It’s been coming in business for a while. the Nats are seen as a dead end street.
Sustainable Business Council’s pre election report had these main recommendations,
“1. Transition to a low-emission economy: we want to collaborate to develop a clear pathway to a low- emission economy. This will be necessary if we are to meet our Paris Agreement commitment to reduce our emissions by 30% emission reduction on 2005 levels by 2030.. We would like greater clarity and certainty on climate change policy so that decisions about investment, innovation and business growth are future- proofed.
2. Leave no one behind: as employers, taxpayers, and corporate citizens we want to ensure nobody is left behind on the journey to a socially, environmentally and economically prosperous New Zealand. We want government to welcome business as an important partner in improving social outcomes for all New Zealanders.
3. Strengthen NZ Inc: our members would like to see government showing more leadership on balanced and transparent reporting. We need to ensure that social and environmental outcomes are better re ected in decision-making by government and business.
4. Back business to be sustainable: we would like
to see government remove barriers and incentivise innovations and technologies that can help commercial enterprises be more sustainable and to scale at speed to help build a more resilient New Zealand.”
That group’s members account for 29% of GDP , so there’s a bit clout there. When I first read I didn’t realise where it came from and thought it was from a left leaning fringe group, not businesses and mainstream as these.
Someone on RNZ pimping for the TPP and saying Labour should adopt a bipartisan approach and support it.
No argument made saying National should adopt a bipartisan approach and abandon it.
That’s fair and balanced RNZ. The 15 minute business section at 6.45 is basically an advertorial for neoliberalism. Funny you don’t get 15 minutes prime allocated to workers’ issues every morning.
RNZ pumping out propaganda for the elite, ably directed by Griffin.
There is a secret government of NZ that will not allow the dismantling of the neoliberal apparatus.
TPP: “It’s an important agreement.” @jacindaardern won’t reveal hand, but wants in on TPP w/ carve-out for foreign buyers policy.
Well, there you have it. Kelsey has already reported that the draft TPPA-11 (leaked to her) includes that regulation of foreign property sales will be allowed. So, Team Ardern is going with what really has already been decided.
If Labour support TPPA mk2 with only this change then that is an extremely disappointing position, one which I suspect will dog them for a long time to come.
Ardern is very good on rental changes Labour will make – great for renters, in the RNZ interview – follows Green Party policy. Says there will likely be GP ministers.
But on TPPA-11, she is very disappointing. What about Pharmac and medicine patent issues, Investor State Dispute Resolution, lengthening of copyright?
I protested against Clark govt on sending troops to Afghanistan; was against Clark govt on Foreshore and Seabed…. and it’s clear why we need a strong GP presence in Ardern’s up-coming govt.
Also, Ardern says no inheritance tax, while claiming her government will not be neoliberal.
What I heard was clumsy avoidance – (paraphrasing) it’s all down to which party or parties we’re in coalition with and that could be NZF regardless of whether the Greens are in parliament or not.
Can’t say I’m surprised. Labour still haven’t woken up to the fact that the present system simply doesn’t work. That we have to remove ourselves from FTAs and the WTO if we actually want to be able to trade freely.
The opposition leader, outlining her economic ideology to RNZ in a lengthy interview, was asked if she agreed with former Prime Minister Jim Bolger’s assessment of neoliberalism in New Zealand: that it had failed.
“Yes,” she replied.
So, that’s good, right? She “gets” it. Except in the next breath …
“Being fiscally responsible is not akin to a neoliberal agenda,” Ardern replied.
She’s actually right in that last sentence but she’s viewing it the wrong way which makes her wrong.
Being fiscally responsible must start with stopping the private banks from creating money and capital controls on the flow of money in and out of the country.
Doubt if either of those things are on her to do list.
No commitment to having Green presence in Cabinet if the Greens are in Parliament.
I’m thinking NZ Labour has had someone down the bottle store selecting a nice single malt. And to reiterate – this election isn’t and never was about NZ Labour or National, but about Green or NZF.
Sorry i disagree. Put it this way – without labour the Greens are fucked. without the Greens labour isn’t fucked apart from those of us you support the green kaupapa and want that in there to drag better outcomes out. But the gnats have to go and only labour can do that. That is reality.
Jacinda Ardern in her interview with Espiner this morning wouldn’t even indicate a desire, never mind a preference, to have Green MPs in Cabinet.
If NZ Labour can go into coalition with NZF, they will. (Ardern held that out as a possibility).
If you merely want National gone, then vote for NZ Labour or the Greens or NZF or the MP.
But if you want Liberalism challenged within the beehive, then the only way to vote is Green or MP. With a NZF/NZ Labour coalition, Winston will be granted traction on his conservative social policies in return for leaving economic settings ‘as is’. (Jacinda’s of the opinion that economic settings are merely a somewhat superfluous detail of Liberalism rather than the core driver)
I hear you and I do think you tend to take the worst JA scenario a bit. TBH it’s all sounding a bit extreme vegan to me sorry, as in perceived purity. A lol hopefully
Sorry i disagree. Put it this way – without labour the Greens are fucked. without the Greens labour isn’t fucked apart from those of us you support the green kaupapa and want that in there to drag better outcomes out. But the gnats have to go and only labour can do that. That is reality.
Unless NZF chooses National (I just put up a post about it 🙂 ). So changing the government is dependent on either Labour getting more than half the seats (extremely unlikely), or the Greens being in parliament in enough numbers to enable Labour for form govt. It’s possible that NZF would choose Labour, but it’s not inevitable.
It’s not about who NZF would choose, but who NZ Labour would choose.
They’ve indicated time and again that they’d happily work with NZF. I actually think they’d prefer to work with NZF over working with The Greens…and Ardern on RNZ openly stated the possibility of a NZ Labour/NZF coalition this morning
But regardless of how accurate my reading of their preference is, it’s down to prospective progressive minded NZ Labour voters to deny NZ Labour that option by voting Green or (where applicable) MP.
“It’s not about who NZF would choose, but who NZ Labour would choose.”
Well, it’s both. I think that in addition to the points you are making (which I agree with), that it’s also important to remind people that Labour are dependent on the Greens to even govern, if they want a surer bet.
This is the difference the margin of error makes to polling, folks. We're somewhere between a Nat+NZF govt and an earth-tones coalition. https://t.co/3QLj5XXoqH
— Matt W – Just Say No To Judith Collins (@MJWhitehead) September 11, 2017
I’m sticking to my ‘prediction’ from the day that the NZ Labour leadership changed though (a last desperate retrenchment of Liberalism achieved through ‘murder’ of the Greens) because, sad to say, it’s been kind of panning out
The Greens and the MP and Mana seem to be fairly tightly aligned.
Policy aside, there’s spontaneous interactions that can be indicative or revealing.
So in one televised debate, Hone was asked about “blue teams” and “red teams” and it was Shaw’s aside about a “green team” that got Hone’s approval. Likewise the “high five” between Flavel and Shaw in another. The unscripted ‘bonhomie’ on display between Metiria Turie and Marama Fox in another…
I disagreed with the MP deciding to get inside the Nat tent to piss out, but I can accept it as a legitimate piece of political positioning. Am I wrong to think that there would have been a Nat led government regardless?
edit. I don’t have an “anti-NZ Labour” alignment. I’m anti-Liberal.
“Why are you promoting the MP when they supported the gnats on so much. You trust them more than Winnie? Why. Perhaps anti labour alignment?”
I trust the Mp more than NZF. One reason is that the Mp will go back and consult with their members about who to support to form govt. NZF hand that decision over to an elite.
“If you go along Marine Parade, you’ll see a hell of a lot of families, and I’m not talking like two or three kids, I’m talking about nine kids with their solo parents or both parents in there… talking about working couples that are actually homeless as well.”
Statements from hnz and City Council contradict the quote above. Not the first time we have seen diametrically opposed representations of what is happening in our housing market (Hamilton the most recent, and now Napier).
The mispronunciation of Māori names is still a prevalent issue in Aotearoa society. In this feature, Māori share personal stories of the damaging effect it has had on their lives. The next feature in the series will look at why pronouncing names correctly matters.
Now when I was younger and a fisherman I use to give all my friend’s and nabours free fish and I did Not expected anything in return.
So giving more tax is the best way to sort out this shit national has created. We need to help our vulnerable and poor so we can be proud of ourselves and our country.
Now the Winston is showing his true colours which is Why most of my fellowship bloggers on this site don’t trust him because his only agenda looks like what’s is best for Winston not our country or our poor and valuable get with it Winston we need change not stay the same the wealth going to the few. Fuck that Winston is pissing in the wind
Good on you for sharing your fish. We share excess vegetables from our garden and honey from our hives in the same way. If we were neighbours we would get fish and you would get honey and vegetables with no talk of payment whatsoever. I believe this is just natural behaviour for human beings. Capitalism is not natural and doesn’t fell good like sharing foes.
You got it there eco maori @ (6) … Winston is in it for what he personally gets out of it and nothing more in my opinion. He’s prepared to prostitute himself to the highest bidder! I’ve had a gutsful of his BS.
Where are those 450 English/Dickson texts he’s supposed to know about? He’s an attention seeking has-been, stale, boring old windbag, never more so than at election time! Always got something up his sleeve to play, but keeps it secret!!!
Apologies to Winston’s supporters who want a change of government, but a vote for him and NZF could well be a vote for National and more of the same of the past nine years. Because despite him bleating about Labour not being transparent re its tax policy, he’s not too forthcoming with NZF’s budget details. It’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black! He plays the power game, by refusing to declare which party NZF will go into coalition with!
I’m in the same age group as Winston, but I just wish he would retire. He’s had his day. Leave NZF up to the younger generation in the party to serve.
Peter Talley was at Winstons meeting at the Motueka RSA a couple of months back, first time I’ve ever seen PT at a public election/campaign event/meeting. JS
“Truth may be losing its value as a moral compass by which we set our daily direction. But the 2017 election result may remind us that truth matters and saying sorry counts.”
Nice line from Judy McGregor (Herald this am)
Surely in a world of false news and alternative facts – indicators of moral chaos, actual truth takes on an almost mystical enticement of absolute necessity.
The rarity of a polly apology was tempered by the fact that police spokesperson, Paula Bennett, apologised to her leader Bill English, rather than to the public or her targets.
EDIT:
Do voters unrealistically hold politicians to a higher level of accountability?
Can’t do. If we held them to the same standard as we held ourselves National would be permanently out of power for their almost continuous lying.
NZ now summed up in news headings one after another on Radionz:
Our plans for America Cup yachts.
and
The situation in Napier – tenants taking in homeless into houses, garages, getting he push. (It does cause extra wear and tear on houses to have them jammed
beyond capacity, but this is example of how government is uninterested in setting in place emergency provisions. It is happening with both Housing NZ and private.)
Let’s spread the love and not channel it to the ‘grinders’. Let it go also to the ‘strugglers’.
Sorry Jacinda, now you have told Espiner that you are all for globalism, I am OUT – Voted labour all my life, but not any more. Your total worship of Helen Clark and the UN have really bothered me, but this admission that your party agrees with the TPPA will see my vote going elsewhere, probably never to return.
H Shearlie
In short, vote strategically. We must get a change or go down.
It’s lifeboat time. You are in it, you are bailing out the sea seeping in, and others are leaning over holding onto loved ones and the needy in the water but unable to fit in the boat. That’s where we are.
The leaky boat will help us but you would have to keep bailing and we all must prevail against anything but a very pared down TPPA. And have some alternative proposals to ensure that we don’t lose access to foreign markets. Have we enough bi-lateral agreements? What have we got to replace Australia that is turning as ugly as Germany did to its surrounding countries?
Lifeboat time now, better designs in your mind occurring as you vote. That’s what we need – better designs, ways, active, rational, clever minds. And then write a post and tell us your ideas and get us to exercise our minds and add to it.
You do realise that it’s possible to be “for globalism” (i.e. recognising that we live in a global environment, not just a wee silo in the South Pacific, impervious to all geopolitical forces and trading with none) and anti the TPPA?
Either way, if you can’t abide voting for Labour, vote Green.
Worst case is a nat govt because on the day lefties decided to cut off their nose to spite their face: 4%green, 4%TOP, 4% mana, 40% Labour, and a government of 38% Nat and 10%NZ1.
“For me the neoliberal agenda is what does it mean for people? What did it mean for people’s outcomes around employment, around poverty, around their ability to get a house?
I’m struggling to know if she is deliberately trying to redefine neo-liberalism.
Now on RadioNZ
A national [phenomena – that clinical leaders in hospitals and 50% burn out of doctors – vacancies are rife but many vacancies.
$1.5 billion sucked out of hospital and health system.
According to Ian Powell? speaking for the health profession.
There is a deal going until April 2020 to provide more for salaries.
(But there is still a sinking lid effect on overall hospital to be made up – that $1.5 billion perhaps. Don’t vote back the do-nothing, ideologically-hostile-to-government-itself National Party.
How can we expect to have a well-run, successful and happy country when run by a government that doesn’t want that? National wants to run our services down, say that we as government know we can’t do this well, we will have to sell all this for a song to some private company that we will get a directorship on when we leave government.
If you can’t stand unpleasant information that goes to the core of your beliefs don’t read on. The National Party is hostile to NZ as a country. Are you scared of communists, dislike them? Be scared of fascists which operate by a government controlled by Big Business – which is what is happening right now in New Zealand! Fascism is a political system that we fought against in WW2. But now we have been taken over by stealth, while we were sleeping. Wake up NZ. The alarm bells gongs need to sound loudly hit with a hammer like this.)
English should be careful when carrying about inheritance taxes. It is, after all, a government that he was part of that introduced the biggest inheritance tax of them all — asset testing for rest home care.
Have a look at this NZF candidate for Northcote speaking at a candidates’ meeting in Beachhaven last night – she is going full Don Brash it seems. Didn’t go down well with the audience it seems.
I want more time for the election, to bring up the Green vote. The thought of a the post-election period with Peters as kingmaker doesn’t make me want to bring it on 😉
Weka
Yes! The more time the better from the GP perspective. The Ardern wave has to break sometime, and her support for the TPPA might just be the rock that collapses it.
It won’t matter to ex-National voters who just want to vote for the winning side (strategically electorate voting for the least odious of the two leading candidates, and not wasting your party vote for a sub5% in our current version of MMP are not the same thing as that kind of bandwagoning). But for wavering previous Green voters, this will be a big red flag – even NZF is better on that score (scorecard is at the big yellow link on the right under feeds).
Which brings me back to the Koloni verbal diarrhoea. Number 38 on the list which means NZF would have to get 31% of the party vote for her to become an MP, so at least there’s that. As you say above, only; “half of what she said is actual NZF policy and position”, and even that is a bit more nuanced in how it is presented. There is a difference between dog-whistling and simply blurting out your toxic bigotry – epitomised by Ansell’s slogan; “We want Kiwi, not iwi”, that she parroted.
Part of the $38m fund would go to a project called RNZ Plus, which Ms Ardern said would mirror services offered overseas, including BBC in the UK and ABC in Australia.
She said it would create an ability for RNZ to cover multiple platforms, including television.
New Zealand On Air would also share in the $38m.
Ms Ardern said there were no proposed changes to Television New Zealand.
However, $38 mill doesn’t sound a lot to me for RNZ, which has been starved of funding for 9 long years.
Coolies, maybe in time we could have parenting, dealing with being a teen, growing old, mental health etc etc information style programmes. Breastfeeding and babies info at 3am rather than infomercials, geez that would save many new mums from much misery, it really would.
Educate the nation please and thank you, it would help EVERYONE 😀
Over on the thread about Euthanasia and Suicide, there’s some interesting discussion about the role of religion in NZ Politics.
This reminded me that I read a brilliant article on the Daily Kos website yesterday about the pervasive myth that 81% of American evangelicals voted for Trump. The article makes some withering points about the inherent racist bias of pollsters, who assume that “evangelical” means “white”, and that this then skews the statistics badly.
She observes that the conservatism of white evangelical leaders is costing them a lot of their non white base, and the unholy alliance of white evangelical leaders with Trump will starve them off the renewal they need as secularism undermines white American church going. Those non white Christians will go elsewhere, to politically progressive churches, most of which are quite happy to be called evangelical; they’re just not dominated by white leaders.
Better education needed in NZ to help understand our world, past, present and how to navigate the future. Don’t vote for cutbacks and simple open classrooms like learning sports courts. And no mind to pen personal involvement in learning, no using machines for indoctrinated learning that machines are best, and personal thought must feed into and from. Some of the best ideas have been Written on the back of a Placemat, Designed on a Serviette.
The Bribe-O-Meter – this from the Taxpayers Union. I don’t know about it but it is not the Association of Cutpads and Thieves. Whether it’s a great little runner from the same stable?
But looking to see whether policies are simple bribes or planned, reasoned spending promises addressing real national needs, is relevant as the promises pile up on the floor all fresh and appealing but ready to sweep under the shagpile carpet if National is returned.
‘Promises, what promises, oh the ones that we will institute by 2050, no hurry, no worry’
http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/bribe_o_meter_update_week_8
This seems to be looking closely at the facts for each Party.
For instance Greens are raising taxes and spending more on containing certain farming practices. But they will save – ‘We have estimated that cancelling these irrigation subsidies will save $280 million in the next three years.’
You’re right – I got obsessed by cutpads and looked it up. The word has got muddled in my synapses.
Association of Cutpurses and Tantalisers is my latest description of ACT.
(tantaliser, tantalizer – someone who tantalizes; a tormentor who offers something desirable but keeps it just out of reach. Thanks Free Dictionary)
She got her facts all wrong thats clear isnt it. ?
I gave the link but the spin continued that ‘this thing never happened, not that it was ever a thing anyway and we arent like this , because… months have passed….’
[which facts? Be specific. – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Crucified by TV1, shrouded by Red Radio now a promised resurrection on public owned Red TV, J C wil be rehearsing his resurrection show for Sept 25 if he is not part of a deal making throat slash…
Whats Chilli am
What’s that about. Are you implying we are deepest communist leaning. You must be too high in your skyscraper, or deep in your green cower bower. Come closer ducks we are safe to approach and talk to.
Neither, purely a comment from someone who has been a communist, a socialist, an extreme stirrer of the political pot for sixty years and found refuge in asking people to see all is but a delightful game of ego versus beliefs. Name any time in recorded history/herstory when any group that set out to do good for all didn’t ultimately do harm.
Try to tell me where either of these caused significiant harm.
You do realise appear to be a ridiculous, historically ignorant and probably a lying fuckwit who is just making crap up. Why don’t you go and play with your genitals elsewhere.
I’d suggest that whining like a child about someone replying to you is not going to do you any good. It will just confirm my opinion of you.
Trying to divert from your statements will just bring out the moderator in me – I really can’t stand moronic trolls who are so weak-minded that they can’t argue their own position.
Amazing how diverse humans are. And yet? They say that there only 25 basic jokes. In every discussion there could be about 8 different approaches with the usual spectrum of negative neutral positive to them so differing levels of opinion would flesh out the general feeling.
I think Chat comes somewhere there, and could be labelled. I’m a seeker after truth, so that I can decide if I want to know it or not. I guess that makes me a bit of a dissembler, but sometimes I just can’t handle the truth.
In my old Handy Guide to Public Policy Proposers and Their Proposals (thanks Michael Marien) I come into the Languishing Liberal with View of present and future that they are Troubled Times needing More money and programs; racial integration.
I’m also a Radical Romantic – View a Cancered civilisation with Proposal of Small experimental communities.
Chats you seem to be a Rumbling Revolutionary with View – A repressive, racist, imperialist, capitalist establishment and Proposal of Confront and destroy The System (other details worked out later).
So explain to me how taxing poor workers in order to pay the “solo” parent benefit to someone shacked up with a millionaire (as the greens advocate) is remotely fair?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[no idea wtf you are on about, but a warning to not troll, and up your game in terms of debate if you don’t want further moderator attention. The Greens don’t advocate what you implied, do that shit again and I will ban you – weka]
Can’t you figure it out? Sad really, to be so limited, although it explains why you believe the crap you do.
It’s fair because it matches the terms of the Matrimonial Property Act. See if you can figure out why that makes it fair. I’m picking you’re incapable of understanding the point whether or not you agree with it.
Getting the basic facts wrong was Wekas problem, and this is from someone who is supposed to to be close to the Greens .
Weka is highly respected here and normally has well put opinions. Dont understand why the blundering around on this particular point
[I’ve already asked a moderator question on this. Point to where I got the facts wrong, or withdraw that, or cop a ban. Also, you’ve been here long enough to not make false connections between authors and political parties. You’re getting one chance here before you get turfed out for trolling – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Oh please! Just ban the fukwit – this sort of shit is why people get turned off TS at times.
You know (hopefully by now) that anything the prick says is just disingenuous ideological-driven kaka.
Your a fukushima more tolerant than I – which I ‘spose is a good thing. Why do we subscribe to, and even entertain this fukwittery?
It’s not as though they don’t have another bubble to vent.
They’ve even managed to capture an 83
“Mr Coates has said a Labour-NZ First Government would be “unacceptable” to the Greens.
Fact 2 : Coates said ‘It could’ in regard to forcing a new election
So rather than accepting what had been common knowledge there began a process of disputing the facts
1) who said that – answered with link
2)single Green MP made an inference off his own bat – (yes those things can happen, MPs can ‘misspoke’ as they say) but …he added the further detail
‘Green MPs had discussed refusing to support a Labour-NZ First combination as a caucus’
So the MP revealed they had a caucus discussion about they very thing you said was an ‘inference of his own bat’
Weka said “The MP subsequently also said that it wasn’t about forcing another election’ [No supporting evidence for this but Ill presume you are ‘vague’on this]
The story unfortunately had his reply “it could’ in quotes, so either he lied initially or he was lieing about his denial. Yes Mps do lie to get out of difficult situation.
Weka said.. the co-leader of his party promptly said he was wrong, that the Greens had no intention of doing this.’
The link provided Shaws words walking back Coates comments
“Mr Shaw wouldn’t discuss what the party’s options were should the scenario play out the way Mr Coates has painted it.
“Frankly I think that there’s a lot of scenarios that could play out at this election and we just think everything is hypothetical until you know how many MPs each party has got.”
“”Look there’s a lot of scenarios I don’t want to get into what all of the hypothetical situations are.
“Obviously it would be very difficult for anyone to form a Government without us.”
No sign of Shaw saying – ‘he was wrong’, thats another case of you ‘ saying what Green Mps said ‘ with no links or references. Was it being vague?
Shaw did say: Mr Shaw said the Greens would not hold the country to ransom. “That’s not our style.”
Whatever that means. Not quite ‘ no intention of doing so’ as he first wouldnt say what the Greens options would be at all ! Mps are supposed to be masters of wordplay to give statements to give some wriggle room- no surprises there
This is the basis of my response of ‘not supported by the facts’ whereas my comments were.
You had not a single link for your inferences Weka, in some cases you were appearing to speak for Green Mps without backing it up or were using different words to them.
Perhaps you were pushed for time and didnt read the full link and then tried to remember events from 2 months back.
[From what I can tell from that comment, you believe I was factually wrong on two points.
1. that Coates didn’t subsequently makes statements that it wasn’t about forcing another election.
Mr Coates added: “There are various ways of not necessarily going back to the polls – not providing confidence and supply for example, sitting on the crossbenches – there’s a lot of different scenarios.”
I’m also noting that you have again tried to make out that I have connections to the Green Party that I don’t.
So you have asserted that I was wrong on fact, and you’ve tried to tie me to the Greens when I don’t have those ties, and you’ve wasted a fair chunk of my moderator time. I have no idea what is going on in this, because you’re not stupid and a simple google would have told you that I was factually correct on the Coates things, plus I already warned you on the GP association thing.
Looking at your recent comments, I see it’s a mix of debate that contributes to the site and regular negative pokes at people over the Greens with comments clearly designed to undermine them. You’re allowed to hate the Greens, and you’re allowed to put that in your comments, but there is a limit and you crossed over that today. Today looks like an outright attempt to slur the Greens and mislead people in the middle of a political debate, and you did so under an offsite author’s post. You also repeatedly made misleading statements about a TS author.
Overall it looks to me like you are trying to inflict damage, and given we’re approaching an election I’m going to ban you for four weeks. The reason it’s not longer is that you often contribute to the site and because you made an effort to explain, but expect to get a longer ban if you do this again. The first two paragraphs of the Policy under Rules give some hints about where the line is in terms of what works here in debate, and as always, the bit about wasting moderator time. – weka]
You did so yes Keemoosavvy (spelling to suit your ‘understandings’ as in ‘learnings’)
But then you’ve always come into this bubble with an ego the size of a bus and with your self-appointed title as that of a Duke.
I have ‘imaginings’ of your cock being of lower specification (going forward), and of your ‘learnings’ coming from ideological tutorage (probably from a Steven Choice inspired Ultimate Learning Academy [ULA] ).
I’m truly in awe, and I aspire to your absolute superiority. Have you ever thought of creating a following? Lesser beings than ye have.
Possibly you could take advice from Brian Tamaki – but then if he’s unavailable, there are now a series of cultists you could seek advice from in your locale. There’s a Bennett, a 10 Bridges, an O’Connor and half a dozen of their cast offs (going foward).
And even then, there’s the last resort: Matty Hooter who’s probably about to be available with half a flask of Johnny Walker unless his little ‘wifey’ and RNZ staff continue to work as social workers rather than journalists on a Monday
So as far as Labours tax ideas go , they are ruling out CGT on the family home, an inheritance tax, and a increase on the rate applied to the TOP tax bracket.
I’ve been telling people not to worry about what Labour might do when they have finished their tax working group, my reasoning being I couldn’t imagine Labour addressing childhood poverty (for example) by raising G.S.T or the lower tax thresholds, yet (unless I’ve missed it) these have been specifically not ruled out.
What are peoples thoughts on this, are they perhaps just trying to not ‘scare the horses’ or …?
I think it’s quite reasonable to say they’ll wait for expert recommendations before deciding on specific tax changes.
What kind of tax reform to implement depends entirely on the overall goal of that tax reform. That overall goal will be shaped by the coalition that emerges after the election.
But I would like to see Labour be more explicit about what goals they want to achieve with tax changes. Whether it’s things like more progressivity in the tax system, increase govt revenue to restore cuts made to social services without increasing debt, reduce emissions, slow housing price rises (or even reduce the price of exisitng housing if they’re feeling really brave)…
Good signals from Labour over public broadcasting policy. Whilst being a supporter of CBB, I did not believe they were ambitious enough (and still don’t).
There is NO reason why a population of 4plus million is not able to support
– National Radio
– Concert FM
– IWI broadcasting with network capability
– Youth Radio ( a la The Wireless ACTUALLY on air)
– A TVNZ7 style Television one
– a second Televison 2 (a la a Heartland)
– Childrens TV (a la a KIDZONE 24)
when others do
That is but for the fact that we’re still wedded to some sort of funder-provider model that’s reminiscent of a neo-liberal’s idea on how we should fund Health.
– NZoA and all its bureacracy
-TVNZ and all of the same
– Radio NZ and all of the same
-TMP, and all of the same
– there’s a couple of others I’m trying to remember
However, in any event – if you subscribe to the view that public money should go to public benefit – you’ll understand what I mean.
And if you’re not of the most ardent neo-liberal, you’ll appreciate that there’s no reason why the profits of entities such as Kordia, or the transmission spectrum, or indeed the public space that is ‘the ether’, there is NO fucking reason why thre’s not enough money to provide all of the above and more
How scummy is the UK Home Office? This scummy:The Home Office lied to EU member states to remove victims of human trafficking and modern slavery in breach of European law, according to whistleblowers. Legal experts have said the practice is ...
Belle is a lovely fifteen year-old border collie who belongs to our friends and neighbours at Bryan’s Beach, Michael and Judy Corboy. Belle, in her old age, can hardly see or hear, but – as a constant participant at social ...
“We wuz robbed!” is the classic cry of the disappointed losers of a closely contested sporting contest – it is very much to the credit of the Black Caps that we heard no such sentiment from them following the stunning ...
The Youth Parliament is being held this week, and some of the youth MPs are campaigning for a lower voting age:Molly Doyle, 17, is one Youth MP who wants this to change. She is part of a non-partisan campaign run ...
Up till now, Australia has made its living by digging up coal and exporting it to other countries, destroying the global climate in the process. But now they have a new option: exporting solar power:The desert outside Tennant Creek, deep ...
Later this month, thousands of people are expected to march to parliament as part of the #HandsOffOurTamaraki movement. At its heart, the movement is about preserving whānau and demanding that the state stop removing children from their whānau, hapū and iwi. ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh The recent statements made by the former FARC commander, Carlos Lozada (legal name Julian Gallo), where, from his seat in Congress, he praised the Colombian Army demonstrate how low the farianos have sunk. Lozada began by ...
A Woman’s Place is on the Podium was a public meeting in London on 10 July to discuss women’s sports and the impact of transwomen competing against women. The venue was sold out with a packed hall of 750 people. ...
Last month I talked about the no-fly movement: people who refuse to fly or limit it to absolute necessity to avoid destroying the climate. Now, that movement has a somewhat surprising new member: Dutch airline KLM:Dutch airline KLM has launched ...
In the 1960's, humanity faced a terrible threat: global thermonuclear war. Nuclear weapons were uniquely destructive and dangerous, and if more countries got them, the logic of MAD and the pre-emptive strike would put us on a hair-trigger to destruction. ...
An occasional series where I will ponder allegations of anti-Semitism directed at the British Labour Party and its members.In this case, we are thinking about an allegedly anti-Semitic image shared by a Labour Party member. Its origins appear to be ...
Matariki has been and gone, but this year we saw a couple of op-eds arguing that it should be a public holiday, replacing the foreign monarch's fake birthday. And now, New Zealand Republic - a group which campaigns for an ...
The discussion on the quality of economic advice, which we reported last week, has spilled over into a discussion about whether so many senior appointments should be of non-New Zealanders. Recall I discussed the failure to develop career paths within ...
When Nicky Hager revealed US footage of the Operation Burnham raid, obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act, one of the obvious questions was whether Ministers had seen it - and in particular, whether they'd been told that it ...
Northern Ireland is the Alabama of the UK: a backwards region where women and gay people are denied fundamental rights. But Westminster has just decided to fix that:MPs have voted resoundingly to extend same-sex marriage and access to abortion to ...
There's a problem with "synthetic cannabis", and not just the one you think. It's the name.We're in the midst of a wave of news stories that link synthetic drugs to serious harm, through deadly road accidents and accidental overdoses (which ...
Ranjit Kauri, The Dancing Maharani and Other Stories, Swansea, Head and Heart, 2019, £6.99; reviewed by Don Franks Working people are not the same country to country. Our struggles for a better life take place in surroundings of very different ...
Let's Do Them! All Jacinda Ardern has to do to clinch the 2020 General Election is frighten the bejesus out of the electorate by describing in the most graphic terms imaginable what will happen to all the positive beginnings her ...
It may be that we have all misinterpreted the somewhat surprising “bromance” between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. It has been all too easy to assume that it is Kim who is cosying up to Trump rather than the ...
by Michael Roberts So the full circle is completed. The corrupt pro-business conservative New Democracy party in Greece that was ousted by the anti-capitalist Syriza party in 2015 has been returned to office in yesterday’s general election, with an outright ...
When the Australian government passed a series of new spy laws over the last few years, they pinky-promised that they wouldn't use them to spy on journalists and subvert freedom of the press. They lied:The anti-encryption laws passed by the ...
From 1975 to 1989, the spy agencies of South America's right-wing military dictatorships cooperated in Operation Condor, a joint campaign of extermination against the continent's left. Roughly 400,000 people were imprisoned, 30,000 disappeared, and 60,000 murdered - kidnapped, tortured, executed, ...
When she was standing for office, Jacinda Ardern promised she would take abortion out of the Crimes Act. And to be fair, there was some early action on that, with an immediate referral of the issue to the Law Commission ...
When the government introduced the Zero Carbon Bill, people rightly asked what they planned to do to reduce transport emissions, which basicly had no policy at all other than the ETS. Today, they responded, announcing a "feebate" system which would ...
At almost every level, the problem with medicinal cannabis is a lack of good information. In the US, FDA regulations make it hard to research. Most doctors aren't familiar with what research there is and most patients don't know either. ...
Redline is critical of Corbyn for his political weaknesses, but he’s no anti-Semite. There is no substance to the McCarthyist witch-hunt being run by the right wing, and the pro-Israel lobby inside and outside the Labour Party in the UK. ...
The government's billion trees program is the sort of policy which could make a real difference to our emissions and the fight against climate change. But climate scientist Jim Salinger isn't convinced:The Forestry Minister Shane Jones' one billion trees won't ...
Last month the government was celebrating another surplus. Meanwhile, children are starving:One in five children are living in households where putting food on the table is a struggle, according to a new report from the Ministry of Health. It found ...
Show Me The Money! The alternative to state funding of infrastructure is, of course, to fund it by taking on massive amounts of private debt. On this issue, at least, Auckland mayoral challenger, Tamihere, has some solid points to make. ...
If we are to avoid making the earth uninhabitable, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to practically nothing over the next decade. But that will still leave us with the problem of the carbon we have already emitted, which ...
Former Waikato DHB CEO Nigel Murray allegedly misused public funds, spending more than $120,000 of public money on unjustified travel. He was forced to resign and the Serious Fraud Office began an investigation. But despite the SFO finding that the ...
Jeremy Corbyn, we are told, is being advised – not least by his deputy (as well as by some of his would-be successors) – that he must come “off the fence” on the Brexit issue if he wants to bolster ...
The End of Life bill has been read a second time and is now heading for the House for further debate. Personally, I support the proposal. I don't ever epect to take advantage of the Bill's provisions myself, but as ...
Before the substantive issue which this column is about – whether there has been a deterioration in the economic advice given to the government – a paragraph about the budget leaks.read more ...
Below is a translation of the editorial in the June 24 round of weekly workplace bulletins issued all over France by the revolutionary workers’ organisation Lutte Ouvriere. Last Saturday, 8,000 people took to the streets of Belfort (eastern France) to ...
Why hasn't Parliament followed the lead set by our local authorities and declared a climate emergency? The answer is the National Party:The Prime Minister’s admission that she is open to the idea of declaring a climate change emergency is nothing ...
Back in May the government released its Zero Carbon Bill. While much of the bill was welcome, there was one big exception: it contained a secrecy clause, requiring the Climate Change Commission to maintain secrecy over practically everything it does. ...
by Phil Duncan This past week has marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Stonewall Inn riots in Christopher Street, New York, the event generally regarded as kicking off the gay liberation movement. Quite a few articles have ...
Southland - land of coal-burning dairy farmers - has become the first region in the country to explicitly vote against declaring a climate emergency. Their reason? They didn't want to "devalue" the word "emergency". Its an argument addressed powerfully in ...
New Zealand has a problem with police chases: officers going after fleeing drivers like rabid dogs, without any consideration for proportionality or public safety, often with fatal results. And according to an in-depth article in the Guardian today, the UK ...
Welcome to another heaping helping of research publications related to climate change drivers and mechanisms, the effects of climate change and how we might yet grope our way into systems approaches to dealing with the mess we're making, despite ourselves. ...
Holly Lawford-Smith is a senior lecturer in political philosophy at the University of Melbourne. She’s currently writing a book about radical feminism. This article appeared on Feminist Current Academics should be standing together in defence of universities’ fundamental values: the ...
The Otago Daily Times has an in-depth article about the future of wind energy in New Zealand, and it is looking bright:The news that wind will play the leading role in New Zealand’s energy future was put up in lights ...
If the sight of schoolkids striking for a future has been filling you with hope, good news: they want you to join them on September 27:Students will take to the streets again demanding action on climate change, and this time ...
The People's "Friend": In this masterpiece of revolutionary propaganda, the homicidal political psychopath, Jean-Paul Marat, has been transformed by Jacques-Louis David, the French Revolution's most accomplished artist, into a martyred hero of the ordinary people of Paris. Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, ...
The principle of one person, one vote doesn’t apply for local elections. In fact, you don’t even need to be a person to have voting rights. Welcome to the ratepayer roll. While the ratepayer roll accounts for less than 1% ...
I have been working my way through a 47,000 document tranche of declassified US government communications related to Argentina and the “Dirty War” of 1976-83. I grew up in Argentina in the period leading up to the March 24, 1976 ...
To express concern about foreign ownership and control in New Zealand is often to invite accusations of xenophobia and economic illiteracy. It is worthwhile, therefore, to rehearse the grounds for that concern, and to explore the various forms it can ...
It must be a day ending in Y because the Guardian - remember when it used to be a good paper1 - is running another spurious story about Corbyn's leadership being threatened over anti-Semitism.The headline the Guardian runs is: "MPs tell ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 23 through Sat, June 29, 2019 Editor's Pick When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious'Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and ...
When people slate the current Government for taking too long on certain issues, or not getting everything right, just check the outrage and quit helping National manufacture consent for their decade of Disaster Economics and much more. Bill couldn’t ...
Robots could soon replace many low-skill jobs, such as President of the United States. US Presidential hopeful and doomsday prophet Andrew Yang went to extreme lengths to make a point in the first round of Democratic primary debates today, replacing ...
More people have died in the shower this year than will die in a KiwiBuild home. KiwiBuild home owners are experiencing a surprise windfall this month, as the price of their houses have begun to rise dramatically, due to growing ...
First way – the state, Keynesian demand management, the working class as the base of support. Second way – free-market, reduce the scope of the state and cut taxes, relative indifference to social justice. Third Way – well that's the ...
E15 is a London-based housing campaign that arose from the eviction of a group of young working-class mothers from a homeless hostel in 2013. Cat Wiener, through her work with the Revolutionary Communist Group, helped get Focus E15 up and ...
Going Upstairs: If we accept the LGBTQI+ community’s untrammelled right to advance their understanding of love, then we must also accept Israel Folau’s right to articulate his own simplistic and inadequate interpretation of the Christian religion.ONE OF THE FIRST things ...
So, some Labour MPs and peers have written Corbyn a letter complaining about the re-admission of loudmouth MP Chris Williamson, who had been suspended over allegations he made anti-Semitic comments.Never mind the Guardian's typically biased headline that Corbyn is facing ...
When the NZDF was asked to release US information on Operation Burnham which would have revealed how the villagers died, they refused, claiming that the US objected. So, Nicky Hager and Deborah Manning requested it in the US, under that ...
Statistics New Zealand has released a new report on New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, with a sectoral breakdown shown how much is caused by different sectors of the economy. The data is crystal clear: half our emissions are caused by ...
Another day, another IPCA report finding police misbehaviour, this time in relation to police beating a suspect in Huntly in 2017. But despite a finding that officers used excessive force, the police as usual refused to prosecute their own. But ...
The State Services Commission has released its report into Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf's handling of treasury's budget security failure. And it is not good:Outgoing Treasury secretary Gabriel Makhlouf was "clumsy", unreasonable and fell "well short" of expectations in his handling ...
David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill passed its second reading in Parliament last night, 70 - 50. Which means now the real struggle for consensus over amendments begins. Pretty much everyone who voted for it agrees it needs changes ...
Compare And Contrast: One of the reasons so many powerful forces combined to oust the Third Labour Government was its obvious determination to move beyond progressive rhetoric and embrace progressive action. When assessing the behaviour of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ...
International research shows that there is a socioeconomic status (or class) gradient, in which those with low SES experience higher morbidity from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, rheumatoid disorders, a number of cancers, psychiatric diseases, dementia and so on.read more ...
In the 1980's, the revolutionary government "reformed" the public service, splitting it up into competing agencies. This was supposed to produce better focus and greater accountability: agencies would focus on their area of expertise and argue their corner, and chief ...
49 publications for this week. The last paper in this week's list features Skeptical Science volunteer and highly cited researcher Stephan Lewandowsky along with Skeptical Science founder John Cook as first and second authors respectively, working with regular collaborator Gilles Gignac. ...
A new digital platform aims to make it easier for small businesses to access services from multiple government agencies, leaving them more time to focus on their own priorities. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash ...
Million-dollar start to gun collection eventsPolice Minister Stuart Nash says a solid start has been made to the gun buyback and amnesty after the first weekend of community collection events. “Gun owners will walk away with more than ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash has praised Police and gun owners after the first firearms collection event saw a busy turnout at Riccarton Racecourse in Christchurch. “Police officers and staff have put a tremendous effort into planning and logistics for the ...
Seventy-eight new Police constables are heading out to the regions following today’s graduation of a new recruit wing from the Royal New Zealand Police College. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the record high number of new Police officers being recruited, ...
This week’s “Youth Parliament” is an expensive waste of time that promotes taxpayer-funded junketeering, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . “We shouldn’t be training kids on the joys of the trough,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones admitted on Q+A tonight that the state of New Zealand’s infrastructure planning is “dismal” and the government needs to get on with building “rather than writing more reports about it.” ...
DairyNZ has released its submission on the Zero Carbon Bill and is calling on the Government to revise the methane target in the Bill to one that does not put at risk New Zealand’s world-leading dairy sector. Farm profit could ...
July 15 (BusinessDesk) - Foreign Minister Winston Peters will have bi-lateral meetings with two of US president Donald Trump's most hawkish defence and security advisers in a five day trip to Washington D.C. ...
Youth climate change campaigners Generation Zero are calling for Members of Parliament to show political courage as the Zero Carbon Bill goes through the crucial Select Committee process. ...
Annual net migration was provisionally estimated at 50,200 (± 800) in the year ended December 2018 compared with 52,600 in the previous year, Stats NZ said today. ...
New Zealanders have the opportunity to contribute to the government’s Review of Retirement Income Policies, including questions around Superannuation and KiwiSaver. Submissions are now open for the Review, being run by the Commission for Financial ...
Yesterday at Mataatua Marae the Tamaki Makaurau Electorate of the Māori party congratulated Rangi Mclean who was appointed to the Vice president Tāne role of the party nation-wide executive. ...
The funding crisis facing the disability sector has become more urgent following the disturbing news that the Ministry of Health will not increase contract prices for providers this year, the New Zealand Disability Support Network said today. ...
The growing number of working poor is an alarming indicator that the regulatory Minimum Wage does not cut it said Closing the Gap spokesperson Peter Malcolm. ...
Historic hui gives overwhelming agreement for a Māori Inquiry The inquiry into state run Oranga Tamariki will be led by whanau, kaimahi and Māori leaders. ...
Drug infiltration into our maximum security prisons is putting prisoners and staff at unnecessary risk, and one tool that would be of huge benefit is a full body scanner. ...
The Socialist Equality Group is hosting a protest rally in Cuba Street, Wellington (at the intersection with Left Bank) on Sunday 14 July at 2:30pm to oppose the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and to ...
Simon Shepherd: The National Party proposed its own medicinal cannabis scheme last year. Its Health Spokesperson, Michael Woodhouse, says it shouldn’t have been ignored. So I began by asking him what his problem is with the government’s proposed regime. ...
Countries around the world are also dealing with medicinal cannabis. Britain legalised it last year, but the uptake has been slow. Neurologist Professor Mike Barnes wrote the report that convinced UK lawmakers it was a good idea. He's coming here ...
Simon Shepherd: Green MP Chloe Swarbrick’s name has become synonymous with drug reform, so following years of campaigning for safe, public access to medicinal cannabis, what does she think of the government’s new plan? Well, Chloe Swarbrick joins me ...
Social Credit is calling for a Government enquiry into the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board over it's handling of the Sarah Preece attack in 2017 and its subsequent report. ...
An overwhelming response sees Māori from across the country pouring into Māngere today. The call for action came from Māori leadership concerned with the practice of tamariki removals by the state. Whānau, experts, and highly skilled Māori from ...
Responding the announcement of a $2.37 million loan from the Provincial Growth Fund to a Northland berry farm, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “Why couldn’t this business get a loan from the bank? If no bank was ...
Multicultural NZ is delighted to congratulate former Gisborne Mayor, Meng Foon, who has been appointed as New Zealand’s Race Relations Commissioner. ...
Award-winning broadcaster, Waatea has been selected by North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency to exclusively livestream the historic Māori-led Inquiry on Oranga Tamariki. ...
“The Peace Movement sends an urgent call to Winston Peters to reject any US demands for New Zealand participation in patrolling the Persian Gulf and Straits of Hormuz. New Zealand should have nothing to do with any war on the ...
More than 50 senior non-commissioned officers from militaries in the Asia-Pacific Region gathered this week in Auckland for a conference hosted by the New Zealand Army. ...
The addition of an absurd Treaty of Waitangi clause in the Plant Varieties Act raises the question whether “Maoridom” will claim royalties on new plant varieties, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello said today. ...
What are we going to do about District Health Boards? News this week that the Government is looking at a further bail-out of cash-strapped Boards to help reduce their deficits has raised afresh questions about the sustainability of the current ...
Legal proceedings were filed in the Wellington High Court this week to have certain blocks of land at Shelly Bay returned to the ownership of Taranaki Whānui iwi. The land in issue is currently the proposed site for a high ...
Heart Kids, the only charity which supports families of heart children, acknowledges the fear and distress of families who have voiced their concern over paediatric cardiac services in New Zealand. ...
Amnesty International has released a scathing report into the United States’ response to gun violence, a report that New Zealand policy-makers can learn from. In Scars of Survival: Gun Violence and Barriers to Reparation in the USA, survivors of gun ...
New Plymouth District Council has corrected information it gave the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union regarding ratepayer-funded flight expenses in 2017/18. A Council spokesperson states: ...
The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand welcomes the announcement of Meng Foon as the new Race Relations Commissioner. “Our community, along with many others, has deeply felt the absence of an advocate in that role, particularly in light of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that New Plymouth District Council was the fourth highest-spending council in the country when it game to air travel in the 2017/18 financial year. The Council spent $285,391 on flights, $256,235 of which was domestic, ...
Today I have submitted against the application of the Queenstown Lakes District Council seeking a "right to polllute" in their latest resource management application to the Otago Regional Council. I have done so in my capacity as a Dunstan ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that two officers used excessive force during an arrest in Ramarama, South Auckland on 26 October 2016. ...
“New Zealanders fought hard to achieve strong parliamentary support for medicinal cannabis last year. It’s now really important people have their say on the design of the regulations to ensure sound and sensible patient access,” says Paul Manning, ...
The numbers of deaths by suicide in New Zealand are beyond unacceptable and it is time both the previous Government admitted it failed New Zealanders during its nine years in office and that the current Government is at risk of ...
Early Wednesday morning, Generation Zero hosted a Zero Carbon Bill submission party for commuters passing through the Wellington Railway Station. Wearing togs and waving surf lifesaving flags, young climate change advocates reminded Wellingtonians about ...
David Seymour MP wrote to our Office raising concerns about the involvement of Hon Shane Jones in the decision to grant $4.6 million to the Manea Footprints of Kupe Cultural Heritage and Education Centre through the Provincial Growth Fund. Mr ...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt has spent $147,243 on his ratepayer-funded purchase card since late 2016 (the beginning of this term in local office). ...
10 July 2019 ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa applauds the United Kingdom Parliament on its historic vote to extend access to abortion and same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland. ...
New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers president and retired veterinarian Peter Trolove has cautioned against the proposed aerial 1080 drops near the lower Tongariro River. ...
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has welcomed the formation of a new global group prioritising energy efficiency policy, with New Zealand’s Energy Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods joining as a founding member. The International ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling for the resignation of Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Grant Guilford over his deceitful use of a ‘rebrand’ to push a name-change agenda that has already been rejected by students, alumni, and the ...
The New Zealand Union of Students has today launched their ‘30Under30’ campaign, which shines a light on the record number of young candidates running in the 2019 Local Body Elections, meanwhile pushing the youth of Aotearoa to vote. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) has today launched the “Fair and Reasonable" campaign in response to rushed firearms legislation recently introduced by the Government. Campaign spokeswoman Nicole McKee says, “When new firearms legislation ...
COMMENTARY:By Yamin Kogoya in Auckland More than 50 years of “torture” has been inflicted on the Papuan people by the Indonesian government. With the complicity of Western governments, great fear has been put in the hearts and minds ...
It’s landlords who are finding themselves out in the cold as property managers begin to walk away from clients who haven’t insulated their rentals, reports Don Rowe.Two weeks after the first of New Zealand’s healthy homes deadlines, property managers are ...
Event date and time: Friday, July 26, 2019 – 17:00–18:30JOIN US for this Pacific Media Centre‘s smorgasbord “launch” mid-winter fono and celebration for: + Two new documentaries on climate change and media freedom + The ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Tuesday’s contentForeign affairs and trade Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): US ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Monday’s contentOranga Tamariki, state care of children, adoption Bonnie Sumner (Newsroom): Māori ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Senior research fellow, Southern Cross University Humans’ distant ancestor Australopithecus africanus had a unique approach to raising their young, as shown in our new research published today in Nature. Geochemical ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joyce Y.M. Nip, Senior lecturer, Department of Media and Communications; Department of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney As China grows more powerful and influential, our New Superpower series looks at what this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trent Yarwood, Infectious Diseases Physician, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University and, The University of Queensland This year’s flu season is off to an early start, with 144,000 confirmed cases so far in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Todd Denham, PhD Candidate, School of Global, Urban & Social Studies, RMIT University Governments are looking to fast rail services to regional cities to relieve population pressures in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zsuzsanna Csereklyei, Lecturer in Economics, RMIT University Wholesale prices in the National Electricity Market have climbed significantly in recent years. The increase has coincided with a rapid increase in the proportion of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Koa Whittingham, Psychologist and Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Bluey is a ground-breaking Australian children’s television series and the most downloaded show in ABC iView history. Since premiering in October 2018, ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Both PM and deputy PM in action on foreign relationships, major climate report being released today, and DOC staff facing escalating threats. Both the PM and deputy PM are in action ...
The Auditor-General's investigators are to look into the National Party's complaints about taxpayer funding being used to underwrite KiwiBuild homes. ...
Cancer can happen to anyone, even if they have followed the advice. While healthy living is not a guarantee, it does stack the odds in your favour. ...
Food researcher George Henderson assesses best-selling NZ low-carb cookbook What The Fat, and asks: How did it become so popular, and why is a laxative included in the sausage roll recipe? ...
Practical steps to take right now if you’re appalled at the news coming out of the United States.This article was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated with current information.From the far side of an ocean, we in ...
Grant Robertson, a cricket fanatic whose day jobs include being minister for finance and minister for sport, raced from Wellington to northwest London on the weekend to watch the Black Caps in what turned into the greatest one-day international ever ...
Ātea editor Leonie Hayden headed out to the hui for a Māori-led inquiry into Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, and found a unified Māori force that has decided enough is enough.When first announced, Saturday’s Oranga Tamariki hui was to ...
A vulnerability has hit users everywhere, New Zealand included, and it reveals something very troubling about the way the tech world worksNew Zealand Schools, district health boards and even the perhaps the halls of power have found themselves compromised by ...
By RNZ Pacific New Caledonia has a healthy lead on the Pacific Games medals table after the first week of the competition. The French Territory has won 42 gold medals after the first six days of competition and more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ahmar Mahboob, Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Sydney A few months ago, I received a call from a barrister who asked me if I could evaluate whether voice identification testimony submitted ...
Strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme and tightening the ETS cap over time to track European prices simply makes more sense than other alternatives. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By João Teixeira, Research associate, University of Adelaide Around 55,000-50,000 years ago, a population of modern humans left Africa and started on the long trek that would lead them around the world. After ...
California five-piece Local Natives are halfway through a world tour. Guitarist and songwriter Ryan Hahn took time out to talk to The Spinoff about their experimental new album.Local Natives’ latest album, Violet Street, is both a tribute to personal growth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au ...
We keep hearing that Kids These Days are mollycoddled and risk-averse, but is that really true? And guess who gets blamed when kids do take risks and things go wrong? This generation aye? They don’t let their kids climb trees ...
State-owned farmer Pāmu says it voted in favour of selling the troubled dairy co-op Westland Milk Products because continuing with Westland in its current state wasn't an option. ...
By Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The Oxford City Council is to award West Papuan activist Benny Wenda the Honorary Freedom of the City accolade for his tireless fight for West Papuan self-determination. Wenda, whom the United Kingdom granted political ...
The Black Caps’ World Cup loss at Lord’s this morning has much of the country feeling pretty shit. From massage to mindfulness, here are five ways to feel just a tiny bit better.There’s a lot of weepy people out there ...
With everything in politics moving so fast these days, it can be hard to remember characters from earlier seasons who get brought back for yet another run. So with John Banks considering another Auckland mayoralty run, what are some things ...
Māori culture shouldn’t be something that’s half-heartedly appropriated for some cool video game visuals. So why do developers keep doing it?This year’s Xbox E3 Briefing kicked off with a new game reveal, Bleeding Edge – a multiplayer action game in which ...
Fifty years ago today the anti-apartheid group Hart – Halt All Racist Tours – was formed. Founding chairperson Trevor Richards looks back to the 1960s New Zealand into which Hart was born, and how it launched a battle for the ...
Open Mike 12/09/2017 
How scummy is the UK Home Office? This scummy:The Home Office lied to EU member states to remove victims of human trafficking and modern slavery in breach of European law, according to whistleblowers. Legal experts have said the practice is ...55 mins ago
Belle is a lovely fifteen year-old border collie who belongs to our friends and neighbours at Bryan’s Beach, Michael and Judy Corboy. Belle, in her old age, can hardly see or hear, but – as a constant participant at social ...3 hours ago
Later this month, thousands of people are expected to march to parliament as part of the #HandsOffOurTamaraki movement. At its heart, the movement is about preserving whānau and demanding that the state stop removing children from their whānau, hapū and iwi. ...1 day ago
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh The recent statements made by the former FARC commander, Carlos Lozada (legal name Julian Gallo), where, from his seat in Congress, he praised the Colombian Army demonstrate how low the farianos have sunk. Lozada began by ...2 days ago
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If these guys are in the mood for change…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11920947
No they want consistency so their rent seeking behaviour can carry on, they don’t want to appear against the mood or the incoming govt.
Mainfreights done very well out of national and will look to do same from the next govt, no surprise Skycity is cuddling up also.
I get all that tc. It’s the way they’re all nailing their colours to the mast that’s interesting.
It’s been coming in business for a while. the Nats are seen as a dead end street.
Sustainable Business Council’s pre election report had these main recommendations,
“1. Transition to a low-emission economy: we want to collaborate to develop a clear pathway to a low- emission economy. This will be necessary if we are to meet our Paris Agreement commitment to reduce our emissions by 30% emission reduction on 2005 levels by 2030.. We would like greater clarity and certainty on climate change policy so that decisions about investment, innovation and business growth are future- proofed.
2. Leave no one behind: as employers, taxpayers, and corporate citizens we want to ensure nobody is left behind on the journey to a socially, environmentally and economically prosperous New Zealand. We want government to welcome business as an important partner in improving social outcomes for all New Zealanders.
3. Strengthen NZ Inc: our members would like to see government showing more leadership on balanced and transparent reporting. We need to ensure that social and environmental outcomes are better re ected in decision-making by government and business.
4. Back business to be sustainable: we would like
to see government remove barriers and incentivise innovations and technologies that can help commercial enterprises be more sustainable and to scale at speed to help build a more resilient New Zealand.”
http://www.sbc.org.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/129479/SBC-2017-Pre-Election-Brief-Manifesto.pdf
That group’s members account for 29% of GDP , so there’s a bit clout there. When I first read I didn’t realise where it came from and thought it was from a left leaning fringe group, not businesses and mainstream as these.
Very encouraging read.
If Labour get in there will still be a rump of hard core business opposition.
Almost all of agribusiness will oppose them. Esp Fonterra and the irrigators.
Major construction will be under massive scrutiny.
Real estate and property will fund straight out opposition campaigns.
Transport companies will be mixed.
Banks and wealth managers will be very nervous.
Labour need to be ready to engage. And better than in 1999.
They want change but would prefer a National led change.
Which they will not get as national aren’t builders they are dog whistling wreckers.
True but they don’t seem to understand that.
Someone on RNZ pimping for the TPP and saying Labour should adopt a bipartisan approach and support it.
No argument made saying National should adopt a bipartisan approach and abandon it.
That’s fair and balanced RNZ. The 15 minute business section at 6.45 is basically an advertorial for neoliberalism. Funny you don’t get 15 minutes prime allocated to workers’ issues every morning.
RNZ pumping out propaganda for the elite, ably directed by Griffin.
There is a secret government of NZ that will not allow the dismantling of the neoliberal apparatus.
This just tweeted by RNZ referring to current interview with Jacinda Ardern:
Well, there you have it. Kelsey has already reported that the draft TPPA-11 (leaked to her) includes that regulation of foreign property sales will be allowed. So, Team Ardern is going with what really has already been decided.
https://itsourfuture.org.nz/jane-kelsey-labour-tppa-not-bloody-minded-enough/
If Labour support TPPA mk2 with only this change then that is an extremely disappointing position, one which I suspect will dog them for a long time to come.
Ardern is very good on rental changes Labour will make – great for renters, in the RNZ interview – follows Green Party policy. Says there will likely be GP ministers.
But on TPPA-11, she is very disappointing. What about Pharmac and medicine patent issues, Investor State Dispute Resolution, lengthening of copyright?
I protested against Clark govt on sending troops to Afghanistan; was against Clark govt on Foreshore and Seabed…. and it’s clear why we need a strong GP presence in Ardern’s up-coming govt.
Also, Ardern says no inheritance tax, while claiming her government will not be neoliberal.
Says there will likely be GP ministers
Not in the interview I just listened to!
What I heard was clumsy avoidance – (paraphrasing) it’s all down to which party or parties we’re in coalition with and that could be NZF regardless of whether the Greens are in parliament or not.
Can’t say I’m surprised. Labour still haven’t woken up to the fact that the present system simply doesn’t work. That we have to remove ourselves from FTAs and the WTO if we actually want to be able to trade freely.
TPPA has powerful energy backing its progression , which is why NO NZ Govt will outright reject it
Nz has ratified the agreement, it’s a done deal unless Japan pulls out
At a future time when USA decide to be involved again, the full damage to NZ will have been locked in
Jacinda, like all MP’s, understands how the system works…therefore she is not being transparent…
Deliberately!
Assuming this is from the same interview.
The opposition leader, outlining her economic ideology to RNZ in a lengthy interview, was asked if she agreed with former Prime Minister Jim Bolger’s assessment of neoliberalism in New Zealand: that it had failed.
“Yes,” she replied.
So, that’s good, right? She “gets” it. Except in the next breath …
“Being fiscally responsible is not akin to a neoliberal agenda,” Ardern replied.
Fucken, head meet desk.
I didn’t listen to the interview. i was just following RNZ tweets.
She’s actually right in that last sentence but she’s viewing it the wrong way which makes her wrong.
Being fiscally responsible must start with stopping the private banks from creating money and capital controls on the flow of money in and out of the country.
Doubt if either of those things are on her to do list.
No commitment to having Green presence in Cabinet if the Greens are in Parliament.
I’m thinking NZ Labour has had someone down the bottle store selecting a nice single malt. And to reiterate – this election isn’t and never was about NZ Labour or National, but about Green or NZF.
Sorry i disagree. Put it this way – without labour the Greens are fucked. without the Greens labour isn’t fucked apart from those of us you support the green kaupapa and want that in there to drag better outcomes out. But the gnats have to go and only labour can do that. That is reality.
Maybe I should have been more precise.
Jacinda Ardern in her interview with Espiner this morning wouldn’t even indicate a desire, never mind a preference, to have Green MPs in Cabinet.
If NZ Labour can go into coalition with NZF, they will. (Ardern held that out as a possibility).
If you merely want National gone, then vote for NZ Labour or the Greens or NZF or the MP.
But if you want Liberalism challenged within the beehive, then the only way to vote is Green or MP. With a NZF/NZ Labour coalition, Winston will be granted traction on his conservative social policies in return for leaving economic settings ‘as is’. (Jacinda’s of the opinion that economic settings are merely a somewhat superfluous detail of Liberalism rather than the core driver)
I hear you and I do think you tend to take the worst JA scenario a bit. TBH it’s all sounding a bit extreme vegan to me sorry, as in perceived purity. A lol hopefully
Sorry i disagree. Put it this way – without labour the Greens are fucked. without the Greens labour isn’t fucked apart from those of us you support the green kaupapa and want that in there to drag better outcomes out. But the gnats have to go and only labour can do that. That is reality.
Unless NZF chooses National (I just put up a post about it 🙂 ). So changing the government is dependent on either Labour getting more than half the seats (extremely unlikely), or the Greens being in parliament in enough numbers to enable Labour for form govt. It’s possible that NZF would choose Labour, but it’s not inevitable.
It’s not about who NZF would choose, but who NZ Labour would choose.
They’ve indicated time and again that they’d happily work with NZF. I actually think they’d prefer to work with NZF over working with The Greens…and Ardern on RNZ openly stated the possibility of a NZ Labour/NZF coalition this morning
But regardless of how accurate my reading of their preference is, it’s down to prospective progressive minded NZ Labour voters to deny NZ Labour that option by voting Green or (where applicable) MP.
“It’s not about who NZF would choose, but who NZ Labour would choose.”
Well, it’s both. I think that in addition to the points you are making (which I agree with), that it’s also important to remind people that Labour are dependent on the Greens to even govern, if they want a surer bet.
To be taken with very large and repeated pinches of salt (cause it’s a poll)
But the ‘Heralds’ “poll of polls” would have us resigned to NZ Labour winning 56 seats and NZF winning 12 seats.
Worst case scenario with their margins of error is a combined total of 62 seats.
Either way is enough for a NZ Labour/NZF government.
Or we could end up with a Nat/NZF coalition.
https://lemattjuste.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/state-of-play/
will cross post that tonight or tomorrow.
🙂 Yes. NZF could go with National.
I’m sticking to my ‘prediction’ from the day that the NZ Labour leadership changed though (a last desperate retrenchment of Liberalism achieved through ‘murder’ of the Greens) because, sad to say, it’s been kind of panning out
Yep. Let me be clear about this, we will choose option a or option b.
I hope we’re wrong, and I share your ugly premonition.
ah, that makes sense, predictions. I was focussed on potentials.
Mostly at the moment I think anything could happen (well, apart from Labour surprising us 😉 ).
Why are you promoting the MP when they supported the gnats on so much. You trust them more than Winnie? Why. Perhaps anti labour alignment?
The Greens and the MP and Mana seem to be fairly tightly aligned.
Policy aside, there’s spontaneous interactions that can be indicative or revealing.
So in one televised debate, Hone was asked about “blue teams” and “red teams” and it was Shaw’s aside about a “green team” that got Hone’s approval. Likewise the “high five” between Flavel and Shaw in another. The unscripted ‘bonhomie’ on display between Metiria Turie and Marama Fox in another…
I disagreed with the MP deciding to get inside the Nat tent to piss out, but I can accept it as a legitimate piece of political positioning. Am I wrong to think that there would have been a Nat led government regardless?
edit. I don’t have an “anti-NZ Labour” alignment. I’m anti-Liberal.
Deleted
Actually I’ll let it go because it isn’t worth it.
“Why are you promoting the MP when they supported the gnats on so much. You trust them more than Winnie? Why. Perhaps anti labour alignment?”
I trust the Mp more than NZF. One reason is that the Mp will go back and consult with their members about who to support to form govt. NZF hand that decision over to an elite.
Fair point and without labour taking the treasury benches the Greens get very little.
yes, that’s true, I don’t think that’s ever in dispute.
Evicted from State and Private rentals for taking in homeless
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/339207/families-evicted-after-taking-in-homeless
“If you go along Marine Parade, you’ll see a hell of a lot of families, and I’m not talking like two or three kids, I’m talking about nine kids with their solo parents or both parents in there… talking about working couples that are actually homeless as well.”
Statements from hnz and City Council contradict the quote above. Not the first time we have seen diametrically opposed representations of what is happening in our housing market (Hamilton the most recent, and now Napier).
Good article
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-mispronunciation-issue-what-it-looks-like-in-aotearoa
I also see Stuff website starting to use macrons – excellent.
We can all do better on these things.
Live is Joyce v Robertson debate.
“Mood of the Boardroom – Grant Robertson and Steven Joyce go head to head”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11921238
Now when I was younger and a fisherman I use to give all my friend’s and nabours free fish and I did Not expected anything in return.
So giving more tax is the best way to sort out this shit national has created. We need to help our vulnerable and poor so we can be proud of ourselves and our country.
Now the Winston is showing his true colours which is Why most of my fellowship bloggers on this site don’t trust him because his only agenda looks like what’s is best for Winston not our country or our poor and valuable get with it Winston we need change not stay the same the wealth going to the few. Fuck that Winston is pissing in the wind
Eco maori
+1
Good on you for sharing your fish. We share excess vegetables from our garden and honey from our hives in the same way. If we were neighbours we would get fish and you would get honey and vegetables with no talk of payment whatsoever. I believe this is just natural behaviour for human beings. Capitalism is not natural and doesn’t fell good like sharing foes.
Couldn’t agree more, tfg.
To simply share resonates with our nature.
It feels good to share and it feels good to be shared with.
Not barter, not trade, sharing.
Sharing, nicely said G
You got it there eco maori @ (6) … Winston is in it for what he personally gets out of it and nothing more in my opinion. He’s prepared to prostitute himself to the highest bidder! I’ve had a gutsful of his BS.
Where are those 450 English/Dickson texts he’s supposed to know about? He’s an attention seeking has-been, stale, boring old windbag, never more so than at election time! Always got something up his sleeve to play, but keeps it secret!!!
Apologies to Winston’s supporters who want a change of government, but a vote for him and NZF could well be a vote for National and more of the same of the past nine years. Because despite him bleating about Labour not being transparent re its tax policy, he’s not too forthcoming with NZF’s budget details. It’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black! He plays the power game, by refusing to declare which party NZF will go into coalition with!
I’m in the same age group as Winston, but I just wish he would retire. He’s had his day. Leave NZF up to the younger generation in the party to serve.
+111
Peter Talley was at Winstons meeting at the Motueka RSA a couple of months back, first time I’ve ever seen PT at a public election/campaign event/meeting. JS
“Truth may be losing its value as a moral compass by which we set our daily direction. But the 2017 election result may remind us that truth matters and saying sorry counts.”
Nice line from Judy McGregor (Herald this am)
Surely in a world of false news and alternative facts – indicators of moral chaos, actual truth takes on an almost mystical enticement of absolute necessity.
Ant
+1
Judy McGregor: Truth does matter and saying sorry counts
EDIT:
Can’t do. If we held them to the same standard as we held ourselves National would be permanently out of power for their almost continuous lying.
NZ now summed up in news headings one after another on Radionz:
Our plans for America Cup yachts.
and
The situation in Napier – tenants taking in homeless into houses, garages, getting he push. (It does cause extra wear and tear on houses to have them jammed
beyond capacity, but this is example of how government is uninterested in setting in place emergency provisions. It is happening with both Housing NZ and private.)
Let’s spread the love and not channel it to the ‘grinders’. Let it go also to the ‘strugglers’.
Sorry Jacinda, now you have told Espiner that you are all for globalism, I am OUT – Voted labour all my life, but not any more. Your total worship of Helen Clark and the UN have really bothered me, but this admission that your party agrees with the TPPA will see my vote going elsewhere, probably never to return.
“Let me be clear”, she says, as she obscures the issues she doesn’t want to address.
H Shearlie
In short, vote strategically. We must get a change or go down.
It’s lifeboat time. You are in it, you are bailing out the sea seeping in, and others are leaning over holding onto loved ones and the needy in the water but unable to fit in the boat. That’s where we are.
The leaky boat will help us but you would have to keep bailing and we all must prevail against anything but a very pared down TPPA. And have some alternative proposals to ensure that we don’t lose access to foreign markets. Have we enough bi-lateral agreements? What have we got to replace Australia that is turning as ugly as Germany did to its surrounding countries?
Lifeboat time now, better designs in your mind occurring as you vote. That’s what we need – better designs, ways, active, rational, clever minds. And then write a post and tell us your ideas and get us to exercise our minds and add to it.
You do realise that it’s possible to be “for globalism” (i.e. recognising that we live in a global environment, not just a wee silo in the South Pacific, impervious to all geopolitical forces and trading with none) and anti the TPPA?
Either way, if you can’t abide voting for Labour, vote Green.
Worst case is a nat govt because on the day lefties decided to cut off their nose to spite their face: 4%green, 4%TOP, 4% mana, 40% Labour, and a government of 38% Nat and 10%NZ1.
Vote Green. It’s really the only choice you have left for a party that will change the course of our economic system.
Or NZ First http://www.nzfirst.org.nz to read their policies which I doubt anyone on this site has ?
Wrong. I’ve read them, on the assumption that they’ll disappear as soon as the votes are cast.
No, not NZ1st as there’s a possibility that they’ll prop up the present government rather than act to change it.
I have been on this site as a reader and contributor.
Hami Shearlie is not an easily overlooked name. Are you real?
Your deliberate extension of what was said on RNZ also leaves me wondering.
NZ has always been a trading nation. How and what we trade is the issue.
To hold Jacinda liable for Globalisation (which is hard to turn around), and Helen Clarke’s position seems a tad extreme.
Perhaps you never intended to support.
To expect her to provide all your wish list is revealing.
She is a caring human, not a bloody magician.
Vote Green to give her grist to her elbow.
If too many throw sulks and withdraw, guess what!! “Hello Bill.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96739673/jacinda-ardern-says-neoliberalism-has-failed
“For me the neoliberal agenda is what does it mean for people? What did it mean for people’s outcomes around employment, around poverty, around their ability to get a house?
I’m struggling to know if she is deliberately trying to redefine neo-liberalism.
Now on RadioNZ
A national [phenomena – that clinical leaders in hospitals and 50% burn out of doctors – vacancies are rife but many vacancies.
$1.5 billion sucked out of hospital and health system.
According to Ian Powell? speaking for the health profession.
There is a deal going until April 2020 to provide more for salaries.
(But there is still a sinking lid effect on overall hospital to be made up – that $1.5 billion perhaps. Don’t vote back the do-nothing, ideologically-hostile-to-government-itself National Party.
How can we expect to have a well-run, successful and happy country when run by a government that doesn’t want that? National wants to run our services down, say that we as government know we can’t do this well, we will have to sell all this for a song to some private company that we will get a directorship on when we leave government.
If you can’t stand unpleasant information that goes to the core of your beliefs don’t read on. The National Party is hostile to NZ as a country. Are you scared of communists, dislike them? Be scared of fascists which operate by a government controlled by Big Business – which is what is happening right now in New Zealand! Fascism is a political system that we fought against in WW2. But now we have been taken over by stealth, while we were sleeping. Wake up NZ. The alarm bells gongs need to sound loudly hit with a hammer like this.)
English should be careful when carrying about inheritance taxes. It is, after all, a government that he was part of that introduced the biggest inheritance tax of them all — asset testing for rest home care.
Have a look at this NZF candidate for Northcote speaking at a candidates’ meeting in Beachhaven last night – she is going full Don Brash it seems. Didn’t go down well with the audience it seems.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/nz-first-candidate-promises-to-remove-treaty-from-law.html
This is another reason to party vote Green so that Labour doesn’t have to rely on NZF.
wow, that is really bad.
Yucky racist boo – lots of these low thinkrs out there
Will be interesting to see how Peters handles this seeing as how half of what she said is actual NZF policy and position.
Maybe now he could release the English texts lol, i can’t wait for this election to be over.
lol.
I want more time for the election, to bring up the Green vote. The thought of a the post-election period with Peters as kingmaker doesn’t make me want to bring it on 😉
Weka
Yes! The more time the better from the GP perspective. The Ardern wave has to break sometime, and her support for the TPPA might just be the rock that collapses it.
It won’t matter to ex-National voters who just want to vote for the winning side (strategically electorate voting for the least odious of the two leading candidates, and not wasting your party vote for a sub5% in our current version of MMP are not the same thing as that kind of bandwagoning). But for wavering previous Green voters, this will be a big red flag – even NZF is better on that score (scorecard is at the big yellow link on the right under feeds).
Which brings me back to the Koloni verbal diarrhoea. Number 38 on the list which means NZF would have to get 31% of the party vote for her to become an MP, so at least there’s that. As you say above, only; “half of what she said is actual NZF policy and position”, and even that is a bit more nuanced in how it is presented. There is a difference between dog-whistling and simply blurting out your toxic bigotry – epitomised by Ansell’s slogan; “We want Kiwi, not iwi”, that she parroted.
Now this from Ardern, is music to my ears: TVNZ article plus video of Ardern announcement:
However, $38 mill doesn’t sound a lot to me for RNZ, which has been starved of funding for 9 long years.
Finlay McDonald tweeted that:
In the context of FMcD’s response to Russell Brown, maybe this just means that Campbell on Checkpoint could be morphed into Campbell live Mark 2….?
Details of Labour policy here:
http://www.labour.org.nz/broadcasting
one of their first acts in broadcasting should be to remove the nactiods from NZ on Air.
Coolies, maybe in time we could have parenting, dealing with being a teen, growing old, mental health etc etc information style programmes. Breastfeeding and babies info at 3am rather than infomercials, geez that would save many new mums from much misery, it really would.
Educate the nation please and thank you, it would help EVERYONE 😀
Over on the thread about Euthanasia and Suicide, there’s some interesting discussion about the role of religion in NZ Politics.
This reminded me that I read a brilliant article on the Daily Kos website yesterday about the pervasive myth that 81% of American evangelicals voted for Trump. The article makes some withering points about the inherent racist bias of pollsters, who assume that “evangelical” means “white”, and that this then skews the statistics badly.
She observes that the conservatism of white evangelical leaders is costing them a lot of their non white base, and the unholy alliance of white evangelical leaders with Trump will starve them off the renewal they need as secularism undermines white American church going. Those non white Christians will go elsewhere, to politically progressive churches, most of which are quite happy to be called evangelical; they’re just not dominated by white leaders.
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/1695694
Better education needed in NZ to help understand our world, past, present and how to navigate the future. Don’t vote for cutbacks and simple open classrooms like learning sports courts. And no mind to pen personal involvement in learning, no using machines for indoctrinated learning that machines are best, and personal thought must feed into and from. Some of the best ideas have been Written on the back of a Placemat, Designed on a Serviette.
Tertiary education, university or trade training – essential for NZ’s survival as a modern nation. It means everything to us, one and all.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/publiclocallearning/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1715619475411537
Tertiary education – together we can keep it public.
The petition re tertiary education is still open. Signing it could give you a feelgood moment!
http://www.together.org.nz/keep_it_public
The Bribe-O-Meter – this from the Taxpayers Union. I don’t know about it but it is not the Association of Cutpads and Thieves. Whether it’s a great little runner from the same stable?
But looking to see whether policies are simple bribes or planned, reasoned spending promises addressing real national needs, is relevant as the promises pile up on the floor all fresh and appealing but ready to sweep under the shagpile carpet if National is returned.
‘Promises, what promises, oh the ones that we will institute by 2050, no hurry, no worry’
http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/bribe_o_meter_update_week_8
This seems to be looking closely at the facts for each Party.
For instance Greens are raising taxes and spending more on containing certain farming practices. But they will save – ‘We have estimated that cancelling these irrigation subsidies will save $280 million in the next three years.’
Footpads. Cutpurses.
You’re right – I got obsessed by cutpads and looked it up. The word has got muddled in my synapses.
Association of Cutpurses and Tantalisers is my latest description of ACT.
(tantaliser, tantalizer – someone who tantalizes; a tormentor who offers something desirable but keeps it just out of reach. Thanks Free Dictionary)
She got her facts all wrong thats clear isnt it. ?
I gave the link but the spin continued that ‘this thing never happened, not that it was ever a thing anyway and we arent like this , because… months have passed….’
[which facts? Be specific. – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Fact: the word “discussion” and the word “policy” are not synonymous. So your assertion just fell over.
Crucified by TV1, shrouded by Red Radio now a promised resurrection on public owned Red TV, J C wil be rehearsing his resurrection show for Sept 25 if he is not part of a deal making throat slash…
Whats Chilli am
What’s that about. Are you implying we are deepest communist leaning. You must be too high in your skyscraper, or deep in your green cower bower. Come closer ducks we are safe to approach and talk to.
Neither, purely a comment from someone who has been a communist, a socialist, an extreme stirrer of the political pot for sixty years and found refuge in asking people to see all is but a delightful game of ego versus beliefs. Name any time in recorded history/herstory when any group that set out to do good for all didn’t ultimately do harm.
Just off the top of my head….
NZ Labour Party 1935.
UK Labour Party 1945.
Try to tell me where either of these caused significiant harm.
You do realise appear to be a ridiculous, historically ignorant and probably a lying fuckwit who is just making crap up. Why don’t you go and play with your genitals elsewhere.
I’d suggest that whining like a child about someone replying to you is not going to do you any good. It will just confirm my opinion of you.
Trying to divert from your statements will just bring out the moderator in me – I really can’t stand moronic trolls who are so weak-minded that they can’t argue their own position.
a delightful game of ego versus beliefs
Revealing.
set out to do good for all
False premise.
didn’t ultimately do harm
Moot point. Locking up murderers harms murderers.
Amazing how diverse humans are. And yet? They say that there only 25 basic jokes. In every discussion there could be about 8 different approaches with the usual spectrum of negative neutral positive to them so differing levels of opinion would flesh out the general feeling.
I think Chat comes somewhere there, and could be labelled. I’m a seeker after truth, so that I can decide if I want to know it or not. I guess that makes me a bit of a dissembler, but sometimes I just can’t handle the truth.
In my old Handy Guide to Public Policy Proposers and Their Proposals (thanks Michael Marien) I come into the Languishing Liberal with View of present and future that they are Troubled Times needing More money and programs; racial integration.
I’m also a Radical Romantic – View a Cancered civilisation with Proposal of Small experimental communities.
Chats you seem to be a Rumbling Revolutionary with View – A repressive, racist, imperialist, capitalist establishment and Proposal of Confront and destroy The System (other details worked out later).
Yes Please. John back would be great.!!
Must have really ruffled national feathers the tack tick are going down hard.I’m going to fight on for our goals of change the government YES
So explain to me how taxing poor workers in order to pay the “solo” parent benefit to someone shacked up with a millionaire (as the greens advocate) is remotely fair?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[no idea wtf you are on about, but a warning to not troll, and up your game in terms of debate if you don’t want further moderator attention. The Greens don’t advocate what you implied, do that shit again and I will ban you – weka]
Can’t you figure it out? Sad really, to be so limited, although it explains why you believe the crap you do.
It’s fair because it matches the terms of the Matrimonial Property Act. See if you can figure out why that makes it fair. I’m picking you’re incapable of understanding the point whether or not you agree with it.
What on earths name are you talking about ?
You’ve got a few weeks to ponder this. Luckily, you have a couple of clues.
1: Steve “blow harder” Wrathall posed a revealing question about fairness.
2. I answered it with a reference to the Matrimonial Property Act. By a curious coincidence, other advocates have also made similar allusions.
3. If you need further help, please ask.
Getting the basic facts wrong was Wekas problem, and this is from someone who is supposed to to be close to the Greens .
Weka is highly respected here and normally has well put opinions. Dont understand why the blundering around on this particular point
[I’ve already asked a moderator question on this. Point to where I got the facts wrong, or withdraw that, or cop a ban. Also, you’ve been here long enough to not make false connections between authors and political parties. You’re getting one chance here before you get turfed out for trolling – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Whereas you’ve taken the basic facts and interpreted them in a sophisticated way.
Oh please! Just ban the fukwit – this sort of shit is why people get turned off TS at times.
You know (hopefully by now) that anything the prick says is just disingenuous ideological-driven kaka.
Your a fukushima more tolerant than I – which I ‘spose is a good thing. Why do we subscribe to, and even entertain this fukwittery?
It’s not as though they don’t have another bubble to vent.
They’ve even managed to capture an 83
My brief comment was:
‘hubris is gone of a while back of talk about forcing a new election if labour shuts the greens out of ‘government’
Which is what occurred as referenced by my link to comments by a Green MP
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/07/green-mp-threatens-new-election-if-labour-goes-with-nz-first.html
That was fact 1- Yes there was TALK
Forcing a new election ?
“Mr Coates has said a Labour-NZ First Government would be “unacceptable” to the Greens.
Fact 2 : Coates said ‘It could’ in regard to forcing a new election
So rather than accepting what had been common knowledge there began a process of disputing the facts
1) who said that – answered with link
2)single Green MP made an inference off his own bat – (yes those things can happen, MPs can ‘misspoke’ as they say) but …he added the further detail
‘Green MPs had discussed refusing to support a Labour-NZ First combination as a caucus’
So the MP revealed they had a caucus discussion about they very thing you said was an ‘inference of his own bat’
Weka said “The MP subsequently also said that it wasn’t about forcing another election’ [No supporting evidence for this but Ill presume you are ‘vague’on this]
The story unfortunately had his reply “it could’ in quotes, so either he lied initially or he was lieing about his denial. Yes Mps do lie to get out of difficult situation.
Weka said.. the co-leader of his party promptly said he was wrong, that the Greens had no intention of doing this.’
The link provided Shaws words walking back Coates comments
“Mr Shaw wouldn’t discuss what the party’s options were should the scenario play out the way Mr Coates has painted it.
“Frankly I think that there’s a lot of scenarios that could play out at this election and we just think everything is hypothetical until you know how many MPs each party has got.”
“”Look there’s a lot of scenarios I don’t want to get into what all of the hypothetical situations are.
“Obviously it would be very difficult for anyone to form a Government without us.”
No sign of Shaw saying – ‘he was wrong’, thats another case of you ‘ saying what Green Mps said ‘ with no links or references. Was it being vague?
Shaw did say: Mr Shaw said the Greens would not hold the country to ransom.
“That’s not our style.”
Whatever that means. Not quite ‘ no intention of doing so’ as he first wouldnt say what the Greens options would be at all ! Mps are supposed to be masters of wordplay to give statements to give some wriggle room- no surprises there
This is the basis of my response of ‘not supported by the facts’ whereas my comments were.
You had not a single link for your inferences Weka, in some cases you were appearing to speak for Green Mps without backing it up or were using different words to them.
Perhaps you were pushed for time and didnt read the full link and then tried to remember events from 2 months back.
[From what I can tell from that comment, you believe I was factually wrong on two points.
1. that Coates didn’t subsequently makes statements that it wasn’t about forcing another election.
Mr Coates added: “There are various ways of not necessarily going back to the polls – not providing confidence and supply for example, sitting on the crossbenches – there’s a lot of different scenarios.”
From your own link http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/07/green-mp-threatens-new-election-if-labour-goes-with-nz-first.html
2. that Shaw didn’t promptly say that Coates was wrong and that the Greens had no intention of forcing a second election.
Green co-leader James Shaw is “imagining some scenarios” of how to punish his newest MP, over suggestions the Greens might force a second election.
…
Mr Shaw, himself a first-term MP, said that would not happen.
“We have no intention of forcing an early election,” he told The AM Show on Thursday morning.
“We are committed to changing the Government, but we only want to change it once in the next three years.”
He said it was up to the party’s leadership to make calls on coalition arrangements, not “new MPs”.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/07/no-intention-of-forcing-an-second-election-james-shaw.html
I’m also noting that you have again tried to make out that I have connections to the Green Party that I don’t.
So you have asserted that I was wrong on fact, and you’ve tried to tie me to the Greens when I don’t have those ties, and you’ve wasted a fair chunk of my moderator time. I have no idea what is going on in this, because you’re not stupid and a simple google would have told you that I was factually correct on the Coates things, plus I already warned you on the GP association thing.
Looking at your recent comments, I see it’s a mix of debate that contributes to the site and regular negative pokes at people over the Greens with comments clearly designed to undermine them. You’re allowed to hate the Greens, and you’re allowed to put that in your comments, but there is a limit and you crossed over that today. Today looks like an outright attempt to slur the Greens and mislead people in the middle of a political debate, and you did so under an offsite author’s post. You also repeatedly made misleading statements about a TS author.
Overall it looks to me like you are trying to inflict damage, and given we’re approaching an election I’m going to ban you for four weeks. The reason it’s not longer is that you often contribute to the site and because you made an effort to explain, but expect to get a longer ban if you do this again. The first two paragraphs of the Policy under Rules give some hints about where the line is in terms of what works here in debate, and as always, the bit about wasting moderator time. – weka]
You did so yes Keemoosavvy (spelling to suit your ‘understandings’ as in ‘learnings’)
But then you’ve always come into this bubble with an ego the size of a bus and with your self-appointed title as that of a Duke.
I have ‘imaginings’ of your cock being of lower specification (going forward), and of your ‘learnings’ coming from ideological tutorage (probably from a Steven Choice inspired Ultimate Learning Academy [ULA] ).
I’m truly in awe, and I aspire to your absolute superiority. Have you ever thought of creating a following? Lesser beings than ye have.
Possibly you could take advice from Brian Tamaki – but then if he’s unavailable, there are now a series of cultists you could seek advice from in your locale. There’s a Bennett, a 10 Bridges, an O’Connor and half a dozen of their cast offs (going foward).
And even then, there’s the last resort: Matty Hooter who’s probably about to be available with half a flask of Johnny Walker unless his little ‘wifey’ and RNZ staff continue to work as social workers rather than journalists on a Monday
Probably easier said that you’re full of shit really. Cheaper, leaner, more efficient and effective (going forward).
So as far as Labours tax ideas go , they are ruling out CGT on the family home, an inheritance tax, and a increase on the rate applied to the TOP tax bracket.
I’ve been telling people not to worry about what Labour might do when they have finished their tax working group, my reasoning being I couldn’t imagine Labour addressing childhood poverty (for example) by raising G.S.T or the lower tax thresholds, yet (unless I’ve missed it) these have been specifically not ruled out.
What are peoples thoughts on this, are they perhaps just trying to not ‘scare the horses’ or …?
I think it’s quite reasonable to say they’ll wait for expert recommendations before deciding on specific tax changes.
What kind of tax reform to implement depends entirely on the overall goal of that tax reform. That overall goal will be shaped by the coalition that emerges after the election.
But I would like to see Labour be more explicit about what goals they want to achieve with tax changes. Whether it’s things like more progressivity in the tax system, increase govt revenue to restore cuts made to social services without increasing debt, reduce emissions, slow housing price rises (or even reduce the price of exisitng housing if they’re feeling really brave)…
Good signals from Labour over public broadcasting policy. Whilst being a supporter of CBB, I did not believe they were ambitious enough (and still don’t).
There is NO reason why a population of 4plus million is not able to support
– National Radio
– Concert FM
– IWI broadcasting with network capability
– Youth Radio ( a la The Wireless ACTUALLY on air)
– A TVNZ7 style Television one
– a second Televison 2 (a la a Heartland)
– Childrens TV (a la a KIDZONE 24)
when others do
That is but for the fact that we’re still wedded to some sort of funder-provider model that’s reminiscent of a neo-liberal’s idea on how we should fund Health.
– NZoA and all its bureacracy
-TVNZ and all of the same
– Radio NZ and all of the same
-TMP, and all of the same
– there’s a couple of others I’m trying to remember
However, in any event – if you subscribe to the view that public money should go to public benefit – you’ll understand what I mean.
And if you’re not of the most ardent neo-liberal, you’ll appreciate that there’s no reason why the profits of entities such as Kordia, or the transmission spectrum, or indeed the public space that is ‘the ether’, there is NO fucking reason why thre’s not enough money to provide all of the above and more
TVNZ can generate a fair bit of what’s needed and there’s plenty of savings in cleaning out it’s overpaid management and opinionators like Hoskins.
A solid public broadcaster is a major cure for the BS and spin that’s dominating the NZ media landscape.
That’s why Turdbull/Murdoch are continually undermining/nobbling and attacking the ABC across the ditch.