It may interest readers to note that this moral colossus, Harvey Weinstein, is one of the most vicious and brutal denouncers of Kim Dotcom…..
Harvey Weinstein Urged Clinton Campaign
to Silence Sanders’s Black Lives Matter Message
by Zaid Jilani, The Intercept, Oct. 8 2016
HACKED EMAILS SHOW that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, a longtime ally of Hillary Clinton and a major fundraiser for her 2016 campaign, urged her campaign team to silence rival Bernie Sanders’s message against police shootings of African-Americans. He suggested countering it with “the Sandy Hook issue” — a reference to Sanders’s opposition to lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
The emails were released by the group DCLeaks, which in the past has shared hacked emails from U.S. political and military figures. The U.S. Intelligence Community announced Friday that it is “confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails” that were made public “on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona.”
The Weinstein emails were among a large number of messages DCLeaks made public on Thursday, from the gmail account of Capricia Marshall, a close Clinton confidant who worked for her in the White House and the State Department, and worked on her 2008 campaign.
In an April 10 email sent to Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, just days before the New York primary, Weinstein invited Mook to meet up. He pointed to a Sanders ad featuring Erica Garner — the daughter of Eric Garner, who was killed by New York City police officers — as well as growing support for Sanders among Latino activist leaders. “I’m probably telling you what you know already, but that needs to be silenced, probably with the Sandy Hook issue,” he wrote…..
The U.S. Intelligence Community announced Friday that it is “confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails” that were made public “on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona.”
But is who released them really of more concern than what the emails said?
And they obviously don’t have proof else they’d provide it so this amounts proclaiming guilt without a trial and in such a way as to influence politics which I’m pretty sure that the intelligence services aren’t supposed to do.
A native woman’s view of trump (before the last debate) –
“During his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.” Apparently, he is so ill informed, as are the vast majority of Americans, that he did not know that the myth of Pocahontas is just that, a myth. Pocahontas was not a grown woman who threw herself on a rock to protect the “noble” John Smith. In fact, she was a twelve-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped, forced into marriage and Christianity, who died well before the age of twenty…
…As a Native woman, enrolled with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Washington, I have been told I was a “squaw,” a “dirty Indian,” and “thin skinned” when I spoke up against racism and sexism. It’s a formula response to accuse people of color of being “too sensitive” or “too PC” when we speak up for ourselves. However, as the racists and bigots who bay at the moon for Trump become more vocal, there are more and more women, particularly those of color, who find themselves being triggered and experiencing greater levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder simply on the basis of Trump’s terrible words and the rabid support from the “Trumpette’s…”
That’s a very good article, thanks. And a kind of antidote to some of the pro-Trump rape apologist lines being run by some ts commenters.
This stood out for me,
“The best outcome of Trump’s ugly comments and Billy Bush’s “yuck, yuck, yuck” response would be a national dialogue on the value of people of color, women, and children.”
One of the more disturbing pro-Trump arguments I have heard, and not just from the apologists but from otherwise compassionate progressive men, is that Trump is a better choice than Clinton because of all the women that will be killed overseas if Clinton becomes president. Thus if one supported women’s rights one would choose Trump. This is juxtaposed against the idea that one shouldn’t vote for Clinton based on gender. And you know, it’s just those privileged white women who would do that anyway. So good then to have space to listen to a non-white, woman’s voice. You are right about them not being often heard.
Well my horse in the race, Sanders, was nobbled early. I’m left looking on this absolute farce of an election with a sinking heart.
Roughly 15-20% of voters are going to be firmly in Clinton’s camp. Liberal, left-leaning and deeply aware of exactly the issues you advocate for so very well. For you Trump is irredeemably goddamn awful, and I fully respect why.
Equally there is another 15-20% of voters firmly in Trump’s camp, who are hearing him articulate what they cannot; that the establishment is no longer just ordinarily corrupt … but as CV forcefully argues … is rapidly heading into terminal decadence.
And this leaves another 60% or so who are ambivalent, contradictory even. Which to choose? One candidate proposing to extend an already compromised Obamacare program, or another promising to scrap it and start afresh?
One candidate with a lot of public office baggage, or another with way too little?
An alpha-male blow-hard making vulgar derogatory sexist comments, or a deeply establishment operator who seem fully intent on a hot confrontation with Russia?
is that Trump is a better choice than Clinton because of all the women that will be killed overseas if Clinton becomes president.
Indeed. What if it did come down to a nuclear confrontation? What if the worst happened and she was responsible for the deaths of few billion humans? Is this better or worse than Trump’s ugly trash talk?
I’m absolutely not defending or apologising for Trump here. First Dog on the Moon skewers the noxious, throwback old windbag beautifully. Along with a frankly lunatic GOP which enabled him.
We can rail on about how shit it all is; the fact is within a few weeks millions of Americans will have to make a choice … and the best we can do from this distance is have some sympathy for how unpleasant a task this will be for many.
I don’t actually care about the voter polls in the US Red. I’m not even really talking about the election itself. I’m talking about the culture of the election, esp in the NZ left. Which is why I appreciated marty’s link to a voice that’s not being heard.
What if it did come down to a nuclear confrontation? What if the worst happened and she was responsible for the deaths of few billion humans? Is this better or worse than Trump’s ugly trash talk?
Leaving aside the issue of whether Trump supporters are being incredibly naive to think that Trump won’t be a warmonger, I utterly reject the notion that it’s politically valid or viable to say raping women or cementing in a white supremacy state is better than killing a few billion humans (not suggesting that you are saying that, so much as the that appears to be the general argument). I’m sure you did this for hyperbolic effect, but describing the problem with Trump as his ugly trash talk contributes to that. See, I would describe him as a rapist, active misogynist and active racist. By active, I mean not just that he has done things in the past, but that he wants the world to be like this going forward. And no, for anyone else reading, that doesn’t meant I support Clinton and it’s not an invitation to respond with a whole bunch of Clinton bashing in order to excuse Trump.
That is the actual problem here. That the debate culture has ended up framing this debate as a false dichotomy and then some are using that to promote some pretty vile politics because it suits their political agenda. I think there are more choices than that, and it’s telling that this is what is happening on ts (haven’t followed the Trump threads recently though tbf). We should be having posts like the one marty just linked to, and the reasons why we are not are a micro reflection of the problem at large.
Until those unheard voices are heard (and that requires active listening on our part), then we will continue down the path of the hellhole that is US politics. Fortunately in NZ, we are somewhat better at listening, but I would say NZ is better than ts, which is a sad indictment.
The best we can do is so much better than what we are doing now.
That the debate culture has ended up framing this debate as a false dichotomy
True, but this doesn’t wish the fact of the election away. In a sane world Clinton will almost certainly win it, but this does not come without it’s own consequences.
Based purely on what was said in yesterday’s debate there is no question Clinton is far more hawkish on a hot military confrontation with the Russians in Syria than Trump. She pretty much stated she would use military assets to attack Assad’s forces. At that awful point all we need is a handful of US Navy ships in the Mediterranean to be sunk by Russian missiles and it’s all on.
The risk of this cannot be hand-waved off. To my mind Hillary Clinton is as unfit for the office of President as is Donald Trump in his own quite different manner. They isn’t an equivalence, it’s simply a fact.
Imagine you had to elect a Chair to the local Community Childcare Centre, and it turned out you had a choice between a pedophile and someone who secretly wanted to sell the place to his sister in law? Absolutely not equivalent, but both equally unacceptable in their own way.
Which to my mind means we need to keep an active conversation about why both are so unacceptable; without always assuming that criticizing one implies an automatic support for the other.
Sorry, but I’m not interested in yesterdays debate, nor in furthering the false dichotomy (and here, again, I’m not talking about Clinton/Trump, I’m talking about the left culture in NZ) that continues to refuse to listen to voices that are directly impacted by what is going on.
I understand reasonably well what you are arguing (as others have argued). But I’m not willing to glide past the argument I just made around what happens when we say it’s ok to harm these people so long as these other people don’t get harmed. I probably haven’t expressed it very well, will think more on this.
I agree with your last comment. I can see ways to discuss the complexity of the situation, including people’s fears about what Clinton will do, without it being about promotion of fascism and rape culture. But like I said, that’s not what is happening, and I’m not ok with supporting that.
I agree regarding Stein (or Sanders!), and I’m no admirer of HRC…but to paraphrase Chomsky – with the lesser evil – you get less evil. And that seems to be a comparatively good thing.
True, but this doesn’t wish the fact of the election away. In a sane world Clinton will almost certainly win it, but this does not come without it’s own consequences.
In a sane world, in a sane establishment, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would be POTUS.
If I was in the USA I couldn’t vote for either of them, they are despicable people though for different reasons but if you were in the USA would you vote for one of them?
The Benghazi attack is one of them and the other is, unfortunately a no smoke without fire type of thing.
If there were one or two allegations of against Bill Clinton then I could dismiss (anyone can allege anything but you need proof)it but like Bill Cosby the sheer amount of allegations is starting to become to many to ignore
You then throw in the allegations of Hillary hounding the same women and her claims of being a feminist and supporter of women doesn’t stack up
All politicians lie, they have to so they can get into power but its the little lies Hillary makes that make look at her and go what else are you lying about
I mean the being under sniper fire in Bosina or claiming to have been named after Sir Edmund Hillary and you then find out shes deleted tens of thousands of emails from her personal email server and we’re supposed to believe its ok because she says so
Clinton represents political business as usual, the establishment, whatever is wrong with the American government it won’t change under Clinton one iota (won’t change under Trump either)
Thanks. With the Benghazi thing, what are your thoughts on there having been eight congressional investigations into Benghazi, led by people with investigative and prosecutorial expertise and an interest in putting the worst possible interpretation on any findings, that didn’t come up with anything to really pin on her?
Well she took responsibility for it so the buck stops with her so maybe not a bad thing but on top of the other issues its just another reason to not vote for her
You throw in Whitewater and the issues around the Clinton foundation and while it may not be proven in a court of law it still adds up to someone involved in some shady dealing
…eight congressional investigations into Benghazi, led by people with investigative and prosecutorial expertise and an interest in putting the worst possible interpretation on any findings, that didn’t come up with anything…
That’s just Benghazi. We’re coming up on a quarter-century of well-funded and very extensive attempts to find dirt on Hillary Clinton that will stick, for a net result of 0. Puckish Rogue files that under “no smoke without fire,” but I file it under “tried and tested,” with a see-also reference to “wow, right-wing Americans really, really hate this woman.” I’d vote for her on that last count alone.
Re your comment “But I think her gender goes a long way to explain why so many American right-wingers hate her so much”
“As a whole, women support Clinton over Trump and Sanders, but 49% of women from across the political spectrum give her an unfavorable rating”- Guardian
So, maybe not just a right wing thing.
Hence the ability of a sexist orange orangutan to make her work so hard for a fairly average win, and her desperate need for a good number of ‘anyone but Trump’ votes.
This may be the first time in American history that someone is voted into the most important position in the country, not on their own ‘merit’, but simply to avoid the horror of their opponent winning.
It depends on the state one lives in. Some states a vote for Stein isn’t going to increase Trump’s chances for getting in, so in that case I would easily vote Stein. In marginal states, I would vote Clinton. I’m a pragmatic voter and so it’s nothing to do with them being despicable people or not. Nothing.
Having said that, I haven’t followed close enough, and I might end up voting Stein anyway, because at some point you have to give up on one election in order to make bigger changes and an increase in the Green vote is something that will pay off over time. I don’t know what’s happening to the ex-Sanders voters either. There are more important things going on than this one election.
Equally there is another 15-20% of voters firmly in Trump’s camp, who are hearing him articulate what they cannot; that the establishment is no longer just ordinarily corrupt … but as CV forcefully argues … is rapidly heading into terminal decadence.
Except that I don’t think he is articulating that it’s heading into terminal decadence.
He’s saying it’s corrupt, and he’ll return the country to its former glory, and he’ll do other things too, like cut taxes for everyone, build a wall and pull out of trade agreements that will hurt their economy far more than it’ll help. The people in small town USA somehow believe that when he is president, their lives will change for the better, when it’s more likely there’ll be no change, or they’ll be worse off.
If Trump were actually campaigning about getting rid of corruption, and had policies that actually supported that view point and could make a difference, then I’d support him and agree with you.
But he’s not.
Sanders came a lot closer of course, but his policies seemed to involve a lot of magical thinking too.
“Sanders came a lot closer of course, but his policies seemed to involve a lot of magical thinking too.”
Could you explain what you mean by that extraordinary allegation. I think you’ve been listening uncritically to right wing opinionistas again, but please go ahead disabuse me of that sinking feeling.
You’ve simply pointed me to three right wing opinion pieces, including one from the notorious, treacherous anti-journalism Washington Post. That’s not an argument, that’s a lazy substitute for argument.
The first two are by Paul Krugman. This is what Wikipedia says about Paul Krugman:
Krugman describes himself as liberal, and has explained that he views the term “liberal” in the American context to mean “more or less what social democratic means in Europe.”[105] In a 2009 Newsweek article, Evan Thomas described Krugman as having “all the credentials of a ranking member of the East coast liberal establishment” but also as someone who is anti-establishment, a “scourge of the Bush administration”, and a critic of the Obama administration.[123] In 1996, Newsweek’s Michael Hirsh remarked, “Say this for Krugman: though an unabashed liberal … he’s ideologically colorblind. He savages the supply-siders of the Reagan-Bush era with the same glee as he does the ‘strategic traders’ of the Clinton administration.”
The Washington Post article has the input of many experts in their fields. Are they all rightwing? I don’t know, I’m not going to bother looking up the credentials of all of them. At least some of them are leftwing people however.
One of the key themes in the Washington Post article is that Sanders is trying to apply Scandinavian economics to the US, but the countries are so different culturally and historically that it’s unlikely the plans would work as he expected. Simply saying “it works for them, lets apply it here” isn’t good enough, and that’s basically what Sanders was doing – magical thinking.
All of this is further ignoring the point, that even if Sanders had a democratically controlled house and senate (which he wouldn’t), he wouldn’t be able to get all of his changes through anyway.
Could be that Andrew has set a very high bar and from here on in, the staff have to be able to handle it. If you are uncertain leave now.
That seems to be OK to me.
By the way Puck, the PM has a PR staff of hundreds. How many leave each year? One a week perhaps?
Labour would do well to take note of Nationals ability to remove the dead wood (not all the dead wood unfortunately) and present a fresher line up plus the return of Judith Collins!
I wonder if Judith will have any questions to answer today, after all she is responsible for contracting Serco to Mt Eden, what a disaster that is.
Judith and her husband, dang, they’re just as crooked as the Clintons. How’s Oravida Water doing? Jenny Shipley would know. Got any loop holes to exploit? Don’t worry Judiths husband is already on to it.
Dude, be honest, you would add Parata to your list.
I feel sorry for Bill, he just looks so ‘over it’, he would be so much happier out of parliament me thinks, he looks beaten and worn. The type of worn out that only a change in career would fix.
Lack of funding
Failed charter schools
Wrap around services failing students, teachers, families
Salisbury School
School pools
Failing special education
Lack of support from teachers towards the minister
Failing schools
Rotting schools
She’s completely out of touch, I’m surprised the outgoing PM gave her another chance.
Well, Peter Hughes managed to keep a lid on things while he was there but once he left for better things Parata’s been coming out with all sorts of tripe again – most of it already failed policy in other countries.
“Isn’t the point to say, ‘Look, everybody accepts these at-risk kids need support’. And we’re doing that.
Except for the fact that he isn’t. In fact, he’s been actively making it worse.
“It’s not the Government’s intention to have a single definition of poverty,” Mr Key told the Paul Henry programme on Monday.
“You could spend years debating about who’s in and who’s out, what’s the right measure or what’s not,” he said.
If you don’t define it you can’t know what’s causing it and thus you can’t actually address it. This does appear to be what National want because we all know, deep in our hearts, what’s the cause of all this poverty. Just look at the increasing poverty of the last thirty years under the hyper-capitalism that’s been introduced.
There was a double length episode of Last Week Tonight yesterday – aired just after, but recorded before, the debate. The first bit was about the Trump tape (and was appropriately scathing of “Bushy”), but this section was a worthwhile change of topic:
Situations like this were entirely predictable (and I think some of us did indeed predict them when the policy came out),
A woman who took up the Government’s relocation grant to move to Hamilton, says she’s now doing everything she can to get back to Auckland.
Teri Standen said she wanted a fresh start with the $5000 grant – and moved south at the start of July.
But she said she hates her life in Hamilton.
She said the local school isn’t what she expected, and there are gang members living on the street she’s been housed on.
Standen’s warning people to do their own research before jumping on the offer – as she simply trusted Housing New Zealand to disclose “relevant” information.
She said going to check out the option first-hand prior to relocating was not an option for her due to petrol costs and childcare commitments.
Her advice to others tempting by the chance of a fresh start and a bit of cash: “Anyone who’s going to take the relocation grant, research where you’re going to thoroughly, if you can, and be very wary about where they’re putting you.”
A spokeswoman for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said she would not comment as it was an operational matter.
“A spokeswoman for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said she would not comment as it was an operational matter.”
WTF kind of excuse is that? Dang I wonder how many others ‘relocation’ is not working out for. Sounds like another failed plan by the government, dismissed as an operational matter to shut down any further questions.
Al Jazeera intones gravely about “Vladimir Putin’s controversial visit to Paris.”
Sadly, Qatar’s official TV outlet is nothing but a relentless propaganda unit.
Al Jazeera News, 12 noon (NZ time), Tuesday 11 October 2016
I’ve just heard an Al Qaeda newsreader dutifully droning about how the French government is getting ready for “Vladimir Putin’s controversial visit to Paris.” Then, from Paris, one Natacha Butler explains with a straight face and a steady voice: “And that’s because of Russia’s involvement in SYRIA, particularly the bombing of ALEPPO.”
Perhaps there are some Standardisti out there who can supply an example, but I cannot recall a single time that Al Jazeera, the official television station of the Qatari dictatorship, has described a visit anywhere by Barack Obama, who has for eight years presided over the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria as “controversial.”
…I cannot recall a single time that Al Jazeera, the official television station of the Qatari dictatorship, has described a visit anywhere by Barack Obama, who has for eight years presided over the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria as “controversial.”
Oh, I expect that if Obama was carrying out indiscriminate, large-scale bombing of urban neighbourhoods in any country, he’d be at risk of people throwing shoes at him on his overseas visits – hopefully Putin will cope one right in the mush. Obama’s predecessor had quite a few “controversial” visits for similar reasons to Putin’s visit being “controversial” – the reason Obama doesn’t get the same treatment is that he doesn’t pull the same shit, not because Al Jazeera is a propaganda site.
“The people of the south know very little about Yemeni politics and do not really understand the Saudi political approach toward Yemen. All they know is that a threat has emerged in Yemen.” The Houthi are being bombed now by the Saudi AF, which is in a way the sincerest form of Saudi flattery. The Saudis are afraid of these Shia Yemeni. One of the reasons that “…people of the [Saudi] South know very little about Yemeni politics” is that the Saudi rulers make sure they don’t get any information. The last thing the Saudi authorities want is for the Shia of SW Saudi Arabia to remember that they were once part of a huge, powerful Shia kingdom that stretched south to the Indian Ocean. Najran was once part of that kingdom. It’s only been Saudi territory since 1934, when the Saud family leased the province from Yemen on a 20-year term. They kept it when the term expired, because by that time Saudi Arabia was rich and closely allied with the US and Britain, while Yemen was weak and poor.
The Saudis, with sleazy friends in Langley and unlimited cash to throw around, have incredible control over world media. They do such a good job of suppressing news about their long war with the Shia of Yemen that, until I lived there and got the story first hand, I didn’t even know that the Shia of Najran had actually risen up in armed rebellion in 2000. And it was an incredible story of a glorious, though doomed, rebellion.
Imagine how bad she smells, man? I’m told her and Obama, just stink, stink, stink, stink. You can’t wash that evil off, man. Told there’s a rotten smell around Hillary. I’m not kidding, people say, they say — folks, I’ve been told this by high up folks. They say listen, Obama and Hillary both smell like sulfur. I never said this because the media will go crazy with it, but I’ve talked to people that are in protective details, they’re scared of her. And they say listen, she’s a frickin’ demon and she stinks and so does Obama. I go, like what? Sulfur. They smell like Hell.
Do you remember what Abe Lincoln is supposed to have said?
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.
The “You” he was talking about was someone like Winston..
Nick, Cinny and DTB are clearly in the group of “some of the people”.
90% of the population saw through Winston’s bluster ages ago.
In an email titled “The Truth” from Hillary’s top confidante Sidney Blumenthal, the adviser writing to undisclosed recipients said that “one important point that has been universally acknowledged by nine previous reports about Benghazi: The attack was almost certainly preventable” in what may turn out to be the big October surprise from the WikiLeaks released of emails hacked from the account of Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta.Then came the money quote: “Clinton was in charge of the State Department, and it failed to protect U.S. personnel at an American consulate in Libya. If the GOP wants to raise that as a talking point against her, it is legitimate,” said Blumenthal, putting to rest the Democratic Party talking point that the investigation into Clinton’s management of the State Department at the time of the attack was nothing more than a partisan witch hunt.Those words sounded really, really familiar. Really familiar. Like, so familiar they struck me as something I wrote. Because they were something I wrote..
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Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
Comment: The recent attack by Destiny Church front groups on a Drag science show at Te Atatū library crossed a line. This wasn’t the first time that Brian Tamaki, the multimillionaire self-appointed ‘apostle’, has ordered acts of aggression against the queer community. Last year, Drag Story Time events were targeted, ...
Martina Salmon is well versed in the fast-paced action on a netball court, but even she was caught by surprise with the speed at which her career changed tack last year.Staying in the fast lane is only part of her drive this season.Fresh off a nine-day camp in Sydney with ...
Last night I may as well have been in Taihape. Or, closer to home, for me at least, somewhere in the Wairarapa. Or Tūrangi, even – which is near where we used to spend the summer when I was a child. For there was that same gorgeous small town feeling ...
Having Auckland’s food scraps dumped onto your rural backyard sounds scandalous, but in the North Island town of Reporoa there’s no fuss about the thousands of tonnes carted here every week.From the same site as one truck drops the waste, another truck picks up fertiliser to spread on local sheep ...
Negotiating rights over freshwater in Treaty settlement negotiations could have extended negotiations a decade, a Ngāi Tahu leader says.Tribal leaders, and its umbrella body, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, have taken the Attorney-General to court in a bid to have the Crown recognise its rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over wai māori ...
Analysis: Poor safeguarding of New Zealanders’ data could be a widespread practice within the public service and certainly within the health system, according to the findings of an independent inquiry into allegations of misused census and Covid-19 vaccination information.The Public Service Commission’s review, led by consultant Pania Gray and former ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stone, Principal Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Having dense breasts is a clear risk factor for breast cancer. It can also make cancers hard to spot on mammograms. Yet you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The National Anti-Corruption Commission will finally investigate whether six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt engaged in corrupt conduct. This follows an independent reconsideration by former High Court judge Geoffrey ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Last week in Europe, the United States sent some very strong messages it is prepared to upend the established global order. US Vice President JD Vance warned a stunned Munich ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates on Tuesday, the first decrease in four years, saying inflationary pressures are easing “a little more quickly than expected”. However, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan Fels, Professor Allan Fels, Professor of Law, Economics and Business at the University of Melbourne and Monash University., The University of Melbourne Australia is creeping towards adding a divestiture power to its Competition and Consumer Act. Under such a law, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arjen Vaartjes, PhD Student, Quantum Physics, UNSW Sydney Dmitriy Rybin / Shutterstock What makes something quantum? This question has kept a small but dedicated fraction of the world’s population – most of them quantum physicists – up at night for decades. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University (From left to right): Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano before signing the Munich Agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany.German Federal Archives/Wikimedia Commons Ukraine ...
The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Page Jeffery, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney suriyachan/Shutterstock When the Australian government passed legislation in November last year banning young people under 16 from social media, it included exemptions for platforms “that are primarily for the purposes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland If you’ve ever been stopped by quarantine officers at the airport, you might think Australia’s international border is locked down like a fortress. But when it comes ...
Duncan Sarkies’ latest novel, Star Gazers, is about the collapse of democracy in a society of alpaca breeders. Here are some things his intensive research revealed. 1 How greed works, psychologicallyYes, I guess I already understood greed, but I could never understand why people who already have everything they ...
The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Ministers to end funding for Te Kurahuna programmes and workshop grifters that have received millions in taxpayer funding, despite the Government’s supposed focus on cutting costs. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
The White Lotus is back for season three. Here’s what we made of episode one. The third White Lotus season rinses and repeats – and thank God for that. Turns out there is enough comedic and dramatic juice in resort-set ensemble satires on privilege in the modern world, ...
It may interest readers to note that this moral colossus, Harvey Weinstein, is one of the most vicious and brutal denouncers of Kim Dotcom…..
Read more….
https://theintercept.com/2016/10/07/harvey-weinstein-urged-clinton-campaign-to-silence-sanderss-black-lives-matter-message/
https://theintercept.com/2016/10/07/harvey-weinstein-urged-clinton-campaign-to-silence-sanderss-black-lives-matter-message/
+1 Morrissey
But is who released them really of more concern than what the emails said?
And they obviously don’t have proof else they’d provide it so this amounts proclaiming guilt without a trial and in such a way as to influence politics which I’m pretty sure that the intelligence services aren’t supposed to do.
A native woman’s view of trump (before the last debate) –
“During his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.” Apparently, he is so ill informed, as are the vast majority of Americans, that he did not know that the myth of Pocahontas is just that, a myth. Pocahontas was not a grown woman who threw herself on a rock to protect the “noble” John Smith. In fact, she was a twelve-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped, forced into marriage and Christianity, who died well before the age of twenty…
…As a Native woman, enrolled with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Washington, I have been told I was a “squaw,” a “dirty Indian,” and “thin skinned” when I spoke up against racism and sexism. It’s a formula response to accuse people of color of being “too sensitive” or “too PC” when we speak up for ourselves. However, as the racists and bigots who bay at the moon for Trump become more vocal, there are more and more women, particularly those of color, who find themselves being triggered and experiencing greater levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder simply on the basis of Trump’s terrible words and the rabid support from the “Trumpette’s…”
http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/star-can-anything-want-ugly-truths-donald-trump/
This is a voice not often heard – listen.
That’s a very good article, thanks. And a kind of antidote to some of the pro-Trump rape apologist lines being run by some ts commenters.
This stood out for me,
“The best outcome of Trump’s ugly comments and Billy Bush’s “yuck, yuck, yuck” response would be a national dialogue on the value of people of color, women, and children.”
One of the more disturbing pro-Trump arguments I have heard, and not just from the apologists but from otherwise compassionate progressive men, is that Trump is a better choice than Clinton because of all the women that will be killed overseas if Clinton becomes president. Thus if one supported women’s rights one would choose Trump. This is juxtaposed against the idea that one shouldn’t vote for Clinton based on gender. And you know, it’s just those privileged white women who would do that anyway. So good then to have space to listen to a non-white, woman’s voice. You are right about them not being often heard.
Well my horse in the race, Sanders, was nobbled early. I’m left looking on this absolute farce of an election with a sinking heart.
Roughly 15-20% of voters are going to be firmly in Clinton’s camp. Liberal, left-leaning and deeply aware of exactly the issues you advocate for so very well. For you Trump is irredeemably goddamn awful, and I fully respect why.
Equally there is another 15-20% of voters firmly in Trump’s camp, who are hearing him articulate what they cannot; that the establishment is no longer just ordinarily corrupt … but as CV forcefully argues … is rapidly heading into terminal decadence.
And this leaves another 60% or so who are ambivalent, contradictory even. Which to choose? One candidate proposing to extend an already compromised Obamacare program, or another promising to scrap it and start afresh?
One candidate with a lot of public office baggage, or another with way too little?
An alpha-male blow-hard making vulgar derogatory sexist comments, or a deeply establishment operator who seem fully intent on a hot confrontation with Russia?
is that Trump is a better choice than Clinton because of all the women that will be killed overseas if Clinton becomes president.
Indeed. What if it did come down to a nuclear confrontation? What if the worst happened and she was responsible for the deaths of few billion humans? Is this better or worse than Trump’s ugly trash talk?
I’m absolutely not defending or apologising for Trump here. First Dog on the Moon skewers the noxious, throwback old windbag beautifully. Along with a frankly lunatic GOP which enabled him.
We can rail on about how shit it all is; the fact is within a few weeks millions of Americans will have to make a choice … and the best we can do from this distance is have some sympathy for how unpleasant a task this will be for many.
I don’t actually care about the voter polls in the US Red. I’m not even really talking about the election itself. I’m talking about the culture of the election, esp in the NZ left. Which is why I appreciated marty’s link to a voice that’s not being heard.
What if it did come down to a nuclear confrontation? What if the worst happened and she was responsible for the deaths of few billion humans? Is this better or worse than Trump’s ugly trash talk?
Leaving aside the issue of whether Trump supporters are being incredibly naive to think that Trump won’t be a warmonger, I utterly reject the notion that it’s politically valid or viable to say raping women or cementing in a white supremacy state is better than killing a few billion humans (not suggesting that you are saying that, so much as the that appears to be the general argument). I’m sure you did this for hyperbolic effect, but describing the problem with Trump as his ugly trash talk contributes to that. See, I would describe him as a rapist, active misogynist and active racist. By active, I mean not just that he has done things in the past, but that he wants the world to be like this going forward. And no, for anyone else reading, that doesn’t meant I support Clinton and it’s not an invitation to respond with a whole bunch of Clinton bashing in order to excuse Trump.
That is the actual problem here. That the debate culture has ended up framing this debate as a false dichotomy and then some are using that to promote some pretty vile politics because it suits their political agenda. I think there are more choices than that, and it’s telling that this is what is happening on ts (haven’t followed the Trump threads recently though tbf). We should be having posts like the one marty just linked to, and the reasons why we are not are a micro reflection of the problem at large.
Until those unheard voices are heard (and that requires active listening on our part), then we will continue down the path of the hellhole that is US politics. Fortunately in NZ, we are somewhat better at listening, but I would say NZ is better than ts, which is a sad indictment.
The best we can do is so much better than what we are doing now.
That the debate culture has ended up framing this debate as a false dichotomy
True, but this doesn’t wish the fact of the election away. In a sane world Clinton will almost certainly win it, but this does not come without it’s own consequences.
Based purely on what was said in yesterday’s debate there is no question Clinton is far more hawkish on a hot military confrontation with the Russians in Syria than Trump. She pretty much stated she would use military assets to attack Assad’s forces. At that awful point all we need is a handful of US Navy ships in the Mediterranean to be sunk by Russian missiles and it’s all on.
The risk of this cannot be hand-waved off. To my mind Hillary Clinton is as unfit for the office of President as is Donald Trump in his own quite different manner. They isn’t an equivalence, it’s simply a fact.
Imagine you had to elect a Chair to the local Community Childcare Centre, and it turned out you had a choice between a pedophile and someone who secretly wanted to sell the place to his sister in law? Absolutely not equivalent, but both equally unacceptable in their own way.
Which to my mind means we need to keep an active conversation about why both are so unacceptable; without always assuming that criticizing one implies an automatic support for the other.
Sorry, but I’m not interested in yesterdays debate, nor in furthering the false dichotomy (and here, again, I’m not talking about Clinton/Trump, I’m talking about the left culture in NZ) that continues to refuse to listen to voices that are directly impacted by what is going on.
I understand reasonably well what you are arguing (as others have argued). But I’m not willing to glide past the argument I just made around what happens when we say it’s ok to harm these people so long as these other people don’t get harmed. I probably haven’t expressed it very well, will think more on this.
I agree with your last comment. I can see ways to discuss the complexity of the situation, including people’s fears about what Clinton will do, without it being about promotion of fascism and rape culture. But like I said, that’s not what is happening, and I’m not ok with supporting that.
Yes I get what you are saying here and don’t have any quibble with it.
These are tough conversations for everyone.
The lesser of two evils – is still an evil!
Oh how I wish the yanks would turn en masse to Jill Stein – and give the whole world some hope!
I agree regarding Stein (or Sanders!), and I’m no admirer of HRC…but to paraphrase Chomsky – with the lesser evil – you get less evil. And that seems to be a comparatively good thing.
Yep.
Sanders was pretty good as a candidate and senator, and under Clinton will hopefully have some sort of role. Silver linings on turd clouds, lol.
In a sane world, in a sane establishment, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would be POTUS.
If I was in the USA I couldn’t vote for either of them, they are despicable people though for different reasons but if you were in the USA would you vote for one of them?
Puckish, honest curiosity. What are your objections to Hillary?
The Benghazi attack is one of them and the other is, unfortunately a no smoke without fire type of thing.
If there were one or two allegations of against Bill Clinton then I could dismiss (anyone can allege anything but you need proof)it but like Bill Cosby the sheer amount of allegations is starting to become to many to ignore
You then throw in the allegations of Hillary hounding the same women and her claims of being a feminist and supporter of women doesn’t stack up
All politicians lie, they have to so they can get into power but its the little lies Hillary makes that make look at her and go what else are you lying about
I mean the being under sniper fire in Bosina or claiming to have been named after Sir Edmund Hillary and you then find out shes deleted tens of thousands of emails from her personal email server and we’re supposed to believe its ok because she says so
Clinton represents political business as usual, the establishment, whatever is wrong with the American government it won’t change under Clinton one iota (won’t change under Trump either)
Thanks. With the Benghazi thing, what are your thoughts on there having been eight congressional investigations into Benghazi, led by people with investigative and prosecutorial expertise and an interest in putting the worst possible interpretation on any findings, that didn’t come up with anything to really pin on her?
Well she took responsibility for it so the buck stops with her so maybe not a bad thing but on top of the other issues its just another reason to not vote for her
You throw in Whitewater and the issues around the Clinton foundation and while it may not be proven in a court of law it still adds up to someone involved in some shady dealing
…eight congressional investigations into Benghazi, led by people with investigative and prosecutorial expertise and an interest in putting the worst possible interpretation on any findings, that didn’t come up with anything…
That’s just Benghazi. We’re coming up on a quarter-century of well-funded and very extensive attempts to find dirt on Hillary Clinton that will stick, for a net result of 0. Puckish Rogue files that under “no smoke without fire,” but I file it under “tried and tested,” with a see-also reference to “wow, right-wing Americans really, really hate this woman.” I’d vote for her on that last count alone.
and that’s fair enough, I’d vote for neither
“tried and tested” with a see-also reference to “wow, right-wing Americans really, really hate this woman.”
Thanks for getting to the heart of it in a tenth the words I’d need.
Just look at her trustworthiness rating, it’s spectacular 🙄
http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/17/poll-hillary-clinton-least-honest-and-trustworthy-of-all-presidential-candidates/
For what its worth my objection to her has nothing to do with her gender
Sorry, I didn’t intend to imply that. But I think her gender goes a long way to explain why so many American right-wingers hate her so much.
That’s cool and I think you’re right to a degree.
Re your comment “But I think her gender goes a long way to explain why so many American right-wingers hate her so much”
“As a whole, women support Clinton over Trump and Sanders, but 49% of women from across the political spectrum give her an unfavorable rating”- Guardian
So, maybe not just a right wing thing.
Hence the ability of a sexist orange orangutan to make her work so hard for a fairly average win, and her desperate need for a good number of ‘anyone but Trump’ votes.
This may be the first time in American history that someone is voted into the most important position in the country, not on their own ‘merit’, but simply to avoid the horror of their opponent winning.
It depends on the state one lives in. Some states a vote for Stein isn’t going to increase Trump’s chances for getting in, so in that case I would easily vote Stein. In marginal states, I would vote Clinton. I’m a pragmatic voter and so it’s nothing to do with them being despicable people or not. Nothing.
Having said that, I haven’t followed close enough, and I might end up voting Stein anyway, because at some point you have to give up on one election in order to make bigger changes and an increase in the Green vote is something that will pay off over time. I don’t know what’s happening to the ex-Sanders voters either. There are more important things going on than this one election.
Fair enough, I was only asking out of curiosity
🙂
Except that I don’t think he is articulating that it’s heading into terminal decadence.
He’s saying it’s corrupt, and he’ll return the country to its former glory, and he’ll do other things too, like cut taxes for everyone, build a wall and pull out of trade agreements that will hurt their economy far more than it’ll help. The people in small town USA somehow believe that when he is president, their lives will change for the better, when it’s more likely there’ll be no change, or they’ll be worse off.
If Trump were actually campaigning about getting rid of corruption, and had policies that actually supported that view point and could make a difference, then I’d support him and agree with you.
But he’s not.
Sanders came a lot closer of course, but his policies seemed to involve a lot of magical thinking too.
“Sanders came a lot closer of course, but his policies seemed to involve a lot of magical thinking too.”
Could you explain what you mean by that extraordinary allegation. I think you’ve been listening uncritically to right wing opinionistas again, but please go ahead disabuse me of that sinking feeling.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/opinion/varieties-of-voodoo.html?_r=0
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/what-has-the-wonks-worried/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/03/14/can-bernie-sanders-turn-the-united-states-into-denmark-an-investigation/
You’ve simply pointed me to three right wing opinion pieces, including one from the notorious, treacherous anti-journalism Washington Post. That’s not an argument, that’s a lazy substitute for argument.
“that’s a lazy substitute for argument”
coming from the guy that just dismissed three links because he doesn’t like the message
The first two are by Paul Krugman. This is what Wikipedia says about Paul Krugman:
The Washington Post article has the input of many experts in their fields. Are they all rightwing? I don’t know, I’m not going to bother looking up the credentials of all of them. At least some of them are leftwing people however.
One of the key themes in the Washington Post article is that Sanders is trying to apply Scandinavian economics to the US, but the countries are so different culturally and historically that it’s unlikely the plans would work as he expected. Simply saying “it works for them, lets apply it here” isn’t good enough, and that’s basically what Sanders was doing – magical thinking.
All of this is further ignoring the point, that even if Sanders had a democratically controlled house and senate (which he wouldn’t), he wouldn’t be able to get all of his changes through anyway.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/another-labour-spin-doctor-bites-the-dust-2016101015
“Another Labour Party press secretary has quit the party, the fourth to do so in just three months”
Is it really such a bad place to work?
Could be that Andrew has set a very high bar and from here on in, the staff have to be able to handle it. If you are uncertain leave now.
That seems to be OK to me.
By the way Puck, the PM has a PR staff of hundreds. How many leave each year? One a week perhaps?
Sounds like theres a problem with the hiring going on if they can’t find someone to stay
“By the way Puck, the PM has a PR staff of hundreds. How many leave each year? One a week perhaps?”
Evidence please
Was thinking the same Ianmac.
“Could be that Andrew has set a very high bar and from here on in, the staff have to be able to handle it.”
Sounds like a job for the local union rep to have a wee peek at Mr. Littles workplace practices then.
The outgoing PM is to do a cabinet ‘reshuffle’ before next election. We need a change of government not a ‘reshuffle’.
https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/key-signals-cabinet-reshuffle-new-year-b-195290
I predict that ‘Nickoff’ will be a gone burger, gone from the Nelson seat would be my ideal. Will be doing my best to make that a reality. 🙂
Labour would do well to take note of Nationals ability to remove the dead wood (not all the dead wood unfortunately) and present a fresher line up plus the return of Judith Collins!
I wonder if Judith will have any questions to answer today, after all she is responsible for contracting Serco to Mt Eden, what a disaster that is.
Judith and her husband, dang, they’re just as crooked as the Clintons. How’s Oravida Water doing? Jenny Shipley would know. Got any loop holes to exploit? Don’t worry Judiths husband is already on to it.
National is nothing but deadwood. Comes from wanting policies best suited to the 15th century.
That’s easy…get rid of Joyce, English, Bennett, Smith, Parata, Bridges….you get the picture
Well sure if I wanted the left to gain power then I’d agree with you but of that list I’d remove Joyce and Smith
Dude, be honest, you would add Parata to your list.
I feel sorry for Bill, he just looks so ‘over it’, he would be so much happier out of parliament me thinks, he looks beaten and worn. The type of worn out that only a change in career would fix.
Why would I get rid of Parata?
For reals? Where to start…
Lack of funding
Failed charter schools
Wrap around services failing students, teachers, families
Salisbury School
School pools
Failing special education
Lack of support from teachers towards the minister
Failing schools
Rotting schools
She’s completely out of touch, I’m surprised the outgoing PM gave her another chance.
Its damn impressive that Parata is responsible for all that mess
Well, Peter Hughes managed to keep a lid on things while he was there but once he left for better things Parata’s been coming out with all sorts of tripe again – most of it already failed policy in other countries.
+1 Cinny
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John Key hits back at UN report on child poverty in NZ
Except for the fact that he isn’t. In fact, he’s been actively making it worse.
If you don’t define it you can’t know what’s causing it and thus you can’t actually address it. This does appear to be what National want because we all know, deep in our hearts, what’s the cause of all this poverty. Just look at the increasing poverty of the last thirty years under the hyper-capitalism that’s been introduced.
There was a double length episode of Last Week Tonight yesterday – aired just after, but recorded before, the debate. The first bit was about the Trump tape (and was appropriately scathing of “Bushy”), but this section was a worthwhile change of topic:
Awesome thanks
Surprised they didn’t try to blame it on Jetstar.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/315357/passengers-cry-as-'flight-from-hell'-lands-in-nz
http://www.interest.co.nz/news/84007/finance-minister-signals-significant-ramping-house-building-housing-nz-corp-land-auckland
there must be an election coming…
Haven’t we read/heard this one before?
Seems like my comment from a couple of weeks ago hit it right on the nose:
https://thestandard.org.nz/polls-2/#comment-1237881
Situations like this were entirely predictable (and I think some of us did indeed predict them when the policy came out),
A woman who took up the Government’s relocation grant to move to Hamilton, says she’s now doing everything she can to get back to Auckland.
Teri Standen said she wanted a fresh start with the $5000 grant – and moved south at the start of July.
But she said she hates her life in Hamilton.
She said the local school isn’t what she expected, and there are gang members living on the street she’s been housed on.
Standen’s warning people to do their own research before jumping on the offer – as she simply trusted Housing New Zealand to disclose “relevant” information.
She said going to check out the option first-hand prior to relocating was not an option for her due to petrol costs and childcare commitments.
Her advice to others tempting by the chance of a fresh start and a bit of cash: “Anyone who’s going to take the relocation grant, research where you’re going to thoroughly, if you can, and be very wary about where they’re putting you.”
A spokeswoman for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said she would not comment as it was an operational matter.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/winz-relocation-a-disappointment-aucklander-wants-to-come-home/
“A spokeswoman for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said she would not comment as it was an operational matter.”
WTF kind of excuse is that? Dang I wonder how many others ‘relocation’ is not working out for. Sounds like another failed plan by the government, dismissed as an operational matter to shut down any further questions.
Al Jazeera intones gravely about “Vladimir Putin’s controversial visit to Paris.”
Sadly, Qatar’s official TV outlet is nothing but a relentless propaganda unit.
Al Jazeera News, 12 noon (NZ time), Tuesday 11 October 2016
I’ve just heard an Al Qaeda newsreader dutifully droning about how the French government is getting ready for “Vladimir Putin’s controversial visit to Paris.” Then, from Paris, one Natacha Butler explains with a straight face and a steady voice: “And that’s because of Russia’s involvement in SYRIA, particularly the bombing of ALEPPO.”
Perhaps there are some Standardisti out there who can supply an example, but I cannot recall a single time that Al Jazeera, the official television station of the Qatari dictatorship, has described a visit anywhere by Barack Obama, who has for eight years presided over the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria as “controversial.”
More shameful propaganda masquerading as news on Al Jazeera….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22102015/#comment-1085331
…I cannot recall a single time that Al Jazeera, the official television station of the Qatari dictatorship, has described a visit anywhere by Barack Obama, who has for eight years presided over the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria as “controversial.”
Oh, I expect that if Obama was carrying out indiscriminate, large-scale bombing of urban neighbourhoods in any country, he’d be at risk of people throwing shoes at him on his overseas visits – hopefully Putin will cope one right in the mush. Obama’s predecessor had quite a few “controversial” visits for similar reasons to Putin’s visit being “controversial” – the reason Obama doesn’t get the same treatment is that he doesn’t pull the same shit, not because Al Jazeera is a propaganda site.
The US has been supporting the Saudi bombing of Yemen with munitions, intelligence and other military support for over a year now.
In the most recent attack, a Saudi-led airstrike on a Sana’a community hall funeral service killed 150 or more people and wounded a further 500+.
… the Saudi bombing of Yemen…
I expect that a visit by King Salman would also be pretty controversial right now. Less so on Al Jazeera, granted.
The War Nerd: A Brief History of the Yemen Clusterf*ck
https://pando.com/2015/03/28/the-war-nerd-a-brief-history-of-the-yemen-clusterfck/
If your point is that the Saudi government is really not very nice, we’ve finally agreed on something.
Oh Milt you really are such a low rent commentator
Mr Jones, Colonial Viper’s go to source –
Imagine how bad she smells, man? I’m told her and Obama, just stink, stink, stink, stink. You can’t wash that evil off, man. Told there’s a rotten smell around Hillary. I’m not kidding, people say, they say — folks, I’ve been told this by high up folks. They say listen, Obama and Hillary both smell like sulfur. I never said this because the media will go crazy with it, but I’ve talked to people that are in protective details, they’re scared of her. And they say listen, she’s a frickin’ demon and she stinks and so does Obama. I go, like what? Sulfur. They smell like Hell.
https://youtu.be/2Ll4wXS2PIo?t=4m
Not very nice that dude.
One of Trump’s … more interesting…supporters.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/10/politics/trump-supporter-god-harlots-bible/index.html
Single issue nutters, abortion.
Wow out there
Yep, a disgusting basket of deplorables and irredeemables, as Hillary would say.
Indeed, point proven by this cartoon from Trump supporter Sean Delonas making light of the tiny fingered fuckwit’s sexual assault of women.
http://media.cagle.com/226/2016/10/09/185810_600.jpg
(warning, it ain’t nice)
Wow, did CNN really broadcast that?
By ain’t nice, joe is referring to the fact that the cartoon shows Trump sexually assaulting Clinton, plus the way that assault is characterised.
Nah, part of the cartoon.
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={29B1D885-1636-429B-AF08-7AA38E7E5630}
Why would the outgoing government be wanting to curb immigration?
Was it because of their internal polling?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1610/S00142/national-panicked-by-polls-on-immigration.htm
Come, come.
You don’t really consider a press release from Winston Peters or his mob as being evidence of anything do you?
The man is a charlatan.
I trust him far more than I trust National.
Alwyn, the only charlatan in the house is the outgoing PM.
ShonKey is the epitome of charlatan.
Do you remember what Abe Lincoln is supposed to have said?
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.
The “You” he was talking about was someone like Winston..
Nick, Cinny and DTB are clearly in the group of “some of the people”.
90% of the population saw through Winston’s bluster ages ago.
So, one of those game changing details in the leaked emails was actually a copy and pasted portion of an opinion piece.
Stupid pricks.
//
In an email titled “The Truth” from Hillary’s top confidante Sidney Blumenthal, the adviser writing to undisclosed recipients said that “one important point that has been universally acknowledged by nine previous reports about Benghazi: The attack was almost certainly preventable” in what may turn out to be the big October surprise from the WikiLeaks released of emails hacked from the account of Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta.Then came the money quote: “Clinton was in charge of the State Department, and it failed to protect U.S. personnel at an American consulate in Libya. If the GOP wants to raise that as a talking point against her, it is legitimate,” said Blumenthal, putting to rest the Democratic Party talking point that the investigation into Clinton’s management of the State Department at the time of the attack was nothing more than a partisan witch hunt.Those words sounded really, really familiar. Really familiar. Like, so familiar they struck me as something I wrote. Because they were something I wrote..
http://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-sidney-blumenthal-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-benghazi-sputnik-508635