Just wondering about your comments in various places yesterday about how various parties are talking about the Waitangi Tribunal hearing.
You’ve demanded evidence that Key was playing the race card, and been dismissive of any put forward. I’d like to know if you can square that stance with your own comments about “extortion”. What evidence do you have to suggest “extortion”. You claimed in a very inflammatory post that you find it hard not to think that the claim to the tribunal isn’t extortion.
I think it’s hard to come to that conclusion at all, so I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning, especially given you have also said you support honouring the treaty.
I’ve asked a number of times if you would like to withdraw the extortion claim, and apologise. You haven’t responded to that so I can only assume you stand by it.
Patrick Gower has just spoken on Firstline, explaining why he doesn’t think John Key was playing the race card. Gower pointed out that what Key said was consistent with what he’d been saying on this issue since Waitangi Day.
No one on The Standard yesterday (that I saw) came up with any evidence that “Key’s fight with Maori no accident’.
I accept that ‘extortion’ could be seen as a strong term, but I qualified this if you look at it in context of all that I said:
But the timing of the claim makes it difficult to avoid the perception of cynical extortion, of trying to force the Government to give some people preferential treatment with the sale of MOM asset share floats.
I don’t think that was inflammatory. You seem to be trying to fan it by repeatedly promoting one word only, but it hasn’t attracted much reaction otherwise.
I’ve backed up and shown that some people think the Waitangi Tribunal action should result in financial gain. I’m not the only one who has raised the issue of deliberately timed pressure, and that it’s a possible abuse of the Waitangi tribunal authority.
Now a question for you – do you think Eddie saying “Key’s fight with Maori no accident” was imflammatory?
He repeated similar sentiments in his post, and suggested a NZH editorial was wrong. Do you think there is any proven basis to what Eddie posted?
You just use the passive vopice, talking about perception, and some people. All that does is make it look like it isn’t *you* saying it, that you are just reporting. So name the people and explain the extortion.
People seeking remedy are not extorting. Extortion is a crime. Why would it be unjust for people to get remedy for harm caused?
I highlight the word extortion, because it is the essence of your smear. You still haven’t justified it.
So if this extortion perception is so very hard to avoid, where are the people who see it? Other than yourself.
I grant that commenters on Kiwiblog, or callers to talkback, will no doubt be claiming it. But I’d wager those same people would think that the whole Treaty is null and void. That is what they will be basing their thinking on.
But you have said that you think we should honour the treaty. If you believe that, then it follows that when the crown is doing something that may breach treaty rights, then there should be some urgency around determing the case. That’s the timing issue.
So please explain how you can agree that the crown should honour the trety obligations it has, and at the same time think it’s hard to avoid thinking it’s extortion when iwi ask the crown to honour the treaty.
Pete your comment was inflammatory because it was not true. For decades Iwi have complained about the loss of their Taonga including land, mountains, rivers, shellfish, pretty well everything.
If you had any sense of the history, for instance Tainui’s claim for the Waikato.
But from a point of complete ignorance you say not only that this is not true, but that Maori have engaged in cynical extortion.
Not only is it not true but it is insulting to Tangata Whenua.
PB called you on it. And I don’t see that you have come up with any evidence to justify your claim.
Just because other red necks have also trotted out the same statements does not make those statements true.
The government is already giving people preferential treatment with the shares – those with money.
If we were to be fair they would give every NZ citizen an equal number of shares who then would be free to do with them what they wish.
Why now ramp it up – because the asset is being sold against their wishes.
I remember when water was taken from the Whanganui river and some of the angst that caused. Places we used to swim are now well above the water line even when the river is in flood.
There was some accpetance at the time it was for the good of the people – this common good is being transferred into private good – that was opposed at the time and is opposed now.
It’s an abuse of the goodwill that existed at the time, particularly by Tuwharetoa, in the same way that transferring National Park into private hands would be.
The Herald editorial this morning appears to be saying that Trade Union influence on the Labour Party ought to be minimized and that the MPs should be given the most power in determining who should be the party’s leader.
All the more reason for the Labour Party to do the opposite. I don’t know why the MPs should have so much say. They ought to be the servants of the party and not its masters.
The Trade Union movement provide the heart and soul of the party and should be given a significant say.
I couldnt agree more Paddy our Mps have clearly elected the wrong leader with David Shearer providing next to no leader ship, all the while being given huge amounts of material to work with by a National Government that is hardly full of talent or strong performers. If we ran the same arguments that the Herald is using and applied them to a general election it wouldnt be the people who voted in a Government because they simply wouldnt know enough to select the right parties and therefore who should be PM, all to complex for them. If a party wants members and wants peoples time money and energy why shouldnt those people get to decide who the leader should be. Sadly our Labour MPs are full of their own self importance it wouldnt be so bad if they were as good as they are arrogant, if that was so Labour would never be in opposition.
At least the Herald editorial is being constant and true to its right-wing readership and wallets by volunteering that mischievous advice.
In contrast …..
Labour’s heart and soul appear to be adrift in recent times, disconnected from their heads and moral compass. The eyes of their leadership seem to be locked into polling figures, their ears closed to the voices of the broader non-caucus members.
It is not even discernible these days whether Labour remains strongly grounded in the values of their grassroots and wider party membership.
Puddleglum analyses the “work is liberty” spin in regard to shit work.
A teaser:
…Almost 2,000 years after Cicero, here in New Zealand, a recent survey claimed that:
Unemployed Kiwis have a better overall level of wellbeing than “disengaged” employees, according to consulting company Gallup’s global wellbeing finder.
Some 72 per cent of New Zealanders are actively disengaged in the workforce, with 59 per cent of disengaged employees behaving poorly with family and friends after a stressful day’s work.
Read that again: being employed but “actively disengaged” is worse for your personal (subjective) well-being – and the well-being of those around you, it would seem – than being unemployed. And, according to the survey, most employed New Zealanders are actively disengaged.
Yet, isn’t it well-known that being employed is far better than being unemployed? It might be well-known but it’s not that simple. Employment comes in different shapes and sizes and in different quality as, believe it or not, this – slightly dated – Treasury paper argues:
It can be concluded that all of these studies consistently suggest that “bad” or unsatisfactory employment is no better for a person’s psychological well-being than having no job at all….
Let me guess….. consulting company Gallup makes a shite load of money out of conferences and consulting to companies and governments about human resources and wellbeing and produces polls to drive that business ?
When you think of people working at the franchised gassies, who have cameras on them all day lest they eat a chocolate bar without paying for it, and who must pay themselves if someone fills their car and runs off under their watch, or the lady who was put on notice for having a bible in her pocket at Sky City, then what you are saying makes perfect sense.
Can anybody tell me what Labour does stand for? Are they so aligned with most of Key’s policies that they are left with nothing new to say? Will the country be choosing between two similar parties in 2014? Shearer usually looks like he needs a sleep – maybe he is sleepwalking! Has Cunliffe (again?) been gagged – the only shining light? Labour is presently giving Key another term by default. Consequently, Key knows he can go right on doing whatever he likes, in safety. One only wishes more people would give their support to the Greens – at least we do hear strong stuff from them all the time.
Shearer promised a genuine role for the membership in the Leader selection Process. I’m sure he did not mean that the Caucus would have a veto over the wishes of the membership.
So here does the tone of the stories over the past two days in the Herald and Dominion Post come from? Shearer needs to refute what the MSM is writing. The membership and labour voters stayed at home because they felt the party was not listening to them. Shearer said he was listening.
Shearer can deliver real influence to the membership: the corollary is (a) the Caucus having a veto on when a leadership selection may be actioned and (b) the Caucus having a veto over the Memberships preference.
This is the litmus test
A group of like minded individuals and groups have launched a petition calling on the New Zealand Government to vote against extending the regulatory authority of the International Telecommunications Union to the Internet.
The petition is here, and it takes less than a minute to sign.
Right from inception, the Internet has had no central ruling authority. But this December, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is conducting a review of the international agreements governing telecommunications and aims to expand its regulatory authority to the Internet.
Countries such as Russia which are advocating the ITU have regulatory authority over the Internet have advocated restrictions over the Internet “where it is used to interfere in the internal affairs of a state”. This represents a dramatic threat to the openness of the Internet, where countries could regulate content not just within their own borders, but over the entire Internet.
Geographically isolated nations such as New Zealand and other Pacific Island nations have a significant economic and social interest in an open and well functioning internet. Accordingly, such changes to the ITU may harm our social and economic well being more than other nations.
The ITU has been a closed organisation for nearly 150 years – they represent the antithesis of the Internet community’s open and inclusive approach. Civil society, private sector, technical experts, and Internet users will only have limited input in the process. This would be a significant departure from the open, participatory, multistakeholder model that has made the internet a successful driver of social and economic growth.
If you support the continuing evolution of the multistakeholder internet, you are invited to read and sign this statement of principles.
We are calling on the NZ Government to specifically:
We request the New Zealand Government to vote against any amendments to the International Telecommunications Regulations, to be considered at the World Conference on International telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12) which would give the ITU regulatory authority over the Internet, as it is not a truly open and transparent multistakeholder institution, but ultimately a body controlled by Governments.
We also request the New Zealand Government to take a pro-active stance in advocating to other states the benefits of retaining the current open and transparent multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet and to invest in proactive representation and promotion of the Internet as a vital, global platform for access to information and communication, and an enabler of economic and social opportunity.
The Russian version of online encyclopedia Wikipedia closed its site on Tuesday in a one-day protest against what it said were plans by President Vladimir Putin to create his own version of the “Great Chinese Firewall” to block dissent on the Internet.
Supporters of amendments to Russia’s information law, which were proposed by the ruling United Russia party and will be discussed in parliament on Wednesday, say changes are needed to protect children from harmful sites.
But leaders of anti-Putin protests say the new law could shut down websites in Russia such as Facebook and Twitter without a court order and is meant to stop their opposition movement, which is organised via social networking sites.
“These amendments may become a basis for real censorship on the Internet – forming a list of forbidden sites and IP addresses,” Russian Wikipedia said in a statement.
“The following provisions and wording undertaken for discussion would lead to the creation of a Russian equivalent of the ‘Great Chinese Firewall’ … in which access to Wikipedia could soon be closed across the entire country.”
As discussed yesterday by phone, I have a defended hearing on 19 September 2012 at the Auckland District Court in the matter of Police v PENELOPE MARY BRIGHT CRN 12004009078 , arising from my arrest for wilful trespass on 18 June 2012 at the electorate office of John Banks, ACT MP for Epsom, at 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket.
Having been trespassed for 2 years from that address, I am seeking confirmation of how best to effect service of a ‘summons to witness’ for John Banks.
I look forward to confirmation of a suitable address at your earliest possible convenience.
In one of the threads yesterday the phrase ‘pete george’ appeared on the page 15 times. When I counted at 102 comments, that was a rate of 15%. Just saying.
There’s about 21 posts on Thursday from mike e – he’s a typical resident troll who’s a recidivist abuser who tries to label others trolls. It’s common for abusers here to accuse others of what they do themselves.
Petey boy 90% of my blogs are undoing your diatribe of Nationals spin your continually spewing out.
You have the odd bit of reason the rest is just repeating Nationals propaganda nothing more.
Stick to UF’s policy like the very good idea on super and I won’t have to take your BS apart.
Maybe Pete, but I don’t hear lots of people groaning everytime mike e posts. And I haven’t noticed him continually grabbing the first post of Open Mike. Or link whoring to his blog. etc etc.
There’s nothing wrong with someone posting alot (TS publishes lists of top posters from time to time), unless they annoy lots of people, which you do. You specialise in engaging in a kind of debate here that’s repetitive and for many people boring. It takes up debate resources that could be spent on other things, which is why people call you a troll.
I completely understand why some people want to reply to you – Pascal’s Bookie’s calling you on bullshit yesterday at the top of Open Mike was inspired, and it’s important that your posts that are inaccurate or disingenuous are refuted. The problem is YOU. You’re like the bore in the pub who takes no social cues from those around him about how the conversation is going and whether people are happy or satisfied.
What I can’t figure out is if you don’t understand how you influence the place, or if you don’t care, or if you think it’s a good thing. I suspect the latter two. You use this place for your own personal agenda, and the culture of TS be damned.
“I hear from people who (sometimes at least) agree with me but won’t comment here due to the likelihood of attacks. ”
So? This has nothing to do with people disagreeing with your politics or views. It’s about your behaviour. Which is ironic because you come across as someone who believes in personal responsibility for one’s behaviour.
“What do you think is “the culture of TS”?”
That’s not relevant to this conversation. What I want to know is if YOU have any idea about the culture of this place. Do you?
I don’t think you can refer to ‘the culture’, there’s a number of intermingling cultures – there’s a lot of different individuals participatimg for a variety of reasons. There’s even quite a difference between the authors.
I think I have a good understanding of some of the cultures. It’s difficult to know about the silent reader culture or the occasional contributor culture. There’s a variety of Labour orientated cultures, more than one Green culture, at least one Mana culture. Maori pops up a bit.
I’d say there’s a dominant negative culture with fairly strong dollops of exclusiveness and non-inclusivenes, which I find odd for people from parties trying to rebuild or build their support. Some prominent participants seem to only want you if you toe their line.
but I don’t hear lots of people groaning everytime mike e posts
You don’t hear it, because I don’t say so here, but I groan when he posts! He writes like a primary school kid, he’s full of anger and seems to have a massive chip on his shoulder, and he joins my mental list of people who have very little to say, but insist on saying it anyway!
Would you like to view a succinct unemotional discussion on the Libor Scandal?
We hear the Bankers’ cry that the glass is half full,. Yet the facts suggest there is a rampaging torrent of trouble approaching that is going to smash that glass against the wall of reality.
Excellent link thankyou. My thoughts exactamundo, cept they had to be sought out over years, including years of “different health”.
Credentialism was an anathema to me once i had experienced self-efficacy.
Soooo, ye nay-sayers, follow Schopenhauer down through Nietzsche thru Heidegger and onto Habermas et al; and one is heading in the useful western direction towards the East.
One could argue that post-work analysis is “constructive”—————————————————
ACTIVE NIHILISTIC DECONSTRUCTION.
Oh Friedrich…if you only knew what your solitude and despair began.
Actually the influence of the East started earlier than that: e.g. on the Ancient Greeks, and on Christianity. I recall my stage one philosophy lecturer saying that, with reference to the Ancient Greek maxim of “know thyself”. Some eastern ideas came through Socrates, then Rome, into Christianity and the West.
And it has long seemed logical to me that more people should be employed but for less hours, and all getting a living wage. But, of course, that would mean that it would be harder for the elite to be filthy rich and all powerful.
I believe that i am relatively informed about politics and politics in New Zealand.
I have been an open-minded autodidact all my life.(neccessary response to personal experience of child abuse and neglect which is such a cancer for this country).
Directed into, and spent over 20 years in one of the heaviest, dirtiest, blue-collar occupations there is, Heavy Diesel Mechanic.
Completed an arts degree at home, full-time equivalent, self-directed over years, with one internal year and block courses.
Worked supporting some of the most vulnerable people serviced by the health system etc, etc,
Up to speed with the ideas and techniques behind politics and the history of social policy in NZ.
While personally a nihilist, I believe that political movement grounded in socialist analysis is likely to be of the greatest benefit to the greatest number and the environment that supports us, therefore most helpful.
New Zealand, with the right govt, may well lead the world again in quality of life type statistics.
If Life gives ya lemons, lemonade (sans fructose) is indicated.
Soo, some realpolitik;
David Cunliffe appears to me to be the necessary leader for the Labour Party.
I would not vote Labour though as long as they subscribe to Neo-Liberal Third Way nonsense.
Greens and Mana are where the future is at IMHO.
I dont even visit Labour flagged sites or blogs. LONG MEMORY.
Julie-Ann Genter is “hot” and incredibly brainy. But lust must be seen as oppression leading to suffering……
Oh, look at that, a new word 😀 Describes my own education quite well although I don’t have any degrees (that latter probably has something to do with my opinion of degrees).
Greens and Mana are where the future is at IMHO.
IMO, nope but, then, I’m an anarchist and both those parties are too close to the authoritarian mindset – especially Mana – for my liking.
Anyone been to the dentist lately? In NZ there doesn’t appear to be any fixed scale of charges – in other words they can charge what they like. After I was recently quoted $3,600 for a root canal and crown, I am shopping around. Why is it this profession seems to be able to get away with exhorbitant charging on such an important aspect of public health? Surely this must exclude large numbers of people from seeking regular dental care.
If in Auckland, go and see Royal Oak Dental 625 7069. Couldn’t tell you a price, but level of service and skill is exceptional. From experience, I owuld suggest a pre-treatment inspection from either Dr Pellow or Gibson-Hardie would be worth the time.
The government should set a fixed scale of charges and if that means the dentist can’t afford modern equipment well too bad. And if the dentists all take off to Aussie, then good riddance.
I doubt you would get a root canal for much less that $1000 anywhere smokeskreen. And ‘crowns’ are a very expensive item – Labour intensive. $1600 for a crown does not sound too exorbitant in the scheme of things.
“Surely this must exclude large numbers of people from seeking regular dental care.”
It certainly does. In fact its been in the news in recent days.
What a load of rubbish. Where do these “academics” get these stupid ideas from? Not everything can be blamed on neoliberalism and this is right off the planet.
Time for a bit of neoliberalism in the faculty that “employs” them, methinks.
one track Off the rails.Myopic idiot, economic research shows neoliberalism doesn’t work anyone with any intelligence can research the facts for them selves.
Neo liberalism is a Cult with an agenda some what like Scientology its believers follow it in blind faith.
So then, how do you explain the disproportionate amount of large people amongst the poorer classes? And the fact that it has become seen as a problem since the 1980s?
How do yo explain that it seems to be a problem in societies embracing rampant consumerism?
At least these academics have presented an argument…. maybe you should try it?
Ironic that rampant consumerism promotes thin, creates fat.
How can consumerism be reversed? Ideally by people power but the ones that need to change see it the least.They are convinved that they’ll be loving it but they end up hating what they become. If they notice.
You must be hating yourself Politically Gullible.
As you have been Consumed by the rampant neoCon right.
Maybe you could lead by example and reverse your position.
The Neo Con right just love rampant consumerism .
Thats their Mantra,
Create vacuous people have their needs falsely met by the market like a gambler or alcoholic they need more and more .
So the right wing say its personal responsibility and do nothing to change the bad behaviour.
same with alcohol reform gambling reform.
So the right expect every body to take responsibility while taking no responsibility for creating the problems in the first place!
Seems to me that the Right Wing of the Labour caucus want to minimise the influence that workers’ organisations have over any future Labour leadership selection process.
And they want caucus itself to have the biggest say in any leadership selection process, not the rank and file membership.
Keep this anti-democratic centralised control from Wellington nonsense up and it’ll become more and more obvious that its only the Greens who truly value democracy.
I’m asking around a bit more. So far it also sounds like Labour in Wellington also want to get rid of the regions’ ability to define who they want at the top of regional lists.
Probably wouldn’t make much difference, the first few are almost always sitting MP’s anyway. Interested in the smaller moderating committee suggestion though. That’s where the real power lies, so it might be an improvement to have a smaller, but more democratically fought over committee.
But for all that, I’m sure lots of ideas are being considered. That’s a good thing.
Whats your hurry, CV? Bunji has the timeline here. And this a useful link for continuing the debate. Just hit the ‘join’ button at the foot of the page.
Good to know that you are ‘nice and relaxed’ about things.
Yeah there’s a hurry on just to clue you up, its called Caucus Rule xy (where xy is an integer higher than 15 but less than 30). This rule institutes an opportunity to confirm the full confidence of caucus in the current leadership of the Labour Party going into an election year. Pretty important don’t you think, especially if the rule happens to get canned just before it comes due to be used again?
Or maybe you think we should just lay back, chill and stay cruisey?
With all due respect, fuck ‘clicking on a debate’ I’ve been making phone calls and writing emails this week.
A smaller moderating committee is a must. In my view, that’s been a large part of the problem in the past. I was told there were 38 members of the 2011 moderating committee. Crazy? There should be 10 -12 members only.
It probably started out that way back in the mid 1990s, but over time every Tom, Dick and Harry special Labour sub-group was demanding a place at the moderating table. And each sub-group was pushing their own candidates regardless of talent and/or suitability. Hence there were some bad decisions, and a few very good MPs ended up out of parliament altogether.
No muzza it doesn’t work like that. The moderating committee is the body which makes the final list placements after all the regions have submitted their list preferences. Those preferences are agreed to after a weekend of candidate speeches and written biographical details. The Mod. Committee ignores those preferences at their peril.
In a nutshell, what appears to have been happening is: with such a large number of people involved at the final committee stage, the left hand ends up not knowing what the right hand is doing. The make-up of the committee is, and would continue to be, an even mix of party and parliamentary representatives only with fewer people involved.
The scary thing is they have about the same debt ratio per head of population as NZ.
Goldman Sachs lied and colluded to these banks to defraud them the Greek people the hardest working people in Europe and the rescue countries including us $100 million so far .
Goldman Sachs the SCF of the world. yeah I don’t see all the
NeoConartists defending these ponzi scamming criminals.
Their heros!
International sports has been co-opted by the corporates and often draws on taxpayer dollars. It’s not enough that the UK is turning people’s homes into a military encampment, with surface-to-air missiles on their roofs, but the Olympics is also one big tax haven:
In July and August this year Stratford, East London, will become a temporary tax haven. Millions of pounds will be channelled through foreign subsidiary companies operating in the area before it leaves these shores for the pockets of shareholders and CEOs the world over.
[…]
Without these tax sweeteners the IOC would simply take their corporate circus elsewhere and so begins a race to the bottom in a bidding process that echoes the offshore system. New tax rules ushered in as part of the winning Team GB bid include ‘a temporary exemption from UK Corporation Tax and UK Income Tax for certain non-resident companies’. (1)
The legislation is written to include ‘partner’ organisations such as McDonald’s and Visa. Both, along with other ‘partners’, look set to make a tax-free fortune. The former will a monopoly on vending branded food and the latter a total monopoly on venue and ticket payment methods.
[…]
The new legislation also exempts all foreign nationals working on the games in the UK from paying income tax on any earnings. Thousands will be exempt from taxation from competitors to media workers (including journalists, technicians and producers) to representatives of official Games bodies and technical officials (including judges, referees and classifiers) along with the athletes themselves.
Another reason for me to not watch any of the Olympics. These greedy corporates have taken everything that is part of the common good, often funded with taxpayer money, and turned it into a lucrative earner for themselves.
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
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Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
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Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
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Good morning Pete George.
Just wondering about your comments in various places yesterday about how various parties are talking about the Waitangi Tribunal hearing.
You’ve demanded evidence that Key was playing the race card, and been dismissive of any put forward. I’d like to know if you can square that stance with your own comments about “extortion”. What evidence do you have to suggest “extortion”. You claimed in a very inflammatory post that you find it hard not to think that the claim to the tribunal isn’t extortion.
I think it’s hard to come to that conclusion at all, so I’m genuinely curious about your reasoning, especially given you have also said you support honouring the treaty.
I’ve asked a number of times if you would like to withdraw the extortion claim, and apologise. You haven’t responded to that so I can only assume you stand by it.
So what gives?
Patrick Gower has just spoken on Firstline, explaining why he doesn’t think John Key was playing the race card. Gower pointed out that what Key said was consistent with what he’d been saying on this issue since Waitangi Day.
No one on The Standard yesterday (that I saw) came up with any evidence that “Key’s fight with Maori no accident’.
I accept that ‘extortion’ could be seen as a strong term, but I qualified this if you look at it in context of all that I said:
I don’t think that was inflammatory. You seem to be trying to fan it by repeatedly promoting one word only, but it hasn’t attracted much reaction otherwise.
I’ve backed up and shown that some people think the Waitangi Tribunal action should result in financial gain. I’m not the only one who has raised the issue of deliberately timed pressure, and that it’s a possible abuse of the Waitangi tribunal authority.
Now a question for you – do you think Eddie saying “Key’s fight with Maori no accident” was imflammatory?
He repeated similar sentiments in his post, and suggested a NZH editorial was wrong. Do you think there is any proven basis to what Eddie posted?
So what gives?
There is no qualification in your post Pete.
You just use the passive vopice, talking about perception, and some people. All that does is make it look like it isn’t *you* saying it, that you are just reporting. So name the people and explain the extortion.
People seeking remedy are not extorting. Extortion is a crime. Why would it be unjust for people to get remedy for harm caused?
I highlight the word extortion, because it is the essence of your smear. You still haven’t justified it.
So if this extortion perception is so very hard to avoid, where are the people who see it? Other than yourself.
I grant that commenters on Kiwiblog, or callers to talkback, will no doubt be claiming it. But I’d wager those same people would think that the whole Treaty is null and void. That is what they will be basing their thinking on.
But you have said that you think we should honour the treaty. If you believe that, then it follows that when the crown is doing something that may breach treaty rights, then there should be some urgency around determing the case. That’s the timing issue.
So please explain how you can agree that the crown should honour the trety obligations it has, and at the same time think it’s hard to avoid thinking it’s extortion when iwi ask the crown to honour the treaty.
Pete your comment was inflammatory because it was not true. For decades Iwi have complained about the loss of their Taonga including land, mountains, rivers, shellfish, pretty well everything.
If you had any sense of the history, for instance Tainui’s claim for the Waikato.
But from a point of complete ignorance you say not only that this is not true, but that Maori have engaged in cynical extortion.
Not only is it not true but it is insulting to Tangata Whenua.
PB called you on it. And I don’t see that you have come up with any evidence to justify your claim.
Just because other red necks have also trotted out the same statements does not make those statements true.
Pete George = to quisle
The government is already giving people preferential treatment with the shares – those with money.
If we were to be fair they would give every NZ citizen an equal number of shares who then would be free to do with them what they wish.
Why now ramp it up – because the asset is being sold against their wishes.
I remember when water was taken from the Whanganui river and some of the angst that caused. Places we used to swim are now well above the water line even when the river is in flood.
There was some accpetance at the time it was for the good of the people – this common good is being transferred into private good – that was opposed at the time and is opposed now.
It’s an abuse of the goodwill that existed at the time, particularly by Tuwharetoa, in the same way that transferring National Park into private hands would be.
The Herald editorial this morning appears to be saying that Trade Union influence on the Labour Party ought to be minimized and that the MPs should be given the most power in determining who should be the party’s leader.
All the more reason for the Labour Party to do the opposite. I don’t know why the MPs should have so much say. They ought to be the servants of the party and not its masters.
The Trade Union movement provide the heart and soul of the party and should be given a significant say.
I couldnt agree more Paddy our Mps have clearly elected the wrong leader with David Shearer providing next to no leader ship, all the while being given huge amounts of material to work with by a National Government that is hardly full of talent or strong performers. If we ran the same arguments that the Herald is using and applied them to a general election it wouldnt be the people who voted in a Government because they simply wouldnt know enough to select the right parties and therefore who should be PM, all to complex for them. If a party wants members and wants peoples time money and energy why shouldnt those people get to decide who the leader should be. Sadly our Labour MPs are full of their own self importance it wouldnt be so bad if they were as good as they are arrogant, if that was so Labour would never be in opposition.
The Herald would not for a moment dream of also saying that the Business Round Table influence on the National Party ought to be minimized.
At least the Herald editorial is being constant and true to its right-wing readership and wallets by volunteering that mischievous advice.
In contrast …..
Labour’s heart and soul appear to be adrift in recent times, disconnected from their heads and moral compass. The eyes of their leadership seem to be locked into polling figures, their ears closed to the voices of the broader non-caucus members.
It is not even discernible these days whether Labour remains strongly grounded in the values of their grassroots and wider party membership.
And presumably the Herald editor must think they would be able to have more influence on Labour MPs than on the membership, or unions.
Thus they completely abdicate any fourth estate responsibilities and show they are anti-democracy.
Which decade were you referring to?
Days gone by CV, days gone by …
http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org/
Puddleglum analyses the “work is liberty” spin in regard to shit work.
A teaser:
…Almost 2,000 years after Cicero, here in New Zealand, a recent survey claimed that:
Unemployed Kiwis have a better overall level of wellbeing than “disengaged” employees, according to consulting company Gallup’s global wellbeing finder.
Some 72 per cent of New Zealanders are actively disengaged in the workforce, with 59 per cent of disengaged employees behaving poorly with family and friends after a stressful day’s work.
Read that again: being employed but “actively disengaged” is worse for your personal (subjective) well-being – and the well-being of those around you, it would seem – than being unemployed. And, according to the survey, most employed New Zealanders are actively disengaged.
Yet, isn’t it well-known that being employed is far better than being unemployed? It might be well-known but it’s not that simple. Employment comes in different shapes and sizes and in different quality as, believe it or not, this – slightly dated – Treasury paper argues:
It can be concluded that all of these studies consistently suggest that “bad” or unsatisfactory employment is no better for a person’s psychological well-being than having no job at all….
Let me guess….. consulting company Gallup makes a shite load of money out of conferences and consulting to companies and governments about human resources and wellbeing and produces polls to drive that business ?
When you think of people working at the franchised gassies, who have cameras on them all day lest they eat a chocolate bar without paying for it, and who must pay themselves if someone fills their car and runs off under their watch, or the lady who was put on notice for having a bible in her pocket at Sky City, then what you are saying makes perfect sense.
Actual link
Can anybody tell me what Labour does stand for? Are they so aligned with most of Key’s policies that they are left with nothing new to say? Will the country be choosing between two similar parties in 2014? Shearer usually looks like he needs a sleep – maybe he is sleepwalking! Has Cunliffe (again?) been gagged – the only shining light? Labour is presently giving Key another term by default. Consequently, Key knows he can go right on doing whatever he likes, in safety. One only wishes more people would give their support to the Greens – at least we do hear strong stuff from them all the time.
“Can anybody tell me what Labour does stand for?”
They same as every other political party their own self interest and jolly big dollop of troughing.
And lets remember that its our job to force the pollies to do it differently.
Can that involve sealing them in the beehive and then releasing the hounds ?
That’s always an option 😀
Labour strongly stands for winning, and stands strongly against losing.
Is that clearer now?
Shearer promised a genuine role for the membership in the Leader selection Process. I’m sure he did not mean that the Caucus would have a veto over the wishes of the membership.
So here does the tone of the stories over the past two days in the Herald and Dominion Post come from? Shearer needs to refute what the MSM is writing. The membership and labour voters stayed at home because they felt the party was not listening to them. Shearer said he was listening.
Shearer can deliver real influence to the membership: the corollary is (a) the Caucus having a veto on when a leadership selection may be actioned and (b) the Caucus having a veto over the Memberships preference.
This is the litmus test
A group of like minded individuals and groups have launched a petition calling on the New Zealand Government to vote against extending the regulatory authority of the International Telecommunications Union to the Internet.
The petition is here, and it takes less than a minute to sign.
Vote against the ITU having regulatory authority over the Internet Petition | GoPetition
The background to the petition is:
We are calling on the NZ Government to specifically:
Again, feel free to sign and promote the petition within your networks. This is an important issue.
Vote against the ITU having regulatory authority over the Internet Petition | GoPetition
(Replicated from here)
Relevant to the above post (another repeat):
The same Russia that wants the ITU to be given regulatory authority over the Internet.
FYI.
“12 July 2012
Chief of Staff
ACT
Chris Diack
Dear Chris,
As discussed yesterday by phone, I have a defended hearing on 19 September 2012 at the Auckland District Court in the matter of Police v PENELOPE MARY BRIGHT CRN 12004009078 , arising from my arrest for wilful trespass on 18 June 2012 at the electorate office of John Banks, ACT MP for Epsom, at 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket.
Having been trespassed for 2 years from that address, I am seeking confirmation of how best to effect service of a ‘summons to witness’ for John Banks.
I look forward to confirmation of a suitable address at your earliest possible convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright ”
…..
________________________________________________________________________________
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
In one of the threads yesterday the phrase ‘pete george’ appeared on the page 15 times. When I counted at 102 comments, that was a rate of 15%. Just saying.
Yep you just can’t keep the TROLL down.
There’s about 21 posts on Thursday from mike e – he’s a typical resident troll who’s a recidivist abuser who tries to label others trolls. It’s common for abusers here to accuse others of what they do themselves.
Petey boy 90% of my blogs are undoing your diatribe of Nationals spin your continually spewing out.
You have the odd bit of reason the rest is just repeating Nationals propaganda nothing more.
Stick to UF’s policy like the very good idea on super and I won’t have to take your BS apart.
Maybe Pete, but I don’t hear lots of people groaning everytime mike e posts. And I haven’t noticed him continually grabbing the first post of Open Mike. Or link whoring to his blog. etc etc.
There’s nothing wrong with someone posting alot (TS publishes lists of top posters from time to time), unless they annoy lots of people, which you do. You specialise in engaging in a kind of debate here that’s repetitive and for many people boring. It takes up debate resources that could be spent on other things, which is why people call you a troll.
I completely understand why some people want to reply to you – Pascal’s Bookie’s calling you on bullshit yesterday at the top of Open Mike was inspired, and it’s important that your posts that are inaccurate or disingenuous are refuted. The problem is YOU. You’re like the bore in the pub who takes no social cues from those around him about how the conversation is going and whether people are happy or satisfied.
What I can’t figure out is if you don’t understand how you influence the place, or if you don’t care, or if you think it’s a good thing. I suspect the latter two. You use this place for your own personal agenda, and the culture of TS be damned.
I hear from people who (sometimes at least) agree with me but won’t comment here due to the likelihood of attacks.
What do you think is “the culture of TS”?
People who agree with you will get sympathy, not attacks.
“I hear from people who (sometimes at least) agree with me but won’t comment here due to the likelihood of attacks. ”
So? This has nothing to do with people disagreeing with your politics or views. It’s about your behaviour. Which is ironic because you come across as someone who believes in personal responsibility for one’s behaviour.
“What do you think is “the culture of TS”?”
That’s not relevant to this conversation. What I want to know is if YOU have any idea about the culture of this place. Do you?
I don’t think you can refer to ‘the culture’, there’s a number of intermingling cultures – there’s a lot of different individuals participatimg for a variety of reasons. There’s even quite a difference between the authors.
I think I have a good understanding of some of the cultures. It’s difficult to know about the silent reader culture or the occasional contributor culture. There’s a variety of Labour orientated cultures, more than one Green culture, at least one Mana culture. Maori pops up a bit.
I’d say there’s a dominant negative culture with fairly strong dollops of exclusiveness and non-inclusivenes, which I find odd for people from parties trying to rebuild or build their support. Some prominent participants seem to only want you if you toe their line.
You don’t hear it, because I don’t say so here, but I groan when he posts! He writes like a primary school kid, he’s full of anger and seems to have a massive chip on his shoulder, and he joins my mental list of people who have very little to say, but insist on saying it anyway!
Yes, yes it is.
weka
Overall I’ve counted PG 16 comments today.
What’s your point?
I just counted 20 of Colonial Viper for today.
Would you like to view a succinct unemotional discussion on the Libor Scandal?
We hear the Bankers’ cry that the glass is half full,. Yet the facts suggest there is a rampaging torrent of trouble approaching that is going to smash that glass against the wall of reality.
A essay I found thought-provoking:
http://jacobinmag.com/spring-2012/the-politics-of-getting-a-life
Thanks. An interesting read.
Excellent link thankyou. My thoughts exactamundo, cept they had to be sought out over years, including years of “different health”.
Credentialism was an anathema to me once i had experienced self-efficacy.
Soooo, ye nay-sayers, follow Schopenhauer down through Nietzsche thru Heidegger and onto Habermas et al; and one is heading in the useful western direction towards the East.
One could argue that post-work analysis is “constructive”—————————————————
ACTIVE NIHILISTIC DECONSTRUCTION.
Oh Friedrich…if you only knew what your solitude and despair began.
Actually the influence of the East started earlier than that: e.g. on the Ancient Greeks, and on Christianity. I recall my stage one philosophy lecturer saying that, with reference to the Ancient Greek maxim of “know thyself”. Some eastern ideas came through Socrates, then Rome, into Christianity and the West.
And it has long seemed logical to me that more people should be employed but for less hours, and all getting a living wage. But, of course, that would mean that it would be harder for the elite to be filthy rich and all powerful.
DAVID CUNLIFFE.
I believe that i am relatively informed about politics and politics in New Zealand.
I have been an open-minded autodidact all my life.(neccessary response to personal experience of child abuse and neglect which is such a cancer for this country).
Directed into, and spent over 20 years in one of the heaviest, dirtiest, blue-collar occupations there is, Heavy Diesel Mechanic.
Completed an arts degree at home, full-time equivalent, self-directed over years, with one internal year and block courses.
Worked supporting some of the most vulnerable people serviced by the health system etc, etc,
Up to speed with the ideas and techniques behind politics and the history of social policy in NZ.
While personally a nihilist, I believe that political movement grounded in socialist analysis is likely to be of the greatest benefit to the greatest number and the environment that supports us, therefore most helpful.
New Zealand, with the right govt, may well lead the world again in quality of life type statistics.
If Life gives ya lemons, lemonade (sans fructose) is indicated.
Soo, some realpolitik;
David Cunliffe appears to me to be the necessary leader for the Labour Party.
I would not vote Labour though as long as they subscribe to Neo-Liberal Third Way nonsense.
Greens and Mana are where the future is at IMHO.
I dont even visit Labour flagged sites or blogs. LONG MEMORY.
Julie-Ann Genter is “hot” and incredibly brainy. But lust must be seen as oppression leading to suffering……
Oh, look at that, a new word 😀 Describes my own education quite well although I don’t have any degrees (that latter probably has something to do with my opinion of degrees).
IMO, nope but, then, I’m an anarchist and both those parties are too close to the authoritarian mindset – especially Mana – for my liking.
“Greens and Mana are where the future is at IMHO”
What happens after the rest of the country have emigrated to Aussie and there is no more “other people’s money”
What happens after the rest of the country have emigrated to Aussie and there is no more “other people’s money”
I guess the bankers will all just follow the people to Aussie, and do their best to siphon money off there.
A sobering piece by Chris Hedges: War Is Betrayal, Persistent Myths of Combat.
Anyone been to the dentist lately? In NZ there doesn’t appear to be any fixed scale of charges – in other words they can charge what they like. After I was recently quoted $3,600 for a root canal and crown, I am shopping around. Why is it this profession seems to be able to get away with exhorbitant charging on such an important aspect of public health? Surely this must exclude large numbers of people from seeking regular dental care.
If in Auckland, go and see Royal Oak Dental 625 7069. Couldn’t tell you a price, but level of service and skill is exceptional. From experience, I owuld suggest a pre-treatment inspection from either Dr Pellow or Gibson-Hardie would be worth the time.
Unfortunately I live too far away from Auckland Uturn, but thanks anyway.
Good grief! Shocking…
“Surely this must exclude large numbers of people from seeking regular dental care.”
This would not only exclude those on lower incomes, but also those on middle incomes too.
The government should set a fixed scale of charges and if that means the dentist can’t afford modern equipment well too bad. And if the dentists all take off to Aussie, then good riddance.
Oh yes,
“treat the poor” = “c0mmunism with the berlin wall”.
Thanks for reminding us.
I doubt you would get a root canal for much less that $1000 anywhere smokeskreen. And ‘crowns’ are a very expensive item – Labour intensive. $1600 for a crown does not sound too exorbitant in the scheme of things.
“Surely this must exclude large numbers of people from seeking regular dental care.”
It certainly does. In fact its been in the news in recent days.
Oh dear – should be labour with a small l. Freudian slip?
Take a flight to Thailand and get it done there at a top notch place. Have a holiday as well and still save $1K.
xcuse moi. Luddite here. could someone pls advise how to capture and “paste” a link with windows vista and a mouse and internet explorer.
Promise i wont wear it out on this blog.
right click the link, select “copy link location” (or similar).
The right click the TS comment box and select “paste”.
Alert alert !!
Class war, Class war !!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10819163
What a load of rubbish. Where do these “academics” get these stupid ideas from? Not everything can be blamed on neoliberalism and this is right off the planet.
Time for a bit of neoliberalism in the faculty that “employs” them, methinks.
Hate crime, hate crime !!!
one track Off the rails.Myopic idiot, economic research shows neoliberalism doesn’t work anyone with any intelligence can research the facts for them selves.
Neo liberalism is a Cult with an agenda some what like Scientology its believers follow it in blind faith.
So then, how do you explain the disproportionate amount of large people amongst the poorer classes? And the fact that it has become seen as a problem since the 1980s?
How do yo explain that it seems to be a problem in societies embracing rampant consumerism?
At least these academics have presented an argument…. maybe you should try it?
Ironic that rampant consumerism promotes thin, creates fat.
How can consumerism be reversed? Ideally by people power but the ones that need to change see it the least.They are convinved that they’ll be loving it but they end up hating what they become. If they notice.
You must be hating yourself Politically Gullible.
As you have been Consumed by the rampant neoCon right.
Maybe you could lead by example and reverse your position.
The Neo Con right just love rampant consumerism .
Thats their Mantra,
Create vacuous people have their needs falsely met by the market like a gambler or alcoholic they need more and more .
So the right wing say its personal responsibility and do nothing to change the bad behaviour.
same with alcohol reform gambling reform.
So the right expect every body to take responsibility while taking no responsibility for creating the problems in the first place!
What the hell are you talking about PG?
There’s a good little piece on it here Carol.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7256608/Fat-hatred-should-be-banned-scholar
The most sensible part being the last couple of sentences.
If LABOUR wish to ride the zeigeist to the treasury benches they could do worse than to take a socialist turn.
Romney panders to his base by getting booed at the NAACP conference and showing how disconnected he is. But that’s all right, he’s got secret black supporters.
Forget it unions, Labour doesn’t want you
Seems to me that the Right Wing of the Labour caucus want to minimise the influence that workers’ organisations have over any future Labour leadership selection process.
And they want caucus itself to have the biggest say in any leadership selection process, not the rank and file membership.
Keep this anti-democratic centralised control from Wellington nonsense up and it’ll become more and more obvious that its only the Greens who truly value democracy.
Shades of lab4: ‘caucus knows best, now shut up and do what we say while we represent you.’
I’m asking around a bit more. So far it also sounds like Labour in Wellington also want to get rid of the regions’ ability to define who they want at the top of regional lists.
Sez who, CV? Sounds like bollocky bollocks to me.
One of the proposals being considered is that Regions no longer rank their top 5 list candidates.
Instead they just present their candidates as a block of equals, from which a much smaller Moderating Committee chooses who they want.
Probably wouldn’t make much difference, the first few are almost always sitting MP’s anyway. Interested in the smaller moderating committee suggestion though. That’s where the real power lies, so it might be an improvement to have a smaller, but more democratically fought over committee.
But for all that, I’m sure lots of ideas are being considered. That’s a good thing.
I’m not interested in good ideas being considered, I’m interested in good ideas getting through to implementation.
And that is not what I am hearing.
Whats your hurry, CV? Bunji has the timeline here. And this a useful link for continuing the debate. Just hit the ‘join’ button at the foot of the page.
Good to know that you are ‘nice and relaxed’ about things.
Yeah there’s a hurry on just to clue you up, its called Caucus Rule xy (where xy is an integer higher than 15 but less than 30). This rule institutes an opportunity to confirm the full confidence of caucus in the current leadership of the Labour Party going into an election year. Pretty important don’t you think, especially if the rule happens to get canned just before it comes due to be used again?
Or maybe you think we should just lay back, chill and stay cruisey?
With all due respect, fuck ‘clicking on a debate’ I’ve been making phone calls and writing emails this week.
A smaller moderating committee is a must. In my view, that’s been a large part of the problem in the past. I was told there were 38 members of the 2011 moderating committee. Crazy? There should be 10 -12 members only.
It probably started out that way back in the mid 1990s, but over time every Tom, Dick and Harry special Labour sub-group was demanding a place at the moderating table. And each sub-group was pushing their own candidates regardless of talent and/or suitability. Hence there were some bad decisions, and a few very good MPs ended up out of parliament altogether.
Smaller numbers of course being much easier to “control”.
Just keep whistling along to keep thinking the Labour party are not owned the same way the NACT is..
Same control, same outcomes!
No muzza it doesn’t work like that. The moderating committee is the body which makes the final list placements after all the regions have submitted their list preferences. Those preferences are agreed to after a weekend of candidate speeches and written biographical details. The Mod. Committee ignores those preferences at their peril.
In a nutshell, what appears to have been happening is: with such a large number of people involved at the final committee stage, the left hand ends up not knowing what the right hand is doing. The make-up of the committee is, and would continue to be, an even mix of party and parliamentary representatives only with fewer people involved.
This,
http://www.thedisciplinedinvestor.com/blog/2011/10/18/who-owns-the-greek-debt-anyway-a-list-of-banks-and-institutions/
The scary thing is they have about the same debt ratio per head of population as NZ.
Goldman Sachs lied and colluded to these banks to defraud them the Greek people the hardest working people in Europe and the rescue countries including us $100 million so far .
Goldman Sachs the SCF of the world. yeah I don’t see all the
NeoConartists defending these ponzi scamming criminals.
Their heros!
Actually the FED owns all the debt, and the rest is owned by the ECB. Those two are the same entity.
Those listed banks are are simply for “show”
They are all just the central cartel!
International sports has been co-opted by the corporates and often draws on taxpayer dollars. It’s not enough that the UK is turning people’s homes into a military encampment, with surface-to-air missiles on their roofs, but the Olympics is also one big tax haven:
http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/commentanalysis/corporatewatch/thegreatolympictaxswindle.aspx
Another reason for me to not watch any of the Olympics. These greedy corporates have taken everything that is part of the common good, often funded with taxpayer money, and turned it into a lucrative earner for themselves.