Chris Trotter tries to argue that Clinton is ‘progressive’.
Comments below show what most think of that.
One says.
Take up gardening, Mr Trotter. It’s getting embarrassing. Of course there are differences between Clinton and Trump, but both could lead us to war. Clinton would do it deliberately and Trump would blunder into it.
and for what it is worth, US American will not vote for their President on the ‘war’ issue.
the US Americans have no issue going to war as long as the war is fought somewhere else. They will however vote for ‘progressive’ things such as health care, well funded schools, the much re-build of infrastructure etc, and on the other side of the aisle they will vote for ‘second amendment’, they will vote to outlaw abortion, they will vote to expel Obama Care (while flawed and still to expensive has provided insurance for several million of people).
I don’t understand why people don’t get this. War in its abstract, overseas form is not something that a democrat or a republican will vote on. They will vote on domestic issues as much as the National Voter in NZ voted to keep is Capital Gains.
Politics begins at home, so that notion that these guys are going to do something good for the world is just useless. They will vote for the one that will bring back jobs, bring back a bit of pride, bring back the bacon so to speak. They will do the same here.
Nothing to do with progressive or conservative.
and yes, much like here , they – the voters – individually care very little about how their vote will affect someone else far far away.
I don’t know, judging by the dogpile I got when I tried to argue that Clinton is a right-wing democrat, (which she evidently is if you look at how weak her “wins” against corporations are, and her stances on anything but healthcare, and even the details of what she supported and opposed during the healthcare reform) a lot of people here wouldn’t disagree too loudly with her being a progressive, because apparently she’s left-of-centre in their view, as opposed to someone right-of-centre who gets away with it due to her party ALSO being on average right-of-centre, despite being the leftmost option.
See I wouldn’t go quite that far, she’s probably at about the same place economically as John Key, but is more commited to being a liberal than he is at the very least.
That said, in a less corrupted political system, she would probably be more left-wing, so while she’s objectively right-wing, it is fair to say that she’s also typical for a Democrat in many ways.
In many ways Trump is more left wing. What we are seeing is he disintegration of labels. The Republicans see themselves as the voice of the disenfranchised worker and middle classes,, while the Democrats fasten onto the bankster feed tube and embrace identity politics.
Trump is a populist. He’s not very left-wing as a principle, but he supports some left-wing positions that Hillary doesn’t. (or more genuinely than she does such as on opposing TPP)
But more than being left or right, the most relevant label for Trump is that he’s an authoritarian, and not just in the small way that conservative policians engage in authoritarianism by restricting small liberties here and there. Trump outright has no problem with banning media, inciting violence, and requiring proof of allegiance. He belongs in the garbage with the other dictators and would-be-dictators of the world.
Yes, she is a conservative as was her husband and now Obama. I think that US Americans still have ways to go before they would vote for a true progressive. They had Kucinic, heck look what happened to Carter and his Solar Cells on the White house …..
But, she is still more to the left than anyone on the republican side in regards to gender (especially the right to choose, the right to control ones fertility etc), education, infrastructure, race and yes even poverty.
Is she a lefty, nope and I don’t think she ever sold herself as one, but she is in the US american sense a progressive.
“In a statement to Business Insider on Wednesday, Rich family spokesperson Brad Bauman thanked investigators and implored high-profile figures to stop attempting to “politicize” Rich’s death by perpetuating unfounded theories about the shooting.
“The family welcomes any and all information that could lead to the identification of the individuals responsible, and certainly welcomes contributions that could lead to new avenues of investigation,” Bauman said in the statement.
He added:
“That said, some are attempting to politicize this horrible tragedy, and in their attempts to do so, are actually causing more harm that good and impeding on the ability for law enforcement to properly do their job. For the sake of finding Seth’s killer, and for the sake of giving the family the space they need at this terrible time, they are asking for the public to refrain from pushing unproven and harmful theories about Seth’s murder.””
There is selective commenting going on over there. I posted a comment upholding Trotter’s line of thought… not because I’m a Clinton fan but because I detect the same sort of one-sided hysteria creeping in to the anti-Clinton rants as is happening in Britain with the anti-Corbyn rants. Comment never appeared. It’s happened before so don’t think I’ll bother to go there again.
They have a really irritating moderation setup where quite a few comments simply disappear when posted to appear later once moderation is done. I find it pretty much impossible to hold a conversation over there.
Anne. I too thought Trotter’s comments were more convincing than the Blogspot rants. Blogspot was just random insults with little or no substance. Trotter was at least right or wrong trying to present a substantial argument.
Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 2
Now, the problem is: how can we force the entire National Party (and the Labour Party too) to watch this short 7 minute clip? It should be required viewing for all aspiring and incumbent members of parliament!
That was a fairly reasonable run through of free trade.
Not convinced that VAT acts as a de-facto tariff though. The example he gives (German made cars) means, as I understood it, that a German consumer will pay 19% VAT on any new car, no matter where it’s been manufactured…so no advantage to German car manufacturers on that front.
That the 19% VAT is dropped if the car is exported doesn’t strike me as meaning that German car manufacturers get an advantage over US car manufacturers in the US market either.
But maybe I missed a detail.
I still think the clearest example to use for illustrating what free trade is and how it works, is that of the British – chopped off the thumbs of Indian weavers to ensure that Indian cotton was processed in Paisley, Manchester etc.
He starts off using the words comparative advantage while describing absolute advantage. He ends by describing sales taxes (GST, VAT) as a tariff.
Now, he’s absolutely right that the so called free-trade deals have made things worse after protectionist policies made things better. But by getting those two things completely wrong he’s undermining the entire argument.
Thank you 44 South. That does sum it up well.
There is a great doc. series called “The Unknown War” which details the Russian role in WW2. It is a real eye-opener to see what Russia endured and how they won the war for us all.
Also I like watching Putin when he has press conferences – he has a great grasp of the issues and addresses them with sound reasoning.
It is easy to regard countries as suprahuman beings that think and take decisions and do things. Practically speaking, countries consist of a small number of people, usually men, who make decisions for reasons often selfish, pathologically aggressive, pecuniary, delusional, misinformed, or actually psychopathic in the psychiatric sense.
That sounds about right and what you end up with when only a few people are making the policy decisions rather than the entire nation.
Parata parades the achievement levels creeping forward but what are the kids loosing? This says it all for parents and grandparents and meddling politicians.
Above all else, we taught her to fear failure. That fear is what has destroyed her love of learning.
And that is what our education system has been doing to a lot of people for a very long time. Not passing a course is seen as a failure and that brings persecution in various forms from all quarters. That persecution breeds fear.
DTB. A science friend never answered the questions posed by his kids. Instead he would muse seriously the question, and add another question. The kids are both seriously curious enquiring adults now.
Surveys of NZ classrooms show that kids do not ask questions. They just answer the teacher’s ones. No time they say but…
Silver Fern Farms is having its special shareholder meeting about its takeover by Shanghai Maling today. Apparently, control of the Board and of appointing the Chief Executive from New Zealand interests to Shanghai Maling doesn’t constitute a “major transaction” under the Companies Act 1993, so a special resolution of shareholders is not required.
The Companies Act says a company must not enter into a major transaction unless the transaction is approved by special resolution.
NZFirst has been leading the political charge to oppose this sale.
Separate but related, NZFirst’s Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill has been pulled on the Parliamentary ballot yesterday. United Future and the Maori Party are likely to have the deciding vote.
Silver Fern Farms is by a fair shake the largest meat processor in New Zealand, and dominates the South Island. It’s one of New Zealand’s largest exporters. They have 19 processing sites across the country. At peak season they employ around 7,000 workers. Those 16,000 farmers are also shareholders.
I am pretty pissed off that this has even got this far.
We took over a century to gradually pull back control of processing from colonials like Borthwicks. Silver Fern Farms are now most of the way to giving over our a major chunk of our farming economic sovereignty to Chinese foreign commercial interests. I wouldn’t care what country they were: selling out something this important representing so many farmers is utterly wrong and should be stopped.
We took over a century to gradually pull back control of processing from colonials like Borthwicks. Silver Fern Farms are now most of the way to giving over our a major chunk of our farming economic sovereignty to Chinese foreign commercial interests. I wouldn’t care what country they were: selling out something this important representing so many farmers is utterly wrong and should be stopped.
Yep, it seems the only people who can see the damage to our society that foreign ownership produces is everybody except economists, politicians and RWNJs. Unfortunately, it’s the politicians making the decisions often in corruption with the RWNJs.
I attended that meeting – and a few others like it – as a member of the community.
He lays the blame on ARC and the 2008 Parliament for the MUL.
It’s a redirection at best, and misdirection at its worst.
While attending the Unitary Plan workshops, I came across a hard copy of proposals that would offset the likelihood of land banking. This was produced by Auckland Council, and I only picked up the single copy that was there alongside the rest. My attempts to find an online copy that afternoon – for posting to the community – failed.
Included in this document was reference to a number of mechanisms that could be employed by Auckland Council. One was “capital value uplift” tax. ie. if your property was rezoned, then you would pay a tax on the increased capital equity when you resold (at increased value) or developed.
This alongside an increased land tax on undeveloped residential land, would have mitigated some of the issues he points out in his article.
I raised these choices in a few subsequent meetings, most particularly memorable with John Duguid, Head Planner in charge of the Unitary Plan. He dismissed it immediately, as having been discounted as an option. By who – he didn’t say.
I now wonder if I picked up a document that was not available to the public for discussion. It was a very small turnout in Freeman’s Bay, and I spent a few minutes talking to a very tired but personable Len Brown.
I wonder if it was a document inadvertently left on the public consultation table.
The Unitary Plan consultation did appear to start off with the best of intentions, but the process – from my perspective – is now controlled by the usual suspects and short-term thinkers.
I would imagine the main reason why it was rejected is that the Auckland City has no legal power to impose such a tax.
The city, or any local govt, can only impose rates and charges for services delivered.
Taxes, and such a thing as a “capital value uplift’ tax would certainly be a tax, are the domain of central government. There is no way it could have been characterized as a rate.
And taxes should definitely remain the domain of central govt, they are accountable in a much more direct way for any taxes they impose. Any new tax or increased tax requires an act of parliament.
Many cities around the world, London included, have such a tax.
If you are stating that legislation cannot be changed regarding local government, then I disagree.
In the last few years there have been many changes to the local government acts at national level. (Including the capping of development charges that are then subsidised by the ratepayers.) A government is in place to make changes to benefit citizens and residents long term – or it is not. An act of parliament to invoke this tax around the country is a good outcome. And that tax can be returned to the council’s for specific community uses, I have no problem with that.
Your opinion that tax should remain the domain of central government ignores the rates (if not the GST on those rates) paid to local governments.
The issues of unfettered or badly designed development is felt at local level.
And mitigation or considered planning has to be at that level, else disconnected communities result.
Examples of this is apparent in the consolidated Auckland Council, and could be noticed even in some of the larger district councils, where the smaller communities were neglected or disregarded.
And taxes should definitely remain the domain of central govt, they are accountable in a much more direct way for any taxes they impose.
I disagree with that for four reasons:
1. A city/region should have control of the land within it’s borders and be able to make decisions for the betterment of the city including adding taxes to alter behaviour in regards to that land
2. The central government should only be setting broad policy that the city/region then make local laws to uphold
3. The central government is not accountable to the rate payers at all
4. Central government doesn’t have the information or the flexibility to govern the regions as well as the country whereas the local councils do. It’s actually why we have local councils and not just central government
She describes Andrew Little as waxing desperate with imagination. She’s the one waxing desperate…
And how about this:
In an astonishing and undignified episode, he tongue-lashed Wellington mayoral candidate Nick Leggett and left-wing commentator Phil Quin, and humiliated his Napier MP Stuart Nash.
Left wing commentator Phil Quin? Who is she trying to kid? He’s the one who resigned publicly and dramatically over the “Chinese sounding names debacle” she claims later in the article. Yeah… Phil Twyford as been fully vindicated since.
Have always suspected Ms Vance is a two-faced journo. Now I know.
And some on the centre-right are daydreaming about what a new party would look like: a front bench with (electable) talent like Shane Jones, Josie Pagani, Leggett, Nash and Davis.
Davis excepted (I have a lot of time for him), what’s in her drinking water that’s fried her brain?
I used to have some respect for Andrea Vance but this opinion piece looks like it was written by Matthew Hooton. What absolute nonsense!
Davis is NOT part of that rightwing cabal, despite all attempts by some to claim otherwise. Most of us were relieved when Andrew Little exposed Leggott as a rightwinger with Act support, and were also pleased to see Nash brought into line.
Leggott, Pagani, and Quinn have been plotting to move Labour rightwards for years but it is clear that they no longer have any influence within the party. Cosgrove and Goff are on their way out and they are obviously panicking. That Vance bought their spin is deeply disappointing.
Recall we had trolls smearing Vance as a Labour stooge, well maybe half true (right wing Labour stooge?), no matter, I was always weary of her opinions as she was always a ‘Labour did it too’ repeater. Pal of Pagani maybe?
I’m picking she threw his name into the ring to give the ‘cabal’ some respectability.
Bear in mind where Vance learned her trade… The News of the World. She’s brought their trademark underhand tactics with her. I should not be surprised if she wasn’t doing a bit of a counter-spin job for the govt. because they are under a lot of pressure at the moment.
I actually think Vance is one of the better journalists we have in that she does usually do research.
This article suggests to me she is friendly with Josie Pagani who often appears on TVNZ to represent the left (even though she is not at all left) and Vance has all too easily swallowed the Pagani/Leggott spin. Poor effort from someone who should know better.
You could be right Karen. After all Vance is new to NZ. Doesn’t have the background of knowledge and understanding of NZ politics (no doubt thinks she does) so could be easily mislead by the likes of the Paganis/Quins or Leggotts of this world. It suggests to me she needs to do more research and start talking to the people who actually know what they’re talking about. Eg. Andrew Little.
“And some on the centre-right are daydreaming about what a new party would look like: a front bench with (electable) talent like Shane Jones, Josie Pagani, Leggett, Nash and Davis.”
Vance should be ashamed to think she’s any sort of journalist to invent such deliberate fabrication. It’s reminiscent of The News of the World semi- criminal rubbish.
Vance is cooking up drama for ratings….Andrew was absolutely correct to explain to Stuart Nash it is “not a good look”…What about Vance asking Nash what his game is? If Hekia was doing a speaking engagement with Justin Lester, would Key have something to say?? We can’t even imagine it as it would not happen, cheers Stu, managed to divide people again.
It made Mr Little look like a strong leader imo , minions need chipping into line occasionally , ( I know because I ‘ve had the odd boss chip me when needed)
Where have you been in the last few weeks? Estate agents, financiers, journos (the real ones), various other expert commentators have been publicly condemning the govt. for not reining in the foreign based speculators who are the main driver of the escalating house prices and ALL of them are conceding that the most significant group are from China. The only people NOT conceding this fact is the govt. who are manipulating the figures in an effort to conceal the truth. Everyone knows it except Chuck – and his little band of fellow rwnj cohorts.
Regardless of the source, I guess they are the govt’s manipulated/massaged figures you are quoting. The govt’s lying through their teeth and anyone with any nous knows it. Hence the reason so many financial and real estate experts have been going public with the truth. Easy enough to disguise their foreign-based credentials by arranging for NZ based associates to ostensibly buy the properties while the money is coming from off-shore investors who remain incognito.
Yes the delay in the second round of money laundering legislation in which nz is an outlier suggests incompetence,or a requirement to check with the governments corporate sponsors.
There were 57,678 property transfers in total over the three months (second quarter). Only 1749 of them involved foreign buyers and 1560 foreign sellers, both including trusts and businesses.
So to be clear – are you saying that foreign based speculators are THE main driver of escalating house prices in Auckland?
Yes.
1. They’ve got far more money than the majority of people in NZ
2. As Poission points out, even a small increase in demand will adversely affect house prices and 20% isn’t a small increase.
I was referring to Andrea Vance’s piece and the fact that you said:
Andrew Little made it very easy for Vance to write that piece.
Which means that you recognise it as an attack piece.
Every Asian looking person from that point at an auction or open home were tarred with Twyfords “attack piece”.
Unfortunately, that was already happening because people were already noticing that auctions for housing were being dominated by Asians. Twyford just put the figures together to show that the housing market was dominated by non-resident Asians.
“I was referring to Andrea Vance’s piece and the fact that you said:”
“Andrew Little made it very easy for Vance to write that piece.”
Ok got it.
No my view is its not an attack piece. When I said Little made it very easy – it was because he shot from the hip. Labour has been infighting for years over this subject, the last thing it needed was for Little to throw petrol on the fire.
Vance responds to a tweet offering a more rational view of the feedback Nash got from Little:
“the point I was trying to make is there should be room for more ideas and less nastiness!”
Talk about “nasty” Andrea?
Dickhead alan duff gets some learning from Leonie Pihama
“Each column written by Alan Duff is yet another repetitive Once Were Warriors theme. We continually get themes of: Once Were Losers, Once Were Whingers, Once Were Drop Outs… the list goes on and within it the themes continue to reflect what is in fact Alan Duff’s inability to grasp the fundamental underpinning issues of the impact of colonisation, and how that has specific and particular consequences for Indigenous Nations. This is somewhat ironic, given that the position Duff takes in virtually every column is a reflection of those impacts, and are reflected constantly as the justification for Māori people being bashed by him on regular basis. Perhaps it is because Mr Duff has never taken to the time to seek out pathways for understanding his own self hatred and the hegemony of that. Hegemony, being the internalisation of self hatred, and the internalisation of the belief that to be successful in this society is to act, write, speak and live as the reflection of your coloniser (The definition is provided here as the column indicates that Mr Duff has difficulty with such terms as hegemony, colonisation and imperialist arrogance – all of which are states of being that are reflected in Mr Duffs column).”
@ No Right Turn:
“(Clinton on TPPA) I oppose it now, I’ll oppose it after the election and I’ll oppose it as President,” the Democratic nominee told supporters at a factory in Michigan.”
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Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
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Chris Trotter tries to argue that Clinton is ‘progressive’.
Comments below show what most think of that.
One says.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/08/11/hillary-clinton-progressive/
http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.co.nz/2016/08/youre-not-proper-progressive.html
and for what it is worth, US American will not vote for their President on the ‘war’ issue.
the US Americans have no issue going to war as long as the war is fought somewhere else. They will however vote for ‘progressive’ things such as health care, well funded schools, the much re-build of infrastructure etc, and on the other side of the aisle they will vote for ‘second amendment’, they will vote to outlaw abortion, they will vote to expel Obama Care (while flawed and still to expensive has provided insurance for several million of people).
I don’t understand why people don’t get this. War in its abstract, overseas form is not something that a democrat or a republican will vote on. They will vote on domestic issues as much as the National Voter in NZ voted to keep is Capital Gains.
Politics begins at home, so that notion that these guys are going to do something good for the world is just useless. They will vote for the one that will bring back jobs, bring back a bit of pride, bring back the bacon so to speak. They will do the same here.
Nothing to do with progressive or conservative.
and yes, much like here , they – the voters – individually care very little about how their vote will affect someone else far far away.
A nice healthcare plan isn’t much use under a cloud of radiation!
yes dear.
I don’t know, judging by the dogpile I got when I tried to argue that Clinton is a right-wing democrat, (which she evidently is if you look at how weak her “wins” against corporations are, and her stances on anything but healthcare, and even the details of what she supported and opposed during the healthcare reform) a lot of people here wouldn’t disagree too loudly with her being a progressive, because apparently she’s left-of-centre in their view, as opposed to someone right-of-centre who gets away with it due to her party ALSO being on average right-of-centre, despite being the leftmost option.
If she were in NZ she’d be considered to the right of John Key and not by a small margin either
See I wouldn’t go quite that far, she’s probably at about the same place economically as John Key, but is more commited to being a liberal than he is at the very least.
That said, in a less corrupted political system, she would probably be more left-wing, so while she’s objectively right-wing, it is fair to say that she’s also typical for a Democrat in many ways.
In many ways Trump is more left wing. What we are seeing is he disintegration of labels. The Republicans see themselves as the voice of the disenfranchised worker and middle classes,, while the Democrats fasten onto the bankster feed tube and embrace identity politics.
Trump is a populist. He’s not very left-wing as a principle, but he supports some left-wing positions that Hillary doesn’t. (or more genuinely than she does such as on opposing TPP)
But more than being left or right, the most relevant label for Trump is that he’s an authoritarian, and not just in the small way that conservative policians engage in authoritarianism by restricting small liberties here and there. Trump outright has no problem with banning media, inciting violence, and requiring proof of allegiance. He belongs in the garbage with the other dictators and would-be-dictators of the world.
+1
Yes, she is a conservative as was her husband and now Obama. I think that US Americans still have ways to go before they would vote for a true progressive. They had Kucinic, heck look what happened to Carter and his Solar Cells on the White house …..
But, she is still more to the left than anyone on the republican side in regards to gender (especially the right to choose, the right to control ones fertility etc), education, infrastructure, race and yes even poverty.
Is she a lefty, nope and I don’t think she ever sold herself as one, but she is in the US american sense a progressive.
Exactly Sabine.
And another one bites the dust! Still think the Clintons are wonderful?
http://www.infowars.com/friends-of-dnc-linked-shawn-lucas-freaked-out-by-his-death/
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/dnc-seth-rich-wikileaks-politicize-2016-8?r=US&IR=T
“In a statement to Business Insider on Wednesday, Rich family spokesperson Brad Bauman thanked investigators and implored high-profile figures to stop attempting to “politicize” Rich’s death by perpetuating unfounded theories about the shooting.
“The family welcomes any and all information that could lead to the identification of the individuals responsible, and certainly welcomes contributions that could lead to new avenues of investigation,” Bauman said in the statement.
He added:
“That said, some are attempting to politicize this horrible tragedy, and in their attempts to do so, are actually causing more harm that good and impeding on the ability for law enforcement to properly do their job. For the sake of finding Seth’s killer, and for the sake of giving the family the space they need at this terrible time, they are asking for the public to refrain from pushing unproven and harmful theories about Seth’s murder.””
There is selective commenting going on over there. I posted a comment upholding Trotter’s line of thought… not because I’m a Clinton fan but because I detect the same sort of one-sided hysteria creeping in to the anti-Clinton rants as is happening in Britain with the anti-Corbyn rants. Comment never appeared. It’s happened before so don’t think I’ll bother to go there again.
This comment?
They have a really irritating moderation setup where quite a few comments simply disappear when posted to appear later once moderation is done. I find it pretty much impossible to hold a conversation over there.
Yes it was. It wasn’t there yesterday evening and it wasn’t there this morning – and they’ve printed it twice. Yep. It’s too hit and miss for me too.
One may be an accident, two gets suspicious….but fifty?
Looks like I was a bit short. More like 90!
http://www.freewebs.com/jeffhead/liberty/liberty/bdycount.txt
Anne. I too thought Trotter’s comments were more convincing than the Blogspot rants. Blogspot was just random insults with little or no substance. Trotter was at least right or wrong trying to present a substantial argument.
Thom Hartmann explodes the myth of ‘free trade.’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROf1arimLH8
Now, the problem is: how can we force the entire National Party (and the Labour Party too) to watch this short 7 minute clip? It should be required viewing for all aspiring and incumbent members of parliament!
That was a fairly reasonable run through of free trade.
Not convinced that VAT acts as a de-facto tariff though. The example he gives (German made cars) means, as I understood it, that a German consumer will pay 19% VAT on any new car, no matter where it’s been manufactured…so no advantage to German car manufacturers on that front.
That the 19% VAT is dropped if the car is exported doesn’t strike me as meaning that German car manufacturers get an advantage over US car manufacturers in the US market either.
But maybe I missed a detail.
I still think the clearest example to use for illustrating what free trade is and how it works, is that of the British – chopped off the thumbs of Indian weavers to ensure that Indian cotton was processed in Paisley, Manchester etc.
He starts off using the words comparative advantage while describing absolute advantage. He ends by describing sales taxes (GST, VAT) as a tariff.
Now, he’s absolutely right that the so called free-trade deals have made things worse after protectionist policies made things better. But by getting those two things completely wrong he’s undermining the entire argument.
The latest post over at “Fred On Everything” re Trump/Clinton and Russia sums it up pretty well.
Thank you 44 South. That does sum it up well.
There is a great doc. series called “The Unknown War” which details the Russian role in WW2. It is a real eye-opener to see what Russia endured and how they won the war for us all.
Also I like watching Putin when he has press conferences – he has a great grasp of the issues and addresses them with sound reasoning.
This one?
That sounds about right and what you end up with when only a few people are making the policy decisions rather than the entire nation.
Well done Luuka, from being ranked 28th in the world and qualifying last to storming to silver is a fantastic effort
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83091604/rio-olympics-2016-luuka-jones-reaches-womens-canoe-slalom-final
Well done lads, doing what you need to do and doing better then anyone else
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/83090966/rio-olympics-2016-backtoback-mens-pair-gold-medals-for-hamish-bond-eric-murray
Parata parades the achievement levels creeping forward but what are the kids loosing? This says it all for parents and grandparents and meddling politicians.
“The truth—for this parent and so many others—is this: Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement, and it’s our fault. Marianna’s parents, her teachers, society at large—we are all implicated in this crime against learning.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/when-success-leads-to-failure/400925/?utm_source=atlfb
And that is what our education system has been doing to a lot of people for a very long time. Not passing a course is seen as a failure and that brings persecution in various forms from all quarters. That persecution breeds fear.
DTB. A science friend never answered the questions posed by his kids. Instead he would muse seriously the question, and add another question. The kids are both seriously curious enquiring adults now.
Surveys of NZ classrooms show that kids do not ask questions. They just answer the teacher’s ones. No time they say but…
Silver Fern Farms is having its special shareholder meeting about its takeover by Shanghai Maling today. Apparently, control of the Board and of appointing the Chief Executive from New Zealand interests to Shanghai Maling doesn’t constitute a “major transaction” under the Companies Act 1993, so a special resolution of shareholders is not required.
The Companies Act says a company must not enter into a major transaction unless the transaction is approved by special resolution.
NZFirst has been leading the political charge to oppose this sale.
Separate but related, NZFirst’s Land Transfer (Foreign Ownership of Land Register) Amendment Bill has been pulled on the Parliamentary ballot yesterday. United Future and the Maori Party are likely to have the deciding vote.
Silver Fern Farms is by a fair shake the largest meat processor in New Zealand, and dominates the South Island. It’s one of New Zealand’s largest exporters. They have 19 processing sites across the country. At peak season they employ around 7,000 workers. Those 16,000 farmers are also shareholders.
I am pretty pissed off that this has even got this far.
We took over a century to gradually pull back control of processing from colonials like Borthwicks. Silver Fern Farms are now most of the way to giving over our a major chunk of our farming economic sovereignty to Chinese foreign commercial interests. I wouldn’t care what country they were: selling out something this important representing so many farmers is utterly wrong and should be stopped.
SIlverfern says it doesn’t matter what gets decided today, the deal is going ahead regardless.
^^^^ THIS
Totally agree Ad.
QFT.
Yep, it seems the only people who can see the damage to our society that foreign ownership produces is everybody except economists, politicians and RWNJs. Unfortunately, it’s the politicians making the decisions often in corruption with the RWNJs.
Gordon Copeland has an article in the Herald today: ARC’s urban boundary to blame for evil of land banking.
I attended that meeting – and a few others like it – as a member of the community.
He lays the blame on ARC and the 2008 Parliament for the MUL.
It’s a redirection at best, and misdirection at its worst.
While attending the Unitary Plan workshops, I came across a hard copy of proposals that would offset the likelihood of land banking. This was produced by Auckland Council, and I only picked up the single copy that was there alongside the rest. My attempts to find an online copy that afternoon – for posting to the community – failed.
Included in this document was reference to a number of mechanisms that could be employed by Auckland Council. One was “capital value uplift” tax. ie. if your property was rezoned, then you would pay a tax on the increased capital equity when you resold (at increased value) or developed.
This alongside an increased land tax on undeveloped residential land, would have mitigated some of the issues he points out in his article.
I raised these choices in a few subsequent meetings, most particularly memorable with John Duguid, Head Planner in charge of the Unitary Plan. He dismissed it immediately, as having been discounted as an option. By who – he didn’t say.
I now wonder if I picked up a document that was not available to the public for discussion. It was a very small turnout in Freeman’s Bay, and I spent a few minutes talking to a very tired but personable Len Brown.
I wonder if it was a document inadvertently left on the public consultation table.
The Unitary Plan consultation did appear to start off with the best of intentions, but the process – from my perspective – is now controlled by the usual suspects and short-term thinkers.
Molly,
I would imagine the main reason why it was rejected is that the Auckland City has no legal power to impose such a tax.
The city, or any local govt, can only impose rates and charges for services delivered.
Taxes, and such a thing as a “capital value uplift’ tax would certainly be a tax, are the domain of central government. There is no way it could have been characterized as a rate.
And taxes should definitely remain the domain of central govt, they are accountable in a much more direct way for any taxes they impose. Any new tax or increased tax requires an act of parliament.
Many cities around the world, London included, have such a tax.
If you are stating that legislation cannot be changed regarding local government, then I disagree.
In the last few years there have been many changes to the local government acts at national level. (Including the capping of development charges that are then subsidised by the ratepayers.) A government is in place to make changes to benefit citizens and residents long term – or it is not. An act of parliament to invoke this tax around the country is a good outcome. And that tax can be returned to the council’s for specific community uses, I have no problem with that.
Your opinion that tax should remain the domain of central government ignores the rates (if not the GST on those rates) paid to local governments.
The issues of unfettered or badly designed development is felt at local level.
And mitigation or considered planning has to be at that level, else disconnected communities result.
Examples of this is apparent in the consolidated Auckland Council, and could be noticed even in some of the larger district councils, where the smaller communities were neglected or disregarded.
I disagree with that for four reasons:
1. A city/region should have control of the land within it’s borders and be able to make decisions for the betterment of the city including adding taxes to alter behaviour in regards to that land
2. The central government should only be setting broad policy that the city/region then make local laws to uphold
3. The central government is not accountable to the rate payers at all
4. Central government doesn’t have the information or the flexibility to govern the regions as well as the country whereas the local councils do. It’s actually why we have local councils and not just central government
What a load of discombobulated crap from Andrea Vance.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/opinion-little-doing-poor-job-telling-labours-story
She describes Andrew Little as waxing desperate with imagination. She’s the one waxing desperate…
And how about this:
Left wing commentator Phil Quin? Who is she trying to kid? He’s the one who resigned publicly and dramatically over the “Chinese sounding names debacle” she claims later in the article. Yeah… Phil Twyford as been fully vindicated since.
Have always suspected Ms Vance is a two-faced journo. Now I know.
Further excerpt:
Davis excepted (I have a lot of time for him), what’s in her drinking water that’s fried her brain?
Pagani on the Labour front bench…aaaarrrrghhh my day ruined….
Apparently that would be the front bench of a new party. One that, like Act, will have to make deals with National to even get into parliament.
I used to have some respect for Andrea Vance but this opinion piece looks like it was written by Matthew Hooton. What absolute nonsense!
Davis is NOT part of that rightwing cabal, despite all attempts by some to claim otherwise. Most of us were relieved when Andrew Little exposed Leggott as a rightwinger with Act support, and were also pleased to see Nash brought into line.
Leggott, Pagani, and Quinn have been plotting to move Labour rightwards for years but it is clear that they no longer have any influence within the party. Cosgrove and Goff are on their way out and they are obviously panicking. That Vance bought their spin is deeply disappointing.
Recall we had trolls smearing Vance as a Labour stooge, well maybe half true (right wing Labour stooge?), no matter, I was always weary of her opinions as she was always a ‘Labour did it too’ repeater. Pal of Pagani maybe?
Davis is NOT part of that rightwing cabal.
I’m picking she threw his name into the ring to give the ‘cabal’ some respectability.
Bear in mind where Vance learned her trade… The News of the World. She’s brought their trademark underhand tactics with her. I should not be surprised if she wasn’t doing a bit of a counter-spin job for the govt. because they are under a lot of pressure at the moment.
You need your own episode on X-Files.
I actually think Vance is one of the better journalists we have in that she does usually do research.
This article suggests to me she is friendly with Josie Pagani who often appears on TVNZ to represent the left (even though she is not at all left) and Vance has all too easily swallowed the Pagani/Leggott spin. Poor effort from someone who should know better.
You could be right Karen. After all Vance is new to NZ. Doesn’t have the background of knowledge and understanding of NZ politics (no doubt thinks she does) so could be easily mislead by the likes of the Paganis/Quins or Leggotts of this world. It suggests to me she needs to do more research and start talking to the people who actually know what they’re talking about. Eg. Andrew Little.
Wow…are you suggesting that Vance cannot think for herself?
Easily mislead…why? because Vance is female? that’s how you sound Anne.
Could you not accept that maybe Vance wrote the article based on “her considered opinion”? instead of getting nasty…
Pffft… reading what’s not there. Anyone can do that. I take it you are a typical misogynist male trying to project your failings on to a female? 😎
“Doesn’t have the background of knowledge and understanding of NZ politics”
“so could be easily mislead”
“It suggests to me she needs to do more research and start talking to the people who actually know what they’re talking about”
No, I am on solid ground here Anne…you don’t like what Vance has said so you play the “poor wee thing” BS…
From what I can see, Vance says what she thinks…if it critical of the left or right I don’t care.
Chuck-Now that’s a real troll attempt at diversion. Unconvincing though.
Anne..add a Pffft from me too.
“And some on the centre-right are daydreaming about what a new party would look like: a front bench with (electable) talent like Shane Jones, Josie Pagani, Leggett, Nash and Davis.”
Vance should be ashamed to think she’s any sort of journalist to invent such deliberate fabrication. It’s reminiscent of The News of the World semi- criminal rubbish.
Vance is cooking up drama for ratings….Andrew was absolutely correct to explain to Stuart Nash it is “not a good look”…What about Vance asking Nash what his game is? If Hekia was doing a speaking engagement with Justin Lester, would Key have something to say?? We can’t even imagine it as it would not happen, cheers Stu, managed to divide people again.
It made Mr Little look like a strong leader imo , minions need chipping into line occasionally , ( I know because I ‘ve had the odd boss chip me when needed)
she used to work for “News of the World” for sure she is cooking up drama for ratings. Good call
Andrew Little made it very easy for Vance to write that piece.
And as for Phil Twyford…39.5% of houses are sold to people with Chinese sounding names…yeh right “Phil has fully vindicated” NOT!!
Where have you been in the last few weeks? Estate agents, financiers, journos (the real ones), various other expert commentators have been publicly condemning the govt. for not reining in the foreign based speculators who are the main driver of the escalating house prices and ALL of them are conceding that the most significant group are from China. The only people NOT conceding this fact is the govt. who are manipulating the figures in an effort to conceal the truth. Everyone knows it except Chuck – and his little band of fellow rwnj cohorts.
Sorry Anne but foreign based speculators are NOT the main driver of escalating house prices.
Twyford took a leaf out of Winston’s bag of tricks and ran with it.
Ah, more lies from a RWNJ – as expected.
The evidence is that foreign speculators are pushing up house prices here in NZ, in Canada and other places around the world.
But, of course, you knew that.
“Sorry Anne but foreign based speculators are NOT the main driver of escalating house prices.”
Draco please read again…”NOT the main driver”.
Any buyer in the market (when supply is limited) can be said to have an effect on escalating house prices.
So to be clear – are you saying that foreign based speculators are THE main driver of escalating house prices in Auckland?
46% of residential house sales in AK are to investors.
Of that number 5% are to offshore domiciled foreign investors,and a further 15% to temporary visa holders aka foreign investors.
remove 20% of the players from any market it will contract ie elasticity you do understand that part don’t you?
Regardless of the source, I guess they are the govt’s manipulated/massaged figures you are quoting. The govt’s lying through their teeth and anyone with any nous knows it. Hence the reason so many financial and real estate experts have been going public with the truth. Easy enough to disguise their foreign-based credentials by arranging for NZ based associates to ostensibly buy the properties while the money is coming from off-shore investors who remain incognito.
Yes the delay in the second round of money laundering legislation in which nz is an outlier suggests incompetence,or a requirement to check with the governments corporate sponsors.
There were 57,678 property transfers in total over the three months (second quarter). Only 1749 of them involved foreign buyers and 1560 foreign sellers, both including trusts and businesses.
Yes.
1. They’ve got far more money than the majority of people in NZ
2. As Poission points out, even a small increase in demand will adversely affect house prices and 20% isn’t a small increase.
Then you are plainly wrong Draco.
They have an effect…but are NOT the main drivers.
Ah, so you admit that it’s an attack piece.
Not sure what you mean Draco…
But if you are referring to Twyford’s Chinese sounding names…yes it was. Stir up the locals re – Asians are buying up your houses.
Every Asian looking person from that point at an auction or open home were tarred with Twyfords “attack piece”.
Personally I have friends of Asian decent who coped it firsthand. And they are NZ citizens and had been for a long time.
I was referring to Andrea Vance’s piece and the fact that you said:
Which means that you recognise it as an attack piece.
Unfortunately, that was already happening because people were already noticing that auctions for housing were being dominated by Asians. Twyford just put the figures together to show that the housing market was dominated by non-resident Asians.
“I was referring to Andrea Vance’s piece and the fact that you said:”
“Andrew Little made it very easy for Vance to write that piece.”
Ok got it.
No my view is its not an attack piece. When I said Little made it very easy – it was because he shot from the hip. Labour has been infighting for years over this subject, the last thing it needed was for Little to throw petrol on the fire.
Vance took notice and reported it.
upchuck
http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/lawyer-chinese-house-buyers-will-get-around-ban-2016062116
http://www.interest.co.nz/property/83067/nzs-populaton-grows-fastest-rate-ever-year-june-back-surging-migration
https://croakingcassandra.com/2016/08/08/perhaps-20-more-terms-in-office-will-be-enough/
Quin is on a par with the Conservative’s Stringer. Even his friends don’t like him.
The man truly is a pig.
You need to get out more…..as in don’t get all your information from the same sources.
I could resort to the rantings of infowars’ blow addled fuckwits.
But I won’t.
Vance crucifies Andrew Little https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/opinion-little-doing-poor-job-telling-labours-story
That would be one of the leaders of the block that is level with National in the polls and rising.
Vance shows shes just another jonolist, like we needed proof.
Vance responds to a tweet offering a more rational view of the feedback Nash got from Little:
“the point I was trying to make is there should be room for more ideas and less nastiness!”
Talk about “nasty” Andrea?
Better late than never – Zeynep Tufekci updated her article on the dumping of the details of female voters in Turkey.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zeynep-tufekci/wikileaks-erdogan-emails_b_11158792.html
Bolton, huh.
/
http://www.iraqwar.org/bolton.htm
Do you have any commentary on Hillary, Joe?
Or are you a Clinton Crime Denier?
ABT
Had to look up ABT in the urban dictionary and it was an interesting read…
Dickhead alan duff gets some learning from Leonie Pihama
“Each column written by Alan Duff is yet another repetitive Once Were Warriors theme. We continually get themes of: Once Were Losers, Once Were Whingers, Once Were Drop Outs… the list goes on and within it the themes continue to reflect what is in fact Alan Duff’s inability to grasp the fundamental underpinning issues of the impact of colonisation, and how that has specific and particular consequences for Indigenous Nations. This is somewhat ironic, given that the position Duff takes in virtually every column is a reflection of those impacts, and are reflected constantly as the justification for Māori people being bashed by him on regular basis. Perhaps it is because Mr Duff has never taken to the time to seek out pathways for understanding his own self hatred and the hegemony of that. Hegemony, being the internalisation of self hatred, and the internalisation of the belief that to be successful in this society is to act, write, speak and live as the reflection of your coloniser (The definition is provided here as the column indicates that Mr Duff has difficulty with such terms as hegemony, colonisation and imperialist arrogance – all of which are states of being that are reflected in Mr Duffs column).”
https://tewhareporahou.wordpress.com/2016/08/11/just-another-excuse-to-bash-maori-a-reply-to-alan-duff/
Hat tip – Kim
Wow ,well done Leonie. If only the bloody stupid Herald would print that!
Dickhead marty mars repeats verbatim half the discourse he provides a link to …why ??does he think we cant read ?
Half? Back to school fool.
It is appropriate to quote with a link so people know what the link is like. 101
@ No Right Turn:
“(Clinton on TPPA) I oppose it now, I’ll oppose it after the election and I’ll oppose it as President,” the Democratic nominee told supporters at a factory in Michigan.”
Wow! Hope it works out that way. Meanwhile Key is going ahead with a rushed omnibus Bill to change our laws to fit TPPA.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2016/08/the-tpp-is-dead.html
Ps. Forgot to post this this morning. Too late?