon is now running Trump’s campaign.
I’m not exaggerating. One site directly linked to Breitbart, called Red Ice, was full of “documentaries” praising Hitler and its view on the Holocaust was split between it never happened and it was cool.
National Socialism is not an ideology I would be eager to see given a hearing in the White House, yet is already upfront on the campaign.
I find it incredible that people with ostensibly left-wing principles are so consumed by their hatred of Clinton that they are cheerleading for this evil.
Maybe you’re too young to remember any victims, but I have family connections with the Holocaust through my stepfather, whose cousins shared an annexe with a young girl who kept a diary.
You can guess what happened to them.
The fact that you respond to N—sm with a contemptuous ‘shrug’ indicates that you have completely lost touch with reality or you are a truly horrible human being.
Clinton was instrumental in destroying Libya the richest country in Africa, causing a death toll which possibly runs into the hundreds of thousands, and turning it into a failed state controlled by Islamists who execute their own genocidal ideology in real life in modern times.
BTW the Clinton’s US neocon set has been instrumental in supporting and arming actual neo-N’s in power in Kiev, people who have done things like burn dozens of people alive in the Trade Union building in Odessa, and who have their own paramilitary units. Not just a few website crazies.
Perhaps someone better informed than me can help me.
Why is it common to hear of RNZAF aircraft – Hercules & 757s – being grounded while on official duties (e.g. PM’s trip to Pac forum) or on exercise being grounded for one reason or another?
Why can the airforce not maintain them to a state of continuing readiness?
I’ve watched that clip twice , it seems to me that the bagrie chap completely contradicts himself, his first chat is all ra ra rock star, and his second chat is more closer to what is going on, it’s odd
“Of course, regenerative farming doesn’t offer a permanent solution to the climate crisis; soils can only hold a finite amount of carbon. We still need to get off fossil fuels, and – most importantly – we have to kick our obsession with endless exponential growth and downsize our material economy to bring it back in tune with ecological cycles. But it might buy us some time to get our act together”
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Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
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Worth watching.
An article describing evidence, reports and reporting that the US Gov destroyed evidence around 9/11, and blocked/impeded investigations into it.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-09/government-hid-and-destroyed-911-evidence
I think you and I agree on this issue.
However, there are many on the left who are too scared/incurious to question the official narrative of 9/11.
The official narrative cannot explain building 7.
The Tide is Turning: The Official Story Is Now The Conspiracy Theory
Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/09/09/the-tide-is-turning-the-official-story-is-now-the-conspiracy-theory/
15 Years of Fighting for 9/11 Truth
+100 Paul.
9/11 was obviously set up as an excuse for Amerikkka to invade Iraq and get their oil. Bush should be in jail!
How does a beginner pilot terrorist whose flight instructor said could barely handle a single engine Cessna successfully manage a Boeing 757 for miles at an altitude of under 10m, finally executing a complex high speed turn just before striking the side of the Pentagon.
And how was such a plane even allowed within 20 miles of the Pentagon which is surrounded by a military enforced no fly zone and ground to air defensive missiles.
None of it makes sense.
The military/ industrial/political complex covering up the truth makes sense.
I also find it interesting that a large number of people still seem dedicated to hew closely to the Official Story as being largely correct.
Personally, after fifteen years I’m a wee bit bored with delusional paranoiacs using internet echochambers (born of the exhaustion of people with lives who can’t be bothered re-teaching them basic physics for the millionth time) to impotently build massive conspiracies based on nothing more than supposition and their bizarre fantasies, thus perverting the deaths of several thousand people and the subsequent geopolitical ramifications (including the deaths of hundreds of thousands more) into their boring little Sunday afternoon hobby and wankfest.
Each to their own, I guess. Wipe the keyboard clean afterwards.
case in point
ditto
Thanks for saying what we were all thinking, McFlock.
Geeezus mate how many people are you speaking for now?
Oval Office avoided receiving detailed briefings on Osama Bin Laden/Saudi terrorist threat in 2011 so that it could continue to truthfully claim that they had no specific terrorism information to consider and act on pre-9/11
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/11/cia-directors-documentary-911-bush-213353
cheers Tim.
No idea CV, I only speak for myself. People can agree, or disagree.
But then I have no special channel to receive personal messages from the intrinsic intelligence of the universe. I’m just me.
Of course you too can receive messages from the intrinsic intelligent characteristic of the universe, McFlock, anyone can.
Go tell your doctor that, godboy.
Strange comment, McFlock
You appear to be limited to a temporal world view on many subjects by your comments
Expansion of thought involves listening to any and all possible options so as to have the broadest paremeters for discussion and assessment
Confining ones self to a view or set of views is to deny ones self the opportunity to grow from within
911 is most certainly a conspiracy, regardless of the view on who or why…
“Personally, after fifteen years I’m a wee bit bored’…others find you to be so also…ie “boring”
As I said, each to their own.
@one two:
Are the meandering ways you use to call me “dumber than you” a way of pretending that you’re less arrogant than everyone else, or did you just take so much acid that your brain popped and you believe your own bullshit ?
Which is why they US planted Iraqi terrorists to pull it off….
Oh wait….
Worth listening to.
Insight: Cleaning Franchises – Business Opportunity or Dirty Business?
‘Franchises are often promoted as a great way to get into business with lots of back-up from a bigger company, but some argue that, in the cleaning industry, both workers and some owner-operators are losing out.
Workers say they are being pushed out of their jobs by the aggressive tactics of commercial cleaning companies and the law that should be protecting them isn’t working.
At the same time, some smaller owner-operators further down the food chain complain the business model is putting such a squeeze on their earnings they are paying themselves less than the minimum wage.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/201815332/cleaning-franchises-business-opportunity-or-dirty-business
+100..yes heard this …this jonkey Nactional government is responsible for making laws enabling multinational cleaning companies through their franchise companies taking New Zealand workers to the cleaners and making them redundant
…in the interests of profit for the big boys
…and undermining the unions
…and undermining paying the minimum wage to New Zealand workers
( no doubt they will be replaced by foreign workers)
( I wonder if any Nact politicians have shares in the big cleaning companies?)
most of these workers are New Zealand women on the lowest possible wages…it is a disgrace…and a crime against New Zealand women and their families
i expect nursing will be next
this government is absolutely despicable
I am aware of cleaners whose pay and conditions have significantly declined while a dodgy manager drives in flash cars.
Bad behaviour is rewarded by neoliberalism.
+1 to everyone about the cleaning routs. Why the hell do we need multinational cleaning companies in NZ?????
Where ever these multinational cleaning companies are linked there are price routs and employment scandals. Since they probably pay no local taxes – what is the point?
P.s A few years ago went to OZ and ate something a zoo that had the cafe run by Spotless. Do not recommend. Am not sure it could even be considered food and if food is run by 1 staff member who looks about 12 years old and consists of microwaving fried rice that is chemically enhanced to last more than 100 years of shelf life.
And apparently Spotless has the cleaning contract at Princess Wharf – many scandals about the BC and levy apartment fees, with freeloader Ports of Auckland in the mix of course.
Spotless is an Australian company. Under CER all Australian companies have virtually the same rights as NZ companies.
And I presume no-one is arguing that NZ pulls out of CER. Well, at least no serious political party would propose this, and I include the Greens in the category of serious. Actually even MANA presumably accepts the reality of CER.
“multi-national Jani-King” is what they are talking about here …and overseas companies should abide by New Zealand worker rights
…””I worked at Avalon Primary for 17 years, but then I was made redundant; it was a very very sad day because we were told we were no longer wanted, but just had to carry on with our work.”
Ms Lawer worked at the school site in the Lower Hutt suburb not far from her home until the end of 2015, when the New Zealand arm of the multi-national Jani-King took over the cleaning contract from another company.
It gave the contract to its franchisee, Phagura Limited. Ms Lawer was later sacked.
“She said [Phagura’s director] she no longer can keep us because she can’t afford it, and her and her husband had to take the job over.”…
The Employment Relations Act has a special section often called the “vulnerable workers’ clause”.
It was designed to protect workers in industries like cleaning and food catering where contracts for service frequently change hands. It gives those vulnerable workers the right to transfer to the new owner-operator of the business on the same terms and conditions when their employer loses a contract to another company.
Ms Lawer acknowledged that under the law the small family-owned business had a right to make her redundant.
But an agreement for a redundancy payment was in her original contract, and Ms Lawer said that should have been passed along as contracts changed hands. She has never received one.
She wants either Jani-King or Phagura Limited to pay her out $6804, or the equivalent of 30 weeks’ wages.
As is often the case, several companies are involved and following the trail of who is responsible for what becomes increasingly complicated, adding to the difficulties workers can face.
In this example, Jani-King was bought by JK Limited several months ago…
Cleaning franchises aren’t the only ones.
Courier drivers ‘virtually slaves’
As contractors, drivers had few of the benefits of employees, yet they were still obliged to wear a corporate uniform, work certain hours, apply for annual leave, and work exclusively for one company – as well as providing their own vehicles.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/5754207/Courier-drivers-virtually-slaves
Unfortunately, The Minimum Wage (Contractor Remuneration) Amendment Bill failed to pass the committee stage.
As I post regularly on this topic, here is Media Watch’s take on clickbait and Journalism.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201815259/stuff-of-substance-in-a-clickbait-climate
As if to prove my point, here are some of New Zealand Herald’s stories today.
Craig Busch: ‘You cannot abuse a lion’
Shortland Street star beats a bully
Pascoe’s pre-Rio heartbreak
Elle Macpherson returning to NZ
Kiwi blokes line up for date with Marcella
Medical mishap: Family demands car
Click.
Bait.
There are a couple of good pieces up on Stuff today.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/84102751/jonathan-milne-our-leaders-need-some-steel-in-the-backbone-not-just-in-their-roads-and-building-projects
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/84081503/stacey-kirk-personal-prejudices-the-fuel-of-a-political-posttruth-era
Thank you.
Maybe we need a daily feature on the Standard.
‘Behind the clickbait.”
That’s not a bad idea, Paul.
I was surprised (pleasantly) by Stacey Kirk’s piece, did I miss something or is she actually naming the behaviour of government???
The Stacey Kirk one about unsubstantiated untruths is especially good reading.
When someone told lies in our group we used to sing to the tune of a chorus of ‘My Bonnie lies over the ocean’ (Bring back my Bonnie to me..etc)
but with the words
‘”Bullshit..Bull shit.. It all sounds like bullshit to me..to me”
Perhaps we could sing this whenever politicians lie…or maybe everyone, media included could simply start humming the tune?
A few days ago Brigid commented in the post RNZ Auckland Mayoral Debate. She rightly said:
She further questioned the role of the polls in selecting only the highest-polling candidates for public debates.
Her comment so far has attracted only two quite disparaging comments, which I won’t bother linking to.
I fully agree with Brigid and I think her comment touches on something quite important that deserves (more) attention.
Some of the essential principles underpinning democracy are: freedom, fairness, and equality. Thus, regardless of some metric (i.e. polls) – or merit – all standing candidates ought to have fair and equal access to debates and the electorate at large. In the US this was recognised and applied through the Equal Time Rule. (NB how this works in practice, e.g. in the current US Presidential Elections is beside the point here)
The point of (public) debates is to give the candidates exposure and a chance to interact with each other and the public. It is an opportunity to see them in action, on how they perform under pressure, for example. In short, it is an ever-so-brief chance to get to know them a little (better).
Such information cannot be obtained by using Google or visiting Wikipedia although these may be useful for policy documents and the likes. To even suggest that going online can replace public debate is so not COOL.
The other counter-argument made to Brigid’s comment was that one might end up having to listen to “nutjobs” or “nutters of all sorts with no hope at all of winning” [my bold] instead of “the three serious contenders” speaking for an hour each.
This displays a prejudice that is intrinsically and fundamentally anti-democratic. A candidate might be a “nutter” to one person but at the same time he/she might be a strong advocate of neglected and ignored people who almost without excpetion find themselves at the political and social margins – people who need a voice and representation more than the ‘median’ person who will have the attention of the “serious contenders” and who are generally very well- if not over-represented in local and national politics.
I’d like to recommend to people with such prejudice the excellent and illuminating post by STARGAZER on intersections.
+1
In brief, it’s also possible that if you turn up to the debates, you’ll get even less support after your views are aired.
That’s particularly possible for the nutjobs.
I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to take the small amount of time that is allocated to these debates, and give equal-footing to people who simply have no chance of winning. It takes away time from the contenders who have a real chance of winning, to get their particular message out.
Yes, if more time were allowed for debates, then this argument is mostly neutered. On the flip-side however, if we were to have 100 hours of debates, no-one would watch all of them either.
A line *has* to be drawn somewhere. For example if there were over 100 people running for mayor, your “everyone is entitled to debate” would mean all of those people would need to be invited to every debate, which isn’t tenable.
So instead of dogmatically saying “everyone must be admitted to every debate”, I think you should be more realistic and discuss how and where the line should be drawn.
My short response: whoosh!
The slightly longer one:
There’s not one single “nutjob” among the 18 or so candidates for the Auckland Mayoralty: Mayoral candidates: Meet the 18 trying to win the Auckland mayoralty. You’re simply parroting the same meme.
Democracy is not about winning FFS! It is about fair and equal representation. That said, the current neo-liberal version of democracy is more about winners & losers.
There’s no “100 hours of debates” but if there was then we would have the choice of watching or attending some (or all) of them.
Similarly, there are no 100 candidates! Indeed, all the standing & confirmed candidates should be invited. They won’t all show up anyway and Vic Crone is a case in point: Auckland mayoral candidate Vic Crone missing from debates.
In a truly-representative democracy no line gets drawn; that was my point.
The irony seems to be lost on you when you labelled me “dogmatic”; using lazy labels and bogus examples are the tell-tale sign of someone who’s avoiding honest debate or has already lost the argument …
“There’s not one single “nutjob” among the 18 or so candidates for the Auckland Mayoralty”
Maybe, maybe not. There is however a nutjob who runs for Christchurch mayor every time, and always comes last.
“You’re simply parroting the same meme.”
No, I’m making an argument with reasoned points. Parroting means repeating something unthinkingly.
“There’s no “100 hours of debates” but if there was then we would have the choice of watching or attending some (or all) of them.”
Except the candidates themselves don’t have time to spend doing 100 hours of debates. Similarly if you want to have all 18 candidates, in a 1 hour debate it means they would each get to speak for 3 1/3 minutes, assuming 0 ad breaks, 0 down-time between speakers and no moderation at all. That’s not a debate.
Unless you want to have a 2-3 hour debate for that many participants, and still they won’t have enough time to get their points across. And many people won’t bother to watch it precisely for that reason.
“Similarly, there are no 100 candidates!”
It’s called an example. You HAVE to draw a line somewhere. It’s the same thing as people who say “why don’t you just put the minimum wage up to $100/hour?”, of course $100/hour is a silly minimum wage to have, but the level has to be set SOMEWHERE. So, pick a point and argue why that is appropriate.
“In a truly-representative democracy no line gets drawn; that was my point.”
Correct, every candidate is able to campaign as much as they like. Some select portion of those candidates, who have widespread support, will be selected to appear in debates.
If you want to get into the debates, then you need to do a good job of getting widespread support first.
This, like many other things, is simply rationing and distributing of resources, which is exactly what politics is about – how best we should manage our resources for the good of all. In this case, the resources are 1. TV/radio time, and 2. public attention. There is not unlimited TV/radio time, there is not unlimited public attention. We need to spend those resources in the best way we can to support democracy – that means NOT inviting EVERY SINGLE candidate to the debates, because most of those people have NO CHANCE of winning, and by inviting them you take away the opportunity of the viable candidates to get their message out to the public (see also, limited resource #2).
“The irony seems to be lost on you when you labelled me “dogmatic”; using lazy labels and bogus examples are the tell-tale sign of someone who’s avoiding honest debate or has already lost the argument …”
It’s not a lazy label nor are my examples bogus, they’re there to illustrate my point in stark relief. I’m sorry you don’t understand that.
I was the only Auckland Mayoral candidate who attended the Rally for Democracy yesterday at Victoria Park Auckland.
That is because there is no other Auckland Mayoral candidate who is actively opposed to corrupt control, locally, nationally or internationally, by
the corporate 1%, and those who serve their interests.
Yesterday, that’s where I launched my Auckland Mayoral campaign, with my very simple message:
“ONE tick to help make history!”
MAYOR (tick) BRIGHT!
And STICK IT to the corrupt crony corporate 1%!
It’s not how you start the race – it’s how you finish …..
And, as a political animal, of the feral ‘honey badger’ variety, I know a week is a LONG time in politics 🙂
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/313003/penny-bright-launches-auckland-mayoralty-bid
Colourful Auckland activist Penny Bright has formally launched her bid for the mayoralty, running on her long-established anti-corruption platform.
Penny Bright (left) and a supporter at her campaign launch.Penny Bright (left) and a supporter at her campaign launch. Photo: RNZ / Todd Niall
Ms Bright who has given herself the nickname of “Her Warship” is pledging to take public transport out of the hands of private operators and force vacant homes to be made available.
She launched her low-budget campaign as part of the Rally for Democracy in Auckland’s Victoria Park.
Penny Bright finished a distant fourth in the mayoral race in 2013, and is one of 19 candidates.
She is locked in a legal battle with the Auckland Council, having refused to pay rates for eight years, until the council publishes all details of contracts let to the private sector. ”
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
‘Activists – get things done’.
+1 Penny for attending!
+100 Penny!
GO Penny !
US Pay excess
“Robert Reich: There’s one big unfinished promise by Bill Clinton that Hillary should put to bed”
http://www.salon.com/2016/09/10/robert-reich-theres-one-big-unfinished-promise-by-bill-clinton-that-hillary-should-put-to-bed_partner/
and how the ‘system’ seems to be in favour of keeping it that way.
“Someone invented a $50 EpiPen — when will it arrive? A conversation with the doctor who invented it
Douglas McMahon, an MD with a food allergy, made an EpiPen alternative that he wants to sell for $50. Why can’t he?”
http://www.salon.com/2016/09/10/someone-invented-a-50-epipen-when-will-it-arrive-a-conversation-with-the-doctor-who-invented-it/
Economist Ian Fletcher on free-trade
http://socialdemocracy21stcentury.blogspot.co.nz/2016/09/ian-fletcher-on-free-trade.html
Particularly interesting point about free-trade undermining productivity (where NZ has been weak since about the 1980’s), essentially if production is done domestically then there is a common interest between managers and workers in maintaining and increasing domestic productivity. If production is outsourced (the free-trade model) then there is no common interest and no reason for management to support domestic productivity.
This applies to any kind of free-trade policy, going far beyond the investor right deals like the TPPA which barely have any implications for liberalizing trade.
Max Keiser and Stacey Herbert cover how the Irish tax authorities co-operated with Apple to hide billions in taxes
Ireland had a massive 26% increase in GDP…by suddenly allowing Apple to stash all it’s operations on to the Irish books.
thanx must watch that!
Today is the anniversary of when the U.sa and the military in Chile overthrew a democratically elected government …. “On September 11, 1973, the Chilean military, aided by the United States and its Central Intelligence Agency CIA, staged a coup against Allende.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/07/chile-coup-pinochet-allende
“The military junta that took over dissolved the Congress of Chile and began a persecution of alleged dissidents, in which thousands of Allende’s supporters were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered.”
” the military and police torturers were ready with their electrodes, thumbscrews and waterboarding equipment to defend “western Christian civilisation”. Many had been brought to a peak of perfection in their trade in the US itself or in its bases in the Panama canal zone by US instructors.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/08/pinochet-victim-widow-fights-for-justice
And Kissinger’s response was to mock the US state department analysts who criticised it, saying that they only went to State because they couldn’t get into the priesthood.
Well the cia has been spying on the senate in relationship to its torture enquiry,a new twist on a no surprises policy.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/10/cia-senate-investigation-constitutional-crisis-daniel-jones
Sophie & Co speaks to Ron S. Katz, sports lawyer, Chair Emeritus of the Institute of Sports Law and Ethics at Stanford University about the collective banning of Russian para-Olympic athletes from Rio.
Some basic points:
– Collective punishment of athletes is incompatible with western legal norms as there is a high likelihood that you will be punishing innocent athletes.
– Making individual athletes responsible for proving their own innocence is likewise incompatible with western legal norms as the burden of proof must always fall with the authorities.
– It seems clear that western media and western political pressure influenced judgements made against the Russian team.
– The McLaren report shows prejudgement against Russian athletes, and the use of anonymous/undisclosed evidence inappropriate and not credible, failing the standard of any real court
– Richard McLaren himself admits that he only “skimmed” the evidence available before writing his report, and did not even try to speak to any individuals or officials on the Russian team.
– WADA is a broken, incompetent organisation and made a very poor choice in picking McLaren to write the report as he had taken long standing positions against Russia previously.
– International Court of Arbitration clearly did not read the McLaren report properly before coming to their own decisions against the Russian team, as the McLaren report clearly fails on its own terms.
– Believes that Russia has a very strong case for additional appeals/hearings.
Newsflash: RT upset sanctions taken against terminally flawed anti-doping farce.
If an athlete wishes to compete, they need to be demonstrably drug free. By allowing Russia’s anti-doping body to become a farce, Putin’s regime effectively denied many Russian athletes the ability to demonstrate that they met this qualification to compete.
Yes, that’s the parroted MSM narrative, but it is not the conclusion of Ron S Katz, sports lawyer and Chair Emeritus at Princeton in the interview.
Who views the western legal norms against collective punishment, use of anonymous/secret evidence and correct burden of proof as being important principles which were not upheld in the decisions against Russian athletes.
lawyers are like water quality scientists, you know…
+100 CV…most people regard what happened to the Russian para-Olympic athletes as unfair and were disgusted by the bullying…they were not proved to be drug takers
…most people regard what happened to the Russian para-Olympic athletes as unfair…
Well, yes – the clusterfuck their government brought down on their heads was very unfair. But at the international level, them’s the breaks.
…they were not proved to be drug takers
That’s exactly the problem – there’s no basis for assessing whether they were being given performance-enhancing drugs or not, which is why the various international bodies are blocking them. Do try to keep up.
most people I know thought it was distasteful and disgustingly unfair
re…”there’s no basis for assessing whether they were being given performance-enhancing drugs or not”…condemned by your own words?…that is exactly why it wasn’t fair! ( are you an amoral moron?)
‘Horrendous & terribly unfair ban of Russian Paralympians based on politicized report’
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/355019-russia-paralympics-ban-horrendous/
“The International Paralympic Committee’s move to ban all Russian athletes from participating in the Rio Games is an unfair and unjust decision based on a completely biased and politically motivated McLaren report, independent writer Rick Sterling told RT….
‘In what world does this make sense?’: Russian Paralympic ban met with confusion online’
https://www.rt.com/viral/354960-paralympic-ban-russia-reaction/
…that is exactly why it wasn’t fair!
Sure. Their own government shafted them by running a thoroughly corrupt drug-testing programme, such that international sporting bodies now can’t trust the Russian athletes’ drug test results and therefore don’t want them competing. It’s unfair, but living in a Mafia state is unfair in many and varied ways.
The Olympics have been used by the western powers as a political weapon against Russia, whom they have decided is a geopolitical enemy.
In doing so, western authorities completely undermined the very principles they said they believed in – the rule of law, individual responsibility and due process.
You shouldn’t excuse them so easily for this collapse of their ethics.
“The Olympics have been used by the western powers as a political weapon against Russia”
Bahahahahahahahahahha
The way I see it is that it was the Russia that ought to have been punished, via the complete ban, for the state organisation of the cheating. That it no doubt harsh on the sportspeople that were not involved, but they can take that up with the ones ended up handing out BMWs
Do you believe everything the msm tells you?
Nope.
Including RT.
Do you believe everything RT tells you? What have they ever reported that you outright disagree with? I find them as laughable on some issues as say CNN, but not as bad as Fox.
That’s good to hear.
I also don’t trust any msm source. Including RT.
The BBC, the Guardian and the New York Post are propaganda outlets for the western establishment.
Meh.
Different sectors, different audiences, different interests.
Sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar.
Meh?
Pretty much. Propaganda melds bullshit with chunks of truth. So even RT says some true things, as long as they lend validity to their larger position. So the problem becomes one of identifying the larger position and adding scepticism to the reports that intersect with it.
A bit like what we do around the smoko room every day, if people start gossiping.
Massive Trump rally in Pensacola Florida, 15K plus in attendence, lines forming from 6:30am.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/09/09/donald-trump-rally-pensacola-florida-800pm-edt-live-stream/
Hillary Clinton says that half of these people are “ireedemable” and a bigoted, racist, hating, “basket of deplorables.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/hillary-clinton-half-trump-supporters-belong-basket-deplorables-n646026
Clinton now +2.7% compared to Trump on nationwide polls.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_clinton-5491.html
An impolitic remark by her, but seemingly an appropriate one:
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/_hang_the_b_tch_f_g_n_gger_uncensored_video_of_trump_rallies_exposes_culture_he_s_created
Plus the endorsements from David Duke and the head of the American N— Party, which he’s happy to have.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/09/alt-right-makes-its-main-stream-debut
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/stephen-bannon-donald-trump-alt-right-breitbart-news
Visiting Breitbart, I found links directly to outright Neo-N— organisations and sites.
yes breitbart is a right wing website
And Breitbart chief Stephen Bannon is now running Trump’s campaign.
I’m not exaggerating. One site directly linked to Breitbart, called Red Ice, was full of “documentaries” praising Hitler and its view on the Holocaust was split between it never happened and it was cool.
National Socialism is not an ideology I would be eager to see given a hearing in the White House, yet is already upfront on the campaign.
I find it incredible that people with ostensibly left-wing principles are so consumed by their hatred of Clinton that they are cheerleading for this evil.
*shrug* Clinton and her neocon bankster mates have the proven track record of global death and destruction.
I’m no fan of Clinton by any means, but…
Maybe you’re too young to remember any victims, but I have family connections with the Holocaust through my stepfather, whose cousins shared an annexe with a young girl who kept a diary.
You can guess what happened to them.
The fact that you respond to N—sm with a contemptuous ‘shrug’ indicates that you have completely lost touch with reality or you are a truly horrible human being.
Clinton was instrumental in destroying Libya the richest country in Africa, causing a death toll which possibly runs into the hundreds of thousands, and turning it into a failed state controlled by Islamists who execute their own genocidal ideology in real life in modern times.
BTW the Clinton’s US neocon set has been instrumental in supporting and arming actual neo-N’s in power in Kiev, people who have done things like burn dozens of people alive in the Trade Union building in Odessa, and who have their own paramilitary units. Not just a few website crazies.
Completely lost touch with reality
Perhaps someone better informed than me can help me.
Why is it common to hear of RNZAF aircraft – Hercules & 757s – being grounded while on official duties (e.g. PM’s trip to Pac forum) or on exercise being grounded for one reason or another?
Why can the airforce not maintain them to a state of continuing readiness?
The Hercules are extremely old airframes and we don’t have enough of them so they all have to work very hard.
The Herald back to its role of mimicking Pravda.
Liam Dann: Return of the rock star economy the right time to tackle inequality
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11706840
I’ve watched that clip twice , it seems to me that the bagrie chap completely contradicts himself, his first chat is all ra ra rock star, and his second chat is more closer to what is going on, it’s odd
Brilliant cartoon.
‘A problem that is bigger than The Chiefs – In fact bigger than NZ rugby.’
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsBP7CJVIAAhETr.jpg:large
“Of course, regenerative farming doesn’t offer a permanent solution to the climate crisis; soils can only hold a finite amount of carbon. We still need to get off fossil fuels, and – most importantly – we have to kick our obsession with endless exponential growth and downsize our material economy to bring it back in tune with ecological cycles. But it might buy us some time to get our act together”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/sep/10/soil-our-best-shot-at-cooling-the-planet-might-be-right-under-our-feet
tick tock…
When you think things are as weird as they’ll ever be, Sean Hannity drunk tweets in defence of Julian Assange.
http://therightscoop.com/sean-hannity-triggered-into-trumpertantrum-twitter-meltdown-again/
https://twitter.com/search?q=sean+hannity+julian+assange
Could life get any better?
All Blacks win again -Check
Celtic thump Sevco -Check
National government -Check
3 Champion performers.
YOu live your life thru them? How fucking sad is that! Get out in the fresh air & maybe achieve something on your own you sad sack.
A: Knock Knock!
B: Who’s there?
A: 9/11!
B: 9/11 who?
A: .. you said you wouldn’t forget 🙁