‘
According to John Key, the Maori Party are prepared to be with him in a coalition arrangement with Brash.
Prime Minister John Key said a National coalition with both the Maori and ACT parties after the election would still be workable.
stuff.co.nz
Meanwhile though prepared to work with Brash in coalition with National, the Maori Party have decided not to honour their agreement with Harawira, not to run against each other.
How can this be wise?
Breaking their agreement with Harawira, in itself is not a good look. To do it for the benefit of the Nats and their coalition partner ACT is even worse.
I believe the Maori Party are making a serious tactical mistake in underestimating the the potential support that Mana will gain in the wider electorate.
It is likely that in a three way split in reward for their treachery, the Maori Party will retain only one seat in parliament after election.
This result would exactly replicate that of Jim Anderton after his betrayal of his own followers against their overwhelming opposition to the bloody war in Afghanistan.
Like Anderton, Turia will receive a sinecure little back office position from her coalition partner in reward for her treachery, achieving nothing further worthwhile for her people. To suffer being patronised in public, but quietly mocked behind her back by her coalition partners.
I think it was interesting rather than game changing or party saving. And Sharples – I’m not in New Zealand by anyone’s invitation, I was naturally born in this country!
Yet another announcement of a poll from TV3 this morning this time stating that 70% of Christchurch residents are very pleased with the government’s response to the earthquakes. No mention of who was asked, what was asked, and when the poll was taken.
I no longer take TV3s coverage of news and politics seriously. They are just an arm of the Nat propaganda machine. I’ve got better and more productive things to do with my time than watch TV3 news or The Ntion.
Ditto TV1 and Prime News as well. Their news presenters spend their time apparently reading National Party press releases, sport news and then weather.
Oh, come on HS. TV3 has gone beyond the line the way it promotes National Party lines these days – especially Duncan Garner. I prefer TV1 & Stratos these days for TV news, and RNZ in particular for NZ news & current events. TV1 also slants to the right more often than not.
That’s always the weak argument used against criticisms of media bias. But I stand by my judgement about TV3. Sometimes TV3 does more positive Labour/left reports, but most of the time it slants to the right. So WHEN it does do a positive left story, it’s worth taking note of and repeating.
The NoW debacle shows just how much media can interfere with political process, and cofirms my judgement from following UK media, that Brown was being undermined by the media.
Also, Dr Margie Comrie has done some research of the coverage of TV news during the last NZ election. I’ve seen her talking about it. Although her focus was on Maori TV, the data shows a bias by TV One & TV3 towards Key & National over Clark & Labour Dduring the 2008 election period. This is seen in the fact that there was a higher percentage of face time given to Nats/Key over Labour & Clark. Key was in the 40-50% range & Clark in the 30-40% range. Maori TV on the other hand were more slanted to Labour & the Maori Party.
The NoW story is proof that we can’t leave news reporting to the private sector as it’s essentially corrupt. They did everything that the privatisers say that government supported news would do. Hell, they were actually worse, the privatisers say that government news would do what the government tells them but in the UK the politicians were doing what the Rupert Murdoch told them.
Along the lines of what I’ve said in the past on TS … the UK Fourth Estate reveals itself to be financially owned and morally mortgaged to the Tory Estate.
Reminds me of the news services in Iraq or Libya where the dictator of the day is proudly announced to have won 98% support in the latest elections. That’s some real vindication there.
When his photo-ops are losing the shine, he desperately looks for issues to fan the fires of public debate. Last week, he attempted euthanasia – stirring a discussion that is. This week, it is asylum seekers but he can’t get much traction as it is evident he is morally bankrupt.
The left should not lose focus on the economy, for which opportunities for improvement and growth have been mismanaged and squandered by this administration.
Gawd. Key must be counting his lucky stars. Just as he and National are on the ropes he gets the chance to engage in a little bit of redneck rascism, and not about ACT either.
No doubt Key is hoping that the debate about Asylum seekers gets as heated as in Australia. When I was there recently I could not believe that a couple of hundred people fleeing their country and wanting to settle in a country of 20 million could attract such heat. The issue seemed to be the political story of the day.
The chances of a boat actually reaching New Zealand are remote beyond belief. Why bypass Australia and travel thousands of miles to reach a similar nation?
And so much for the rule of law. International law requires a country to accept refugees and to consider their claim for status properly. Compassion requires the same.
But what are such considerations when there is an election to win …
He did not have to say a thing. If he was going to say something he should have said that New Zealand is bound by international law and would abide by its obligations.
Bullshit, in this instance he said exactly the correct thing and you’re just practicing partisan political hackery because it didn’t come out of the mouth of a Labour politician.
Step back and imagine the same words coming out of Helen Clark’s mouth and reconsider your position.
I recall clearly Helen Clark’s Government deciding to accept 750 Afghani refugees from the Tampa after John Howard’s government refused to allow it to land. I cheered at the time.
I have since met a number of them and they are very decent generous people.
Helen would not only have talked differently she has shown that she would have decided differently. No dog whistle for her, just compassion.
The Labour Party is also saying no to Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
A group of boat people detained in Indonesia have been seen showing signs that they want to come to New Zealand.
The Government has rejected them.
Labour leader Phil Goff holds a similar view and says we can’t run immigration policy on sympathy and let everyone that turns up her into the country.
He says the way to go is meet our responsibilities with our refugee quota, not promote gain for people smugglers who’re making money out of the misery of others.
By your reasoning Phil is showing his incompassion, nyet?
Labour leader Phil Goff agreed refugees should only be accepted if they came through the official channels.
However, he would not agree with the Prime Minister’s choice of words that the asylum seekers were “not welcome”.
“I’d put it in a different way. I think that shows a lack of human feeling for the suffering of the individuals concerned.”
The Prime Minster was building the situation into a bigger problem than it was, he said.
“It is a potential problem. Not one person has every come by boat to New Zealand. You can’t rule it out entirely. But it is not an overwhelming threat to New Zealand.”
And how the frak do you know they are economic refugees, and not a community being persecuted for their involvement in the Sri Lankan civil war?
Reports say they are Tamils and if they directly supported the losing side in that war they are now screwed and their lives under official or unofficial threat.
Don’t be such an a-hole before you know the facts, and don’t be like John Key who couldn’t give a fuck about any of that minor detail.
Aye. Geriatric serial-adulterer racists who have just ripped off the taxpayers half a bill for a worthless report are welcome in government but persecuted women and kids in fear of their lives can’t get a toe on the beach. Lovely chaps, these NACTZies.
The Nicholson term in Federated Farmers ended with sighs of relief from the agribusiness and agripolitical fraternity. Nicholson went out a fortnight ago, with rantings echoing Brash on the usual suspects – local bodies, Big Govt, climate change denial etc etc.
More moderate characters have now been elected to Feds national leadership, with an apparently genuine urban-friendly look. So even Feds will be backing away from their previous leader.
Looks like another futile attempt at ACT life support. John Key’s enthusiasm for euthanasia should be applied to political parties.
The refugees are indeed unlikely to get here, since according to the story they have already been arrested in Indonesia, and sent to the the controversial processing centre near Malaysia. When I was in Australia recently it was pointed out to me that about 3,000 people a year try to get into Australia off the boats, while a great many more than that are brought in as “experts” to work, their expertise often being a willingness to work for low wages. The former generate a lot of talk back heat, while the latter are virtually ignored. What is creepy and Orwellian though is the way these sorts of stories are internationalised – it’s as if there are news bite forms, for which particulars are sought to add colour, detail and “authenticity” to a concept. If it worked in Australia or perhaps America, the idea seems to be, then let’s run it up the flag pole here and see if anyone salutes it.
“Just as he and National are on the ropes” What ? “On the ropes” would indicate a lack of support and a party which is dysfunctional in the extreme. Even you can’t believe that, or are you thinking of the leaderless Labour Party ? Just because you say it to an already converted audience smacks of cheerleading. Polls and public opinion would disagree with your statements, as I believe the important “poll” at the end of the year will as well. Given the vacuum of opposition policies and personalities, its no wonder they will barely have to try to beat a splintered left wing.
Like most of us, in my professional and my private life, I speak to a wide variety of people.
The one thing i do not see in the real world, that is reported repeatedly in the media and the infamous Polls, is this supposed supremacy of the National Party as preferred leaders of the country. The last few months however I constantly hear from long time National supporters that they do not agree with what the Government is doing and they have no intention of voting for them in November.
One old timer, a wealthy stalwart of the Nats told me the other day this is the worst Government they can remember in New Zealand’s history and he has already watched three of his grandchildren leave NZ with no intention of returning. I have certainly been impressed by the voracity some of these people express when shown the morsels of ineptitude by this Government.
If we could only get the Fourth Estate functioning again , then Democracy may stand a chance.
“The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.”
CV there’s a number of country’s they could seek refugee status in before taking the dangerous journey to our shores. Why not other asian countries ? Why not India ? Why not Indonesia or the Phillipines ? Why not Australia ?
CV there’s a number of country’s they could seek refugee status in before taking the dangerous journey to our shores. Why not other asian countries ? Why not India ? Why not Indonesia or the Phillipines ? Why not Australia ?
Why NZ ?
You’re trotting out the same tired arguments that were being used against Ahmed Zaoui in 2002-4, and with the same lack of logic. Do you really think these people have any kind of a choice? If they did they wouldn’t be in a boat, and would not have already been arrested, as Olwyn says above.
Ahmed Zaoui was eventually released and the sky didn’t fall. It’s not going to fall if 150 Tamils come here. We’ve got plenty of room, for goodness’ sake, and plenty else as well, contrary to what I heard Key say on the news this morning…
Why on earth would they want to sail more than half way around the world to come here when there’s a multitude of other countries closer by
Because NZ has a reputation for kindness and giving a shit. Especially about seriously listening to the stories of refugees and people seeking asylum from persecution in their home lands. Well, more of a reputation than the Australians.
What of it?
By the way, plenty of people sailed all the way around the world to make their lives here in NZ in the 1800’s, when they too could have chosen a multitude of other countries closer by.
“Argentine songwriter and singer Facundo Cabral, an icon of Latin American folk and protest music, was shot to death early Saturday by unknown gunmen who intercepted his car in Guatemala City and pumped it full of bullets.
…
Cabral, born to a dirt-poor family in provincial Argentina, rose to fame in the 1970s primarily as a writer and performer of protest songs, at a time when Latin America was shackled by military dictatorships, coups and crises. He went into exile in Mexico during Argentina’s military junta from 1976 to 1983.
…
In 1996 UNESCO named him an “international messenger of peace,” and themes of peace and brotherhood dominated his later work.”
Stuff poll currently at 79.2% against helping the boat people
Once again I am ashamed and embarrassed at the growing disregard for others being expressed by people who call themselves New Zealanders. This is not the country i was raised to believe in, this is a quagmire of greedy and selfish sycophants who deserve the pain to come if they continue down this road to hegemony
If the boat has an Austrian-Jewish refugee lady and this were a few decades ago, isn’t it nice to know he would tell her she is unwelcome and turn her away? And New Zealand better off for that?
Turning back the boat could be his new metaphor for kicking away the ladder?
Anyway, the Left should stay focused on the current economic issues and call their own shots as to when and how the asylum issues would be debated.
This year, more so than most, every single person has to be reminded they have a choice to make. The choice today is how much longer we want the degradation of our Nation to continue.
All cliches aside, help each other and we win. Hate each other and we lose.
I hear that at the Pike River enquiry, Pikey lawyers cross examining Don Elder are suggesting his comments yesterday were aimed at driving down PRC’s share price so that Solid Energy can get a better price.
I’m pretty sure that the commissioners will see different things from that line of attack than what the lawyers want.
Interesting comment from John Key in Question Time today, in response to a question by Brendon Burns. The question was about Key’s Hard Talk comment that scientists are like lawyers and he could always find a scientist with an alternative scientific view on NZ’s 1000% pure status. Today Key added economists to the list of people who have as diverse views as lawyers. Leaving aside that lawyers are not scientists but aim to represent one side positively, I think it might be a useful quote to repeat back to Key when he’s quoting an economst to support his policies.
I think the biggest benefit will be to public servants themselves. I think the reason that public servants have a bad reputation in most parts of the country is that people don’t feel like they have a choice but to pay for them to be used. If you don’t like your local supermarket you can drive to the one down the road. What if you don’t like your local public service provider? You can’t do much about it so you develop a negative attitude.
yes – imagine how organised and cost effective the post CHCH quake efforts would have been.
sure the PS can be improved, but what your advocating is a society with even bigger imbalances than we currently have – one where those that can afford it get it while those that cant – dont
If you don’t like your local supermarket you can drive to the one down the road.
Oh if only! But what if you’re a little old lady who doesn’t drive? Or someone with disabilities? And there’s only one supermarket within a realistic distance?
What Cameron is doing is complete idiocy!
Don Nicolson has had views and attitudes at Fed Farmers which have been divisive and ignorant. The man is a shallow twit. Witness Rod Oram’s withering piece on Fed Farmers and Nicolson in the SST this week.
Imagine being at one of their meetings or get-togethers. My god, you would go insane. Or burst your sides with laughter. And imagine when / if Key gets back in and has Brash and Nicolson bleating and screeching and dribbling at the mouth. Put this lot together for the public to see and you will be home and hosed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10738021 – Federated Farmers leader is going to be an ACT MP – but why are they not brave enough to stand in more than one electorate? That’s right, they aren’t a proper party, with a proper mandate and don’t want their arses being kicked.
Looks like there may be a method to the nuttiness — ACT will stand in ‘safe’ National seats and ask the super extremist cuckoos & rwnjs to vote tactically, eg electorate seat to Nats and party seat to ACT.
The strategy is to ensure NACTzies metastasize and make New Zealand the diseased male, pale and stale body politic of the Pacific.
The question is which is the next electorate that ACT will stand, and who that candidate might be.
I think it’s a very good move for Don Nicolson to stand for Act (any party will do) in Clutha Southland. He’s got relevant experience for the electorate and should be able to spend more time looking after his constituents that Bill English can from Wellington.
I’d like to see him do well (unless a better candidate stands there). We need smarter voting with more electorate focus rather than party palaver.
Don is campaigning for the list vote. he isn’t focusing on the electorate at all. He is going to try and get farmers votes by preaching to them about how hard done by they are and try and get enough ACT votes from the Fed Famers network.
This is exactly the same play that ACT ran with in 08 with the sensible sentencing trust Get somebody with a ready built network of emails and mana within a niche group of easily targetable voters; give him a list spot far enough down that he isn’t guaranteed a spot, and bob’s your uncle, should be good for an extra MP worth of votes, maybe more.
Meh don’t be too worried, ACT has backstabbed all their women, unceremoniously and undemocratically dumped Hide, backstabbed Maori, seen their monied corporate supporters vapourise and resurrected a leader that rural National voters deserted.
Now with Nicholson portraying themselves as principled visionaries with the country at heart.
P’s b, that is just nutty what he is going on about.
Don Nicolson is a nut. “The ETS is a secret plan by the international green movement to create jobs and stave off anarchy”…… that’s what Nicolson thinks. Oh lordy ………..
We have another Garrett / Peters / Bob the builder on our hands………….
New Zealand’s top brains spring into action following Super 15 disaster
Radio Sport, Sunday 10 July 2011 3.30 p.m.
The Canterbury Crusaders lost the Super 15 final on Saturday night. That means New Zealand’s best intellects will be working hard to work out the reason for the calamity….
MURRAY DEAKER: Plenty of spare lines, you’ll get straight through if you ring now. Phil, your thoughts?
CALLER PHIL: I want to talk about the All Black squad. Murray, I am very, very concerned. I think we will have a lack of intelligence, once the ball goes past Daniel Carter.
DEAKER: [long, thoughtful pause] Conrad Smith?
PHIL: Yes, but what if he’s injured, Murray?
DEAKER: [long, thoughtful pause] I know what you’re getting at, Phil.
PHIL: Yes, well, it needs to be said, Murray.
DEAKER: [with utmost gravitas] A lot of people talk about this in private, but are not prepared to talk about it in public. But I don’t give a toss about that! The problem is that in this country we have a lot of boys that are early maturers.
PHIL: Yes, oh yes.
DEAKER: These guys haven’t got the slender build of, say, a Dan Carter, or a Jeff Wilson, or an Andrew Mehrtens.
PHIL: That’s right, Murray.
DEAKER: So they’ve never had to jink, or sidestep, or run around any opponents. They are so huge that all they have ever had to do is barge past them. They’ve never had to think! Because they’re early maturers!
PHIL: It’s a worry. Because these overseas teams, they’re thinkers, Murray! They’re private school boys, and they’re thinkers.! The Australians, Murray, they’re just so educated! I remember once when the lowest-qualified player in the team was a chartered accountant, Murray!
DEAKER: Yes, but we’ll not see the likes of Nick Farr-Jones, David Kirk, Sir John Graham and Sir Wilson Whineray again. They were very bright guys!
PHIL: I’m so worried, Murray….
Of course, Deaker wasn’t implying that the “cultures” of the blood that is coursing around the veins of those outside Carter is significant in “thinking” – of course he wasn’t and neither was the caller.
I thought this was an interesting post by dim-post:
I think (non-empirical statement coming up: if I was a political columnist I’d write ‘some say’ or ‘most New Zealanders think’) that if you asked the public why Labour is unpopular then part of the answer would involve a perception of Labour as an unethical, sleazy party (built up by years of scandals like the repeated funding/election spending rorts, Chris Carter, Shane Jones, Phillip-Field, support for Winston Peters, etc). But I also think that if you suggested to Labour MPs or supporters that their party was sleazy or unethical they would be genuinely shocked, because they see themselves as ‘the good guys’ – and they’d attempt to litigate each of the examples I made above (‘it’s the mainstream media’s fault for reporting it! And what about Double Dipton Bill English?’) With the counter-intuitive result that they continue to behave unethically – damaging the integrity of the Labour Party brand and further alienating voters – while still considering themselves highly ethical, and refusing to even acknowledge any of the damage these scandals have caused them. (Because they didn’t really happen, because Labour is so ethical.)
Sort of what I’ve been saying for awhile but he/she does it more eloquently then I can
1.) Oz government announces subsides for insulating homes
2.) Fletcher’s buys bulk stuff to make insulation and keeps said insulation in stock
3.) Due to some serious issues, Oz government cancels insulation subsidy
4.) Fletcher’s seeks compensation from Oz government
Stuff like this is actually sickening. There was no guarantee on the part of the Oz government that Fletcher’s would sell the stock and so the risk that Fletcher’s took is all on their heads. They didn’t need to buy all that stock and they still have it. They haven’t actually lost anything except what they thought, incorrectly, was government guaranteed profits.
Really, all they need to do is just sell the damn stuff. Knock the price down a bit and I’m sure that they’ll still be able to find people who want to insulate their home.
1.) Oz government announces subsides for insulating homes
2.) Fletcher’s buys bulk stuff to make insulation and keeps said insulation in stock
3.) Due to some serious issues, Oz government cancels insulation subsidy
4.) Fletcher’s seeks compensation from Oz government
You missed a few points…
1.) Oz government announces 4 billion dollars of subsides for insulating homes
1.a oz Govt does deal with Fletchers et al to limit margins on basis of massive amount of work.
3.a Oz Govt forgets to require installers to have any training.
3.b A bunch of guys die during install.
3.c Oz Govt thinks money can be betyter spent elsewhere.
3.d Oz Govt cancells subsidy, leaving tens of thousands of houses cold and wasting energy and money.
4. a . Fletchers rightfully expect to be paid for materials brought specifically for a project.
4.b Fletchers get paid. (hasnt happened yet but it will, behind closed doors)
VTO, Fed Farmers are pretty irrelevant , they have 13000 membership payers ( the other 14k or so is made up of associates like family members ) . and he couldn’t get a majority or 6500 farmers to vote for him, if that.
The papers cannot announce that their purpose is to ventriloquise the concerns of multimillionaires; they must present themselves as the voice of the people. The Sun, the Mail and the Express claim to represent the interests of the working man and woman. These interests turn out to be identical to those of the men who own the papers.
So the rightwing papers run endless exposures of benefit cheats, yet say scarcely a word about the corporate tax cheats.
dtb that’s a good point – the stories about welfare cheats encourage loathing from the employed middle and upper lower class to those less capable. George orwell noted this reaction i think in the road to wigan pier. n the newspapers the financial/business stories are corralled in specialist compartments – sometimes a big story unfolds there unseen by the readers of the everyday news. nbr is read by just a few – the business world is seen as hard to understand or boring. a good move – more people should listen to rod oram.
Why is National Radio, or ANYONE, still talking to the S.S. Trust?
Just a few months ago, Noelle McCarthy, filling in for Jim Mora, interviewed the bloodthirsty Hawkes Bay boer Garth (The Knife) McVicar. Noelle made no attempt to hide her contempt and loathing for McVicar, and tried in vain to get him to say why he had supported the knife-killing of a boy in Auckland, and why he continued to defend the vile criminal and grave-robber David Garrett… http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09032011/#comment-306178
It seemed then that National Radio was declaring publicly that it would have no more to do with that reptile or his disgusting organization.
No such luck, however. On “The Panel” this afternoon, Jim Mora interviewed some fanatic from the Sensible Sentence Trust, this time about the death in jail of a man who murdered a girl in 1967. I was so shocked at the fact that Jim Mora would even countenance interviewing one of these knife enthusiasts, I failed to ascertain if the S.S. Trust supported this murder or was against it.
I whipped off the following e-mail….
From: Morrissey Breen
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:30 PM
To: Afternoons
Subject: Why are you continuing to quote the S.S. Trust?
Dear Jim,
Why are you quoting anyone from the Sensible Sentencing Trust? You are aware, I take it, that Garth McVicar loudly and defiantly supported the killer of a teenage boy in Auckland, and still expresses support for the hypocrite and criminal David Garrett.
It’s all very well having Jock Anderson making flippant jokes about Tamil refugees and asylum-seekers, but continuing to quote such a depraved and discredited organization as the S.S. Trust takes the level of irresponsibility on “The Panel” to a new low, and raises serious questions about your integrity and your judgement.
Yours sincerely, Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
At 5.15 p.m. Jim replied….
No it doesn’t. I do not want to censor views. Jim
Which means that Jim Mora says that his mind is as wide open to anything as a fence catching papers in a gale.
I think the problem is his producer. Jim just has to work with what is arranged for him. It’s the same with the extreme right wing commentators Brian Crump has to interview in the evenings.
The list of political “correspondents” that regularly commentate on National Radio is depressing: From New Zealand: Michael Bassett, Michelle Boag, David Farrar, Jock Anderson, Stephen Franks, Deborah Hill Cone, Rosemary McLeod, John Bishop, John Barnett, Graham Bell, Richard Griffin, Neil Miller.
From overseas they are just as bad, if not worse: Lana Shaheen, Liat Collins, Irris Makler, Jason Morrison, Rory Carroll.
Someone actually decides to use such partisan, dishonest, cynical commentators—and it’s not the poor old host.
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TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
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‘
According to John Key, the Maori Party are prepared to be with him in a coalition arrangement with Brash.
Meanwhile though prepared to work with Brash in coalition with National, the Maori Party have decided not to honour their agreement with Harawira, not to run against each other.
How can this be wise?
Breaking their agreement with Harawira, in itself is not a good look. To do it for the benefit of the Nats and their coalition partner ACT is even worse.
I believe the Maori Party are making a serious tactical mistake in underestimating the the potential support that Mana will gain in the wider electorate.
It is likely that in a three way split in reward for their treachery, the Maori Party will retain only one seat in parliament after election.
This result would exactly replicate that of Jim Anderton after his betrayal of his own followers against their overwhelming opposition to the bloody war in Afghanistan.
Like Anderton, Turia will receive a sinecure little back office position from her coalition partner in reward for her treachery, achieving nothing further worthwhile for her people. To suffer being patronised in public, but quietly mocked behind her back by her coalition partners.
I doubt there will have been many minds changed in the “Bribe the tribe, clash of Brash” debate last night.
I think it was interesting rather than game changing or party saving. And Sharples – I’m not in New Zealand by anyone’s invitation, I was naturally born in this country!
Yet another announcement of a poll from TV3 this morning this time stating that 70% of Christchurch residents are very pleased with the government’s response to the earthquakes. No mention of who was asked, what was asked, and when the poll was taken.
I no longer take TV3s coverage of news and politics seriously. They are just an arm of the Nat propaganda machine. I’ve got better and more productive things to do with my time than watch TV3 news or The Ntion.
Ditto TV1 and Prime News as well. Their news presenters spend their time apparently reading National Party press releases, sport news and then weather.
Ditto all news agencies that I disagree with, they are all clearly paid for and run by the political parties I disagree with.
Oh, come on HS. TV3 has gone beyond the line the way it promotes National Party lines these days – especially Duncan Garner. I prefer TV1 & Stratos these days for TV news, and RNZ in particular for NZ news & current events. TV1 also slants to the right more often than not.
There is pathetic whinging from those of all political persuasions about the perceived bias of various media outlets.
One week they’ll be slighting their perceived bias the next they’ll be quoting the same media operation to support their point of view.
That’s always the weak argument used against criticisms of media bias. But I stand by my judgement about TV3. Sometimes TV3 does more positive Labour/left reports, but most of the time it slants to the right. So WHEN it does do a positive left story, it’s worth taking note of and repeating.
The NoW debacle shows just how much media can interfere with political process, and cofirms my judgement from following UK media, that Brown was being undermined by the media.
Also, Dr Margie Comrie has done some research of the coverage of TV news during the last NZ election. I’ve seen her talking about it. Although her focus was on Maori TV, the data shows a bias by TV One & TV3 towards Key & National over Clark & Labour Dduring the 2008 election period. This is seen in the fact that there was a higher percentage of face time given to Nats/Key over Labour & Clark. Key was in the 40-50% range & Clark in the 30-40% range. Maori TV on the other hand were more slanted to Labour & the Maori Party.
The NoW story is proof that we can’t leave news reporting to the private sector as it’s essentially corrupt. They did everything that the privatisers say that government supported news would do. Hell, they were actually worse, the privatisers say that government news would do what the government tells them but in the UK the politicians were doing what the Rupert Murdoch told them.
And you can’t leave news reporting and journalism to a public sector which has been ordered to behave like the private sector.
Along the lines of what I’ve said in the past on TS … the UK Fourth Estate reveals itself to be financially owned and morally mortgaged to the Tory Estate.
The Government didn’t forward $46 Million to TV3 for nothing.
Reminds me of the news services in Iraq or Libya where the dictator of the day is proudly announced to have won 98% support in the latest elections. That’s some real vindication there.
On potential refugees. “They’re not welcome here,” he said.
Can think of a few “peoples” of this world who a generation or two ago,
were equally as desperate to escape “oppressive” regimes in Europe.
Would he have held the same dismissive attitude towards them?
When his photo-ops are losing the shine, he desperately looks for issues to fan the fires of public debate. Last week, he attempted euthanasia – stirring a discussion that is. This week, it is asylum seekers but he can’t get much traction as it is evident he is morally bankrupt.
The left should not lose focus on the economy, for which opportunities for improvement and growth have been mismanaged and squandered by this administration.
Gawd. Key must be counting his lucky stars. Just as he and National are on the ropes he gets the chance to engage in a little bit of redneck rascism, and not about ACT either.
News that a group of refugees including children expressed a desire to come to New Zealand has allowed him to say they are “not welcome”.
No doubt Key is hoping that the debate about Asylum seekers gets as heated as in Australia. When I was there recently I could not believe that a couple of hundred people fleeing their country and wanting to settle in a country of 20 million could attract such heat. The issue seemed to be the political story of the day.
The chances of a boat actually reaching New Zealand are remote beyond belief. Why bypass Australia and travel thousands of miles to reach a similar nation?
And so much for the rule of law. International law requires a country to accept refugees and to consider their claim for status properly. Compassion requires the same.
But what are such considerations when there is an election to win …
That’s right Mickey he should have said that we would welcome them with open arms rather than discouraging an influx of economic refugees.
No HS
He did not have to say a thing. If he was going to say something he should have said that New Zealand is bound by international law and would abide by its obligations.
Bullshit, in this instance he said exactly the correct thing and you’re just practicing partisan political hackery because it didn’t come out of the mouth of a Labour politician.
Step back and imagine the same words coming out of Helen Clark’s mouth and reconsider your position.
BS yourself HS.
I recall clearly Helen Clark’s Government deciding to accept 750 Afghani refugees from the Tampa after John Howard’s government refused to allow it to land. I cheered at the time.
I have since met a number of them and they are very decent generous people.
Helen would not only have talked differently she has shown that she would have decided differently. No dog whistle for her, just compassion.
Oops it was 150 refugees.
What does your leader say about the issue micky?
By your reasoning Phil is showing his incompassion, nyet?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5269065/Sri-Lankan-community-backs-Key
Methinks some people need some training in how to read the media 😉
And how the frak do you know they are economic refugees, and not a community being persecuted for their involvement in the Sri Lankan civil war?
Reports say they are Tamils and if they directly supported the losing side in that war they are now screwed and their lives under official or unofficial threat.
Don’t be such an a-hole before you know the facts, and don’t be like John Key who couldn’t give a fuck about any of that minor detail.
Key is continue the play of ACT’s racist card. As I said in the Implosion-Watch thread, I bet he knew about these asylum seekers Sunday morning.
Aye. Geriatric serial-adulterer racists who have just ripped off the taxpayers half a bill for a worthless report are welcome in government but persecuted women and kids in fear of their lives can’t get a toe on the beach. Lovely chaps, these NACTZies.
They are madly sprouting. Another mushroom popping out at 3pm today:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5271093/Federated-Farmers-president-Acts-new-candidate
At this rate, are KKK costumes running out of stock?
ACT must be getting truly desperate.
The Nicholson term in Federated Farmers ended with sighs of relief from the agribusiness and agripolitical fraternity. Nicholson went out a fortnight ago, with rantings echoing Brash on the usual suspects – local bodies, Big Govt, climate change denial etc etc.
More moderate characters have now been elected to Feds national leadership, with an apparently genuine urban-friendly look. So even Feds will be backing away from their previous leader.
Looks like another futile attempt at ACT life support. John Key’s enthusiasm for euthanasia should be applied to political parties.
Never to disappoint – ACT is comfy cemetery for yet another male, pale and stale …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5271093/Nicolson-to-take-on-English-as-ACTs-new-candidate
Maybe Alasdair Thompson would like to be their Women’s Affairs spokesperson?
The refugees are indeed unlikely to get here, since according to the story they have already been arrested in Indonesia, and sent to the the controversial processing centre near Malaysia. When I was in Australia recently it was pointed out to me that about 3,000 people a year try to get into Australia off the boats, while a great many more than that are brought in as “experts” to work, their expertise often being a willingness to work for low wages. The former generate a lot of talk back heat, while the latter are virtually ignored. What is creepy and Orwellian though is the way these sorts of stories are internationalised – it’s as if there are news bite forms, for which particulars are sought to add colour, detail and “authenticity” to a concept. If it worked in Australia or perhaps America, the idea seems to be, then let’s run it up the flag pole here and see if anyone salutes it.
“Just as he and National are on the ropes” What ? “On the ropes” would indicate a lack of support and a party which is dysfunctional in the extreme. Even you can’t believe that, or are you thinking of the leaderless Labour Party ? Just because you say it to an already converted audience smacks of cheerleading. Polls and public opinion would disagree with your statements, as I believe the important “poll” at the end of the year will as well. Given the vacuum of opposition policies and personalities, its no wonder they will barely have to try to beat a splintered left wing.
Like most of us, in my professional and my private life, I speak to a wide variety of people.
The one thing i do not see in the real world, that is reported repeatedly in the media and the infamous Polls, is this supposed supremacy of the National Party as preferred leaders of the country. The last few months however I constantly hear from long time National supporters that they do not agree with what the Government is doing and they have no intention of voting for them in November.
One old timer, a wealthy stalwart of the Nats told me the other day this is the worst Government they can remember in New Zealand’s history and he has already watched three of his grandchildren leave NZ with no intention of returning. I have certainly been impressed by the voracity some of these people express when shown the morsels of ineptitude by this Government.
If we could only get the Fourth Estate functioning again , then Democracy may stand a chance.
Even my dis-illusioned right wing boss is now sick of “smile and wave politics”.
Bit of a difference between refugees trying to gain entry through the legal channels and boat people trying to gain entry illegally, Don’t you think.
Nope.
Article 31 of the UN Convention on the staus of refugees states:
“The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.”
*Facepalm* of course! Desperate disenfranchised refugees with minimal resources should simply access legal channels!
Perhaps the Sri Lankan government would have helped them to apply for refugee status in NZ while they were being persecuted, what do you think mate?
CV there’s a number of country’s they could seek refugee status in before taking the dangerous journey to our shores. Why not other asian countries ? Why not India ? Why not Indonesia or the Phillipines ? Why not Australia ?
Why NZ ?
You’re trotting out the same tired arguments that were being used against Ahmed Zaoui in 2002-4, and with the same lack of logic. Do you really think these people have any kind of a choice? If they did they wouldn’t be in a boat, and would not have already been arrested, as Olwyn says above.
Ahmed Zaoui was eventually released and the sky didn’t fall. It’s not going to fall if 150 Tamils come here. We’ve got plenty of room, for goodness’ sake, and plenty else as well, contrary to what I heard Key say on the news this morning…
Answer the question Vicky.
Why on earth would they want to sail more than half way around the world to come here when there’s a multitude of other countries closer by
Because NZ has a reputation for kindness and giving a shit. Especially about seriously listening to the stories of refugees and people seeking asylum from persecution in their home lands. Well, more of a reputation than the Australians.
What of it?
By the way, plenty of people sailed all the way around the world to make their lives here in NZ in the 1800’s, when they too could have chosen a multitude of other countries closer by.
What of that?
LA Times reports:
“Argentine songwriter and singer Facundo Cabral, an icon of Latin American folk and protest music, was shot to death early Saturday by unknown gunmen who intercepted his car in Guatemala City and pumped it full of bullets.
…
Cabral, born to a dirt-poor family in provincial Argentina, rose to fame in the 1970s primarily as a writer and performer of protest songs, at a time when Latin America was shackled by military dictatorships, coups and crises. He went into exile in Mexico during Argentina’s military junta from 1976 to 1983.
…
In 1996 UNESCO named him an “international messenger of peace,” and themes of peace and brotherhood dominated his later work.”
Stuff poll currently at 79.2% against helping the boat people
Once again I am ashamed and embarrassed at the growing disregard for others being expressed by people who call themselves New Zealanders. This is not the country i was raised to believe in, this is a quagmire of greedy and selfish sycophants who deserve the pain to come if they continue down this road to hegemony
I love Key, the grateful and compassionate sod.
If the boat has an Austrian-Jewish refugee lady and this were a few decades ago, isn’t it nice to know he would tell her she is unwelcome and turn her away? And New Zealand better off for that?
Turning back the boat could be his new metaphor for kicking away the ladder?
Anyway, the Left should stay focused on the current economic issues and call their own shots as to when and how the asylum issues would be debated.
Seems Goff doesn’t agree with you.
It’s a problem.
This year, more so than most, every single person has to be reminded they have a choice to make. The choice today is how much longer we want the degradation of our Nation to continue.
All cliches aside, help each other and we win. Hate each other and we lose.
I hear that at the Pike River enquiry, Pikey lawyers cross examining Don Elder are suggesting his comments yesterday were aimed at driving down PRC’s share price so that Solid Energy can get a better price.
I’m pretty sure that the commissioners will see different things from that line of attack than what the lawyers want.
If that is the best that Pike River Coal has then it is all bad for them. As it should be. John Dow is firmly in the sights.
http://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html
We are not doing to badly , are we?
Aye Carumba !
Interesting comment from John Key in Question Time today, in response to a question by Brendon Burns. The question was about Key’s Hard Talk comment that scientists are like lawyers and he could always find a scientist with an alternative scientific view on NZ’s 1000% pure status. Today Key added economists to the list of people who have as diverse views as lawyers. Leaving aside that lawyers are not scientists but aim to represent one side positively, I think it might be a useful quote to repeat back to Key when he’s quoting an economst to support his policies.
Next to be added to Key’s growing list of lawyers, scientists and economists: the diversity of bullshit from ex-currency traders?
Of course, nothing equals the singularity of opinion from that of ACT’s living dead on racism, sexism, …..
Fantastic news coming out of the UK. If only our government had the balls to do something like this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/8630945/David-Cameron-public-services-to-be-opened-up-to-competition.html
I think the biggest benefit will be to public servants themselves. I think the reason that public servants have a bad reputation in most parts of the country is that people don’t feel like they have a choice but to pay for them to be used. If you don’t like your local supermarket you can drive to the one down the road. What if you don’t like your local public service provider? You can’t do much about it so you develop a negative attitude.
yes – imagine how organised and cost effective the post CHCH quake efforts would have been.
sure the PS can be improved, but what your advocating is a society with even bigger imbalances than we currently have – one where those that can afford it get it while those that cant – dont
Oh if only! But what if you’re a little old lady who doesn’t drive? Or someone with disabilities? And there’s only one supermarket within a realistic distance?
What Cameron is doing is complete idiocy!
It is now official… ACT is doomed. The final nail in the coffin has been hit home.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5271093/Nicolson-to-take-on-English-as-ACTs-new-candidate
Don Nicolson has had views and attitudes at Fed Farmers which have been divisive and ignorant. The man is a shallow twit. Witness Rod Oram’s withering piece on Fed Farmers and Nicolson in the SST this week.
Imagine being at one of their meetings or get-togethers. My god, you would go insane. Or burst your sides with laughter. And imagine when / if Key gets back in and has Brash and Nicolson bleating and screeching and dribbling at the mouth. Put this lot together for the public to see and you will be home and hosed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10738021 – Federated Farmers leader is going to be an ACT MP – but why are they not brave enough to stand in more than one electorate? That’s right, they aren’t a proper party, with a proper mandate and don’t want their arses being kicked.
Looks like there may be a method to the nuttiness — ACT will stand in ‘safe’ National seats and ask the super extremist cuckoos & rwnjs to vote tactically, eg electorate seat to Nats and party seat to ACT.
The strategy is to ensure NACTzies metastasize and make New Zealand the diseased male, pale and stale body politic of the Pacific.
The question is which is the next electorate that ACT will stand, and who that candidate might be.
I think it’s a very good move for Don Nicolson to stand for Act (any party will do) in Clutha Southland. He’s got relevant experience for the electorate and should be able to spend more time looking after his constituents that Bill English can from Wellington.
I’d like to see him do well (unless a better candidate stands there). We need smarter voting with more electorate focus rather than party palaver.
Don Nicolson is a stone cold lunatic.
Read this.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/5211126/Free-enterprise-cooks-up-a-tasty-stew
Now go back and read it again.
Don is campaigning for the list vote. he isn’t focusing on the electorate at all. He is going to try and get farmers votes by preaching to them about how hard done by they are and try and get enough ACT votes from the Fed Famers network.
This is exactly the same play that ACT ran with in 08 with the sensible sentencing trust Get somebody with a ready built network of emails and mana within a niche group of easily targetable voters; give him a list spot far enough down that he isn’t guaranteed a spot, and bob’s your uncle, should be good for an extra MP worth of votes, maybe more.
It’s farming all right.
Meh don’t be too worried, ACT has backstabbed all their women, unceremoniously and undemocratically dumped Hide, backstabbed Maori, seen their monied corporate supporters vapourise and resurrected a leader that rural National voters deserted.
Now with Nicholson portraying themselves as principled visionaries with the country at heart.
Farmers aren’t fools.
P’s b, that is just nutty what he is going on about.
Don Nicolson is a nut. “The ETS is a secret plan by the international green movement to create jobs and stave off anarchy”…… that’s what Nicolson thinks. Oh lordy ………..
We have another Garrett / Peters / Bob the builder on our hands………….
New Zealand’s top brains spring into action following Super 15 disaster
Radio Sport, Sunday 10 July 2011 3.30 p.m.
The Canterbury Crusaders lost the Super 15 final on Saturday night. That means New Zealand’s best intellects will be working hard to work out the reason for the calamity….
MURRAY DEAKER: Plenty of spare lines, you’ll get straight through if you ring now. Phil, your thoughts?
CALLER PHIL: I want to talk about the All Black squad. Murray, I am very, very concerned. I think we will have a lack of intelligence, once the ball goes past Daniel Carter.
DEAKER: [long, thoughtful pause] Conrad Smith?
PHIL: Yes, but what if he’s injured, Murray?
DEAKER: [long, thoughtful pause] I know what you’re getting at, Phil.
PHIL: Yes, well, it needs to be said, Murray.
DEAKER: [with utmost gravitas] A lot of people talk about this in private, but are not prepared to talk about it in public. But I don’t give a toss about that! The problem is that in this country we have a lot of boys that are early maturers.
PHIL: Yes, oh yes.
DEAKER: These guys haven’t got the slender build of, say, a Dan Carter, or a Jeff Wilson, or an Andrew Mehrtens.
PHIL: That’s right, Murray.
DEAKER: So they’ve never had to jink, or sidestep, or run around any opponents. They are so huge that all they have ever had to do is barge past them. They’ve never had to think! Because they’re early maturers!
PHIL: It’s a worry. Because these overseas teams, they’re thinkers, Murray! They’re private school boys, and they’re thinkers.! The Australians, Murray, they’re just so educated! I remember once when the lowest-qualified player in the team was a chartered accountant, Murray!
DEAKER: Yes, but we’ll not see the likes of Nick Farr-Jones, David Kirk, Sir John Graham and Sir Wilson Whineray again. They were very bright guys!
PHIL: I’m so worried, Murray….
…ad absurdum, ad nauseam, ad infinitum….
Every level of rugby is in talent trouble, down to the bloody radio commentators.
The playing talent is just fine. In fact, they are better than they have ever been.
But as you point out, the commentators are, almost without exception, substandard.
Of course, Deaker wasn’t implying that the “cultures” of the blood that is coursing around the veins of those outside Carter is significant in “thinking” – of course he wasn’t and neither was the caller.
Yes he was, and so was his moronic interlocutor “Phil”.
Would “Phil” be you, by some chance?
I thought this was an interesting post by dim-post:
I think (non-empirical statement coming up: if I was a political columnist I’d write ‘some say’ or ‘most New Zealanders think’) that if you asked the public why Labour is unpopular then part of the answer would involve a perception of Labour as an unethical, sleazy party (built up by years of scandals like the repeated funding/election spending rorts, Chris Carter, Shane Jones, Phillip-Field, support for Winston Peters, etc). But I also think that if you suggested to Labour MPs or supporters that their party was sleazy or unethical they would be genuinely shocked, because they see themselves as ‘the good guys’ – and they’d attempt to litigate each of the examples I made above (‘it’s the mainstream media’s fault for reporting it! And what about Double Dipton Bill English?’) With the counter-intuitive result that they continue to behave unethically – damaging the integrity of the Labour Party brand and further alienating voters – while still considering themselves highly ethical, and refusing to even acknowledge any of the damage these scandals have caused them. (Because they didn’t really happen, because Labour is so ethical.)
Sort of what I’ve been saying for awhile but he/she does it more eloquently then I can
Fletcher seeks payback for Pink Batt stack
An interesting story. It goes like this.
1.) Oz government announces subsides for insulating homes
2.) Fletcher’s buys bulk stuff to make insulation and keeps said insulation in stock
3.) Due to some serious issues, Oz government cancels insulation subsidy
4.) Fletcher’s seeks compensation from Oz government
Stuff like this is actually sickening. There was no guarantee on the part of the Oz government that Fletcher’s would sell the stock and so the risk that Fletcher’s took is all on their heads. They didn’t need to buy all that stock and they still have it. They haven’t actually lost anything except what they thought, incorrectly, was government guaranteed profits.
Really, all they need to do is just sell the damn stuff. Knock the price down a bit and I’m sure that they’ll still be able to find people who want to insulate their home.
1.) Oz government announces subsides for insulating homes
2.) Fletcher’s buys bulk stuff to make insulation and keeps said insulation in stock
3.) Due to some serious issues, Oz government cancels insulation subsidy
4.) Fletcher’s seeks compensation from Oz government
You missed a few points…
1.) Oz government announces 4 billion dollars of subsides for insulating homes
1.a oz Govt does deal with Fletchers et al to limit margins on basis of massive amount of work.
3.a Oz Govt forgets to require installers to have any training.
3.b A bunch of guys die during install.
3.c Oz Govt thinks money can be betyter spent elsewhere.
3.d Oz Govt cancells subsidy, leaving tens of thousands of houses cold and wasting energy and money.
4. a . Fletchers rightfully expect to be paid for materials brought specifically for a project.
4.b Fletchers get paid. (hasnt happened yet but it will, behind closed doors)
VTO, Fed Farmers are pretty irrelevant , they have 13000 membership payers ( the other 14k or so is made up of associates like family members ) . and he couldn’t get a majority or 6500 farmers to vote for him, if that.
Thats probably more then Labour has at the moment
This Media is Corrupt
Monbiot
Sounds about par for the course in NZ as well.
but they ( the ones who wouldnt run the ACT ad) did print this…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/5268588/Editorial-Time-Labour-learned-to-play-by-the-rules
Did you read my post at 17? Thats exactly the point hes making.
Ah yes the Dom Post, in the style of Rupert Murdoch. Turning the quibble about a full stop into a media charge of treason for political reasons.
Actually thats Dim-Post, leftie blog if you didn’t know
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/vicious-circle/
also no right turns wasn’t bad either
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2011/07/goffing-it-up.html
dtb that’s a good point – the stories about welfare cheats encourage loathing from the employed middle and upper lower class to those less capable. George orwell noted this reaction i think in the road to wigan pier. n the newspapers the financial/business stories are corralled in specialist compartments – sometimes a big story unfolds there unseen by the readers of the everyday news. nbr is read by just a few – the business world is seen as hard to understand or boring. a good move – more people should listen to rod oram.
Why is National Radio, or ANYONE, still talking to the S.S. Trust?
Just a few months ago, Noelle McCarthy, filling in for Jim Mora, interviewed the bloodthirsty Hawkes Bay boer Garth (The Knife) McVicar. Noelle made no attempt to hide her contempt and loathing for McVicar, and tried in vain to get him to say why he had supported the knife-killing of a boy in Auckland, and why he continued to defend the vile criminal and grave-robber David Garrett…
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09032011/#comment-306178
It seemed then that National Radio was declaring publicly that it would have no more to do with that reptile or his disgusting organization.
No such luck, however. On “The Panel” this afternoon, Jim Mora interviewed some fanatic from the Sensible Sentence Trust, this time about the death in jail of a man who murdered a girl in 1967. I was so shocked at the fact that Jim Mora would even countenance interviewing one of these knife enthusiasts, I failed to ascertain if the S.S. Trust supported this murder or was against it.
I whipped off the following e-mail….
From: Morrissey Breen
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:30 PM
To: Afternoons
Subject: Why are you continuing to quote the S.S. Trust?
Dear Jim,
Why are you quoting anyone from the Sensible Sentencing Trust? You are aware, I take it, that Garth McVicar loudly and defiantly supported the killer of a teenage boy in Auckland, and still expresses support for the hypocrite and criminal David Garrett.
It’s all very well having Jock Anderson making flippant jokes about Tamil refugees and asylum-seekers, but continuing to quote such a depraved and discredited organization as the S.S. Trust takes the level of irresponsibility on “The Panel” to a new low, and raises serious questions about your integrity and your judgement.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
At 5.15 p.m. Jim replied….
No it doesn’t. I do not want to censor views. Jim
Wow, what a deep and meaningful response! I can’t stand Mora and won’t listen to him any longer, which is a pity…
What BS. How many times has he censored the views of people speaking out against the BS positions of the SS Trust.
Giving air time weight to the views of a group of discredited narrow minded idiots like the SST doesn’t help Mora at all.
Giving air time weight to the views of a group of discredited narrow minded idiots like the SST doesn’t help Mora at all.
I note that one of Jim Mora’s Panelists today was the odious Stephen Franks, an S.S. Trust lawyer and close friend of Garth the Knife McVicar.
Morrissey Which means that Jim Mora says that his mind is as wide open to anything as a fence catching papers in a gale.
Which means that Jim Mora says that his mind is as wide open to anything as a fence catching papers in a gale.
I think the problem is his producer. Jim just has to work with what is arranged for him. It’s the same with the extreme right wing commentators Brian Crump has to interview in the evenings.
The list of political “correspondents” that regularly commentate on National Radio is depressing: From New Zealand: Michael Bassett, Michelle Boag, David Farrar, Jock Anderson, Stephen Franks, Deborah Hill Cone, Rosemary McLeod, John Bishop, John Barnett, Graham Bell, Richard Griffin, Neil Miller.
From overseas they are just as bad, if not worse: Lana Shaheen, Liat Collins, Irris Makler, Jason Morrison, Rory Carroll.
Someone actually decides to use such partisan, dishonest, cynical commentators—and it’s not the poor old host.