Martin Luther King
I think he got involved with ‘another’ woman. But he was still a good guy trying to be good in a not so good world. So let’s keep our minds on what is good, and not hare off after the faults, unless they are venal (google – showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery; corrupt.)
Listening to RadioNZ this morning raking through the ashes of the ACT Party raises the interesting question, is Mathew Hooten the arch-spinner of right wing propaganda being Himself ‘spun’ by National/ACT,
Hooten, amusingly for one so vocal in the political realm is said by RadioNZ to not be reachable for comment about His name now being bandied about among the heady heights of the hierarchy of the right as a ‘front-runner’ to secure the ACT Party nomination for the electoral seat of Epsom and the Party leadership,
Hooten himself has for quite some time been giving the broadest of hints that He will be forming a new political body of the far right to contest the 2014 election in a bid to replace what He obviously sees as the defunct lapdog of ACT now being used as a mere sex toy by the National Government,
To have any hope of electoral success such a ‘Hooten Party’ will need to announce it’s intentions within the month and this is where i see the master ‘gamer’ Hooten being in turn ‘gamed’ by Slippery the PM and Joyce in a little game of ‘who blinks first’
Sources within ACT are talking up Hooten to be announced as the Epsom ACT candidate in March which as such is far from a promise of Him securing the candidacy which leaves Hooten with the question,
Does He announce His ‘new’ political vehicle within the month thus ensuring 10 months of traction leading into the 2014 election, or, does Hooten hold off in the belief that He is the ‘front-runner’ to gain the ACT Party nomination for Epsom,
Come March will Hooten have taken the ‘bait’ in this ruthless game of right wing politics, not launch His ‘new’ party of the right and be left standing in the cold with a certain appendage in His hand as ACT/National select a far more ‘pliable’ candidate for the Epsom electorate,
In the game of political ‘spin’ has the biggest ‘spinner’ of them all just been ‘spun’ into the dunces corner by the machinations of Steven Joyce…
In the game of political ‘spin’ has the biggest ‘spinner’ of them all just been ‘spun’ into the dunces corner by the machinations of Steven Joyce…
No, I don’t think so bad12.
I used to know a bit about the inner-most workings of the ACT Party and I doubt much has changed. Candidate selection in ACT didn’t involve a ‘selection’ as such. The rank and file had no part to play in it. Candidates were chosen around the Board table and essentially represented jobs for the boys and occasionally the girls.
If the rumours are true and Matthew Hooton is looking to stand in Epsom, then the deal has been well and truly done. It will be touted as a new beginning… a new party and they may even give it a new name. But it will be the ACT Party in drag.
The interesting bit is Stephen Joyce trying to talk Rodney Hide into returning to politics. Is there some angst about a new ACT Party being lead by Matthew Hooton?
Won’t Hooten be weighing up whether the possible loss of his RNZ gig be preying on his mind (or rather ego)?
Which of the two (Epsom or RNZ) is going to be more valuable. I suppose the Epsom one might allow greater potential for him to throw the occasional hissy fit without sanction.
Perhaps he should consult Josie – or even “Im inclined to agree with you Mathew” Williams.
Hooten is still a ‘young man’ in terms of politics, there is only so much splintering of the vote that can occur on the right, a little crowded right now by both ACT and the Conservatives,along with the ‘either way’ NZFirst Party, befor Nationals Party vote begins to suffer,
Hooten is ‘all’ noble knight bowing out of the 2014 contest on both fronts,(the ACT Epsom candidacy, and, the formation of the Hooten Party), seeming to be suggesting that His only concern in doing so lie in the electoral chances of the ‘right’ in this years election,
Come in spinner, plausible perhaps, yes inserted for the laughs, Hooten will warrant close scrutiny in the next few months for signs of ‘baubles’ having been accrued…
Anne, from the Herald online it appears that Hooten in his NBR column out today has nixed any idea of Him standing for ACT in Epsom as well as forming a right-wing Hooten party to contest for the far right vote in 2014,
i could here speculate further about the machinations being employed by Slippery the PM via His ‘fixer’ Steven Joyce to have someone selected for the ACT Epsom candidate that will definitely not rock the boat in any way for a third term National Government, Hooten shown to have a ‘loose cannon’ tendency especially surrounding issues of ‘business welfare’ and also having embarrassed National over the broadband roll-out debacle is definitely not who National have in mind to fill the position of lap-dog should another National regime be forthcoming from the 2014 election,
It will be far more amusing in the coming weeks to read and listen to Hooten’s ‘spin’ over His political ambitions which seem to be all but extinguished until at least the 2017 election, perhaps by then Hooten ‘sees’ both ACT and the Conservatives having run their course into oblivion being the ideal opportunity for a ‘new’ political vehicle of the far right…
Yes bad 12 I saw that Hooton had ruled himself out of any attempt to run for ACT in Epsom. I did say… if the rumour was true. 😉
It is going to be amusing in the coming weeks alright because clearly there is one hell of a lot of machinations going on in the Nat. Party. Exactly what they are may take a while to figure out, but they know they have to cement in some kind of coalition party arrangement early so that they can sell them to the gullible portion of the public well before the election. At this point it looks like they’re shitting themselves they might have to rely on the ‘Silly’ party. You know, the one with that goon, Colin Craig and crackpot, Christine Rankin.
I realise it is a touchy subject and that the MSM seem incapable of dealing with it,
but there are one hundred and nineteen seats in our Parliament that are not Epsom.
Maybe this rather important fact could be used to our advantadge in the upcoming election?
If tho, as many are saying this far out from November 2014 the election will be an extremely tight ‘affair’,(perhaps as close as giving either left or right a one seat majority), then the electorates of Epsom, Ohariu, and Waiariki become the crucial factors in which side, left or right, will have that wafer thin ‘right to Govern’,
Of course an election win for the left could possibly come from a 2-3% swing against the present Government through the Party Vote, but, with plenty of ‘good news’ to spin to the electorate on the economic front i should think that such a scenario is unlikely,
Given that National have the perceived upper hand from a recovering economy the above is an unlikely scenario which leaves the left facing the prospect of turning out 5% of the voters who did not vote in the 2011 election,
As yet the major player on the left, Labour, has failed abysmally to portray any coherent election strategy which would lead me to believe that that particular party has the means to move these non-voters off of the fence and into the polling booths in November,
In the general electorates a ray of light evident from the 2011 election,especially in Auckland is the in-roads the Green Party has made in the safe National seats at times doubling it’s share of the Party Vote and should this upward trajectory continue throughout both provincial and city held National electorates at the 2014 election this may be enough to cause a change of government from right to left,
Other than that the three seats above and how Labour and the Green Parties approach these seats will looking from this far away from November, be the crucial test of whether National has the ability to form a Government after the votes are counted…
Swap a few names around and has not that very discussion been the basis of every election since MMP was adopted? and even earlier . . . I am only in my 40’s but when i reflect on NZ elections in my lifetime I see two bloated gits riding the only seesaw in the park with neither participant paying any attention to the bowing of the plank.
IMHO The only way Labour or National, are ever going to get back to working for the good of all New Zealand is when that plank finally gives way and they are sitting there bruised bawling and devoid of power, albeit on their OSH approved rubber safety matting. Everyone else, having grown tired of waiting, headed off for a game of bullrush. Some were going to go for a swim but those fat gits on the seesaw kept throwing all their junkfood into the stream . . . Anyway, you see where this metaphor is going. There are other ways to use the playground!
That of course is a pipe-dream, but without dreams we have no aspirations, and apparently aspirations are really important to the country 😉
Pick your metaphor, be it playground bullies, stockholm syndrome or the slow boiling frog, this country is hurting. This is not the first time folk will call me naive and I promise it will not be the last. If that label comforts people as they begrudgingly come to terms with the concept of choice and the need for it to sometimes be radical in nature, then flail away with gusto. I simply believe it would be great to see the voters in a modern democracy become that most dangerous of critters, a clever sheep.
I honestly believe that New Zealand would do better in the upcoming decade and beyond, both socially and economically, if the status-quo of electoral representation was drastically transformed. I sincerely wish the public had the balls to do the brave thing and not simply follow the hayfeed all the way into the slaughterhouse. Problems do arise though when those selling the hayfeed only supply it to those running the slaughterhouses. Sheep gotta eat, and the wide open fields are now so few in number.
mmmmmm new stuff, thanks, I will try to get a copy. No broadband at home anymore and no TV, and watching video via a tethered cellphone is way too expensive. Thankfully I know a few media junkies with full shelves.
On the MMP subject though, there is one thing I find staggering about MMP in NZ and it is how we still have not had a single MMP government. Just defacto FPP.
It is so simple to do but apparently it is a concept beyond the capacity of our elected representatives to grasp (beyond the will of their fatcat sponsors more likely …)
MMP
1: A bunch of people are elected to Parliament
(I should say if we are to be lumbered with 120 MPs then I prefer two elected MPs per electorate over any Party list. btw This is not STV, it is two votes per voter for two candidates, but i digress)
2: This group of elected representatives who are meant to be intelligent highly skilled and competent adults, then make nominations for a PM. Votes are taken, etc, eventually a party’s nomination will be successful. It may not necessarily be the leader of the biggest party either.
3: This PM then selects their cabinet, much as we now do, but this cabinet differs as it has a high probablity of being a cross-party cabinet. (a PM in a tight year would likely need to secure more cross-party votes to become PM and thus have to deliver [more] cabinet seats)
4: The PM has been selected, the Cabinet chosen, once the GG signs off then hey-presto we have a MMP government! One that can get on with debating bills voting on stuff and just generally progress the job of governing a modern democracy in a responsible and democratic manner. (i know i know, funny stuff right! ) Huge point of difference being this MMP government does so in a manner more reflective of the public vote, which in my warped view of the world is sort of the intention of an election.
I also doubt this entire process would take anywhere near as long as the protracted bullcrap that is coalition agreement negotiation, which in the end only ever gives us mutations of FPP dictatorships.
I sense the powers that be are testing the water on this issue.
Suddenly (assaulting kids) smacking kids is all over the news from nowhere.
Expect one of those awful Herald or Stuff polls to see what the results are.
Something like ‘ Do you agree with Colin Craig about smacking kids?’ With reread full multi-choice answers to massage the results.
If the results look good to the National Party playmakers, then the decision will be to support Craig and give him a patsy seat.
If not, Plan B …find someone plausible to resurrect ACT.
It’s like an iceberg….there’s a lot more under the surface than what we can see.
I agree, but I would add that I think Craig’s team is playing a smart game. All he wants is at best 5% of the vote, and at least a seat plus about 3% to bring some people in with him. He is not seeking the votes of the liberal left. Rather, they are his target. So he starts with a couple of crazy claims, designed to get himself onto the front page and his opponents ridiculing at him. Then he follows up with what looks like a promising wedge issue.
His opponents readily conflate the removal of “reasonable force” from the law books, which most support, with their belief that no child should be slapped, which many people are more iffy about, since it looks to them too much like busy-bodying. Therein lies the wedge. He does not need all that many people to cry, “No one’s telling me how to raise my family!” to get himself over the line.
I do not think that anyone should take this guy lightly. His party may look like a vanity project but he appears to have vested interests of some sort putting the wind into his sails.
Stuff is running the poll already, I’m afraid and, predictably, around 2/3rds of voters agree with him.
What a country – they want legal permission to physically abuse their children while happily not extending the right to their cats and dogs or other adults! In other words, before the repeal of Section 59, children were unique in our society in having less protection under the law than anyone or anything else short of rats and mice!
I think it emanates from a quite nasty and negative view of children and an awful degree of ignorance about how children grow and learn. It seems that this attitude is dearest to the hearts of the religious right who, mistakenly believe that the Bible gives this advice. In fact it is a mistranslation. The ‘rod’ referred to in the “spare the rod and spoil the child” advice should actually be a yoke and is using the analogy of oxen yoked together. The idea is that we need to teach our children to work with others in their community to attain good social outcomes, just like oxen working together plough the straightest furrow. It has nothing to do with violence.
Yup, testing the water.
NACTS will sacrifice our children to get their deal with Craig’s group of religious adherents.
They’ll promise him a referendum or a conscience vote on the matter.
And if it works, they’ll be able to gut our health and education systems for their corporate masters.
Phase 2 of the Key plan was toxic enough; phase 3 will be all out war to make changes that will be irreversible.
Jan, you have an interesting ‘take’ on the biblical ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ exhortation, in plain English tho this particular exhortation,(some say is a mis-representation of the actual words of the Bible), can be read either way,
The ‘right’ it would seem have the view of this exhortation to have the literal meaning that if the child is not whipped regularly then the child will be spoiled in a negative sense,
Of course the English language would also give us as a literal meaning an exhortation to ‘spare the rod’, in other words be sparing of the rod’s use, and, ‘spoil the child’, spoil here being used not as a negative, instead as a positive where we do ‘spoil’ our children in every aspect of their lives shielding them from poverty and need while attempting to give to them a ‘better’ life than we have had…
I think this is a moral issue that’s been turned into a political football as a smokescreen to whip up a fervour of redneck support for right-wing ideology. But more importantly it also deflects all MSM attention away from much more important issues such as the poorly performing economy, (rock star economy my arse!) poverty, unemployment etc. This ‘deflection’ interrupts the ability of the general public to at least begin ‘joining the dots’ over how dysfunctional, undemocratic and insane this NACT government really is.
It’s such bollocks. A smack isn’t assault and never was. Nobody has been prosecuted for smacking their children under the new law. Beating your child with a jug cord on the other hand…
I think this has to be the message. Colin Craig is all “this law isn’t working for me!!!!” but has he, as a prominent, avowed smacker-of-children, been so much as investigated by the police, much less charged, prosecuted or fined? Nope. Can he find one single case of a saintly parent unjustifiably imprisoned for a single “harmless” smack? Nope, or it would be mentioned in the story.
He needs to be asked, “How is the law not working?” and when his response is “because child abuse has increased” he needs to be asked again, “Do you think you might have some role in that, given how loudly and proudly you talk about hitting your children? Do you think really abusive parents know the difference between a “light smack” and abuse? So don’t you think that maybe abusive parents see you as justifying what they do?”
Or, alternatively, the Herald could stop fucking publishing Craig’s every thought and whimsy verbatim.
Hmm. If reported cases of child abuse has increased, then doesn’t that show that the law is working? Unless the Colin Craig’s of the world can show a widespread pattern of parents being reported and prosecuted for stuff that isn’t actually abuse as defined under…oh, hang on!…isn’t the definition the same as it’s always been, but with a defense for assault of a child removed?
Anyway, prefer your concluding alternative – for the Herald to stop publishing this kinda shit. But that just ain’t gonna happen.
If reported cases of child abuse has increased, then doesn’t that show that the law is working?
That’s another argument we can make, which also brings up the It’s Not OK campaign which was considered very successful … and then got gutted by the Government, because that’s how much they care about child abuse.
The weird thing about the Herald and other NZ media is they keep giving Colin Craig’s extremist views oxygen, and don’t challenge his statements … but then they use the most pissy, thin-lipped, unfriendly photos of him. Mixed feelings on the editorial team, perhaps?
A flimsy argument can be made that he no longer feels he has the right to smack his children in public for fear of being prosecuted/investigated by the police. Thus he’s being made to feel like a criminal or a bad-guy when he is doing nothing unlawful.
As others have said on this blog before, the police like to harass people by charging them and investigating them on tenuous grounds.
Except that he’s a high-profile advocate for smacking who publicly states he smacks his kids. If the police really were witch-hunting Good Parents Who Smack then they’d have already knocked on his door, by that logic.
This isn’t an argument for the police being saintly dealers of clean justice, just poking the holes in Craig’s argument.
QoT
I encourage everyone to substitute the word ‘smack’, which has gentle parental connotations, with the word ‘hit’, which has the actual and realistic connotation of violence.
Also, use of the continuous verb ‘smacking’ appears less violent than the word, ‘hitting’. These are minor linguistic modifications which impact on the linguistically manipulable swing voters.
Attack the expression “anti smacking”and hit anyone who uses it!
Well there is nothing illegal about E-Mailing his So called Party, and tell them what you think just watch the Effing and Blinding, as he is supposedly religious.
Personally and as a father of a 2.9 year old I think he is a Child beating scumbag, And he belongs in Jail. Using a position of ‘leader’ to push the assault and battery of our helpless children is just plain despicable.
Yes, well that’s part of the problem, crunchtime, people with money and good lawyers were getting away with horsewhipping their children under that old legislation
Yes the saddest day of my Mothers life was when she unpacked the new electrolux only to find that the power cord could no longer be fully detached from the machine itself…
Colin Craig is leading the NZ media around by the nose and it’s hilarious to watch. He’s the single representative of a minority party that isn’t even in Parliament and in an election year he’s getting more media coverage than the Leader of the Opposition.
Kiwi chicks are sluts! Man on the moon! I smack my kids! If you don’t realise this is part of a publicity campaign you’re an idiot.
Coverage, coverage, coverage. The guy has a media footprint a hundred times bigger than his actual foot.
I think it’s the former Draco (i.e. he’s leading them round by the nose). They’ve become accustomed to lazy is as lazy does generally.
He’s viewed by all those MSM ….err umm journalists?? …. as a bit of humour. The surface and the superficiality is more important than the substance (of which there is very little). If they had to rely on the latter, there’d be fuck all of a story and nothing to make a name for themselves with.
@ Marty …
Well they are his possessions after all. He therefore has a Divine right to treat them, manipulate them, mould their minds and personalities as he sees fit. I mean he’s got the credentials – a successful economic unit – equipped with Weberian ideology, religious commitment beyond question.
Surely that gives him the right to beat the shit out of them * to make sure they become successful, good, wholesome taxpayers … oops – I mean citizens
* Only IF NECESSARY of course!, and ONLY in moderation – after all – he holds the values of good, right thinking (WASP) KIWIS – SICK AND TIRED of bleeding heart liberals and those that are just making bloody excuses for the downtrodden (You know the ‘type’: the enablers, the Welfare troughers, those with Sympathy for the Devil).
(I trust Colon like I do the Chemo drug supplier looking for cancer)
Discussion on NZ politics this morning on National Radio right now with Jeffrey Palmer and some other politics professor. Talking about how elections are increasingly about personalities instead of policy, but not… quite…. connecting that with low voter turnout, and very nearly almost but not quite blaming the MSM for it. Who are indeed largely to blame.
Frustrating to listen to, the answer to several questions posed by Noel are essentially really simple, but the response is lengthy waffling about how terribly complex it is.
The truth of the matter is: they live in their academic ivory towers and they really don’t have a clue what’s going on around them. It’s always been a bit that way but nowadays it’s worse than ever. I haven’t worked out why yet except to say they do appear to feel they must be careful what they say otherwise they might lose their privileged commentating positions.
The amusing part is: they may have worked hard and can officially call themselves academics, but there’s plenty of people who comment here who are far cleverer than they are.. and so much more clued up about what’s going on.
“The report identifies five key areas where further federal commitments to protect science from undue corporate influence are needed: protecting government scientists from retaliation and intimidation; making government more transparent and accountable; reforming the regulatory process; strengthening scientific advice to government; and strengthening monitoring and enforcement.”
Anne, why go to academics if you don’t want them to talk about the theory and the research? I dont share the view that they don’t live real world. Their world is very real these days bt sometimes you need people unfettered by things like job security to better be your society’s conscience?
That’s good in theory but apart from a few well known exceptions (eg Prof Jane Kelsey and others) I don’t think that the Academy is doing a good job of holding power and privilege in our society to account.
You can’t generalise that much about academics – as well as differences between individuals, there are differences between departments and universities. Economics departments seem to have become domianted by neoliberal capture. It seems to me that a few senior academics at Auckland Uni Pols Studies Dept are apologists for neoliberalism and US imperialism – but then there was Paul Buchanana.
Do you agree with this in full?
I picked up this bit from Schopenhauer’s Essays and Aphorisms – ‘On Thinking For Yourself’.
Now you can apply yourself voluntarily to reading and learning, but you cannot really apply yourself to thinking: thinking has to be kindled, as a fire is by a draught, and kept going by some kind of interest in its object, which may be an objective interest or merely a subjective one.
The latter is possible only with things that affect us personally, the former only to those heads who think by nature, to whom thinking is as natural as breathing, and these are very rare.
That is why most scholars do so little of it. p.89Penguin
I agree that not everyone who “learns” think critically – some just learn by rote.
I wouldn’t separate objective and subjective “interest” – the most critical thinking involves a balance between the two.
I also think people kid themselves if they think their main interests in life aren’t fuelled by personal experience – things that affected them personally.
It is part of the legacy of enlightenment thinking that pure “objective” thinking is the best kind of thinking and scholarship – in fact, their work shows such scholarship was largely done from the perspective of the ruling classes – most usually white upper/ middle class males, until it started to get challenged strongly some time in the mid 20th century.
I understand Einstein reckoned innovative thinking included a mix of intuitive and logical thinking – kind of similar to the objective + the subjective realms of thinking.
Crunchtime, CV and I – starting at 5 – were talking about those ‘academics’ who have been selected by the MSM to regularly comment on issues relevant to politics. I was referring to people like Josie Pagani, Bryce Edwards, Matthew Hooton, Claire Robinson etc. who have their own partisan political agendas which colour their judgements. Then you have the wafflers like the good professor, Raymond Millar who never really says anything we don’t already know. Jon Johannssen wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade but he seems to have fallen out of favour.
Apart from Paul Buchanan, how often do we hear the likes of the top rated academics like Jane Kelsey (and there are numerous others) on the MSM outlets? We don’t hear them. The moment they start talking directly about the truth of a situation (backed up with facts) they get shafted. Gordon Campbell is a good example. Some years ago he vehemently disagreed with some well known right-wing celebrity (forgotten who it was but he was a regular RNZ Panel guest) and that was the end of him. I presume he was never invited back.
CV
In my experience academics are good people, intelligent, analytical and potentially ethical, but the ones I know are scared of the power that politicians and ‘University CEO managers’ who aren’t interested in real education or research but in pleasing their political and economic masters.
I’m very disappointed in the diminishing effect of the real thinkers in our universities and the growing power of the non thinkers in university staff.
Quite noticeable over the past two or three decades.
Also noticeable has been the corporate disciplines such as economics, commerce/business, etc which have limited place in a university
That is if you believe a university is for teaching people HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
Of course, privilege and power have no incentive to create young adults able and willing to challenge the assumptions and structures of the hierarchy. Just ones who are able and willing to run the machinery of the hierarchy.
CV
So well and succinctly put- ‘A university is for teaching people “HOW” to think, not “WHAT” to think’ I really like that. I wish I’d said it.
Anti-academic Tories including a number of my right wing, well intentioned friends/ relatives and especially our beloved ACT MP, the architectural advocate of charter schools wouldn’t understand that concept and I doubt that our PM would either.
We have a long road ahead.
Master hoodwinker isn’t going to waste time on a new party in election year he will be to busy
Spinning.
Like a broken washing machine permanently stuck on spin cycle.
Thr effort to find 500 new party members to form a party then find a high profile politcal animal of the right it would be easier to resurect the rotting carcus of Act.
Nactional will try and rebrand colon craig.
Folks, before I go writing to Opposition ACC spokesperson, Iain Lees Galloway can I check with those close to the NZLP whether you know, or have heard any word on what Labour, if elected, would plan to do about the part charge that ACC Physio patients must pay and have paid since National came to power and removed fully subsidised Physio treatments?
(I checked the party website but couldn’t find any info about it)
I can not be the only person in NZ whose treatment of injury has been hampered by not being able to pay the charge ($20 per session) therefore missing out on necessary treatment and leaving me in pain longer.
There must be thousands suffering because of the right’s allergy to the free and accessible provision of essential medical treatment. Their attempts to undermine to ACC’s functions are cynical and cruel in the extreme.
IMO. Some less scrupulous physio practices gamed the system of free treatment to charge ACC massive amounts of money for huge numbers of patient visits. Many millions of dollars of difficult to justify invoicing to ACC occurred. Unfortunately that helped cause the demise of the scheme for everyone. No political party will be keen to go back to the system as it stood back then.
OH really!!! Thanks for that news CV. What a shame, as patients suffer and the legitimate physio’s who are genuine in their approach must be losing income from those patients who can’t afford to make their appointments.
So, you don’t think there is much hope of full funding for treatment appointments being reinstated, even if we did have a change of govt?
“No political party will be keen to go back to the system as it stood back then.”
…throwing the baby out with the bathwater comes to mind.
You don’t have to go back to a system that allows gouging, but you can reinstate a system where those who need help get it when they need it AND include a auditing system that stops unscrupulous physio practices from being part of the scheme.
“You don’t have to go back to a system that allows gouging, but you can reinstate a system where those who need help get it when they need it AND include a auditing system that stops unscrupulous physio practices from being part of the scheme”.
Exactly. When there’s a problem, solve it, that’s all.
I also wonder, there must have more to it than some shifty physio’s. Right wingers (and insurers!) have an ideological opposition to the service that ACC provides. How convenient for that there was an excuse ready to hand.
Lanthanide, 5 – 6 sessions doesn’t even begin to cover it for those with a serious injury. For my particular injury I am meant to have 4 sessions per week – I can barely cover one per week and have had to cancel this weeks’ appointment.
Molly’s auditing idea at 7.1.2, as a response to scamming, is a great start. ACC Patients should not be punished because of a few dodgy physio’s and there should be no treatment compromises for those patients either.
These days they (partially) fund about 13 sessions after an injury, then they start to quibble – even with my pretty serious injury. They want people to be taught to go away and do the exercises the physio taught them, rather than get continued manipulations from a physio.
Thanks CV. It is interesting to hear the info straight from the horses mouth. That was my impression of the situation. But while it appeared that there was a moral hazard occurring with physio that led to large payouts, surely there must be a system of checking with doctors every 3 months say to see if it is proving necessary and efficacious.
If someone had to pay $30 or so every three months it would be cheaper for them than $20 per visit but would limit the free for all that pollies portrayed as happening.
I had two occasions where physios under the old system both diagnosed the problem and decided the treatment. Both times I felt were ripping off the system.
I think a GP’s referral is necessary for physio treatment.
When I want a vehicle WOF I go to someone who hasn’t a vested interest.
Worthwhile examining again but we have been down this track before. It’s an additional upfront cost and delay to the patient, GPs imo have little keenness in filling up their waiting rooms with sore low backs and sprained ankles, and how is a GP who has spent a few glancing months on the musculoskeletal system going to help compared to a physio who has spent 4 years focussing on it?
Far be it for a chiropractor to try and defend the physio perspective 😈
FWIW, the last issue I had was dealt with in an interesting way: GP referral to a practise that had a leg-specialist physio, another physio on the back and all overseen by an oesteopath. Felt a bit Formula One pit-crewish, and with multiple appointments, but in toot-sweet time I was walking straight (and possibly taller).
I agree with a lot of what you say, so I’ll refrain from commenting further on the chiropracty topic.
I imagine that what you say in 7.1 is founded on fact as you work in an adjacent field. But surely the issue of “less scrupulous physio practices gam[ing] the system of free treatment to charge ACC massive amounts of money for huge numbers of patient visits”, is best dealt with by regulating and monitoring the practices; rather than putting further impediments between patients and health providers. A visit to a GP may be a month’s worth of discretionary spending to a beneficiary (which may be able to be claimed back from WINZ, but you can’t be certain even if you do jump through their hoops).
If we had a less run-down public health system, free-to-patient access to physiotherapy should be the case for preventative education not just post-injury. Maybe some kind of; hospital-based referral centre (that didn’t itself require a referral from a GP), could be a way to go for a future Health minister?
I had thought the rumours about Craig having a very personal reason for wanting to change the child assault law were just unfounded gossip. Apparently not.
Lol. They used the same mean lipped Herald photo in the OTD as the one Marty Mars posted above.
Of course Crazy Colin is there to push his own clueless agenda. I do wonder though, whether the belt up ya kids brigade have settled down from their hysteria sufficiently after realising they weren’t thrown in jail and in fact don’t care too much about the repeal of section 59 any more and perhaps Crazy Colin is just wasting his time trying to bring it up again?
Cross fingers that will be the case, but I don’t know – that would require them to have critical thinking skills.
Unfortunately, I think many of Colin Craig’s supporters are more of the “Nobody has a right to tell me what to do with my kids” school of thought. So while some of the more middle of the road supporters may have fallen away with the realisation that they have not been prosecuted, the committed will get louder and more vocal.
On the other hand, by giving opportunity to these types of supporters to be more vocal he may end up being marginalised.
My thoughts too Molly – there will be the group of non critical thinking types who are stuck in the “nobody has a right to tell me….” groove and like a dog with a bone they won’t let it go.
(Unfortunately I know some people in this category, but luckily the religious cult they belong to doesn’t allow them to vote)
If the agenda push does end up backfiring it will be a good sign that this group of people, the more middle of the road as you say, has matured and learnt.
don’t be too sure about them not voting Rosie .Remember the “non political” Brethren.Who had vast amounts of money to support the Nat’s.. One group I am concerned over is the Apostolic groups who if organized could be a danger to the Left…
I missed MMars’ comment when I made my own – the article he links to is a bit more in-depth than the ODT version. There seems to be a long moderation time at the moment with vacations, so I’m not sure if it was there and I didn’t see it, or I just skipped past.
That picture really says it all doesn’t it. Do we want that guy to have a legal defense for putting kids in hospital?
The Herald article has been updated since I read it earlier this morning, includiing these remarks from the Police
A police spokesman said they were satisfied that Mr Craig’s comments on radio this morning did not “amount to disclosure of an offence”.
“Police do not intend being drawn into a political debate on this issue in an election year.”
University of Auckland Associate Professor of Law Bill Hodge said even if police did not prosecute anyone could bring a private prosecution against Mr Craig if they believed he was breaking the law.”
[It also now includes a summary of Section 59.]
The Police remarks are …. telling?
Bill Hodge’s statement about a private prosecution made me laugh. Cue Graham McCready ?
That photo of Craig is scary with its pentup anger etc in his whole facial expression; but particularly in the eyes.
For some reason there is no reply button on any of the above comments.
I wanted to reply to bad 12 at 3.1 as quoted below
The secret of the Labour getting more than a one seat majority will depend entirely on the people they choose to stand in each electorate.
If they insist on giving the electors second rate candidates or recycling tired old used candidates they will never get an increased vote. I despair of the slowness that their system takes to get good candidates selected and running. In my electorate it looks as if we will not have a candidate for some months yet and that is way too late for any chance of getting change.
If tho, as many are saying this far out from November 2014 the election will be an extremely tight ‘affair’,(perhaps as close as giving either left or right a one seat majority), then the electorates of Epsom, Ohariu, and Waiariki become the crucial factors in which side, left or right, will have that wafer thin ‘right to Govern
lprent – there’s no reply button on this posting. Sorry. My humble apologizes – it has been fixed – yeah.
Rosie – ACC is a hassle. Go over the top of your case manager. Write to the head of ACC here in Wellington, CC in Judith Collins, Iain Lees Galloway and Kevin Hague.
Be really harsh and firm, tell him that you are being treated unfairly, that the cost of the physio is holding up your rehabilitation, and that the cost is something you cannot afford on your meager income. Be unrelenting. It is no longer the scheme it was set up to be. And make sure you record all conversations you have with anyone from ACC – no exceptions. They are paid by results – ie, the number of clients they successfully get off their books. Good luck.
Thank you very much Will@Welly for your thoughts and advice.
The trick is I don’t have a case manager. As I am unemployed they aren’t paying the wage compensation so no need for a case manager. And of course, it’s a typical idiotic move by the nat govt to restrict access to treatment to the population, as in my case (and no doubt many others) my lack of recovery is impacting on my ability to find work due to limited mobility.
My main issue is the impact this must be having on so many people and that full funding for treatment is absolutely essential for people to have if they are to recover. That is what ACC exists for.
Whether Labour plan to reinstate full funding if they were to be elected, or not (my immediate moral concern) maybe I should take up your suggestion of contacting Crusherless, Lees-Galloway and Hague on a personal level to demonstrate how this policy affects people’s lives.
It’s a bit of a tragic joke really because the other thing on my list of things to do is to make a complaint to the Health and Disability Commission about the lack of diagnosis of an completely unrelated separate injury, which impacted negatively on my life for two years until I finally got the right diagnosis prior to Xmas.
Even though you aren’t getting compensation, your case is on file, incase down the track, when you do find work, you have a reoccurrence. So I would be inclined to write to the Head of ACC and demand proper care, state your case, state that your dire financial circumstances are holding you back from being fully rehabilitated, and demand fair treatment.
You won’t be pushing anyone else to the back of the queue, just getting what you are entitled too. As I stated earlier, cc in Iain Lees-Galloway and Kevin Hague and Judith Collins – that puts pressure on ACC to react. Collins will write back, ignoring you, but Galloway and Hague should take up your case. Any help is good. Best of luck.
Yes, after some thought I have decided to write to the above which I had planned to do this arvo but I have just about fallen off my chair because I received a call 10 mins ago from a prospective employer asking me to come to an interview for a P/T job. I’ve gone into get- ready -for- job interview mode and will have to get back into ACC mode once I’m through job mode.
Thanks for your wishes of luck. I want to live in a country where we shouldn’t rely on luck to get treatment for injuries, illness or assistance when we need it. Too much to ask?
No, we shouldn’t ever have to rely on luck. Self dignity, personal responsibility and ability should be enough to get everyone through. Sadly the dark forces of other peoples’ greed and capriciousness count against so many. You should bolt in Rosie.
I have everything crossed for you, Rosie, for the job interview. Re ACC, I seem to recall reading about various advocates who help with ACC problems. Will search my memory and Google.
Aw ffs! Was that the cops just putting trampers and tourists in the firing line by putting out a public announcement asking them to dob in any cannabis growing they might stumble across? I think so. Fcking twats!
Anyone going into the bush varying a water bottle is now suspicious. Apparently one of the tell-tale signs of a dope-grower. Just go for a walk through many of the workplaces around the country and see all the drink bottles scattered everywhere – what a joke.
Am aware of that – I also watch RT – does that make me a stooge for the Russians? And Al Jazeera – so I must be an unthinking supporter of the Saudi regime?
Along side this, if you watch TYT they keep saying they are moderates who have worked in MSM, if anything they are old school republicans before Regan. Which tells you how out of whack our politics really has got.
First it was minimum wage checkout staff who got crushed by automation
Now it’s fast food workers. Go away cheap labour, you’re not needed in the future economy. This automated machine can make up to 360 gourmet burgers an hour.
With our technology, a restaurant can offer gourmet quality burgers at fast food prices. Our alpha machine replaces all of the hamburger line cooks in a restaurant. It does everything employees can do except better.”
I refuse to use those autocheckout thingies they are taking a job way from someone. And if i have to give my cash up then i prefer a ‘good afternoon/morning and a smile.
it’s immoral to create an economy which no longer needs workers
I’m still pissed off at Dunedin City getting rid of our friendly parking booth workers at Dunedin airport, and replacing them with German made self-pay kiosks.
Right, the 1960’s/1970’s discussion on what people are going to do with all the spare time that they will have in the future, when technology liberates everyone from having to do more than a day or two of work a week.
Meanwhile, while you guys are thinking up nice theories on how to “distribute the fruits of increased production”, unemployment and poverty climbs.
Instead of thinking that it’s taking a job away from someone you should be thinking that that someone now has opportunity to do something better. Well, they would have if we had a society setup to allow such. Instead it’s designed to enrich a few while impoverishing everyone else.
The problem isn’t the change in jobs but the system that prevents that change so as to enrich the few.
Isn’t it remarkable that the portion of the future vision you espouse is the portion which makes the capitalist ownership class richer. How likely was that!
Do you have a timeline going for the rest of it to be implemented, as the reality our young people face today in this scenario is getting turfed out of employment, with your explicit support?
You can never trust the intellectuals of our society to back ordinary workers, because finally, the intellectual are of a different class to ordinary workers and finally, unaffected by their travails.
Isn’t it remarkable that the portion of the future vision you espouse is the portion which makes the capitalist ownership class richer. How likely was that!
That was inevitable with capitalist ownership and thus we need to have a look at capitalist ownership model. I’ve been saying this for several years.
Do you have a timeline going for the rest of it to be implemented, as the reality our young people face today in this scenario is getting turfed out of employment, with your explicit support?
When is it going to be implemented is up to the people of NZ and the rest of the world and how they vote. If they vote in a political party/system that implements it then it will be done.
And, no, I don’t support our young being tossed into unemployment. The massive waste of the capitalist system is totally against anything and everything I stand for and have said on this board.
Good of you to state those principles so clearly. Shame though that your actions in the supermarket explicitly support the very massively wasteful scrapping of workers that you say you decry, while helping to reassure supermarket management that replacing labour with technology was the right call.
Of course, being able to indulge in an intellectual rationalisation (fantasy) that you are in actual fact personally and actively supporting a technology led ‘liberation’ of oppressed (and now unpaid) workers to pursue happier and more fulfilling lives, must be quite satisfying to you.
Shame though that your actions in the supermarket explicitly support the very massively wasteful scrapping of workers that you say you decry, while helping to reassure supermarket management that replacing labour with technology was the right call.
I have to live in society as it is and work to change it through politics which is the only way it can be changed.
Hi David,
Unless I’m in a tearing hurry I refuse to use them for the same reason. Today I went to the local petrol station and because it was very quiet I stopped and chatted to the young lady behind the counter. She has to travel an hour each way on the bus to get to her job- probably the only job she could get. She gave me a lovely smile and appeared so pleased that someone was treating her like a real person. Well worth the effort folks.
Great, have been wondering when such machines would come out. Determined years ago that McDonald’s and other fast food places really should only be employing highly paid technicians to service the machines.
A democracy run by highly paid technicians, where the a burgeoning underclass of low skilled and unskilled workers are permanently unemployed, powerless, in poverty, with their jobs replaced by machines.
Have you stopped for a second to think who exactly this “democracy” of yours leaves behind and abandons, and whether or not that can be considered a real democracy involving all citizens and not just the valued technocrats?
A democracy run by highly paid technicians, where the a burgeoning underclass of low skilled and unskilled workers are permanently unemployed, powerless, in poverty, with their jobs replaced by machines.
/facepalm
The highly paid techs would be the same people that once worked for McDs burger flippers.
Have you stopped for a second to think who exactly this “democracy” of yours leaves behind and abandons, and whether or not that can be considered a real democracy involving all citizens and not just the valued technocrats?
That’s no democracy of mine. That would be your own construction.
Loss of jobs is the natural result of increasing productivity. The people freed up from those jobs can then go and do something else. And, yes, it will retraining.
The highly paid techs would be the same people that once worked for McDs burger flippers.
/facepalm
So McDonalds is going to turn each of their $14/hr workers into $35/hr workers?
When actually, you’d only need one highly paid tech doing the South Island and one doing the North Island. And once the systems became self diagnosing with online troubleshooting and repair, you could halve that number.
Welcome to a brighter future.
The people freed up from those jobs can then go and do something else. And, yes, it will retraining.
Can’t believe you’re trotting out the same neolib lines of the last 30 years.
Exactly what they told the miners, the railway men, the car assembly line workers, the pulp and paper mill operators. They’re all network admins, SAP developers and stock brokers now, don’t you know.
Can’t believe you’re trotting out the same neolib lines of the last 30 years.
Actually, it’s real economics and not neo-liberal BS and it’s been a feature of society ever since we started agriculture. If you increase productivity in one area of work that society needs/wants that will decrease the number of people being employed in that area those people can now go do something else that society wants that wasn’t being done before. This is a good idea. It allows a society that doesn’t produce, say electronics, to do so.
Neoliberalism and capitalism in general fails because, instead of doing something else, it decides to do more of the same and export despite the fact that every other nation is doing the same thing resulting in a glut of product.
As I said, the problem isn’t that those jobs are going. We should be celebrating that. The problem is that our society doesn’t support the changes needed such as getting the people who have lost jobs into retraining. A large part is also that the government leaves it to the capitalists to determine what society does and the capitalists, being risk averse, just want to do more of the same into a flooded market. This results in unemployment which the capitalists want because it keeps wages down.
Now think about what would happen if the government had a space program going that needed more people for research, mechanical engineering and general dogs bodies and which those people could be fitted into with full training given. Would you still be complaining about those jobs being lost?
I put up a reference to lumpenproletariat earlier when Marx was being mentioned.
Another model for looking at society strata – the proportions of types of people haven’t changed here since those in the 1989 textbook I am looking at.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VALS
…used statistics to identify attitudinal and demographic questions that helped categorize adult American consumers into one of nine lifestyle types:
survivors (4%),
sustainers (7%), Named – Need driven consumers
The questions were weighted using data developed from a sample of 1,635 Americans and their partners, who responded to an SRI International survey in 1980.[2] Called the Values and Lifestyle VALS program developed at the Stanford Research Institute.
Is this type of breakdown of population an aid in understanding the proportion of right and left voters?
There have been some very big changes in the US since that textbook would have been prepared. Consumers are now neck deep in debt, many have lost their homes or are underwater, and for the first time ever, many Americans feel that their prospects going forward are bleaker, not brighter.
Is this type of breakdown of population an aid in understanding the proportion of right and left voters?
Mounting ANGER and FRUSTRATION of the people is the thing that the Left fails to get and accept in the US; it is however something that the Right Wing (eg Tea Party) understands and uses very adroitly.
Have you tried inserts? Or maybe style your hair like Peter Dunne.
I’d say women treat short guys like guys treat chicks, and fat chicks get it even worse. Except chicks isn’t normally a word I’d use, but just this once……
13 January 2014
Julie Read
CEO/ Director
NZ Serious Fraud Office
Nick Paterson
General Manager
Fraud and Corruption
NZ Serious Fraud Office
‘Open Letter’
For your urgent consideration:
Please be advised that if Lisa Prager and myself (Penny Bright), have not had it confirmed by yourselves, by email, by 5pm Tuesday 14 January 2014, that the SFO will re-evaluate our following bribery and corruption complaint, then without further notice, proceedings for a private prosecution on this matter will be filed in the Auckland District Court on Wednesday 15 January 2014.
Please be advised that no such response by email, by 5pm Tuesday 14 January 2014, will be taken as a ’NO’ to our request.
Was Len bribed??? naughty little man should be spanked severely if this were proven, at a guess tho any court looking at the evidence of bribery that can be presented and that appears to be the sum total of zilch as far as ‘evidence’ goes, and consign such a ‘charge’ to the nearest dustbin…
newsense
I think I read that MacDonalds had an arrangement with their staff that they will help them apply for food stamps if needed. They are a very kindly corporation and I am sure want the best for them. And prepare them for when they might be replaced if Macs instal robot hamburger makers as referred to on this blog (yesterday?) – I think that it can do 300 ‘gourmet’ hamburgers in an hour??
CV your narative on the intellectuals is summing up what labour has become.
Amish no greens mana yes.
Back in the 70’s IBM released a corporate statement saying that
Machines and computers would negate the need to work.
And we would all be just doing liesure activities.
I never trusted that statement then.
I don’t Now .
Printing money has been suggested by CV.
I agree to a degree if it is for specific purpose that is not going to create rampant inflation such as the CHCh rebuild.
Housing shortage it could be used to keep house inflation down reducing speculation.
Just giving it to large banks to speculate is counter productive
Like what’s happening in global stock markets right Now.
I had to laugh at the news tonight the business commentater was saying that tje stock market will perform all year that is until the GOP sabateurs hold the Democrats to ransom again that will include the debt ceiling obamacare foodstamp reductions farming act guarnteeing continued welfare to the republican supporting farming sector.
The withdrawl of long term benefits.
All this will add up to an US economy dipping into recession in the second half of the year.
As midterm elections approach
The Republicans don’t want the economy to be doing well under Obama so they will sabotage growth to try and damage the Democrats.
So The stock markets world wide will slide into a bear market this year.
Penny bright good luck with that
The SFO has had its funding cut no surprises their.
Banks and Brash weren’t prosecuted for hulijch scam.
While poor old Doug Graham is having to survive on his parliamentry pension for doing exactly the same offence.
Graham Mc Cready should be appointed to SFO.
Critiscism of Geoffrey Palmer
Was a we bit over the top.
He kept reitterating that apathy disolusionment and centerist also the fore gone conclusion that their vote wouldn’t matter policy were a catch 22 I know that if voters in the 2011 election had turned out Key would not be PM polls were saying National would cruise to victory so stayed at home.
Palmer was dog whistling the left.
Saying if you want better govt don’t stay at home its imperative to get the policies you want by voting.
He repeated that message .
So who stayed at home.
Palmer was able to get the lefts message out their.
And that is our message get out and vote.
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Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
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(a thought for the day/these times..)
“..Now let us begin.
Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter – but beautiful –
– struggle for a new world..”
– Rev. Martin Luther King..
phillip ure..
Martin Luther King
I think he got involved with ‘another’ woman. But he was still a good guy trying to be good in a not so good world. So let’s keep our minds on what is good, and not hare off after the faults, unless they are venal (google – showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery; corrupt.)
Listening to RadioNZ this morning raking through the ashes of the ACT Party raises the interesting question, is Mathew Hooten the arch-spinner of right wing propaganda being Himself ‘spun’ by National/ACT,
Hooten, amusingly for one so vocal in the political realm is said by RadioNZ to not be reachable for comment about His name now being bandied about among the heady heights of the hierarchy of the right as a ‘front-runner’ to secure the ACT Party nomination for the electoral seat of Epsom and the Party leadership,
Hooten himself has for quite some time been giving the broadest of hints that He will be forming a new political body of the far right to contest the 2014 election in a bid to replace what He obviously sees as the defunct lapdog of ACT now being used as a mere sex toy by the National Government,
To have any hope of electoral success such a ‘Hooten Party’ will need to announce it’s intentions within the month and this is where i see the master ‘gamer’ Hooten being in turn ‘gamed’ by Slippery the PM and Joyce in a little game of ‘who blinks first’
Sources within ACT are talking up Hooten to be announced as the Epsom ACT candidate in March which as such is far from a promise of Him securing the candidacy which leaves Hooten with the question,
Does He announce His ‘new’ political vehicle within the month thus ensuring 10 months of traction leading into the 2014 election, or, does Hooten hold off in the belief that He is the ‘front-runner’ to gain the ACT Party nomination for Epsom,
Come March will Hooten have taken the ‘bait’ in this ruthless game of right wing politics, not launch His ‘new’ party of the right and be left standing in the cold with a certain appendage in His hand as ACT/National select a far more ‘pliable’ candidate for the Epsom electorate,
In the game of political ‘spin’ has the biggest ‘spinner’ of them all just been ‘spun’ into the dunces corner by the machinations of Steven Joyce…
No, I don’t think so bad12.
I used to know a bit about the inner-most workings of the ACT Party and I doubt much has changed. Candidate selection in ACT didn’t involve a ‘selection’ as such. The rank and file had no part to play in it. Candidates were chosen around the Board table and essentially represented jobs for the boys and occasionally the girls.
If the rumours are true and Matthew Hooton is looking to stand in Epsom, then the deal has been well and truly done. It will be touted as a new beginning… a new party and they may even give it a new name. But it will be the ACT Party in drag.
The interesting bit is Stephen Joyce trying to talk Rodney Hide into returning to politics. Is there some angst about a new ACT Party being lead by Matthew Hooton?
Won’t Hooten be weighing up whether the possible loss of his RNZ gig be preying on his mind (or rather ego)?
Which of the two (Epsom or RNZ) is going to be more valuable. I suppose the Epsom one might allow greater potential for him to throw the occasional hissy fit without sanction.
Perhaps he should consult Josie – or even “Im inclined to agree with you Mathew” Williams.
Hooten is still a ‘young man’ in terms of politics, there is only so much splintering of the vote that can occur on the right, a little crowded right now by both ACT and the Conservatives,along with the ‘either way’ NZFirst Party, befor Nationals Party vote begins to suffer,
Hooten is ‘all’ noble knight bowing out of the 2014 contest on both fronts,(the ACT Epsom candidacy, and, the formation of the Hooten Party), seeming to be suggesting that His only concern in doing so lie in the electoral chances of the ‘right’ in this years election,
Come in spinner, plausible perhaps, yes inserted for the laughs, Hooten will warrant close scrutiny in the next few months for signs of ‘baubles’ having been accrued…
Anne, from the Herald online it appears that Hooten in his NBR column out today has nixed any idea of Him standing for ACT in Epsom as well as forming a right-wing Hooten party to contest for the far right vote in 2014,
i could here speculate further about the machinations being employed by Slippery the PM via His ‘fixer’ Steven Joyce to have someone selected for the ACT Epsom candidate that will definitely not rock the boat in any way for a third term National Government, Hooten shown to have a ‘loose cannon’ tendency especially surrounding issues of ‘business welfare’ and also having embarrassed National over the broadband roll-out debacle is definitely not who National have in mind to fill the position of lap-dog should another National regime be forthcoming from the 2014 election,
It will be far more amusing in the coming weeks to read and listen to Hooten’s ‘spin’ over His political ambitions which seem to be all but extinguished until at least the 2017 election, perhaps by then Hooten ‘sees’ both ACT and the Conservatives having run their course into oblivion being the ideal opportunity for a ‘new’ political vehicle of the far right…
Yes bad 12 I saw that Hooton had ruled himself out of any attempt to run for ACT in Epsom. I did say… if the rumour was true. 😉
It is going to be amusing in the coming weeks alright because clearly there is one hell of a lot of machinations going on in the Nat. Party. Exactly what they are may take a while to figure out, but they know they have to cement in some kind of coalition party arrangement early so that they can sell them to the gullible portion of the public well before the election. At this point it looks like they’re shitting themselves they might have to rely on the ‘Silly’ party. You know, the one with that goon, Colin Craig and crackpot, Christine Rankin.
Dear NZ
I realise it is a touchy subject and that the MSM seem incapable of dealing with it,
but there are one hundred and nineteen seats in our Parliament that are not Epsom.
Maybe this rather important fact could be used to our advantadge in the upcoming election?
If tho, as many are saying this far out from November 2014 the election will be an extremely tight ‘affair’,(perhaps as close as giving either left or right a one seat majority), then the electorates of Epsom, Ohariu, and Waiariki become the crucial factors in which side, left or right, will have that wafer thin ‘right to Govern’,
Of course an election win for the left could possibly come from a 2-3% swing against the present Government through the Party Vote, but, with plenty of ‘good news’ to spin to the electorate on the economic front i should think that such a scenario is unlikely,
Given that National have the perceived upper hand from a recovering economy the above is an unlikely scenario which leaves the left facing the prospect of turning out 5% of the voters who did not vote in the 2011 election,
As yet the major player on the left, Labour, has failed abysmally to portray any coherent election strategy which would lead me to believe that that particular party has the means to move these non-voters off of the fence and into the polling booths in November,
In the general electorates a ray of light evident from the 2011 election,especially in Auckland is the in-roads the Green Party has made in the safe National seats at times doubling it’s share of the Party Vote and should this upward trajectory continue throughout both provincial and city held National electorates at the 2014 election this may be enough to cause a change of government from right to left,
Other than that the three seats above and how Labour and the Green Parties approach these seats will looking from this far away from November, be the crucial test of whether National has the ability to form a Government after the votes are counted…
Swap a few names around and has not that very discussion been the basis of every election since MMP was adopted? and even earlier . . . I am only in my 40’s but when i reflect on NZ elections in my lifetime I see two bloated gits riding the only seesaw in the park with neither participant paying any attention to the bowing of the plank.
IMHO The only way Labour or National, are ever going to get back to working for the good of all New Zealand is when that plank finally gives way and they are sitting there bruised bawling and devoid of power, albeit on their OSH approved rubber safety matting. Everyone else, having grown tired of waiting, headed off for a game of bullrush. Some were going to go for a swim but those fat gits on the seesaw kept throwing all their junkfood into the stream . . . Anyway, you see where this metaphor is going. There are other ways to use the playground!
That of course is a pipe-dream, but without dreams we have no aspirations, and apparently aspirations are really important to the country 😉
Pick your metaphor, be it playground bullies, stockholm syndrome or the slow boiling frog, this country is hurting. This is not the first time folk will call me naive and I promise it will not be the last. If that label comforts people as they begrudgingly come to terms with the concept of choice and the need for it to sometimes be radical in nature, then flail away with gusto. I simply believe it would be great to see the voters in a modern democracy become that most dangerous of critters, a clever sheep.
I honestly believe that New Zealand would do better in the upcoming decade and beyond, both socially and economically, if the status-quo of electoral representation was drastically transformed. I sincerely wish the public had the balls to do the brave thing and not simply follow the hayfeed all the way into the slaughterhouse. Problems do arise though when those selling the hayfeed only supply it to those running the slaughterhouses. Sheep gotta eat, and the wide open fields are now so few in number.
brilliant. you seen that danish show ‘borgen’? it shows how they do mmp in denmark. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1526318/
mmmmmm new stuff, thanks, I will try to get a copy. No broadband at home anymore and no TV, and watching video via a tethered cellphone is way too expensive. Thankfully I know a few media junkies with full shelves.
On the MMP subject though, there is one thing I find staggering about MMP in NZ and it is how we still have not had a single MMP government. Just defacto FPP.
It is so simple to do but apparently it is a concept beyond the capacity of our elected representatives to grasp (beyond the will of their fatcat sponsors more likely …)
MMP
1: A bunch of people are elected to Parliament
(I should say if we are to be lumbered with 120 MPs then I prefer two elected MPs per electorate over any Party list. btw This is not STV, it is two votes per voter for two candidates, but i digress)
2: This group of elected representatives who are meant to be intelligent highly skilled and competent adults, then make nominations for a PM. Votes are taken, etc, eventually a party’s nomination will be successful. It may not necessarily be the leader of the biggest party either.
3: This PM then selects their cabinet, much as we now do, but this cabinet differs as it has a high probablity of being a cross-party cabinet. (a PM in a tight year would likely need to secure more cross-party votes to become PM and thus have to deliver [more] cabinet seats)
4: The PM has been selected, the Cabinet chosen, once the GG signs off then hey-presto we have a MMP government! One that can get on with debating bills voting on stuff and just generally progress the job of governing a modern democracy in a responsible and democratic manner. (i know i know, funny stuff right! ) Huge point of difference being this MMP government does so in a manner more reflective of the public vote, which in my warped view of the world is sort of the intention of an election.
I also doubt this entire process would take anywhere near as long as the protracted bullcrap that is coalition agreement negotiation, which in the end only ever gives us mutations of FPP dictatorships.
afk
the face of vile
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11185451
captures the thin-lipped anger so well
I sense the powers that be are testing the water on this issue.
Suddenly (assaulting kids) smacking kids is all over the news from nowhere.
Expect one of those awful Herald or Stuff polls to see what the results are.
Something like ‘ Do you agree with Colin Craig about smacking kids?’ With reread full multi-choice answers to massage the results.
If the results look good to the National Party playmakers, then the decision will be to support Craig and give him a patsy seat.
If not, Plan B …find someone plausible to resurrect ACT.
It’s like an iceberg….there’s a lot more under the surface than what we can see.
I agree, but I would add that I think Craig’s team is playing a smart game. All he wants is at best 5% of the vote, and at least a seat plus about 3% to bring some people in with him. He is not seeking the votes of the liberal left. Rather, they are his target. So he starts with a couple of crazy claims, designed to get himself onto the front page and his opponents ridiculing at him. Then he follows up with what looks like a promising wedge issue.
His opponents readily conflate the removal of “reasonable force” from the law books, which most support, with their belief that no child should be slapped, which many people are more iffy about, since it looks to them too much like busy-bodying. Therein lies the wedge. He does not need all that many people to cry, “No one’s telling me how to raise my family!” to get himself over the line.
I do not think that anyone should take this guy lightly. His party may look like a vanity project but he appears to have vested interests of some sort putting the wind into his sails.
Yes…you don’t get this much media without some powerful forces supporting you.
Stuff is running the poll already, I’m afraid and, predictably, around 2/3rds of voters agree with him.
What a country – they want legal permission to physically abuse their children while happily not extending the right to their cats and dogs or other adults! In other words, before the repeal of Section 59, children were unique in our society in having less protection under the law than anyone or anything else short of rats and mice!
I think it emanates from a quite nasty and negative view of children and an awful degree of ignorance about how children grow and learn. It seems that this attitude is dearest to the hearts of the religious right who, mistakenly believe that the Bible gives this advice. In fact it is a mistranslation. The ‘rod’ referred to in the “spare the rod and spoil the child” advice should actually be a yoke and is using the analogy of oxen yoked together. The idea is that we need to teach our children to work with others in their community to attain good social outcomes, just like oxen working together plough the straightest furrow. It has nothing to do with violence.
Yup, testing the water.
NACTS will sacrifice our children to get their deal with Craig’s group of religious adherents.
They’ll promise him a referendum or a conscience vote on the matter.
And if it works, they’ll be able to gut our health and education systems for their corporate masters.
Phase 2 of the Key plan was toxic enough; phase 3 will be all out war to make changes that will be irreversible.
Jan, you have an interesting ‘take’ on the biblical ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ exhortation, in plain English tho this particular exhortation,(some say is a mis-representation of the actual words of the Bible), can be read either way,
The ‘right’ it would seem have the view of this exhortation to have the literal meaning that if the child is not whipped regularly then the child will be spoiled in a negative sense,
Of course the English language would also give us as a literal meaning an exhortation to ‘spare the rod’, in other words be sparing of the rod’s use, and, ‘spoil the child’, spoil here being used not as a negative, instead as a positive where we do ‘spoil’ our children in every aspect of their lives shielding them from poverty and need while attempting to give to them a ‘better’ life than we have had…
My point is that it isn’t plain English at all – it is a mistranslation from the Hebrew and should read “yoke” not “rod” 🙂
I think this is a moral issue that’s been turned into a political football as a smokescreen to whip up a fervour of redneck support for right-wing ideology. But more importantly it also deflects all MSM attention away from much more important issues such as the poorly performing economy, (rock star economy my arse!) poverty, unemployment etc. This ‘deflection’ interrupts the ability of the general public to at least begin ‘joining the dots’ over how dysfunctional, undemocratic and insane this NACT government really is.
It’s such bollocks. A smack isn’t assault and never was. Nobody has been prosecuted for smacking their children under the new law. Beating your child with a jug cord on the other hand…
yup
I think this has to be the message. Colin Craig is all “this law isn’t working for me!!!!” but has he, as a prominent, avowed smacker-of-children, been so much as investigated by the police, much less charged, prosecuted or fined? Nope. Can he find one single case of a saintly parent unjustifiably imprisoned for a single “harmless” smack? Nope, or it would be mentioned in the story.
He needs to be asked, “How is the law not working?” and when his response is “because child abuse has increased” he needs to be asked again, “Do you think you might have some role in that, given how loudly and proudly you talk about hitting your children? Do you think really abusive parents know the difference between a “light smack” and abuse? So don’t you think that maybe abusive parents see you as justifying what they do?”
Or, alternatively, the Herald could stop fucking publishing Craig’s every thought and whimsy verbatim.
Hmm. If reported cases of child abuse has increased, then doesn’t that show that the law is working? Unless the Colin Craig’s of the world can show a widespread pattern of parents being reported and prosecuted for stuff that isn’t actually abuse as defined under…oh, hang on!…isn’t the definition the same as it’s always been, but with a defense for assault of a child removed?
Anyway, prefer your concluding alternative – for the Herald to stop publishing this kinda shit. But that just ain’t gonna happen.
If reported cases of child abuse has increased, then doesn’t that show that the law is working?
That’s another argument we can make, which also brings up the It’s Not OK campaign which was considered very successful … and then got gutted by the Government, because that’s how much they care about child abuse.
The weird thing about the Herald and other NZ media is they keep giving Colin Craig’s extremist views oxygen, and don’t challenge his statements … but then they use the most pissy, thin-lipped, unfriendly photos of him. Mixed feelings on the editorial team, perhaps?
A flimsy argument can be made that he no longer feels he has the right to smack his children in public for fear of being prosecuted/investigated by the police. Thus he’s being made to feel like a criminal or a bad-guy when he is doing nothing unlawful.
As others have said on this blog before, the police like to harass people by charging them and investigating them on tenuous grounds.
Except that he’s a high-profile advocate for smacking who publicly states he smacks his kids. If the police really were witch-hunting Good Parents Who Smack then they’d have already knocked on his door, by that logic.
This isn’t an argument for the police being saintly dealers of clean justice, just poking the holes in Craig’s argument.
he’s confessed to breaking the law. let the witchunt begin… how long before you think he will be arrested?
QoT
I encourage everyone to substitute the word ‘smack’, which has gentle parental connotations, with the word ‘hit’, which has the actual and realistic connotation of violence.
Also, use of the continuous verb ‘smacking’ appears less violent than the word, ‘hitting’. These are minor linguistic modifications which impact on the linguistically manipulable swing voters.
Attack the expression “anti smacking”and hit anyone who uses it!
Good point, Rodel.
Well there is nothing illegal about E-Mailing his So called Party, and tell them what you think just watch the Effing and Blinding, as he is supposedly religious.
Personally and as a father of a 2.9 year old I think he is a Child beating scumbag, And he belongs in Jail. Using a position of ‘leader’ to push the assault and battery of our helpless children is just plain despicable.
Yes, well that’s part of the problem, crunchtime, people with money and good lawyers were getting away with horsewhipping their children under that old legislation
Yes the saddest day of my Mothers life was when she unpacked the new electrolux only to find that the power cord could no longer be fully detached from the machine itself…
Colin Craig is leading the NZ media around by the nose and it’s hilarious to watch. He’s the single representative of a minority party that isn’t even in Parliament and in an election year he’s getting more media coverage than the Leader of the Opposition.
Kiwi chicks are sluts! Man on the moon! I smack my kids! If you don’t realise this is part of a publicity campaign you’re an idiot.
Coverage, coverage, coverage. The guy has a media footprint a hundred times bigger than his actual foot.
Either that or the MSM are just doing what their owners tell them to.
I think it’s the former Draco (i.e. he’s leading them round by the nose). They’ve become accustomed to lazy is as lazy does generally.
He’s viewed by all those MSM ….err umm journalists?? …. as a bit of humour. The surface and the superficiality is more important than the substance (of which there is very little). If they had to rely on the latter, there’d be fuck all of a story and nothing to make a name for themselves with.
@ Marty …
Well they are his possessions after all. He therefore has a Divine right to treat them, manipulate them, mould their minds and personalities as he sees fit. I mean he’s got the credentials – a successful economic unit – equipped with Weberian ideology, religious commitment beyond question.
Surely that gives him the right to beat the shit out of them * to make sure they become successful, good, wholesome taxpayers … oops – I mean citizens
* Only IF NECESSARY of course!, and ONLY in moderation – after all – he holds the values of good, right thinking (WASP) KIWIS – SICK AND TIRED of bleeding heart liberals and those that are just making bloody excuses for the downtrodden (You know the ‘type’: the enablers, the Welfare troughers, those with Sympathy for the Devil).
(I trust Colon like I do the Chemo drug supplier looking for cancer)
Discussion on NZ politics this morning on National Radio right now with Jeffrey Palmer and some other politics professor. Talking about how elections are increasingly about personalities instead of policy, but not… quite…. connecting that with low voter turnout, and very nearly almost but not quite blaming the MSM for it. Who are indeed largely to blame.
Frustrating to listen to, the answer to several questions posed by Noel are essentially really simple, but the response is lengthy waffling about how terribly complex it is.
Which leads one to believe that the so-called “experts” can’t see the forest for the trees.
Raymond Miller from Auckland Uni politics dept.
Even more clueless than Palmer…
Talking about how both major parties “now occupy the centre” the hell they do
The truth of the matter is: they live in their academic ivory towers and they really don’t have a clue what’s going on around them. It’s always been a bit that way but nowadays it’s worse than ever. I haven’t worked out why yet except to say they do appear to feel they must be careful what they say otherwise they might lose their privileged commentating positions.
Endless rounds of short term funding for positions and research grants keep those pesky academics insecure, tame and on a tight leash.
Anne and CV I think you’ve both put your finger on the button there…
I wish it was the eject button.
I posted this link recently – 12 easy ways to destroy public universities
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/10/02/a-machiavellian-guide-to-destroying-public-universities-in-12-easy-steps/
The amusing part is: they may have worked hard and can officially call themselves academics, but there’s plenty of people who comment here who are far cleverer than they are.. and so much more clued up about what’s going on.
I find it more depressing than amusing to be honest.
Education has been replaced with indoctrination.
To me, wealth disparity is behind many of the severe problems we are facing – if not all.
Here is a group called Union for Concerned Scientists and their summary and report on the problem
“The report identifies five key areas where further federal commitments to protect science from undue corporate influence are needed: protecting government scientists from retaliation and intimidation; making government more transparent and accountable; reforming the regulatory process; strengthening scientific advice to government; and strengthening monitoring and enforcement.”
agree
Anne, why go to academics if you don’t want them to talk about the theory and the research? I dont share the view that they don’t live real world. Their world is very real these days bt sometimes you need people unfettered by things like job security to better be your society’s conscience?
That’s good in theory but apart from a few well known exceptions (eg Prof Jane Kelsey and others) I don’t think that the Academy is doing a good job of holding power and privilege in our society to account.
You can’t generalise that much about academics – as well as differences between individuals, there are differences between departments and universities. Economics departments seem to have become domianted by neoliberal capture. It seems to me that a few senior academics at Auckland Uni Pols Studies Dept are apologists for neoliberalism and US imperialism – but then there was Paul Buchanana.
And at AUT, there’s Wayne Hope – also an author at The Daily Blog.
Also at AUT, Marilyn Waring, Sue Bradford’s PhD supervisor.
And then there’s Anne Salmond…… the list goes on.
Do you agree with this in full?
I picked up this bit from Schopenhauer’s Essays and Aphorisms – ‘On Thinking For Yourself’.
Now you can apply yourself voluntarily to reading and learning, but you cannot really apply yourself to thinking: thinking has to be kindled, as a fire is by a draught, and kept going by some kind of interest in its object, which may be an objective interest or merely a subjective one.
The latter is possible only with things that affect us personally, the former only to those heads who think by nature, to whom thinking is as natural as breathing, and these are very rare.
That is why most scholars do so little of it. p.89Penguin
I agree that not everyone who “learns” think critically – some just learn by rote.
I wouldn’t separate objective and subjective “interest” – the most critical thinking involves a balance between the two.
I also think people kid themselves if they think their main interests in life aren’t fuelled by personal experience – things that affected them personally.
It is part of the legacy of enlightenment thinking that pure “objective” thinking is the best kind of thinking and scholarship – in fact, their work shows such scholarship was largely done from the perspective of the ruling classes – most usually white upper/ middle class males, until it started to get challenged strongly some time in the mid 20th century.
I understand Einstein reckoned innovative thinking included a mix of intuitive and logical thinking – kind of similar to the objective + the subjective realms of thinking.
@ karol and tracey
Crunchtime, CV and I – starting at 5 – were talking about those ‘academics’ who have been selected by the MSM to regularly comment on issues relevant to politics. I was referring to people like Josie Pagani, Bryce Edwards, Matthew Hooton, Claire Robinson etc. who have their own partisan political agendas which colour their judgements. Then you have the wafflers like the good professor, Raymond Millar who never really says anything we don’t already know. Jon Johannssen wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade but he seems to have fallen out of favour.
Apart from Paul Buchanan, how often do we hear the likes of the top rated academics like Jane Kelsey (and there are numerous others) on the MSM outlets? We don’t hear them. The moment they start talking directly about the truth of a situation (backed up with facts) they get shafted. Gordon Campbell is a good example. Some years ago he vehemently disagreed with some well known right-wing celebrity (forgotten who it was but he was a regular RNZ Panel guest) and that was the end of him. I presume he was never invited back.
I’d mostly agree with that – although I wouldn’t class Hoton as an academic.
Morrissey has mentioned this before. Forgotten the name.
@ karol..
but any media coverage they get is miniscule..
..it is only those who don’t challenge the status quo who get to be talking heads…
..with of course edwards the younger currently polishing teachers’-apple..
..and going ..’me..!..me..!..i’ll be a good/obedient gatekeeper..!.i pwomise..!..’
..today he refers to the monstering that nash got @ the daily blog..for his green-bashing piece..
..did edwards the younger mention that 95% of commenters hammering nashs’ neo-lob apologies..
..(which i think has been the most interesting piece of political-media so far this year..
.and the demolishing of nash/his neo-lib ideas is a thing of beauty to behold..)
..does edwards the younger mention this..?
..does he hell..!..
..he just gives the apple another polish/the access-media arse another kiss..
..and murmers apporovingly of the drivel nash got so hammered for..
..i guess we could be charitable..and say edwards the younger didn’t read the comments-thread..
..but i don’t think that was the case..
..he was just adding another line to his ‘look-what-i-did/can-do-for-you!’-c.v..
..so we get none of those big-brains you mentioned..
..we get edwards-the-younger..academic-for-hire..
phillip ure..
CV
In my experience academics are good people, intelligent, analytical and potentially ethical, but the ones I know are scared of the power that politicians and ‘University CEO managers’ who aren’t interested in real education or research but in pleasing their political and economic masters.
I’m very disappointed in the diminishing effect of the real thinkers in our universities and the growing power of the non thinkers in university staff.
Quite noticeable over the past two or three decades.
Yes.
Also noticeable has been the corporate disciplines such as economics, commerce/business, etc which have limited place in a university
That is if you believe a university is for teaching people HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
Of course, privilege and power have no incentive to create young adults able and willing to challenge the assumptions and structures of the hierarchy. Just ones who are able and willing to run the machinery of the hierarchy.
CV
So well and succinctly put- ‘A university is for teaching people “HOW” to think, not “WHAT” to think’ I really like that. I wish I’d said it.
Anti-academic Tories including a number of my right wing, well intentioned friends/ relatives and especially our beloved ACT MP, the architectural advocate of charter schools wouldn’t understand that concept and I doubt that our PM would either.
We have a long road ahead.
Master hoodwinker isn’t going to waste time on a new party in election year he will be to busy
Spinning.
Like a broken washing machine permanently stuck on spin cycle.
Thr effort to find 500 new party members to form a party then find a high profile politcal animal of the right it would be easier to resurect the rotting carcus of Act.
Nactional will try and rebrand colon craig.
ACC
Folks, before I go writing to Opposition ACC spokesperson, Iain Lees Galloway can I check with those close to the NZLP whether you know, or have heard any word on what Labour, if elected, would plan to do about the part charge that ACC Physio patients must pay and have paid since National came to power and removed fully subsidised Physio treatments?
(I checked the party website but couldn’t find any info about it)
I can not be the only person in NZ whose treatment of injury has been hampered by not being able to pay the charge ($20 per session) therefore missing out on necessary treatment and leaving me in pain longer.
There must be thousands suffering because of the right’s allergy to the free and accessible provision of essential medical treatment. Their attempts to undermine to ACC’s functions are cynical and cruel in the extreme.
IMO. Some less scrupulous physio practices gamed the system of free treatment to charge ACC massive amounts of money for huge numbers of patient visits. Many millions of dollars of difficult to justify invoicing to ACC occurred. Unfortunately that helped cause the demise of the scheme for everyone. No political party will be keen to go back to the system as it stood back then.
OH really!!! Thanks for that news CV. What a shame, as patients suffer and the legitimate physio’s who are genuine in their approach must be losing income from those patients who can’t afford to make their appointments.
So, you don’t think there is much hope of full funding for treatment appointments being reinstated, even if we did have a change of govt?
“No political party will be keen to go back to the system as it stood back then.”
…throwing the baby out with the bathwater comes to mind.
You don’t have to go back to a system that allows gouging, but you can reinstate a system where those who need help get it when they need it AND include a auditing system that stops unscrupulous physio practices from being part of the scheme.
“You don’t have to go back to a system that allows gouging, but you can reinstate a system where those who need help get it when they need it AND include a auditing system that stops unscrupulous physio practices from being part of the scheme”.
Exactly. When there’s a problem, solve it, that’s all.
I also wonder, there must have more to it than some shifty physio’s. Right wingers (and insurers!) have an ideological opposition to the service that ACC provides. How convenient for that there was an excuse ready to hand.
Thanks CV, that was my impression of the situation to, but I didn’t have much to go on.
I think the obvious compromise is to have a number of sessions that are covered for free, like say 5-6.
That to is of course open to gaming, but much less so.
Lanthanide, 5 – 6 sessions doesn’t even begin to cover it for those with a serious injury. For my particular injury I am meant to have 4 sessions per week – I can barely cover one per week and have had to cancel this weeks’ appointment.
Molly’s auditing idea at 7.1.2, as a response to scamming, is a great start. ACC Patients should not be punished because of a few dodgy physio’s and there should be no treatment compromises for those patients either.
Ok, I had no idea. I’ve never had an injury that needed physio, and don’t play sport etc so’ve never really been exposed to it.
In that case 5-6 weeks might be more appropriate, but then again it’s getting into easy to abuse territory.
I guess auditing is the only way to really provide people with what they need while cracking down on abuse. Pity.
These days they (partially) fund about 13 sessions after an injury, then they start to quibble – even with my pretty serious injury. They want people to be taught to go away and do the exercises the physio taught them, rather than get continued manipulations from a physio.
how do you decide how many is too many sessions? Under rehabbibng is way more expensive in the long run.
Thanks CV. It is interesting to hear the info straight from the horses mouth. That was my impression of the situation. But while it appeared that there was a moral hazard occurring with physio that led to large payouts, surely there must be a system of checking with doctors every 3 months say to see if it is proving necessary and efficacious.
If someone had to pay $30 or so every three months it would be cheaper for them than $20 per visit but would limit the free for all that pollies portrayed as happening.
I had two occasions where physios under the old system both diagnosed the problem and decided the treatment. Both times I felt were ripping off the system.
I think a GP’s referral is necessary for physio treatment.
When I want a vehicle WOF I go to someone who hasn’t a vested interest.
Worthwhile examining again but we have been down this track before. It’s an additional upfront cost and delay to the patient, GPs imo have little keenness in filling up their waiting rooms with sore low backs and sprained ankles, and how is a GP who has spent a few glancing months on the musculoskeletal system going to help compared to a physio who has spent 4 years focussing on it?
Far be it for a chiropractor to try and defend the physio perspective 😈
CV -valid point..maybe a nurse instead of a GP but somehow I think the referral and treatment should be financially separate.
FWIW, the last issue I had was dealt with in an interesting way: GP referral to a practise that had a leg-specialist physio, another physio on the back and all overseen by an oesteopath. Felt a bit Formula One pit-crewish, and with multiple appointments, but in toot-sweet time I was walking straight (and possibly taller).
Yep I know the practice.
CV
I agree with a lot of what you say, so I’ll refrain from commenting further on the chiropracty topic.
I imagine that what you say in 7.1 is founded on fact as you work in an adjacent field. But surely the issue of “less scrupulous physio practices gam[ing] the system of free treatment to charge ACC massive amounts of money for huge numbers of patient visits”, is best dealt with by regulating and monitoring the practices; rather than putting further impediments between patients and health providers. A visit to a GP may be a month’s worth of discretionary spending to a beneficiary (which may be able to be claimed back from WINZ, but you can’t be certain even if you do jump through their hoops).
If we had a less run-down public health system, free-to-patient access to physiotherapy should be the case for preventative education not just post-injury. Maybe some kind of; hospital-based referral centre (that didn’t itself require a referral from a GP), could be a way to go for a future Health minister?
This:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/287997/conservatives-leader-admits-smacking-kids
I had thought the rumours about Craig having a very personal reason for wanting to change the child assault law were just unfounded gossip. Apparently not.
Lol. They used the same mean lipped Herald photo in the OTD as the one Marty Mars posted above.
Of course Crazy Colin is there to push his own clueless agenda. I do wonder though, whether the belt up ya kids brigade have settled down from their hysteria sufficiently after realising they weren’t thrown in jail and in fact don’t care too much about the repeal of section 59 any more and perhaps Crazy Colin is just wasting his time trying to bring it up again?
Cross fingers that will be the case, but I don’t know – that would require them to have critical thinking skills.
Unfortunately, I think many of Colin Craig’s supporters are more of the “Nobody has a right to tell me what to do with my kids” school of thought. So while some of the more middle of the road supporters may have fallen away with the realisation that they have not been prosecuted, the committed will get louder and more vocal.
On the other hand, by giving opportunity to these types of supporters to be more vocal he may end up being marginalised.
Here’s hoping.
My thoughts too Molly – there will be the group of non critical thinking types who are stuck in the “nobody has a right to tell me….” groove and like a dog with a bone they won’t let it go.
(Unfortunately I know some people in this category, but luckily the religious cult they belong to doesn’t allow them to vote)
If the agenda push does end up backfiring it will be a good sign that this group of people, the more middle of the road as you say, has matured and learnt.
don’t be too sure about them not voting Rosie .Remember the “non political” Brethren.Who had vast amounts of money to support the Nat’s.. One group I am concerned over is the Apostolic groups who if organized could be a danger to the Left…
yup same group who don’t want their kids taught sex ed, and things like respect for partners and stuff, but don’t teach it at home.
APN and the ODT have a news sharing agreement. I’m amazed that they didn’t use the same article.
Rosie
I missed MMars’ comment when I made my own – the article he links to is a bit more in-depth than the ODT version. There seems to be a long moderation time at the moment with vacations, so I’m not sure if it was there and I didn’t see it, or I just skipped past.
That picture really says it all doesn’t it. Do we want that guy to have a legal defense for putting kids in hospital?
yes it was that photo that got me – so much anger, repressed and just waiting for something to trigger it off – I pity anyone associated with him.
The Herald article has been updated since I read it earlier this morning, includiing these remarks from the Police
A police spokesman said they were satisfied that Mr Craig’s comments on radio this morning did not “amount to disclosure of an offence”.
“Police do not intend being drawn into a political debate on this issue in an election year.”
University of Auckland Associate Professor of Law Bill Hodge said even if police did not prosecute anyone could bring a private prosecution against Mr Craig if they believed he was breaking the law.”
[It also now includes a summary of Section 59.]
The Police remarks are …. telling?
Bill Hodge’s statement about a private prosecution made me laugh. Cue Graham McCready ?
That photo of Craig is scary with its pentup anger etc in his whole facial expression; but particularly in the eyes.
Gary Taylor questions the secretive nature of oil and gas drilling in Southland.
A few councillor in Dunedin need the same moral fibre.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11185237
Thanks for that Paul.
Have read about the EPA recently and it kept bringing to mind the compromised US agency.
Didn’t realise that National had created it’s own unspeak version.
For some reason there is no reply button on any of the above comments.
I wanted to reply to bad 12 at 3.1 as quoted below
The secret of the Labour getting more than a one seat majority will depend entirely on the people they choose to stand in each electorate.
If they insist on giving the electors second rate candidates or recycling tired old used candidates they will never get an increased vote. I despair of the slowness that their system takes to get good candidates selected and running. In my electorate it looks as if we will not have a candidate for some months yet and that is way too late for any chance of getting change.
lprent – there’s no reply button on this posting. Sorry. My humble apologizes – it has been fixed – yeah.
Rosie – ACC is a hassle. Go over the top of your case manager. Write to the head of ACC here in Wellington, CC in Judith Collins, Iain Lees Galloway and Kevin Hague.
Be really harsh and firm, tell him that you are being treated unfairly, that the cost of the physio is holding up your rehabilitation, and that the cost is something you cannot afford on your meager income. Be unrelenting. It is no longer the scheme it was set up to be. And make sure you record all conversations you have with anyone from ACC – no exceptions. They are paid by results – ie, the number of clients they successfully get off their books. Good luck.
Thank you very much Will@Welly for your thoughts and advice.
The trick is I don’t have a case manager. As I am unemployed they aren’t paying the wage compensation so no need for a case manager. And of course, it’s a typical idiotic move by the nat govt to restrict access to treatment to the population, as in my case (and no doubt many others) my lack of recovery is impacting on my ability to find work due to limited mobility.
My main issue is the impact this must be having on so many people and that full funding for treatment is absolutely essential for people to have if they are to recover. That is what ACC exists for.
Whether Labour plan to reinstate full funding if they were to be elected, or not (my immediate moral concern) maybe I should take up your suggestion of contacting Crusherless, Lees-Galloway and Hague on a personal level to demonstrate how this policy affects people’s lives.
It’s a bit of a tragic joke really because the other thing on my list of things to do is to make a complaint to the Health and Disability Commission about the lack of diagnosis of an completely unrelated separate injury, which impacted negatively on my life for two years until I finally got the right diagnosis prior to Xmas.
Even though you aren’t getting compensation, your case is on file, incase down the track, when you do find work, you have a reoccurrence. So I would be inclined to write to the Head of ACC and demand proper care, state your case, state that your dire financial circumstances are holding you back from being fully rehabilitated, and demand fair treatment.
You won’t be pushing anyone else to the back of the queue, just getting what you are entitled too. As I stated earlier, cc in Iain Lees-Galloway and Kevin Hague and Judith Collins – that puts pressure on ACC to react. Collins will write back, ignoring you, but Galloway and Hague should take up your case. Any help is good. Best of luck.
Thanks again W@W.
Yes, after some thought I have decided to write to the above which I had planned to do this arvo but I have just about fallen off my chair because I received a call 10 mins ago from a prospective employer asking me to come to an interview for a P/T job. I’ve gone into get- ready -for- job interview mode and will have to get back into ACC mode once I’m through job mode.
Thanks for your wishes of luck. I want to live in a country where we shouldn’t rely on luck to get treatment for injuries, illness or assistance when we need it. Too much to ask?
all the best for the interview Rosie, go get ’em
No, we shouldn’t ever have to rely on luck. Self dignity, personal responsibility and ability should be enough to get everyone through. Sadly the dark forces of other peoples’ greed and capriciousness count against so many. You should bolt in Rosie.
I have everything crossed for you, Rosie, for the job interview. Re ACC, I seem to recall reading about various advocates who help with ACC problems. Will search my memory and Google.
Aw ffs! Was that the cops just putting trampers and tourists in the firing line by putting out a public announcement asking them to dob in any cannabis growing they might stumble across? I think so. Fcking twats!
Anyone going into the bush varying a water bottle is now suspicious. Apparently one of the tell-tale signs of a dope-grower. Just go for a walk through many of the workplaces around the country and see all the drink bottles scattered everywhere – what a joke.
Massive protest march in Basque country in support of political prisoners
Spain is attempting to ban all such protests.
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Bilbao&src=hash
Great little review from Young Turks – arguing poverty quite well.
http://www.tytnetwork.com/2014/01/11/war-poverty-handouts-encouraged-women-pop-babies/
Adam I think you are very niEVE
Tyt network claims to be left wing but its major funders are GOP billionaires.
Am aware of that – I also watch RT – does that make me a stooge for the Russians? And Al Jazeera – so I must be an unthinking supporter of the Saudi regime?
Along side this, if you watch TYT they keep saying they are moderates who have worked in MSM, if anything they are old school republicans before Regan. Which tells you how out of whack our politics really has got.
Hooten rules out both standing in Epsom for ACT, and starting his own Political Party:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11185633
took him several hours to drop that hot potato.
I thought PR was his profession?
@tricledown..
..and those who disbelieved/laughed at my call a while back that hooten was considering standing for act in epsom..and the reasons why..
..could they please form an orderly queue on the right..
phillip ure…
Would he really want to give up all his perks and take a pay cut?
@ willy..
power is a powerful aphrodisiac..
..and hooten comes from money..
..so material-imperatives are less so for him than with others..
..and there are lots of millionaires in the tory party..
..who could earn more o/s parliament….
..power is the drug..
and i guess he sees a chance/forum to peddle his rand-ite/fuck-the-poor-policies..
phillip ure..
“Bubble bubble, toil and trouble.”
There’s are lot going iof under the surface.
Xox
Suggestions for Hooten’s New Party name?
oldie but a goodie: SOcial D’EMocratic ALLiance
1.)’NZ Coots Party” (NZCP)
winning slogans ….’Coots for Hoots’ and ‘Hoots for Coots’
2.) ‘Possum Hoots Party’ (PHP) or ‘Hoots Possum Party’ (HPP)
winning slogans ….’What a Hoot!’ and ‘Lets party Possums!”
This;
http://www.metafilter.com/135573/listen-to-the-wealthy-scream
First it was minimum wage checkout staff who got crushed by automation
Now it’s fast food workers. Go away cheap labour, you’re not needed in the future economy. This automated machine can make up to 360 gourmet burgers an hour.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-12/meet-smart-restaurant-minimum-wage-crushing-burger-flipping-robot
I refuse to use those autocheckout thingies they are taking a job way from someone. And if i have to give my cash up then i prefer a ‘good afternoon/morning and a smile.
exactly
it’s immoral to create an economy which no longer needs workers
I’m still pissed off at Dunedin City getting rid of our friendly parking booth workers at Dunedin airport, and replacing them with German made self-pay kiosks.
No it’s not. It’s immoral that only a few benefit from creating an economy that no longer needs workers.
that to me is the issue. Technology merely boosts productivity. It’s how we distribute the fruits of increased production that causes the problem.
Right, the 1960’s/1970’s discussion on what people are going to do with all the spare time that they will have in the future, when technology liberates everyone from having to do more than a day or two of work a week.
Meanwhile, while you guys are thinking up nice theories on how to “distribute the fruits of increased production”, unemployment and poverty climbs.
you’re talking about 50 years ago? This trend has been going on for centuries. It was called the “Industrial Revolution”.
Unemployment increases when we have tories in power. Not when we have improved technology.
oh shucks must be fine then.
I used to be surprised you are still in Labour.
At the moment I’m somewhat surprised you haven’t formed your own pseudo-Amish commune
[Like!]
And I make a bee line for them.
Instead of thinking that it’s taking a job away from someone you should be thinking that that someone now has opportunity to do something better. Well, they would have if we had a society setup to allow such. Instead it’s designed to enrich a few while impoverishing everyone else.
The problem isn’t the change in jobs but the system that prevents that change so as to enrich the few.
Isn’t it remarkable that the portion of the future vision you espouse is the portion which makes the capitalist ownership class richer. How likely was that!
Do you have a timeline going for the rest of it to be implemented, as the reality our young people face today in this scenario is getting turfed out of employment, with your explicit support?
You can never trust the intellectuals of our society to back ordinary workers, because finally, the intellectual are of a different class to ordinary workers and finally, unaffected by their travails.
That was inevitable with capitalist ownership and thus we need to have a look at capitalist ownership model. I’ve been saying this for several years.
When is it going to be implemented is up to the people of NZ and the rest of the world and how they vote. If they vote in a political party/system that implements it then it will be done.
And, no, I don’t support our young being tossed into unemployment. The massive waste of the capitalist system is totally against anything and everything I stand for and have said on this board.
Good of you to state those principles so clearly. Shame though that your actions in the supermarket explicitly support the very massively wasteful scrapping of workers that you say you decry, while helping to reassure supermarket management that replacing labour with technology was the right call.
Of course, being able to indulge in an intellectual rationalisation (fantasy) that you are in actual fact personally and actively supporting a technology led ‘liberation’ of oppressed (and now unpaid) workers to pursue happier and more fulfilling lives, must be quite satisfying to you.
… and weavers are out of work, the outrages continue!
+1
I have to live in society as it is and work to change it through politics which is the only way it can be changed.
Hi David,
Unless I’m in a tearing hurry I refuse to use them for the same reason. Today I went to the local petrol station and because it was very quiet I stopped and chatted to the young lady behind the counter. She has to travel an hour each way on the bus to get to her job- probably the only job she could get. She gave me a lovely smile and appeared so pleased that someone was treating her like a real person. Well worth the effort folks.
Great, have been wondering when such machines would come out. Determined years ago that McDonald’s and other fast food places really should only be employing highly paid technicians to service the machines.
Thanks for approving of an inhumane, technocrat run society. I always thought that was what you preferred.
I’ve never said or implied that. I support democracy, always have done and always will do.
A democracy run by highly paid technicians, where the a burgeoning underclass of low skilled and unskilled workers are permanently unemployed, powerless, in poverty, with their jobs replaced by machines.
Have you stopped for a second to think who exactly this “democracy” of yours leaves behind and abandons, and whether or not that can be considered a real democracy involving all citizens and not just the valued technocrats?
/facepalm
The highly paid techs would be the same people that once worked for McDs burger flippers.
That’s no democracy of mine. That would be your own construction.
Loss of jobs is the natural result of increasing productivity. The people freed up from those jobs can then go and do something else. And, yes, it will retraining.
/facepalm
So McDonalds is going to turn each of their $14/hr workers into $35/hr workers?
When actually, you’d only need one highly paid tech doing the South Island and one doing the North Island. And once the systems became self diagnosing with online troubleshooting and repair, you could halve that number.
Welcome to a brighter future.
Can’t believe you’re trotting out the same neolib lines of the last 30 years.
Exactly what they told the miners, the railway men, the car assembly line workers, the pulp and paper mill operators. They’re all network admins, SAP developers and stock brokers now, don’t you know.
Actually, it’s real economics and not neo-liberal BS and it’s been a feature of society ever since we started agriculture. If you increase productivity in one area of work that society needs/wants that will decrease the number of people being employed in that area those people can now go do something else that society wants that wasn’t being done before. This is a good idea. It allows a society that doesn’t produce, say electronics, to do so.
Neoliberalism and capitalism in general fails because, instead of doing something else, it decides to do more of the same and export despite the fact that every other nation is doing the same thing resulting in a glut of product.
As I said, the problem isn’t that those jobs are going. We should be celebrating that. The problem is that our society doesn’t support the changes needed such as getting the people who have lost jobs into retraining. A large part is also that the government leaves it to the capitalists to determine what society does and the capitalists, being risk averse, just want to do more of the same into a flooded market. This results in unemployment which the capitalists want because it keeps wages down.
Now think about what would happen if the government had a space program going that needed more people for research, mechanical engineering and general dogs bodies and which those people could be fitted into with full training given. Would you still be complaining about those jobs being lost?
I put up a reference to lumpenproletariat earlier when Marx was being mentioned.
Another model for looking at society strata – the proportions of types of people haven’t changed here since those in the 1989 textbook I am looking at.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VALS
…used statistics to identify attitudinal and demographic questions that helped categorize adult American consumers into one of nine lifestyle types:
survivors (4%),
sustainers (7%), Named – Need driven consumers
belongers (35%),
emulators (9%),
achievers (22%), Outer-directed consumers
I-am-me (5%),
experiential (7%),
societally conscious (9%),
integrated (2%). Inner-directed consumers
The questions were weighted using data developed from a sample of 1,635 Americans and their partners, who responded to an SRI International survey in 1980.[2] Called the Values and Lifestyle VALS program developed at the Stanford Research Institute.
Is this type of breakdown of population an aid in understanding the proportion of right and left voters?
There have been some very big changes in the US since that textbook would have been prepared. Consumers are now neck deep in debt, many have lost their homes or are underwater, and for the first time ever, many Americans feel that their prospects going forward are bleaker, not brighter.
Mounting ANGER and FRUSTRATION of the people is the thing that the Left fails to get and accept in the US; it is however something that the Right Wing (eg Tea Party) understands and uses very adroitly.
Are short men the male version of fat chicks?
This was posted at the democratic underground.
The sort of USA version of this site.
The poster was stating that “woman treat short guys, like guys treat fat chicks”
It was a serious discussion.
Have you tried inserts? Or maybe style your hair like Peter Dunne.
I’d say women treat short guys like guys treat chicks, and fat chicks get it even worse. Except chicks isn’t normally a word I’d use, but just this once……
Murray:
A poster in the thread (not OP) was making a point, about fat shaming and how
short guys would be the male version of “fat chick”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024321959
FYI
URGENT ‘Open Letter to NZ SFO CEO Julie Read, and General Manager for Fraud and Corruption, Nick Paterson
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz/urgent-open-letter-to-nz-sfo-ceo-julie-read-and-general-manager-for-fraud-and-corruption-nick-paterson/
January 13, 2014 | Author Penny
13 January 2014
Julie Read
CEO/ Director
NZ Serious Fraud Office
Nick Paterson
General Manager
Fraud and Corruption
NZ Serious Fraud Office
‘Open Letter’
For your urgent consideration:
Please be advised that if Lisa Prager and myself (Penny Bright), have not had it confirmed by yourselves, by email, by 5pm Tuesday 14 January 2014, that the SFO will re-evaluate our following bribery and corruption complaint, then without further notice, proceedings for a private prosecution on this matter will be filed in the Auckland District Court on Wednesday 15 January 2014.
Please be advised that no such response by email, by 5pm Tuesday 14 January 2014, will be taken as a ’NO’ to our request.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Bright
………………….
………………….
Lisa Prager
Was Len bribed??? naughty little man should be spanked severely if this were proven, at a guess tho any court looking at the evidence of bribery that can be presented and that appears to be the sum total of zilch as far as ‘evidence’ goes, and consign such a ‘charge’ to the nearest dustbin…
fuck me. things I didn’t know about one of the richest nations in the world
“Food stamps feed 1 in 7 Americans and cost almost $80 billion a year, twice what it cost five years ago”
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/01/12/216210/doctors-say-food-stamp-cuts-could-cause-higher-healthcare-costs
Its worse than that. 47M Americans on food stamps. 1 in 7 Americans. But that’s 1 in 4 US children.
newsense
I think I read that MacDonalds had an arrangement with their staff that they will help them apply for food stamps if needed. They are a very kindly corporation and I am sure want the best for them. And prepare them for when they might be replaced if Macs instal robot hamburger makers as referred to on this blog (yesterday?) – I think that it can do 300 ‘gourmet’ hamburgers in an hour??
CV your narative on the intellectuals is summing up what labour has become.
Amish no greens mana yes.
Back in the 70’s IBM released a corporate statement saying that
Machines and computers would negate the need to work.
And we would all be just doing liesure activities.
I never trusted that statement then.
I don’t Now .
Printing money has been suggested by CV.
I agree to a degree if it is for specific purpose that is not going to create rampant inflation such as the CHCh rebuild.
Housing shortage it could be used to keep house inflation down reducing speculation.
Just giving it to large banks to speculate is counter productive
Like what’s happening in global stock markets right Now.
I had to laugh at the news tonight the business commentater was saying that tje stock market will perform all year that is until the GOP sabateurs hold the Democrats to ransom again that will include the debt ceiling obamacare foodstamp reductions farming act guarnteeing continued welfare to the republican supporting farming sector.
The withdrawl of long term benefits.
All this will add up to an US economy dipping into recession in the second half of the year.
As midterm elections approach
The Republicans don’t want the economy to be doing well under Obama so they will sabotage growth to try and damage the Democrats.
So The stock markets world wide will slide into a bear market this year.
Penny bright good luck with that
The SFO has had its funding cut no surprises their.
Banks and Brash weren’t prosecuted for hulijch scam.
While poor old Doug Graham is having to survive on his parliamentry pension for doing exactly the same offence.
Graham Mc Cready should be appointed to SFO.
Critiscism of Geoffrey Palmer
Was a we bit over the top.
He kept reitterating that apathy disolusionment and centerist also the fore gone conclusion that their vote wouldn’t matter policy were a catch 22 I know that if voters in the 2011 election had turned out Key would not be PM polls were saying National would cruise to victory so stayed at home.
Palmer was dog whistling the left.
Saying if you want better govt don’t stay at home its imperative to get the policies you want by voting.
He repeated that message .
So who stayed at home.
Palmer was able to get the lefts message out their.
And that is our message get out and vote.