Open mike 12/08/2022
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6:00 am, August 12th, 2022 - 31 comments
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
- Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
- Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
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Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
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The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
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The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
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The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
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Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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If you're sent a message privately, and you then post it publicly, you've pretty much destroyed any pretence at good faith dialogue with anybody:
Dr Sharma throws gasoline on the bridges he obviously wants to burn.
Mind you, this line from the reporter is quite funny:
Sharma has only been an MP since the 2020 election. This timeframe would mean he began complaining to the Prime Minister's Office about half a year after entering Parliament.
It's also not anything he raised an issue over or mentioned in an interview in Feb this year https://www.indiannews.co.nz/allstories/dr-gaurav-sharma-a-man-of-conviction
Sounds like he is a guy obsessed with slights real and imagined and who conflates them all into a generic accusation of "bullying" – his maiden speech was full of talk about it.
If the report on NatRad is correct it is the result of a staff dispute between him and parliamentary services where he is very unhappy about the process being followed.
According to Guyon Espiner on RNZ this morning his voicemail message says he is now overseas, so he's had a spray and flounce.
Probably a person completely unsuited to the parliamentary environment.
We seem to have a whole generation of people in various occupations who cannot tolerate any disagreement, or debate, around issues – and immediately accuse the other person of bullying. Snowflakes.
I usually critique the Labour Caucus and its adherence to monetarism and a neo liberal state rather than individual MPs who in the main try and do their best. And a number achieve good results too in their electorate and committee work.
I have known many MPs over the decades from different parties and it is not a role that too many can actually handle well.
But I admit Mr Sharma got to me with his naivety and preciousness. Does he think he’s the first to stumble upon the arcane rituals, conventions, hierarchy’s and structures of the NZ Parliament?
Not destined for a long political career this one. He will likely sooner rather than later enjoy the tender mercies of a Hamilton Labour LEC…
So we don’t take his claim of bullying seriously then because is just a young naive winger. Love the double standards on display.
No Jack, because it involves staff in his office it is probably not bullying, and more likely a staff complaint, and he is taking the view as stated, "I am not the bully". That requires a negotiated settlement which he perhaps is not happy with? imo.
We should definitely take claims of bullying seriously.
There's a reason Sharma wrote his column without informing any colleagues, and a reason he has avoided all media queries since. The story turns out to be rather different …
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/parliament-bullying-claims-labour-mp-gaurav-sharmas-ex-staffer-speaks-out-after-being-left-in-tears/6Y6DUYVDRNWS6DPEVT7B4JT24Q/
.
Yep … astonishing double-standards …
…partly the usual lack of principle you find in all partisan echo-chambers (as George Orwell brilliantly dissected way back in the 30s) … but also, for Woke dogmatists, Sharma's probably the wrong identity group … not quite "marginalised" enough (in contrast to, say, an affluent Pakeha woman Labour MP from a boarding-school background or a male Maori MP from a comfortable managerial-class milieu ……. their accusations of bullying would engender immediate & quite ostentatious expressions of sympathy from the Woke ideologue segment of readers here).
Wokedom's "morality" & "ethics", its "caring & sharing" are nothing if not highly, highly, highly selective.
"Think about it for a moment. Labour has a caucus of 65 MPs. Most of them, like Sharma himself, highly qualified professionals. How, then, is it possible that all but two of these intelligent and (presumably) principled men and women (the exceptions being Louisa Wall and, now, Sharma) have never even once spoken out of turn or (God forbid!) expressed a viewpoint on any major – or even minor – issue that was not in 100 percent conformity with the official party line? What does it take to inspire and maintain that sort of collective discipline?"
https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2022/08/parting-shots.html
I dont imagine Sharma lacks intellect
Trotter should imagine less, and investigate more.
Reports out today paint a very different picture. See Herald link above.
Have you read the Trotter piece?
Yes, hence my reply.
Again: he wrote it before today's news, which puts a very different complexion on things. Unfortunately, one of the features of the pundit class (including Trotter) is that they churn out their reckons before facts are known, and then they are unwilling to revise their reckons. Happens all too often.
The 'facts' printed in the Herald piece dont change anything he has written….they do however beg the question why this remains unresolved after 12 months of 'engagement' by both the Whips and Parliamentary services.
A new Wellington candidate for mayor, full of ideas:
Now if only someone would come up with light rail under the city, that would be truly visionary!
Lol. Methinks Hastie is too hasty, and not really on board with the realities of the climate crisis.
how safe will that be in the case of an earthquake.
Merrick Garland is going to get that Trump search warrant unsealed.
Put the popcorn on this is going to get buttered.
The MAGAs have gone nuts.
I could say..why am I not surprised ? Oh I did. Yep.
When a (yet another) country goes broke…
"Brandishing a rifle and threatening to douse himself with petrol, Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, entered the Federal Bank branch about noon on Thursday and insisted on withdrawing part of his frozen savings of $210,000 (£172,000) to help pay for his father’s hospital bill.
Like nearly all Lebanese, the hostage taker’s funds have been off limits for more than two years. Banks, stricken by an economic crisis, have allowed depositors only token withdrawals of dollars each month that are insufficient to meet the most basic of needs."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/11/gunman-takes-hostages-at-beirut-bank-to-try-to-free-his-trapped-savings
it's almost like male and non-male bodied people have different physiology and thus different capacities, as well as different experiences of life and the world.
https://twitter.com/Cathemerality/status/1557805081181016064
Molloy cottons on to what most already knew:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-mayoralty-new-poll-shows-efeso-collins-first-wayne-brown-second-leo-molloy-support-falls/4YNZVVHQNXMCFPAUBWQXSO6YBI/
As we suspected.
Now it’s a drag race between Efeso Collins and Viv Beck.
The others hopefully will just split the right vote.
The next MP for Tauranga ?.
Looks to me like Collins needs both Brown and Beck to stay in the race – and to work some unexpected magic on turnout in his strongholds.
The Rosenbergs were necked for this sort shit.
https://twitter.com/OlufemiOTaiwo/status/1557884604614381570
Classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the items FBI agents sought in a search of former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence on Monday, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Experts in classified information said the unusual search underscores deep concern among government officials about the types of information they thought could be located at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and potentially in danger of falling into the wrong hands.
The people who described some of the material that agents were seeking spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. They did not offer additional details about what type of information the agents were seeking, including whether it involved weapons belonging to the United States or some other nation. Nor did they say if such documents were recovered as part of the search. A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/11/garland-trump-mar-a-lago/ (freebie)
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mass-dolphin-stranding-on-aucklands-waiheke-island/SKAPTMTC4KGSSJHZNQKCFZW7VU/
So sad Whakanewha Regional Park, Waiheke is a bit of a hidden gem, as can be seen very tidal. Thoughts go out to the rangers and those locals assisting- this will be deeply emotional for all. Take care
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mass-dolphin-stranding-on-aucklands-waiheke-island/SKAPTMTC4KGSSJHZNQKCFZW7VU/