Open mike 13/08/2024
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6:00 am, August 13th, 2024 - 56 comments
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- A government-funded hate campaign
Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...2 hours ago - How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections
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The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...8 hours ago - Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
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New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...1 day ago
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Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...1 day ago
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Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...2 days ago
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National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...3 days ago
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Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...3 days ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...4 days ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...5 days ago
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Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...6 days ago
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The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...6 days ago
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Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...1 week ago
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As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...1 week ago
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Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
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The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
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The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
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- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...2 weeks ago
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Only sociopaths can deliberately inflict so much harm on so many people and sleep at night.
Even more terrifying is the large number of NZers who happily vote for them.
Kay, I suppose you are involved with support networks ? All I can say is Strength in numbers.
I hope all the Best for you.
Thanks, and no I'm not. One thing I've learnt about life under this mob- third time now- is to keep a very low profile.
Ah, yea I could understand that. And i would def see how making a noise would draw negative attention from the nasties at winz/msd. I was maybe more meaning support from Help and other groups…although of course they are also getting defunded by aforesaid NACT1 nasties.
Anyway..Look after.
That is correct Kay. This is the worst form of their cruelty since Richardson.
They underfund services to funnel funds to their own, while blaming the unemployed for being a victim of their austerity.
The behaviour is cruel and cavalier. To hear that man say 'You have obligations'.
Where is his obligation to improve people's lives? Where is the "Do least harm?" Where is the job creation? The Nation building? The care?
If we list the things he has "Done" they are all pulling the screws and pins out of our social fabric, and putting costs and rules in place with no consultation.
Further, they "Other" anyone who does anything to try to check or change their plans, so working against them when you are vulnerable is a problem.
The control is fear. Fear of job loss, fear of income loss, fear of crime, fear of culture loss.
When people find their world so shifted from its usual axis, they start protecting their own, losing trust in community solutions sadly.
That is the goal. Be a selfish self interested individual, as Thatcher said "There is no such thing as society, only individual men and women"
Well we need to be there for each other, start supporting groups who display the strength of community and values.
At near 83 years old, when some says they are a Christian…., they are not! Those who are are I have found, live and act by the values. This lot, it is all about sending public money towards their own. They are in the crowd Christ would have thrown out of the temple.
Kay we understand how hard this is going to be for you and Rolling on Gravel, and that it is even harder when they underfund support systems. Keep telling your story. Your story and others like it will bring people to a change of heart. Many good people are swayed by misinformation, and now are questioning the crude ill planned moves as carnage happens.
” ….when some says they are a Christian…., they are not!”
Those characters need calling out like this:
(And, predictably, it doesn’t end well for her …. )
Oh dear, b******d it up again, sorry. Search YT on "Magdalene", "man" and "god".
Some hint of what you're talking about would be helpful?
Sorry. benefit sanctions.
What, you have to sign a NDA now to get your benefit? Jeezu ….
Quoting a “Catch 22” has been out of fashion for a while, but “a no-win or absurd situation full of contradictions” certainly seems to apply to the CoC Govt.’s ever extending war on the poor. Reserve Bank and capitalist economists call for higher unemployment to battle inflation and put downward pressure on wages. Then the state welfare apparatus puts the slipper into unemployed rather than lauding them as inflation busters.
MSD/WINZ run a punitive dehumanising operation. Sanctions for missing a meeting? or even a phone call if you have run out of data? Some of these cruel bureaucrats make the Stasi look caring. I was involved in the unemployed workers rights movement in the 90s and family members have been beneficiary advocates. The WINZ weasels soon pull their heads in and start advising full entitlements when an informed person turns up in support with a Jobseeker.
A high trust model was introduced during COVID particularly for employers and middle class people on the higher second tier benefit (on which a partner could continue to work! try that with MSD/WINZ now…). The current regime is a no trust model, where cards are issued to control spending–no chocolate or lotto for you pal or it is boot camp…
Sometimes you need Martyn “bomber” aka bombastic, Bradbury to cut through…
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/08/13/all-louise-upston-needs-after-draconian-welfare-penalty-announcement-is-a-coat-and-101-dalmatians/
Ultimately a Basic Income for all citizens is needed which abates as you start to earn significantly, and MSD/WINZ consigned to the history books.
I feel for anyone that has..or will have, interaction with winz/msd. It will be back to the real bad old days for many. They were bad enough recently, but now they have been given…permission : (
Expect much more of this….
This shit policy comes straight out of the UK government's austerity playbook.
In a 2018 UK government reported on the effects of benefit sanction.
Fewer go off 'universal credit' into PAYE work than just disappear off the radar (ie, they become workers, in the UK's zero hours gig economy, at quantifiably lower weekly income, or become homeless beggars).
I predict next year the repeal of legislation introduced by Labour to regulate ambiguity in the gig economy. Currently employers need to "include the hours of work which have been agreed between you and the employee." LegalVision.
This looks like an agenda to drive down wages at the lowest level of workers.
IMO the NACT1 creeps are waging war on all below the top percentile. NZ incl our Environment is going to be damaged forever after these POS are done. The deluded who voted for them ? They will find out soon enough.
It will get worse.
"It further punishes people for being poor and it will only exacerbate the issues.
Well, yes. That's the idea.
Landlord, Luxury Luxon opines….
What an asshole…
Yes, Baldrick is a prosperity Christian apparently, so Bennie Bashing is as natural as the falling rain for him.
Fark, he basically says when asked what happens to people once they get benefits cut is "dunno, don't care". What an arsehole indeed!
"I don't Kea", is what he says. It's what he said to Heather Duplicity-Allen a couple of months ago when questioned whether the bootcamps would work.
"I don't Kea".
How many is the expected number of job interviews to qualify as enough?
Where the fuck is the money expected to come from to go to all of those job interviews?
How about a carrot such as an additional payment for actually attending .
At what level of sociopathy to psychopathy is the requirement to be a Nact minister?
At what level of sociopathy to psychopathy is the requirement to be a Nact minister?
It's a mandatory requirement.
"Where the fuck is the money expected to come from to go to all of those job interviews?
How about a carrot such as an additional payment for actually attending"
Yep, like something simple such as free Public Transport.
These people do not know what the fuck they are doing.
IMO sadly….they do. Its all part of their Atlas network led MasterPlan. You should read a few of Mountain Tui's posts ( On the Standard . Gives a detailed and awesome cut on them ! )
Luxon doesn't know the jobseeker benefit rates (or won't say it).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018950903/pm-luxon-on-new-sanctions-to-beneficiaries
See them here.
https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/jobseeker-benefit-rates.html#rates
He knows his own 'entitlements' of course.
https://www.thepaepae.com/what-does-entitlement-look-like-chris-luxon/39308/
aj-I listened to that RNZ Morning Report interview this morning. Luxon had no idea what the jobseeker rates were-it was a really bad look.
Well done Ingrid Hipkiss for asking him the question and then giving him a bit of a hard time when he had no idea. She usually doesn't ask the hard questions or follow up.
On a related note, I'm surprised, I'm enjoying Paddy Gower on Nine to Noon.
Today he gave a senior mandarin a squeeze from the Education Ministry.
Sitting on a report about an earthquake prone building @ Wellington Girls.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018950920/wellington-girls-college-closes-another-quake-prone-building
Yes, I'm afraid Paddy Gower gave me a bit of a turn. I thought my ancient but trustworthy old radio had lost its marbles and dumped RNZ. I'm still trying to find it again. 😉
Yep, I heard that interview. The "mandie" was repeating the same formulaic, non-self-incriminating statement over and over, doing everything bar actually saying "what I'm telling you is … ".
Yes he gets flustered easily once it goes off script. Also Hipkiss ended the interview by interrupting and talking over his babble, which capped it off quite nicely.
News item: the Environment Court has granted an order sought by a local council that an East Cape forestry company stops discharging forestry debris and sediment and deals with about a lot of woody debris from a forest block.
So the stable door has slammed but the horse bolted long ago.
I wondered yesterday whether this government considers NZ's performance in Paris too good and is using that success to begin a narrative to cover their real agenda; cutting funding and/or partially privatising high performance sport, asking athletes themselves to raise sponsorship and self-fund.
There have been two unattributed articles in the government adjacent NZ Herald yesterday and today framing NZ as overachievers (what business does NZ have at 11 on the medal table), and potentially high earning profit seekers.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/olympics/olympics-2024-new-zealand-labelled-overachievers-of-paris-2024-olympics/7CTQ2ZMUFNEN5GDRQH7KWM3J6I/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/olympics/olympics-2024-paris-gold-medals-unlock-financial-opportunities-for-new-zealand-athletes/AHR23XFCSNFQBF4FSMDJAU3X3I/
Given the Herald's want to entertain political advertising, can we be sure this isn't an exercise in softening public opinion driven inside or outside the office of Chris Bishop?
Or, given the Herald's want to use AI as a journalist, perhaps no one wrote these articles at all.
I think some ministers need to watch "I, Daniel Blake". He has to go to a job interview in order to receive a benefit but can't accept the job because of doctor's orders. Just a big waste of everyone's time.
Hearing about these proposed
cruel sanctionsTory incentives , I was reminded of the Ashburton WINZ office murders.Peggy Noble and Susan Cleveland were killed by Russell Tully in 2014. Kim Adams and Lindy Curtis were also caught up in the horror.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/work-and-income-shooting-gunman-russell-john-tullys-appeal-under-way-in-christchurch/QLBMRYFTY6F5LLNJKTBZV5ZRMI/
I remember that too well, and my first reactions upon hearing the news. First thoughts were for the victims and their families. Quickly followed by not at all being surprised. The only real surprise was that it hadn't happened sooner.
Followed by how the government will use this as the excuse they need to treat all beneficiaries as potentially violent, which they did ( guards on the doors and checking ID). Even today we're all guilty of something until proven innocent.
I will never forget Paula Bennett on the news that night shedding crocodile tears for the victims. If she was genuinely upset, it was because it happened on her watch.
There's no one I know from that time who condones that action, and jail is appropriate. But we also knew full well how it could've happened.
Sorry, but this guy is definitely a “nut case” his actions are his responsibility. He shot dead two defenceless women pleading for their lives. You can’t defend this guy.
Got to agree with you there David. This guy should be kept locked up. You can't blame National for this.
Not defending him at all, or condoning his actions. He belongs in jail. I'm saying that those of on the receiving end of a highly sadistic winz system can see how that ended up happening. You had to be there.
Exactly.
Where's the defence of 'this guy'?
Tully clearly had some issues and received the third longest sentence handed down.
To suggest this 'just happened' in isolation is turning a blind eye to the vexatious, cruel and dehumanising nature of WINZ under 6 years of Key's government.
Tully was always going to do what he ended up doing. The two women worked for WINZ, they didn’t deserve this.
Although, WINZ is a useless organisation.
Big Hairy News yesterday, from 45 min cover the government's new literacy and maths curricula. Interestingly, no existing Reading Recovery teachers have been approached about retraining, although the current Minister claims they have. Meanwhile, an Aussie private company is looking to bid into becoming providers of RR in NZ.
The clips are from Q+A with Labour’s Education spokesperson.
Listening to Morning Report on RNZ this morning.
Chris Luxon comes on to defend the new punitive measures against beneficiaries who the government deems are not sufficiently motivated to seek work.
He is asked if he knows how much the job seeker benefit is a week.
He doesn't know, not even willing to approximate.
It sums up what we have already found out about our figurehead PM. He is incredibly unprepared and out of touch with what many New Zealanders have to live on per week.
Even Luxon conceded that it was a small proportion of beneficiaries who milk the system, which begs the question why if it is so small, is the government so keen to do it?
The answer has nothing to do with being fair to "ordinary hard working tax paying New Zealanders" a phrase which National uses unceasingly. It is all about playing up to their redneck supporters who think that only people who WANT to be unemployed end up that way and if they can't find a job it is THEIR fault.
Ignores how unemployment has soared in the last year under this government. The hypocrisy of running a government where unemployment is growing, and at the same time telling people they are bucking the system when they can't find a job. An astute listener to Morning Report texted that to the programme.
Luxon is a slave to ACT and NZ First. His government is a thieves guild comprised of rich urban neo-liberals, conservative rural environment plunderers, conspiracy theorists and "squeezed middle class" Ford Ranger enthusiasts. He sits impotently on the top, not seeming to realize what is happening beneath.
'If I don't know about it, I'm not responsible. Lalalala [fingers in ears]'. Except the buck stops with you when you're the leader of the country.
Can’t think of a less effective PM in my lifetime.
The Disinformation Project seems to have gone quiet.
I would have thought the recent Olympic boxing bruhaha was in their purview.
Perhaps they are the victims of recent funding cuts.
Perhaps – the DP's most recent media statement was on 26 March. Maybe there are now better ways (AI?) to address disinformation and associated harms. Our CoC govt appears committed to disinformation resilience and the like, although I do wonder.
According to AP News, Khelif can look after herself: she's filing a complaint in the French legal system regarding the misinformation and hate targeted at her. Kirsty Burrows, an IOC official who had death threats and harassment after speaking on Khelif's behalf at a press conference earlier filed a similar complaint.
This is the way to go, like the Green MP who chased and exposed 2 Young Nats as generators of bulk hate mail a couple of years ago. Can't hide your hate behind a social media mask anymore. Or your state propaganda behind a bot army.
"The Paris prosecutor’s office said it received Burrows’ complaint on Aug. 4 and agents from the National Unit for the Fight against Online Hate are investigating the alleged offenses, including death threats, public provocations aimed at attacking a person and cyberbullying. Under French law, the crimes, if proven, carry prison sentences that range from two to five years and fines ranging from 30,000 to 45,000 euros."
In France's Justice system, it's up to prosecutors to identify miscreants, and whether there's a case against an individual or organisation.
Placed this where I meant it to go.
And of course, the aim of all this blitzing is to shift public opinion in NZ against the trans community, and the positive legal and social advances they have made here in recent years. Demagogues aren't interested in facts, they're interested in feelings: ‘Nasty man hurts poor, whimpering woman. Man in dress is pedophile. Change this now!’
The DP was contracted by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under the last Labour government, but that ended well before the 2023 election. As did the contract the DP had with the University of Auckland. If they've gone quiet, it's more likely because their at times ridiculous claims have dented their credibility.
Bryce Edwards: The need to take disinformation seriously – Democracy Project
Fully aware of that, I was wondering if funding from the Prime Minister's had stopped.
Not content with wrecking housing and health and education, the NACT1 government is also destroying tourism.
https://archive.md/kKZA2
I think that increasing levies on tourism is a good thing. And people who can afford international airfares, aren't going to be deterred by a fee of $341.
Working holiday visas contribute virtually nothing to the economy (apart from supporting the low-wage economy in tourism industries (think ski instructors in Queenstown, or vineyard temp employees in Marlborough). Again, if they can afford to fly here, they can afford the cost of the visa.
And of course, the aim of all this blitzing is to shift public opinion in NZ against the trans community, and the positive legal and social advances they have made here in recent years. Demagogues aren't interested in facts, they're interested in feelings: ‘Nasty man hurts poor, whimpering woman. Man in dress is pedophile. Change this now!’
To sell more fizz in the Middle East and South Asia, Coca Cola tried to pass off a Coca Cola factory built in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem, as being in Palestine.
Technically this may be correct, but didn't stop the outrage from Coke's intended customers, offended that Coke considered them too ignorant to know the difference between a factory situated in an illegal Israeli only Settlement on Palestinian land, and Palestine.
“Even Palestine has a Coke factory,” Coca Cola advertising claim
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350376909/how-coca-cola-tried-and-failed-suppress-boycott-over-gaza